Tycus

Tycus (a.k.a. The Traitor of Dietrich)

With a swing of his bastard sword, the brown-haired warrior cleaved at the last of the attackers, speckles of blood staining both his blade and once immaculate armor. Holding his sword at his side, he nudged one of the bodies with a steel-plated foot and rolled it over. His brow creased at the sight of the rusted chainmail, and the strip of fading cloth tied to the armored wrist.

'Deserters...'

A sob from behind him brought Tycus out of his ruminations. Stowing his sword, he turned around and sighed at the sight of a woman and a young girl kneeling beside the bloodied corpse of a balding, bearded man. His gaze slid to the wagon, its wheels now broke from the vagabonds' assault.

'Every moments counts.'

With a whistle, he called over his steed and began to pack what belongings he could onto the animal. The woman looked at him, in a mixture of fear and confusion, with her mouth agape in her sobbing. He regarded her, brow still creased, with a grimace before giving a solemn nod of his head. "Forgive me, for I could not do anything for him. But darkness creeps on, and we must get you and your young one to safety." He pauses and adds, "I will ensure he receives a proper burial, when we reach the next village."

The woman nodded, though the girl continued to shed her cries upon deaf, departed ears. Eventually, with what belongings he could muster secured, Tycus aided in hoisting the woman and her child to mount the steed, who neighed at him in discomfort. The paladin merely shot the animal a stern look to silence the grumbling. However, as he tried to lift the girl, she began screaming and pounding away at his armor.

Tycus swallowed back another sigh as he passed her on to her mother who attempted to quell her cries. He glanced back at the two atop his horse and then around the scene of the scuffle. Spotting his cloak on the ground, he grabbed the fabric and wrapped the man's body within it, taking care to cover his face and what extremities he could.

As Tycus heaved the body onto his shoulder, the screams abated. He briefly looked to the two women, tears streaking their faces as they watched him. Then, in silence, the warrior looked ahead while he walked past the corpses of the former soldiers he had cut down. His steed followed with its new burdens and proceeded along the deserted road with its rider, who himself carried the weight of yet another dead man.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Tycus boasts a well-defined, muscular build. He moves in a manner characteristic of a martial combatant in his prime.

Body Features

Tycus has light skin that is slightly tanned and short, cropped brown hair.

Facial Features

Tycus has a handsome face with a strong jawline with a narrow nose and brown eyebrows. He typically appears clean-shaven except while traveling.

Physical quirks

Tycus is distinctly right-handed. He often maintains a sturdy, upright posture and he takes long strides when he walks.

Special abilities

As a paladin, Tycus possesses the ability to heal others through his touch as well as cast a limited amount of spells. When wielding his weapon, he can choose to empower his strikes with divine energy.

Apparel & Accessories

Outside of combat, Tycus wears relatively plain clothes consisting of a tunic, belt, pants, and leather boots. He often carries a pouch or a satchel attached to his belt.

Specialized Equipment

When armored, Tycus typically wears a decorated suit of steel plate. The set of armor comes with a fur mantle that attaches to the neck plate, a steal tasset adorned with a red sash, and a flowing ruby cape; however, he often chooses to exclude these parts of the armored ensemble.
Tycus also wields a wide-set bastard sword that seems to emanate a soft glow when unsheathed.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Tycus hailed from Avon as the sole son and heir of House Dietrich's main family. He had six sisters growing up but was sent to the Imperial Military Academy of Avon at the age of ten where he attended for the next six years of his life. Following his graduation, Tycus was assigned as an officer in the Ruby Division of the Rysmarck's Imperial Army. He continued to serve for the next decade of his life until an incident within the division led to him being charged with insubordination and murder.
Though tried and found guilty, Tycus found an opportunity to escape from his imprisonment and subsequently fled from the Rysmarckian territories. Since that time, he has traveled mainly around central Varia, aiding local settlements as he encountered their troubles.
Over the course of his wanderings, Tycus encountered a band of adventurers whom he petitioned to aid in handling an orc war camp threatening the village of Gredel. Gathering the efforts of a local group of vagrant knights led by Henry MacTaine, the motley coalition managed a two-pronged assault that scatted the orcish forces, though at a cost to some of the heroes. He later tasked the adventuring band with returning the prized sword of the MacTaine family, Gwenthel, to the remnants of Henry's family in Vesium.
Tycus continued from then with his travels, moving further west and away from the central Rysmarckian territories. He eventually neared the Hanalian coast and briefly settled in the town of Gillarn where he heard rumors of a dragon problem. Tycus stayed in the settlement for days, scouting out the dragon and attempting to garner support in dealing with it. However, just as the former soldier resolved to deal with the creature head-on, he quite literally ran into Jester, a fellow paladin and one of the adventuring band who put for their efforts in helping Gredel weeks before.
Reunited with the heroes, and being joined with a few new comrades, the group planned out their attack on the dragon. With Tycus leading the way, they braved the mountains to reach its mountaintop lair. After a hard-fought battle, Jester succeeded in slaying the creature. He then traveled to Curieux with the party by magical means, and while he had been prepared to part ways with them once more, Jester convinced him to come with them to the city and stay, even if only for a short time. Since that time, Tycus has remained in Curieux, mainly being led around by Jester, who happened to be a native of the city.

Education

Tycus received private tutoring as a prominent noble's son during his childhood. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from the Imperial Military Academy of Avon, which slotted him into an officer's position in the Ruby Division.

Morality & Philosophy

Tycus seeks to do as much good as possible by his own standards, even at the expense of his personal safety. He places great importance on self-truth and finding one's place while maintaining it. Since his escape, he finds it difficult, if not embarrassing, to have to ask others for aid, especially in potentially perilous situations. He does not wish to become a burden to his friends, comrades, and generally anyone around him.
Also disillusioned with the reality of war, he has begun to view fighting and combat as a tool for his goals, more so than a source of pride. He no longer believes it necessary to strictly adhere to the laws of the land, especially in carrying out virtuous deeds. Being around formal authority brings about some levels of discomfort, if not worry.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

"Like stories given to children at night, of heroes that go out and do great deeds, who change the world...I've seen the reality of war, fought it, but here I am trying to do the things of children's tales. Hoping it makes that mythical difference that my mother, and my sisters, used to always tell to me."

"I wish to do all that I can muster to help those who cannot defend themselves. Til I no longer have the strength to do so...Only then will my wrongs be atoned."

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Tycus has displayed great prowess as a swordsman and combatant. Otherwise, he is a very athletic individual with great aptitude in sports and similar activities.
He does not seem good at making small conversation.

Likes & Dislikes

Tycus enjoys seeing and conducting good deeds. He has developed a fondness for Curian Funnel Cakes and other forms of Conaisan cuisine. He has also expressed a heavy fondness for his fellow paladin, Jester Trow.
Tycus despises the sights of injustice and perpetuated injustice as well as violent death, especially of the innocent.

Hygiene

Tycus keeps himself washed and well-groomed despite his rough profession. He typically remains clean-shaven barring long periods of travel. His armor almost always appears pristine due to the care he takes in its upkeep.

"Power and worth. One does not always mean the presence of the other. However, that means only that I must strive harder. And my solemn hope is that my power will only be used for the right reasons."

— —Tycus.

Species

Human

Gender

Male

Eyes

Hazel

Hair

Short, cropped, brown hair

Height

6'5"

Weight

260 lbs.

Known Languages

Tycus is fluent in Varian Common and Elven.