Post by General Harken on Aug 31, 2010 22:09:01 GMT -5
General Harken
" The only difference between War Heroes and War Criminals is the timing. "
the basics,
»»character full name: Jeremiah "Jude" Harken
»»age: 35
»»sexual orientation: Heterosexual
»»Alignment: Light, with a few dark spots
»»Position: Archduke
»»Magic: General Harken's abilities lie mostly in combat. Though, that is not to say that he is without some iota of skill in the mystical arts. Being born of a more stubborn nature it was only fitting that Harken's abilities stem from the ever constant element that is Earth. While he is no match for one that has been trained in the arts as a mage the General is competent enough to use his arts to his advantage. The sheer might of his magic allows him to erect large barricades and cliffs though he lacks the finess and delicacy required for more elaborate things that do not require the force he is so accustomed to. Sadly, most of the General's skill in this area is used to maintain and operate his prosthetic attachment leaving him with very little energy for the actual combative use of his talents.
the appearance,
»»eyes: Harken's eyes are the windows to his soul, or lack there of. His eyes are deep and void-like shade of black that absorb all forms of light much like a black hole.
»»markings: Harken has scars a plenty from his years of active service in her majesty's royal army. Thought that isn't the strangest of things about him. No, the most noticeable marking is the man's left hand, or rather the lack of aforementioned appendage. The stump is rather sickening in appearance clinging to the protruding bone.
»»height: 6'3''
»»weight: 220 lbs.
»»general appearance: Harken is exactly what one expects a grizzled war veteran to look like. The man is large in both frame and height. His muscles are very much like the earth that he is able to manipulate being as hard as rock and capable of performing what most elven men could only hope to accomplish with the aid of magic. Years of physical exercise and battle have gifted him with this physique that he sees to it that it is well maintained firmly believing that a warrior's body must be a weapon. His skin has been bronzed from years of being exposed to the elements and his features seem weather beaten. Across his golden hide there are a multitude of scars and more seem to accumulate over time. There are several small knicks on his face, the most prominent reaching across his nose.
His facial features are squared off. His low cheek bones and prominent brow make him more akin to a prehistoric ancestor of elves, almost as if he were made for a time when violence reigned supreme. His nose has been broken dozens of times leaving it permanently crooked, though healing magic has seen that it is somewhat normal. The same, however, cannot be said for his ears. Like most members of royalty Harken's ears were long and exaggerated. War saw fit to change this, cleaving off most of the left, and only shortening the right to human standards. Luckily, he has suffered no hearing loss. His teeth have been spared the ravages of war though his canines are unusually longer than most elves giving him a terrifying grin. Like most men in the service he has found that long hair is a hazard and prefers to keep it quite short, though not quite buzzed. Unlike most elves Harken is rugged and is capable of growing a beard, which he dislikes largely.
Harken's body, put quite simply, is a mess. War is a terrible thing and his body stands testament to it. He makes no attempt to hide this though, his clothing choice usually showing off his large arms and other features. When Harken must dress as an Archduke he tends to dress like most. He dons magnificent clothing, a modest crown, and a cloak that could feed a village for months if sold. Harken, however, hates being dressed up and instead prefers to wear his armor at all times. The worn mass of metal is quite heavy having no frills and serving no purpose but to protect him from harm. Beneath it Harken sports a chain-mail and rather plain street clothes.
Harken has two disabilities that everyone is aware of. The smaller of the two is that Harken is partially blind in his right eye. During a battle, not long ago, Harken was struck in the eye by a rock fired at him by a fellow earth mage. The impact severely injured the optical nerves and left the General with only a fraction of the vision he once had and robbed him of his depth perception. Harken makes no attempt to cover up the hazy eye that cataracts have already begun attaching themselves too. The largest injury on Harken's body is the lack of a left arm. While impressive what's more impressive his how the General compensates. Harken, in his stubbornness, crafted on of Gira's first prosthetics.
