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Nathan Collins - Good_Old_Epsilon - 22-05-2014
In Game Name(IGN):
Project_Epsilon
Why do you want to join?
I want to be part of the community again. Let's just say I've made a lot of mistakes, and ended up alone. I miss this community, and I want to make it right this time.
Do you have any RP'ing experience?
I have a lot of experience, from D&D RP, to GW2 RP, to WoW RP and Skype RP. All of them serious.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I think most of you remember me, and if you don't, then you probably haven't been around when I was, probably for a good reason. I'm the kind of person who gets uppity and heated about things that... well... at first appear to be "right" but aren't really well thought-through in the first place. At least, that used to be me. Nowadays, I try to stay out of trouble, and just do my thing without disturbing anyone's business. Other than that, I'm friendly, quite mild and like to help others (as long as it doesn't involve me kicking anyone's bucket or making arguments).
General Character Information
Name: Nathan Collins
Race: Mesalian
Age: 30 (As of 25/05/2014 OR 38AV)
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue (Non-Lucin)
Weight: 223lbs (Muscular)
Height: 6'1"
Your Character Biography:
It was a warm summer of 8AV, 8 short years after the War of the Veld, when a boy was born, in a small wooden caravan going North. Nathan Collins, born from Lilly and Arthur Collins, came into the world, screaming and kicking his very first seconds before being calmed by the presence of his mother. "He has your eyes..." Arthur spoke, overlooking at his wife holding their precious child, giving both a tender stare. "Mhhh, and he definitely has your strength of will, announcing himself so loudly..." The mother whispered, as little Nathan simply stared at them both with his baby-blue eyes.
Years went by, as the child grew up in the care of his parents, even amidst the outbreak of a Civil War. A Civil War that was to change his life forever, soon, but not now. In the meanwhile, Nathan began climbing his very steps into the conscious world, spending his early childhood playing in the safe circle of Caravans that became his walls of safety, warm with the caring smiles of the small community that he grew up in. At first, he'd spend time playing with his mother, and when the time came, he eagerly began meeting other children in the community, and subsequently making friends. For hours him and his "crew", would spend either re-enacting battles from the famous War of the Veld, fighting against Xitians and rescuing prisoners. Life was simple, life was sweet, life was safe.
Not even the chilling winds from the Valley of Peakholme, a place he grew to call home, were able to ruin his rather peaceful childhood. In fact, he grew to enjoy the whistling wind, which often hummed cheerfully between the wooden homes of his community. You see, his parents and the others moved there in order to avoid the Civil War. After all, with constant movement they were bound to end up being a target of a raid from one of the factions. They chose Peakholme, for it's cover of the hills and mountains, and the overall good supply of fresh water and land for crops.
When he wasn't playing with his friends, he was running errands for the people in town, often carrying messages or doing small chores for the elders. Every person in the town was so kind to him, so he really enjoyed helping them, even if there was no reward. He always did well too, paying close details to everything he did for everyone, and often took up multiple tasks at once, chaining them one after another. In the times that he did fail however, like when he'd loose a package, he'd often apologize and try even harder the next time. For him, he needed to do things right, for the people and their smiles.
Once Nathan was old enough however, he had to help his parents out with the farming at the mere age of 12 (20AV). The winters were harsh, as the winds would become even stronger and icy, and no plant wanted to grow in those conditions then. He had to work hard with his parents, and a few others, in order to secure a food-stock to last for the winters. His father and mother both taught him, of course, how to do most of the chores around the farm. He didn't find it particularly interesting at the beginning, but the excitement of seeing full-grown products of his labor quickly changed his mind.
Nathan also had an uncle from his fathers side, called Leo, who was a Blacksmith and was responsible for repairing and making various tools in the community. Nathan, whenever he was not out in the farms, would often spend time in the smithing shack with his uncle, and observe him working on tools that his parents would use out in the fields. At the beginning, he was only allowed to observe, but as soon as he was able to lift a hammer at the age of 15 (23AV) he gladly became his apprentice in the vocation. He'd often come back tired after each day, working on the farms AND in the Smithy, but he always came back the next day without a word. He loved helping people, and the work gave him a satisfying feeling of purpose. For the next three years, he worked hard in both jobs, and slowly grew to become an honest man of his trades. Other than that, he enjoyed a drink with his uncle and father at home, after a long-long day. He found to have little time for romance, even though he had the looks and the appeal to a few of the girls in town.
