Qohrkhon Suahrd-eck-Bluhd / Remusian / Military Guard

Name: Qohrkhon (Qohrk) Suahrd-eck-Bluhd

Gender: Male

Age: 23

Race: Human

Tribe: Remusian

Occupation: Military Guard

Title: Small-Minded Traditionalist

Overview: A career soldier, Qohrk goes where he is sent by his superiors and holds a traditional Remusian view of the world. Men are superior to women and the Remusians are superior to all others, whether they are from the other ice tribes, other human tribes, or one of the other races. Skilled with sword and shield and in unarmed combat, this short, tradition-bound, dark haired and eyed Remusian is completely lost when he finds himself in a situation not involving combat.

Appearance
Height: 1 ped, 1 fore, 2 palmspans
Weight: 1 pygge, 2 hebs, 1 hafeb, 1 od
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark blue

Physical Appearance
Being of below average height, and slighter of build than the norm for a Remusian, people would be excused for thinking Qohrk is a push over. This is a mistaken impression, however, as Qohrk is in the prime of his life and possesses strong corded muscles on his arms, legs and torso. His body is marred by a life of combat since his middle childhood, with several cuts, bruises and other small injuries covering his body from his shoulder blades down.

Qohrk's facial features are classically Remusian, seemingly chiseled out of the ice from which the Remusians eek out their existence. His black hair is shoulder length and is in a pony tail, wrapped in leather made of Wison pelt and tied to his tunic. His dark blue eyes seem to stare frostily and with disdain at strangers to Remusian lands, although these same eyes can be filled with pleasure when he ponders his homeland.

Clothing
As with his looks, practices and beliefs, Qohrk dresses traditionally for a Remusian in clothes that are made of the conventional materials of his tribe. His clothes cover every bit of his body during the colder months of the year. During the warmer months of the year, or on days when the temperature isn't quite as cold, he removes the outer layer of his clothes. When he is on duty, part of his clothing includes his leather armour provided by the Remusian Military.

On his head, Qohrk wears a cayowl made of cuncu wool sewed onto wison hide. This item of clothing is a hood that is used to keep his head and neck warm and dry and can be either tightened or loosened using a drawstring that is sewed into this tube-like item of clothing. When the drawsting is tightened, only his eyes are visible. When it is loosened, Qohrk's entire face can be observed.

Thick trousers made of icemut pelt and shirts made of pinnip skin form the layer closest to his body. The trousers reach all the way down to his boots while his shirts are long sleeved and reach his wrists. Qorhk's shirts and trousers are mostly dyed blue, and his leather boots have the blue of the Wison pelt about them.

His boots are made in the traditional manner and with the traditional materials. The outside of the boot is pinnip skin which is sown to a sharkskin sole. Inside this is a layer of icemut fur. Fitted within this boot is an inner boot made of sheepskin inside sown to an outer layer of Wilderon cat fur. These two layers of fur help to keep his feet warm, while the pinnip skin work to keep the inside of the boot, along with Qohrk's feet, dry.

Finally, when serving in the Military Guard, Qohrk wears the armour that identifies him as a member of the Remusian army. Boiled and hardened wison leather comprise what is essentially a leather breastplate, protecting his torso from his shoulder blades down to his upper legs. His shield is made of boiled and hardened wison leather as well and both have the Remusian coat of arms emblazened on them.

Personality
Qohrk is absolutely convinced of the superiority of Remusian men when compared to Remusian women, the members of other human tribes and the members of other races. This belief is at the forefront of his thinking and people who meet him are under no illusions as to his feelings and belief as he almost without exception sneers at and speaks down to any he comes in contact with .

Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
A Soldier's Life For Me - As is mandatory for all Remusian males, Qohrk served in the Remusian Army between the ages of fifteen and twenty. He found the life of a soldier suited him well and he signed on for further service at the end of the mandatory period. His time in the army taught him how to:
- operate as part of a military unit;
- depend on and be depended upon by others;
- care for equipment;
- set a camp which is both defendable and well set out; and
- establish and perform watch duties.
Should Qohrk ever find himself travelling with companions, each of these skills will be of benefit to himself and the group as a whole.

