RE: The Big Damn Fight
06-18-2016, 08:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-18-2016, 09:26 AM by Sai.)
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SpoilerName: Also Wilhelm
Gender: Male
Color: A blank slate
Species: Probably Dead Human
Background:
When Wilhelm was born, a Celestial Stork came to visit his parents, as always happens when a child comes into the world. Like all other children, Wilhelm's parents were given his name which corresponded with the baby's birth date and destiny from the Celestial Record. Given that he was the son of Jarnland's strongest earl, his parents were pleased that he had been given such a strong name. The bureaucrat finished filling out the form for the lad and was about to leave when the countess asked him what their other son would be named.
The Stork was confused. He looked over the paperwork that he had brought with him, looking for a sign of another boy to be named, and shook his head. With a shrug of his wings, he broke the bad news to the parents.
"I'm sorry," he told her, "but we have only one name here."
"Well that isn't right. We have two sons. We need a second name," she insisted.
The Stork was perplexed. He had to admit that there did appear to be two children. However, the Celestial Record was never wrong, and the Record insisted that there was only one name to give to the household. After a moment of thought he suggested
"Why not call him Willhelm?"
The earl and the countess looked at each other, briefly confused, and then both began to protest at the same time.
"We can't just call them both Willhelm!" "We have two sons and we need two names!"
The Stork thought that he was being perfectly reasonable. He patiently explained "Willhelm is a good name - a strong name. I'm sure that with a name like Willhelm he will have an excellent destiny."
"Yes, we know that and we're quite happy with the name -"
"But?"
"But our first son is named Willhelm."
"Yes?"
"So we can't name our second son Willhelm."
"Well, look, as far as the Record is concerned you have all of the names that you need."
"So Willhelm and..."
"Also Willhelm."
"Also Willhelm? Well, I suppose that will do."
The stork nodded, satisfied. He already had the paperwork for Willhelm filled out, after all, and as long as they were both Willhelm, nothing should go wrong. As he left, he heard the earl speaking softly to his second son.
"Now then young Also … "
Also. That wasn't a name, was it? Well, the Stork had a busy schedule and had already wasted enough time at the castle. He was sure everything was all right.
-
Throughout their lives, the brothers Willhelm and Also Willhelm were inseparable. Though Willhelm was older and expected to inherit their family keep and longboats, Also did not resent his place and was a fierce friend and loyal comrade to his brother. The pair went viking when they were only fourteen, and learned the ways of battle when collecting tribute from the Aes Sidhe. The fae had traditionally paid the Jarnlanders in glamoured goods as a part of their most recent peace, but treaties between the sacred folk and the mound dwellers had always been an uneasy affair. Peace was broken for the fourteenth time when a drunk Jarnlander pissed on a mound entrance near the mouth of the river where their boats were tied. This impropriety made that year's tribute collection challenging.
The young brothers proved themselves in that conflict and continued making their names known in the numerous squabbles between the Jarnland houses. They were an even match with axe and sword, but Also had by far the better eye. Whether it was with bow or javelin, Also became famed for his remarkable accuracy among the sacred. As a result, when Willhelm claimed a suit of gilded armor from a conquered Sidhe hall, Also took an enchanted sling and satchel of bullets to take advantage of his prodigious talent. They diverged further when it came to personality, though this was likely the result of their difference in status rather than anything inherent to their nature. While they had the same baritone,Willhelm became renowned for his booming voice and aura of command, whereas Also was frequently seen as something like his shadow, standing quietly at his side.
Given that they had lived their lives together, it came as no surprise that Also Willhelm was there when Willhelm died. Taken by surprise by a mountain's collapse, Willhelm's skull was crushed by a falling stone. Also saw to his funeral, burning the body in preparation for the Celestial Carp to claim the remnants of his soul and close the record. Whereas the Stork was a well regarded and frequently seen figure, the Carp was an official of much less pleasant circumstances, and she was typically seen only by the dying and the dead. As a result, when a wide, sleek figure came to the cold remnants of Willhelm's pyre, Also Willhelm believed it to be some sort of beast or desecrater. He drew his enchanted sling and immediately began to try to drive it off.
There was a fierce struggle - Willhelm desperately fired stone after stone into the pale figure, and the Carp desperately tried to figure out what this lunatic was shooting at. It had been so long since she had seen such opposition that it took her a while to even realize that he could see her. Since only the dead were supposed to be able to, she decided to check the record of this man to see if she needed to claim him as well. That was when she discovered that the infallible Celestial Record had an error.
"Well," said the Carp, "This is not good at all." Also Willhelm paused his onslaught upon hearing her speak, realizing that this creature could be from the Celestial Bureaucracy. After he asked her who she was, the Carp was forced to admit that, given that he could see her, Also was officially dead. Probably. There wasn't much precedence for this sort of thing.
