Appearance

Physical Description

Raph is generally in pretty good shape. Well enough built to hit like a sack of potatoes, and able to take a beating, he maybe has put on a bit of weight the past few years. Many still underestimate the strength he hits with though.

Apparel & Accessories

Always dressed in some form of leather armour with some chainmail, Raph is always not to far from his sword Owlbear, and his shield. Constantly accompanied with some type of musical instrument, he can be found practising with it when relaxing.

Specialized Equipment

Raph's longsword is unique, with the pommel being made from an Owlbear's claw that he can use to strike an opponent in melee causing damage with it.

Mentality

Personal history

Raph can trace his ancestry back to the Goths that swept through Europe in the 400s. After acting as mercenaries, some settled in what would become Frankia, and integrated themselves into society. Acting as an enclave to the west of of the empire, they still keep up the tradition of mercenary work, with the Franks being the primary employers.
 
Out of this came Raph the Goth. Training as a fighter from a young age he is a scarred but tough individual known for a love of bad jokes, strong beer & wine, and music. Always carrying some type of musical instrument, he can be found playing it when not practising with his longsword.
 
All this started when Raph was a young lad, and his parents wanted him to be able to defend himself, and an alternative if needed. Proving to be as capable of fighting as the others of his age, and has the scars to prove it. At about the age of 15, he went hunting in the local wilderness with a couple of the elders and warriors for game initially. There they ran into a am Alan hunting party from the north. who explained they were after a female Owlbear who had two cubs with her. Both the cubs were near adulthood and all there had a habit of raiding the Alans horse stockade, killing a couple of the horses & eating them. It was at the point that it was having a negative effect on the horses and the Alans ability to wage war of the enemies of them & the Franks. Both parties teamed up knowing how aggressive a single Owlbear could be, let alone one with cubs, so safety in numbers was a good idea. Tracking them down proved no problem, finding the trail led to a large copse of trees & bushes beside a small lake. The group slipped quietly till they were a few feet from the copse surrounding it as best they could, knowing the lake would cover the back of it. Unfortunately they had been spotted by one of the cubs who had alerted the others. Charging out all three hit the shieldwall and spears of the hunting party. Seeing her cubs injured & near death drove the Owlbear mother into a bloodlust. Gathering all her instincts to kill, she pushed through taking a few of the men out and raking Raph with her claws. Leaving two large gashes on his forehead from his hairline to his eyebrows, Raph was feared dead when the remaining party members laid into the Owlbear killing her.
 
Since that day, Raph regularly covers these up or accentuates them depending on company, the former when not on the battlefield, and the latter when on it. He was given one of the claws of the Owlbear and a feather from it's forearm shortly after as a further reminder that there are things in the world that can easily overcome cold steel. This has stayed with him since and can appear cautious at times, though this allows him to appraise situations far better than just rushing in. Also, he has had the feather & claw treated with the latter forming part of the pommel of his infamous longsword that he calls Owlbear. The feather he regularly wears on his belt. As for his heraldry that he displays on his shield is a mock up of both with two slashes.

Employment

Raph can be regularly be found serving with other mercenaries acting as a separate individual in the form of a champion. In this capacity he will seek out enemy champions, high ranking individuals, or specialists such as mages. ~In every instance, he will look to kill them preferably by duelling.
 
When he is not, he can be found in a number of camps, alehouses, bawdyhouses and such like carousing with the locals. There he tells stories of what he has seen, duels he has fought, and traditional poems. Usually this is put into song too, accompanied by music.

Accomplishments & Achievements

One notable achievement that Raph is known for in the mercenary field and abroad, is that he had been paid by the Saxons to help storm a village in southern Frankia and tasked with killing the local champion. When he arrived, the Saxons had already arrived & killed the champion's family. Seeing the bodies of a young woman & two very young children caused him to quit the job. Throwing the money back a the Jarl that had paid him, he butchered the Jarl's men and threatened to kill him too if he stepped on Frankish soil again.
 
This, in the eyes of many showed that no matter the job, a degree of decorum is best and not to go overboard with it. It also led to the infamous mercenary captain, Ashe Wolfe, to send a job offer to Raph, and the invitation to join his mercenary guild, the notorious Ashe Trolls. This has yet to happen, and Ashe Wolfe is still open to Raph joining calling him a symbol of what a mercenary should be.

Taboos

The killing of unarmed civilians, especially the elderly, the young, and the unarmed is an anathema to Raph. To him there is no honour in it, and only those willing to fight back while armed is worth doing.

Known Languages

Common: Old Nord, Frankish, Saxon.

Personality

Social