Swordsman - From a young age, Qohrk engaged in mock sword fights with his older brother, using a carved bone training sword. While this swordplay was never lethal, Qohrk and his brothers suffered from numerous scrapes and bruises whenever the swords struck unprotected flesh. This developed good hand-eye coordination in the youthful Remusian and laid a good foundation for his future service in the Remusian Army. During his service, he learnt to fight withthe Remusian warsword and shield. He is able to hold his own in a fight, using the sword for both offence and defence, with the shield being used as a second line of defence. This sword travels with Qohrk wherever he goes, and it identifies his bloodline. Thus, whether he is in service to the Remusian Army or not, he will have this sword with him.

Wrestler - As the youngest brother, Qohrk always grew up wrestling against brothers who were older, taller and stronger than him. So, Qohrk used cunning and guile to offset this disadvantage. In time, he bested them, and then proceeded to best others who lived in Sorsokon, even going on to be named champion. He gained similar accolades within his unit in the Remusian military during his mandatory service, and on his return home to compete for the approval of his future father in law, used the . While no good against an armed opponent, this can see him be successful against an opponent when neither have weapons for whatever reason.

Spearman - Since commencing his army service, Qohrk learnt how to use the spear in combat. Due to his shorter than normal height for a Remusian, Qohrk finds the spear somewhat unwieldy, and has therefore modified it to make the weapon shorter and more useable in combat. More often then not, he will lose his grip on his spear in battle and draw his sword in its place. While the sword is used by him in both attack and defence, the spear is used solely as an offensive weapon. If the spear gets lost, stolen or broken, he'll have to wait to modify a new one to his requirements due to his shorter than average height. He is far less skilled with the spear than he is with either the sword or in unarmed combat, and would only use the spear as a last resort, or in ceremonial situations. If Qohrk is involved in personal endeavours, he will not have the spear with him.

Punching Above His Weight - Qohrk's less than average height and slender build have made older brothers, fellow soldiers and enemies sometimes believe he would make an easy push over. If they go into training or combat against him with this attitude, they learn very early on this outward appearance disguises a great deal of strength. These were developed as a result of a childhood of pushing wison pelvis' plough through his father's fields. His athletic pursuits in wrestling also helped him to develop these sinewy muscles. This can help him in situations where strength is useful, such as taking on an opponent in unarmed combat, carrying heavy loads or holding doors shut against pursuers to allow companions to escape.

Leather Armour and Shield - Qohrkhon has been provided with leather armour and a shield by the Remusian Army, due to his service as a Military Guard. Both are made of wison leather that has been boiled and hardened and the armour has the Remusian coat of arms on it. If Qohrk is engaged in personal endeavours, he will not have his Remusian issued armour and shield with him.

Wife - On one of his visits home, Qohrk was told that a wife was picked for him. As he is now the heir to his father's line, he is responsible for continuing on the Suahrd-eck-Bluhd line. He performed well during the competion for his wife, besting the other eliglbe men in unarmed and armed combat and proving himself a suitable son-in-law to his new father-in-law.

Remusian Language - Qohrk is fluent in both the spoken and written forms of the Remusian dialect of the Ice Tribe language. While this isn't much of an advantage in his every day life among other Remusians, it is of advantage if he should find himself elsewhere in Caelereth or if he finds himself in the employ or companionship of those from other tribes or races, as he can act as a guide through Remusian lands and translate his native tongue into broken Tharian, which can hopefully be understood by others. He cannot read or write any languages other than Remusian.

Weaknesses
Military Mindset - His years in the military has led to him thinking of everything in terms of being military engagements. Encounters, camping for the night and travelling are all things that Qohrk does with a military point of view and precision. While this may be fine if his companions are also military types, it may not be the best of behaviours if he travels with others who aren't used to such precision, this could cause problems. These issues also extend to the type of language he uses. It is typically short, direct and too the point, without any consideration of the sensibilities of others, including women and children who may be within earshot.

