Arres Oja
Lieutenant Arres Oja (a.k.a. Silver blade, Shady Arres)
Arres is a former member of the Saythian army and intelligence, whom involved in a love scandal, resigned to become a famous recruiter of adventurers and seller of products difficult or illegal to obtain in the Saythian Republic
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Arres is very fit and nimble. His speed and agility are superior to his strength, although under evaluate him can result unconvenient. His main hand is the right, although he can be considered ambidextrous.
Facial Features
His green eyes are one of the features that women like more, for the depth and brightness of his stare. He wears a set of curly dark brown hair shoulder-length and a goatie that he grooms with a lot of care.
Identifying Characteristics
Arres can be easily identified by his fashion choices and his silver rapier, if he wants to be recognised at all.
Apparel & Accessories
His typical attire consists of a white shirt with lace cuffs, a laced jacket with frogs often decorated with gold motifs, tight trousers and pointed boots.His favourite cape is divided into black and green quarters and his favourite hat is black with a white feather. Dangling from his leather belt is his silver rapier with an elaborately caged hilt and often a main-gauche.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Third children in a family from the middle commercial class of Saythian, he got basic education in the city but has always been distracted by two other preoccupations: women and the wide world. Still very young he joined the crew of a corsair ship, climbing the ranking ladder moving through different crews. Having possibly attracted the attentions of some dangerous adversary, he enlists in the light vanguard of the Saythian army. During his time in the army he gets involved in numerous affairs, risking several times to attract the wrath of betrayed husbands and getting involved in several duels to defend his honor from allegations of cheating at the cards or dice. Having, as well, good skills as a scout he finally attracts the interest of the intelligence department of the Republic, getting moved back into the capital in a minor barrack of low relevance where he could enjoy freedom of movement, to attain the task required to his double job. Unfortunately, his passion for beautiful ladies was far from being extinguished and his affair with Miranda Barrios Sacheverell, discovered in an exchange of incriminating letters, forced him to renounce to his role as a spy and pay for the silence of the husband. Since that moment he has become an adventurer recruiter, although occasionally he enjoys adventuring himself, and treasure hunter. His business is called The Silver Blades and has grant him fame in the city and country.
Gender Identity
He is commonly perceived as a Don Juan, and he enjoys his fame.
Sexuality
Arres has gained the fame of tombeur des femmes and he is attracted by them as a moth to a candle.
Education
Growing in a large thriving city like Saythian comes with some benefit, pointedly the presence of an effective and cheap public education service. Arres has never been a great student but, having attended schools, has granted him good educative foundations. The years of work in the private navy, army and intelligence has honed is combat techniques, both with blades and fire weapons, and allowed him to learn encryption and secret languages.
Employment
The first job in Arres colourful life has been as a cabin boy in corsair ships, although his skills and guile allowed him to progress rapidly to better positions. In the army, he has been appreciated especially working behind the enemy lines getting eventually noticed by the Saythian Intelligence. Lately, to avoid getting ensnared in a dangerous game, he renounced to his position in the intelligence and has started a private business as mercenary, recruiter and treasures hunter.
Accomplishments & Achievements
One of the most important accomplishments in Arres life, is curiously one that he keeps mostly reserved. During his sailor life he was eventually part of a ill-famed crew, he used to spend his earnings and free-time in taverns, drinking, gambling and bedding loose women. At some point, he managed to win from a very drunk Amos Dark a beautiful silver rapier, although his rival didn't appreciated to have lost his favourite weapon. The future Saynué's scourge sent some goons to attempt recovering the precious weapon at no avail. Arres realised the risks of staying in Finstown and took advantage of a stop-over in Saythian to lose his trail.
Failures & Embarrassments
Arres has been involved in multiple daring escapes from the boudoirs of betrayed husbands, although the involvement between him and Miranda Barrios Sacheverell ran much deeper. Lovers, accomplices and, natural born, double-crossers they teamed up to exchange information regarding the state of Altamura using coded love letters as a means of communication. One of the letter was eventually intercepted by Mr Sacheverell who wanted to publicly repudiate his wife and, unintentionally, expose her to the risk of being discovered as a spy. To protect his lover Arres paid a significant amount pass over the affair in silence, Mr Sacheverell agreed but elected to send Miranda back to Alambar to care the foreign business of the family.
Intellectual Characteristics
Arres is smart, cunning and prone to double-cross rivals.
Morality & Philosophy
He is attracted by women, especially if they are in danger or, he feels, they need protection. He can easily lose his head over a skirt and behave in a haphazard manner. He will respect a signed contract mostly because he considers that good for the business.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Money and fame are an important drive for Arres, but if he gets to know about damsels in distress or get contacted by female customers he can be easily induced to action by other means.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Women, mostly, but Arres struggles a lot to challenging his fame, if his courage or ability is questioned, he will tend to accept assignments that he would normally consider better avoided.
Likes & Dislikes
He likes a life of pleasure. Good clothes, precious fabrics, high quality wine and food. And women, but I am sure I may have already mentioned it.
Virtues & Personality perks
If he works on a signed contract, he will do everything in his power not to disappoint his patron. If the circumstances are clearly different from what he was told, he may however drop the case and return the amount paid.
Vices & Personality flaws
He likes flirting, drinking and gambling. He's by any mean no saint.
Hygiene
Having reached a good economic position he enjoys taking good care of his hygiene, as few things can get near the pleasure of a hot bath, a massage with warm perfumed oils and sleeping with a beautiful women under silk linens.
Social
Contacts & Relations
He has a lot of connections and people who, for a variety of reasons, owe him some favour. He retains a few good friends from his early adventures and service in the army and intelligence. On the other end, is better off taking good care if he decide to get near Finstown.
Religious Views
He worships mildly Danu, Lyr and Fand. He respects the other gods of the Tuatha de Danaan.
Social Aptitude
He is generally loud and flamboyant, trasudating confidence and self-assertion. Can observe etiquette and act elegantly if the circumstances dictate the need.
Mannerisms
He lifts the pinky of his right end when drinks a chalice of good wine. He talks very softly when flirting with women and softly with a shaper hint when he wants to sound manacing.
Wealth & Financial state
Arres is wealthy but cannot be considered rich in a city like Saythian, where the merchants of high standing can afford to spend as much in a day as he earns in a month. He also likes to spend his wealth on short term pleasures.
Let's talk about business...
The lock that can keep Arres away from a damsel in distress has yet to be invented.
He speaks fluently Saythian and Common language. Arres knows as well rudiments of Hintadu, Otadan and Dwarven, plus he can use a few type of coded systems.
Oooh, I like where this article is headed. Arres looks a bit scuffed though. Nice article :)
It was a pencil and paper drawing that I did a while ago (the scanner made the shades a lot thicker, so I changed the colour to brown that looks a bit better, to be fair)... Now I have improved a bit with digital art and I will have another go, but after the end of SC (even because I am on holidays and I don't have the drawing tablet with me)