Name
Ellar Otamr
Nicknames
Though Ellar doesn’t like people who’ve just met him using nicknames, he’s fine with nicknames from friends. Most people just call him Ellar, but once in a while somebody will call him El or Lars.
Code Name
Golden
Age
Originally 30
Now 130
Gender
Male
Rank
Senior-Knight
Wanted Rank
Knight-Lord
Though he’s not really an overachiever and knows he lacks true leadership skills, he still can’t help thinking it would be nice.
Where is your loyalty towards now?
Ellar’s loyalty has always been to Leavalon, and his statement has been that it always will be. Is that at the expense of his fellow knights? Only time will tell. He trusts his kingdom to do what was best, and believes in the divine right of kings and that every monarch is led by divine forces. It’s a way of the gods intervening without taking total control. If his king orders something, he may not understand it, but he’s in no place to decide that he’s better suited at decision-making than the king. He does what his king says because he trusts him and believes that the greater good is always on his mind.
Appearance
Ellar has some native ancestry, which is only really distinguishable by his eyes and light accent. His voice is silky and fairly deep, and definitely the most attractive thing about him, though he’s not totally ugly. He’s just very practical about appearances and has a rather plain-looking face. His nose is wide and rather flat, and when he grins it always scrunches up. He has a wide mouth with large lips, and big white teeth that are in fairly good shape. His smile is wide and large and has big dimples. He has a broad face and large forehead, and his cheeks are rather round. He doesn’t have a particularly strong jawline. His ears are large but don’t stick out from the sides of his head, and his face has its fair share of scars, like any of the knights. The most prominent one splits his lower lip on the left and goes down to his chin. He has light stubble that grows too fast for his liking. It’s black, and when he can he shaves because he doesn’t really have time to maintain a beard. For the same reason his hair is cut very short. It’s a mess of very short hairs which just barely reach the nape of his neck, and he often slicks it back for formal occasions. Otherwise a more rugged look is fine with him, with wild and oily hair and dark stubble. Ellar’s eyes harken to his native ancestry, with large irises so dark that they appear black. They hardly seem to have any other color, and perhaps might be grey if they were inspected closer. They’re squinted and large, and have thick black eyebrows over them.
Ellar has never considered being overly-muscular or badly scarred to be anything unattractive, and he never tries to hide any of this. He weighs somewhere around 150 lbs. Although he’s not too tall, only 5’7,” he’s rather muscular and has a good build. His shoulders aren’t too broad, but his arms are strong and he has sturdy-looking hands with short but not too clean fingernails. He has a good deal of scars across his shoulders and collarbone especially, due to his close-up fighting style. His skin is heavily tanned and more brown than red, and he’s a well-filled-out man. He has thick, strong legs with flat feet and a somewhat triangular build, with his waist and legs narrower and his shoulders slightly broader. He has no problem with his scars, but mostly he just doesn’t pay them attention. They’re well-healed, though, or most of them are, and they seem to have been taken care of quickly. He has no scar from his death, though.
Ellar is commonly seen in something like noble’s garb, though not quite fancy enough to offend the upper classes. His clothing is bright and often incorporates aspects of the Fate-Walkers. He prefers comfortable clothing to any other type. But, of course, it’s the battlefield that really matters. His armor is heavy and allows for less flexibility than other armor might. It’s made of steel, and is heavy plate armor. He has a helm with a ridge along the front top in gold, and a heavy visor that he often wears open unless he’s actually in the middle of combat. His gorget is large and ornate. He has a thick breastplate which bears the blue and golden image of a lion-eagle griffin. He has pauldrons with golden ridges that match that on his helmet. His armor ends at the hands, with only light chainmail, and he has thick black leather gloves which allow him to more easily use his katar. His gauntlets are ornamental and ridged. His cuisse is smaller than usual, and he has ornamental graves and heavy sabatons. Swirling gold and royal blue patterns adorn the armor, particularly the gorget, gauntlets, and graves. Underneath his armor he has an arming jacket. Under his helmet he often wears golden makeup around his eyes, thick and made with actual gold dust (mixed with other powders). This is a common accessory for Fate-Walkers, and though difficult to maintain during battle, he takes special care to keep his makeup pristine.
