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Table of Contents
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Overview
In his lifetime, Destrian has been many things: the bastard son of a Priestess and a stranger, the quiet, "touched" lad who loves horses, the childhood friend (and ersatz brother) of Sisters Tylon and Alyona, the mercenary of faith in the Red Hand army of sell-swords, the one-handed warrior, and the dreaming Chosen. He is warrior, singer, dreamer and priest — and all Destrian.
Background
Destrian was born and raised in the Temple of the Four, in Laketown. He never knew who his father was — his mother, Anastas, was a Acolyte of the Covenant when she met Destrian's father — a man she never identified, except to claim he was noble-born (which may have been a lie). If anyone in the Temple at that time (such as Mother Superior) knew who the boy's father was, they never said so..
Forsaken by the father he never knew, Destrian was raised from infancy within the Temple in Laketown — and trained to eventually become one of the Chosen. His name was a suggestion of the Mother Superior; it was given as an expression of strength, but it proved nigh prophetic, when his affinity for horses revealed itself ("Destrian" is a derivative of "Destrier" — warhorse or charger).
Destrian was a strange boy —
— or gifted, depending upon one's perspective.
His peculiar personality manifested in various ways: he was a dreamer, often spending time away from others — his expression distant, unfocused, smiling — lost in the 'dream' of whatever thought or image had captured his attention. Townsfolk said he was "touched"; Templefolk said he was blessed.
People were often confusing to Destrian, yet the rest of the Guardians' Creation (i.e. plants and animals, but especially horses) made sense. He spent a great deal of time with the Temple's horses, and demonstrated an uncanny understanding of them — despite being unable to explain how he knew what he knew. More than once, he successfully calmed a panicked horse when no one else nearby (at the time) could. At other times, he would be found running beside horses, deriving as much joy from playing with them, as riding and grooming them.
Destrian's "giftedness" did not stop there. Often without realising, he would demonstrate an expression of empathy around other people: mimicking mannerisms, accents, gaits, various twitches — even "sympathy pains". Despite his being unaware of this (at first, at least), this behaviour often caused problems for him with other people.
Mother Superior (understandably) came to Destrian's rescue. She noticed the peculiarities of his personality, and just how difficult it was for both the boy to relate well to those around him. Only a handful of people in the Temple (in the entire city, in fact) made Destrian comfortable enough to open up and really talk and Mother Superior cleverly placed Destrian in their company— to befriend him, teach him — and for him to teach them. These few included Tylon (who would one day become Mother Superior herself), and Alyona (who trained beside Destrian, and who did become a Chosen). Throughout his training, Destrian was placed in a position to care for the animals (especially the horses); he grew into an exceptional horseman, as well as a combatant, and tracker.
And then he left.
When Destrian was still a youth, Anastas — now a Priestess of the Covenant — confided something to him that changed everything. Whatever the secret was, it was enough to compel the lad into leaving the Temple (before taking his Oaths — he was too young), and he went in search of something — or someone — he never truly said what. He was caught in his attempt to leave by his childhood friends, Tylon and Alyona. They convinced him to speak with the Mother Superior, who listened to the boy, then gave him a horse and bid him go with the Guardians' blessing.
Still a young man — and a Commoner — Destrian had to find some way of earning his keep whilst out travelling alone. He took up with a group of Mercenaries — the Red Hand, they called themselves — and lived as a sell-sword. He rode with them for many years (roughly a decade), ever searching for this "person of interest" that caused him to quit the Temple in such a rush.
He earned a name for himself as a prayerful, valiant — if somewhat strange — warrior, who found beauty and joy in things many others took for granted. Only one other member of the mercenaries truly bonded with Destrian, and he and his friend became nigh inseparable. It was this friend who gave him the byname: Destrian the Grim — partly in jest, and partly because of the 'real' man he was, beneath the exterior, the man so few ever got to see.
Sometime later, the 'joke' of 'Destrian the Grim' almost proved to be prophetic. On an expedition with only himself and his closest comrade-in-arms, he suffered the loss of his left hand — cut off (or bitten off) at the wrist. He seldom spoke of it — either the adventure in question, or his missing limb — and yet, and it took some time to return to his usual cheery disposition (at least on the outside). The injury forced him to give up (and/or change) a number of pastimes and combat styles (such as marksmanship). Destrian had a unique, reinforced 'glove' or sheath made to wear over the stump of his left forearm, and used it as a shield and bludgeon in battle. He forsook the bow and took up knife throwing.
It was a dream that brought Destrian back to the Temple, and to the completion of his Training as he took the Oaths of a Chosen. He never spoke of the details of this dream — save only that he believed it was a message from the Guardians, and that now was the time for him to come back.
He had been gone a long time, and was now a man in his early thirties, and a seasoned — and scarred — veteran of war. In his adventures, he had gained a few friends (some very close), and lost many others; he had also gained his share of enemies.
