- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Genres
- Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror, Scifi, Modern
-
Name:
Taipale Kallain
Epithet:
Glacier
Bounty:
0
Role:
Cartographer
Sex / Age / DoB:
Male / 33 / March 3th
Height / Weight:
6'4'' (193 cm) / 197 lbs (89 kg)
Home Island:
Huurre
A somewhat small and primitive island located in the north east in the Calm World, Huurre is largely taken over by forests with some mountains located in the west. The climate is on the colder side, winter lasting longer than usual. However, the temperature only drops very low for a short time during the peak of the winter and to those accustomed to cold, the long winter isn't a harsh experience. The inhabitants of the island are only blessed with a short fleeting summer when the usually white island transforms to green and it's the busiest and most important part of their year. For many of the natives, the warmest day of the year is usually reserved for a gathering or a festival of sorts around a large red maple located on a clearing on the southern side of Huurre. The tree itself holds great meaning for the people, serving as a landmark, a gathering place, and the area surrounding it as a 'capital' in some sense. It is said those who are lost return to the red maple and can be found there, which holds a spiritual meaning but it is also a conventional place to regroup and meet others.
Due to the nature of the island's seasons, farming is rather limited and relies on a good summer to stock up for the winter to avoid a too simple diet which mainly consists of meat. The natives of Huurre are skilled hunters and use the light fur of their prey to fashion warm clothing that'll enable them to effectively hide in snowy landscapes. If you fall into a Huurre hunter ambush while traversing on snow, you won't know what hit you. Similar to the animals that have developed light colored appearances to better avoid predators, the native people also tend to have lighter complexion, their skin fair and blond hair and blue eyes being common, though darker shades are found.
The most important prey for the natives are the large white moose-like animals called 'halvi', one individual providing plenty of meat and fur. A halvi's impressive horns are also sought after in some more prestigious circles, which makes them the most important exported product along with wood for the natives. However, it's a very niche material and trees are best cut down during the short summer so the island doesn't get much trade ships coming and going and isn't well known by the rest of the world. Since Huurre doesn't possess large quantities of anything truly valuable and people would generally rather trade with the natives peacefully for the few things they have than go against their hunters on their home turf, the island is mostly left to its own devices by MAGNA and rogues alike. In return, the Huurre inhabitants have no interest in sticking their noses in the rest of the world's business either.
-
Physical Appearance:
Kallain possesses a healthy amount of muscle and is well-built, which coupled with his height make him easy to notice. Furthermore, thanks to his strong facial features, square jaw, and thin low eyebrows, Kallain surely can make himself look intimidating. However, that is rarely what he'd wish and the man isn't stingy with smiles, he'll gladly flash you one. He's rather fair skinned but not quite far enough down the scale of pale to be considered looking sickly. This pale complexion seems to go hand-in-hand with his hair and eye color; Kallain is towheaded, his blond hair cropped short almost a perfect white, whereas his cold grey eyes can be surprisingly friendly.
Two scars run parallel across his face. The first from his left temple to his right cheek and the second breaking the right corner of his mouth, starting on his cheek and ending on the chin. Hidden under clothes, Kallain also sports a long vertical scar on the left side of his chest along with a horizontal one just above his knee on his inner left thigh, multiple lesser scrapes here and there, and a bullet wound on his right upper arm.
Making use of his height effectively, Kallain does not slouch or make attempts to appear smaller. He has good posture and usually presents himself confidently. However, if caught off guard or made nervous/uncomfortable, he adopts a lower less-threatening posture and becomes incredibly shifty-eyed even though he's normally comfortable with maintaining eye contact. He also has a habit of fiddling with whatever bracelets/rings he might be wearing at the time when out of his comfort zone, which is also true in lighter cases when there's no other indication he may be feeling nervous.
Style:
If you happen to ever catch a glimpse of Kallain wearing shabby possibly torn or dirty clothes, it's best to assume something is amiss or very much wrong. The man in question definitely does not dress like a beggar if he has any choice in the matter and highly values clean well-tailored and form-fitting attire. He's always ready to sacrifice a bit of comfort or practicality for the sake of being well-dressed. This in moderation of course, there's no point in being constantly uncomfortable and unfunctional just to look nice.
