Haldan

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/17527w27em27jcdmj17nl/haldon_6-2.png?rlkey=r5eobrum53uzc29blckeqvg4f&dl=0

Håldan is an angry, disorganized young man, just arrived outside Thistlehold, from the refugee camp on the city's edge on Yndaros.

Appearance: He's young ), and since he's had to scrap for food as long as he can remember, malnutrition's had it's way with him. (A couple of growth spurts haven't shown up yet- he's about eighteen, but only looks to be about 15 years old.) His teeth

Slender, lean, junior-bantam sort of build (5'3", maybe 115 lbs). Still a bit of the "puppy that hasn't grown into his paws" about him- his shoulders are not as broad as you'd expect for someone his age (growth spurts again.) His arms are muscular, but sinewy and wiry rather than bulky. He's got a whole collection of little scrapes and such, but no real scars, as yet.

His face is a bit gaunt, and shows some evidence of hardship- prominent cheekbones but hollow cheeks,  clenched jaw, and a permanent, intense (sometimes, even, true!) "I'm not scared of you" look that kept him off the work-wagons much more often than it ever helped him. If anything, he looks too alert and keen. Unkempt, brown hair rounds out the package.

Voice/Speech: Yndaros accent. He speaks small, like someone who knows his 'turn to speak' will be brief and cut short. His voice hasn't properly changed, yet. -Good mimic, though. Not-quite good enough to fool guards or something, but keenly observant.

Shadow: Haldan's shadow is a ragged blanket of woven copper, burnished so bright it hurts the eyes. It wraps him as if it used to hang fully from his shoulders, but now hangs about his elbows, trailing behind him. It blocks mists rising from the ground from reaching him, but not always very well.


Background:
He doesn't remember where he was born, exactly, just stories and dreams. (Literal, strange dreams.) He has few solid memories of his father, and when he was maybe ten his mother just stopped being around. If he has more family, they're very good at hiding. He lived in the refugee camps on the edge of town in Yndaros.

Goals:
Håldan has little clear idea what he wants to do. Just not what he was doing (scrounging in camp).

(His gut said he wasn't much longer for it, if he stayed in - he grew out of the 'cute waif' thing ages ago, so charity's out. The new Guild Laws cut off all the good odd-jobs, so Apprentices could do them, so that was no good. He's stolen, but not often or well enough to make a job of it. He's kept big kids off small kids, but there's no money in that. (The opposite, really- and he's done some of that, too. When he had to.) He's fought for bets, already (not for a job, they scruffed him into it, he got good by necessity), but hasn't formally dueled or gone gladiating, yet.)

Beyond that, he has the goal of getting and holding onto something so it'll be HIS, but has no clear idea exactly what. Just starting to think about his role in society. Wonders how to use his talents. Wonders what those may even BE, really.

There are gangs in the camps. They might want him, and he doesn't know for sure he doesn't want to.
But he heard tales about Thistle Hold so far back as he can remember. So, he managed to get this far north.

Maybe there's something up here for him. There's must be something.

PERSONALITY:
These are  notes I made for myself with some bits I might want to get into if we have time or something just naturally arises:

General demeanor:
-He's got a lot of unfocused anger. Sometimes it feels good to "Put a face to his problems".
-Acts more unfazed, serious and unassuming than he feels, comes off as inhibited. Getting him to goof around would be a minor triumph for someone.
-Knows how fragile "Face" (ie reputation) is, can be defensive about it as a thing.

FOOD:
-His favorite food is "Yes, Please". Pretty much always ready to eat- he's growing.
-Hated "Sugar Showers", baffled why people would ever think being sugarcoated in the damp would be a good thing.
-Might have picked up minor quirks like food-hoarding.

Fear:
-Recognizes predatory behavior, fast. He's seen it a lot (not always at him.) Not a "proud" skill, like learning to make furniture or something.
-Alert. Maybe too alert, it can make him seem jumpy.
-Feels weak (realistically), fights the feeling. (has seen/learned what happens)
-So he's a little too eager to let the world know that you don't scare him. (It can come off inauthentic, to experienced people, and too convincing to inexperienced people.)

-Distrustful. Nothing personal.

quote:

Friend or Mentor: He should find an older friend/mentor character. A bad one might be more fun. So would one encouraging him to be something he either isn't or isnt going to be. Well meaning or not! :)

-Dislikes authority, considers any interactions with officials to be a time-bomb. More suspicious than defiant at heart.

