Brendan Son of Egan
Brendan, son of Egan, is from a small village outside of Constantinople. Orphaned at the age of 10, he has learned a lot of useful skills for survival.
Six Word Description: Searching For Truth, Wherever I Go
Words to live by: I want to know the truth about everything, even the deepest, darkest secrets.
Physical Description
Excellent, he is relatively small (5'8" tall and 160 lbs) but he is solid muscle from the gymnastics needed to do the kind of thieving he was famous for (he was a cat burglar for many years). He is very agile and quick.
Compact musculature on a medium frame. Very athletic, an acrobat, thief, climber, etc.
Would be considered moderately handsome.
Heavy scarring on his back from when he received a whipping for trying to steal a horse.
Walks silently, everywhere he goes. He stands almost supernaturally still when he is nervous.
He is able to move silently, hide in shadows, climb walls, pick pockets, and pick locks from his years as a thief. He can juggle knives and axes, and catch arrows from his time travelling with a group of troubadours. He is very efficient infighter with daggers and knives and he is also highly skilled in Pankration, an ancient Greek form of unarmed martial arts that is very similar to modern mixed martial arts.
His clothing is designed for thieving, padded shoes, a dark, hooded cloak, a dark, large brimmed hat, etc.
A good dagger, a set of 6 throwing knives, a set of lock picking tools, a rope and grapnel.
Mental characteristics
Can't reveal all of the secrets!
.
Self taught but his sister did teach him to read Greek and he has stolen a few books along the way to fill out his education. He is very bright (genius level intellect) and this has helped him to compensate for his limited formal education.
He is a squire training to be a knight with the Order of the Centurion.
Journeyed from Baghdad to Constantinople (about 1300 miles) entirely on his own.
Burglarized the apartments of Theophanes, the Parakomnenos of Constantine VII.
Joined the Order of the Centurions
Failed to rescue his sister. Was captured and almost sold into slavery (but he escaped).
The kidnapping of his sister had an even bigger impact on him than the death of his father. She was his mother figure and the fact that he doesn't know if she is alive or dead, or if she's alive, under what conditions is she living. The death of his father hurts but his father is beyond suffering now, who knows what kind of suffering his sister has to endure every day.
Brendan is a classic INTP (The Thinker). He is very logical and analyzes everything. He reads people and situations very well, he looks deeply into people and situations to see how they work. He is intensely curious and quick thinking but he likes to reason his way through things if he has the time. Not very emotional and he doesn't have a lot of time for people who are ruled by their emotions.
Very flexible at first. He was a thief who had no difficulty with lying or cheating if it served a purpose. He begins to work on this after he joins the Centurions.
Personality Characteristics
He wants to kill vikings but knows the best way to do this is as part of an army so he is looking for an army to join. Later he his motivation shifts to the Centurion ideals.
Excellent at thieving skills, performing entertainment, fortune telling, gambling, he is a master with a sling and throwing knives. He is an inexperienced rider and average at best with a bow,
On those very rare occasions when he gives his word, he keeps it. He is very loyal to his friends but generally has no friends because he travels. He is fearless when he makes a decision to act, he follows it through to the end.
He is a liar and a thief. He is very skeptical of anything supernatural (religion as well as magic).
He has worked hard to remove all ticks and quirks since they make him easier to identify or might cause him to give himself away.
Does the basics so that his hygiene will not give him away, he doesn't overdo it either since that might also give him away.
Social
Initially he is agnostic, later he becomes a Centurion Christian.
Very high social aptitude, he is a social chameleon who can change his behaviors at a moment's notice, depending upon his needs and the situation. When he is able to "be himself" in a safe situation, he is humorous and flirty when he is happy and arrogant and sarcastic when he isn't. He generally prefers to blend into the background in situations that he doesn't know are "safe" but he can dress and play the part of the "devilish rogue" when he feels more comfortable.
He will be quiet and observant in situations where he feels that there is some element that is not safe. He uses few hand gestures when talking (they make you more memorable).
Practices his knife throwing and juggling his knives to keep his reflexes sharp. His warhorse Night Wind is NOT a close friend.
Unless he is specifically trying to talk below his intelligence (as a cover) he tends to unconsciously use a larger vocabulary than those around him. He can changes accents at will.
Brother (Important)
Towards Electra - Sister of Brendan, Daughter of Egan
Sister (Important)
Towards Brendan of Constantinople
History
Electra is seven years older than Brendan. He followed her everywhere as a small child. When their mother died of the plague, Brendan was 5 and Electra was 12. Electra became his surrogate mother from the ages of 5-10. When he was 10 and she was 17 Vikings raided their village on the shores of the Black Sea. Their father was killed and Electra was carried off. At the age of 10, with a couple of broken ribs, Brendan set off to save Electra. He actually made it a couple of hundred miles to the mouth of the Don river before he was captured himself. He was taken and sold in the slave markets of Baghdad. He escaped and made his way back to Constantinople but he realized the folly of trying to rescue his sister on his own. Neither has any knowledge of what happened to the other one after they were separated 6 years ago but both maintain hope that the other one is alive and that they will be reunited some day.
Nicknames & Petnames
She calls him "Bren", he calls her "Lectra"
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Both are very intelligent and love learning and solving problems, traits they inherited from their father.
Betrothed/Fiance (Vital)
Towards Lady Portia of Warrick
Betrothed/Fiancee (Vital)
Towards Brendan of Constantinople
History
Brendan and Portia were initially not very friendly and even a bit competitive with each other, though there was some mutual attraction even from the beginning. For political reasons, Portia needs to marry soon and her father brought Brendan home as a potential suitor because the Lord led him to do so. The two began working together and depending upon each other until Portia finally proposed (VERY indirectly). Coming from Brendan's background as a thief (and a professional liar) he is working hard on being truthful with everyone and he is easily more honest with Portia than with anyone else in his life but he is still working on improving in this area.
Nicknames & Petnames
In private she calls him "Greek Boy" and he calls her "My Amazon". In public she will sometimes call him "Graecus" (the Roman term for a Greek) and he will sometimes call her "Centurion". Most of the time, however, they just use their given names and he refrains from calling her "Port" like her parents do.
Relationship Reasoning
As the eldest daughter of the Count of Carinthia she will be married for political reasons. Her father does not want her to fall into the clutches of the Duke of Augsburg (and his title and holdings, which are Centurion holdings falling into the clutches of the Duke) so he is trying to find a husband for her before he himself dies or is killed in battle. His standards are less about background and standing and more about character and ability. He felt led by the Lord to bring Brendan home as a possible suitor. The two initially clashed because Portia is very strong willed and Brendan is very different from anyone she has ever met before but after being forced to work together and depend upon each other they have come to trust and love each other.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
A devotion to Centurion ideals and duties and mutual respect.
Shared Acquaintances
Sir Gerard, Lady Evelyn, and Aurora.
Legal Status
Betrothed - which is legally binding and can only be broken by a formal divorce or annulment.
Brendan has a some wealth (two dozen gold solidi and about 50 silver pennies) which he keeps carefully hidden. There are no outward indications of wealth at all, he presents himself in a very nondescript manner.
Comments