Simple dress-shirts, usually with the sleeves rolled up, vests and quite plain but neat trousers of light colors and those usually of blue and purple variety belong in Kallain's usual choice of clothes. Even though he appreciates decorations and details in a fine piece of clothing, less is often more, as far as Kallain is concerned at least, and he won't wear anything too extravagant. Shoes are also important just as the rest of anyone's wardrobe and Kallain's preference to stay within the bounds of simplicity is also reflected in his footwear. He rather likes sleek boots, the taller the better. Additionally, he's quite fond of jewelry of all types and you most likely won't spot him without a couple of bracelets and rings on his left hand and a single small white pearl on his right earlobe. Necklaces are a bit rarer to be seen on him but it's not unheard of.
Generally, Kallain can often look like a posh rich man to most at first glance, which tends to color first impressions, for better or for worse. However, any illusion of him being the type of lazy rich good-for-nothing tend to be broken by the shoulder and arm guard he wears on his right side and the large shield he carries around as they're not so easy to miss. He also lugs around a leather messenger bag most of the time to have his most essential possessions conveniently at hand.
-
Personality:
If you, for whatever reason, wished to piss Kallain off, it'd be no easy task as his patience can seem frustratingly endless at times. Just as he's well-dressed, the man is also well-behaved and generally polite to friends and strangers alike and sees no gain in insults or being forceful. He'd also much rather deal with conflicts by talking and compromising and is rather reluctant to solve issues with a fist as the first option since it's not usually a good way to do things long term.
However, when it comes to it, Kallain won't shy away from planting his fist into someone's face or flinch away from one being aimed at him. He's quite unfazed by violence and can remain calm and collected if and when violent conflicts do arise. Sometimes this apparent indifference to violence can be a bit unsettling and justifiably lead to questions or conclusions on what kind of morals he has regarding physical harm and even murder. Those who have spent a bit of time around him would probably notice he's no bloodthirsty psychopath who'd attack anyone without a good reason, but he won't be losing any sleep if he has to break someone's nose. Simply put, due to his exposure to violence as somewhat 'normal' for a significant part of his life, he has grown quite desensitized to it. Though unnecessary violence is not something he likes to see. He won't have any problem with you striking down a foe but he'll definitely think less of you if you deliver that one last hit after the enemy's already down and the fight is clearly over.
From all this, we could draw the conclusion that he's stoic, serious, and no fun at parties, which would be only partly correct. He'd rather be professional, present himself in a respectable manner, and does not appreciate people fooling around when dealing with a serious matter. Though this does not mean he can't kick back and relax and have fun when it's the right time for it. Even though one might not think so at first glance, Kallain does possess a sense of humor and enjoys a good laugh every now and then. He tends to retain a more formal approach towards strangers and slowly drops his politeness in favor of a more familiar approach with those he considers friends as he gets to know them.
Despite the man's usual calm and collected disposition, there are times when that's thrown right in the trash. As his choice of clothing and accessories might give away, Kallain likes 'fancy' and 'pretty' things. This ranges from jewelry and art to wood- and stonework, though he's generally more enthusiastic about the things that people can create on a smaller scale. Kallain might take a while to gush about how a particular ornamental button is elegant and fits perfectly the piece of clothing it's found on while generously complimenting the genius who made that particular gift to humanity. He feels rather deeply about such artistic creations and has great respect for those who take their time to perfect their craft. This in turn means he won't take very kindly to people who undermine those who go beyond practicality on their chosen field, he can understand having different opinions on such matters but there's no excuses to be rude.
Kallain also has a somewhat childlike curiosity towards the wide world that he keeps at bay and doesn't show as generously. He's always ready to travel somewhere new to see what there is to discover, the man is no stick-in-the-mud who won't try new things. However, on the flip side, he doesn't have the best attention span or memory and can be distracted easily. Additionally, he doesn't like sticking around the same place for too long and tends to grow bored if nothing new presents itself for a good long while. And when he grows bored and restless, his usual calmness ends up slipping and he's more likely to make hastier and less thought-out decisions that he may or may not end up regretting soon afterwards.
Decisions themselves aren't something Kallain likes to begin with. Even though, to some, he might seems like a good person to put in charge due to this good manners, usual patience, and level-headedness, they'd make a terrible mistake in doing so. The man absolutely cannot handle making any kind of big decisions that would affect others besides himself and will devolve into a nervous mess of 'what if's unable to decide anything if put in such a position. The responsibility is simply too great for his shoulders to bear. Therefore he's more than happy to follow orders instead of giving them and has respect for those who can make the hard calls even if they end up making the wrong ones. However, even though he doesn't mind being bossed around, rudeness is a quick way to make him start looking for someone else to follow.