Harken's prosthetic arm is crafter from his old gauntlet. The metallic contraption is padded for his nubs comfort and is attached to the arm with a series of belts at the forearm. A spring is placed at the end to force it to snap back into a straight position. The prosthetic alone is complex enough to allow limited mobility. Harken has ingeniously placed small rocks within each joint and fingertip allowing more mobility when outside of combat. Once engaged he is forced to rely upon the machinery withing, which is unresponsive at times. The hand is capable of wielding any weapon that does not require large amounts of finesse, such as daggers and thin bladed swords.
To compensate Harken has begun utilizing a very large battle axe. Blades, each decorated with carvings of violent battles, adorn each side. They do not cut so much as hack the enemy to pieces and smash through bone. It's handle is made of a very dense wood that will not shatter under the pressure his powerful muscles exert upon it, though it does creak at times. The top and bottom are both spikes with steel points used to puncture through armor. The axe's overall length is roughly four feet long. The handle is about three feet and wrapped in leather.
the personality,
»»likes: Harken is a man of the finer things. He enjoys classical literature, courting fine ladies of nobility, and of course engaging in intellectual pursuits such as speaking to his fellow noblemen. If by classical literature you mean books on ancient warfare and raunchy novels typically written for women, and by ladies of the court you mean the man enjoys hitting on anything that moved you'd be more than correct. Intellectual pursuits you say? Oh, Harken just adores knocking skulls together and getting into drunken bar brawls. This man is the ideal Archduke and leader for her royal majesties Royal army.
»»dislikes: Harken's dislikes are quite easy to see. He often vocalizes his hate for these three items immensely. First on our charming leader's list of hates is that he absolutely hates being hung over. He loves the action of becoming hung over but the aftermath pales in comparison to the forgotten night of pleasure. Another thing he has almost as much hate for is losing. The man is unaccustomed to it and has proven to be a very sore loser. Especially in the game of war. Upon losing a battle he typically begins to set machinations in play that most Light Elves, and some Dark elves, find despicable. His final dislike is rather trivial and unrelated to the others. Harken has a strong sense of smell and dislikes the scent of coffee. The black liquid burns his nostrils and turns his stomach upside down. In a sense, coffee is his greatest weakness rendering him unconscious if left with the smell for too long.
»»strengths: The most obvious strength that Harken has is his physical capabilities. To be perfectly honest the man is the equivalent of a giant among Elves. With a body forged from the fires of war and hate he is strong enough to lift a moderate size boulder over his head and throw it, a feat he once did while drunk. Though he did throw his back out afterward he did it none the less. Harken is fit and capable of taking extreme amounts of physical discomfort. The man seems to be immune to the effects of pain and has continued fighting throw the loss of an eye and an arm. Though blood loss took him out of commission in the latter situation. This strange quirk is often used for great humor at Harken's expense. The General often has things dropped upon his head that would knock a normal elf out, only to look around in confusion.
His other strength, that most forget, is that Harken is not a general for his looks or strength. No, this man is as cunning as a snake and as bout as devious too. Harken's mind is a mass of plans and machinations that have not come to fruit and often thinks years in advance. He churns out new plans faster than most whores can run their rounds. Calculating and, to an extent, cold Harken is able to come up with brutal plans that often leave those of his race sickened, though thoroughly impressed.
»»weaknesses: Harken's largest weakness, besides coffee, which shall not be mentioned in this section, is the fact that he has little to no magic available to him. Sure, he can perform great feats of power but ever since losing his arm he hasn't quite been the same. Unable to raize portions of a small army like he once could Harken is reduced to fighting with only his axe and hands, though he seems to enjoy those more so than using magic. Utilizing magic against him is the greatest chance of defeating him as he has neither the range nor the senses to combat a truly powerful mage. Earth mages prove to be the greatest threat to him due to his lack of mobility and the fact that his arm is crafted of metal and rock, both elements of earth. Water has also proven to rust his arm quickly, locking it up, and sometimes breaking it.
