Spirits of the Earth

__________________QUICK STATS
Name Virgil
Age How old are YOU?
Gender Male
Species Half-Elf
Ethnicity Connlaothan
Height 5' 2"
Occupation Bandit, Brigand, Drunkard, Highwayman
Residence Wherever I'll be left alone long enough to sleep.

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description
Despite his mixed heritage, Virgil appears completely human to the world around him. Perhaps he will live a lot longer (if said world allows him to), or perhaps not, but he clearly took more after his father than his mother. He does have his mother's exceptional hearing, but his ears are no less human than his father's. His skin tans easily but can burn quickly once it begins to darken. His eyes are amber-colored, and his platinum-blonde curls hang loose about his shoulders; he usually keeps his hair dyed black or brown to avoid standing out, though he can do nothing about his eyes. He keeps his face clean-shaven. While he's technically left-handed, Virgil is functionally ambidextrous.

His father's at least a foot (probably more) taller than he is, marking him apart from the man even if his hair and eyes weren't so different. His father also has curly hair but it's a light brown color that seems to turn auburn in the summer and autumn, and his eyes are a bright green hue. He's also much more heavily built than his son, though there's not a scrap of fat on the man even though he's now pushing sixty.

Personality
Pending

Relationships
Pending

History
Virgil mother died in childbirth; he was an only child. His father wasn't much one for talking, preferring actions to words, and usually came off as very gruff and unfriendly. More importantly, his father was a workaholic and expected his son to be as well. The problem is that carpentry never paid much, and Virgil always got the short end of the badly cut scrap. While his father was an expert cabinetmaker and wainwright, Virgil was mostly good for basic stuff. He did like building birdhouses and dollhouses, and he wasn't half-bad at it, but his father thought it was useless work. He also pretended he didn't have a son or that his son had died when the army came around to recruit him, got out of paying his taxes by bribing the collectors with free jobs, and complained about every little thing when he wasn't working - including and especially his son. He claimed once it was so his son would work harder to improve.

Eventually, Virgil got fed up and left. He moved south with some refugees heading into Serendipity but work was harder to find than before. Nobody needed a carpenter who hadn't even made his bones back home yet, let alone one who could only do basic projects. At one point, he got into an argument with a wagon driver who didn't like his work, or...something. Too long ago to remember. It got heated, and Virgil ended up shooting him with a crossbow. It wasn't on purpose, but that hardly mattered. Seeing an opportunity, Virgil broke open the driver's money box and took the silver in it. He also took a few supplies. Then he disappeared. The murder was never solved.

Virgil got to thinking not long after that and realized something: why work when he could just take what he wanted? It was quicker, easier, and he might not even have to kill anyone if he did it right. So he became a highwayman and a brigand, and he's gotten fairly decent at it. He comes into a town or city every now and then with his ill-gotten gains, and he never takes anything that he can't turn over for a quick profit or that'll get him into too much trouble. The last thing he needs is unwanted attention.

Magic/Abilities
Virgil's a decent shot with a crossbow, has a good eye for targets with a knife, and has basic carpentry skills; he has a knack for birdhouses and dollhouses. He's been trying to teach himself to read but it's very slow going. Virgil has exceptional hearing.

Inventory

• Belt: Simple but sturdy, this thick belt of brown leather holds a quiver on the left hip; Virgil's crossbow is hooked to the belt near the quiver.
  
• Crossbow: This crossbow is a mid-range weapon that has to be set and loaded manually. It clips onto his belt when he's not wielding it.
  
• Ghost Blade: This dagger, taken from a mage's apprentice he caught alone on the road, appears to be wrought entirely of iridescent glass; it has a dual-edged, razor-sharp blade about eight inches long and a crossguard in the shape of the top of an ionic column. The dagger is indestructible and bears a unique enchantment: while it can wound and even kill just as an ordinary dagger does, its true purpose is to inflict agony upon spirits and souls; those spirits and souls that are slain are drawn into the dagger and consumed, though what purpose this serves (and how this affects a spirit's or soul's host) is currently unknown. The dagger imprints itself on the first living person to kill with it and is completely intangible to all others until that person (or "host") perishes. A leather cord bearing two loops - one tight around the hilt of the dagger and one snug around his left wrist - keeps the dagger tethered to him at all times; the leather cord is wrapped around his left forearm, making it a deadly weapon that he can throw and retract quickly or simply spin around for lightning-fast and lethal slashes. The hilt-loop also secures a small metal clip that he hooks onto the strap around his arm for easy carrying. He's practiced with this weapon a lot.
  
• Gunny Sack: A gunny sack that once held potatoes rests on Virgil's back, secured with a rope.
  
• Knives: Virgil keeps several knives on his person at all times.
  
• Quiver: Virgil keeps a quiver at his hip that holds numerous bolts for his crossbow; it is worn on his belt.
  
• Ragged Leathers: Dark brown leather britches, a matching sleeveless jerkin with no buttons but many inside pockets, and a brown leather gambler devoid of decoration make up Virgil's attire. The jerkin hangs to just shy of his knees but doesn't get in the way and holds numerous small supplies (e.g. tinderbox, razor, needle & thread), coins, and other items. His clothing has clearly either been poorly stitched or repaired multiple times (and not by a skilled hand).
  
• Sword Breaker x2: Although it bears a razor-sharp straight edge for slashing, this weapon's primary purpose is to trap an enemy's sword in the teeth on the other side of the weapon; this allows the enemy's weapon to be "locked", or barred from use, and can break weaker swords when sufficient strength is applied (though Virgil has never been strong enough to do this). He keeps two on hand, one hidden in his jerkin, just in case things go wrong in a fight. It's used in his "off" hand (i.e. his right hand), usually in conjunction with a knife in his left hand.
  
• Traveling Supplies: A couple of small wooden bowls, a pot for coffee, small sacks of rice and beans, a tiny pot and pan for cooking single-serve meals, various utensils, a couple of waterskins, and some other basic supplies for the road are stored in Virgil's gunny sack.
  
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