All things good however, often come to an end in life, for a great disaster hit the little town of Peakholme and Nathan's life. A great wave of red and steel rode down the hills, with the drumming of the horseshoes covering the whole town. A small platoon of Mesalian Elite Faction soldiers rode down to the town and surrounded it. "Who is your Blacksmith?" The Red-Captain's voice boomed out to the terrified people who gathered around and out of their houses. "Who is this Leo, who went to supply our enemies with steel swords and tools?" The Captain barked again, being given no answer. Nathan was watching all of this, being a person in the crowd, and he watched as his uncle beside him walked forward. "I am." He spoke, valiantly, to the man's face. Many looked in disbelief, Nathan looked in confusion at first, to then realize the few weapons he made supposedly "for the local guards" were the weapons the captain spoke about. "Men, grab the bastard." The man boomed, and many of the women gasped in the crowd. "No! He was not responsible for this!" Another man's voice roared, as Nathan's father then stumbled out of the crowd. "We had nothing to do with this, we don't take part in your w-" He was interrupted, as it is then, when the Soldiers of the Red Elitist Army, shot him down with arrows. His father had little time to scream, or even think, as the arrows pierced his chest and neck. "Kill the smith." The Captain said, as another soldier walked up and decapitated his uncle, in a swift, trained move. They were trained in doing this, it seemed.
Nathan was only able to drop to his knees, as he was simply in shock, at what just happened. His mother ran through the crowd, sobbing and screaming, as she huddled to her husband and began bawling her eyes out. All Nathan did, was watch, in terror, sadness and fury as his father laid dead in his own pool of blood... and his uncle's head rested not far from him.
The boy said nothing, for almost a week. He ate so little, he barely kept himself going. He was told about the shipment of weapons, given to a passing-by army of the People's Front. His uncle always spoke well of them, and of their ideals, so it all made perfect sense in little time. Mostly however, he spent time blaming himself. He blamed himself, for simply standing there, for not saying a word or doing anything to stop them. No matter how much his mother urged him to stop this kind of thought line, he could not forget. He could not forget his uncle's eyes, staring at him from the sockets of the decapitated head. He had to do something, and so he realized. He had to join the People's Front, his uncle would have wanted it, and he wanted to take revenge on the bastards personally. And so he left, even though his mother urged him to stay. He couldn't stay, nor could he come back there either, he didn't want to endanger his mother who stayed in Peakholme.
Being a little over 18 years old (26AV), he began his career as a Soldier in the People's Front when he managed to back-trace the shipment to one of the nearby towns. There, he found a recruiter down at the inn, and after drinking a few glasses of ale with the man, he joined the ranks. For the next seven subsequent years (26AV-33AV), he spends fighting in various skirmishes against both the Elitist faction, as well as any other non-aligned faction. He fights, defends and hunts, using his very own fighting style that he picked up over the years, spear and shield. One might think of this as a strange choice, but Nathan chose this for rather practical reasons. In the many battles he took part in, he often saw the need for a weapon that he could throw across, to either stop and enemy from retreating or stopping them from drawing their own ranged weapon. A spear, a shorter one than a pike, was perfect for the job since he could use it with the shield in melee or throw it across without drawing anything else.
During one of the years in the Front, he managed to impress his superiors by showing an amazing ability to order his fellow brothers, and compassion, when he personally protected an injured squad-mate while ordering others to escort them out of the enemy's range. Being given the rank of Sergeant, and a small squad to lead, he continued to show his tactical thinking and strong leadership through countless skirmishes. What additionally came with the rank, was also the need to read the orders sent by couriers, which he reluctantly learned with the help of a few fellow soldiers. The longer he stayed in the front, the less he thought about the reason why he joined it, and instead began believing in the words spoken by his superiors, to then in turn repeat them to bolster his men's morale.
By the time the Civil War has ended (33AV), there wasn't much left of the Elitist Faction, and the rest decided to capitulate and sign a treaty along with everyone else. Nathan was called back to the "capital" of the People's Front, Rhigarde, in order to stay there and become a Guard Captain of the city. However, over the years during which he simply patrolled the city or ordered around other Guards, he was often looked with disgust by a few of the people in the city. After all, not everyone agreed with the rule of the People's Front leader, and saw him as nothing more than a militarist zealot. Many of his fellow Guards often complained about his loudness, and his very harsh ways of giving out orders. It seemed he was not meant to be as direct, as he was with his "boys" down in the army, where he'd bark orders and everyone did their job the way he wanted them to.
This disheartened Nathan, and hurt him in his pride, one which he acquired over the seven years of fighting and drinking with his fellow men after each battle. He was not a hero, it seemed, but a war criminal. In fact, during that time, most soldiers who took part in the war were seen that way, no matter the color or badge they wore. There was no honor or glory in guarding the place where was hated. Worse becomes worse, he received a message from a courier telling him of his mother's natural death. That was when he realized about his original intent of revenge, which felt empty, now that it was fulfilled. There was no point in coming back home, to an empty home and the community who might see him as a war criminal. He needed to start anew, in a place where his badge didn't matter.