As stated above Harken isn't in the best shape of his life. He's crippled in more ways then one and they can be exploited. He's weak on his right side due to his eyes lack of sight and can easily be sneaked up on. His left arm can, and has, been removed several times during battle leaving him with out the use of his preferred weapon, the mighty battle axe. While still able of wielding the large axe Harken can not use it with the same zeal and vigor. His body is stiff from wounds of old making him slow at times and often times his body acts up from old wounds. While he ignores the pain the damage is still done to his body, eventually immobilizing him.
»»secrets: Harken tries to keep it a secret that he reads the more... for lack of a better term, unmanly books. Harken is an avid reader of romantic fiction books and if he is every caught with one he quickly denies that it is his and hands it off to the first woman he sees proudly proclaiming that he found their lost book. Those who know the secret are sworn to secrecy on the edge of the man's axe.
»»general personality: Harken, strangely, is a deep multifaceted personality with various masks that he must wear while at the same time keeping them united. It is hard for him to wear the mask of the warrior, the fool, the wise general, the Archduke, and the common man's man all at the same instant, but is a necessity that he must be held to. Because of his social standing Harken is a very stressed individual. The man believes that the hopes of his country rest on his shoulders and because of this he often acts out. When acting out the five sided face that is Harken shifts to that of the fool. As the fool Harken is often the center of attention and this face is closely associated with the last mask, being able to speak and listen to the common elf with earnest ears.
When Harken acts a fool it simply means that the man is enjoying the downtime in his life. He enjoys going out for drinks with his men, preferring ale to the taste of wine. It is while out on these excursions he can shed his title and be a man. Harken usually laughs the hardest, down the most ale, and falls the most. Though, it's all in good fun. Those who know him hold him in high regard, just no as much when he's falling over. Harken has a fondness for drink, though is not an alcoholic. He often acts out in hilarious manners and is very flirtatious. He is not used to being denied the pleasures of flesh. After all, the man is the Archduke. Woman swoon to be his lover, even if only for a night. Harken, while filling this role, often takes incredibly stupid dares. One of these was throwing a boulder, but you all know that story and it's ending.
As a warrior Harken is without fear, charging into battle first and leaving last. He has no honor, however, taking whatever chance he can and having a dislike for weakness on the battlefield. His mannerisms are akin to that of our world's vikings. His duty is to his lord and he must do anything in his power to keep his lord's safety, in this case being the Queen Aria Stone. Harken enters every battle as if it will be his last, though feels he cannot die until the war is won. He fights with the vigor of a dying man, often laughing manically when he is forced to enter battle. He dislikes his role as general as it means he usually stays behind in battle, attending to the strategy from afar.
As a general it is hard to find a peer equal to Harken in both cunning and brutality. Each side has men more cunning and more brutal, but he is a deceptive mixture of both. Harken has no disputes about using underhanded tactics and is a firmly believe in an adage of his own devising. "Life is without rules." He often says this to his men in hopes that they will do whatever they can to survive. Harken usually remains stern and cold while filling his role. Though, he feels his soul and heart shudder when the death toll is reported to him after battle, regretting his decisions and wondering upon if he could have saved lives. It is one of the sides that allows his brilliance to shine through, but also the cold hearted nature he was forced to adopt.
As the Archduke Harken has his own lands to attend to. He cannot go galavanting across the world to conquer evil and must stay behind and run his own land. Without him his domain is without leader as he has not yet taken a wife, something his sister urges him to do. Harken does not have a head for business and knows this. The man is old enough to know his weaknesses and has an advisor look over his funds and also several more to make sure all of his funds are there. When filling this role Harken is stern and serious, very rarely smiling and only at the appropriate time. His laughter is without mirth, if he laughs at all. This role dictates his attitude toward his Queen. While he acts friendly toward her he cares for her safety significantly, often arranging for counter assassination units and other times declaring assassination on her behalf, though she remains largely unaware of this.
