In Arcanum, half-orcs were seen as second class citizens and even those who tried to rise above the stigma were seen as brutes and thugs. They mainly found their niche as soldiers and prize fighters where their "brutal" natures helped them find acceptance.
My concept was that his mother was a half-orc and was a servant of the church. Sadly, the fates had not made her the most attractive of ladies, so when another half-orc came into town and did not immediately turn away in revulsion, she thought she was in love. The brief flame only lasted a few days, but the end result was Lartis' conception.
The labor was a brutal one, as the mother had gotten ill during the pregnancy, and it seemed the further along she came, the weaker she was, although the babe seemed to be doing fine. She lived long enough to hear Lartis' birth cry and to look into his dark brown eyes before she passed.
The years that followed were peaceful for Lartis, as the brothers never spoke ill of his heritage, and would allow none to speak ill of him in their presence, as in their eyes, he was clearly marked as a "chosen one". However, they could not protect him forever.
Taking a rare walk outside of the church walls, Lartis heard a cry from the side of a bar and rushed to help a soul in need, but what was meant to be an act of mercy backfired quickly.
At 16 Lartis was physically as grown as any priest in the church, and when the rowdies saw a "damned black-blood" running towards them, they wasted no time in ignoring the crying female to have more "fun" with Lartis. While Lartis fought as best he could, he soon fell to the barrage of blows which rained down upon him, and soon his world faded into black.
When he opened his eyes, he did not see the angels he expected, but the relieved faces of the priests and the simple walls of his room. They truthfully told him of the damage to his left leg, damage that sadly even their spells could not repair, and that the leg would never respond fully to his wishes.
Lartis took the news in stride, trusting that it was part of the divine plan, and as soon as he could able began relearning to walk again. By his 17th summer, Lartis was walking again, although now with a pronounced limp.
The high priest saw the manner in which Lartis bore the injury, both physically and mentally, and felt that there was too much potential in him to ignore. Calling in a favor which could not be ignored, the high priest arranged for Lartis to be enrolled at the beginning of the next school year, after he finished his temple training.
Three years later, Lartis has reached his final year in the university and while he has suffered the stigma of his bloodline, he returns hostility with acceptance and the number of taunts which come his way decrease each summer.
Any thoughts on the bio? I apologize for its length, but I started writing and couldn't stop..
As far as mapping out his thesis, I'll leave that to you, as I'm not really sure how to pursue it short of going to find a battle..
Thanks once again, and look foward to any thoughts on improving the ol' writing style....
Badger