Love, Hate and other reactions:

-Tends to see relationships/interactions as someone wanting something from the other.
-Despite wariness, realizes he needs to be 'around' a group. Has experience sizing them up.
-Once he decides on a group, tries to go-along to avoid being alone (awful plan, given the company he's kept)

-No deep attachments (love or hate at this point) Any new things will have to happen in play Obviously he'll bond or form relationships with someone, whether romantic or platonic.
-Unattached to small items. Unsentimental. Learned to give up minor stuff rather than fight. (But not so much that you're an 'easy mark'). Might abandon equipment he doesn't think he needs any more as 'dead weight'. By RPG standards, this may qualify as shocking. :).

=Planning and Goals:

Decisionmaking:
-Physical and direct- the world is not intellectual, emotional or spiritual  realm to him, it's a place with things you do. Putting him in the other kinds of scenario would be a challenge.
-Impatient planner, thinks of it as "Dithering" out of fear.
-Thinks he's more adaptable than he is; just overconfident enough to get in real trouble.

Violence (giving & taking):

-Takes a certain pride in surviving and "taking it". Though he knows some people 'get strange about that'.
-Simultaneously proud of the survival his fighting skills brings, and angry that he has to keep using them. Tried rage as an way out, confused it worked ("it's not supposed to") hates it even as he does it.
Not a sadist, but comes from a culture of violence and was 'coached' into violence young.

-Strategy for injuries: Downplay it, and/or 'curl up in a corner' while recovering.

Morality:
-Self-justifying. (But who isn't? A little?)
-Knows right from wrong. Even when doing wrong. Not quite afraid of consequences as he should be, and acts even less afraid than that.
-Thoughtful, reflective, has experienced loss- but doesn't have words to express any of that.
-Sympathetic to people's suffering but in an unfocused way- feels unable to help ("Everyone's suffers, but everyone's suffering.") Will sometimes try to help.

Memories & Sense of History:

140 years ago or further: (-119 or earlier): Very vague detail, unless something was a topic people talked about a lot in the camps.
80-120 Years Ago (to -99 to -59) All he knows is what he's heard. ("Print the legend" or "Campfire story" versions of events heavily tinted by the opinions/goals of the people telling them. Lots of missing detail.)
40-60 Years ago (-39 to about -21: Heard a lot of stories from this time period- lots of people alive for then! Fairly accurate (if unscholarly) second-hand view of events as far back as -21 or -39.[This covers most of the Great War]
15 years-Present (Years 6-21): See below

Memories:  Normal range of memories (If he didn't have a childhood of low-rest and not-enough-food, it'd be sharper, but tolerable.)

Born in Year 6, Doesn't know/remember much before ages 3-4 (Year 9-10)
Fragmentary "mostly backformed from stories" from 4-5 (10-11)
"Biography memories" start about 7 (Year 13).
His really reliable memories start around age 10 (Year 16) Lost mom around then. Probably saw the big execution, but didn't have context to it behind what people around him said.
Has about five years (Years 16-21) where he can really PLACE dates, times and chronology.

Little Details:
-Voice hasn't changed yet.
-Good mimic. Not good enough to fool guards or something, but keenly observant.
-New to nature. Hasn't seen deep woods, mountains etc. Not sure how he reacts.

-His bones and teeth are a bit underdeveloped- if a shot does a lot of damage, he could lose a tooth. (Don't want to overdo it, and make it a running gag or anything, but you rarely see that in RPGs.)

Things he hasn't learned yet (Good RP "mini-arcs" as he does:)

Emotional Regulation: Not acting on impulse, managing outbursts, handling fear better, etc.
Relationships: Not great at  dynamics, boundaries, communication, etc.
Consequences: NOT good at forseeing consequences of personal actions.
Introspection: He's just starting to ask himself who he is, what he wants, what he believes.
Formal education: "Why am I doing this?". Possibly illiterate. Doesn't know value of knowledge.
Nuanced morality, ethics, and deeper philosophy etc.
Money: Saving/budgeting, negotiating or haggling outside of very specific places.
-Seeking help.
-Cultural norms and customs of basically everything outside the refugee camp.
-Love: Familial or romantic. No 'experience with girls' at all.
-Ambrian/Barbarian relations stuff. Has never met a Barbarian before.
Social Heirarchy and him: He only really knows "go away/stay there". Nuanced stuff is new.
-Basically anything about nature.
-Laws outside of the very simple "stay in the damn camp!" laws applied to him so far.
-Trusting people or viewing relationships as non-transactional.