The last face of Harken. The kindest of them all is that of a man who cares for his people. Harken's chief concern, after his Queen, is the state of the people of his country. He is one of the advocates for the peasants often voicing their issues when meeting of royalties are called and is in fact the man that assembled the Queen's Royal Infantry. He found that not utilizing patriotic elves was a waste of valuable resources. This causes him to be popular with the peasant's though he is till regularly kicked out of bars for his rowdy behavior.
the history,
»»mother: Vivian Le'strange Harken
»»father: Hector Harken
»»siblings: Emma Lee Ellis nee Harken
»»others:Victor Ellis, brother in law
»»background:
Jeremiah, or Jude as we was affectionately known as in his younger days, was groomed to be the heir to the Harken throne, not a warrior. His father, a sickly man, abhorred the arts of violence and destruction and deterred his son from ever trying his hand at the sword. His mother, shared very much the same opinion, but only because she acted as a puppet, her strings being pulled by Jude's overbearing father, the former Archduke. Jude's youth was spent in the library of his family's estate where he studied and, beneath his school books, read stories of war and adventure. Jude was enamored at the acts of heroism that were shown in the books and quickly decided that he wanted to grow to be a hero such as those in the books.
His parents, however, stopped him at ever attempt to do such. Jude became exasperated and with no other form of release for his dream began to read more fervently. It wasn't until Jude was ten that he acted upon his dream. At a formal occasion, a ball, Jude's sister was picked on by one of the the many lower nobles' children. The young boy had proceded to put a strange creature down her shirt which caused her to cry. Being the overprotective brother that he was, and still is, Harken lashed out at the boy, engaging in his first fight. The fight was interrupted before a clear victor was announced. Harken had bashed the boy's eye in, blackening it, while the other had broken Harken's nose, his first injury due to combat.
That one event sparked an interest in the 'manly' pursuit that was combat. Jude couldn't sit back and read any longer. A fire had started within him, a hunger, and it craved the feeling of flesh beating flesh in a most violent way. Jude, at age eight, was shipped off to perform as a page as most noble youths are. Jude had the luck of being placed in the care of an older noble who had tasted war once before. Lord Zulrich, was a craggy old man who saw fit that all of those under him knew the art of combat, his page would be no different. It was here in Zulrich's care that Jude learned to wield a large manner of weapons. His talent with a blade of any shape marked him as a prodigy and Zulrich took the boy under his wing, teaching him of the art of war.
For ten years Zulrich was Jude's, who was called Harken while there, mentor and father figure. On the day of his knighting Harken returned home a monster of a man in size and appetite, though was still the idealistic youth. It wasn't until much later in time that Harken would be forced into true battle. On the eave of his first battle against the might Dark Queen, Zulrich renounced his title as the Queen's military advisor and passed it on to Harken, giving him a title not usually associated with High Nobility. Harken fought on the front lines that day and claimed victory. Harken had his first taste of real combat and he was intoxicated on it. Though, intoxication has a funny way of ending in a crash. Harken's took the form of his second battle. The battle was a terrible flop in which Harken lost his arm to a blood thirsty beast that had been set loose.
The General was in a state of depression for months, though he still commanded it was from afar. It was in this time he crafted his usual saying that the world is unfair. Eventually, angry with himself for his failure and complacency Harken crafted his prosthetic hand and proclaimed that this was life being unfair. He precoded to lead the charge in his next battle, swinging his axe like a wild man and tearing through the arm in a bloodly haze. With his confidence in himself renewed Harken, from then on always addressed as General Harken and at times Harken the Heavy Handed, went on to win battle after battle for his majesty's army.
His tactics were not always the most noble, at one time hiring an assassin to target the Queen's more powerful inner circle members and another poisoning the army before hand, but they do get results. Harken has taken a back seat to fighting though, not happily, allowing others to try their hand at the game of marching soldiers. He offers up sagely advise and is often considered one of the Queen's more prominent advisors. If the man were able to find a woman who could stand his strange ways he would be set with what he would consider the perfect life, minus the war and stress caused from said situation.
the player,
»»alias: Vyril
»»age:18
»»contact: Here, I'm always on... almost.
»»rp sample: -groans- Do I have to?
