Ser Milo Vox
Brother-in-rags. Paladin of the Stone That Breaks All Hearts. Dirty, fist-fighting, half-celestial secret agent.
Appearance
Milo is of a lean, but dense muscular build. His armor is a “half-plate” assembly oversetting chain, allowing for more mobility in combat. Bearing the colors in a red and white working of crosses, his tabard is notably tattered, dirtied, and bloodstained, presentation apparently not being among the top priorities of Ser Vox. The gauntlets on his wrists give way to bare hands, wrapped in red, knotted cord that holds within it a personal religious significance, while also looking somewhat grim as it hangs from his hands like dangerously exposed radial arteries.
He typically dons his hood at least some of the way, partially obscuring where his blond hair becomes literally feathered around parts of his scalp. His eyes, while blue, lack a noticeable pupil, and even almost appear blighted with cataracts – though, for whatever reason, it’s not ugly – More like the darkened spot on the top of a lightbulb, highlighted by the illumination behind it. Along the right side of his face, trailing from about an inch under his eye, across his cheek, and down under his jaw, there is a crack as though he were a fallen statue. Sublime, he yet still be a being of flesh.
He typically dons his hood at least some of the way, partially obscuring where his blond hair becomes literally feathered around parts of his scalp. His eyes, while blue, lack a noticeable pupil, and even almost appear blighted with cataracts – though, for whatever reason, it’s not ugly – More like the darkened spot on the top of a lightbulb, highlighted by the illumination behind it. Along the right side of his face, trailing from about an inch under his eye, across his cheek, and down under his jaw, there is a crack as though he were a fallen statue. Sublime, he yet still be a being of flesh.
Skills and Abilities
Gets His Hands Dirty – Ser Vox’s weapon of choice are his fists. He can put out and take serious damage with them, even against a heavily armored opponent. When his cause is righteous, they may even inflict magical damage. With the aid of magic and his god, they might even smite his opponent in holy damage. With unique fist-fighting and empty-handed techniques on the rise, Ser Vox has begun to appropriate more wrestling techniques and improvised weaponry (his favorite being a makeshift escrima stick).
Martyr-Tough- While it helps that he is a talented athlete with a well-honed mind-body connection, Milo’s true strength comes from his faith. His deity being one of the benevolent aspects of suffering, Ser Vox will often find his zeal renewed and his passion inflamed with suffering agonies for reasons of righteousness and compassion. It's as though he becomes stronger as he nears incapacitation, or even death. He is no masochist, however, and takes no delight in agony for its own sake.
Red Cross, Blue Shield- Due to his heritage, Ser Vox is heavily resistant to necrotic and celestial damage. He also does not sweat, nor suffer environmental effects save for the most EXTREME of Heat and Cold. Due to his profession, he is completed immune to the effects of disease.
Divine Magic - Ser Vox utilizes Divine Magic, typically for the purposes of Healing, Cures, Shields, Detecting Evil/Harmful Intent/Dishonesty, Management of the Undead, and Communing with Benevolent Spirits. Once per day, he might even Lay On Hands, restoring the target to peak health. In order to perform these acts, Milo must maintain a Lawful Good alignment and remain in service to the Stone That Breaks All Hearts through prayer, sacrifice, or meaningful suffering on behalf of others.
All Lives Matter – Not just an empty slogan for Milo, he has taken up the cause of justice on behalf of the less fortunate and the under-represented on many an occasion. This has left him fluent and versed in the languages and cultures of Goblin, Kobolds, Orcs, Dark Elves, and other races often misunderstood and mistreated within the walls of Vel Anir.
Public Defender- Because of the above, Milo has often had to take up for the marginalized in court, using what station and honor he has to seek proper justice done on their behalf. He knows Vel Anir law, many of the enforcement, prosecution, and punishment apparatuses therein, and can even use it to lay down a compelling case. Practice on this front has made Milo a talented orator and intimidating accuser.
