Age
While birth records at this time, arenāt absolutely reliable, heās believed to be 24.
Appearance
Alexander is a fair skinned lad, living a life of complete and total luxury. This can be seen in everything from the shine to his blonde hair, to the fairness of his skin. Heās of average height for his age and region, being a total of 5ā10ā and standing somewhere in between most of his siblings.
It would come to absolutely no surprise upon meeting Alex that he is of noble birth. His attire, his stance, his teeth, breath, even the shimmer in his eyes all stem from a life which has thus far, been perfect. In fact, it would be fair to say that Alexander has never had a bad day in his life. Thus, a life relatively shielded from loss, leads Alexander to having a very honest, and easily excitable demeanor. Heās more like a puppy than a man.
Alex has blonde hair, which is kept long. Haircuts, even among high ranking noble families, are a rarity; and someone like Alexander who spends more time traveling than noble-ing, would find haircuts an unnecessary measure. Facial hair, however, can be groomed easily enough. Normally, Alexander keeps no facial hair, however when hunting he has been known to grow it out.Taking time out of his day to shave, when prey is on the line would be a frivolous waste of time.
Garments, while fancy in appearance, are actually tailored to a specific need. In Alexander's case, hunting. They come with the Ornsteins' colors of gold and white, but also utilize brown, and act as something of a camouflage after extended use. With enough dirt and debris on the garment, they tend to match many forest or European styled environments. Other than that, the choice in materials was made to be light, and weather resistant. The leather that Alexander utilizes for his holsters has been long broken in for ease of use. Alexander, however, does not wear armor. He views it as heavy, and taxing. Beyond this, the sounds that it makes while hunting prey tend to startle beasts more than save his life.
Personality
Alex is the third brother in a line of succession. This means absolutely everything in a noble family where the first brother is given rights of inheritance. For Alex, this meant he was to forge his own future, and this he did. While his nature might be that of easily excitability, he definitely has the courage and cunning to match. Almost any undertaking which could be perceived as dangerous, or daring, will always be the route which Alex would favor taking. While this might not be so bad for just himself, this puts nearly all of those around him in danger. If there is a path through dangerous territory it will always be the route which the young man will be taking.
Above all else though, Alexander is infinitely agreeable. He has had so little contact from life beyond the court, that heās incredibly eager to meet friends anywhere he can find them. This aspect of his personality might lead to him making rather gullible choices, or being easily taken advantage of. In truth, the young man would realize immediately if this were the case. After all heād have all the schooling of a young Duke, but heād willingly take being ātrampled onā if it meant making a lifetime friend.
As far as education goes, Alexander has been schooled in many things in life, and oftentimes from the best in their respective fields. He learned Japanese at a young age, from a wandering Ronin. He learned how to ride a horse and how to fence from a French Chevalier Captain, he learned how to do arithmetic, music, poetry, economics, from those too who were touted as the best. Nothing had ever been spared on his education. However, very little of it ever truly interested Alex as a child.
Ultimately, the Ornstein house emphasizes loyalty. Those that mesh well with the young man would find they have an ally for life. He's a compassionate soul who will listen, and truly tries to look past the faults of those around him. Even enemies would find compassion, and a friend from Alexander if they came at him with words as opposed to swords. Any friends who Alex meets along his journey will find he's willing and able to go the extra mile for them, as he's never had a true friend before (well other than his master), and Alexander will put everything he has on maintaining their affection.
Background
Butā¦ it didnāt take long for something to interest the young lord. His Japanese instructor Hajime always told strange tales of a land far away. nippon as he called it. A land where real monsters walked the grounds like savages. Where beasts grew as tall as trees, and as wide as mountains. Where the very ground itself was dangerous to stand on. Where the fog could kill a man for breathing it in. There were real monsters in this land, and the Japanese killed them with swords.
Perhaps it was these stories which were told to a very impressionable, and young child, which gave Alex the drive to be a monster hunter. Nearly as soon as Sensei-Hajime left his side, Alex began training to become the wordsā greatest monster hunter. And heād do it too.
The boy began to take on new training, from experienced hunters, warriors, and skilled swordsman. He trained by the rapier, and more favorably the musket. He learned careful and precise breath control in order to hone his accuracy, and at the age of 9, the boy brought down his first monster a white rhino. It was a tough beast, which took nearly 4 shots with a rifle to kill. This beast had armor like a dragon, and horns like that of an ogre. Yet the boyās thirst for glory would never truly be satiated. Not by such a simple kill.
Nearly ten years later, and Alexander had become renowned in most of the European world. He had killed lions, and behemoths, and elephants in Africa. Killed Crocodiles in Egypt, and Wolves in the Siberian wilderness. Yet this had never truly lived up to his masterās tales. The men that his master had spoken of, killed with swords and he hunted with a gun. It was a night and day difference.
At the age of twenty-four, most men would have been married by now. In fact, both of his brothersā have been already. As for Alex, the Middle Child, most women consider him a bit tooā¦ insane. Heās daring, and heās courageous, but his life is not a sedentary one. Always he is moving to look for the next hunt. When he had settled, it was only to devise a new means of weaponry in which to make his next hunt more efficient. His life had been devoted to his craftā¦ just like the men in his old teacherās stories.
