Vargas Reyner can be easily described as the free spirit of the woods, being an independent person who follows his own direction, letting his own moral compass guide his actions. He’s quite the adventurous person who seeks new experiences, enjoys meeting new people and constantly tries out new things in life in order to satisfy his hedonistic nature. A good laugh from a joke, a drink with a friend, or a stroll in the woods at sunset are all things he loves doing, often with other people, and his easy-going attitude earns him the friends to do so.
This in turn makes him quite hard to anger, for he believes that if people regret their actions enough, anything can be forgiven and forgotten. He prefers to forgive the friend, and keep them, rather than be all alone and bitter about the mistake they have done. His often level-headed and easy-going way of living does however come with the price of him often forgetting things, and becoming distracted by things around him, making him appear aloof sometimes. He often comes off as a humble person, not wanting to forcefully reach higher grounds and being quite happy with his place in life. All that matters to him, is for him to be happy, and to enjoy life the way he is living right now.

Vargas Reyner, or should we say William Ashdowne, was born in a little log-house just outside a larger village by the name of Rivercombe. His mother was the local hunter, providing meat, animal skins and fur for the community, while his father worked as the captain of the town’s guard. Being born just at the start of the civil war, life was not easy for young William, whose household was almost constantly filled with either hushed rumours of soldiers pillaging nearby villages, or the angry voices of his parents when they were having an argument.

Either way, there was a lot of tension in the place where he was meant to feel the safest. Because of this, he opted to spend most of his later childhood and teenage years in the nearby woods, initially using his mother’s hunting job as an excuse to simply explore the vast wooden labyrinth, often sneaking off to “scout ahead”. Once he’d manage to lose his mother from his sight, he’d go deeper and deeper, until he’d find a new interesting place to rest in and watch the clouds. This wasn’t always the case of course, as he did enjoy the lessons his mother gave him about hunting, and about the rules of surviving in the wilds.

When he wasn’t with his mother, hunting in the wilds, he’d spend some days with his father at the barracks. His father was a harsh man, and demanded utmost discipline from the men he commanded. The times were tough, and the civil war raged on, sometimes requiring for the entire town to barricade itself within the palisade when the rogue soldiers struck. Sometimes, his father would not come back from the barracks for days at a time, simply making sure that the men are ready, and the defences were impenetrable. He tried on occasion, to instil that spirit into William, by making him look over a map and by teaching him command words and strategies, but it never stuck. He did not enjoy commanding men around, and apart from the crossbow practise, he found the rest of the lessons his father gave him boring. This of course resulted in a lot of punishments, with his father never relenting from the smacks around the head William would receive. His father wanted a soldier, a general, a leader. William just wanted to live and let live, and enjoy the world as it was. This of course wasn't in accordance with what his parents believed, who lived through the purge done on the Xitians for the crimes they themselves have not endured. William's father himself was responsible for a few executions of Xitian travellers, and his mother once shot down a Xitian "scout" (who really was just out to gather meat for his caravan) she saw in the woods. They both were ingrained with hatred towards the once tyrannical red-eyed demons, and have always tried to teach him the same, in order to "protect him" in the future. William himself did not care much for petty hatred, however, in years to come he would learn to simply avoid them but bare no hatred. Just to be safe. ((Added something about the Purge))

In terms of peers, William found himself to have a few good friends, which he’d meet up after the chores at home. Apart from playing various games and pestering local merchants inside of the town, the group were heavily into exploring the woods with Williams’ supreme experience of the area providing guidance for the group of youngsters. They often followed the woodcutters, stalking them like prey on a hunt, and watching them work as they felled huge trees with mighty axes and strong arms. Most of the time, the group just wanted to throw acorns at them; at the most annoying of times, and to hide in the bushes afterwards. William however, saw their work as majestic and inspiring. Cutting down massive trees, spending most of your day by them, choosing the right one, and then carrying it all home to provide people with the warmth they need.

It was around his 16th Birthday, when he was invited to work with the woodsmen, being quite physically strong himself by that time, thanks to the physical work already provided by both of his parent’s professions. This of course didn’t fit in with neither of his parents, who found himself to be squandering his future and his natural talents. At least, the talents they thought William had for the professions they themselves led. Each night he would come back from work, it would a yet another battle, between him, his mother and father, and them against each other. It never stopped, and it sometimes turned into fist fights between his parents. He didn’t want any of it, he felt closed in, and trapped, not being allowed to do what he felt was his goal in life. Being the ultimate woodsman, the true walker of the wild. He wanted to roam the woods endlessly, to meet new people, and to do what he wants without the berating from his parents.

Around his 18th birthday, after so many close-calls from the invading pillagers and after so many fights with his own family, William had felt he had enough. He had enough of his life being squandered by the two people that were meant to be his hearth, his warmth, and his guidance. It was simple, he simply packed up and left, leaving a small note for one of his closer friends. His mother and father never received a single word of his leave, only ever finding a messy bed in the morning, and one of his father’s crossbows missing, along with some basic supplies. By the time they gathered the guardsmen and all of the hunters to look for him within the woods, he was already far gone, on a caravan to take him as far as it can away from them. He even came up with a new name, seeing it as a way of making sure he can never be tracked by his mother, his father, or any courier, as he now wore the name Vargas Reyner with a sense of pride. He was a new man, taking his first steps into adulthood, and ultimate freedom.

