Ah'Har

Biographical information

Birthplace Unknown Born Died Age 53 years Home Cerak Sexuality Pronouns

Physical description

Race Elf Sub-Race Gender Male Height 6'2" / 1.89 m Mass 175 lbs / 79.37 kg Hair color Sandy Blonde Eye color Green with Gold Freckles Skin color Dark Tan

Political information

Affiliation(s) Unaffiliated Occupation Bodyguard Clan(s) Caste Domain Masters Apprentices Alias(es)

Out-of-character information

Writer TimberWolfBrother Created on Original Creation: April 01, 2013, Chronicles: April 25, 2019 Avatar Original Avatar: Reliah, Original Bio Pic: N-Deed

Ah'Har is a free slave from Cerak, once part of a slave rebellion who escaped following the murder of his owner. Since then, to survive, he has worked as thief, enforcer, assassin, pirate, bodyguard, and even a guard for smuggler vessels wherever needed, never wholly pledging his allegiance to any faction in the ephemeral states of power that most groups might hold in Cerak.

As of the fourth Pneria cycle of the 369th year, Ah'Har and Cla'Tria emigrated from Cerak on a smuggling vessel once he considered his younger sister to be properly old enough to travel and defend herself if trouble arose. While his work remains largely similar to his past operating out of the Black Bay, he prefers working as a mercenary for more respectable work to try setting a better example for Cla'Tria despite his own strength, skills, and experience.

When traveling, or sometimes even just idly, he will use his playing cards for tarot reading to suggest the current state of things, where he should go next, and what events might happen in his life. Despite the sometimes controversial results of these readings, he continues to swear by them with his survival as his evidence for the validity of the readings.

Ah'Har's slim body is 6'2" (188cm) in height and is 175 pounds (79 kg) in weight.

Ah'Har's face bares a slave trader's tattoo brand. It is of a black line coming from around his left eye curving at the left cheekbone and down around two small solid circles. The mark was put on him when he was a toddler, too young to remember anything but vague memories.

His skin is a dark tan and littered with scars of various sizes, most of which are the result of cuts from whips and blades with a few notable exceptions. What skin is not scarred is smooth, and his body is acrobatic and lithe. His sandy blonde hair is styled in a long mohawk with the sides shaved short, and his eyes are green with golden freckles.

Noteworthy Scars

• Long scar on right cheek, right temple down to jawline near mouth: Almost killed by slavers
• Scar on head, left temple towards back of head: Throwing axe narrowly avoided
• Two long scars on left arm, four long scars on back: Healing a fellow slave
• Claws impale scars on stomach, left side
• Scar on middle of right hand, width of wise, outer: First time caught stealing after freedom
• Long scar on Right side, belly to spine: Sword of a bounty hunter
• Short scar inch away from left carotid artery: Almost killed by a mugger
• Circular burn scar on chest, over heart, about the size of a fist, a burnt-off owner's brand

Ah'Har typically wears a mixture of hide and wrapped iron armor in varying shades of browns and dull oranges. This armor hides within it several small blades and various thieves' tools which he can easily access. This outfit is topped by a large hood that hides his face with shadows while still allowing him sufficient peripheral vision. This armor is slightly bulk, making him appear larger while also hiding the tattoo on his face, making it ideal for anonymity.

Alternatively he will sometimes sport loose simple trousers, a thin linen coat with a hood, and his typical wrapped iron boots. While this outfit is less adept for combat, it allows him greater agility to flee or sneak around while hiding his thieves' tools and a few extra weapons, as well as simple defense with his boots.

Both outfits are dirty and worn, making them draw few eyes in Cerak.

Despite Ah'Har's history being raised in slavery to a cruel owner, he holds no particular familiarity to other slaves nor towards any owners or social classes most owners belong to, including nobility, the wealthy, or even criminals. He rarely feels envy for those with more than he has, but rarely feels empathy for those who suffer, for both have simply found their lot in life and either might lose or gain more than they expected at a moment's notice.

