New Character Submission: Angus Raspwood

[jawi1973]

Full Name: Angus Raspwood
Age: 18
Class(es): Cleric 1
Race: Human
Subrace: NA
Alignment: Neutral Good
Deity: Toran
2 Domains (if cleric): Good & Protection
Bio/Description:

Angus was born to a poor family in a small hamlet of no consequence west of Nogar. His father was a farmer with more stamina than sense and his mother the local herbalist who had married below her station out of love. Though they lacked in material possessions, Angus never lacked for love and attention in his youth. If life had continued uninterrupted it is quite possible that Angus would be right now trying to help his father on the farm; but life never seems to go as planned.

The changing point in Angus’s life came on a dark winter’s night in his third year, when a strange wind from the East blew a black ship aground in the tiny inlet of their town. Unbeknownst to the residents, the ship had recently been swept by storms into the Forsaken Islands and carried through to their homes.

Though most of the crew had perished in the storms, a few had lived long enough to be cursed with the undeath that befalls all who pass within sight of those black lands. Angus’s friends and family were the first to experience the hunger and pain of these lost souls as they scoured the land in their endless hunger.

By some miracle Angus survived the onslaught unscathed in a hidden room of his parents’ home. The Undead Hunter who came to dispatch the undead menace, Romar Twiston, was amazed to hear the plaintive sobs of this small child among the ruins of the town. Following his oath to help the weak, Romar carried the child back to his home church and asked the clerics to look after and raise the child in the best ways of the faith, for he must be worthy in the eyes of Toran to have survived such a nightmare.

Blessed or not, Angus did not take to the structure and formality with the zeal that Romar hoped. Though Angus idolized Romar and his accomplishments, he chaffed at the strictures of the clerics who oversaw his training. This is not to say that Angus didn’t believe in Toran, in fact he believed with all his heart... he simply had a slightly less formal understanding of the faith. Though the clerics bristled at his unorthodox style, it was hard to deny his divine favor as his abilities in divine spellcasting became apparent.

It has now come to the time for Angus to choose his path in the service of Toran. Though none of the faith questions his belief, they do feel that he needs to see the world and experience what life without the formal strictures of the church can truly be. His superiors’ hope is that the chaos outside of his training will instill a sense of formality and order that his otherwise pious and good nature lack.

For Angus’s part he seeks to find the purpose for which Toran saved him those many years ago. He still idolizes Romar and hopes some day to become an Undead Hunter like him, though, as with everything Angus has done, he has chosen the harder and more unorthodox clerical road to this goal.

In his heart of hearts Angus hopes to some day find an end to the menace of the Forsaken Islands.

As for physical appearance Angus is a striking man in the late bloom of youth with unruly red hair (inherited from his mother) and a broad frame (from his father). He is quick of wit and blessed with a smile that makes others trust him.

I have read the information on Toran and I will play Angus as a faithful priest of Toran to the best of my abilities.

Angus knows the charity of Toran firsthand and abides no one to persecute the weak. He sees the world in a slightly more grey way than the Paladins of his faith, but has no doubt of the rightousness of the church. His goal is to develop his faith and abilities as a testament to the grace that Toran has shown him and to use the powers of his faith to rid the world of undead abominations. Angus knows that Toran favors the longsword as a weapon, but has chosen to take the mace as his weapon of choice for two reasons. First, he has found it more practical in his training, with respect to the destruction of undead. Second, he knows the choice irritates his teachers, and this gives him a little smile every time he wields the weapon in training.

[jawi1973]

Addendum:

One major flaw that Angus has (for don't all heros need a flaw) is that his hatred/fear of the undead can lead to tunnel vision at times, a fact that kept him from serving among the elite Paladins of his faith. Angus knows that he must master himself before he may become an Undead Hunter and this is one of the reasons he is glad to leave the temple and venture out into the real world.

[jawi1973]

I think I covered all aspects of a character submission for a cleric, but I will add a little more:

Angus uses his faith to protect those around him, and to comfort the small part of himself that is still the frightened boy of three hiding in the dark while the screams of his parents' deaths echoed in the tiny room. While he doesn't share the same extreme black and white views of his teachers, he mearly debates points of minutea, not dogma. To Angus the goal of destroying the undead is superior to simply choosing a weapon because Toran favored it. To be sure his questioning nature has caused many problems during his training, but even his harshest critics will acknowledge that Angus bends the rules only to serve a greater good. As Angus enters the world he does so with his mace in hand, yes partly as an affront to the more pedantic of his teachers; but more as an effective tool to bring Toran's justice to the hordes of undead in the land.

While he does agree with his teachers' thoughts on plate armor, Angus is practical and knows that while he faces the world on the limited resources of a traveling cleric he will have to balance practical concerns with monetary realism.

[IceDragonDuvessa]

Very well written. Approved Have fun!

The server IP is 64.127.106.68 and Layonara can be found under Roleplay at Gamespy.

The password is layoplayer