Description

It's easy to underestimate Darren, when taking into account his somewhat childlike face, with short messy hair and expressive features. Even during those rare moments of silence, it's easy to tell what's on his mind just by reading his facial features. His unusual walking gait, involving an exaggerated swinging of the arms, alongside his flowing attire, further accentuate his seemingly prepubescent personality. In sharp contrast are the numerous scratches and scars adorning his body, as well as telltale rips, cuts and tears on his attire, indicative of a man who relishes and thrives in the chaos of battle.

Carrying a personal dislike for any kind of armor, which he complains "just doesn't flow with me", Darren wears an assortment of multiple mostly brown loose shirts and leggings, with bandages wrapped over them at his left forearm, left shoulder, both thighs, and right leg, all of which are haphazardly applied, their ends flapping about their knots with the wind. Over this are draped a few mishmashed scarves and cloaks, which serve to keep him warm, and also happen to make him look bigger. Most of these clothes being stolen, the one thing he can confidently name his own is the belt and holster around his waist, keeping his leggings in place and holding his weapons when they're not in use. Sans belt, all his clothes are cut in various areas; he doesn't bother getting them stitched.

Personality

Most likely thanks to his... colorful history, to say the least, Darren doesn't differentiate between speech and thoughts. As such, he's always speaking his mind, no matter how mundane the subject matter. Combined with his penchant for rapidly changing the subject, this often leads to irritation among his companions. This quirk doesn't let up during battle, and he can often be seen engaging in combat, just barely avoiding blows of all sorts while babbling about why some people prefer their eggs boiled and others prefer omelettes. Unlike your typical rogue, Darren isn't suited to working in the shadows; his tendency to talk too much puts him at a disadvantage in covert missions. He enjoys fighting right in the midst of it, dodging and weaving right under the opponent's nose and simultaneously slashing away of his own accord, all in a flurry of motion. Making a sport out of getting as close to the weapons he's dodging only serves to improve his reflexes, though at the cost of earning him numerous otherwise unnecessary injuries.

Equipment

Until recently, Darren had relied on the simple combination of a short sword and a dagger in combat. That was until he partook in an escort mission for a weapons merchant, and had to fend off some bandits. The merchant, while cowering in his caravan holding onto the biggest blade in his inventory, took note of Darren's approach to combat, and decided to reward him with a bonus; a set of bladed tonfas in addition to the coinage initially promised. No one else had wanted to buy the tonfas anyways, so the merchant had figured to help Darren obtain weapons that complemented his fighting style, and free up precious inventory space. Since then, Darren has been practicing avidly with the exotic blades, now keeping the short sword and dagger as backup weapons.

History

Even as a mere toddler in an orphanage, Darren was of a particularly vocal nature. It wasn't uncommon for the caretakers to rapidly lose their patience with him, which may or may not have resulted in one too many blows to the head. As he grew, he made it a game to dodge as many impending blows as he could at the last second, often angering his guardians further and earning more retribution in return. As his evasive skills improved, it soon reached the point where he could avoid his punishment for hours at a time, until the caretakers simply grew tired and relented. Full of youthful energy as he was (and heaven forbid if he managed to get into the pantry beforehand), he resorted to attacking them of his own accord, for the sole purpose of prolonging his entertainment.

Needless to say, he was thrown out of the orphanage the moment he was of age. Without a shred of currency to his name, Darren sought a living by doing what he did best: being a royal pain in the ass and stealing money off whoever was foolish enough to tire themselves trying to teach him a lesson. His childish demeanor also helped him receive the occasional free lunch or spare change by those naivete types who refused to acknowledge his shenanigans. Through sheer perseverance, he gradually hoarded enough to purchase his own weapons, allowing him to engage in actual adventures.

So begins...

Darren McCallahan's Story

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