Tradecraft- Ser Vox is of a loosely knit “order” of paladins and agents known colloquially as the Brotherhood-in-rags that co-opt well-meaning citizens of comparative alignments, spiritual systems, and social perspectives that often aid refugees in escaping dire situation, getting humanitarian aid to areas that have been politically blocked off, and otherwise rescuing those who have slipped through the cracks from those who would exploit their relative invisibility. He has underground contacts of which he can tap into for resources and information. He knows counter-surveillance and how to shake a tail. He can also read the secret languages of thieves and smugglers (though, typically, his “vocabulary” is a bit dated). Due to his appearance, he can sometimes even pass among them.
Martyr-Tough- While it helps that he is a talented athlete with a well-honed mind-body connection, Milo’s true strength comes from his faith. His deity being one of the benevolent aspects of suffering, Ser Vox will often find his zeal renewed and his passion inflamed with suffering agonies for reasons of righteousness and compassion. It's as though he becomes stronger as he nears incapacitation, or even death. He is no masochist, however, and takes no delight in agony for its own sake.
Red Cross, Blue Shield- Due to his heritage, Ser Vox is heavily resistant to necrotic and celestial damage. He also does not sweat, nor suffer environmental effects save for the most EXTREME of Heat and Cold. Due to his profession, he is completed immune to the effects of disease.
Divine Magic - Ser Vox utilizes Divine Magic, typically for the purposes of Healing, Cures, Shields, Detecting Evil/Harmful Intent/Dishonesty, Management of the Undead, and Communing with Benevolent Spirits. Once per day, he might even Lay On Hands, restoring the target to peak health. In order to perform these acts, Milo must maintain a Lawful Good alignment and remain in service to the Stone That Breaks All Hearts through prayer, sacrifice, or meaningful suffering on behalf of others.
All Lives Matter – Not just an empty slogan for Milo, he has taken up the cause of justice on behalf of the less fortunate and the under-represented on many an occasion. This has left him fluent and versed in the languages and cultures of Goblin, Kobolds, Orcs, Dark Elves, and other races often misunderstood and mistreated within the walls of Vel Anir.
Public Defender- Because of the above, Milo has often had to take up for the marginalized in court, using what station and honor he has to seek proper justice done on their behalf. He knows Vel Anir law, many of the enforcement, prosecution, and punishment apparatuses therein, and can even use it to lay down a compelling case. Practice on this front has made Milo a talented orator and intimidating accuser.
Tradecraft- Ser Vox is of a loosely knit “order” of paladins and agents known colloquially as the Brotherhood-in-rags that co-opt well-meaning citizens of comparative alignments, spiritual systems, and social perspectives that often aid refugees in escaping dire situation, getting humanitarian aid to areas that have been politically blocked off, and otherwise rescuing those who have slipped through the cracks from those who would exploit their relative invisibility. He has underground contacts of which he can tap into for resources and information. He knows counter-surveillance and how to shake a tail. He can also read the secret languages of thieves and smugglers (though, typically, his “vocabulary” is a bit dated). Due to his appearance, he can sometimes even pass among them.
Personality
Cynic- Milo believes that the only way to a better world is through good works and good works alone. Because of this, his appearance can become unkempt, his manner uncouth, and his humor unrefined.
Social Justice Paladin- Ser Vox harbors a contempt for those with plenty who do not share. He often harbors a bias against the rich…and even those of similar shape, color, and creed.
The Passion- Ser Vox is uncompromising in his crusade against the wicked. He will not tolerate casual dips into the darkness to meet ends, not will he look the other way to the suffering of the innocent.
Social Justice Paladin- Ser Vox harbors a contempt for those with plenty who do not share. He often harbors a bias against the rich…and even those of similar shape, color, and creed.
The Passion- Ser Vox is uncompromising in his crusade against the wicked. He will not tolerate casual dips into the darkness to meet ends, not will he look the other way to the suffering of the innocent.