However, as fate would have it a once-in-a-lifetime journey had appeared through the grape vine, a ship would be leaving a Portuguese port and would be sailing for Japan and China in only a short few weeks. Taking only a select few possessions Alexander makes his way to Portugal, his aim- to land on the land of the Rising Sun and truly become the worldās greatest monster hunter.
Likes
Alexander likes weapons, and danger, and any kind of gamble or risk. If it seems like it comes with an inherent risk involved, Alexander will take it unquestioningly. As for his hobbies, Alexander enjoys dancing, drawing maps, anatomy of his hunts, and weapons. His stake as the worldsā best monster hunter did not come easy. Almost all the weaponry or devices he uses to accomplish this feat, were designed by him. His final like, is of course, hunting.
Dislikes
Confrontation. He hates fighting amongst his brothers or peers. While he doesnāt have much experience with friends, Alex imagines heād hate fighting them too.
Reading. He never understood the appeal. Why would he want to learn something from a book when he can figure it out himself.
Loss. While he has never known this pain, with the exception of teacherās leaving; this is something that will cripple Alex when he does indeed feel it. Heās used to things going A-OK for him. Anything different would be a monumental growth for Alex.
Relationships
Alex has Two older brothers, and three younger sisters. He is the middle child of the bunch. He has no friends, and only a handful of teachers. However, he does hold a special place for a certain wandering Ronin which gave him the courage to slay monsters.
Equipment
When he traveled to Japan, Alex took two Muskets with him. As well as a mold for making more ammunition. He was well aware that China and Japan had trade routes which would allow him easy access to gunpowder in the form of Chinese Fireworks.
The muskets he carries are his own design, which use a heavier metal, however they are suitable for close quarters combat. Each one comes equipped with a bayonet slot, and a holster which will allow him to carry them.
His muskets, however, are not twins. While they may look the same and be designed for similar purposes, one of them is a long rifle, used for sniping, or shots which would otherwise be impossible up close. Normally this weapon sees combat only when the situation calls for a single shot to down a most dangerous target.
The second rifle, is a good all-rounder. It is good for close combat, as well as medium ranged targets. While it is not as accurate as its brother, it is easier to aim, and lighter.
Alex also bought a Katana from the first shop he found. He clearly knows very little about the quality of these weapons, and as such his katana quality is probably pretty poor. Itās an old piece, with a simple black sheath, and a worn handle. Yet it feels solid, and weighs 1/3rd as much as either of his muskets.
His clothing and garb are very much European. They will stand out in these foreign lands. He wears a pouch for ammunition and powders. He has a large cape for protection against the elements, and a sturdy top and pants, which will help in any kind of terrain. His holsters are made of leather.
The last armament at Alexanderās disposal, is a single shot pistol. It is effective at around 10-20 yards, and he keeps it close to his chest. This pistol is for last resorts only.
But how to load such weapons effectively in combat? Thankfully, when man needs answers they create. Alexander carries a modern satchel on his person. Fashioned to his belt, it is made of treated leather, and has one purpose only. In this small kit are rows of paper cartridges. A paper cartridge is a treated paper tube which holds gun powder and a musket ball. This significantly speeds up the loading process. Alex does also carry a gun powder horn, but mostly uses it to load cartridges.
[color]Strengths[/color]
Alexander is great at acting alone. He can snipe from a great distance, and can map terrain. Heās a skilled combatant and can easily identify weaknesses of a target. He is incredibly bright, and oftentimes thinks of good solutions to challenges (although they might not be suitable for a group)He has keen senses, which he utilizes to track and hunt his prey, and is capable of hunting for days with little time to stop.
Weaknesses
No one, who is sane, wants Alexander to be their leader. He will always choose a dangerous path, and relishes challenges. This combined with the fact that he is incredibly poor at utilizing a katana (from the beginning of the Role Play) should make his opinions about leadership inept. However, he will still offer them.
Alex also knows almost nothing about Japan, and its culture, and peoples. His Japanese while mostly fluent, is very rough. He will come out and say anything on his mind. This tends to not be the best choice in a country where everyone is trying to be overly polite and beat around the bush.
Alex can get anyone around him into trouble, just by being near them. His overly inquisitive nature means he has no problems walking up to Yakuza, or other undesirables, to challenge them to duels or feats of strength. He believes everyone in this country, and especially those who carry Katana to be unspeakably powerful, and thus will try to challenge them to prove his masterās tales (bold faced lies)
He is very gullible, and excitable. Oftentimes in conversations, heās easy to take advantage of, simple because of his overly sheltered upbringing.
He is a Westerner. This is by far his greatest weakness. He will be incredibly reliant upon the group to make any changes or additions to his equipment, as his Japanese might be too poor to be technical, or heād get hoodwinked into purchasing something which will not help him. (see old katana)
He has very little understanding of the way the world works. As he brought with him plenty of gold, and could message his family to send more if necessary, in regular situations money becomes the path of least resistance for him. If this were stripped, and he had no one to rely upon; his greatest hindrance would be the fact that he had lived such a privileged and noble life until this point. Thus, heād probably die of exposure in a forest somewhere.
Home
As of the beginning of the role play, Alexander will be getting off of a ship to go search for his master. He has no home in this country, and will be searching everywhere to find the mythological hunt which his master bragged about.
