Varek

Character: Varek of the Tiger Claw clan.

Brawler Fighter
Race: Altanian
Age: 27

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 202 lbs

Colour of - Hair: - Eyes: - Skin: Dark Brown, Brown, Tanned

Appearance: A weathered Altanian clansman with a broad and impassive face. Hair and a rough beard both cropped short – this is done regularly to avoid being gripped in a fight, but Varek’s tribe are warriors, not barbers, so he looks quite scruffy!
Clothing: Armour is a sleeveless scale corselet with heavy greaves on the lower legs. Besides metal bracers, his scarred arms are bare. His gear- and sword-belts are worn from hard use, as are his boots. A red cloak hangs about his shoulders, of very fine silk, but now torn, mended and heavily travel-stained.

Demeanour: A pragmatic man, shaped by hard military expeditions since a young age. Varek is uncomplaining in the face of death and privation, but prone to grumble about quality of food, ugliness of women, luck with dice etc when times are good.

Motivations: Following a rather unsuccessful campaign fighting pirates on the high seas, Varek was destitute and had to take service as a guard officer in Bisgen – this was a step down from more active pursuits, despite being the best fighter of Parre’s men he quickly became bored. The pay never seemed to add up to enough for him to leave, so the opportunity to join an adventuring band in looting and reaving was very welcome. Like most mercenaries Varek wants enough gold to live like a king, albeit for a short stretch, and like all the best soldiers he wants to drive his enemies before him, win mighty battles, and hear the acclaim of fellow warriors.

Background: Varek left the Tiger Claws when he was 14 on a horse and with a sword that weren’t necessarily his (depending on how you look at it). While Altanian tribes have no feudal hierarchy, the boys of any tribe likely to excel are the sons of prominent warriors – and Varek’s father was a worthless drunk, derided to his face by better men. Varek’s mother wouldn’t even take him as a husband, so young Varek grew up seeing his father at a distance and with contempt. In training, play and the esteem of the tribe, he was always lagging behind boy with better families and blood, denied his true potential. Eventually, realising he would not rise to glory among them, he picked a quarrel, beat a rival half to death (hence the horse and sword) and rode out. He has wandered in search of battle and far horizons ever since.

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