Biography & Lore
Elias Rosewater was a benevolent employer if there ever was one. A not-only-fair, but generous wage for its all of his many employees, extensive maternity and paternity leave, paid holidays and vacations – If this world were one of healthcare and stock options, Elisa’ textile plant would have certainly afforded his workers that, as well. The factory was profitable, humane – and while Elias did not manage to squeeze every dime out of the place, he did, however, profit significantly and ensured a positive quality of life for his surrounding Vel Anir community. Quite rare for a world of conquests, Mr. Rosewater’s generosity and fairness drew the attention of positive spirits – specifically that of a radiant celestial of compassion. Elias and she would fall madly in love – and while it was ultimately not to be that she would linger in the material sphere, the tryst, if nothing else, begot Elias a son – Milo.
Growing up, Milo wanted for nothing. He was that child that would give his toys away, as if even before his brain had developed to hear his calling, he intuitively always felt its pull. Elias delighted in the virtue of his son, seeking to encourage its development with opportunity and reward – To send Milo for an education that Elias had not been able to experience; offers of luxurious travel or mentorships with acquaintances for any career he might desire. All of which, Milo declined, passing them along to someone else who might never have been granted the same otherwise. Elias grew distressed with his inability to do anything for his boy, even going so far as to outright give him the business, no strings attached, trusting him wholly to run it correctly. This, again, Milo declined. He had no use for this iteration of the world, and now an adult, he would seek to find his own truth. When the day came that Milo sought to go off on his own, his father collapsed at his feet, sobbing: “I’m sorry for what you think of my life– I wish I could make it that you did not detest me so.”
Milo, dumbfounded, responded, “How could you ever possibly think that?”
These were the last words Milo ever said to his father.
He was on his own path now, and if ever on the road to enlightenment and you see the Buddha walking toward you – Kill him.
With little in the way of goals and even less interest in material schemes, it was not long before Milo became a vagrant. Begging, foraging, and panhandling did not come naturally to Milo, and it was only a matter of time before desperation saw him eating something rotten and terrible.
Keeled over in the streets, shitting and vomiting all over himself and everywhere else, he begged for mercy where no one could give it. Dehydrating, ill, the hallucinations came on fast, and his brain struggled to make sense of what was surely him dying. Desperately, he prayed to any god that would listen – and in his deterioration, he eventually found peace. In his head, an inner voice shook him:
I am not the god of your fathers. I am the hidden stone that breaks all hearts.
He found himself on his knees, covered in his own sick, his praying hands tented as if clasping a stone, which he rocked into his sternum. It all made sense, in the delirium. He would devote himself to compassion. He would offer the mercy he desperately pleaded for to those who would saw none. As “Saul” became “Paul,” “Rosewater” became “Vox.”
Living on the streets, Milo could be found sunbathing and regular bathing on the steps of capital buildings, prattling on about the philosophy of the Stone That Breaks All Hearts and the cynics and a corruption in society so lousy he could not bother to get involved in it, nevermind lament its slow demise, and waiting to ultimately be confronted by legal officials bent on instructing him just what he could and could not do with his life on their land. A challenging sort, he would provoke them to cite their claims in law, which they often could not. This landed him in jail more than a few times, but not without learning. A non-traditional education, but an education nonetheless. He would learn a great deal about the law. He would become really good at it. Had he been a human, he likely would not have found the more piteous denizens on the streets of Vel Anir so desperate to believe in him. However, though his features were slight, Milo was an Aasimar, an angel; and with that came a hope that came with a responsibility to those who believed in Goodness and Order despite how little it had actually done for them. He did deeds for the communities. He acted as a public defender, protecting the less-fortunate and more-detested from being unjustly ground under the gears of law. The abundance of Half-Elves, Drow, Kobolds, Orcs, and others who would find themselves in this position lead him to learn Elvish, and, eventually, Undercommon. A cynic, an acolyte, and a lawyer -- a paladin was a natural trajectory. And so, Ser Vox was admitted into the Brotherhood-in-rags -- A circle of personalities within the region of a similar alignment and belief persuasion. While the Brotherhood does not necessarily pride itself on its secrecy per se...It does understand that some of its humanitarian and extraction efforts need to be a bit more clandestine.