Password: ~Admin Edit~
How did you find us?: Magical pixy dust
" The only difference between War Heroes and War Criminals is the timing. "
the basics,
»»character full name: Jeremiah "Jude" Harken
»»age: 35
»»sexual orientation: Heterosexual
»»Alignment: Light, with a few dark spots
»»Position: Archduke
»»Magic: General Harken's abilities lie mostly in combat. Though, that is not to say that he is without some iota of skill in the mystical arts. Being born of a more stubborn nature it was only fitting that Harken's abilities stem from the ever constant element that is Earth. While he is no match for one that has been trained in the arts as a mage the General is competent enough to use his arts to his advantage. The sheer might of his magic allows him to erect large barricades and cliffs though he lacks the finess and delicacy required for more elaborate things that do not require the force he is so accustomed to. Sadly, most of the General's skill in this area is used to maintain and operate his prosthetic attachment leaving him with very little energy for the actual combative use of his talents.
the appearance,
»»eyes: Harken's eyes are the windows to his soul, or lack there of. His eyes are deep and void-like shade of black that absorb all forms of light much like a black hole.
»»markings: Harken has scars a plenty from his years of active service in her majesty's royal army. Thought that isn't the strangest of things about him. No, the most noticeable marking is the man's left hand, or rather the lack of aforementioned appendage. The stump is rather sickening in appearance clinging to the protruding bone.
»»height: 6'3''
»»weight: 220 lbs.
»»general appearance: Harken is exactly what one expects a grizzled war veteran to look like. The man is large in both frame and height. His muscles are very much like the earth that he is able to manipulate being as hard as rock and capable of performing what most elven men could only hope to accomplish with the aid of magic. Years of physical exercise and battle have gifted him with this physique that he sees to it that it is well maintained firmly believing that a warrior's body must be a weapon. His skin has been bronzed from years of being exposed to the elements and his features seem weather beaten. Across his golden hide there are a multitude of scars and more seem to accumulate over time. There are several small knicks on his face, the most prominent reaching across his nose.
His facial features are squared off. His low cheek bones and prominent brow make him more akin to a prehistoric ancestor of elves, almost as if he were made for a time when violence reigned supreme. His nose has been broken dozens of times leaving it permanently crooked, though healing magic has seen that it is somewhat normal. The same, however, cannot be said for his ears. Like most members of royalty Harken's ears were long and exaggerated. War saw fit to change this, cleaving off most of the left, and only shortening the right to human standards. Luckily, he has suffered no hearing loss. His teeth have been spared the ravages of war though his canines are unusually longer than most elves giving him a terrifying grin. Like most men in the service he has found that long hair is a hazard and prefers to keep it quite short, though not quite buzzed. Unlike most elves Harken is rugged and is capable of growing a beard, which he dislikes largely.
Harken's body, put quite simply, is a mess. War is a terrible thing and his body stands testament to it. He makes no attempt to hide this though, his clothing choice usually showing off his large arms and other features. When Harken must dress as an Archduke he tends to dress like most. He dons magnificent clothing, a modest crown, and a cloak that could feed a village for months if sold. Harken, however, hates being dressed up and instead prefers to wear his armor at all times. The worn mass of metal is quite heavy having no frills and serving no purpose but to protect him from harm. Beneath it Harken sports a chain-mail and rather plain street clothes.
Harken has two disabilities that everyone is aware of. The smaller of the two is that Harken is partially blind in his right eye. During a battle, not long ago, Harken was struck in the eye by a rock fired at him by a fellow earth mage. The impact severely injured the optical nerves and left the General with only a fraction of the vision he once had and robbed him of his depth perception. Harken makes no attempt to cover up the hazy eye that cataracts have already begun attaching themselves too. The largest injury on Harken's body is the lack of a left arm. While impressive what's more impressive his how the General compensates. Harken, in his stubbornness, crafted on of Gira's first prosthetics.
