Ruval Longhaft
| Ruval Longhaft | |
|---|---|
| Social Rank | 8 |
| Fealty | Crownsworn "Crownsworn" is not in the list of possible values (Redrain, Valardin, Grayson, Thrax, Pravus, Lyceum, Crown) for this property.
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| House | Longhaft |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 32 |
| Religion | Shamanism |
| Vocation | Soldier |
| Height | 6'0" |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Amber |
| Skintone | Olive |
| Journals | |
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Description
A reasonably built man with the look of a fighter or at least an athlete about him. Standing at six feet tall (1.82 meters) he has olive skin suggesting Lycene heritage, paired with black hair and bright amber eyes. His hair is cropped short to just past the jawline, but pulled back and largely kept behind his ears. His features are somewhat sharp with a rounded chin. He has what seems to be a permanent scruff of dark stubble on his face, short enough it can't be grabbed but also long enough to show little concern for appearances. He has an accent suggesting he's not a native Arvani speaker while still fluent. His most distinctive characteristic is a tattoo on his upper right arm and shoulder, which for those versed in such matters, would be recognizable as the type of tattoos found among Crownlands Shavs yet faded with time.
Personality
He is a pragmatic survivalist with a sense of honor, a deep respect for nature and it's gifts, and generally easy-going socially. Known to carouse at times he does have a good head on his shoulders as well and tends to avoid conflicts when he can, but isn't above it if the situation or job calls for it. He has a strong protective instinct when it comes to those he is close to, and prefers to avoid situations and jobs that are more trouble than they are worth if he can help it.
Background
Ruval was born into the Abandoned tribe of his father located in the Gray Forest in the eastern area of the holdings of House Leary. His father found his mother, a Lycene Abandoned who's tribe was located somewhere in the northern area of the holdings of House Gilden, and brought her back to his own tribe. Ruval's mother was found in poor shape and alone, but not in serious condition. It was assumed by the tribe that she either got lost after a failed raid, was kicked out by her own tribe, or simply left her own tribe to seek out another and spent several days to maybe a week or two in the wilds alone.
Her skills as a survivalist would even be largely passed on to her son through practical training. Ruval had a largely typical upbringing in his tribe, learning to be a spear hunter and warrior like his father. Ruval would lose his father when he was fourteen during a raid on Compact lands, while his mother would die two years later of illness. Ruval was also close with his paternal grandfather who died of old age when Ruval was ten, these three proved to be Ruval's world and taught him collectively everything he knows. When he was eighteen, Ruval ran into a bit of trouble of his own. He was banished from his tribe's lands for accidentally killing another member of the tribe during a sparring match, where he overestimated his opponent's skill and delivered a strike he expected his opponent to dodge when instead his victim was distracted by the skill and speed of the strike and took the blow in full resulting in the death. This began his period of travel, initially seeking another tribe to join these attempts failed due to differing beliefs, a lack of shared communication, the tribe in question not being able or willing to take him in, or simply failing to meet the requirements to join said tribe.
With no other options left the young man would pass into the lands of the Compact, and using his passable fluency in Arvani learned from his mother he bent the knee to the Crown to gain the legal protections Prodigals possess and began to work as a traveling sellsword and general man-for-hire. From rescuing cats from trees to assisting in a few skirmishes and acting as a body guard, Rugal would take any job that wasn't illegal and that paid enough to be worth his time.
As time passed he gradually used his earnings to slowly improve his possessions from clothing to improving the basic spear he started with to a glaive, to even some armor. During this time he developed a reputation as someone who was not only not a threat to the Compact but also a reasonably dependable man for odd jobs. It was also in this time he would gain the nickname 'Long Haft' given to him by people seeing him pass through semi-regularly but didn't know his name. He would later adopt this as his surname as he originally didn't have one.
When he was twenty-five Rugal helped the local lords fend off a band of raiders that attacked a village, after the fight he discovered a girl who was eleven hiding under her parent's bed. Finding the girl had no family left, as the last were killed in the raid before they arrived, Rugal took it upon himself to adopt the girl. While the locals initially didn't like the idea, as none of them offered to take her instead, and her having no other family Rugal simply told them "You call me a savage yet you won't even open your homes to an orphan with no one left in this world?" The bold statement not only shamed the villagers but even the local lord was impressed enough to rule in Rugal's favor. The girl named Bellisma would go on to travel with Rugal, learning from him how to survive on her own until they made their way back to Arx, where Ruval had managed to afford a place to live.
The girl would often be at Ruval's side at all times until she was thirteen when se started to live by herself when he was off on more dangerous jobs, as Ruval made it clear to his neighbors that however they treated the girl he would treat them the same, if they left her alone he'd leave them alone, if they were nice to her he'd be nice to them. And less than subtly if they tried to harm her in any shape or form he would repayment in a less than peaceful fashion, which resulted in his neighbors largely either leaving the girl alone, being nice to her, and in some cases even checking in on her to make sure she was okay and even given her 'free meals' if she looked like she hadn't eaten in awhile. In truth the meals weren't free, and Ruval would pay the full price for the supplies given to her when he returned.
Ruval quickly became a second father to Bellisma to the point she even started to address him as her father along with treating him as one. Despite the fact he was to young to be her biological father, the two carried on like father and daughter as much or more than actual family. It is clear to any who see the two together that neither of them would be able to just move on if they lost the other.
As Bellisma herself became an adult by Compact law she has decided to continue to live with Ruval, at least till she finds someone to marry, though whether anyone will try with a tall man carrying a glaive with him playing the role of father is anyone's guess. Ruval himself has largely carried on the same, though he doesn't travel as much, and when he does he tends not to go as far, he still takes on jobs he approves of and take care of his daughter as best he can. Though he'd never admit it, Bellisma is so important to him because she is the daughter he could never have, while he's not impotent he is sterile and so cannot have children of his own. Some might argue about him being a Prodigal or about a Prodigal raising an Arvani child, but none can fault how he has raised the child or how much he'll go through to protect her.
