Francisco "Isco" Alarcón
Appearance
Francisco is a tall, lean man of advancing age that retains a fleeting image of his youth.
Skills and Abilities
Being a former soldier, Isco is quite skilled with the blade, though he does not often carry one with him. Never a man of overwhelming strength and rather one of agility and dexterity, his expertise with a sword leans to the more technical and elegant spectrum. To say the least, a display of his swordsmanship is dignified and graceful.
Following the Quatreville Wars, Isco offered his services with the blade in exchange for coin. During his time as a sellsword, he accumulated skills befitting of a scoundrel. Thievery and coercion are not below him and are skills that he is particularly good at. Most people are exploitable, and once Isco recognizes a weakness in an individual, he does not shy away from capitalizing on that.
While having attempted and discovered that he possesses little talent for magic, Isco did find that he had a knack for a particular piece of magic. Fundamentally, he manipulates the target's perception of directions, reversing up and down, left and right, and forward and backward respectively. It is extremely effective against well-trained, disciplined combatants, as their reflexes will often act to their detriment. It also affects an individual's equilibrium, causing disorientation, confusion. In more extreme cases, the target may experience vertigo and nausea. Isco himself suffers drawbacks from its overuse. Should he hold the spell for too long, his perception will begin to reverse. Even minor uses of it will result in a headache, nausea, or in extreme cases incapacitation. Therefore, he uses it sparingly and only as a surprise to quickly end confrontations.
His senses are impressive for a man of his age. His eyesight shows no signs of declining, nor does his hearing. In fact, both remain sharp. His sense of smell is particularly keen. While he doesn't possess remarkable strength, his reflexes are quite explosive. So explosive that sometimes his instinct will betray more innocent situations. It is the downside of a man always on guard.
He is also literate, and quite well-read. That, along with a lifetime of experience, makes for a learned individual.
Following the Quatreville Wars, Isco offered his services with the blade in exchange for coin. During his time as a sellsword, he accumulated skills befitting of a scoundrel. Thievery and coercion are not below him and are skills that he is particularly good at. Most people are exploitable, and once Isco recognizes a weakness in an individual, he does not shy away from capitalizing on that.
While having attempted and discovered that he possesses little talent for magic, Isco did find that he had a knack for a particular piece of magic. Fundamentally, he manipulates the target's perception of directions, reversing up and down, left and right, and forward and backward respectively. It is extremely effective against well-trained, disciplined combatants, as their reflexes will often act to their detriment. It also affects an individual's equilibrium, causing disorientation, confusion. In more extreme cases, the target may experience vertigo and nausea. Isco himself suffers drawbacks from its overuse. Should he hold the spell for too long, his perception will begin to reverse. Even minor uses of it will result in a headache, nausea, or in extreme cases incapacitation. Therefore, he uses it sparingly and only as a surprise to quickly end confrontations.
His senses are impressive for a man of his age. His eyesight shows no signs of declining, nor does his hearing. In fact, both remain sharp. His sense of smell is particularly keen. While he doesn't possess remarkable strength, his reflexes are quite explosive. So explosive that sometimes his instinct will betray more innocent situations. It is the downside of a man always on guard.
He is also literate, and quite well-read. That, along with a lifetime of experience, makes for a learned individual.
Personality
Francisco is cunning. He is not one to shy away from manipulating others for his own benefit. Despite seeming like a venomous old man, he does follow a moral code that tends to see his otherwise suspicious skills used for "good" rather than "bad". He does not seek excessive self-gain, only enough to get by. He is not a particularly stubborn man.
He is charismatic, but not particularly outgoing. He is respectfully terse when conversing with strangers.
He is charismatic, but not particularly outgoing. He is respectfully terse when conversing with strangers.