Samantha R. Black
An Academy-raised malefactress with a rather robust physique, Samantha Black (formerly Ralene Banick) is nonchalant as a basking gator that saves her vigor for her work. A hard-study and a dedicated student, her research into Runic Alchemy verges on levels of dangerous that tend to make people give her a wide berth. Cool and often scathing, Ral has a superiority complex that typically spells itself out through her competitive nature.
Her hobbies include feeding the crows, smithing and forging new dastardly weapons, poring over historical war and battle strategy logs, long walks in the rain, dragon hunting, and though its seldom personal - beating the ever loving snot out of hapless adversaries. Beneath her prickly nature Sam harbored a deep seated disgust toward her own family despite its noble status. With graduation behind her and her future career within the Anirian Knights at hand, she sloughed the namesake of her noble lineage following graduation from the Academy and fashioned herself the name of Samantha R. Black to make her own way into history.
Appearance
Tall and well-built, the muscles creating her brawny silhouette scream of regular and rigorous training. Even though her body is concealed by layers of leather and metal armor, the power coiled within becomes evident whenever she moves, for her gait is that of a domineering aggressor. To further underscore her intimidating appearance, Sam's cutting expressions and glacial gaze make it difficult to think of her as anything other than dangerous. It makes for a truly daunting sight even when the woman is idle, but it is only in the thick of battle that it truly starts to shine.
Skills and Abilities
Sam excels in various subjects, but presently her most noteworthy accomplishments lie in her combative skills.
Deadly with many types of weapons, Sam favors the long-bladed spear but will just as easily pick up any nearby pointy or blunt-headed object to beat her target foe to an indiscernible pulp. Single combat or melee, Sam spent the better part of her childhood years killing her fellow students. Following the revolution, there was a necessary need to curb her aggression. In her spare time Samantha took up forging lessons in order to learn how to craft her own weapons. She's pretty fething handy at it and though smithing isn't necessarily an offered subject for the students, she excelled at the skill and has made a name for herself within the Anirian Smithing Guild.
Battle strategy and war are two of Sam's favorite subjects of study beyond her physical merits. She can and will power through exceptionally boring war and battle logs from the histories of Vel Anir.
Runic Alchemy started as an idle interest in runes and a hobby in alchemy that she began to mash together around the age of 13. Sam produced some very interesting results. What began several years ago as trial and error has slowly begun to come together to form something exceptionally dangerous but effective. She started using it in conjunction with her forge work to create weapons of nefarious nature and enhance her armor. Her first study in enchantment proved essential in her and Edric's mission to Wissburg to retrieve the missing Noble Elspeth Sirl. Samantha since put those same skills to use for other Dreadlords in a return mission to Wissburg.
Sam's other magic skill is that of enhancing her physical strength, prowess, and abilities through means of runic tattoos and scarification found across the canvas of her flesh. When activated, these runic markings can give her great boosts of strength, speed, sight, hearing, and tolerance or resistance to various things such as heat, pain, cold, and damage. These spells take the cost of her own energy or Mana potions when they are available. If drawing from her own reserves, when used too often, too quickly in succession, or for too long the enhancements have caused her to black out and in severe cases fall into seizures or cardiac arrest depending on what spells she was using at the time.
Deadly with many types of weapons, Sam favors the long-bladed spear but will just as easily pick up any nearby pointy or blunt-headed object to beat her target foe to an indiscernible pulp. Single combat or melee, Sam spent the better part of her childhood years killing her fellow students. Following the revolution, there was a necessary need to curb her aggression. In her spare time Samantha took up forging lessons in order to learn how to craft her own weapons. She's pretty fething handy at it and though smithing isn't necessarily an offered subject for the students, she excelled at the skill and has made a name for herself within the Anirian Smithing Guild.
Battle strategy and war are two of Sam's favorite subjects of study beyond her physical merits. She can and will power through exceptionally boring war and battle logs from the histories of Vel Anir.
Runic Alchemy started as an idle interest in runes and a hobby in alchemy that she began to mash together around the age of 13. Sam produced some very interesting results. What began several years ago as trial and error has slowly begun to come together to form something exceptionally dangerous but effective. She started using it in conjunction with her forge work to create weapons of nefarious nature and enhance her armor. Her first study in enchantment proved essential in her and Edric's mission to Wissburg to retrieve the missing Noble Elspeth Sirl. Samantha since put those same skills to use for other Dreadlords in a return mission to Wissburg.
