Battlemaster Goldstrake

Battlemaster Antheia Goldstrake

"I mean I'll happily teach you whatever weapon you want to learn, as long as it's a polearm. They're just... better! Objectively."

Battlemaster Antheia Goldstrake is known throughout Arkemyr Academy as its resident terrifyingly jolly martial trainer and polearm-evangelist. She teaches all of her classes -- even Command Concepts, which any other instructor would probably teach from the lectern of a traditional lecture hall -- in a custom-designed sandpit arena in the bowels of the school. She has a very hands-on teaching style, and she's often credited with keeping the Herbalism, Divine First Aid, and Battlefield Medicine classes well-supplied with minor (and not so minor) injuries to practice treating.

Physical Description

Body Features

Goldstrake is a tall, strongly built gold dragonborn just bordering on middle age, with warm metallic scales, burgundy eyes and dreadlock-like ochre quills tied back for convenience. She cuts a very triangular silhouette -- broad shoulders and a narrow waist. She's muscular, but in a way that speaks to the endurance required to carry heavy arms and armor for extended periods -- not merely raw power.

Facial Features

Her eyes are deep-set beneath spiked brow ridges, and two flat discs protrude from either side of her head where it appears horns were cleanly sawn off.

Identifying Characteristics

Her face and visible skin are criscrossed with a myriad of old healed-over cuts and scrapes. By far the most noticeable is a long, ropy scar stretching from the upper right side of her neck just below the earhole, crossing left clavicle and disappearing under her armor.

Physical quirks

She appears to be ambidextrous.

Special abilities

Goldstrake is a fighter, martial weapons expert and studied tactician. Where she got her training is a hotly debated subject among students, as she is fond of regaling them with "the tale" -- which changes radically each time she tells it. All that is known for sure is that she has some kind of military experience, but she isn't a veteran of any branch of the Axiom's fighting forces.

Apparel & Accessories

Goldstrake practically lives in her armor, which is a visibly worn but clearly well-loved and cared for set of plate mail. It's always gleamingly clean, buckled over a red gambeson. At the few Academy functions each year that require her unarmored presence, she's seen in stately dresses of simple but handsome design, usually in shades of blue (to complement her scales.) She pretends to not enjoy these occasions, but so far is fooling no one.

Specialized Equipment

While highly proficient in all polearms, Goldstrake favors the spear. She owns a matched set of black-hafted spear and halberd, and switches between using the spear with a massive tower shield, and wielding the halberd two-handed alone. Both are known to be enchanted, although the specific enchantments used are unknown, at least to students.

Mental characteristics

Employment

Goldstrake currently works as a Battlemaster at Arkemyr Academy. She teaches more classes than any other martial instructor: Pitched Battle and Intro to Polearms for first and second year students, and Advanced Polearms and Command Concepts for third and fourth years. Younger students are afraid of her, but she's quite popular and well-liked among many older ones. Notably, she's one of the few instructors who does not also mentor a group of fourth-year adventurers -- despite repeated requests by students to do so.

Intellectual Characteristics

She undeniably has a sharp tactical mind; but her brash, simple manner of speaking often is assumed to indicate a lack of intelligence on first impression. (Rumor has it this is intentional.) Making this assumption is generally regarded as a bad move.

Personality Characteristics

Likes & Dislikes

Likes: Polearms, spreading the gospel of polearms, a good dust-up, nice dresses.
Dislikes: Sloppy formations, loose shield walls, rust.

Social

Religious Views

None known.

Mannerisms

Goldstrake is often heard before she is seen -- her booming voice, straightforward manner and cheerful attitude towards violence are well known.

Faculty	Arkemyr Academy
Position	Battlemaster
Class(es)	Pitched Battle Intro to Polearms Advanced Polearms Command Concepts

Current Location

Arkemyr Academy

Gender

Female

Eyes

Deep burgundy

Hair

Ochre quills
Just past shoulder length, tied back like thick dreadlocks

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Warm, burnished gold scales

Height

6' 9"

Weight

Absolute unit