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⸻⠀the self⠀⸻
Quiet and stoic, for the most part. Lothar prefers to observe people first before engaging with them, and has little interest in hollow pleasantries. He is a man who just wants to get the job done and not be interfered with in the process of doing it. A lifetime of fighting has made him decisive in battle, but has also made it difficult for him to form close bonds with anyone. Most of all, it has made him wise enough not to invite the wrath of gods or supernatural beings by taking superstitions too casually. In keeping with northern traditions, he holds trustworthiness as the most important trait a man can have. He dearly guards this trait in himself, and will judge it accordingly among those he meets.
ALIGNMENT: Neutral at least, the Good part is questionable
LIKES: Horses, good friends, being alone outdoors, and the warmth of a fire on a cold day
DISLIKES: Cities, cold weather, and travel by sea
⸻⠀the body⠀⸻
HEIGHT: 6'0"
HAIR COLOR / STYLE: Dark hair, chin-length and unkempt, with a short beard
EYES: Hazel
SKIN TONE: Fair
PHYSIQUE: Muscular
DOM. HAND: Right-handed
APPARENT AGE: 27
VOICE: David Hayter as Solid Snake
MODIFICATIONS // Left earlobe is pierced, with a small bronze ring. The shape of a goose in flight is burned into the back of his right shoulder.
SCARS / MARKINGS // Three blade scars on his face: one on his left cheek and two on his forehead above the right eye.
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⸻⠀the ability and tools⠀⸻
He was conscripted into Tethis' army at a young age, starting out in the infantry but then transitioning to light cavalry as he discovered a natural talent in that area.
ABILITIES // Handy with a spear. Handy with a sword. Shit with a bow. Good on a horse, but he is no knight or cataphract, only a scout and chasseur. Knows a thing or two about northern bushcraft. Has experience with military sieges, and surviving long nights outside of city walls. Has a sharp eye and a good ear for danger. Also a good ear for bullshit. Not too bad looking, either, if I do say so myself.
ATTIRE // Typically wears light-coloured shirts, usually just undyed linen; sturdy wool trousers for riding, usually dark colours; black leather riding boots; black leather gloves; a dark wool tunic or vest depending on the weather; a dark wool cloak, also weather-dependent. When preparing for battle, the tunic is replaced with a padded linen doublet that goes under his armour, and the cloak then goes over top of his armour.
GEAR // Armour consists of a padded linen doublet; a mail hauberk with full sleeves that hangs to mid-thigh; a coat of plates protecting his chest; and a byzantine-style helmet with mail aventail. It looks like this, but without the fur.
Standard weapons carried includes a paramerion sabre with 33-inch blade, hung at the hip; a round shield 32 inches in diameter, slung over his back; and a 12-inch quillon dagger on his right hip. May also at times carry a 7-foot winged spear for fighting on foot, or a 10-foot lance for mounted use, but these weapons may also be stashed in a wagon for transit when not carried.
INVENTORY // When in a city, he will carry only the sword and dagger, and sometimes carry a pack of traveling supplies slung over his left shoulder (keeping the right hand always free to fight with). When traveling by horse, that same pack of supplies is carried by the pack horse for that day. The pack includes food rations and basic tools for camping and maintaining his gear in the field.
Lothar has two horses: an Andalusian stallion named Lohengrin, and an Arabian mare named Helmwige. When he travels, he alternates which one he rides and which one is carrying his spare equipment, although Lohengrin is the one he takes into battle, having been trained for war.
⸻⠀the story⠀⸻
I was born and raised in a village not far from Tethis. My mother was a weaver. My father I knew not, only that he was a foreign man from the mountains. Thus, I was known in my village as a bastard of war. At the age of fifteen I was drafted to fight against the invaders from the east. I survived the war, and then fought in two campaigns after that, both of them in the Infinite Wilds far away from Tethis. While I began as an infantryman, my talents took me to the role of light cavalry. In my twenty-third year, I was wounded in battle and enslaved by a warrior from among the eastern barbarians. For about a year, I worked in my master's household, until he sold me to the fighting pits. There I fought and survived until I was bought and freed by a merchant from my own land.
For three years I served this man by guarding his caravans. So pleased was he with my service that he let me marry his daughter. But Fate had cursed me. Disease swept over the household and took her before our first child could be born. My father-in-law died soon after, and his business died with him. With nowhere else to go, I took up the life of a mercenary, as it was what I knew best.
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