My character
This sounds like a lot of fun. May the best characters win.
Here's Mine:
Branduil, Ranger of the West.
Half-Elf, 26, 6'0'', 168 lbs. Dark hair, silver eyes.
Physical Description: Dark and mysterious, as a ranger should be, Branduil nonetheless sports several unique characteristics. His medium-long hair is almost uniformly dark, but with several silver streaks. It's parted down the middle, and his bangs almost reach his eyebrows. His eyes gleam silver in the dark. On the ridges around his eye socket, he bears several scars stretching from his mid-forehead to his left cheekbone. They appear to be from claws of some sort.
He cloaks himself in a heavy, dark maroon fur-lined coat. Around the shoulders and hood it is covered in a thick mane of dirty grey fur.
He wears thick traveling boots and a dark forest green tunic over his studded maroon leather armor. He wears brown leather bracers on both arms. On his right hand is an unusual gauntlet. He wears it constantly. When he tightens his right hand, spikes spring out from above the gauntlet's knuckles.
At his side an elegant Longsword is sheathed. A shortbow and a quiver of arrows are upon his back.
Characteristics and background history: In a land where elves have died out and elven blood is all but extinct, there still exists a few of elven heritage. But there existence is not a happy one if they are of the Atar's bloodline. That cursed elf helped bring about the downfall of the elven race, and all his ancestors are considered to be cursed and dangerous. Thus they are persecuted.
Branduil's own father was slain when he was 20. Slain by the Dark Claw, in revenge for his father's taking of both Dark Claw's hand and his prized gauntlet. Having now acquired an actual clawed hand through black sorcery, Dark Claw pursues and hunts half-elves unmercilessly, considering their fading to be part of natural selection. Branduil escaped him, but not without a parting gift across his face.
He escaped to a life of the woodlands, and lived with an old friend of his father's, a dwarf named Grimgnir. He tought Branduil both the dwarven language and the way of the woodlands.
Branduil bears his father's greatsword, Morog, sword of the WildElf. It has an emerald green handle and an icy blade, forged in times of yore.
Branduil's mother was allowed to live as she was not of the Atar's bloodline. Branduil refrained from visiting her out of fear of death, but upon hearing of her mortal illness, he could not resist any longer. He attempted to find her, but she was already dead, and Dark Claw was waiting.
Branduil was brought before the corrupted king, and only one thing saved him from death. His lifelong friend, the beautiful half-elf Salinde. He had known her since they were children, delighting in her songs and legends of the past, passed down by her knowledgable mother. She begged for mercy before the king and Dark Claw, and her sacrifice commuted Branduil's sentance to life imprisonment. She promised to lead Dark Claw to the fabled sword of Feanor. Feanor, who fought valiently, if foolishly, against the Atar. He loved the daughter of the Atar, but their love was doomed. Still, his sword bore great power for the finder. She knew a song of it and its location, and Dark Claw greatly desired it, and her as well, so he agreed. Branduil pleaded with her not to do this, but she would not relent.
In the dank chamber of the king's dungeons, she spoke to Branduil one last time, alone. She had spoke with Branduil's mother before she died, and she had revealed that Branduil's mother was of Feanor's bloodline. Then she sang to Branduil the rest of the song of Feanor's sword, which she had witheld before. It spoke of how only the descendent of both Feanor and the Atar, the fulfiller of the broken destiny of Feanor and the daughter of the Atar, would be able to wield the sword's true power, and bring a brief respite to the last of the elves, in their time of fading.
And thus she left Branduil, in a dark dungeon of fear and despair, not knowing of anything to hope in but that song, and to love but her voice. He would have been left in this state until final madness, if not for the heroics of his dwarven friend and mentor.
Grimgnir snuck deep into the bowels of the king's castle, and finally freed Branduil from his stony prison. But they encountered resistance in escaping. Grimgnir told Branduil to fly, but Branduil refused to leave his friend behind. Branduil smote the the guards in a terrible fury and drug his wounded mento into the forest.
Though Branduil applied all his skill, he could not heal the dwarf. The dwarf, being old, told Branduil it was better this way. He told Branduil to pursue Dark Claw, and save Salinde. Then he asked Branduil to not succumb to despair, and not to lose hope. It was Branduil's destiny to lead his people to a rest that would be peaceful. He musn't give up. Then passed the dwarf.
And so, in his grief, Branduil set out to find Dark Claw and to dave his people.
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Hope that's good enough.
Edit: Clarified and expanded a couple of things in his description.
