Erik Halyburton (W.I.P)

» Name: Erik Halyburton
» Titles: Green Cloak
» Age: 31
» Gender: Male

» Affiliation/Rank: Vandenreich

» Physical Appearance Description:

Standing at about six foot two and weighing in at about two hundred and twelve pounds, Erik is a physical specimen that has been honed through years working as a bodyguard and necessity. He has a lithe, but muscular form that has been made through regiments of hard work to not only improve his chances of hunting in the wilderness, but his chances of survival in combat with Hollows and other strong spiritual entities. His skin is tanned from all the time he has spent in the streets growing up and even in the vast woods near the city of his birth. He wears his hair messy, not caring much for his physical appearance, and its orange color makes him stand out a bit when his hood of his trusty green cloak is not up. One eye is covered by many strands of this orange hair, but the one eye that is visible is that of a piercing almost emerald green that is always darting around curiously observing his surroundings. Almost all the time Erik can be spotted sporting a smile or a grin.

As far as what Erik tends to wear, he doesn't really wear very complex clothing, nor does he appreciate flashy fashion as he doesn't see the practicality in it. He tends to wear very common clothes: t-shirts, jeans, jackets, and sneakers. He doesn't like standing out too much, so usually he keeps his cloak hood up, a faded green cloak that was a gift from his now dead adopted mother that he has grown into over the years. He is almost always seen with this cloak due to the sentimental value of it. Always floating nearby to him is a blue bird and if one would pay attention to it, they almost think that the bird glows, and Erik refers to the bird as a special friend he made from his time spent in the woods. His combat attire is of the same ilk and tends to go for the practical as opposed to the fancy of some fighters.

» Physical Appearance Image:





» Personality:

Coming from a most unfavorable background of being an orphaned child in a rather large and vastly unwelcoming city, some would think that Erik would be an emotional train wreck. They would be wrong, but they would think it. In fact, mot people who would spend a few moments talking to Erik would quickly learn just what type of man he truly is and that type of man could easily be described as anything, but a tragic and negative individual. Erik is in fact the opposite, a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, a hype man who will back up his friend in any fight, or the type of guy who would go out of his way to make sure everything was done to avoid unnecessary conflict. That is just the way he has always lived, the way that he has always prescribed himself to walk, and it shows with how he presents himself to others.

Beneath the beacon of positivity that he is also lies a soul that is never quite content with just being good at something. Erik is the type who will spend years practicing the same maneuvers just to learn how they operate perfectly, by no means to perfectionists levels, but out of necessity to always be prepared for anything that comes his way. Perhaps this is due to him losing his adopted mother? Or maybe it is something that Esme instilled in him during their training sessions? None the less, Erik strives to better himself incrementally every single day, and can never truly be content doing nothing to improve in some fashion. Be it physically or emotionally.

This need to learn and improve has also lent itself to Erik in other ways as well, namely in him not being an argumentative sort. Erik is quite agreeable and when in the wrong is the first to point out he messed up and also the first to try and fix his mistake. He strives to learn from every failure, combat wise and socially, and believes himself to be a work in progress at all times. This lends itself to taking on many different experiences, always wanting to try something at least once, and seeing just what he likes and what he doesn't like. Though there are some things that he won't ever try and those are usually on the more sinister side of things. As though he had to steal to survive when he was younger, he views anything beyond that as a bit too far, and will not cross that line willingly.

It is because of his rough childhood that Erik tends to be considered quite generous, willing to help the less fortunate, and give away his wealth that he acquires to those that are really in need. It is through his hardships that he has learned that the world isn't so white or black and is instead varying shades of gray. Still, even with this belief he holds a deep seated resentment to killers due to his adoptive mother being taken from him by the men in black robes. In fact, to this day he barely wants to face the fact that she is gone, and tends to keep that part of his past a secret, even from those that are closest to him. It is still, to this day, an open wound to him, and he is greatly pained when thinking about his own past, but even more so becomes visibly distraught when hearing of other similar stories to his own. Sometimes this can be his undoing, as a well placed sob-story can easily misplace his senses, and fool him into doing things that he wouldn't normally do.

It is this very same open wound that causes him to seek out some kind of connection with someone. Looking for something that he never has really had: stability. Someone he can talk to and really open up to beyond just the smiles and sunshine that he displays. To talk about how rough he has had it and have someone tell him everything will be okay, even if they are lying. Sometimes he believes that person will never come along, but he still has to hold out hope. After all, without hope there really isn't any purpose in surviving or living.