He usually stays quiet around others during work and keeps to his own business, usually speaking matter only when questioned, and only speaking what is necessary. By these means he can interact with criminal leaders without drawing their ire, and further presents himself to others with an air of mystery and intimidation.

Outside of his professional demeanor, he tries to choose his words carefully, conceding in arguments for favorable results. As long as he can survive and protect those he cares about, he will remember the opinions others hold of him, but he will not openly challenge them, nor will he speak ill behind their backs lest they or a loyalist overhear any spite. It is better to bide in silence.

To him, anybody of status without a force to support them immediately is no different than an average person of connections to him. If he feels there is substantial threat from somebody with power or men at their disposal, he would prefer dispatching them in the moment rather than allowing them time and chance to retaliate later, but he can swallow his pride when outmatched.

Ah'Har rarely trusts others, as he has come to find most people have only their own interests in mind, and everybody is expendable to varying degrees, including himself. He frequently looks for any means of exploitation, whether in a fight, life, in others, or to recognize others similarly looking to exploit whatever they can. He keeps an eye out for small details, and looks upon almost everything with scrutiny and doubt, which he attributes to his continued survival. Nothing is free without a catch.

In the broadest sense he can work alongside others, but he rarely considers beyond his own abilities and interests when strategizing or acting, preferring the simplicity and security of independence without worry of betrayal or reliance upon others who might prove incompetent. He will not actively seek to betray others, but if an unfamiliar ally can be put between himself and an enemy's weapon easier than dodging it, he will hold few qualms over self-preservation. At the same time, even allies are potential enemies that he must prepare for before their time to strike him comes.

He feels almost nothing for killing others one way or another, deriving neither guilt nor satisfaction from the act of killing. While he recognizes that this suggests something deeply wrong with him as a person, he tries to avoid doubting his own means of survival. When he does find himself alone with his thoughts in moments of safety, he typically finds himself chilled more by his apathy towards cruelty than the cruelty itself. As such, he does not find comfort in absolute safety, but more in anything that could distract him from unpleasant self-reflection, sometimes leading him to bouts of trouble that can further distract him from such unpleasant thoughts.

In all things he holds a soft spot only for his younger sister. For her he tries to shield her from the cruelty of the world without suffocating her, a dangerous act to balance, but for him a single light of hope in a dark and unforgiving world. If he can avoid it, he prefers hiding his own dark deeds from her sight, believing that if he can protect her innocence and optimism until she is of age to survive the world on her own, he might in some way balance his own karmic scales.

For as Street-Wise as Ah'Har may be, he lacks any sort of formal education and is almost entirely illiterate, with an exception being made for numbers as he learned them from cards. He also lacks most knowledge regarding history outside of Cerak, as well as any sense for typical etiquette, instead holding an intimidating and decidedly shifty presence.

He is also young by the standards of elves, and as a result is typically looked down upon by his racial seniors despite his life experiences. Equally, he has almost no connection to the history or culture of most elves, and definitely not automatic feelings of attachment to other people with pointy ears, nor does he form strong bonds with most people easily.

While Ah'Har might panic when backed into a corner, this is not something that leaves him cowering, but rather lashing out like a feral animal. He gains tunnel vision and will brutally lash out against those who seek to corner him, sacrificing any proper combat ability for fast and aggressive strikes at whatever bits of flesh might be exposed until he can tear his way to freedom.

While when focused he can resist temptations, in prolonged moments of solitude he can tend to indulge in vices, whether drinking, gambling, theft, brawls, or women. To him, it is all ephemeral, simply things to fill the time before he has something proper to distract himself with, but he does not deny the destructive quality of these things.

To say that he has trust issues would be putting it lightly. More accurately, he is paranoid but hides it well with a veil of caution. It does not help that Cerak would often prove him right, giving him confidence in his inability to fully trust anybody, even old friends and ex-pats.

When dealing violently with others, Ah'Har also has some trouble with moderation, instead preferring critical injuries, whether breaking bones in simple brawls or felling unsuspecting enemy guards rather than knocking them unconscious. A permanent solution to a problem means not having to deal with it more than once, after all.

