Description

Personality

Oddly enough, Mael Gerloch is still a easy enough person to get along with, assuming you are not anyone serving the Regent. A loner by necessity rather than choice, he finds himself talking to no one when he isn't striking a target he chose before. Someone who doesn't feel shame for what he does or says, unless done by honest mistake which isn't often, Mael rarely apologises for what he does or explains himself unless he feels the person deserves it. He has a loyalty towards anyone who earns it, whether it be saving his life or through other means, but will only go so far, and will not violate his morals for another. A quick thinker and cunning in his own right, he lacks a formal education but isn't stupid.

Equipment

Mael carries a few items worth noting. The main weapon being a double recurve bow, the limbs being tipped with iron to provide balance and strength in case of fighting in a melee, able to put a variety of arrows into targets a good 30 to 40 yards out dead accurate, though he can send arrows much farther, he cannot garuntee a hit. His arrows are generic, though a few are poisoned with various plants he finds in the wilderness, mostly fungi, and he saves those for emergencies. The heads are generally flat, though the poisoned arrows have small hooks to make removing them harder. He carries a longsword on his hip, though he preferes not to have to use it. A dagger in his boot is for last resorts.

Beyond weapons, he carries a small kit of tools from his father that are obviously, to the right person, meant for banditry. Mostly for picking locks, a mortar and pestle is there for grinding up ingrediants for poisons. Armor wise, Mael prefers being unseen over armor, and as such it is lacking. A forest green hood and cloak help blend in, with a light breastplate and shoulders providing the sole upper body protection. A belt of well made plates protect his waist area, with dirt brown boots and green trousers finishing the appearance. A pair of matching bracers are worn with his armor, hinting at a set of armor he had stolen or had made at one point.

History

The son of a bandit, Mael Gerloch's life was going to not be easy. A half breed, elven mother and human father, he was already at a disadvantage due to the fact many considered him a dirty stain on human, and elven, people. His father taught him how to survive in the woods and off the caravans that came through. He rapidly learned of the Regent's brutality and lack of consideration for anyone who dared stand against him, seeing his father dragged away by bounty hunters paid to deal with bandits they could find. This pushed Mael beyond just survival. He began actively hunting the Regent's supply caravans, practicing the art of ambush from the age of sixteen. He had the speed and agility of an elf, not as much as a pure blood, but there was plenty there for him to call on. He gathered a sense of balance and cunning, striking from one spot and hitting from another before a caravan's guards could realize what was happening. It gave the illusion of multiple attackers. He didn't stay in one part of the woods for more than a few weeks at most, not allowing himself to get tracked down too easily, or he would suffer the same fate as his father, killed in the arena if rumors were to be believed. And that was a fate he did not want, if for no other reason that it would merely give the Regent amusement and he would not die for someone's enjoyment.

He heard rumors from the occasional peasant or farmer who had been arrested that his antics saved, that there was a hidden, true heir to the throne that could save their country. He never believed them from a frontal point, but silently watched for anyone who seemed to fit that role, almost hoping for a chance to do more than be an annoyance in the woods. He began watching for nobility as well, though he never suspected any of them were the one he was looking for, as they all were guarded by the Regent's men and he ended up killing them himself. He avoided heavily armed or guarded caravans, unless he felt they were worth the severe risk needed to take them out. Usually the ones he attacked had prisoners of some sort that either would hurt the Regent by freeing them, or didn't deserve to have been taken. If he can free them, he made a habit of escorting them out of the woods, finding this time staved off the loneliness of his choice of work, as well as keeping current with the events in Alionya. This let him piece together the rumors and stories, though whether they were fact or fiction was even harder to decide, but either way he worked watching for unusual travelers into his routine.