Sarlen Broadwing

(a.k.a. Zero)

Sarlen Broadwing is a pragmatic archer whose combat experience makes him a powerful ally and dangerous foe in the Haze of Redgaard.

Description

Standing five feet, ten inches tall, Sarlen is a muscular, ruggedly handsome elven man with sweeping blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. Notably, he is missing the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which is covered by a leather wrapping.

Personality

A man of very few words, Sarlen prefers action to words. Often voting for competent decisions, Sarlen's life has been riddled with adversity and challenge, all of which have been overcome through his adaptability and sheer will.

Abilities

Sarlen is an expert marksman, often striking lethal blows with his longbow from distances well over 300 feet. With an unnatural perceptiveness, Sarlen is a master tracker and scout, utilizing his elven heritage and long life to hone his skills to near-perfection.

Relationships

Family

Sarlen is widowed to his late wife, Sybil, and his now deceased son Zarien, who were both killed in the Cataclysm. His father and grandfather were both killed when House von Kessel fell.

House von Kessel

Using his honed skills from childhood, Sarlen immediately gained favor with Cecelia von Kessel, a noblewoman whose claim to the throne of Westemar was contested by her brother, Mannfred. After vigorous training, Sarlen was elected to be a lead Scout of Cecelia's expeditionary forces during the civil war with Mannfred. He served valiantly amongst his peers for nearly two decades before being captured and tortured by a Captain in the employ of Mannfred at the end of the conflict.

Enemies

Captain Vikari, an orcish paladin whose barbaric practices are as notorious as his tactical insights, was tasked by Mannfred von Kessel to hunt Sarlen in order to cripple Cecelia's scouting forces towards the end of the von Kessel civil war. Eventually capturing Sarlen in an archer's tower on the front lines, Captain Vikari would torture and interrogate Sarlen for 4 years before removing Sarlen's right hand, rendering him unable to take another life with a bow. He then released Sarlen, forcing him to live in his new crippled state.

History

Sarlen Broadwing was born in Redgaard 257 years before the meteor hit the city. As a child, he yearned to follow in his father and grandfather's footsteps and serve the Crown of Redgaard as a soldier, fighting for the extension and preservation of the King's rule. Sarlen learned the skills required to hunt at an early age and spent most of his time in the wilds hunting for game to feed his family and friends.
After almost a decade of practice and training, Sarlen grew strong enough to wield the longbow effectively and immediately began to work on accuracy and precision. Continuing his old hunting tasks, he found the longer distances required greater accounts of wind, and thus adjusted over time. Hunting animals from great distances, his perception began to train itself into spotting movement in an otherwise obscured environment, heightening his senses. For as much time as Sarlen spent in the woods, he also spent in the city with a local elven woman named Sybil. After getting to know each other over a few years, they married. For the next decade, Sarlen continued to hone his abilities with a long bow in hopes of one day joining his father and grandfather amidst the various royal families vying for the Crown after the fall of the von Drakkans. However, Sarlen couldn’t leave Sybil behind with no one to watch over her, so they decided to have a child and raise it before Sarlen could leave to join the fight. 3 days before Sarlen’s 90th birthday, Sybil finally gave birth to Sarlen’s only son, Zarien.
Just before Zarien’s 20th birthday, Sarlen receives correspondence that his father and grandfather were fatally wounded in a skirmish amongst noble houses. Devastated that he would never get to fight alongside his father and grandfather, Sarlen spent most of his free time in the woods, continuing to do the only thing he knew – shoot a bow. One year later, Sarlen and Sybil receive notice that a new King of Westemär has been crowned from House von Kessel. Eager to serve as his father and grandfather did, Sarlen left his home in search of service to the Crown. He excelled in training, and upon noticing his lethal accuracy at range and perception, Sarlen was made a scout in the King's Army. He was trained in various languages and cipher breaking, including how to make ciphers himself. Still visiting home after his patrols, Sarlen kept in touch with Sybil and his son Zarien, who had become an incredible swordsman. For the next century, Sarlen would maintain a close relationship with his family in Redgaard while serving House von Kessel.
While out on hunting in the wilds for his platoon of scouts, Sarlen sees the meteor crash into Redgaard, and is knocked unconscious from the blast wave. Rearing, Sarlen does his best to head back to the city, but only finds ruins of his family home. Enraged, Sarlen retreats to his platoon, seeking out community after having his family ripped away from him. It is here he learns the King of Westemar has died, and a civil war soon erupts between Cecilia and Mannfred von Kessel.
Eager to point his rage and depression at something, Sarlen takes up arms with Cecelia von Kessel, joining her ranks as the civil war rages on. Sarlen kills many men in her name, making him a famous bounty target for Mannfred von Kessel’s forces. Before long, Sarlen is captured in an archery tower by Captain Vikari, a half-orc tactician and commander known for his barbaric techniques. For nearly 4 years, Sarlen is tortured to find out the cipher system used by Cecelia von Kessel so future communications can be intercepted. While Sarlen held out for a while, he would eventually give up this information. Satisfied with the hard-earned compliance, Captain Vikari mentions to Sarlen that he found him an incredible opponent, so his life would be spared. However, intent on never having to fight Sarlen again, Captain Vikari decided to remove Sarlen’s archery prowess. In one chop of a cleaver, Captain Vikari severed Sarlen’s right hand, causing Sarlen to black out from the pain. Sarlen was then discarded on the outskirts of Redgaard, only to become conscious days later.
After triaging his own wounds, Sarlen made his way back to friendly forces. He was admitted to a field hospital to recover. Unable to wield a bow right-handed, Sarlen swore vengeance on his captor, making a deal with devils to be able to weild a bow once more, which granted him all but his index and middle right finger, and when he was physically able, began to train using his bow left-handed. Frustrated with the turn of events, Sarlen vowed to never serve another noble house again, and left the service of the Crown to find gainful employment elsewhere. Over the last 5 years, Sarlen has returned to his training regimen to improve his skills with a bow with promising results. With a new guild rearing its head in Redgaard, Sarlen sees an opportunity to gain access to resources so he can exact his vengeance.

Species

Elf

Current Residence

Emberwood Village

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