Somewhere, where he could just live a normal life in a small community like back home. A place where he could become a smith again, or a farmer, or anything other than a soldier. When he learned of the Forbidden Lands, he knew exactly where he wanted to go. After two years (38AV) of careful spending, and coin management, he finally managed to afford a ride on a boat going there. He filed in a resignation, followed by his suit of armor, and he went to finally find his new life in the lands where no-one would see him as a war-criminal.
Skills:
Competent Combat: Spear and Shield/Spear
He is very proficient in using these two weapons together, or just using a spear of it's own. Using a sharpened stick could also work, but it'd obviously count as a makeshift weapon.
Competent Farmer:
Can plant, tend and harvest common crops like: Potatoes, Tomatoes, Corn, Hops and Wheat. Knows when it is the right time to grow crops, and when to harvest.
Apprentice++ Blacksmith
Can make Farming and General Use Tools, out of Wrought Iron. Not steel. His work is of medium quality, meaning it's not makeshift nor pristine. Can Smelt Iron, but not make Steel. He is willing to learn and experiment however. He had some experience lately, and even started understanding the process of making steel. (2 IRL months to make into Competent).
Apprentice Leadership:
Knows how to organize people to work together, and issue orders. Only knows how to do so with a force no larger than a squad. He is literally more of a sergeant, and can push people a little too far. Not experienced in leading for the "big picture". Not a Politician.
Minor Skill: Reading and Writing.
Personality:
Nathan Collins is one of those people that is hardly ever seen doing nothing, as he would always be running some sort of errand or doing some sort of job to keep himself busy. He likes to work, as it gives him a sense of purpose, and he likes to do things "right", as it gives him a sense of satisfaction. This means however, that he is unlikely to let anyone do his job in fear of them not doing it the way he wants it to be done, or at least, not without close supervision. Overall however, he is a good person, not letting the poor go starved or unclothed when he is able to provide for them. He is compassionate and caring, for those he considers his comrades or his loved ones, and for those that "need it". That seems to be his reoccurring theme, doing things "when they are needed" and without a question. That, and his almost constant father-like way of being, with calling people younger than him "son" or "kid", while giving advice.
However even good men loose their temper, and when under a lot of stress, he is one who easily buckles to temper. Being a loud person sometimes, his voice can become booming and commanding, like the way he was back in the army. If he saw things needing to be done, and people getting in the way, he'd be the first one to start shouting and ordering them around. Sometimes, he'd do it too much or too harshly, and would whisper into his Ale mug in guilt. Liking a good drink, he also likes good company to go along with it, being used to drinking the guys in his squad, often goofing off and again becoming loud in the process. He seems to want to keep his history in the army hidden however, being afraid of the people hating him for it.
Appearance:
He is 6'1", muscular and of a tough build. His face is a little rough, but nonetheless retains a few friendly features, that being his blue eyes and slightly fatherly look. He has short, well-trimmed blonde hair and a goatee that glisten slightly in the sun. When he walks, he walks with a certain pride in his step, with each foot planted down with confidence.
Clothes:
Nathan, after resigning from his Guard Duty, decided to get a practical but elegant blue "lumberjack" shirt with suspenders that he always wanted from one of the local tanners. Other than that, he wears his sturdy leather pants that he had when he was a Guard, complete with a set of steel sabatons on his boots and his favorite leather gloves.
Any other items that your character is going to bring in?
He'd bring a few things: His Badge that shows his rank in the faction, his army knife and a set of Smithing tools (hammer and tongs). All of this would be in his backpack, which is made of leather.
Anything you'd like to add:
*Banana for Scale*
RE: [New] Application of Nathan Collins (Epsilon) - Hutchy - 23-05-2014
I knew you’d be back… 0_0
Anyway, you know the drill, I’m here to help you get through whitelisting.
- There are several increments of time that go by with no details given as to what happens between the two points, especially between the ages of 5 and 12. We need the details of what happens to ensure it’s believable. These points are a good place to start writing around if necessary. Connect the dots, as it were. Please work on this.
- Overall the story needs to be more detailed, this will, again, help make the character more believable and even help RP him later on. For example, what kind of environment was Peakholme set in and how was it hidden, who was this ‘opposing faction’ and who conducted the raid? Please elaborate.
- Finally, the personality section needs to be written as prose. It is still acceptable to list some traits that aren’t so much personality as quirks and behaviours in a list format. For examples, the character sheets forum is a good place to start. Please revise this.
That's all for now, bump the thread when you've made the necessary edits and we can continue.
RE: [Pending] Application of Nathan Collins (Epsilon) - Good_Old_Epsilon - 24-05-2014
Bump.
Took some time, but it's now all done in Prose. I hope that'll be enough xD
RE: [Pending] Application of Nathan Collins (Ready for Round 2) - Hutchy - 26-05-2014
Looking good, one last thing. Gonna need a picture of that banana...
Not really, you're actually good to go.