» History

In a world of haves and have nots, Erik was born as someone who never really had anything to call his own, and by default was relegated to being a nobody according to society. His earliest memories of are the times when he was six years old, no parents to his recollection, and running in the streets trying to scrounge up any coin or food that he could come up with. It was hard living in the big city and even harder for a kid who had nothing except a dream and a million dollar smile, yet he attempted to do so, watching as those that had things were able to accomplish whatever they set their minds to. He saw first hand the split in civilization between the wealthy and the poor, the wealthy able to seek out their dreams and ambitions, while the poor were only able to hope that one day they too could live out their fantasies. For him, he simply wanted things, not in a materialistic sort of way, but in a way that meant he could at least feasibly live without the stress of constantly not knowing if he would get to eat the next day.

As such Erik would do odds and ends jobs, a hard task to be asked of a young kid, but something that he knew he needed to do to put food in his stomach and something he never really complained about. It was his lot in life to struggle and to complain about it wouldn't fix anything. He instead focused on what he could do and what he could do as a child no older than six years old wasn't very much. So, while he did odds and end jobs he, of course, had to result to stealing a bit on the side to acquire what he needed to survive. He would steal a few coins when people weren't watching, an apple from the market when people were busy, and perhaps, if he was lucky, a can of soda could be fished out of a vending machine with the right tools. He became adept at sleight of hand and became good at improvising ways to survive in the concrete jungle that he lived in, but the one thing the child would never do was beg. He believed in charity, but begging for hand outs was beneath him, and he always looked down on some of the other kids who were like him who would put on the doe eyes to turn a quick buck.

It was during one particular afternoon when Erik was around eight years old, that he would meet someone that would change his life in a positive way for the first time in his life. It had been a particular hard month for work, it was summer time, and all the "haves" were out in force applying for positions so the job market was in turmoil. Erik had been doing what he could do to survive, but with the combination of the heat, and the lack of work he had been forced more and more to resort to thievery. Not that it was a problem from a morality point of view for him, but with more eyes being available to spot him out, it was extremely hard to get by undetected. So one day, as he passed by an old antique shop after a particularly harsh day of not being able to grab a few coins to line his pocket, or grub to put in his gut he decided to take a detour and see what was going on inside of the shop. In his mind he wondered if anything of value was there, he knew a few hawkers, and people in pawn shops that perhaps could pay him decently for "acquiring" something of value.

With that in mind he entered the shop and was instantly greeted by a wonderful tan skinned woman with long flowing black hair. He had never met anyone like her and upon seeing him she didn't instantly flinch at the mere sight of him, which was odd as he was used to being treated as a disease ridden rat in this city, but he paid it no mind. He walked around, viewing the goods, and casing the joint with his million dollar smile plastered on his face. Finally he found an exotic looking glove with strange markings on it sitting in a display case, for a second his mind thought up what a glove like that could be worth if sold, and looked around to see that the woman was not looking. Noting her absence, strangely enough, he began to silently pick the lock to the case to retrieve the beautiful glove using a makeshift lock pick set that he had rigged together. Unlocking the case and taking the glove from inside, he silently made his way to the door only to be confronted by the woman once again. She looked at him, confused at first, and holding what looked like a plate full of some kind of steaming food that she had went to retrieve. For a few moments, guilt began to creep into his head as he realized he had just stolen from someone who was trying to help him.

Instead of scolding him, she would instead place the plate of food down on a nearby table, and walk over to him, taking the glove from his hands which he did not resist her doing so. A tense silence filled the room as the woman knelt down to look Erik straight in the eyes, he nervously grinned at her, an old habit that he couldn't kick, and she instead of punishing him hugged him. She said she understood, that she knew it must be rough, and that she didn't hold any ill will toward him trying to steal her property. In that moment a torrent of tears began to stream down his face, Erik hadn't broke down like this in his whole life, but now in the arms of a person telling him that she at least sympathized, he couldn't hold back. It was a tense few moments, but eventually he stopped crying, and apologized for what he had done, she dismissed it, and offered him a plate of sausage and rice. The boy would not refuse and for the next year would constantly come by to visit the woman in the antique shop, Esme as he would come to know her by.

Over time, Erik learned bits, and pieces about the woman who would keep putting food in his belly, and try to bathe him, and dress him a bit better than he was at that particular time. He learned that she had left her homeland in a hurry and had been living in the city for some time on her own. When he asked her about family, she would always dismiss the question with a question of her own, and eventually he would forget all about it, or not wanting to press the matter, would instead focus on answering her questions. After a few more months of this, he would learn one of Esme's secrets, and that was that she was a Quincy. The glove that he had tried to brazenly steal was a special relic of her people and had belonged to her father, at least from what she had told him, and she began to explain all of the hardships that she had been through over the course of her life. With those revelations he began to understand why she could relate to him at some level and he promised that he would do whatever in his power to make her feel better. A bold statement from a nine year old, but something that Erik took seriously.

