Birth Name: Erik Swiftling
Character Alias: Erik the Swift
Written appearance: The first thing most people will notice about Erik are his extremely pale eyes. They are mercurial grey-green, shifting back and forth often. In the right light, they can appear to lose almost all color, which is faintly eerie. He maintains his jet black hair so that the spare ends of it brush the nape of his neck, but no longer. Occasionally, it will begin to obscure his vision, and that is when he knows it is time for a cut. The individual hairs are fine, but he has so much that it lends the coif a suave thickness. Although, he would think you odd if you noticed. Overall, his face is angular, but not necessarily pointy. He was blessed with high cheekbones and a well-squared chin, usually kept free of stubble.
Sex: Male
Home Nation: Triveilla
Current Location/Residence: Cre' Est
Age: 27
Height: 6'2 easily
Weight: 183 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Grey-green
Complexion: Fair; almost pale
Body Type: Erik isn't the average muscle-stacked-on-muscle sort of guy. He recieved the training of a rogue, so his body tends to lean in the direction of lithe yet defined. His chest and shoulders are unusually broad, tapering into a narrow waist. His legs are long and well-muscled, being trained by years of swimming in his home nation.
Blood Type: O+
Fighting Style (*Hard or Soft?): Soft
Adaptability Ratio: 8
Personality: "The observer changes the nature of the observed." Does anyone understand that? What I mean to say is that Erik is really whatever the situation calls for. He can be sociable or standoffish, humorous or stoic. It is hard to say which of these traits is Erik's true personality, so perhaps it would help to start with his humble beginnings.
In the orphanage, Erik is humble, quiet, and respectful. Extremely polite, but not a pushover, he had no problem taking care of the chores that were assigned to him and listening to the elders' grand tales of heroic warriors for hours. There was no doubt in his mind--even when he was a child--that these stories were the stuff of lies, but truth and lies mixed freely with him.
Among travelers, Erik reserved and analytical, preferring to keep his interactions with people brief. He will, however, allow more lengthy conversations to take place when he feels that the person is of no threat and good character. In fact, Erik rather likes the mental exercise that a good conversations brings to him.
Around Rohan, Erik was friendly and playful and of a laid-back disposition. They were quite the jokesters when they were together, pulling pranks on eachother and their victims. As their relationship progressed Erik began to open up and share his inner feelings with Rohan--which is something he rarely did with anyone.
Other than that, he remains enigmatic to most.
Quirks: Erik has two long diagonal scars along his back, which he has named Greed and Envy. Typically, he does not like to discuss how he obtained such wounds.
Likes: Night, Tall Tales, Fire
Dislikes: Battle, Orphanages, Elderly People
Special Talents/Skills: Expert Thief, Expert Pickpocket, Expert Lockpick
Weapon/s of Choice: Daggers
Weapon/s of Last Resort: Erik is very adaptable, and will resort to using anything at his disposal, even if that means using a rock to bash in his opponents head. However, he will usually have a wide array of daggers ready. These can range from throwing-daggers, to obsidian daggers used for close-combat.
Weapons you avoid: Anything that fits under the blunt weapon category. (maces, hammers, mauls, etc. etc.) They make him feel sluggish.
Fighting Style: Erik tends to rely on the lightning-fast and precise blade of his daggers as opposed to brute strength. He is proficient when it comes to evading and side-stepping his opponent's attacks. Ideally, Erik would flee when he finds himself without an arm, but if this is not possible Erik can usually evade his opponent's attacks until he sees the opportunity for a fatal counterattack.
Weapon Training/History: Erik has no recollection of his parents, home, or any siblings that he may or may not have had. Simply put, Erik is an orphan. His first words were not, "Mama" or "Dada." No, his first words were "Mother Grissly." And if a single vowel or consonant were misplaced, he recieved ten excruciating swats with Father Grissly's oaken switch. His life proceeded like this for years. He did his chores, ate his rations, and pretended to be content when he could. But, as Erik aged he began to grow apart from his orphanage peers. There was something confound about that boy, and everyone knew it.
Admittedly, he had become somewhat of a sociopath. His mental illness manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and a lack of conscience. But, the village that he grew up in was exceedingly superstitious. Most said that he was possessed by a demon, waiting for the chance to start his list of victims. Others implied that he had simply lost his mind. Whatever it was, it led to his exile from the orphanage at the tender age of fifteen.
For what seemed like a very long time, Erik wandered the streets as a beggar and street urchin with little success. It was then that fate did him a mercy and thrust upon him a thief named Rohan. Rohan was a strange man. He was the type of person that didn't need society's approval. He would do things in his own peculiar ways, but very effectively. Most importantly, he was an amazing thief. He had manifested a great wealth through activities that were... well, on the shady side of the law. He grew to like the young beggar, and decided that he would make for a decent apprentice, as Rohan was beginning to grow old. Not having many other avenues to take, Erik agreed to this arrangement and his training began.
It was immediately apparent that Erik was a prodigy. The teachings of a thief all came very naturally to him, and he learned quickly. Every tip and trick that Rohan had to offer was absorbed in a matter of days. He had started amass his own small fortune and over many months, Erik began to surpass even his teacher.
In many ways, Rohan became the closest thing Erik ever had to a father. And, even though Erik wasn't completely sure about this, he felt that Rohan thought of him as a son. The pair became unstoppable, and Erik seemed to revel in his newfound talents. They pulled some of the most successful heists ever seen in the nation of Triveilla. However, Erik lacked only one quality that was imperative to a good thief: discipline. He became greedy, and set his eyes upon an estate of the royal family. Rohan tried to warn him that it was a fruitless endeavor. After all, it was one of the most tightly guarded estates in all of Triveilla. But, Erik wouldn't listen.
In short, when Erik's plans went awry Rohan had to sacrifice himself for his prodigy. It was a devastating blow for Erik, leaving him with a pensive cynicism. However, it also made the truth of life obvious. He wasn't the heroic warrior that he had listened to the elders in his orphanage describe. He was the guy who got his hands dirty so the heroes could keep theirs clean. And frankly, that was fine by him. Now, due to an unfortunate series of events that escalated out of the control of our noble thief, Erik somehow ended up in Cre' Est seeking new adventures and new friends.