Sam's other magic skill is that of enhancing her physical strength, prowess, and abilities through means of runic tattoos and scarification found across the canvas of her flesh. When activated, these runic markings can give her great boosts of strength, speed, sight, hearing, and tolerance or resistance to various things such as heat, pain, cold, and damage. These spells take the cost of her own energy or Mana potions when they are available. If drawing from her own reserves, when used too often, too quickly in succession, or for too long the enhancements have caused her to black out and in severe cases fall into seizures or cardiac arrest depending on what spells she was using at the time.
Biography & Lore
Born the daughter of Walter Banick and Arilena Darke, Ralene Banick would have grown up in the promising life of a noble were it not for her early showing of magical aptitude. At the under-ripened age of 5, she was willingly given to the Dreadlord Academy to shape and hone into the future sword and shield of Vel Anir. From this young age Ralene showed great promise and a hunger to dominate the class standings, killing her first classmate at a terribly young age. By age 8, Ral was handpicked among three others by Commander Bailiir of the Western Army to groom through her education at the academy to become an Anirian Knight. Her training and missions henceforth beyond academy walls has been handled by the venerable Anirian Knight Captain Holstag since the age of 10.
Having developed a reputation for being cut-throat and exceptionally effective in combative situations, Ral has done her best to maintain an air of unyielding, indomitable power and held no qualms with taking down her fellow Initiates. Ralene was never known for mercy or holding her punches... except when she had to - you know, that silly revolution. Regardless, the new rules imposed on the Academy have not dampened Ralene's will to do well. She maintained top marks among the Proctor's and graduated within the top of her class ... even despite the debacle of her class's graduation ceremony. Now a full Dreadlord, Ralene disowned her noble name and family has officially joined the Anirian Knights as Lieutenant Samantha R. Black, where she intends to dominate her way up the ranks to General and help bring Vel Anir to an undeniable leading role across Arethil.
Having developed a reputation for being cut-throat and exceptionally effective in combative situations, Ral has done her best to maintain an air of unyielding, indomitable power and held no qualms with taking down her fellow Initiates. Ralene was never known for mercy or holding her punches... except when she had to - you know, that silly revolution. Regardless, the new rules imposed on the Academy have not dampened Ralene's will to do well. She maintained top marks among the Proctor's and graduated within the top of her class ... even despite the debacle of her class's graduation ceremony. Now a full Dreadlord, Ralene disowned her noble name and family has officially joined the Anirian Knights as Lieutenant Samantha R. Black, where she intends to dominate her way up the ranks to General and help bring Vel Anir to an undeniable leading role across Arethil.
Threads
- The Fate of Us All - with Edric
- Father & Daughter - with Walter Banick
- Once Upon A Dream - with Veithir
- What Has Become of Us - with a whole buncha peeps
- The Lost Ones - with Edric, Drastus Tal'deneshaar and Davi
- This Ill Fate - with Veithir
- Do You Want to Build a Runesaber? - with Alistair Krixus
- Fell Tides - with Elias, Alistair Krixus, and several others
- Dragonhide - with Sagarus
- The Beach Episode - with Edric and Eleanor
- Sins of the Father - with Alistair Krixus
- Sins of the Father Part II: Patricide - with Alistair Krixus and Liliana
- Sins of the Father Part III: Catharsis - with Alistair Krixus
- There Is Only One Motion - with Elias
- To the Ends of the Earth - with Edric, Alistair Krixus, and Drastus Tal'deneshaar
- Into Thin Air - with Henk
- Barbarism - with Edric, Alistair Krixus, Henk, and Zael Castomir
- Crime and Punishment - with Edric
- Siege of Wissburg - with Edric, Sable Pembroke, Noel, and Tarkas Verik
- The Last Day - with Delaney Lennox Zael Castomir and Kristen Pirian
- Graduation - with everybody
- Shedding Skin - with Davi
- Tight Knots and Burning Flames - with Ianthir
- Reshuffle - with Elias
- Chasing the Sky - with Hath Charosh
- One Toward the Past, One Toward the Future - with Hector
- Cheap Goods - with Lamik
- New Armor - with Kristen Pirian
- In the Warm Ale - with Everleigh Ebersol
- Fortunes On Fire - with Noel and Davi
- Forge Works - with Elias, Davi, Zephyrine and Thraah
- Start Again - with Sable Pembroke
- Old Reunions - with Alistair Krixus