Eventually Esme began to wonder if Erik wanted a more suitable place to live and maybe even something to do with his time, after all he had been living on the streets for so long, and perhaps it would be better if he would have a home to live in. At first, Erik was hesitant, but he couldn't refuse Esme who seemed to look at him sadly when he was about to reject her offer. In truth, the both of them were lonely, and now that they both knew a bit about each other in some capacity it only made sense for the two of them to take care of one another. So Erik began to live with Esme and for a time that was more than enough, until Erik began to get curious about Quincy techniques as he began to read from her personal library in the antique shop. Esme at first was hesitant to let Erik learn anything about her people, stating that there was inherent risks to learning these things, but when she saw that million dollar smile and his level of enthusiasm, Esme could not deny him, and promised to begin to teach him what she knew.

It was hard for Erik to adapt to Quincy teachings, but for a person who had nothing his whole life, and now had a mentor and something he could possibly be good at if he tried hard enough? He put everything he had into it, night and day reading, and learning everything he could from Esme who seemed to be quite skilled at her craft, if not out of practice. The two bonded over this even further, becoming less mentor and pupil, and more like a mother and her son. It was about six months into Erik's training that Esme decided to make it official, going into the city, and officially adopting Erik into the family proper. Deeply moved and over the moon with joy, Erik would take on her last name "Halyburton", and would promise to make her proud of him in every facet of his life. All the while the "have not" kids watched from afar with anger and jealousy in their eyes. Watching as Erik cheerfully lived a life with a nice woman who was now his mother and slowly beginning to transition from being a nobody into a somebody.

Over the course of the next three years, Erik became quite adept in Quincy spellcraft, and spent a great deal of time trying to mimic the more advanced techniques that Esme would use in the woods as demonstrations on his own free time. He imagined him and Esme against the world, fighting to protect the city, and saving the defenseless. While these dreams were nothing more than a kid being a kid, Esme always told him that it was nice to have a goal, and that he should always strive for more. He always listened to Esme's advice and always heeded her warnings, she seemed extremely wise, and beyond that he wished not to anger his "mom" who he cared for deeply. It was one particular day when Erik was on his way home from school, something Esme had demanded he attended to improve his future, that Erik would walk by some suspicious individuals in black robes carrying old world katanas. They paid him no heed as they exited Esme's shop and as such he didn't bother to stop them and question why they had been paying his mom a visit. But once he was inside of the shop, horror crossed his face as all of his ideal life and his dreams came crashing down around him.

On the floor in a pool of her own blood was Esme, cold and lifeless, the shop around her a wreck, and the signs of struggle all around. He stood still, thinking it was a joke for a moment, and then he began to break out into tears as he rushed over to see the woman who had been his rock for so many years. He stayed cradling her for a few hours, humming songs that she used to hum to him when he was younger, and questioning why this had happened to him. He couldn't wrap his mind around why anybody would want this kind woman to die and the only thought in his mind was that the people who had murdered her were evil. An unknown feeling of rage passed over him, but was quickly smothered by the words of his now dead mother. She wouldn't want him to seek revenge, she never hurt anyone in her life, and her only sin had been that she cared too much about other people. He silently and carefully placed Esme back down, his school uniform dirty with her blood, and began to pack his things in a hurry. He couldn't stay in this city, it would be too painful, and people would definitely come looking for him to get information about his mother's death. He couldn't bear it and thus he decided to leave for good, to never return to this place he had lived his whole life.

He had no idea where he could go, but he decided the best place would be the woods for now. There was plenty of places to hide and since they had trained there together, he knew a lot about the lay of the land. After packing up his things and grabbing as many books on Quincy spellcraft as he could from Esme's library, Erik exited, and disappeared into the woods beyond the city passing by a group of giggling kids who looked at him with malicious glee in their eyes as he did so. It was here in these woods that Erik would grow into a young adult. In his early years here, he wouldn't venture much further away from where he had trained, and would spend most of his time improving on his spellcraft, while also picking up tricks to survive out in the wilderness from old journals that Esme had given him, and from books he had swiped from the library. By the time Erik had become 16 years old, he had become quite bold, and was a bit more adventurous as he quickly expanded his domain to even beyond the woods he now called home. Meeting with travelers and guiding them through tough spots became a common part of his training routine and through meeting people he would learn new things and acquire new experiences.