Given that Also was quite confident that he was not, in fact, dead, he found himself in the awkward position of needing to convince the Carp to not eat his soul. Fortunately, she was nowhere near the stickler that the Stork was and so she decided to offer the man a job. While accidents such as his were all but unheard of, there were many people that intentionally tried to cheat death. While internal alchemy and healthy living were all well and good, when it came to necromancy the Carp was much less understanding. Those that used such magics to keep her souls from her were a constant problem, and she was far too unpopular to have enough acolytes to hunt them all down. As a result, the services of a renowned warrior like Also Willhelm would be quite valuable in releasing souls from their unnatural fetters. Seeing as he had never been interested in taking his brother's role as earl, Also Willhelm accepted the position and became the Carp's first human assistant.
Description: Also Willhelm is a sturdy blonde man that stands just over six feet in height. His hair and beard are both long and braided, hanging down to his chest, and it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. His nose has been broken and set a few times, and he has a few scars scattered across his cheeks. Like all sacreds, he has silver-grey eyes, but unlike those still living, his are capable of seeing clearly even in total darkness.
Though he still wears the long coat of chainmail that he had used in life, he now usually covers it in a cape of sleek silver and blue scales to mark his position as an agent of the Carp. Used both as a sign of rank and protection against the necromancers which his work pits him against, the cape is capable of deflecting most magic flung his way. As useful and honorable as the cape may be, his prized possession is still his glamoured sling. Made of a soft gold material, the weapon seems to blur and multiply when it is used, making it appear as though three or more slings are twirling at different angles. When it is released, all of the illusory bullets fire as well, though only the shot that finds its mark materializes. Whether this is on account of the enchantment in the weapon or simply its wielder's unerring accuracy, the fact remains that Also doesn't miss.
Aside from the cloak and his sling, his equipment all appears to be fairly mundane. He still fights with a sword in his left hand and an axe in his right when engaging in close quarter combat, but he has no particular attachment to any individual blade and the weapons currently filling his belt are an ancient looking pair looted from a cadre of skeleton guards. Part of his duties as an assistant to the Carp is seeing to funerals for those whose families were unable to provide them. In addition to his weapons, he always carried a spade, a skin of oil, and fire starters for this ancillary work.
Also Willhelm is frequently reserved and quiet. He lacks his brother's desire to take charge of any situation, and often has no issue with heeding the advice of others. He is used to being accorded respect as a result of his reputation more than his noble birth and sees no insult in not being given such respect before those around him have seen that he has earned it. That said, he is quick to disregard those that are unwilling to do the same and will usually ignore those that he thinks are acting haughty without a right to their arrogance. As a result of his line of work, he has developed an animosity towards necromancers and sees killing them as righteous rather than simply a part of his work.
Gender: Male
Color: A blank slate
Species: Probably Dead Human
Background:
When Wilhelm was born, a Celestial Stork came to visit his parents, as always happens when a child comes into the world. Like all other children, Wilhelm's parents were given his name which corresponded with the baby's birth date and destiny from the Celestial Record. Given that he was the son of Jarnland's strongest earl, his parents were pleased that he had been given such a strong name. The bureaucrat finished filling out the form for the lad and was about to leave when the countess asked him what their other son would be named.
The Stork was confused. He looked over the paperwork that he had brought with him, looking for a sign of another boy to be named, and shook his head. With a shrug of his wings, he broke the bad news to the parents.
"I'm sorry," he told her, "but we have only one name here."
"Well that isn't right. We have two sons. We need a second name," she insisted.
The Stork was perplexed. He had to admit that there did appear to be two children. However, the Celestial Record was never wrong, and the Record insisted that there was only one name to give to the household. After a moment of thought he suggested
"Why not call him Willhelm?"
The earl and the countess looked at each other, briefly confused, and then both began to protest at the same time.
"We can't just call them both Willhelm!" "We have two sons and we need two names!"
The Stork thought that he was being perfectly reasonable. He patiently explained "Willhelm is a good name - a strong name. I'm sure that with a name like Willhelm he will have an excellent destiny."
"Yes, we know that and we're quite happy with the name -"
"But?"
"But our first son is named Willhelm."
"Yes?"
"So we can't name our second son Willhelm."
"Well, look, as far as the Record is concerned you have all of the names that you need."
"So Willhelm and..."
"Also Willhelm."
"Also Willhelm? Well, I suppose that will do."
The stork nodded, satisfied. He already had the paperwork for Willhelm filled out, after all, and as long as they were both Willhelm, nothing should go wrong. As he left, he heard the earl speaking softly to his second son.
"Now then young Also … "
Also. That wasn't a name, was it? Well, the Stork had a busy schedule and had already wasted enough time at the castle. He was sure everything was all right.
-
Throughout their lives, the brothers Willhelm and Also Willhelm were inseparable. Though Willhelm was older and expected to inherit their family keep and longboats, Also did not resent his place and was a fierce friend and loyal comrade to his brother. The pair went viking when they were only fourteen, and learned the ways of battle when collecting tribute from the Aes Sidhe. The fae had traditionally paid the Jarnlanders in glamoured goods as a part of their most recent peace, but treaties between the sacred folk and the mound dwellers had always been an uneasy affair. Peace was broken for the fourteenth time when a drunk Jarnlander pissed on a mound entrance near the mouth of the river where their boats were tied. This impropriety made that year's tribute collection challenging.
