Appearance

Physical Description

Lean build of average size, but exceptionally lithe and nimble

Body Features

Smooth black skin; thick, alabaster-white hair

Facial Features

Narrow, heart-shaped face with sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin; trim, arched eyebrows; evenly-spaced, deep-set eyes above a thin, pointed nose; wide, grinning mouth

Identifying Characteristics

Several helix piercings in his right ear

Physical quirks

Ambidextrous; walks with a casual confidence; appears to be perpetually amused or possibly bored

Apparel & Accessories

Long, elegant coat made of black cloth; dark red leather chest-piece; black breeches supported by a series of dark red leather belts; comfortable, black leather boots

Specialized Equipment

Rapier and a short sword strapped to his hip; 2 daggers concealed beneath his coat; a collection of darts and thieves' tools stashed away in various pouches and pockets

Special abilities

Inherent dark elf magic

Mentality

Personal history

Zar'ral was born in Beckton to Rylgloth and Valzyne Helvimtor in 194 CA, followed a few years later by a younger brother, Sabdinn. Their parents were frequently absent throughout their childhood and adolescence for reasons they did not disclose to their children. In their parents' stead, their Grandfather, Ist'murss, took responsibility for their upbringing. Ist'murss taught the brothers everything from history to hunting, and imparted his philosophy of doing what you feel is right rather than what you're told is right.
 
In 229 CA, Zar'ral returned from a month-long hunting excursion with his Grandfather to find that his parents had been murdered in their family home in his absence and Sabdinn had been witnessed fleeing the scene covered in blood. Zar'ral immediately set out to find his trail, ignoring the attempts of his friends and Grandfather to convince him to let the guards handle it. Following the few signs of his brother's passage he could find, as well as the accounts of travellers he encountered, he made his way south to Lindow . Here, the local harbour-master told him that a dark elf matching his brother's description had been a passenger on a vessel headed to Ryewater.
 
Realising that the woeful amount of gil he had brought along wouldn't be enough to stay on Sabdinn's trail for long, and knowing that if he took too long to get more he would lose the trail altogether, Zar'ral considered where he might be able to apply his skills for a quick turnaround, and eventually settled on capturing a wanted criminal to turn in for a bounty. He quickly found his target, an arsonist, in a tavern on the outskirts of the settlement, and ambushed him after waiting for him to get drunk and leave. The reward he received for turning in the arsonist was small, but good enough to keep him going so he bought passage aboard a ship going along the same route as the ship his brother had sailed on.
 
Upon arriving in Ryewater, Zar'ral picked up his brother's trail again and immediately began searching for another bounty to support his hunt. This time, he heard rumours of a dark elf smuggler operating in the area and began tracking her down. He found her quickly enough after witnessing an illicit trade deal, but as he shadowed her across town he was surprised to see that she was handing out the money she'd made to people living on the streets and to families that seemed to be too weak or ill to look after themselves. Upon confronting her in a more secluded area, she confessed that she had fell into smuggling as her parents had died in a pirate attack while at sea and her older brother had turned to crime to support them, but had been killed after getting caught and resisting arrest, leaving her with the merchandise he had gathered. The woman, introducing herself as Yasithra, had received help from her brother's former cohorts and done fairly well for herself in the couple of years since her brother's death, and had been giving away large portions of her profits to other families that were down on their luck. This encounter helped form Zar'ral's perspective on crime; he resolved not to hunt down criminals unless they had committed a serious crime without any contextual justification. and decided that depending on their motivations and what crime they had committed, he might even help them. On hearing Zar'ral's own story and his reasons for being there, Yasithra offered to give him the money he would have received from turning her in- on the condition that he return to her and help her out occasionally, which Zar'ral agreed to. With his horizons broadened, he again set out.
 
Zar'ral's chase continued for several months before he lost the trail entirely in late 231 CA, after the creation of airships made it impossible for him to accurately track Sabdinn's movements. However, he continued to travel all over Eriad searching for any sign of where his brother was, but no longer looking for 'quick' ways to make money- he would now target serious criminals and outlaws, spending weeks or even months tracking them down and either ambushing them or leading guards to their hideouts. He found further employment after the monstrous upsurge in 238 CA, working with local guards to remove monsters that strayed or settled too close to whatever settlement he happened to be in. In this time, he also returned to Beckton to visit his grandfather, who was still annoyed by Zar'ral's decision to throw himself into danger by pursuing his brother, but was also quietly pleased with the role Zar'ral had taken up. Zar'ral began teaching himself how to cook as a result of his grandfather complaining about the quality of food he manages to make for himself, and he continues to visit Beckton to visit his only remaining family that he cares about.
 