Chauvinistic - When forced to deal anyone who is not a Remusian male, Qohrk's chauvinistic tendencies are laid bare for all to experience. Since an early age Qohrk was taught to believe that Remusians are superior to the other Ice Tribes and by extension to the other tribes of man. Additionally, as humans are the superior race of Caelereth, Qohrk believe he is at the very top of the pecking order of things along with his fellow Remusian males. Remusian women, in his view, need to be protected and have the primary duty of giving birth to Remusian children, teaching their daughters how to be wives and mothers and making sure the house is well maintained. In his dealings with men of other races and tribes, and women of all races and tribes, these opinions will come to the fore.

Small Fry - Even for a Remusian, Qohrk is short. Apart from the names he had been called growing up, he has found it has some implications for him in his chosen career. For example, his spear has to be shortened to enable him to wield it effectively. As a result, his reach with the spear is shorter than the reach of his military colleagues, enabling enemies to get closer to him. This also has implications for his normal everyday life as he is unable to reach as far as others.

Traditional - Thanks to their traditions, everyone in Remusian society knows their place and what is expected of them. It allows for their society to function properly, at least that's what Qohrk thinks. Unfortunately, at least to Qohrk's point of view, there are those who would bring about a fundamental change to their society, such as using the packox rather than the wison for various activities, and all this trading with people to the south ... people inferior to the Remusians in every way. Raised as a good Remusian boy and in the tradition Remusian way, Qohrk does not handle change well, especially change that he sees as unnecessary. It has worked well for centuries, the way things are, so why should they change things now? Why should they trade for items? Qohrk prefers the traditional way of doing things, including worshipping the traditional gods, eating traditional Remusian food and practicing the customs of his society. He really sees the changes as being bad for Remusian society. He lets others know his point of view on things and this can cause problems amongst companions.

DON'T CALL ME TINY! - Qohrk is extremely sensitive about being short, especially when compared to other mature Remusian males. Teasing or commentary about his height is likely to bring about a bloodied nose or worse to his tormenter. Consequently, he can

Doesn't speak Tharian fluently - Qohrk's native tongue is Remusian, and he has only been learning Tharian for a short time, and still struggles with speaking and understanding the language. This is no trouble in his homeland, but if he were to find himself outside of the bounds of his homeland and in Santharia, he'll struggle to follow instructions or carry out a conversation.

Military Service - Qohrk has continued to sign on to the Remusian Military as a Military Guard and as a result he has limited time to go about and do things that are of interest to him. While adventurers are free to come and go as they please, Qohrk has to be mindful of his obligations to his homeland and his superiors.

History
You are Qohrkhon Suahrd-eck-Bluhd, the youngest of three sons to Azikhon and his wife. Your father was overjoyed when you were born a boy and with the correct number of fingers and toes. You never knew your birth mother, she died before you turned three months old. As he didn't want to be without a valued resource, your father remarried soon after your mother died so that his house could be managed appropriately. This new wife was only ever called Sileeya and you had a traditional Remusian upbringing for Remusian boys alongside your older brothers, Azidyr (Azi) and Zakzhur (Zak).

From an early age, you and your older brothers, Azi and Zak, helped with the ploughing of your father's farm. You were small for your age and this led to ridicule and teasing from your brothers and other boys who lived in the area. This teasing made you struggle harder against others who were older, bigger and stronger than you and you grew up running, jumping, wrestling, fighting and competing against such individuals. You also trained with swords made out of bone against them, your size did not protect you from enduring the military games that went part and parcel with such an upbringing. At first, the others beat you handily, using their size and strength to their advantage and you nursed numerous injuries, mostly without complaint. In time, however, you started to hold your own, using your speed and agility to offset their size, age and experience, and soon discovered you had an unexpected resevoire of strength for someone of your size.

Your oldest brother, Azi, turned sixteen in the fulness of time and was given your father's Remusian warsword. The sword was returned to your family, with the news that your oldest brother had died in a skirmish against some orcs. He died without marrying or producing an heir, and so the sword was given to Zak as the new heir. At sixteen, Zak began his service to the military. In time, the sword was brought back and presented to your father. The story told to your father was that Zak was involved in a skirmish with some Tokarians and was killed. A year or two later, you turned sixteen and were given the sword.