Harken's prosthetic arm is crafter from his old gauntlet. The metallic contraption is padded for his nubs comfort and is attached to the arm with a series of belts at the forearm. A spring is placed at the end to force it to snap back into a straight position. The prosthetic alone is complex enough to allow limited mobility. Harken has ingeniously placed small rocks within each joint and fingertip allowing more mobility when outside of combat. Once engaged he is forced to rely upon the machinery withing, which is unresponsive at times. The hand is capable of wielding any weapon that does not require large amounts of finesse, such as daggers and thin bladed swords.
To compensate Harken has begun utilizing a very large battle axe. Blades, each decorated with carvings of violent battles, adorn each side. They do not cut so much as hack the enemy to pieces and smash through bone. It's handle is made of a very dense wood that will not shatter under the pressure his powerful muscles exert upon it, though it does creak at times. The top and bottom are both spikes with steel points used to puncture through armor. The axe's overall length is roughly four feet long. The handle is about three feet and wrapped in leather.
the personality,
»»likes: Harken is a man of the finer things. He enjoys classical literature, courting fine ladies of nobility, and of course engaging in intellectual pursuits such as speaking to his fellow noblemen. If by classical literature you mean books on ancient warfare and raunchy novels typically written for women, and by ladies of the court you mean the man enjoys hitting on anything that moved you'd be more than correct. Intellectual pursuits you say? Oh, Harken just adores knocking skulls together and getting into drunken bar brawls. This man is the ideal Archduke and leader for her royal majesties Royal army.
»»dislikes: Harken's dislikes are quite easy to see. He often vocalizes his hate for these three items immensely. First on our charming leader's list of hates is that he absolutely hates being hung over. He loves the action of becoming hung over but the aftermath pales in comparison to the forgotten night of pleasure. Another thing he has almost as much hate for is losing. The man is unaccustomed to it and has proven to be a very sore loser. Especially in the game of war. Upon losing a battle he typically begins to set machinations in play that most Light Elves, and some Dark elves, find despicable. His final dislike is rather trivial and unrelated to the others. Harken has a strong sense of smell and dislikes the scent of coffee. The black liquid burns his nostrils and turns his stomach upside down. In a sense, coffee is his greatest weakness rendering him unconscious if left with the smell for too long.
»»strengths: The most obvious strength that Harken has is his physical capabilities. To be perfectly honest the man is the equivalent of a giant among Elves. With a body forged from the fires of war and hate he is strong enough to lift a moderate size boulder over his head and throw it, a feat he once did while drunk. Though he did throw his back out afterward he did it none the less. Harken is fit and capable of taking extreme amounts of physical discomfort. The man seems to be immune to the effects of pain and has continued fighting throw the loss of an eye and an arm. Though blood loss took him out of commission in the latter situation. This strange quirk is often used for great humor at Harken's expense. The General often has things dropped upon his head that would knock a normal elf out, only to look around in confusion.
His other strength, that most forget, is that Harken is not a general for his looks or strength. No, this man is as cunning as a snake and as bout as devious too. Harken's mind is a mass of plans and machinations that have not come to fruit and often thinks years in advance. He churns out new plans faster than most whores can run their rounds. Calculating and, to an extent, cold Harken is able to come up with brutal plans that often leave those of his race sickened, though thoroughly impressed.
»»weaknesses: Harken's largest weakness, besides coffee, which shall not be mentioned in this section, is the fact that he has little to no magic available to him. Sure, he can perform great feats of power but ever since losing his arm he hasn't quite been the same. Unable to raize portions of a small army like he once could Harken is reduced to fighting with only his axe and hands, though he seems to enjoy those more so than using magic. Utilizing magic against him is the greatest chance of defeating him as he has neither the range nor the senses to combat a truly powerful mage. Earth mages prove to be the greatest threat to him due to his lack of mobility and the fact that his arm is crafted of metal and rock, both elements of earth. Water has also proven to rust his arm quickly, locking it up, and sometimes breaking it.
