Gladiator CS

Name: Solomon "Saul" Bajere

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Standing at 5'11 with broad shoulders, Saul is thickset with legs like tree trunks. His dark eyes are set in a ruddy face that blushes when he laughs or drinks. A slightly crooked nose looms over full, thick lips that are chapped from captivity. His thick, brown hair is a mess of perpetual "helmet head." He has five days worth of growth on his cheeks, but the thick hair around his mouth and chin give the indication that he sported a goatee in the style of the merchant class before his incarceration.

Weapon Specialties: Saul is most familiar with swords and blunt weapons.

Personality: Most that meet Saul categorize him as crass and vulgar or brash and bold, depending on who you ask. His rowdy antics at taverns and festivals have given him a reputation as a hedonist. He denies this vehemently, stating "I'm just tryin' ta have a good time."

While his lack of formal education and sometimes overbearing demeanor give the lie that Saul is a lumbering oaf, he has a devious cunning. A cunning that has seen Saul receive large pay outs and caught more than a few foes unawares. Not that they'll ever share the story.

Personal History: The only child of his father's first marriage, Saul was born into the house of a struggling merchant. He never saw his father often in his formative years, the elder Bajere would often travel with his caravans to insure his investments. His mother, a scribe, taught him his letters early, he would later use this knowledge to avoid signing bad contracts and to keep inventory on occasion.

As he grew Saul became a daring and inquisitive child. His mother would leave a store or warehouse and find her son learning swear words from laborers or chasing dogs and cats. This was not the behavior befitting the child of a merchant. More than once a neighbor came calling over a destroyed vase or broken window. She even payed for tutelage. They would soon return the money and refuse to tutor the young hellion. One even fled in the night, leaving his possessions behind.

Saul's mother ran off with a minstrel when he was thirteen years of age. His father, now mildly successful, returned home and surveyed the scene as if he were thankful. Saul then began to accompany his father on the caravans.

Growing to manhood among caravan guards, traveling minstrels and puppeteers gives one a unique perspective. A perspective borne of fights with local toughs from village to village. Of the various customs in different regions, including food, drink, and smoke. And eventually, though way too soon, the ways of women.

Saul was not always on the road. His father remarried quite soon, improving his social prospects. And not a full year after that had another son, Menelik. When at his father's manor Saul was sure to avoid his father's wife and spent his time drinking and dicing with the guards or drinking and wrestling with the stablehands.

Eventually Saul found employment as a caravan guard. Already familiar with clubs and maces he learned the sword under the guard captain, a veteran of the Emperor's wars. Saul became proficient with the sword, but not as a blademaster. Which takes decades of study.

After the first year Saul never traveled the same route twice. He became as good at haggling over contracts as he was at drinking. Saul lived the good life, famous in every tavern from the capitol to the steppes of Mo'Deesh. As a caravan guard he fought raiders, bandits, and even other caravan guards when times were hard.

When Magistrate Gepsim Tak rose in rebellion against the emperor all of the trade routes to his principality were closed. Which meant goods in Hatthar were worth their weight in gold. Given the opportunity by his father, Saul leapt at the chance. Great danger and great reward, hand in hand.

The smugglers were caught a mile past the checkpoint, already thinking themselves in the clear. Saul fought like a demon with a weapon in each hand. He had killed three guards before they overwhelmed him.