By 270 CA Zar'ral was beginning to believe he would never find his brother, and with the passage of time had begun to question whether his brother was even guilty. No one had seen Sabdinn do it, only run away. Zar'ral had also yet to find any possible motive his brother could have had, as he had never shown any sign of being a psychotic murderer beforehand and they had spent too little time with their parents for Zar'ral to know if they bore any responsibility for it. Over the past few decades he had worked closely with both the law and criminals to capture or kill the most degenerate scum he could find, honing his skills and picking up some talents of questionable legitimacy along the way. His relationship with the smuggler Yasithra had also developed strongly over the years, with the two of them bonding over their shared values, general disregard for the law and being told how to live, and their shared personal losses. Yasithra's own influence and reach had grown to the point that she was able to act as a point of contact between Zar'ral and the underworld, securing information and resources for her partner and directing him to cases she thought merited his investigation.
 
In recent years, Zar'ral continues to act as a bounty hunter in between bouts of visiting his grandfather and partner. In one case, he encountered a young white mage whilst investigating a crew of pirates. The mage claimed to have been a captive of the pirates before the captain released him, and asked Zar'ral to escort him to safety. Unwilling to leave the boy to fend for himself, and seeing something of the naive child his younger brother had once been, Zar'ral abandoned his investigation to escort the boy. Once they had reached a location Zar'ral deemed to be safe, he found himself reluctant to part with the mage, having grown attached to him and his optimistic sense of rightness. Taking the boy under his wing, they travelled the lands together until a revelation from Zar'ral grandfather caused them to part ways. After returning to Beckton to visit Ist'murss, the old man confessed that Zar'ral's parents had been part of a small organisation that carries out work similar to what Zar'ral himself has been doing on his own initiative, and that he himself had once been part of it before he stepped down to raise his grandchildren and age caught up with him; this organisation is now looking for Zar'ral. Having been born in 59 CA, he knew he would not have much longer to break his silence on the matter. Taking the view that this organisation could have had something to do with the tragedy that had destroyed his family, Zar'ral decided to send his young ward away for his own safety, and has travelling alone while laying low ever since.

Education

Received a formal education covering literacy, mathematics and history; was taught how to hunt, stalk, and fight by his grandfather; picked up a lot of skills such as poison-making, lock-picking, trap-disarming, and general street smarts from his time spent among criminal types; Self-taught chef

Accomplishments & Achievements

Spent 8 months working alongside the local garrison in Honeyscar to catch a serial killer targeting elves, ending in the killer's death
 
Won a cooking contest in Olidia
 
Girlfriend's pet cat fell asleep on him once

Failures & Embarrassments

/*Has failed to catch his parents' killer, or find any motive, after nearly five decades of searching */

Mental Trauma

Mild phobia of falling after being pushed off an airship while helping some guards catch a group of pirates

Intellectual Characteristics

Open-minded, empathetic

Morality & Philosophy

Doesn't care for laws and rules- believes that people should do what they have to do to survive, but that some people (murderers, slavers) are just iredeemably evil and should be killed outright

person.sexuality

Heterosexual

person.gender_identity

Male

Taboos

Does not like to kill or harm people that haven't 'earned it' through their actions; does not like to spare people that have

Known Languages

Common, Elvish, Thieves' cant

Personality

Motivation

Considers it to be his responsibility to remove the worst threats to society; goes out of his way to help underdogs, people down on their luck, or people struggling for personal independence

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Very observant; talented at getting around with being seen; great at cooking
 
Poor communicator- goes off on tangents and doesn't take himself or others seriously

Likes & Dislikes

Enjoys cooking, reading, travelling, bad jokes, playing with kittens, dishing out extra-judicial punishment, and playing cards; inexplicable fondness for spiders
 
Dislikes being told what to do and spending time around law-obsessed do-gooders

Virtues & Personality perks

Calm, easygoing nature; open-minded; disarming humour

Vices & Personality flaws

Gives up easily when lacking motivation; anti-authoritarian; disarming humour

Personality Quirks

Becomes deadly serious when cooking

Hygiene

Tries to stay clean and fresh when possible; smells of spiders

Social

Birthplace

Beckton

Current Residence

No fixed residence

Contacts & Relations

Partner and gateway to the underworld- Yasithra
 
Travelling companion and ward- Kupo

Wealth & Financial state

Has never had a fixed income; spends his bounties as quickly as he earns them

Family Ties

Brother- Sabdinn Helvimtor
 
Mother- Valzyne Helvimtor (Deceased)
 
Father- Rylgloth Helvimtor (Deceased)
 
Grandfather- Ist'murss Helvimtor

Religious Views

Doesn't hold to any particular religion- doesn't consider it worth thinking about

Social Aptitude

Always speaks informally; casually confident demeanour

Hobbies & Pets

Cooks as a hobby; Enjoys playing cards and reading books in his downtime

Speech

Speaks in a low, droll tone