Caltharsis Sycamore

Physical Appearance

• Short pale green hair with longer bangs on right side
• Green eyes
• Fair skinned with a pale complexion
• Medium in height, 5'7"
• Physically fit with a slender build
• Pierced ears
• Green triangular markings under both eyes

Clothing Style

Caltharsis tends to wear clothing fitting of a royal forest elf. These tend to consist of green finely made jackets/vests over loose sleeved, light colored tunics. He'll wear light brown or beige colored pants with leather boots in cooler weather or form fitting shorts with boots in warmer weather or go barefoot when outdoors on his own free time. When addressing non-elves, he will always wear a white mask in accordance with tradition. While serving as king, he would wear a simple gold circlet woven with thin vines. His earrings would often be gold with white crystals.

Now that he is on the run, he wears a simple green tunic with shorts and a white short cloak with a high collar and a light blue brooch. He sometimes travels without shoes, although he does have a pair of leather boots for non-grassy terrain. Around each wrist he wears green wristbands woven from leaves and ivy, and he wears silver earrings with white/faintly blue crystals. He also keeps his mask worn and does not take it off until he and his companions are in a safe place alone.

He goes through a few mild outfit changes throughout the course of his journey, but the overall style/composition remains about the same.

Personality

Caltharsis is a headstrong and bold leader who holds himself with a mature and confident air. He always maintains a respectful and dignified demeanor, although he is never condescending to anyone technically beneath him, even humans. He is very patient and does not lose his temper easily, so he is capable of keeping a level head in even the most stressful situations. Caltharsis is loyal to his people and whomever earns his trust, and he is fiercely protective of his friends and allies. Although he comes off as a bit stiff and serious to those who don't know him well, those close to him know he's a very kind and down to earth person who is rather easy to approach and speak with. He may seem rather emotionless at times to strangers, for ever since the fall of the forest kingdom he's only remained emotionally open to Marlex. He is not a cold person, but he keeps his deep and sensitive feelings to only his most trusted of friends as more of a coping mechanism for the loss they have endured. 

Caltharsis is an eloquent and clever leader who always thinks of the good of whomever he is with before himself. He tends to think things through first in order to make a safe approach and not put his allies at risk, but he is capable of making good snap-judgment calls when in stressful situations. He usually tries to be diplomatic first when encountering others, but he will not hesitate to defend himself or his allies if needed. He does not crumble easily against threats, insults, or danger, and he is not one to back down from his goals. As a leader he was well respected for his ability to remain cool and calm amidst adversity, and he has a focused mind that is not easily distracted by unimportant details or sidetracking temptations. His greatest weakness at the moment seems to be dealing with the situation at hand with the human empire. Although Caltharsis has been doing alright with bottling up his emotions to keep focused to his objective, he can become lost or aimless when he's not sure how to proceed. He can normally come up with a good plan of action, but the few times when he's uncertain can really affect his confidence. He considers himself responsible for dealing with the empire for the sake of his shattered kingdom, and the weight of such a burden can cause him to doubt his capabilities. Marlex is usually the one that can help reassure him and provide him encouragement to keep going, so his loyalty to his friend is stronger than any other.

His fighting style consists primarily of keeping his distance and using thrown, conjured poison knives to pick off enemies from afar and stifle their movements with the effect of the venom, which makes melee combat easier when his opponents are crippled. He is skilled in close combat with daggers as well if needed, and he uses his agility to sneak in blows while avoiding attacks. Compared to his other two companions, he has the highest resilience and physical strength, yet he is still rather light weight and slender and avoids heavily armored enemies or very physical confrontations if possible.

Abilities

• Arbyr rifting - rank 2/5
• Poyson rifting - rank 3/5
• Skilled in hand to hand combat and with daggers/knives, both in melee combat and throwing them
• Competent in archery, although he prefers not to use it as a primary combat skill
• Physically agile, flexible, well balanced, and has quick reflexes

Strengths

• Level headed, focused, clever, and quick witted
• Confident, determined, and loyal
• Compassionate, down to earth, and humble
• Eloquent, meticulous, and resourceful

Weaknesses

• Although confident once he has a goal in mind, he can sometimes be aimless and self-doubting when he feels he's not making enough progress
• Very emotionally stiff from built up stress and tends to bottle up his feelings to maintain a strong exterior
• A bit too serious at times, tends to feel responsible for everyone around him, and often blames himself even for problems out of his control
• Can be overly-trusting and a little naive about the dark nature of some people at times

Backstory

Caltharsis grew up the beloved prince of the western forest kingdom of Rulvian, and he spent much of his time rounding out his skills in combat, diplomacy, leadership, and minor nature magic. During his teen years, he befriended Marlex Lilac, a young commoner of the forest elves that often passed by the palace. Upon discovering Marlex was struggling to get by after a human attack on his village left him homeless and without a family, Caltharsis insisted upon taking Marlex in and allowing him residence in the palace. He took it upon himself to mentor the young elf in archery, and to his delight Marlex surpassed his own skills over time.

His friendship with Marlex would prove invaluable after another human attack resulted in the death of the king, leaving Caltharsis to ascend the throne. After much hard work, Caltharsis settled into his role well and maintained a general peace over his kingdom for several years. However, in recent times the peace was shattered again after a devastating invasion by the human kingdom of Kenadrie. Since their past attacks, the Kenadrie have built themselves into an empire with unprecedented technology and weaponry, and the forest kingdom fell under their occupation, leaving the majority of the elven population slain or enslaved. Caltharsis and Marlex were of the few that managed to escape capture, and the two have since been on the run from the humans still hunting them.

The two currently continue their travels as they seek out the Ancients. Legends tell of the deities that created the earth long ago, and how the gods of justice and harmony lay dormant somewhere in the land. However, the only people that would know the whereabouts of their resting places are the dark elves, whose kingdom has since been destroyed by the Kenadrie. There are rumors though of the last dark elf royal, prince Arlyth, who has survived the invasion. Caltharsis and Marlex now seek him out as their only hope to find the Ancients and put a stop to the empire's tyranny.

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