Sometimes he would cross paths with Hollows, as some tended to roam around the woods, and common paths used by traders, but they would be quickly dealt with by him as he had become quite capable in the short four years in the woods. Learning how to shoot his bow accurately so that he could hunt animals, learning how to skin and clean those animals taught him how to precisely use his knives, and his skill in tracking had made him quite observant of small details that most would overlook. The combination of these things and the unique spellcrafts that he had been devising through his own studies made him a deadly foe to even the more sentient of Hollows who sometimes managed to near his home. By the time he reached the age of eighteen, Erik was a fine tuned weapon, not that many people would notice underneath the unkempt appearance and raggedy animal pelts and leathers he wore now. Regardless even with all of the training he was doing and all of the work he was putting into becoming a better Quincy, he still longed for more than a passing interaction with travelers. It had been a tough few years on the now young adult and he desired more than anything companionship beyond the beasts he had kind of befriended back at his cave in the woods.

It was with that passing interest in building a lasting bond with anyone that Erik decided to join a caravan passing by his neck of the woods and to finally leave behind the home that he had built for himself. On the road he would build relationships with the head of the caravan, finding out that they passed by that area many times over the course of the year, and were looking for people to help out in guarding the caravan. Erik saw it as an opportunity to expand his horizons beyond the woods and plains he called home, but more than that a chance to build bonds that he had been missing for some time now. So he took the job and began working for them, acting as a bodyguard to the head of the caravan, and as a tracker when the job was required. It paid well, not that money had much meaning to him, and he used that money to fund his research and improve his equipment beyond the rudimentary things that he had on his person. He became quite famous among traders for his skills, his insight into wildlife, and his overly positive emotional range that he put on full display when meeting someone. He became synonymous with the caravan and before Erik knew it he had worked a long eight years with the group, building lasting relationships, and making friends all across trade route that the caravan frequented.

It was on one particular journey that Erik learned of the Quincy survivors working under Niffelheim and while he had formed quite the ties with the caravan over the last eight years, he felt the need to meet his own people, if not for a little bit. He said his goodbyes, received a bountiful severance package, and packed his bags before leaving the caravan in the good spirits. He traveled far and wide for a bit, not really knowing where to go, and he would gather information by his town to town hopping, but would never really get close to gathering a lead that was worth while. Still he didn't lose his optimism and he would continue on looking for his Quincy brethren. This went on for some time, meeting people, and gathering leads that would eventually lead to dead ends, but not once did Erik lose heart, he instead stayed focused on the task of finding his people, and finally making a connection with a part of his life that he had thought dead for some time. Finally, as if by chance, he would meet up with someone that talked about a City of bright lights that the Quincy leader had built, and was now the base of operations for his people. Erik probed the matter and finally after two years of wandering around looking for his long lost people, he finally found his destination.

He traveled with haste, helping people along the way that he crossed paths with, and finally arrived at the City of Lights, staring upon it in all of its' splendor. However, upon his arrival there he was not necessarily floored by his people's reaction to him, and he was kind of isolated from them a bit. They recognized that he had talent, but they also recognized that he was not of their strong traditional roots, and that he barely understood the methodology of their people at all. He was allowed to live in the City, but mingling with his people that he had wanted that connection with for so long was an entirely different matter. Try as he might they just tended to avoid him and begrudgingly he just accepted that was just going to be how things were going to be if he stayed there. So, he bought a few things using the money he had left, and then went off on his own, feeling like that connection he had longed for was never really going to materialize at this point. He would wander around the continent for the next three years, just learning what he could from the books he had, and constantly feeling a sense of incompleteness.

It was in one particular town when Erik was around 31 when an envoy from the Vandenreich would catch up to him, the man would offer recruitment information, and stated that a man from his old trade caravan had dropped his name. Erik was intrigued, but at the same time was hesitant after his initial treatment, but the recruiter told him that things were different now under Cyrus' leadership, and that he should at least give it a try. Erik agreed to give it a shot again, mostly because he wanted to connect with his people, but also because he was kind of tired of wandering around without a real purpose. So, he cleaned himself up, and packed his bags before making his way back to the City of Light, hopefully to get a better impression of his people than they had initially given him.




» Equipment:

Esme's Cloak: An old family heirloom that once belonged to Erik's adopted mother. The cloak has seen better days, but it is something that holds a great deal of sentimental value to him, and as such is something that he usually has equipped on his person.