Personality
Ellar is known as both a good person and a good knight, but these two things aren’t always compatible. We’ll start with the good person aspect and see how the good knight changes that. Ellar is an incredibly helpful and giving person, and he often goes out of his way to do nice things for people even if they don’t really want him to. He loves to give gifts, whether to his friends or to those he doesn’t know well. He doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to gift-giving, and is always so disappointed by people who don’t want gifts he gave them that few people have the heart to refuse. He also gives compliments very often. He’s an easy, charming man when he’s off the battlefield, not exactly refined but incredibly friendly and generally well-liked by the citizens. He’s not known as the bravest nor strongest knight, but he’s just as popular because he’s considered the genuinely sweetest knight. He always thinks the best, and he’ll trust anyone no matter the circumstances - unless they’re already enemies, of course, because he shows no mercy to his enemies. But that comes later. He always remembers people’s names, and hates it when they don’t remember his. He always suspects people who use nicknames of not actually remembering his name. Despite his friendly nature, though, it’s hard to actually get close to him. Maybe this is because he has too many people and too little time, or maybe he’s just not really interested in making close friends. He trains just as hard as the other knights, but when it’s time to relax he relaxes fully, and his fighting self and socializing self are always neatly separated. Sometimes he seems to live vicariously through the other knights, always curious about their childhood but especially about happy and humorous memories. He’s no great storyteller, but he’s a great listener, and he doesn’t judge anyone for their pasts. He’s always been more caught up with the future.
Ellar may be all smiles and gifts when he’s not on duty, but the battlefield is another matter altogether. If there’s one thing about Ellar that’s never questioned, it’s his loyalty. Loyalty to the crown, loyalty to his kingdom, and loyalty to the gods. Never certain of his own takes on the morals and ethics of war, monarchy, and divinity, he follows what morals have already been laid out for the people. He follows the laws of the knights, and every rule is as sacred as scripture to him. His loyalty will only ever be to his allies and the empire. He would willing lay down his life - again - and if his resolve dwindled the first time, well, he would never say it out loud. He has few personal relationships that go deep enough to ever be an obstacle to his serving the empire. He hasn’t once backed down, not even in a battle where he could have escaped when he knew they had lost. Because valor is fighting a winning battle, right? Bravery is dying for nothing but your honor. And, of course, Ellar never shows mercy. He kills those who oppose him without a second thought. If he’s willing to die by their hands, so they must be willing to die by his. That’s what he says. He also follows the empire’s orders without question, and to him they will always be the moral high, what everyone should aspire to be. He looks up to the king almost like a father, with a reverence that extends across all of the king’s relatives. Assuming that the new king is a descendent of the old one, Ellar would trust them in their divine right as ruler. This sort of behavior is hardly unusual for the knights, but it hardly seems to fit with Ellar as he’s known among friends and colleagues. Some say it’s a dark side, some say it’s what makes him a good knight.
In regards to emotions, Ellar will let people walk all over him. He refuses to get angry, because he sees anger as an evil emotion. He may not be the calmest or most put-together person, but with a little effort he’s one of the calmest and most put-together in the group. Of course, in more physical matters, Ellar doesn’t hesitate to defend himself, but he tries not to get angry all the same. “Never fight angry,” that’s what he says. He also doesn’t tolerate anger from other people, even when justified, and often tries to insert himself into situations and calm people down. He can be a little harsh when he thinks people’s anger isn’t justified, not against telling them to shut up or slapping some sense into them. If people are angry at him, though, for reasons that don’t make sense, that’s when he has the most trouble controlling his temper. He mostly just leaves and doesn’t talk to anyone for a while if he’s too mad. If he ever does lose his temper, there’s the possibility of him hurting people, but he’s always mortified when he blows his top. It’s quite a rare occurrence, and nobody ever really expects him to get angry.
Another major personality trait of Ellar’s is his piety. The god to whom he swears his devotion is Cieus. He is a strong believer in fate, which is perhaps why he’s so very optimistic about all things in life. If it’s meant to be, what’s the use of shouting and raging against the gods? Although Ellar isn’t the kind to try and push his religion on others, he doesn’t try to hide it, either. He goes to the temples for all major holidays and on the first of the month, like any good Fate-Walker should. He’s interested in the ideas of reading cards and destiny petals, though he’s talented at neither. He contributes greatly to his temple and volunteers there often, and he’ll shamelessly wear the traditional golden eye paint of Cieus into battle to bring good fortune. And like many Fate-Walkers, he has a particular dislike for Okohr. Though this might not always fit well with his role in society, he disdains the god of war and chivalry even as he tries to embody those traits. His reasoning, of course, is that no god should clash with such powers as fate and destiny. He once had little regard for Xiarae, but his own experience with death may have changed that. But besides the traditional disdain for Okohr, Ellar seems unusually repulsed by Azaos. While he’s dismissive of Okohr, he seems almost frightened of Azaos. Nonetheless, he writes down each dream he has as though they could contain the meaning of life. His reactions to followers of Azaos vary wildly, but he never seems entirely comfortable with it. He’s constantly trying to tell his future, and is easily suckered in by those who claim to be able to do it.