The young brothers proved themselves in that conflict and continued making their names known in the numerous squabbles between the Jarnland houses. They were an even match with axe and sword, but Also had by far the better eye. Whether it was with bow or javelin, Also became famed for his remarkable accuracy among the sacred. As a result, when Willhelm claimed a suit of gilded armor from a conquered Sidhe hall, Also took an enchanted sling and satchel of bullets to take advantage of his prodigious talent. They diverged further when it came to personality, though this was likely the result of their difference in status rather than anything inherent to their nature. While they had the same baritone,Willhelm became renowned for his booming voice and aura of command, whereas Also was frequently seen as something like his shadow, standing quietly at his side.
Given that they had lived their lives together, it came as no surprise that Also Willhelm was there when Willhelm died. Taken by surprise by a mountain's collapse, Willhelm's skull was crushed by a falling stone. Also saw to his funeral, burning the body in preparation for the Celestial Carp to claim the remnants of his soul and close the record. Whereas the Stork was a well regarded and frequently seen figure, the Carp was an official of much less pleasant circumstances, and she was typically seen only by the dying and the dead. As a result, when a wide, sleek figure came to the cold remnants of Willhelm's pyre, Also Willhelm believed it to be some sort of beast or desecrater. He drew his enchanted sling and immediately began to try to drive it off.
There was a fierce struggle - Willhelm desperately fired stone after stone into the pale figure, and the Carp desperately tried to figure out what this lunatic was shooting at. It had been so long since she had seen such opposition that it took her a while to even realize that he could see her. Since only the dead were supposed to be able to, she decided to check the record of this man to see if she needed to claim him as well. That was when she discovered that the infallible Celestial Record had an error.
"Well," said the Carp, "This is not good at all." Also Willhelm paused his onslaught upon hearing her speak, realizing that this creature could be from the Celestial Bureaucracy. After he asked her who she was, the Carp was forced to admit that, given that he could see her, Also was officially dead. Probably. There wasn't much precedence for this sort of thing.
Given that Also was quite confident that he was not, in fact, dead, he found himself in the awkward position of needing to convince the Carp to not eat his soul. Fortunately, she was nowhere near the stickler that the Stork was and so she decided to offer the man a job. While accidents such as his were all but unheard of, there were many people that intentionally tried to cheat death. While internal alchemy and healthy living were all well and good, when it came to necromancy the Carp was much less understanding. Those that used such magics to keep her souls from her were a constant problem, and she was far too unpopular to have enough acolytes to hunt them all down. As a result, the services of a renowned warrior like Also Willhelm would be quite valuable in releasing souls from their unnatural fetters. Seeing as he had never been interested in taking his brother's role as earl, Also Willhelm accepted the position and became the Carp's first human assistant.
Description: Also Willhelm is a sturdy blonde man that stands just over six feet in height. His hair and beard are both long and braided, hanging down to his chest, and it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. His nose has been broken and set a few times, and he has a few scars scattered across his cheeks. Like all sacreds, he has silver-grey eyes, but unlike those still living, his are capable of seeing clearly even in total darkness.
Though he still wears the long coat of chainmail that he had used in life, he now usually covers it in a cape of sleek silver and blue scales to mark his position as an agent of the Carp. Used both as a sign of rank and protection against the necromancers which his work pits him against, the cape is capable of deflecting most magic flung his way. As useful and honorable as the cape may be, his prized possession is still his glamoured sling. Made of a soft gold material, the weapon seems to blur and multiply when it is used, making it appear as though three or more slings are twirling at different angles. When it is released, all of the illusory bullets fire as well, though only the shot that finds its mark materializes. Whether this is on account of the enchantment in the weapon or simply its wielder's unerring accuracy, the fact remains that Also doesn't miss.
Aside from the cloak and his sling, his equipment all appears to be fairly mundane. He still fights with a sword in his left hand and an axe in his right when engaging in close quarter combat, but he has no particular attachment to any individual blade and the weapons currently filling his belt are an ancient looking pair looted from a cadre of skeleton guards. Part of his duties as an assistant to the Carp is seeing to funerals for those whose families were unable to provide them. In addition to his weapons, he always carried a spade, a skin of oil, and fire starters for this ancillary work.
Also Willhelm is frequently reserved and quiet. He lacks his brother's desire to take charge of any situation, and often has no issue with heeding the advice of others. He is used to being accorded respect as a result of his reputation more than his noble birth and sees no insult in not being given such respect before those around him have seen that he has earned it. That said, he is quick to disregard those that are unwilling to do the same and will usually ignore those that he thinks are acting haughty without a right to their arrogance. As a result of his line of work, he has developed an animosity towards necromancers and sees killing them as righteous rather than simply a part of his work.
![[Image: WFQLHMB.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/WFQLHMB.gif)