Likes:
● Good craftsmanship, whether it be a candlestick or a building.
● A bit of peace and quiet every now and then. Going on exciting adventures is great for sure, but it's good to take a while to rest when it's needed.
● Relaxing baths, staying clean is important and there's no harm in enjoying it.
● Giving people piggyback rides, for some reason. Though he's more inclined to providing free transport to those of smaller size.
● Fresh fruits and berries, the juicier and sweeter, the better. He's especially fond of watermelon.
Dislikes:
● General rudeness and yelling. Unnecessarily raising your voice with Kallain is one sure way to start annoying him, he can hear you just fine.
● Hot days and merciless sunshine due to the fact that his choice of clothing isn't usually the best when working in such a weather. Getting sweaty and smelly just doesn't sit well with him.
● People messing with his maps, he does not take kindly to those who disrespect his work or his belongings.
● Recklessness and people who let solely their emotions guide their actions, though Kallain surely isn't infallible himself when it comes to this so he's somewhat prone to hypocrisy.
● Babies, they're messy and loud and test even Kallain's patience. Just no.
-
History:
Born on the rather isolated island of Huurre, Kallain was quite the curious boy already during his early years with the worrying habit of trying to wander off on his own as soon as he could. This naturally got him in trouble due to the sheer danger such a foolish practice held. Though, of course, a stern talking-to doesn't squash the wanderlust of a rebellious young boy. So, during his 7th summer, he rashly acted on an idiotic plan born in the spur of a moment, which he came to regret rather soon. It was one of the rare times a foreign ship was docked on the shore of Huurre and people were busy bartering with the crew. Kallain got the bright idea to wait for an opportunity to sneak onto the ship. He was curious, of course he had to go snoop around. Though he hadn't taken into consideration the ship might leave while he was still on it. That could've still been fixed if he'd just emerged from his hiding place as soon as he noticed his error and they might've still turned around to throw him back home. But no, the dumb kid got scared, panicked, and stayed as quiet as a mouse.
However, people have to eat, Kallain is no exception, and he's not stealthy enough to stay unseen on a ship full of people for too long. But by the time he was noticed, the ship had already gotten quite far from Huurre and the captain didn't have the time or patience to turn back anymore. So it was agreed they'd figure out what to do with the kid once they got to their destination. They'd just shove the kid to the local authorities and maybe eventually someone heading to Huurre would show up again and Kallain could hitch a ride back. Or not, who knows. He surely wasn't the ship's crew's problem. So after a while, the ship docks again on a foreign island and Kallain was escorted to an orphanage after a pit stop to the local MAGNA office. He spent roughly three years in the care of the orphanage but no news of any ships heading to Huurre came, which wasn't too surprising since it was never an usual or even very known destination for many. It's also likely the matter was simply forgotten.
Kallain grew bored and tired of waiting and even though the orphanage provided him the basic necessities, it wasn't exactly a luxury hotel. Apparently having learned nothing from the last time he thought he got a bright idea, Kallain decided to ditch his current form of residence and find his own way back. He was 10, that's a whole two-digit number, he could easily take care of himself for sure. His great plan this time was, for starters, to hitch a ride somewhere closer to home in exchange for some menial tasks on a ship, he could peel potatoes just fine. In theory, that wasn't a terrible first step, the execution just didn't go exactly according to plan. A child's memory failed and he ended up further from, not closer to, home.
This brand new environment was an urban island closer to the south, with a highly developed richer area with significantly poorer slum-like areas found to the west of the island. The elite, of course, would much rather pretend there's no good-for-nothings lingering around. So the residents of Parlien turned their noses up at the random disheveled kid running around admiring the impressive buildings and the finely crafted merchandise in the obviously expensive shops. Kallain was quickly starting to forget his homesickness as he realized how much fancy places and stuff there is. And this was just a single island, there had to be so much more to see and he might as well take a look while he was at it. However, the biggest problem became quite obvious in no time; he still needed to eat and a place to sleep in would be nice as well. The choices were rather simple, rely on people's generosity, steal, or find some work. At first, Kallian went with the first two options, learning that people are more likely to give you what you want if you look and act nice, the people in Parlien did at least.
