Arno

Personality

Quite an unpleasant guy. Because for the entire life he had to endure suffering and humiliation, now he enjoys hurting and humiliating people more than anything else. It gives him the feeling that he "repays" the world for what it did to him, but above all it gives him the feeling of being strong and powerful. Arno believes, that to be strong means t be able to dominate and and force one's will upon others, so he tries to do it with everybody around him.

Sickly ambitious, he wants to compete with everyone about everything. Any suggestion that he can't do something or that he might be too weak, any hint that someone could be better than him at ANYTHING makes him want to prove his worth and skill. He can't stand being laughed at, he'll break arms and legs of anyone who dares make fun of him.

He's selfish and arrogant, cares only for himself, many years ago he made a decision that this is the easiest, the best way of living and he keeps to it ever since. He probably could be responsible for others, but he simply doesn't want to. His childishly cruel and sadistic behavior is rather his choice than an inability to see things differently. As a young boy Arno has experienced so much hurt and abandonment, that he decided that it's best to care only for himself and be as aggressive towards the world, as the world was aggressive towards him.

Backstory

He was born in a small village outside Norbis, as one of a dozen kids. His family could barely make ends meet, many of his siblings didn't make it through the cold winters which cut the village from the whole world every year.

Arno learned pretty quickly that in this world you're either the strongest, or you aren't. You aren't at all. And that everything needs to be fought for. That's how it was in his world, the weak one always lost, no matter if it was dinner, money, teeth or life. His father prove it to him many times. Arno always felt guilty that he was too week o ever stand up to him (even though he was only a child) when he would get trunk and beat his mom and siblings. When he was older he was mad at himself for letting father drink himself to death instead of killing him himself. He felt like he lost the possibility of revenge on someone he hated most in the entire world.

But it quickly turned out that it wouldn't be so simple anyway. After father;s death Arno's mother got herself with another man. He wouldn't drink, but wasn't any better than Arno's father, as violent and cruel, he'd also beat him, humiliate him, starve him and regularly rmind him that he means nothing. Arno was too weak to stand up to him (he tied many times but it always ended up with him beaten almost to death). That only made him more certain that in life you need to fight for everything and every moment of weakness can cos you life.

When Arno was 16, his mother threw him out of the house. He was one of many middle sons, there was nothing to inherit anyway, no one needed him... To avoid having to feed him his mother ordered him to leave. It broke him, the boy has always felt close to her, he always tied to protect her and even wanted to risk himself for her... But those bonds were destroyed the moment she betrayed him. He decided to leave and never ever come back home again. And he never did.

He went to Norbis, a huge, lively city that seemed to give the possibilities his vilage didn't. But it was hard for him to get used to the faster pace, bigger crowds, different customs... What saved him was a fact that he was big and a good fighter, otherwise he wouldn't survive even a day with his ability to attract trouble... It also gave him an opportunity to even get some money. But Norbis was different from a village, here the merchants weren't so easy to mug and the criminals were more ruthless to the intruders on their territory. Life was getting hard, Arno was starting to think that maybe the city wasn't for him... But then someone gave him an idea to join the city guard.

It turned out to be a bull's eye. Arno seemed to be made for the place where survival depended only on strength. He turned out to have a talent for combat and was a quick learner, which soon made him one of the finest warriors in the guard.

He was driven by ambition, he always wanted to be the best, better than everyone, especially those who had it "easier in life". He hated everyone who was born in a rich family, who had a better start. He despised anyone who didn't get everything they had with hard work.

Then he started to despise everyone. He realised that for the first time in his life he has money, and money gave him something he's always dreamed of: power. Power to rule others, to give orders, to be listened... It became his addiction, the need to dominate everyone, whether it was colleagues who he could even beat to death if they contradicted him or prostitutes who had to fulfill his sick fantasies because he payed so much they couldn't refuse, was so great that soon he started to be feared, but also fearfully respected.

Then again, not by everyone.