» Skills:

Master Survivalist: Spending years alone in the woods and working for a caravan where he was tasked with ensuring the safety of goods and people traveling long distances, Erik has gained quite a range of skill in the department of tracking wild beasts, hollows, and other humanoids. These skills come in handy when trying to locate or even hide from specific types of enemies or wild beats in a multitude of environments that one can find themselves in. These skills also would generally aid him in scouting and pathfinding, two things that Erik was extremely skilled at while he was in the employ of the caravan. Further delving into this skill, Erik learned about different natural remedies that mother nature provides for a plethora of different ailments as sometimes they would be way too far away from a medical center to heal a sick or wounded traveling partner. What plants not to come into contact with, what fruits are in season, and what animals make the best jerky are also things that this particular skill covers.

Superb Guerilla Fighter: Knowing how to fight face to face is one thing, but in the natural occurrences of war or conflict it is those who know how to take advantage of their surroundings, and know how to trick their opponents into winning their fights for them that usually win. Erik has spent a lot of time developing his skill set to accomplish just that. Combining his keen senses developed through his tracking skills and his understanding of certain types of prey, Erik is formidable fighter when using his own methods to accomplish his goals. This involves setting traps at choke points, leading enemies into ambushes, gun and run, and many other typical combat maneuvers associated with guerilla warfare. After all, the world isn't fair, and as such why should he fight fair? If this means he gets labeled a scoundrel by throwing sand in an opponents eyes or by goading his opponent with taunting into making a fatal mistake, so be it. After all, a W is a W.

Acrobatic Savant: Moving from branch to branch and trying to move through dense underbrush has taught Erik a great deal about how to move his body to avoid obstacles and harm. While at first he trained his body to avoid conflict with wild beasts and hollows, as he grew in age he began to train himself to better combat foes by using fluid motion, and using his body's movement to avoid contact with threats of physical harm. While also training this flexibility and ability to move more fluidly, Erik also built upon his speed, and stamina so that he could perform acrobatic maneuvers swiftly and frequently to use against his opponents. At this point in Erik's life, he could be considered to be the equivalent of a high level gymnast in terms of flexibility, and grace in terms of moving from point to point, while also having the speed to match up against some swift foes.

Master of Sleight of Hand: In his younger years, surviving in the concrete jungle of a large, and vast city, Erik had to develop skills to survive the hardships of a volatile world that was looking to snuff him out. He developed his skills in terms of hand based dexterity from a young age as a response to that. Learning to pick locks, cheat at card games to hustle for coin, and to hide stolen goods in his pockets rapidly were all things that needed to be quickly obtained to just survive. As Erik grew older, this advanced into his sword play with his old mentor's Seele Schneider, and as such has turned into a rather graceful form of swordsmanship. While Erik is no master of the blade, he does have a very unique style of speed, and grace that could only come from him being able to use his hand based dexterity at a high level. This grace has also bled into his ability to shoot his own shots with his hand-crossbow as being able to perform trick shots does require a bit of speed with one's hands, and skill at understanding hand positioning to maximize angles and trajectories.



» Quincy Skills: (You can put any Quincy Skill or ability that your character knows here. These can range from blut specialties, Ransōtengai, Archery moves and so on. Feel free to however many sections you need here)



» Spirit Weapon Name: (What is your Quincy's spirit weapon's name?)

» Spirit Weapon Appearance: (What is your Quincy's spirit weapon's appearance?)

» Spirit Weapon Abilities: (what abilities does it possess?)



» Letzt Stil Name: (What is the name of your Quincy's Letzt Stil?)

» Letzt Stil Appearance: (What does your Quincy look like when their Letzt Stil is activated?)

» Letzt Stil Abilities: (What abilities does your Quincy's Letzt Stil grant them?)



» Vollständig Name: (What is the name of your Quincy's Vollständig?)

» Vollständig Apperance: (What does your Quincy look like when their Vollständig is activated?)

» Vollständig Abilities: (What abilities does your Quincy's Vollständig grant them?)



(To Find Out about what these skills are for, please READ THIS THREAD before you try doing anything to it

General Skills

• Durability: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Trained/Beginner/Untrained
  
• General Speed: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Strength: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Martial Skill: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  

Racial Skills

• Blut: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Quincy Spellcraft: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Reishi Absorption: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Spirit Weapon: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  

Will Skills

• Willpower/Determination: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Mental Deduction: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  
• Focus: Elite/Advanced/Adept/Beginner/Untrained
  

[WILL SKILLS ARE NOT FILLED IN UNTIL A MOD/ADMIN REVIEWS YOUR APP]



» Roleplay Sample: (Show us what you got by posting a sample of how you roleplay. Any previous thread or new material is accepted!)

END OF THE QUINCY APPLICATION