After some time of begging and the steadily diminishing stealing, Kallain came across what seemed like a great work opportunity. Parlien was considered a place of high culture and art with entertainment readily available for the right price. One of these forms of entertainment was a well respected and maintained fighting arena that provided spectators the delight of flashy combat to gawk at. The establishment provided its fighters housing, food, clothes, some pocket money, and written contracts were signed to assure all was fair and good. As Kallain was in his early teens at that point, he found work there doing menial tasks while being taught the basics like reading and writing and being trained to fight in the arena later on. Once he turned 16, he was entered in few 'warm-up' fights before the main event people were there to see and when he was 18, he got into the big league and finally signed a legal binding contract on his service in the establishment. By this point, the foolish teen had been thoroughly charmed by the glory of combat and everything he was learning along with the niceties of Parlien. All seemed fine and dandy and Kallain signed the piece of paper given to him. There was just one thing he happened to overlook; There was no set timeframe or expiration date to his service, just some vague sentence on how he'd be relieved of his employment when both parties of the contract agreed on it. This obviously came back to bite him in the ass later on.
With Kallain officially in the roster of the main fighters, he needed a glorious alias and a distinguishable get-up. Thus was born 'Glacier' who got sharp patterns painted on him with white and/or light blue paint and dressed with that same color scheme. It was over the top, unimaginative, and ridiculous, but apparently that's what people wanted to see and Kallain didn't really have a problem with rolling with it. However, as time passed, his life started growing too repetitive for his tastes, he wasn't really learning anything new anymore, he had seen all there was to see on Parlien, and most importantly, he was starting to feel like he wanted to do more with his life. At which point he expressed his wish to quit and his idiot mistake came to light. Every time he brought the subject up, the answer was somewhere along the lines of "Just stay a while longer until we find a replacement for you"/"We're planning a grand spectacle for this big holiday and we need you on that, we can talk about this after that"/"We can pay you a bit more if that's what this is". There was always an excuse to say no politely and it was starting to become quite clear the answer would always be no. So, when he was 25, Kallain quietly ditched the whole island for good, breaking the contract.
This newly stolen freedom came with a question: What should he do now? Kallain had completely forgotten about his quest to go back home during his time in Parlien and his memory had never been the best so what he did remember of his home from his early childhood was rather faded at that point. The most prominent memory he possessed being that of the large red maple of Huurre. So that is what he'd have to find and he was sure he'd recognize it when he did, but he had no idea how to find it. With this obvious dilemma unsolved, Kallain mostly just drifted around all over the place working random simple jobs here and there without any idea what he was actually doing or what he should be doing. After a year of his aimless wandering around, he accepted another seemingly benign job offer; A group of treasure hunters needed some additional muscle and possibly protection since their intended destination was located in less charted territory. Surprisingly enough, the trip went well and they found what they were looking for. Kallain found the ancient building and its artifacts quite intriguing along with the map one of the group was drawing of the place.
Kallain spent a couple of years with those treasure hunters, learning from them and getting in the cross hairs of MAGNA a few times when they set their foot somewhere they shouldn't have and took something they shouldn't have. However, despite of how entertaining his time as a pesky treasure hunter was, Kallain had once again derailed from his actual mission at hand. Though this time it wasn't a useless distraction, the crude maps one of the treasure hunters had taught him how to draw gave Kallain a beginning of a plan and he left his treasure hunting buddies behind somewhat reluctantly to follow through with it. Maps show you what is where and it's easy to see where you have been and where you haven't been without having to remember everything. So the genius idea was that he'd get someone to teach him more cartography and he'd be able to make a trail of every place he has been to with a stack of maps and a journal detailing when he arrived and left each place and whatever else might be important to note. That way he'd know where he had already been and what was still uncharted territory for him, a simple method of systematic elimination. He'd definitely find that red maple he remembers eventually and he could enjoy his time exploring everything else and continuing with some lesser treasure hunting by himself when the opportunity raises, all the while not forgetting the actual end goal. So that's what he has been up to for the last 4 years.
-
Skills & Talents:
Cartography - Kallain is still no expert in the art of drawing maps and even though his work pales in comparison to that of professionals, his maps are good quality and definitely accurate enough for casual usage.
Treasure hunting/Archaeology - Having spent some of his years snooping around in search of intriguing and possibly valuable ruins and artifacts, Kallain has developed a good eye for what is and isn't worth investigating along with the approximate value of whatever old locations and object he might come across. However, he's no expert in history and won't often be able to weave detailed and accurate stories of said places and things.
