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Jaren Brydin

"In your life, you will make only a few decisions that will truly shape your future. I pray you make the right ones."

0 · 393 views · located in Fallon

a character in “Inside Castle Walls”, as played by Taunbon

Description

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"Protect and serve. Protect and serve. Protect. And. Serve. A simple mantra, but an impossible task."



Full Name
ImageImage"You are the only one I can recall that has ever asked."
Jaren Aswald Brydin
   
Nicknames and Aliases
"Captain Brydin will do."
Jaren {Intimate|Allowed Only For A Few}|Captain Brydin {Formal|Neutral}

House
"I am lowborn, I belong to no house. I can't say that I mind it."
None.

Role
"52nd Captain of the Guard of the Royal Majesty of Fallon, Protector of the Keep and Lord of the Vigil. A tediously long title."
Captain of the GuardImageImage

Gender
"I am left contemplating on if I should be insulted or flattered at the confusion."
Male
   
Age
"Not as old as I often feel."
34
   
Sexual Orientation
"The interest is flattering, if not unexpected, but my vows leave little room for doubt on this subject. My loyalty must remain undivided."
Heterosexual



Hair ColorImage
"A dark mahogany. Although, I have found the occasional fleck of grey here and there. It seems my duties are not beneficial for ones health."
Dark Brown.

Eye Color
I have been told that my eyes remind those of the sea. I have decided to take those words as a compliment, if not an often unexpected one."
Blue-Green.

Height
"Tall enough to ward off the foolhardy."
6'6
   
Weight
"I am fit enough for my duties."
230lbs

Tattoos
"No."
None
   
Piercings
"Self-mutilation is not something I adhere to."
None
   
Scars
"I have my fair share. As does any man or woman under my command."
His body is littered in small scars from battle or simple accidents during training. The more outstanding ones are: crisscrossing poorly healed lash marks that span his back, a few of his back teeth are missing from taking blows in combat from fist or blade pommels and on his right pectoral is the royal crest seared into his flesh.
   
Oddities
"An odd question deserves an odder response."
Around his neck hangs a silver necklace, from this thin chain rests a metal hook. What purpose the hook used to serve is known only to Jaren and a select few others. When in deep thought, he often clasps the hook in his hand for reassurance.


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Personality
"Not the most interesting being, or even the most liked one, in the castle."
{Loyal || Intelligent || Authoritarian || Abrasive || Draconian}

As one would expect from a Guard Captain, Jaren is incredibly loyal as he owes his life and very existence to the deceased king. He tries to be worthy of that trust and faith that was once placed in him and so holds himself to incredibly high ideals that are, frankly, impossible to meet. Honor, order, vows... they all mean more to Jaren then they do nearly any other man in the nation or in any other nations. It defines his character as all he has to his name is, really, just his name. He would lay his life down for any member of the royal family without hesitation and expects nothing less from his men. He does not expect reward or thanks for his actions because it is just his duty. This demand of loyalty and a unreasonably high standards is almost, no, it is an obsession. Jaren will chase this ideal to the death of him, and it is very likely, that it will be the death of him.

Despite being a lowborn, a polite manner of saying peasant, Jaren is incredibly intelligent having taught himself how to read and write. Skilled in mathematics, survival and land surveying, maps, logistics, history, noble family lineage (an incredibly dull read), and other skills of questionable use. This sharp intellect is used to his advantage especially against nobles who underestimate him because of his low birth and has aided him in foiling many assassination attempts and quelling uprisings before they can rise. It is also what earned him a seat as one of the King's advisers. Although, Jaren could live with being a bit more dim-witted as his overthinking has led to many sleepless nights.

A military officer, Jaren is a true authoritarian. He believes in order and strict rigid codes. He follows commands and expects others to do the same, because, without order there is chaos. He does not see people who use their authority with a heavy hand as tyrants but rather strong leaders and those that are soft are too weak to lead and should, instead, stay where they are safe and allow others to do it in their place. Jaren has no time, or patience, for rebels or dissidents believing them to be akin to unruly children. While he does not support unjust rulers, Jaren believes people too often mistake strong for unjust. This often makes him seem harsh because, he somewhat is. He is a taskmaster in every sense of the word. He drives himself, and those under his command, as hard as he can and expects the best from them.

As one can expect, Jaren is a bit of an abrasive person. He tends to rub off on people the wrong way due to his straight forward and honest nature. That said, Jaren has long since mastered the fine art of false courtesy. When speaking to the royal family or high nobles, Jaren will be polite and courteous, but his 'polite' platitudes are thin and often barely hide his sarcasm or annoyance with them which has caused friction between himself and other members in the castle, while few others find his nature refreshing. While he may be courteous and polite, Jaren will not lie no matter who he is speaking to even if it risk angering someone he really shouldn't, instead, he merely tries to find 'better' ways to speak the truth.