As stated above Harken isn't in the best shape of his life. He's crippled in more ways then one and they can be exploited. He's weak on his right side due to his eyes lack of sight and can easily be sneaked up on. His left arm can, and has, been removed several times during battle leaving him with out the use of his preferred weapon, the mighty battle axe. While still able of wielding the large axe Harken can not use it with the same zeal and vigor. His body is stiff from wounds of old making him slow at times and often times his body acts up from old wounds. While he ignores the pain the damage is still done to his body, eventually immobilizing him.
»»secrets: Harken tries to keep it a secret that he reads the more... for lack of a better term, unmanly books. Harken is an avid reader of romantic fiction books and if he is every caught with one he quickly denies that it is his and hands it off to the first woman he sees proudly proclaiming that he found their lost book. Those who know the secret are sworn to secrecy on the edge of the man's axe.
»»general personality: Harken, strangely, is a deep multifaceted personality with various masks that he must wear while at the same time keeping them united. It is hard for him to wear the mask of the warrior, the fool, the wise general, the Archduke, and the common man's man all at the same instant, but is a necessity that he must be held to. Because of his social standing Harken is a very stressed individual. The man believes that the hopes of his country rest on his shoulders and because of this he often acts out. When acting out the five sided face that is Harken shifts to that of the fool. As the fool Harken is often the center of attention and this face is closely associated with the last mask, being able to speak and listen to the common elf with earnest ears.
When Harken acts a fool it simply means that the man is enjoying the downtime in his life. He enjoys going out for drinks with his men, preferring ale to the taste of wine. It is while out on these excursions he can shed his title and be a man. Harken usually laughs the hardest, down the most ale, and falls the most. Though, it's all in good fun. Those who know him hold him in high regard, just no as much when he's falling over. Harken has a fondness for drink, though is not an alcoholic. He often acts out in hilarious manners and is very flirtatious. He is not used to being denied the pleasures of flesh. After all, the man is the Archduke. Woman swoon to be his lover, even if only for a night. Harken, while filling this role, often takes incredibly stupid dares. One of these was throwing a boulder, but you all know that story and it's ending.
As a warrior Harken is without fear, charging into battle first and leaving last. He has no honor, however, taking whatever chance he can and having a dislike for weakness on the battlefield. His mannerisms are akin to that of our world's vikings. His duty is to his lord and he must do anything in his power to keep his lord's safety, in this case being the Queen Aria Stone. Harken enters every battle as if it will be his last, though feels he cannot die until the war is won. He fights with the vigor of a dying man, often laughing manically when he is forced to enter battle. He dislikes his role as general as it means he usually stays behind in battle, attending to the strategy from afar.
As a general it is hard to find a peer equal to Harken in both cunning and brutality. Each side has men more cunning and more brutal, but he is a deceptive mixture of both. Harken has no disputes about using underhanded tactics and is a firmly believe in an adage of his own devising. "Life is without rules." He often says this to his men in hopes that they will do whatever they can to survive. Harken usually remains stern and cold while filling his role. Though, he feels his soul and heart shudder when the death toll is reported to him after battle, regretting his decisions and wondering upon if he could have saved lives. It is one of the sides that allows his brilliance to shine through, but also the cold hearted nature he was forced to adopt.
As the Archduke Harken has his own lands to attend to. He cannot go galavanting across the world to conquer evil and must stay behind and run his own land. Without him his domain is without leader as he has not yet taken a wife, something his sister urges him to do. Harken does not have a head for business and knows this. The man is old enough to know his weaknesses and has an advisor look over his funds and also several more to make sure all of his funds are there. When filling this role Harken is stern and serious, very rarely smiling and only at the appropriate time. His laughter is without mirth, if he laughs at all. This role dictates his attitude toward his Queen. While he acts friendly toward her he cares for her safety significantly, often arranging for counter assassination units and other times declaring assassination on her behalf, though she remains largely unaware of this.