Ellar isn’t particularly good at decision-making, and can be paralyzed by having to make a real, actual choice. Because, really, the knights don’t have many moral choices to make. He can make choices on the battlefield, he can talk to people without freezing, but when asked to make a big decision on his own, he has no idea what to do. This is why he could never be a really good leader. He’s definitely more of a follower type. He seems to need constant guidance, or something that dictates morals for him. Religion and the empire are the two things that do this for him, which is perhaps why he’s so loyal. Once he starts starting, choices start cropping up again. He likes the idea of fate, and seems most comfortable when he has no decisions to make and little free will. Some people find this odd, but if you’ve seen Ellar trying to decide between going to a tavern and going to a play, you’ll know that little causes him more stress than influencing his own life.
Griffin's Name
Hark
Hark is a female quail-cheetah griffin hybrid.
Weapon(s)
Skalm - This is an urimi which is Ellar’s main weapon. It must be well-maintained and is difficult to train with - fortunately, Ellar has had plenty of time to train. The sword’s blade, as with any urimi, has an extremely flexible blade which can be used like a whip. It’s five feet, and can be curled around the waist like a belt and secured, with the handle at the side like a normal sword. The hilt is iron, with a crossguard and thin knucklebow. It’s elegant and curvy, and there’s a disc-shaped flange around the pommel, which has a black spike. Obsidian is inlaid into the handle to form the symbol of Cieus, with light layers of gold forming swirling patterns. The blade is made of steel and is rather thin.
Skera - This is Ellat’s katar, used for closer range. This is especially good for getting through armor and doing quick attacks. This is kept in a sheath, and although there is another katar in a sheath on his right, this katar is, as far as anyone knows, untouched. Skera’s handle is, of course, H-shaped, and is made of gold with patterns carved along it. The blade is short and straight, and unlike Skalm, the blade is very thick and reinforced so it never shatters. It’s made of steel and tapers thinner at the end to get that armor-piercing ability.
Family
Lochina Otamr - Mother
Ellar’s mother was a devotee of Azaos, and she made her reputation in the town as an oracle. She was said to have been chosen by Azaos, and although her predictions were few and far between, every single one of them turned out to be true. When she had her children, though, people figured her days of fortune telling were over. She tried to claim they were given to her by the gods, but people weren’t buying it. She always resented Jamie and Ellar because of that, and got into card reading and drinking too much. She was a mystical woman who was always trying to contact the gods.
Jamie Otamr - Twin Sibling
Ellar’s twin, with whom he was very close growing up. Neither of them were very fond of their mother, and spent most of their time elsewhere. They weren’t identical, and in fact most people didn’t know they were twins. They were a very clever person, and a very studious and serious one as well, but they always had fun with Ellar.
Amadej Church - Father?
Although it’s not entirely certain that Amadej is Ellar and Jamie’s father, in all probability he is. He was never caught having an affair with Lochina, but the whole town can attest that they were unnaturally close. And Amadej certainly treated Ellar and Jamie like his children. He kept his distance but the way he looked at them it seemed like he wanted to be with them. When they befriended Nik, he tried to act like any other friend’s father, but he was warm and fatherly even when he tried not to be.
Malina Church - Stepmother?
This was Amadej’s wife, and if Amadej was fond of Ellar and Jamie, Malina made up for it by hating them. She didn’t want Nik spending time with them, and she would get into fights with Amadej over them. And fairly so - after all, it seemed he had been cheating on her. But she took out her anger on the twins as well. She was actually a generally pleasant woman, but when angered she was nasty as all hell.
Nik Church - Younger Half-Brother?
Nik was Amadej and Malina’s son, and was born with half a right leg. He was a bright and playful thing, and very much in charge of his own life. When Malina told him to stop hanging out with Ellar and Jamie, he simply refused. He was an excellent friend and a very brave boy, and Ellar would have a tough time deciding if he was closer with Nik or Jamie.
Allies
Ellar has plenty of friends, some closer than others, but this aspect of his life very rarely enters into his professional life and so the other knights are unlikely to know of many of his friends. He was never seen in the company of those who weren’t loyal to the crown, though. He will always be loyal to his empire.
Enemies
The Caimin Empire is Ellar’s main enemy, though now the Abyssal Rider may rank up there as well. Any forms of rebels and those who work against the king are his enemies. He doesn’t seem to have many personal enemies or, if he does, he doesn’t talk about them often.
Affiliations
Will PM everyone.
