Editing Shattered Lands (section)

=====Topher's character:=====
[[File:AureusColor.jpg]]

[[Shattered_Lands/AureusHaaku]]



'''Background''':

Aureus Haaku Khefrotep Dark Moons (Night Runner tribe) was born to a human mother (a Dune Trader) who trafficked with the Night Runner tribe of elves.  His father was aware of his existence, but remained out of touch.  Aureus' only memory of his father is as a silhouette against the setting sun.  His mother, Rassis Khefrotep, told Aureus stories about both of his lineages, going so far as to give him the elven name Haaku (means Two Daggers... she claimed that Aureus' father suggested the name before departing and never returning), should he choose to try and follow that lineage.  He has never felt truly human or elf, and even as a young boy showed signs of withdrawing into himself.  It's as though he wages an inner battle between his two bloodlines, refusing to get too close to others emotionally for fear of finally embracing a lineage and shunning those close to him who don't fit his potential new life.  He even grew distant from his mother, perhaps echoing a stoicism inherited from his father.

He grew up among trade caravans and nomads, learning games of chance and how to handle a blade along the way.  As he grew into maturity, Aureus began running with the trade caravan scouts, learning about the fierce moods of nature and the harshness of the desert.  He learned techniques for trapping water condensation and for getting a feel for sand shifting beneath his feet from skulking predators as well as fleeing prey.  Eventually he began to lead scouting parties and hunts.  He was also making a name for himself as bladesman (haven't decided what exactly he'll fight with... thinking a pair of kukri-like things... or a sword and dagger), and could hold his own among his peers in sparring matches.  

Time in small towns and settlements intrigued him, and Aureus would often employ natural charm and sleight-of-hand tricks to earn extra money from townsfolk.  Though he ran with Dune Traders, he didn't always live up to their philosophy of honest dealings with friend and stranger alike.  His travels with the caravan took him to small pockets of civilization that hinted at a completely other side of life than he had come to know.  He longed for a change.

The change that came was not what he expected.  The trade caravan he ran with was set upon by Draji slavers.  His mother was cut down in the attack, and many who he had grown up with perished defending themselves. Aureus was among the few that survived the carnage and was taken as a slave to Draj.

In the Draj slave markets, Aureus caught the eye of a merchant looking to bolster his guard ranks.  After a time, Aureus' sleight-of-hand skills, as well as his knowledge of lockpicking and disarming traps came to be recognized by his master.  The merchant-prince began tasking Aureus with delicate jobs dealing with rival merchants or beneficiaries who had neglected to pay back their debts.  He took to maintaining the role of a good natured juggler and practitioner of coin and card tricks as a hanger-on to the merchant-prince, while being a silent assassin against said merchant-prince's enemies.  He came to revel in his dual-life, feeling parallels to his dual heritage, and using the assassination missions as a channel to focus his rage and anger at the attack on his mother's trade caravan.   

He developed a handful of contacts in the shadier parts of the city.  Some were informants, others were literal partners in crime who assisted in his missions.  A few became trusted colleagues who Aureus was able to find time to work with on endeavors of their own.

Eventually, however, Aureus ran afoul of the merchant-prince.  He seduced the merchant-prince's niece and had a night of intoxicated passion with her.  It's not clear what enraged the merchant-prince more, the "ravaging" or the intoxication of his niece, but either way Aureus found himself on the out.  Technically freed by the merchant-prince, his former master pulled strings and has arranged for Aureus to fight for his life in the arena.  The fighting chance for survival is the merchant-prince's way of acknowledging the services Aureus performed for him.

'''Personality:'''

Aureus is constantly torn between two worlds and is always seeking a distraction from that turmoil.  He hasn't yet matured to a point where reconciling the turmoil is an option (but it's approaching), or realizing that he is free to carve his own path.  He's moody (but not in an overtly emo way), and tends to be either jovial and easy going or murderously dark.  This is entirely from how he learned to live and survive.  The shift between the two extremes can be dramatic and instant.  He's as likely to overturn a table in a tavern at the first sign of danger during an otherwise friendly card game as he is to find a moment of humor in the death throes of an enemy.  Did I mention he's Chaotic Neutral?

'''Appearance:'''

Aureus in his mid 20s and having a kind of unique look (in Draj, anyways).  He wears trappings of Elven nomads mixed with vaguely Urikite attire (his mother was from Urik), along with various tokens of his travels.  He's lighter skinned than people from Urik, but wears his beard (which has a reddish/copper tinge, hinting at his elven blood) in a similar, clipped and pointed style.  He keeps his head shaved bald and has a small network of tattoos from various cultures adorning the back and sides of his head, neck, and shoulders.  

He wears a saber crafted from the rib-bone of some beast, rumored to be from an archaic age when Athas was covered in seas, as well as a dagger made of the horn of a young kirre... pointed so much as to almost be more a stiletto than dagger.   Various smaller daggers of bone and horn can be seen adorning his person.  His leather armor is a deep purplish-red, being made from the jhakar skin.  The hit-and-run nature of the jhakar is something Aureus takes inspiration from.