Jaren is a very harsh man. He does not forget and does not forgive, nor does he believe others should as well. He is a firm believer in harsh punishments and will always argue against mercy shown to enemies or assassins. This means he has very few allies as if an ally ever shows to be wavering or prove untrustworthy, Jaren will break contact with them. On the other hand, should they be honest and true, Jaren is one of the greatest allies someone can have as he is unwavering loyal and steadfast. A man easy to make into an enemy, but hard to make a friend, but if someone were to make him a friend, they would have no finer friend or staunch ally.

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Hobbies
"Even I need something to cloak myself from insanity."
✝Horse-Ridding ✝Training/Instructing ✝'Recreational' Drinking ✝Touring the Gardens
✝Fishing ✝Collecting Herbs ✝Cooking ✝Archery ✝Singing ✝Hunting ✝Reading ✝Writing
✝Board Games (Fox and Geese, Chess, Etc)

Habits
"We are all creatures of it."
✝Compulsively Cleans ✝Holding his Amulet ✝Hums ✝Paces when angered
     
Likes/Loves
"I am fond of them, but love is a strong word."
✝Spirits (Liquor) ✝Gardens ✝Snow ✝Stars ✝Animals ✝Sun Rise
✝Petrichor ✝Music ✝Seafood ✝Forest

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Dislikes/Hates
"Many things are worthy of my ire."
✝Failure ✝The Night ✝Nobles ✝Traitors ✝Balls ✝Platitudes ✝Dishonesty
✝Cheaters ✝Assassins ✝Assassin Employers ✝Cowards

Strengths
"Not many. My skills have been honed for one purpose."
✝Swordsmanship/Archery ✝Commander ✝Stoic ✝Intelligent ✝Determined

Weaknesses
"More then I care to, or would ever, admit."
Loyal and Honor Bound✝ Jaren is imprisoned by his own vows and loyalty, cursed to inaction as the world around him burns. He is stuck between opposing force, each growing more desperate as the days go on and despite being charged with needing to protect them, they are the very things trying to tear themselves apart. How does one protect something determined to end itself?

Self-Critical✝ While he is a harsh taskmaster to his men and women, holding everyone to an impossibly high standard, the one who suffers the most from this is himself. Jaren cannot abide personal failure, it will eat away at his psyche and he tends to brood for months on end for the slightest of errors.

Draconian✝ Having no patience or compassion for traitors and liars, it makes allies hard to come by and friends even rarer.

Lowborn✝ Jaren is a peasant, he comes from no noble lineage which brings trouble of its own kind. Nobles tend to look down on him, young upstarts in the guard try to shove their family weight around and, at times, Jaren finds himself at a loss for what is the 'proper thing' to do during courtly events.

Insomniac✝ His duties have driven him from his sleep. He tosses and turns through the night, often unable to sleep for days at a time which can make him incredibly irritable and lessens his ability to think or act as swiftly as he often needs which only stresses him further and drives sleep further away.

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History
"I am merely a lowborn man. My history is of little interest to such.. esteemed company."
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Childhood

Jaren's childhood was rather unremarkable. Born to a baker and a tavern keeper, he was destined to a life of mediocrity, or, he would have been if a fire hadn't taken both of his parents when he was just a boy. Having no relatives that would take him in, either for monetary reasons or because they didn't know of his existence, he was handed off to the city orphanage. The city orphanage was a nice idea, but it was poor in execution. It was a decaying old building in the slums led by a few older women with little to no funds, so the kids were often left to fend for themselves creating pecking orders among themselves. Those higher up, the larger and stronger kids or those smart enough to be connected with them, got to eat. The smaller, weaker kids found their own food or went hungry.

Despite what one may think, Jaren was not a big child nor was he old enough to stick to a bigger child, so he was often left to fend for himself. He would get 'work' from the local thieves and city thugs working as a pickpocket, extortion tool and occasional punching bag, but it kept him fed and that was his entire world, an endless pursuit for tomorrows dinner. It was on one of these pursuits that had gone wrong that started the path to his destiny. A group of men were beating him in the alley for failing, once again, in pocketing a visiting merchant during a large festival. Jaren is still not sure to this day what the king saw in that nine year old boy, perhaps it was simple compassion for a child, a absent minded reflex, a passing fancy? But whatever it was, his guards brought the men down and dragged him in front of the king. Beneath the bruises, grim and dirt, Jaren stood as straight as he could as he knew, as young as he was, who this man was. He can still remember that deep booming laugh at the sight of that beaten, dirty nine child trying to stand with a lifted chin to a King.

For his 'bravery', he was given a position as a stableboy. He would no longer need to worry about where his next meal would come from, and in that moment, Jaren found his hero. His purpose for existing. He would make that man proud, he would not waste this chance, he would be something that was worth saving from that dirty alley.