Arowyn Albright
Ellar gets along very well with Arowyn, and both share idealogy which makes it easy for them to be friends. They're very close, and consider each other as something like siblings, which to Ellar is theclosest he could be to anyone. They also work very well together on the battlefield, both in combat and regarding their powers, which easily feed off of one another.
Gavin Carline
These two were once very good friends, and saw each otehr through the academy and Gavin's marriage and the subsequent death of his wife. They might not agree on everything, but if they avoid talking about these things they get along just fine. Or they used to. Ever since the experiments, there's been some friction between them. They mostly just avoiding talking about it, act like nothing happened, and try to move on.
Sexuality
Homosexual
Significant Other
Though Ellar has never been seriously involved with anyone and was never married, he is attracted to men. He’s had obvious interest in a few people who he simply never pursued, although he seems quite interested in hearing stories of other people’s romances. He’s confused a few people who thought he was genuinely interested when he was only being nice.
Likes
Being a Knight
Reading Cards
The Empire
The King
Cieus
Giving Gifts
Making Friends
Hearing Stories
Sitting Around Campfires
Deep Water
Dislikes
Making Decisions
Heights
Fortune Tellers
Anger
Azaos
People Forgetting His Name
His Gifts Being Turned Down
People Who Speak Against the King
Rule-Breakers
The Color Yellow
Strengths
Close Combat - Ellar is good with a lot of kinds of fighting, but his very best fighting style is close combat. He’s a quick and precise fighter, and is good at both using his weapons and hand-to-hand combat. He especially likes to go after the ranged combatants while he’s covered and take them down with a fighting style they’re not experienced at. He goes in for the quick strikes and dances back out of reach.
Charisma - Ellar is a friendly person with an affinity for being around people, and he easily makes and keeps friends. It’s easy for him to charm people if he needs something from them, though this isn’t his main focus. He thinks swords are for fighting and words are for peace. He has plenty of friends - well, had plenty of friends. He also knows how to stay calm and put-together.
Piety - Though this may cause problems just as it might be considered a virtue, Ellar’s devotion to Cieus could possibly help him. Certainly it gave him a community to which he belonged before he died, and although it might be seen as odd now, he can only hope that Cieus sees him and helps him in small ways.
Using His Powers - While some knights are unhappy with their powers, some feel cursed and some betrayed, Ellar wouldn’t let such a small thing plant a seed of doubt in his mind. The empire only meant to protect its people, and Ellar was proud to suffer for their safety. As such, he’s focused quite a lot on his powers and on improving them, and is very talented at it.
Reading Cards - This is more of a silly little hobby of his, but Ellar likes to make and decorate reading cards, which are meant to tell the future. There is no standard array, and every deck is unique and only the person who made it knows what it means. Ellar has several of these decks, each with different themes.
Weaknesses
Blind Loyalty - Ellar’s loyalty to the king and to his god are stronger than his bonds with any people, and he’ll do morally questionable things for them. He sees them as the epitome of ethics and or doing what is right, and he can be blind when they do things that may not be just or kind.
Indecisiveness - Ellar seems incapable of making his own decisions, and is constantly looking to other people for leadership. When forced to make a decision, he takes forever and goes through a lot of self-doubt. He usually prefers for other people to decide things for him.
Ranged Combat - Ellar’s not much good with bows and arrows or weapons like that. Of course, he’s much better than any average person - he’s a Leavalon knight, for the gods’ sake! But compared to the others, his skills definitely need some brushing up.
Death - This may seem like an odd description, but Ellar has touched death and he seems to have lost his fear for it. And, in doing so, his empathy for others. He sees death as nothing to fear, and dishing out death as nothing to be ashamed of. He has no pity nor sympathy for those who fear death.
Fate Obsession - Ellar is quite convinced that his fate can be read out like a book, and he’s obsessed with being able to see what his future holds. He believes very much in fate and in the god who controls it. He might be easily duped by false fortune tellers and can be led astray.
Powers
Split-Second Precognition
This power is very difficult to control, and in situations where a few seconds is going to make a difference Ellar can rarely focus on making it work. It just shows up on its own, mostly when his adrenaline is high - or is about to be. It allows him to see a few seconds into the future, and is mostly used in combat situations. Despite his inability to use it effectively, it’s the power of which he’s most proud.
Energy Manipulation
This is far and away Ellar’s most useful power. He’s able to draw energy from living beings and use that energy for himself or give it to other living beings. He can also give his own energy. He can’t do this in battle, because he has to focus and the creature can’t move too much. This is most useful to give energy to himself and comrades during fights, and to keep people alive. If too much energy is removed or given, the creature may die.