He had ventured into places where most others would not dare go, and had seen firsthand what the shadow of Kharnas could do to men — to the world — if left unchecked. On the outside, Destrian remained the same: ever-smiling, ever singing. On the inside, his dreaming prevailed, but there was no denying some of those precious dreams had darkened into nightmares.
What happens next is in the hands of the Guardians.
Character Profile
Destrian is a tall man, into his thirties, with long, stringy-blond hair that hangs freely down either side of his face, and past his shoulders. He has a short beard on his face, of a slightly darker shade, keen brown eyes, and a sun-weathered complexion. His arms, legs and torso are well-developed with muscle, and boast several battle-scars. The most noticeable of these is his missing left hand; severed at the wrist, the stump of his left arm is encased in a leather sheath made specifically for him, and reinforced with metal.
Destrian is most commonly seen in his Chosen raiment and armor — comfortable leathers that have seen some wear and tear, worn underneath a white tabard. He wears leather vambraces on both his forearms, pauldrons on his shoulders, greaves on his legs, a leather gauntlet on his right hand, a leather sheath on his left, and boots on his feet. A billowy, white hooded cloak is worn over his shoulders and clasped about his throat.
Destrian is both warrior and priest.
For a man in his early thirties, he is already an "old soldier", a veteran; he has no illusions about the difficult (and often conflicting) realities of life — and yet he still finds joy and beauty in the simplest of things. Despite being away from the Temple, he has remained devout in his faith — even during his years as a sell-sword — and those who know him also know of his gift for handling animals — especially horses.
He is often considered a "peculiar" man; to him, people do not make sound so much as they are sound — and color, too. Many is the time that he has described an adventure of his in terms that have to be translated despite being in the Common tongue. It is all second-nature to Destrian, all taken for granted: he is "normal" — the world is "mad".
Destrian is… Destrian.
- Color of Sound — There is a certain "cross-over" between senses when it comes to Destrian's perception and interpretation of the world around him (i.e. to describe a sound, he might use a color — or to describe an emotion, he might use a sound). He does this naturally — and just as his "flavor" of perception might confuse other people, their puzzled reactions would also confuse him. Destrian often incorporates his "cross-sensory" perception into his sense of humour (again, without thinking), resulting in jokes that made little or no sense to others (in general).
- Sympathy Pains — Destrian also demonstrates a certain kind of empathic mimicry (i.e. if someone nearby is grinding his teeth, Destrian will grind his own as well — even without realising). This applies to gestures, mannerisms, "ticks" and "twitches", even speech patterns, regional accents, stance and gait. Destrian has experienced "sympathy pains" on many an occasion — around both humans and animals. It has taken him a long time to learn how to recognise and use this personality trait of his (as much of it is unconscious and involuntary), and now he has learned to trust it when working with animals (especially horses). Humans are still a problem for him, as his mimicry is often misconstrued as deliberate, and in mockery (and sometimes… it is).
- Man of Faith — Never one to forget his roots, Destrian's faith is of great importance to him. He considers himself a devotee, primarily, of Bornas — and he takes time to pray, daily. Despite leaving the Temple to live as a sell-sword, Destrian's motivation for such a change came largely from his belief that it was 'meant to be'. He still prays for the souls of the people he defeats in battle. He appreciates the "color" of both life and death, and the part he plays in both.
- Man of Action — Destrian is a man who values deeds over words. He would sooner point in a direction, rather than engage in a conversation and say it. He firmly believes that if people are going to say anything, they should make it count — and he has little respect for those who use words flippantly, or to avoid action. This ties in somewhat with his icy distrust of the nobility — to him, nobles talk much and do little; being born to power is not the same as earning it.
- Horse-Whisperer — A knack for horsemanship has been a signature skill of Destrian's since he was a little boy. He has enjoyed some formal training, but much of this aptitude is instinctive; he gets along better with beasts (in general, but horses mainly) than with most people. Due to his synesthesia, Destrian is sensitive to much of the stimuli to which animals might respond, lending him a certain degree of empathy. The proper care of animals (domestic and wild) is of great importance to him.
- Power Corrupts — Considering the story he has been told since infancy about how his mother was deserted by a noble shortly after Destrian was conceived, he has a low opinion of nobles in general. Granted, he does not trust many people even at the best of times, but nobles tend to rank the lowest in his estimation. Destrian believes (to a point) that the Guardians bestow power upon certain individuals for a reason — but he views nobles as having circumvented that process somewhat, and thus they abuse the privilege.
Recent Logs
Recent Memoirs
TBA.
Known Associates
Sister Cafell Penderghast : Woman. Priestess. Confused. Confusing. Smells of Fire. Likes rain. Says strange things about time and death. |