Oz
Appearance
Oz is one who usually carries himself with a cheerful expression. He often dons confident and curious grin on his face as he moves about the world. There is even an upbeat motion in his strides, a sort of lightness to his steps. There is a slight outdoorsy air about him, an unkemptness his features, although, he wears very well.
In terms of features, he is on the shorter side, standing below what others believe the average height to be. He is most certainly on the skinner side, not looking malnourished, rather he looks light. Despite his shortness and seeming lighter weight he is not lacking in strength. Though he may not look overly buff or built, he has a strong frame to him similar to that of one who may run or swim frequently.
His face has a sort of roundish shape. His hair is kept short, though rarely brushed, giving it a very unkempt look to it. Despite this unkemptness, it is a complete mess or unfitting for him, in a way he makes it work. His eyes are blue in color, a soft light blue which hold a twinkle in them.
For garment he has a unique fashion sense. His shoes and pants are both made of a light cloth, dyed to have brown oak color, the pants being a bit on the looser side. He has a light, sleeveless undershirt, white in color and cloth of make, over which he wears an orange tabard. His tabard and pants are held tightly with a white sash. His arms, up until the elbow, are covered in white cloth bandages, leaving only his fingers free.
Most notably, of all his attire, is a wooden mask he wears which has been carved to have rigid shape, not too dissimilar to that of a bird, even having a slight beak on it. The mask carries an orange and white pattern to it, painted from the chin, all the way to the two ear-like extensions from the top of the mask. The mask only seems to cover the area of his face above his mouth, though still covering his cheeks. The eye holes make it hard to see his eyes or their color, though he himself doesn’t show any problem seeing or even using his peripherals.
He can usually be found carrying a satchel with most of his supplies in it. On his left side he also carries a seethed blade, which has been tightly wrapped in cloth. On his back, he has a second seethed blade, though this one is not wrapped and more readily available.
Skills and Abilities
For everyday abilities he is relatively good at sewing, able to craft and patch up his own clothes, and he is a decent cook. He knows a little about hunting/fishing, but he still struggles with the task. He does have some knowledge on herbs, he at least knows which are poisoned and which can have some medicinal benefits.
For hobbies and personal skills, he knows a great about acrobatics and circus related feats such as juggling, balancing, and a few simple hand tricks. He has some knowledge of drawing, while nothing worthy of royal appraisal, it makes for nice gifts or potentially trading for goods and/or services.
For combat he has been trained in unarmed martial arts, both in terms of using his upper and lower body. When it comes to weapons, he knows how to handle a pole, though much prefers using a one-handed blade, seemingly good at deflecting hits and disarming with it. He does have some knowledge about throwing weapons, mainly that of daggers and axes, a skill acquired from his time at the circus. Overall, he is best unarmed or with a blade.
When it comes to magic, he has been trained in the ways of a monk. By channeling his Inner-Fire, or Chi, a monk is capable of several different feats. For Oz, he is capable of using his Inner-Fire to increase his strength and dexterity, bolster his reaction time, and infuse his fists or weapon with his Inner-Fire. When empowered: his fists can send the force of a blow through armor, and his weapons strike with more force or act sharper. Finally, like all monks, he can meditate and enter his mental plane to learn a personal truth or if another meditates with him, they may be able to connect and better understand each other (meditation is also a great way to clear one’s mind).
Of course, since the use of Inner-Fire is an act of magic, it does hold drawbacks/prices to pay. When bolstering oneself physically or infusing one’s self with their Inner-Fire, they will exhaust themselves quicker. Further, extended use will begin to damage one’s self, resulting either in minor to intense bruises, damaged or broken bones, and, if using too much of their Inner-Fire, burns which can vary in intensity. While in meditative state, a monk is usually left defenseless, unable to act until they choose to break their meditation. During this time, they will be unaware to actions in the outside world.
Finally, in regards to what Oz is lacking in…he is every unaware of norms and habits of the world. He has no idea how to haggle or understand what a fair payment for a job is. He is also a terrible liar, often needing a few, painfully obvious, moments to think it over, not that he likes doing it.
Despite knowing how to draw, he has no idea how write, and by extension has no clue how to read (which play into his problems with navigating). Because of ignorance of these things, he tends to be easy to manipulate (of course, he does have morals, in which he won’t beat up, kill, or steal from people without a just cause).
He knows little of history or past conflicts, he doesn’t even know who any of the current kings, lords, or ladies are, nor the proper ways to address them in their company. He has some manners, though due to some his habits he can be left at disadvantage and may come off as offensive to some.
When it comes to combat and what he is lacking in, he is a very poor shot with bows and crossbows. He also has little skill in heavier weapons like maces, clubs, and axes. He has some clues as to how to use a two-handed blade, but it is a bit clunky. All other forms of magic are completely lost on him, though that mainly comes from his aversion to reading and writing, unable to understand the texts which may better explain how to use it. Further, due to the lack of magical knowledge, he is often unaware of what magically apt enemies can do, only being able to play it by ear in combat.
For hobbies and personal skills, he knows a great about acrobatics and circus related feats such as juggling, balancing, and a few simple hand tricks. He has some knowledge of drawing, while nothing worthy of royal appraisal, it makes for nice gifts or potentially trading for goods and/or services.
For combat he has been trained in unarmed martial arts, both in terms of using his upper and lower body. When it comes to weapons, he knows how to handle a pole, though much prefers using a one-handed blade, seemingly good at deflecting hits and disarming with it. He does have some knowledge about throwing weapons, mainly that of daggers and axes, a skill acquired from his time at the circus. Overall, he is best unarmed or with a blade.