You joined the military as a Wyshnir. As was the case for all your life, you were smaller than almost all of your colleagues and faced further riddicule as a result. The riddicule continued unabated until you bested the rest of your unit in unarmed combat, after which time you were held in higher regard by your companions. You successfully survived the five years of military service, received promotion to the rank of Wyshnir-eck-Honeyr and immediately signed on for an additional tour of duty. Unknown to you, you were being considered for transfer into the Military Guard and soon after signing up again, you were moved out of your unit into that different branch of the Remusian Army.

Now that you were 20, you were permitted to marry, and you went home to compete for a wife. A series of tests and competitions were held, and while you performed poorly in the archery event, you bested the other eligible young men in both the armed and unarmed combat contests. The father of your future wife was impressed with your display of prowess, decided that you would bring honour and glory to his family, and signed her daughter over to you as your partner. After a brief ceremony that paid homage to the Ice Tribe Pantheon, especially Chelinor, you were bonded to your wife. You, as first husband, laid with her on that first night, and you freely gave her to your father, as second husband, to lay with her the follwowing night. You needed an heir that would carry on your family name and ensure that 'Suahrd-eck-Bluhd' would not be lost to the winds of time.

Before long, a return to service was needed, and you left, in the knowledge that your wife was pregnant

Fighting Style
Qorhk's Fighting Style is reminiscent of infantry from all over Caelereth and is influenced greatly by the training he has received in the Remusian army. It needs to be considered in four areas:- Sword, Sword and Shield, Spear and Shield and Unarmed.

Remusian Warsword
If Qorhk is engaged in adventuring or fighting away from the Remusian military, and by himself, or with companions, he will only have the Remusian warsword with him and not the shield, spear or armour.

Remusian Warsword and Shield
The warsword is considered a side arm by the Remusians, secondary to the spear, lance or bow. In Qohrk's case, however, it is preferred over the spear due to his training in its use since an early age and his size. When using his warsword and shield, Qohrk takes the blow of enemies on his shield before striking out with his sword in a slashing motion. If he is beaten back by his opponent, he can take blows on his shield and parry them with his warsword. As well as being light enough to recover quickly from a failed strike, it is strong enough to cut through light mail with cuts and thrusts. When faced by opponents in heavier armour, Qohrk uses his speed and skill with sword and shield to tire out his opponent and wait for an opening to thrust the warsword through parts of the armour, ending the fight.

Spear and Shield
The spear is a piercing weapon and is traditionally the weapon of choice of Remusian soldiers. Unlike the sword, the spear has no defensive capability, and so when using the spear and shield, Qohrk uses his spear to stab at enemies, through their armour, and to keep them at a distance. He then uses his shield to protect himself and the warrior on his left side from the attack in reply from their enemies.

Unarmed Combat
By wrestling against older other brothers, Qohrk has been trained in unarmed combat since a young age against people that were older and stronger than him. As a result, Qohrk can never really be considered unable to protect himself in any situation. Although not much good when faced by an armed combatant, against unarmed opponents he has been able to survive long enough to get to his sword, or in the very least prevent an opponent getting to their weapons. Qohrk has learned a variety of throws, strikes, punches, kicks and holds that he uses when necessary either against an unarmed opponent in competition or in combat.

Weapons
Sword: This is a Remusian warsword made out of Gathorn iron. At approximately one palmspans under three fores in length, the sword has fairly standard measurements for this type of weapon. It is a family heirloom, which worked its way down to Qohrk after his oldest brothers were both killed in combat without marrying or having an heir.

Spear: This weapon has a carteloreen bone shaft and a metallic head that has been barbed with two points. To account for his shorter height, the spear's shaft has been made shorter to enable Qohrk to use it effectively.

Armour
Leather Armour: This is issued by the Remusian military and is from the boiled and hardened hide of a wison. The armour gives protection to his torso, from his shoulder blades down to his upper legs. The Armour has the Remusian coat of arms on it.

Leather Shield: As is the case with the leather armour, the leather of his shield is from a wison. It has been boiled and hardened and stretched over a bone frame. This shield is small and circular, allowing him to move it quickly without sacrificing too much of his speed and agility.

Belongings