His modest fame as a local knight has earned him the honorific of “Ser Vox” to those who would call him anything at all.
Growing up, Milo wanted for nothing. He was that child that would give his toys away, as if even before his brain had developed to hear his calling, he intuitively always felt its pull. Elias delighted in the virtue of his son, seeking to encourage its development with opportunity and reward – To send Milo for an education that Elias had not been able to experience; offers of luxurious travel or mentorships with acquaintances for any career he might desire. All of which, Milo declined, passing them along to someone else who might never have been granted the same otherwise. Elias grew distressed with his inability to do anything for his boy, even going so far as to outright give him the business, no strings attached, trusting him wholly to run it correctly. This, again, Milo declined. He had no use for this iteration of the world, and now an adult, he would seek to find his own truth. When the day came that Milo sought to go off on his own, his father collapsed at his feet, sobbing: “I’m sorry for what you think of my life– I wish I could make it that you did not detest me so.”
Milo, dumbfounded, responded, “How could you ever possibly think that?”
These were the last words Milo ever said to his father.
He was on his own path now, and if ever on the road to enlightenment and you see the Buddha walking toward you – Kill him.
With little in the way of goals and even less interest in material schemes, it was not long before Milo became a vagrant. Begging, foraging, and panhandling did not come naturally to Milo, and it was only a matter of time before desperation saw him eating something rotten and terrible.
Keeled over in the streets, shitting and vomiting all over himself and everywhere else, he begged for mercy where no one could give it. Dehydrating, ill, the hallucinations came on fast, and his brain struggled to make sense of what was surely him dying. Desperately, he prayed to any god that would listen – and in his deterioration, he eventually found peace. In his head, an inner voice shook him:
I am not the god of your fathers. I am the hidden stone that breaks all hearts.
He found himself on his knees, covered in his own sick, his praying hands tented as if clasping a stone, which he rocked into his sternum. It all made sense, in the delirium. He would devote himself to compassion. He would offer the mercy he desperately pleaded for to those who would saw none. As “Saul” became “Paul,” “Rosewater” became “Vox.”
Living on the streets, Milo could be found sunbathing and regular bathing on the steps of capital buildings, prattling on about the philosophy of the Stone That Breaks All Hearts and the cynics and a corruption in society so lousy he could not bother to get involved in it, nevermind lament its slow demise, and waiting to ultimately be confronted by legal officials bent on instructing him just what he could and could not do with his life on their land. A challenging sort, he would provoke them to cite their claims in law, which they often could not. This landed him in jail more than a few times, but not without learning. A non-traditional education, but an education nonetheless. He would learn a great deal about the law. He would become really good at it. Had he been a human, he likely would not have found the more piteous denizens on the streets of Vel Anir so desperate to believe in him. However, though his features were slight, Milo was an Aasimar, an angel; and with that came a hope that came with a responsibility to those who believed in Goodness and Order despite how little it had actually done for them. He did deeds for the communities. He acted as a public defender, protecting the less-fortunate and more-detested from being unjustly ground under the gears of law. The abundance of Half-Elves, Drow, Kobolds, Orcs, and others who would find themselves in this position lead him to learn Elvish, and, eventually, Undercommon. A cynic, an acolyte, and a lawyer -- a paladin was a natural trajectory. And so, Ser Vox was admitted into the Brotherhood-in-rags -- A circle of personalities within the region of a similar alignment and belief persuasion. While the Brotherhood does not necessarily pride itself on its secrecy per se...It does understand that some of its humanitarian and extraction efforts need to be a bit more clandestine.
His modest fame as a local knight has earned him the honorific of “Ser Vox” to those who would call him anything at all.