For many years after his escape from his toxic home, he travelled around the main lands, taking less-travelled roads across great woods and under the feet of mountains. He travelled from village to village, only ever staying for no longer than a year, taking up the responsibilities as the town’s hunter and woodsman. Even though the war was almost over, the reparation and recovery of many villages was far from over, and Vargas was quite happy to help by providing the wood for rebuilding houses and meat for hungry families. Using the skills he acquired at home, and the crossbow he stole from his father, he was able to do his job exceptionally well. Of course, he never stayed anywhere for too long, even if the people urged him to stay. He wanted to explore more, he wanted to see more of the world, and meet new people along the way.

However, after 13 years of travelling around the mainland, he has grown to know most of the interesting places around there. He knew a lot of villages, saw a few cities, and seen even more breath-taking groves. Not to mention, after the opening of the dusk portal, people have once again become uneasy. It was unknown for how long this political stalemate would last within the lands, and once another war breaks out, it was certain that Vargas would be caught in the middle of it. No, this wasn’t his war, and he would never be a part of it. Whenever he imagined taking part in a war, the image of his father screaming at him barged into his mind.

It only became obvious to him after he saw ships sailing out of the docks in one of the bigger towns by the sea. There was another continent, a completely new area to explore, with a fresh supply of people to meet. The forbidden lands, where there was no set government, and the Xitian threat is the least likely to hit. This of course, was too much of an offer for Vargas to decline, and he packed all of his belongings to take the nearest boat going there. The Sailors warned him of the place, telling him stories of how the land is cursed and how they’ve heard that people who go there are never heard of again. That did not discourage Vargas, who only saw the idea of disappearing in the woodlands to never be seen again as a perfect opportunity to disappear from the incoming conflict.

The initially grand voyage, filled with the new and exciting sounds and smells of the sea, then became a drudging experience for Vargas who felt constricted and bored on the trading ship he was travelling in. The constant rocking of the ship caused Vargas to lose the contents of his stomach on many occasions during the early weeks of the voyage, sometimes losing an entire day to simply doing nothing but wretching overboard. The entire voyage took almost 2 months, with Vargas spending most of that time in the kitchen, simply helping out the cook in various tasks like washing the dishes and serving the food for the hungry crew, but not actually cooking. He was a terrible cook, and only knew how to prepare basic foods to keep himself alive in the woodlands, which mostly involved cooking meats and roots he found into something edible. Vargas was relieved to finally hear the announcement of the ship slowly coming closer to the dock within the Forbidden Lands, wanting to finally step off the boat and onto steady land.

Hunting Related:

Crossbow Use – Advanced: Started at 11 when his father brought him into the Barracks. Originally a part of a set of skills his father tried to teach him, this became the only skill that caught his interest and that managed to stick in the end. Once he was able to use it well enough, he was allowed to use it during hunting trips with his mother, giving him more time to practice and become more accurate with the crossbow. This was on top of the practice shots he'd do in the barracks during his spare time, shooting the dummy targets in the archery range, with his accuracy becoming more impressive as time passed. Nowadays, his skill in using his crossbow is so advanced, he is able to extend the natural range of a crossbow to almost 70 yards (he arks his shots a little and predicts their landing), while getting consistent shots to the head to avoid causing the animal any pain, and to avoid wasting time chasing the wounded animal.

Hunting – Competent: Started at 10 when his mother started bringing him to hunting trips, initially only to observe and learn about tracking the animals they were out to hunt. His mother taught him of the different animals that can be found in the woods, when is the best season to hunt them, and how to track them. She also taught him where those animals are likely to be, and to tell when an animal is safe to eat. This skill only became more and more important after he was on the run from his home, when he was alone, and when he needed to hunt to survive.

Survival – Competent: Started at 11 when he is mother started to teach him about ways of surviving in the woods, in case they ever get separated during a hunting trip. Initially, it was only teaching him about the use of land-marks, known paths and how to discern direction on a map. However, as time went by and Vargas became more and more interested in staying in the woods, she was more inclined in showing him how to make temporary shelters, seek safe caves to sleep in and how to conserve food reserves to last longer. This skill became almost paramount when he ran from home, and needed to keep himself safe and fed within the woods, and to avoid making a full circle back home by accident.

Non-Hunting Related:

Lumbering – Apprentice: Started at 16 when he was physically strong enough to be taken in by the Lumberjacks. It was a skill he was only able to give a little time at first, having to fit it in in the breaks between hunting seasons and his father's training. It then became more used when he was on the run from his home, and when he often worked for different villages as a lumberer, during the breaks within the hunting seasons. His cuts are not always perfect, with the wood sometimes ending up not suitable for any carpentry work, but good enough to provide the warmth people need from their fireplaces.

Singing – Novice: Started at 19 as a minor hobby to pass the time in the woods, and to avoid forgetting how to speak when travelling from distant village to distant village. He never really thought about improving himself, nor is it something learned from a teacher, simply being a natural yet unrefined talent.

Heavy Crossbow, 10 Bolts, Quiver. Backpack filled with a sleeping bag, a water skin, a bronze knife, some linen rope, a compass, flint and steel, a bronze bowl, a bronze spit rod, a bronze fork and spoon, and a bronze cup. An Iron Felling Axe, and a satchel strapped to his belt with a measly amount of 10 copper left from his travels.

Nope. Just hoping to get into RP soon with you peeps. I kinda miss being in a community again, random RPers on servers aren't always dependable, and not always as nice as you guys.