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To be born royalty is a dream for most, with all the pampering and easy life that entails, but it never suited Prince Barric Grayson. Barric was a driven young man, who from his earliest memories badly wanted to rise to the equal of the greatest knights and heroes of the Compact. He remembered the mutters of the men-at-arms and commoner soldiers as some of his relatives (including the crown prince, Prince Alaric IV) would ignore practice and embrace idolent passtimes and worthless pursuits, while the true warriors would drill for future battles with the shavs. He remembers the other soldiers holding their peace but clearly regarding their future king as a faineant, while Barric and his cousin Dawn would drill relentlessly with Duke Bisland or Lord Commander Dayne Valardin. Moreover, Barric saw first hand the inspiring mettle of the forces of the Faith, the templars and the knights of solace, working alongside the forces of House Grayson to drive back brutal shav forces from the Gray Forest and noted how it seemed like so few of the commanders came fro the highest of noble blood. It was crushingly depressing to Barric to see how many vassals of House Grayson clearly idolized Duke Gabriel Bisland or servants of the crown, or had great veneration for the old king Alaric III, but or had tremendous respect for the old king's illegitimate daughter Dawn, but no true born Grayson of the newest generation was inspiring that same loyalty. It drove Prince Barric with a grim determination to be the equal of the great knights that had come before, and he took shameless advantage of being distant enough from the line of succession as a mere second-cousin to the king to be bold on the field of battle. A campaign against the shavs of the Gray Forest was enough to win Prince Barric the renown and respect from Grayson soldiers, and personally slaying a shav warchief in single combat earned him a truly embarrassing amount of praise and recognition from his distant cousin, King Alaric IV. Barric didn't particularly want fame and didn't desire anything more than to become a great knight, but Alaric IV almost capriciously named him the Sword of Bastion, making him the ceremonial champion of House Grayson. In many ways, it was everything Barric ever wanted, but in other ways it almost infuriated him. He's now wielding the same sword as Queen Alarice the Great and he felt all he had to do it was to kill one drunken Abandoned chief in a duel. He took the sword, but having that high an honor bestowed upon him just so Alaric IV could win more applause from the people of Arx still grates upon him, feeling like he could hear the whispers of the common soldiers how he got the honor too young and too fast just because his last name was Grayson, and maddening to Barric knowing that it was partly true. But he took the sword, and now he'll show that he is worthy of it.

A perfect mix of Hero of Old and Charming Prince, Barric has the look of the most courtly patron, with the soul of a time where men viewed Duty and Honor as highly as Glory. Black hair, kept in a neat military cut gives his face a slightly severe look. His bright blue eyes shimmer with a life of their own, whether in the rare glimpses of boyish joy, or in their typical focused determination, evaluating a situation quickly. His smiles, though tending to be rare, are brilliant things, giving people pause to wonder. His strong jaw and broad frame are the things artist consider when creating art of the legends of old, with graceful movements and powerful motions. {w({nHe is completely clean-shaven, meticulously so, not a single hair to be found on his face or jaw.{w){n

Barric Greyson is a man of pure blood, noble heritage, and an almost out of place drive to prove that he deserves them. He doesn?t view himself as superior, necessarily, but he sees his birth as a responsibility to fulfill, to be a protector of the people. Divine right comes with divine responsibility and he puts every effort into his study of the sword. He is a formidable warrior, because he has put in the practice to be so, leading by example, never shirking or trying to find the fast track. His courtly etiquette is beyond reproach, viewing the niceties as an honor to fulfill, and respect to give. In his mind, Glory will come, after Duty and Honor, and that is what made the Heroes of Old great. It is not something to seek out, but a natural result, and he remains humble when it is received. He feels there is a time and a place for everything, and when something happens out of that natural order, it sets him off balance and he can feel lost in situations far removed from the battlefields he knows. Being named Sword of Bastion was meant to be, but not until he had truly proven himself, so now he works twice as hard to be where he should have been to truly earn it. Outside of duty and honor, he finds great joy in the simple pleasures, enjoying the company of his fellows, but refuses to become the idle rich, having no patience for it and almost feels guilty when he finds any idle moments.