When it comes to magic, he has been trained in the ways of a monk. By channeling his Inner-Fire, or Chi, a monk is capable of several different feats. For Oz, he is capable of using his Inner-Fire to increase his strength and dexterity, bolster his reaction time, and infuse his fists or weapon with his Inner-Fire. When empowered: his fists can send the force of a blow through armor, and his weapons strike with more force or act sharper. Finally, like all monks, he can meditate and enter his mental plane to learn a personal truth or if another meditates with him, they may be able to connect and better understand each other (meditation is also a great way to clear one’s mind).
Of course, since the use of Inner-Fire is an act of magic, it does hold drawbacks/prices to pay. When bolstering oneself physically or infusing one’s self with their Inner-Fire, they will exhaust themselves quicker. Further, extended use will begin to damage one’s self, resulting either in minor to intense bruises, damaged or broken bones, and, if using too much of their Inner-Fire, burns which can vary in intensity. While in meditative state, a monk is usually left defenseless, unable to act until they choose to break their meditation. During this time, they will be unaware to actions in the outside world.
Finally, in regards to what Oz is lacking in…he is every unaware of norms and habits of the world. He has no idea how to haggle or understand what a fair payment for a job is. He is also a terrible liar, often needing a few, painfully obvious, moments to think it over, not that he likes doing it.
Despite knowing how to draw, he has no idea how write, and by extension has no clue how to read (which play into his problems with navigating). Because of ignorance of these things, he tends to be easy to manipulate (of course, he does have morals, in which he won’t beat up, kill, or steal from people without a just cause).
He knows little of history or past conflicts, he doesn’t even know who any of the current kings, lords, or ladies are, nor the proper ways to address them in their company. He has some manners, though due to some his habits he can be left at disadvantage and may come off as offensive to some.
When it comes to combat and what he is lacking in, he is a very poor shot with bows and crossbows. He also has little skill in heavier weapons like maces, clubs, and axes. He has some clues as to how to use a two-handed blade, but it is a bit clunky. All other forms of magic are completely lost on him, though that mainly comes from his aversion to reading and writing, unable to understand the texts which may better explain how to use it. Further, due to the lack of magical knowledge, he is often unaware of what magically apt enemies can do, only being able to play it by ear in combat.
Personality
Oz is a very cheerful, happy-go-lucky sort. He tends to carry himself in a very confident manner, very sure of himself in most fields (except navigation). This can come off as a fault, however, sometimes taking a job or task he may not be very skilled at.
He could be considered adventurous, or perhaps, a better word for it would be curious. If he sees something or someone interesting he will usually pursue it some degree, especially if that thing or person does some impressive or eye-catching.
Strangely enough, he seems to betray some of the stereotypes which may be commonly associated with monks. He doesn’t seem to deny himself pleasures of life, such as drinking or gambling (which he does suck at), or even taking time to himself to just laze about and enjoy life. His master taught him a great many things, and that in order to fully understand one’s self they must not deny things that they desire. Of course, the belief of balance is applied here, that one should not overindulge one’s self.
Biography & Lore
Oz does not have many memories of his early family life. He knew that they were poor and that times were tough. He knew his parents weren’t the happiest and wanted a better life for themselves, but didn’t have the means to do so, something about previous debts. Of course, he was a child and didn’t know much about what that was, only that it existed.
Around his seventh or eighth birthday, a circus went by his town and his parents, needing the money, sold him to headmaster who was seeking new blood to train. While it was difficult at first, Oz quickly adapted to his new life. Not that he had much of a choice, for the most part, he was a slave.
Since he took a great interest in the activities around the circus, finding them to look fun, he was determined to learn how perform as the others did. He had a great affinity towards the acrobatics, wanting to swing, balance, juggle and perform their other feats as they did. He personally trained under them for most of his time at the circus. He, of course, was taught other things such as knife throwing, animal riding (and incorporating acrobatics to it), and some performance skills.
The time at the circus, much like his life with his family, would be cut short. Around his thirteenth birthday, give or take, an onlooker from the audience took great interest in Oz’s acrobatic prowess, who had adopted the skills quite efficiently. The onlooker would meet with the headmaster of the circus and go on to purchase Oz from them.
The onlooker had been a traveling monk, who, like the headmaster, was looking for a new blood to train. Of course, this would be less for profit and more for…well, Oz actually never knew why his mentor wanted a student, only that she did. His new master would teach him a new lifestyle, breaking him away from the mindset of a perform and into one who sought inner truth and personal experience.
His teacher would teach him the ways of a monk and how to channel his Inner-Fire, which she admitted, had impressive glow. This was something that he never, and still does not, understand. Regardless, he trained hard under her, learning the ways of the monk as best he could. During his training with her, she’d teach more about life and the world, developing him into the person he is now, as well as passing on several other talents to him.
After eight years of hard training with her, his teacher congratulated him. He had learned everything that could be taught by a teacher, and that the rest he would have to learn on his own or when he found a special place. By extension, she told him she would be waiting in that place for him, excited to see how he would grow in his time alone in the world.
Part of him, thought this was a joke. But, after a night celebrating with her, he awoke to find that she had left their camp along with most of her possessions. She had also left him an artifact with a note, another task that she wanted him to complete, believing it would be a proper guide for his own personal growth. He was not one who thought he was worthy or ready for such a task, but…it seemed as though he was given little choice in this decision.
So, with what little possessions he had on his person, he started off! Venturing off into the world, seeking to further his training, to do the quest his teacher left for him, and to find the place which she told him of.