The last face of Harken. The kindest of them all is that of a man who cares for his people. Harken's chief concern, after his Queen, is the state of the people of his country. He is one of the advocates for the peasants often voicing their issues when meeting of royalties are called and is in fact the man that assembled the Queen's Royal Infantry. He found that not utilizing patriotic elves was a waste of valuable resources. This causes him to be popular with the peasant's though he is till regularly kicked out of bars for his rowdy behavior.
the history,
»»mother: Vivian Le'strange Harken
»»father: Hector Harken
»»siblings: Emma Lee Ellis nee Harken
»»others:Victor Ellis, brother in law
»»background:
Jeremiah, or Jude as we was affectionately known as in his younger days, was groomed to be the heir to the Harken throne, not a warrior. His father, a sickly man, abhorred the arts of violence and destruction and deterred his son from ever trying his hand at the sword. His mother, shared very much the same opinion, but only because she acted as a puppet, her strings being pulled by Jude's overbearing father, the former Archduke. Jude's youth was spent in the library of his family's estate where he studied and, beneath his school books, read stories of war and adventure. Jude was enamored at the acts of heroism that were shown in the books and quickly decided that he wanted to grow to be a hero such as those in the books.
His parents, however, stopped him at ever attempt to do such. Jude became exasperated and with no other form of release for his dream began to read more fervently. It wasn't until Jude was ten that he acted upon his dream. At a formal occasion, a ball, Jude's sister was picked on by one of the the many lower nobles' children. The young boy had proceded to put a strange creature down her shirt which caused her to cry. Being the overprotective brother that he was, and still is, Harken lashed out at the boy, engaging in his first fight. The fight was interrupted before a clear victor was announced. Harken had bashed the boy's eye in, blackening it, while the other had broken Harken's nose, his first injury due to combat.
That one event sparked an interest in the 'manly' pursuit that was combat. Jude couldn't sit back and read any longer. A fire had started within him, a hunger, and it craved the feeling of flesh beating flesh in a most violent way. Jude, at age eight, was shipped off to perform as a page as most noble youths are. Jude had the luck of being placed in the care of an older noble who had tasted war once before. Lord Zulrich, was a craggy old man who saw fit that all of those under him knew the art of combat, his page would be no different. It was here in Zulrich's care that Jude learned to wield a large manner of weapons. His talent with a blade of any shape marked him as a prodigy and Zulrich took the boy under his wing, teaching him of the art of war.
For ten years Zulrich was Jude's, who was called Harken while there, mentor and father figure. On the day of his knighting Harken returned home a monster of a man in size and appetite, though was still the idealistic youth. It wasn't until much later in time that Harken would be forced into true battle. On the eave of his first battle against the might Dark Queen, Zulrich renounced his title as the Queen's military advisor and passed it on to Harken, giving him a title not usually associated with High Nobility. Harken fought on the front lines that day and claimed victory. Harken had his first taste of real combat and he was intoxicated on it. Though, intoxication has a funny way of ending in a crash. Harken's took the form of his second battle. The battle was a terrible flop in which Harken lost his arm to a blood thirsty beast that had been set loose.
The General was in a state of depression for months, though he still commanded it was from afar. It was in this time he crafted his usual saying that the world is unfair. Eventually, angry with himself for his failure and complacency Harken crafted his prosthetic hand and proclaimed that this was life being unfair. He precoded to lead the charge in his next battle, swinging his axe like a wild man and tearing through the arm in a bloodly haze. With his confidence in himself renewed Harken, from then on always addressed as General Harken and at times Harken the Heavy Handed, went on to win battle after battle for his majesty's army.
His tactics were not always the most noble, at one time hiring an assassin to target the Queen's more powerful inner circle members and another poisoning the army before hand, but they do get results. Harken has taken a back seat to fighting though, not happily, allowing others to try their hand at the game of marching soldiers. He offers up sagely advise and is often considered one of the Queen's more prominent advisors. If the man were able to find a woman who could stand his strange ways he would be set with what he would consider the perfect life, minus the war and stress caused from said situation.
the player,
»»alias: Vyril
»»age:18
»»contact: Here, I'm always on... almost.
»»rp sample: -groans- Do I have to?
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How did you find us?: Magical pixy dust