Pretend fight - Due to his history as an entertainer in the art of flashy combat, Kallain is able to stage a believable fight or attack without the risk of serious injury unless something goes terribly wrong. And, if he wishes to, he knows how to look fancy and photogenic when fighting, whatever good that does to anyone. He also has a keen eye when it comes to spotting if someone else is being serious in a fight or not.
Combat Abilities:
Base Style:
Kallain relies mostly on his kite shaped shield that reaches a bit over his shoulder when held with his arm relaxed beside his body. Both the chief and base points of the shield are purposely sharp in order for the shield to be used as a weapon more flexibly. Kallain wields a simple knife with it.
Overview:
Kallain has developed a good eye for body language and has quick reflexes as well as great physical strength, which he utilizes and heavily relies upon in his fighting style. He wields his shield in his left hand and primarily uses it to block blows he sees coming even if he would have time to dodge. His main concern isn't to deal damage and the infuriating expertise Kallain has when it comes to getting his shield where it's needed in time is meant to wear the opponent down in the long run.
When this happens, it's easier for him to finish his foe with the knife he owns. His right arm, with which he uses the knife, is protected by a leather shoulder and arm guards and can thus be used for blocking blows as well if need be and isn't too vulnerable for counter-attacks when he chooses to take a stab with his knife. Though leather obviously isn't as good at taking blows as metal so he tries to avoid attacking too recklessly as best he can.
The shield can also be used for attacking; The sharp chief and base points of the shield can be used for stabbing and slashing somewhat effectively, and a shield smashed to someone's face is always effective to varying degrees. Stunning an enemy like this presents a good opportunity for him to get a stab in with his knife. Alternatively, when he's fighting alongside others, knocking someone over the head with his shield can give an ally the perfect opening to land a powerful hit to a vulnerable spot.
Combat Personality:
Kallain remains calm and focused in combat and does his best not to take big risks. However, when you're in a fight, you have to think on your feet, which he has learned the hard way, and Kallain seems to gain the ability to make quick decisions he usually wouldn't while in combat. He's very prone to hindsight afterwards however. Due to not being very fond of killing his foes unless there is no other choice, his actions in combat are usually more aimed at incapacitating rather than killing them. This can lead to him going too easy on his enemies, or in some cases hesitating, and subjecting himself and his allies to possible payback after they think they have the opponent subdued. Or perhaps the foe will be grateful for their spared life, it's not always easy to know which it'll be beforehand.
Not all battles can be won and there's no shame in that. Kallain doesn't have any delusions about grand battles to the death to preserve any perceived 'honor' and he won't have a problem with admitting it when he's lost. Sometimes retreat or surrender is the best strategy, live to fight another day. Though he definitely won't turn tail and run if that means leaving a friend behind.
Equipment:
> A kite shaped shield with sharp chief and base point, a light blue stripe runs along the outer edge with a similarly colored diamond shaped boss in the middle of the shield's surface. In addition to the sturdy leather enarmes that provide a grip of the shield, a longer belt-like strap is attached to the underside of the shield so it can be carried on his back.
> A simple knife with a purple handle, its brown leather sheath is strapped to Kallain's right thigh.
> He also own a flintlock pistol that's fastened to the belt holding his shoulder guard in place, the pistol's holster residing beside his left arm. However, he's not that skilled with firearms and the pistol is more of 'just in case' back-up plan that he doesn't use often.
And that's about it. I drew a 'quick sketch' while figuring out what he likes to wear and it got out of hand and more finished than I planned. So I added it in since I'm not that good at describing appearances. I'm not the best artist and a picture taken of a traditional thing with a phone's camera isn't really the best quality, but I hope it's fine.
Also, for the gladiator-esque place I have in his background: I don't know how well I made it clear in the history section but I was thinking of it as a law abiding respectable and tax-paying establishment that treats its 'employees' well and doesn't do shady business besides occasionally taking advantage of loopholes and ambiguous wordings of things. Would MAGNA actually be okay with this being a thing? If not, I'd be okay with changing it into a more of an underground illegal thing if that'd be better. (Maybe I should've asked beforehand. :,D)
But yeah, hopefully everything makes sense, let me know if anything needs to be changed or added on. :]
Last edited:
