Ancient Healing Bastard

From TSade

Ancient Healing Bastard, or Bastard for short, is a man who appears to be in his mid to late sixties. He has red flaming hair, bloodshot eyes, and a farmer's tan from spending most of the last two centuries out in the sun. His fingers are also stained red and brown, from the endless surgeries he's performed out in the fields of battle and by those who need him. They are also caused by the nearly pure blood of the Fire Dragon that burns through his veins. When he stands up straight, he is easily over six feet tall and very broad-shouldered. His face is twisted into a permanent scowl, but occasionally a turn of phrase or some memory softens up the perpetual bad mood of his.

Contents 1 History 1.1 A Mere Boy 1.2 The Proper Son 1.3 Mercenary 1.4 Twenty-Nine More Wives 1.5 The Ninth Wife 1.6 Bastard 2 Healing 3 Personality 4 Thoughts 5 Character Sheets 5.1 A New Chapter (243 years old, RY 768) 5.2 Ancient and Still a Bastard (243 years old, RY 768) 5.3 Just a Bastard (190 years old, RY 615) 5.4 The Old Bastard (130 years old, RY 655) 5.5 Sixty Years Later (74 years old, RY 599) 5.6 Newly Exalted (14 years old, RY 539) 5.7 19th Legion Private (14 years old, RY 539)

[edit] History

[edit] A Mere Boy

Born Warati in RY 525, he was an undistinguished member of Iselsi Relap, a very minor family in House Iseli. In fact, Warati's grandfather's father was the founding member of the family. This was greatly colored by the fact his grandfather was involved with the assassination scandal with the Scarlet Empress. In fact, it was decided that the current children of the almost-assassin should spread out as quickly as possible out into the Threshold for their own safety. This was, of course, almost two centuries before Warati was born, but almost every waking moment of his childhood was spent reminding him of their family's failure.

When he was twelve, he ran away from home and joined the 19th Legion as a nobody mortal. In fact, if it wasn't for his gentle demeanor but violent temper, he would have never been anywhere near a battle. However, he was frequently the butt of jokes and quickly got in so much trouble that he was shipped to the front lines as soon as they could. Out in the battlefield, he became the assistant of a wood terrestrial lost egg who spent most of his time charging obscene prices for his battlefield healing and stealing from those who couldn't. However, his healing abilities were in a demand that the legion commanders were willing to overlook the indiscretions.

It was in Warati's third battle, when he was 14, that he was severely injured by an oversight by the legion commander and the healer. One arm and one leg was broken. Unable to be of any use to anyone, he was thrown on the wagon train and sent off. However, an attack on the sick train woke him up in the middle of the night. Despite being severely injured, he jumped out and attacked his attackers.

He, like most injured mortals would be, was knocked nearly unconscious.

The mercenaries who attacked the train left him for dead and took the hostages and supplies and left for parts unknown. Warati, severely injured in multiple places, fought against fever and sickness for four days before a group of friendly legionaires found him. Somewhere during his delusional trial, he dreamed that he met the Hesiesh, the Fire Dragon. His bloody body kept the stains of red on his fingers and his hair from his exaltation.

[edit] The Proper Son

Despite his efforts to continue as an apprentice, words quickly got back to his family that he had exalted. They sent letters requesting that he leave the legion, who barely tolerated him despite becoming a terrestrial, and return home. He sent his responses back in ashes, unwilling to return to the home he abandoned.

The second time they sent someone to kidnap him, they succeeded.

Since he showed some leadership and fighting abilities, they promptly sent him to the House of Bells where he failed dismally. It wasn't for his combat skills, which he excelled at, it was that he became so specialized without having a proper foundation (in game terms, attributes) to properly take advantage of his skills.

He graduated without honor or any real distinguishing aspects. He earned a modest income and went back to his family where they promptly found him a proper terrestrial wife, Te Shears, who was a lost egg from the east.

He hated her.

While he did his proper duty of producing exactly three children in forty years, he couldn't stand her, her children, or even his family. As soon as he discharged his family obligation, he fled back to the Threshold to places he understood. He chooses to forget most of his first wife, claiming they never had sex in desperate hope that he never, ever has to meet with her again. Luckily for him, she had the same opinions of him and steadfastly remains in the Blessed Isle in hopes that she never meets him again.

[edit] Mercenary

His family remained in contact with him, sending him his earned salary and expenses as he first wandered the Threshold. However, he quickly became embroiled in a Wyld Hunt but refused to participate when he found that they were hunting a girl of thirteen years. The commander in charge slaughtered her family, trying to flush her out and Warati took is personally. When the commander became severely injured by the recently exalted Solar, Warati literally sewed the commander's head to his ass, then walked out of the camp.

The next few years were filled with fleeing assassins from the enraged assassin, but he soon got involved with a small land war between two mortals. This turned into another war, then another. Somewhere in the middle of it, people became to call him "Healing Bastard" because of his poor bed-side manner but talent at healing. He followed the mercenary camps and the battles until his family finally forgot about him. In his mind, they abandoned him but he long since abandoned their ways.

Somewhere near his hundredth birthday, he formed his own mercenary company, "Bastard Sons," and became one of the first wing of combat healers in the Threshold. He also formed a small house in the Wood Direction which he calls home. It is a small mansion and tower, abandoned over a century before he took over it.

[edit] Twenty-Nine More Wives

Bastard's compassion frequently took the best of him. While he was brave and valorous, with a conviction to continue forward despite all odds, he became frequently driven by the need to help others. Those who died in his arms, he took personal blame for. Many times, they would give him a small trinket, begging for him to return it back home or to the ones they loved. At first, he gathered them into a large chest where he kept the last remains of his family belongings and seal, but the guilt grew too much and he began to seek out the men and women, to return the mementos In some cases, it was twenty years later. Since then, he always makes a point of returning every token given by a dying person to the ones they request.

In some cases, when he finally returned a small tag or doll to a daughter or wife, he found a mortal family struggling to barely survive. In many cases, he left a few of the men who were ready to retire in their place, but frequently he gave them a bit of the money he took from the battlefields to ensure they could handle the next season or to buy a little more seed. As the years passed on, he would return to the farms and families, helping them when they need it and protecting them from harm. It became his family, of sorts.

His men started to joke about it, calling the widows his "wives" and Bastard started to use the same term. For all but two of his wives, they are simply families he protects as his own family. In fact, when his wives are threatened, he is very aggressive in defending them, to the point of hiring mercenary companies to slaughter those hurting them.

In all, there are twenty-nine families that he protects.

[edit] The Ninth Wife

Bastard has been involved with five Wyld Hunts in his life. The viciousness and cruelty he saw in the first remained in all the others and he never wants to see another exalt hurt in the hunts. Somewhere aorund his 160th birthday, he refused to acknowledge the anathema. Instead, he would call them terrestrials trying anything for attention. He made it his personal goal to continually harass and insult them to remind them they need to remain hidden in the world.

One of the children who watched him bitch out someone "pretending" to be anathema would later exalted as a Gold Faction Sidereal. She also became his ninth wife and probably the only person he truly loves in the world.

[edit] Bastard

In the centuries of his life, his rough nature became his namesake. He was the "Healing Bastard" for the first century, then "Old Healing Bastard" in the next fifty years until he started to look like an old man. Now, he is known as "Ancient Healing Bastard" and that name suits him.

[edit] Healing

Bastard is a healer for most of his life. While his bed-side manner is the stuff of horrors, he is competent at what he does. He chooses to be rough and keep his healing just on the edge of pain, including shoving his fingers into the wounds as he heals them to twisting legs around before finally setting them, to remind people that they are mortal and that he always won't be around to heal them.

While he is highly compassionate, he is also rough. He will never take a life of any living creature (demon and undead don't count, of course) and will use the flat of his blade to ensure they don't die. He is also hard on those who prey on others, but he has a compassionate morality that makes many uncomfortable. In one case, he had four mortal bandits. He stripped them down and demanded questions. Those who answered, he just let go to run home. The fourth refused to answer anything, so he used his anima banner to burn the word "BANDIT" on his chest and forehead despite the screams from the now frantic man. When a group of people tried to stop him, he snapped at them even as he was healing the wound; he only did it to make sure the scar tissue would mark the man for the rest of his life. Then, he let the man run away for home, just like the others.

[edit] Personality

Bastard is exactly what he says he is, a bastard. He is rude and crude. With his advanced age, he feels that the world should be his and claims most places as "his." It is not uncommon, while helping someone, to claim to be doing it just to get them off his road or out of his woods. He has been also known to claim entire cities as his, not that anyone listens to him seriously after a while.

He goes out of his way to build up his "Bastard" persona, mainly to hide those he protects, but also because he doesn't want to me anyone savior. Instead, he tries to keep himself at the barely tolerable levels for anyone he deals with, where they have to seriously consider if they need him to heal or if it was just a wound they could live with.

[edit] Thoughts

With his age, Bastard keeps most of his thoughts on his memories: the battles he fought, the lives he failed to save on the battlefield, and those who died near him. He also thinks about his wives and their families. He also keeps very detailed journals, of every single battle he has been in, including his memories of a child. As soon as he fills one, he started on the next, keeping them underneath his armor until he can return home. There, he has a massive library with thousands of journals of almost every exalted, mortal, battle, and history he has experienced. This makes it a truly impressive library, but very few know of it.

[edit] Character Sheets

[edit] A New Chapter (243 years old, RY 768)

• Experience: 788 (7 unspent)
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 10
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 6 (21/38 + 0/15 committed)
• Attributes: Strength 4 (7 in TDA), Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 4 (+2 climbing), Awareness 1, Craft (Air) 2, Craft (Earth) 2, Craft (Fire) 2, Craft (Magitech) 4, Dodge* 6, Integrity 5, Larceny 5, Linguistics 5 (+2), Lore 5, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 6 (+3 field surgery), Melee* 6 (+2 short daiklave), Occult 4, Performance 1, Presence* 3 (+1 Inspire Troops), Resistance+ 6, Ride 1, Socialize* 3, Stealth 4, Survival 5, War+ 5
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: First Dodge Excellency, Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Threshold Warding Stance, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: Disease Banishing Technique, First Medicine Excellency, Grevious Wound Alteration, Infection Banishing Prana, Madness-Analyzing Stare, Purity of the Mind Method, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement, Third Medicine Excellency, Wound-Closing Touch
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, Third Melee Excellency
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency, Impervious Skin of Stone Meditation, Ox-Body (x6), Strength of Stone, Terrestrial Resistance Excellency, Third Resistance Excellency, Uneating Earth Meditation
  • War+: Enfolded in the Dragon's Wings
• Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 5, Temperance 3, Valor 5
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 5, Resources 5, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm, Skytongue, Flametongue, Seatongue, Old Realm
• Intimacies: His "wives", His troops, Love of his ninth wife, His daiklave, His Dragon-Armor, His home, Protect Hideki, Protect Rose, Protect Suku, Protect Kestrel, Protect Incense, Protect Ava, Protect Falcon, Protect Sarge
• Artifacts:
  • Armor Removal Procedure (ARP): Short Black Jade Daiklave, Artifact 1, Attunement 3
  • Touch and Die Fire Dragon Armor (TDA): Attunement 7
  • Life Saving Container: Resplendent Satchel of Healing, Attunement 5
• Join Battle: 4 (6 in TDA)
• DDV: 11
• Attacks:
  • Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 7B, PDV 2, Rate 2, Tags N
  • Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 4B, PDV 5, Rate 3, Tags N
  • ARP: Speed 3, Accuracy 16, Damage 9L, PDV 6, Rate 2
  • TDA Gauntlet: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 12B, PDV 4, Rate 3, Tags N
  • TDA Boot: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 13B, PDV 2, Rate 2, Tags N
  • TDA Flame Talons: Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 13L, PDV 6, Rate 3, Tags MN
  • TDA ARP: Speed 3, Accuracy 16, Damage 13L, PDV 6, Rate 2
• Soak: 16L/17B (+14L/13B TDA)
• Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/I

[edit] Ancient and Still a Bastard (243 years old, RY 768)

• Experience: 700 (2 unspent)
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 10
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 6 (21/53)
• Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 4 (+2 climbing), Awareness 1, Craft (Air) 2, Craft (Earth) 2, Craft (Fire) 2, Craft (Magitech) 4, Dodge* 6, Integrity 5, Larceny 5, Linguistics 5 (+2), Lore 5, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 6 (+3 field surgery), Melee* 6 (+2 short daiklave), Occult 4, Performance 1, Presence* 3, Resistance+ 6, Ride 1, Socialize* 3, Stealth 3, Survival 5, War+ 5
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: First Dodge Excellency, Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Threshold Warding Stance, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: Disease Banishing Technique, First Medicine Excellency, Grevious Wound Alteration, Infection Banishing Prana, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement, Third Medicine Excellency, Wound-Closing Touch
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, Third Melee Excellency
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency, Impervious Skin of Stone Meditation, Ox-Body (x6), Strength of Stone, Terrestrial Resistance Excellency, Third Resistance Excellency, Uneating Earth Meditation
• Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 5, Temperance 3, Valor 5
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 5, Resources 5, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm, Skytongue, Flametongue, Seatongue, Old Realm
• Intimacies: Hatred of Hesiesh, His "wives", His troops, Healing those on battlefields, Love of his ninth wife, His daiklave, His Dragon-Armor, His home, His memories, Being an ass, Being a bastard, Being difficult

[edit] Just a Bastard (190 years old, RY 615)

• Experience: 525 (9 unspent)
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 10
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 5 (20/49)
• Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 3 (+2 climbing), Dodge* 5, Integrity 5, Larceny 4, Linguistics 5 (+2), Lore 5, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 5 (+3 field surgery), Melee* 5 (+2 short daiklave), Occult 2, Performance 1, Presence* 3, Resistance+ 5, Ride 1, Socialize* 3, Stealth 3, Survival 5, War+ 5
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: First Dodge Excellency, Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Threshold Warding Stance, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: Disease Banishing Technique, First Medicine Excellency, Grevious Wound Alteration, Infection Banishing Prana, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement, Third Medicine Excellency, Wound-Closing Touch
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, Third Melee Excellency
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency, Impervious Skin of Stone Meditation, Ox-Body (x2), Strength of Stone, Terrestrial Resistance Excellency, Third Resistance Excellency, Uneating Earth Meditation
• Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 5, Temperance 3, Valor 5
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 5, Resources 5, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm, Skytongue, Flametongue, Seatongue, Old Realm
• Intimacies: Hatred of Hesiesh, His "wives", His troops, Healing those on battlefields, Love of his ninth wife, His daiklave, His Dragon-Armor, Being a bastard, Being an ass

[edit] The Old Bastard (130 years old, RY 655)

• Experience: 350 (2 unspent)
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 10
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 4 (19/44)
• Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 3 (+2 climbing), Dodge* 5, Integrity 5, Larceny 4, Linguistics 5 (+2), Lore 5, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 5 (+3 field surgery), Melee* 5 (+2 short daiklave), Occult 2, Performance 1, Presence* 3, Resistance+ 5, Ride 1, Socialize* 3, Stealth 3, Survival 5, War+ 5
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: First Dodge Excellency, Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: First Medicine Excellency, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement, Third Medicine Excellency
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, Third Melee Excellency
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency, Terrestrial Resistance Excellency, Third Resistance Excellency
• Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 5
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 3, Resources 5, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm, Skytongue, Flametongue, Seatongue, Old Realm
• Intimacies: Hatred of Hesiesh, His "wives", His troops, Healing those on battlefields, Love of his ninth wife, His daiklave, Being a bastard

[edit] Sixty Years Later (74 years old, RY 599)

• Experience: 175
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 9
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 3 (17/37)
• Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 3, Dodge* 5, Integrity 4, Linguistics 4, Lore 4, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 5 (+3 field surgery), Melee* 5, Performance 1, Presence* 2, Resistance+ 5, Ride 1, Socialize* 3, Stealth 2, Survival 4, War+ 4
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: First Dodge Excellency, Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: First Medicine Excellency, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement, Third Medicine Excellency
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, Third Melee Excellency
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency, Terrestrial Resistance Excellency, Third Resistance Excellency
• Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 3, Valor 4
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 3, Resources 5, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm, Skytongue
• Intimacies: Hatred of Hesiesh, His "wives", His troops, Healing those on battlefields

[edit] Newly Exalted (14 years old, RY 539)

• Experience: 0
• Type: Terrestrial (Fire)
• Willpower: 8
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 2 (15/31)
• Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 4, Wits 3
• Abilities: Archery 1, Athletics* 0, Dodge* 4, Integrity 3, Linguistics 3, Lore 3, Martial Arts 1, Medicine+ 5 (+2 field surgery), Melee* 5, Performance 1, Presence* 1, Resistance+ 4, Ride 1, Socialize* 2, Stealth 1, Survival 3, War+ 3
• Charms:
  • Dodge*: Terrestrial Dodge Reinforcement, Third Dodge Excellency
  • Medicine+: First Medicine Excellency, Terrestrial Medicine Reinforcement
  • Melee*: First Melee Excellency, Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement
  • Resistance+: First Resistance Excellency
• Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 3
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Artifact 3, Resources 3, Command 3
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm
• Intimacies: Fight for the 19th Legion, Obey his commander, Hatred of Hesiesh

[edit] 19th Legion Private (14 years old, RY 539)

• Experience: 0
• Willpower: 8
• Essence (Personal/Peripheral): 1 (0/0)
• Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 3, Wits 3
• Abilities: Dodge 4, Integrity 3, Linguistics 3, Lore 3, Medicine* 5 (+2 field surgery), Melee 5, Resistance 4, Survival 3, War 3
• Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 3
• Backgrounds: Breeding 5, Resources 2
• Languages: Low Realm (native), Riverspeak, Forest-tongue, High Realm
• Intimacies: Fight for the 19th Legion, Obey his commander