Teens

As soon as he was able, at fifteen, he joined the military. He was determined to prove himself, to be something more then the boy who took care of the horses, although as his time in the stables, he found a deep appreciation for animals especially horses even taking to sleeping in the pens with them at times. As a lowborn with no family, money or equipment, he was thrown into the poorly equipped 'auxiliary' units, but that did not stop his ambition or iron will. He took to the military extraordinarily well, head full of ideas of honor, courage, serving his king and following orders was the easiest path to do so. Found to be extremely quick and skilled with weaponry, he moved through the ranks quickly, climbing to the rank of Lieutenant at only seventeen, a feat unheard off for a lowborn, and was a captain by the time he was twenty.

Young Adult

It was at this time, amidst conflict, promotion and duty that he fell in love. She was not beautiful, she was 'beautifully plain' as he would call it, but she had a beautiful soul. She was the daughter of a powerful merchant family that he had escorted across the country. She was kind, smart, far smarter then he and it was then he realized how simple and uneducated he truly was, and she had an inner fire that inspired him. Her hair was the color of wheat and her eyes were of the clearest sky without a single cloud to distract from their allure. She often had him fumbling and blushing, an embarrassment for any captain to be in while leading their troops.

But Jaren had no confidence in such a relationship. She was from a wealthy, powerful family, he... he was just a peasant, so they tip toed the line of romance, she unwilling to take the extra step first and Jaren daring not to. A woman like her though, could not help but attract more then one suitor, and she did. A young, dashing noble chevalier that served in a rival unit. Well, rival only by Jaren's eyes as the Chevalier led an elite knight unit made up of other prominent nobles while Jaren led a unit of footslogging commoners. He was arrogant, proud, but noble and courageous and Jaren hated him for it from the bottom of his heart. Jealous gnawed at him like a disease. To fight him, Jaren taught himself how to read to impress her.

The three of them would often walk the town together, the suitor, the potential bride and the peasant captain. They settled into an uneasy triangle of friendship, love and rivalry that endured for two years until it all came crashing down. Jaren was offered the position he had long wanted, a spot in the Royal Guard, but to take such a position would mean he would never be able to marry as a Royal Guard could not have split loyalties... At the same time, the 'dashing' Chevalier had taken knee and offered his heart to her and asked her to marry him. Jaren can still remember that conversation, the rain pouring down from the night sky washing away tears and matting down hair and clothes as she told him of his proposal. The anxiety that gripped his heart as he was stuck between his dream and his love knowing he could only have one but unsure if she returned his feelings. For the first, and only time in his left, Jaren fled.

He locked away his heart and told her he was going to be joining the Royal Guard. It was for the best, he would later tell himself, she would marry into nobility and their kids would be set for life while, with him, the best she could ever hope for was a small house so long as he remained in good health. He would go on to protect the king, and she... she would be happy. But in truth, he was just afraid. Afraid of her picking him over her, afraid that he would not be able to provide for her as he couldn't provide for himself, afraid that he would make her unhappy and regret her decision. He was afraid of what could have been.

It was a strange feeling. To bend his knee, take his vow before his king, his idol, while his heart had been left behind on that rainy street.

Adult

As a Royal Guard, he buried his past and locked away his memories and embraced his new future to escape the pain of a lossed love. His new life was grueling, the training far surpassed anything he had faced in his time serving in the military and it pushed him to new limits of skill. But he finally was in stone's throw distance from his savior. It came to some shock that the king did not recall Jaren at all, even more of a shock to find out his longtime idol was, in fact, just a man. But his childish desire to paint him in the best light persisted.

In his time, he had one, single failure. One he paid for in blood. (Will speak of it at a later time in the RP if it comes up)

The previous Guard Captain was already grooming him for his position, an act that angered the older members of the Guard who belived their experience and longer service spoke for itself, but Jaren's loyalty was second to no man or woman. It came as some astonishment when the old Guard Captain passed away in his sleep and Jaren, only 29, was promoted to Captain of the Guard and, once again, swore his ultimate loyalty to his King as the youngest Captain of the Guard in history.

As the Captain of the Guard, security was tightened and improved, his skill at 'handling' nobility has risen and, more importantly, he has been able to watch over the children of the King as they grew up. Having a hand in training a few (will talk about pre-rp relations with people), and for the first time, Jaren was content.

⚜Current⚜

The fall of the king shook the nation, and Jaren, to its core. But he did not have time to mourn like the others, he had to protect his children, his legacy, yet that same legacy seemed determined to strangle itself. He is unsure what to do, his purpose is clear, to keep the entire royal family safe and kneel and offer up his loyalty to the one that ascends the throne, but how can he protect the royal family when they seek to destroy one another? Jaren has taken to sitting at the King's side and watching over him as he tries to find out what he should do in the face of the coming disaster.



Face Claim: Viggo Mortensen

So begins...

Jaren Brydin's Story