Darius Anderson

Art by johndowson

Character's Name: Darius Anderson

Nicknames: N/A

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Abilities: Sorcery: Darius is well versed in the arcane arts as a fairly adept sorcerer. His main focus as an arcane caster are teleportation magics that allow doth short and long distance movement. Furthermore, he wields raw arcane magic fairly well offensively and defensibly, but usually chooses to use his other skills in place of attack with raw magical force. When accessing his arcane powers, Darius' aura manifests as a deep red.

Pyromancy: Like many human mages, Darius focused is study of elemental magic on control over the creation and manipulation of fire in honor of his god, Jackroth. When using offensive magics, this is his go-to for pushing back enemies and showing the true extent of his magical might. This is by far the area of magic that he is most skilled in, having coupled his natural affinity to it with study and practice for years.

Greatswords: Thanks to the training he received from his father as a boy and his younger years spent as a member of a mercenary company, Darius has become quite proficient at wielding greatswords in battle. Though he is more comfortable simply fighting with magic, he knows the use of a good blade in his hands, and is quick to show off his skill should the need arise.

Athletic: Darius, though he has spent much of his life focusing on magic, never let himself get out of shape. He take pride in his fitness and is stronger than the average man of his age. He is able to run long distances and the heavy armor he wears isn't too much of a hindrance in battle thanks to his physique.  

Appearance: Darius stands 6'2" tall and strong. His body is muscular and scarred from his years as a mercenary, and he has not allowed that physique to wane in his years of study. He has light brown hair that falls down just to the base of his neck and has some stubble on his face, though he tries to remain clean shaven. His jawline is strong liek the rest of his body, and his eyes are a deep, piercing blue with flecks of yellow.

Darius standard armor is a red-steel set of scale mail that is complimented by large spiked pauldrons and a metal breast plate that offers him a lot of protection. He also wears a dark red hooded cloak with this armor, though the hood does not usually remain up if he begins fighting. His greatsword is always sheathed on his back if he feels the need to wear his armor. When not in his armor, Darius wears whatever is clean. This often consists of dark cotton pants and a loose fitting, white cotton shirt. In either form of attire, his holy symbol of Jackroth remains around his neck.  

Personality: Inquisitive: Despite his brutish exterior, Darius is always searching for more knowledge. Upon discovering the true power of magic and deciding to take up learning how to wield it effectively, Darius discovered just how little he understood about the world as a whole. Since then, he is always looking for new things to learn, whether that be through adventure, or simply reading.

Adventurous: Ever since he was in a mercenary company from a young age, Darius has enjoyed the life of adventure. That wanderlust never left him, even when he turned to studies for a time in his life. But eventually, he could take it no longer and returned into the world, journeying from ton to town looking for ways to help people and make a little coin on the side. Every time he arrives ina  new city he enjoys taking in the sights and seeing what it has to offer, hoping that it will be the start of his next great adventure.

Focused: Despite his love for adventure and the unknown, Darius is very much a goal-oriented individual. When a task is set before him, he tends to forgo humor and slow moving tactics, instead choosing to move straight toward his goal. This can cause him to come off as gruff and stern to those who do not know him well, but it generally gets the job done quickly. When in combat he acts similarly, opting to destroy his targets through raw power rather than tactically outmaneuver them. This can be a weakness as well though, since he leaves himself open to more deceptive strategies.

Soft-hearted: Darius has a heart for the down-trodden. No matter how gruff he may appear, he has a soft spot for those in need and will do everything in his power to help them when they ask for it. He is also a bit of a romantic and a flirt, though he rarely lets that show to anyone unless he is either very comfortable with the person he is dealing with, or drunk.

History: Darius spent his teenage years on a mercenary company that his father joined up with to make some money. As he grew in the culture of the group, it naturally led him to become a member of them as well.He spent many years with them, travelling around Sleibte wherever there was coin and work to be had. After a number of years in that life, and witnessing the death of his father at the hands of a werewolf, which Darius proceeded to kill with a gout of magically flames he conjured in his rage, Darius stayed with the group for a while before eventually choosing to leave them to do to Yfrelo City where he took up a more in depth study of magic. He would leave the city from time to time in order to practice what he had learned and to make some money, but he never wandered very far, always returned home to his studies. During these years, he continued to hone his body and mind mind, becoming a powerful sorcerer and pyromancer. Eventually, satisfied with his level of training and feeling his wanderlust calling to him once again, Darius sold his home and set out to be an adventurer once more. Life on the road has treated him well, though it has not been without its fair share of danger. He always pushing forward, looking for tat ext hint of adventure, and excited to see what lies ahead.

Roleplay Sample: It was a sunny day, thankfully. As much as he liked the rain when he was spending the day indoors, the sun was appreciated on days that involved a great deal of travel. Today was one of those days. He rode on the back of the horse he had bought in the previous town he had stopped over in; a brown steed that was young enough to deal with his heavy equipment. But he rode in only his regular travelling clothes which consisted of a simple tunic, pants, and boots. Once again, he was thankful that this was the weather on his travelling day, because if he had been forced to wear his armor, he knew he would have been sweating like crazy by now. Saying a silent prayer of thanks to Jackroth, the man pushed onward, hoping to see something out of the ordinary to break apart the somewhat tedious nature of travel.

Luckily for him, his hopes were answered in the sight of a covered wagon that was pulled off to the side of the road up ahead of him. From what he could see, there was nothing wrong with the state of the wagon, so he could not fathom why it would be stopped like that. Perhaps it was as simple as a washroom break, or perhaps it was something different. Either way, Darius was just happy for the distraction. That happiness soon faded, however, as he came up next to the stopped wagon and saw what was in front of it. The horse that had once pulled the wagon lay dead on the ground in front of it, blood pooled around the carcass that already had flies buzzing around it. Next to the horse was a man, probably in his mid- to late-fifties, human by all appearances. He was holding his gut which appeared to be bleeding. Wasting no time, Darius leapt from his horse and ran up to the man, kneeling down beside him as he spoke to him in hushed words laced with urgency. "You're going to be alright. Now let's see if I can stop this bleeding." Pulling bandages from his back, Darius began to attempt to pull the man's shirt open to cover the wound.

It was then that he noticed three things that told him something was wrong. First, the man that he was trying to help did not seem to resist or assist the sorcerer's movements at all. In fact, he appeared to be completely limp and perhaps even dead. Second, he heard the sound of the wagon's cover flutter in the wind, but there had been no breeze all day long, and he certainly didn't feel one. Third, he could have sworn he heard the should of a crossbow being loaded behind him. Curse me and my heard for damn heart.

He spun around just as soon as the crossbow bolt was fired at him. It never reached him though, because as he spun he quickly conjured an arcane barrier, the red hue of his aura forming a protective half-orb in front of him as the bolt shattered against it. It was then he was able to take in the sight of three people of varying races, one with a crossbow and the other two with short swords drawn. The one with the crossbow spoke up first, "Seems like we caught ourselves a wizard boys. Alright wizard! Get on your knees and we'll just take your coin instead of your life." It was all Darius could do not to smirk as he slowly raised his hands. These poor sods had no idea who they were up against. "Alright, alright," Darius said calmly, slowly raising his hands until they were just above his head. before glancing up and locking eyes with the one who had spoken, "You should have just left me alone." With those few words, a torrent of flame leaped from Darius' hands without warning, engulfing the trio of ruffians that would soon be one pile of ash.

Well, at least it was an exciting diversion...