Alexios Marxan
Alexios is not considered to be a good person by anyone, himself included. He is fixated on gaining money, fame and enjoyment out of life and isn't picky how he goes about trying to get it.
Appearance
Traditionally handsome, Alexios is tall, well-built, only lightly scarred with a full head of thick, brown, hair and all his original teeth. Just based on physical appearance he should be attractive but most people would tend to agree that there is something about the way he holds himself and the way his smiles always tend to be half smirks that makes him just slightly different. Some people find this different to be intriguing but most tend to find that he is a little bit off-putting or intimidating even before he opens his mouth.
In terms of apparel, he is most often found in his armour. The armour in question is a mixture of heavier plate in the upper body (with mail underneath to cover the joints) with lighter armour for his lower body, a mixture of thicker leathers with chainmail integrated to cover the backs of his knees and ankles. He shuns the use of a helmet however as this impairs his vision, which he needs for spellcasting. Outside of his armour he wears casual tunics and whatever else is locally worn.
He visibly is armed with a longsword and a long-dagger.
In terms of apparel, he is most often found in his armour. The armour in question is a mixture of heavier plate in the upper body (with mail underneath to cover the joints) with lighter armour for his lower body, a mixture of thicker leathers with chainmail integrated to cover the backs of his knees and ankles. He shuns the use of a helmet however as this impairs his vision, which he needs for spellcasting. Outside of his armour he wears casual tunics and whatever else is locally worn.
He visibly is armed with a longsword and a long-dagger.
Skills and Abilities
Fire Magics - Capable as a mage only, really, in the use of offensive fire, Alexios declined to learn other uses for magic aside from detecting them. Due to his focus on wanting to destroy his targets, Alexios typically only uses magic when he wants something over quickly, when someone has outmatched him in
Extensive Swordplay - Trained from early teens to use a sword, the scale of the sword grew along with his body. He trained very little with a shortsword before his growth spurts meant he moved up to a longsword which he still uses now. Trained by active mercenaries, he was taught proper techniques but also when, and how, to fight dirty instead.
Proficient Knifework - Just as with the swordplay, Alexios was taught how to use a long knife both in combination with his longsword and on it's own so he would always have a shorter reach weapon on hand. He still has many scars on his fingers from practicing knife tricks however.
Proficient Armour Fighting - Strapped into half and full plate armour both as part of training and as part of his ongoing work as a mercenary. This includes how to move while encumbered by the armour and how to use it offensively as well as defensively.
Extensive Swordplay - Trained from early teens to use a sword, the scale of the sword grew along with his body. He trained very little with a shortsword before his growth spurts meant he moved up to a longsword which he still uses now. Trained by active mercenaries, he was taught proper techniques but also when, and how, to fight dirty instead.
Proficient Knifework - Just as with the swordplay, Alexios was taught how to use a long knife both in combination with his longsword and on it's own so he would always have a shorter reach weapon on hand. He still has many scars on his fingers from practicing knife tricks however.
Proficient Armour Fighting - Strapped into half and full plate armour both as part of training and as part of his ongoing work as a mercenary. This includes how to move while encumbered by the armour and how to use it offensively as well as defensively.
Personality
Selfish - Although he was raised with a decent parent in the form of his mother, Alexios had grown to be selfish and cold-hearted with age and experience as a mercenary. As a paid killer he approaches almost everything with the same question first; "How does this benefit me?"
Ambitious - Alexios does not want to live comfortably, he does not want to have a "good life with good people", he wants everything. He wants to be known far and wide, for good or bad, and he wants to get to the stage in his life that he has enough power at his fingertips to never need to struggle for more.
Knight in Sour Armour - Alexios is sarcastic, more than slightly bitter about his current station in life and happy to joke at the most morbid of topics simply because he doesn't much care for the suffering of others anymore. There are still moments when his long-buried morals perk up but they are quite often few and far between.
Tormented - Alexios is not happy. He is not happy with himself, what he does or his current social standing. As much as he tells others he has adjusted, he really hasn't and instead turns to the wine to help him cope. This cycle is unsustainable and he knows it; it will become worse with time.
Ambitious - Alexios does not want to live comfortably, he does not want to have a "good life with good people", he wants everything. He wants to be known far and wide, for good or bad, and he wants to get to the stage in his life that he has enough power at his fingertips to never need to struggle for more.
Knight in Sour Armour - Alexios is sarcastic, more than slightly bitter about his current station in life and happy to joke at the most morbid of topics simply because he doesn't much care for the suffering of others anymore. There are still moments when his long-buried morals perk up but they are quite often few and far between.
Tormented - Alexios is not happy. He is not happy with himself, what he does or his current social standing. As much as he tells others he has adjusted, he really hasn't and instead turns to the wine to help him cope. This cycle is unsustainable and he knows it; it will become worse with time.
Biography & Lore
Born to a father interest in the pursuit of riches above all else to a mother from a moderately wealthy trading family, Alexios was always kind of an oddball. His father pushed him to pursue riches as he had (and continued to do), his mother noticed he had developed some natural talent with magic and pushed him to pursue it.
Trained with half-plate, full-plate, longsword and dagger combat, Alexios suited scrappier combat more than the fancy types. He fought many people in the training grounds and lost to them because he wasn't able to play dirty. During his first combat mission to slay a group of pirates for a local governor, Alexios outlasted and outclassed those who had beaten him on the training ground by using any and every trick he could.
Low blows, sand in the eyes and even fireballs, whatever he needed to use to win he did and as a result he lived longer than those who could beat him in a traditional bout. Growing up learning the sword and the life of a mercenary meant that Alexios found himself accustomed to selling himself and killing purely because he was told to. Despite saying he had accepted this, Alexios' growing drinking problem says otherwise.
Instilled in him alongside his pursuit of riches and knowledge was a dark ambition that led him to split ways from his father and mother and the relative safety of their small band of mercenaries. They had a ceiling they were comfortable to reach and the very concept of that annoyed Alexios enough that he knew he would have to leave or he would come to blows with his parents over the control of their mercenary group.
Trained with half-plate, full-plate, longsword and dagger combat, Alexios suited scrappier combat more than the fancy types. He fought many people in the training grounds and lost to them because he wasn't able to play dirty. During his first combat mission to slay a group of pirates for a local governor, Alexios outlasted and outclassed those who had beaten him on the training ground by using any and every trick he could.
Low blows, sand in the eyes and even fireballs, whatever he needed to use to win he did and as a result he lived longer than those who could beat him in a traditional bout. Growing up learning the sword and the life of a mercenary meant that Alexios found himself accustomed to selling himself and killing purely because he was told to. Despite saying he had accepted this, Alexios' growing drinking problem says otherwise.
Instilled in him alongside his pursuit of riches and knowledge was a dark ambition that led him to split ways from his father and mother and the relative safety of their small band of mercenaries. They had a ceiling they were comfortable to reach and the very concept of that annoyed Alexios enough that he knew he would have to leave or he would come to blows with his parents over the control of their mercenary group.