Speed
Though this uses up a lot of energy, Ellar often has it to spare. Though in theory he can go as fast as he wants while using the required energy, he only has the energy to significantly speed up his maximum run and nothing more. This is especially helpful to dodge attacks and move around people to confuse them.
Bio
Here’s a quick overview: Ellar was born in a small village dedicated almost entirely to Azaos, and which was known despite its small size for having been blessed with three oracles since its founding. Ellar’s mother, Lochina, was one of these blessed oracles, and before she got pregnant she coasted along in life on her abilities to tell the future. But when she got pregnant with Ellar and Jamie, well, she no longer fit the one requirement for being blessed by Azaos. People turned away quickly, and Lochina was desperate to keep them from losing faith in her. She told them that her babies had come from the gods, but townsfolk were more sold on the idea that the babies came from her next-door neighbor’s husband. Although there was no proof either way, it seemed quite likely that he was the father. When Ellar and Jamie were born, Lochina was left to find a normal job and fall into obscurity.
Lochina often reminded her children that she never really wanted them and they were the reason she had lost everything. They never had a good maternal figure, but they could always rely on one another. They had fairly good schooling and were quickly indoctrinated into the religion of the town. Lochina was always trying to find ways to read futures without her blessing, and teaching Ellar and Jamie about reading cards and dream deciphering were some of the only times she seemed happy to have them there. Eventually, as it happens, Jamie and Ellar made good friends with some of the kids in town. Ellar’s favorite, though, was his next-door neighbor Nik, also suspected to be his half-brother. Nik was missing half a leg, and so had little chance to get out of the house. Instead, Jamie and Ellar came to visit him often. They also grew closer with the man thought to be their father, Amadej. Though his wife, Malina, hated them and was constantly telling Amadej and Nik to get rid of them, they felt more like a family in that house.
He started training young, alongside Jamie. The town, though culturally significant, was never well-defended, and Amadej was one of the few warriors. With so few role models, it only made sense that they would want to be like him, and his training of the two further pissed off Malina. Now, this next part is something Ellar’s kept mostly to himself, though his fellow knights he trusts enough to tell - or some of them, anyway. You see, it so happened that the town was searching for an Oracle to carry on their great legacy. It was years of searching, but one day a scout came home with a wild woman, Riven, who he claimed to have found alone and who had read his fortune. The town was overjoyed. There was partying in the streets that night, and the next day everyone had lined up to see the woman at work. But Lochina was disgusted, and she shut herself up in her house. Jamie and Ellar went with Nik and Amadej, and with the wild crowd and laughter it was like a carnival. Jamie and Ellar got around to sneaking through the back, like any normal child would do, and Riven, the woman with the white-blue eyes, told them their fortunes. To this day, Ellar can’t remember what Jamie’s was, but he remembers his. He remembers little eleven-year-old him being told he would do great evil in this world, a vile and needless evil borne of his own hatred.
Jamie didn’t believe it. Amadej didn’t believe it. Nik didn’t believe it, and Lochina said Riven was a fake. The word got around and people grew uneasy, but some laughed it off. Until other predictions started to come true. As much as the whole family tried to act like it wasn’t happening, Riven simply seemed to have the blessing. People started to drift away from Ellar. Nik and Jamie played on their own, and Amadej kept his distance. Eventually even Lochina believed it. And Ellar? He was the last to believe, but eventually he did too. At such a young age, with so little support, Ellar decided the best he could do was get it over with. He was a wild, lawless, and rebellious boy, but nothing he did ever came close to what he would call evil, and knowing that just made him more angry. He fought and stole a little and was a bully, but it stopped feeling freeing after a while. It felt exhausting.
When most people ask him why he joined the knights, he says it was for honor and goodness and all of that crap. And sure, it was in a way, but people who know him better know it has more to do with making up for something he hasn’t even done yet. He decided to leave once he’d burned himself out pretending to be a bad boy, and nobody tried to stop him. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but after some discussion with a tavern owner and a display of his skills, he was quickly taken under the wing of a knight who took him as squire. He trained and, as can be seen, he did very well indeed. His grown-up life lacks the luster of his childhood, and he’s grateful for that. Days seem to blur together in a way, with small incidents marring the dullness, with misunderstandings and injuries. He’s had a few relationships that went by too fast, done a few good deeds to be lauded, but in the end it seems that his life now is one with the empire. He’s made plenty of friends and he’s lost some too, but if he keeps living life fast, his days will be filled to the brim and indistinguishable from one another.
Other
Sorry this took way longer than I thought, I hope there are no problems.