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Honor. Honor above all. Born on May 26th, 985 AR to Prince Robert Valardin and Lady Helene Telmar, Bruce was the firstborn but grew up knowing he'd never inherit title or land. Instead, he was prepared for a life of chivalry, nursed by tales of Oathlands heroism and knighthood. He was riding by the age of five and learning how to wield a longsword by eight. At ten, he became the squire of Lord Gregor Steelhart the Chillhearted, a renowned knight and swordsman. It was a busy childhood of martial training, studying warfare, extensive conditioning and prayer. Though even now, he holds those hazy memories close of warm summers spent at the river with friends and family outside of the Capital, and along the coast outside of High Hill. His peaceful childhood was not to last. Knighted at sixteen, Bruce took up the sword for his family and began his career in earnest. It was only a year later when the Tragedy in Sanctum occured. His mother and father lay dead, along with Prince Radley Valardin and most of his immediate kin. The newly knighted Oathlander had been away in the Gray, partaking in Compact operations against hostile abandoned. When the news reached him, it changed the young man forever. 1006 AR. Bruce was a mounted knight in the Silent War, twenty one years old. He fought in countless skirmishes in the Northlands, the Gray, and finally in the Crownlands, culminating in the Siege of Arx. Months of his life had been spent waging war against Tolamar Brand and his forces. Yet there was never any respite. The following years were spent in small campaigns among Valardin forces, the Compact and Templars, fighting hostile Abandoned and cultists throughout central and western Avrum. A week before his birthday, in May 1008 AR, Bruce served under High Lord Edain Valardin in the Gyre War. Though the city burned and the losses were extraordinary, the battle-hardened knight survived and rode down the Gyre's fleeing troops alongside his comrades. In less than three years, he had participated in two grand wars that shaped the future of the Compact. And he lived. Bruce had earned a name for himself with his exploits among knightly circles and Valardin forces; a veteran of wars, countless campaigns and dozens if not hundreds of skirmishes with abandoned and brigand alike. He gave the Pantheon praise, Oathlands Orthodox through and through, living without a fear of death after experiencing so much in his young life. It took the Battle of High Hill Crossing to humble him. He was twenty six years old, a small unit commander among the united forces of Valardin and Telmar. He had recently learned of High Hill's fall to shav forces, and the massacre of House Steelhart; so many friends, comrades, good men, dead. He yearned for revenge. In his anger, he forgot the Faith's teachings. And he payed. Nearly a thousand allied troops died in that ambush, among them Prince Caius Valardin and Duke Arn Telmar, both kin to Bruce. His leg was shattered in battle by a mighty blow, a serious injury that would fully heal, but that left him bedridden for the better part of a year. His countenance grew more serious, stern. He lost that youthful charm and cocky posture. Prayer was his solace. He thought of all the brothers and sisters in arms that he had lost throughout the years. Slain family members, allies, friends, fellow knights and Oathlanders. It's during this time in which he realized that for him, war would never be over. In the years since, Bruce returned to combat and his knightly pursuits, training and assisting in the Compact's campaigns against abandoned and foreign foes whenever able. And now, he has traveled to Arx in order to get more directly involved in the coming wars. Foes surround Avrum, the Compact, Valardin. From within and without. Bruce wants to play his part; for the sake of honor, virtue, justice. He will lead his people to victory.

Standing a head above most other men, big and thewy, this man's stout frame speaks of a hard, tumultuous life. His rounded skull has been shorn close, dusted by a cropping of light-brown hair. Thick, short, darker hairs crest the ridge of his brow; a pair of long jagged scars cut vertically through his left brow, pale with the passage of time, but still marring his flesh forever. Below, his eyes are olive green orbs, a dark green with tinges of yellow spiralling throughout. Rugged and squared, a defined jawline and flat, dimpled chin mark the boundaries of his craggy visage. His nose is a bit small for his face, straight bridged and upturned, set above pale, fleshy lips. His skin, though naturally light and fair, has for the most part been tanned evenly by the sun during his many days in the field. He sports the sort of frame you'd expect from a farmhand, thick limbs and hard muscle hewn by years of extensive training and conditioning. A bullish neck, bluish veins visible, expands into the broad of his shoulders and the sheer width of his chest and solid torso. Powerful arms lead into a pair of meaty and calloused hands which are littered by countless pale scars and dents. Dense thighs and athletic calves taper down into his feet, supporting the man's sheer bulk.

Bruce was a rowdy child. Despite his rigorous training and studies, he was a big personality, always quick to laugh and have fun. Ambitious, driven, focused. He was an accomplished squire, a talented horseman and a skilled swordsman. The Tragedy and abrupt death of his parents shook him, but he braved it. Shrugged it off, smiled and inspired confidence in his family and friends. He was studious, pious, courageous, exceptionally big and strong. Everything a family could ask for in a young knight. When he rode off to fight for months at a time in the Silent War, Gyre War, or in the countless campaigns against hostile abandoned, it slowly steeled his resolve. He proved himself time and time again in fiery combat. He survived. But it changed him. He became more quiet, reserved, stoic. The smiles came farther and fewer between. After High Hill, Bruce never returned to his former self. He's grizzled, stern, a bit distant. While there's still life to the veteran knight, it takes time to bring it out.