While Ah'Har's strength is nothing spectacular for an elf, he has developed a great dexterity and ability for maneuvering, lending to a simple yet effective fighting style based on speed and unexpected movements instead of raw power or martial training, all of which he prefers using with ambush tactics, cheap shots, and minor thefts. This underhanded style of his also helps with mitigating damages by reacting quickly to strikes and allowing him to quickly change the way he moves, especially in feints.

Over years of slavery, life in Cerak, and occasionally gambling, Ah'Har has developed a high tolerance for pain as well as a poker face, ability for lying, and a natural instinct for others' deception, but also tends to overcompensate when people are being truthful by assuming they are withholding something. As a result he can take critical injuries and remain largely unphased by the damage, allowing him little loss of immediate ability due to damage and an appearance of overcoming most injuries to demoralize enemies, but also refuses to fully trust anything while simultaneously downplaying the damage he has taken, no matter how grievous.

Thanks partially to his earlier days as a slave sneaking around and stealing such things as extra rations, medical supplies, and and even weapons, Ah'Har has further refined his talent for stealth and acrobatics in proper theft, setting up ambushes, leading people into traps, and simply escaping the threat of enemies. His steps silently but swiftly roll, his movements are rarely wasted, he can quickly hide once out of sight of threats, and he can scale most things he can find any purchase on with haste.

Ah'Har is also proficient at identifying hidden beings, compartments, and traps, his own caution and experience combining to keep him alert to changes, sounds, sensations, checking unusual places, and even applying simple logic if hunting somebody. Nobody simply disappears, even if they are invisible. Even if he cannot find them before they begin to move, he can react quickly to movement or sound.

Ah'Har also possesses a minor talent for using playing cards for simple tarot reading, finding meaning within the suits, numbers, and faces that are dealt. The effectiveness of this is debatable, but he believes it has guided him well enough through survival. He learned the practice from a brothel-worker.

• Ash Deck Box: A magical deck of cards that Ah'Har stole on a whim, consisting of four suits and 2 wild cards (Locks, Keys, Cups, Coins, and two Moons), and three face cards, (the Sailor, the Captain, and the Admiral,) all with a metal edge though only one suit's edge is sharp. These cards come from a deck box at will and each suit possesses different effects. Upon being destroyed, the cards will actually reform after a full day in their deck box.
  • Locks: Can be used to create softly glowing blue barriers with two or more cards, up to 13, allowing for larger and more complex barriers as per how many cards are used, though the cards themselves act as weak points in these barriers.
  • Keys: At will the metal edges of this suit can sharpen and act as small, lightweight blades, especially useful for throwing.
  • Cups: Can levitate and be remotely controlled by the holder of the deck box, with each one being able to hold around ten pounds of weight.
  • Coins: Can be used for transmitting audio and visual information between two or more cards.
  • Moons: Can act as any other suit.
  Upon being destroyed, the cards can be reformed after combining the ash from the fresh bark, oil, metal shavings, and the blood of the owner filling the box, shaken vigorously for a full minute, then left to sit for an hour. Any cards destroyed or lost will be created anew within the deck box, and any cards outside of it will lose their effects, making them effectively normal playing cards.
  
  The instructions are suggested upon the front face of the box by four images in square frames, one of a burning tree, another a hand with a drop of blood from a fingertip, a third with an inkwell and feather pen, the fourth with a sword and rectangular stone, and the bottomright image with several lines coming from its frame.
• Rapinam Blade: A combat knife with a serrated blood-red blade that will heal the wielder proportionately based on how much damage is inflicted upon another living creature, with no effect regarding the undead. The conception of this particular type of weapon being that the wounded pay the cost for healing the wielder in blood. This is typically kept strapped behind his lower back.
• Various thief tools: A simple assortment of small but strong blades, picks, and tools for safely, quietly, and quickly getting through most lightweight security, such as common locks, windows, cases, and more.
• Grappling Hook: Hanging in a 30 foot spool of rope typically at his right side is a three-pronged hook that Ah'Har can use either for scaling or even wrapping around other people.