Here are some of the companions I've been working on and deemed worthy of potential companionship:
Jango the Slayer
„You confuse me, Black Struggler. I can no longer decide which is worse: monsters who behave like humans, or humans who behave like monsters.”
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Nationality: Kushan
Appearence: reddish skin, tall and muscular, but somewhat thin body structure, a bit longer arms than usual, dark eyes, black beard reaching down to his belly, but very short hair. He wears an armor similar to that of the Daka demon troops, along with a robe which covers most of the armor.
Background: Jango never knew his parents; he was brought up by a Bakiraka warrior who taught him exotic martial arts and human values. By the time he finished training, he was employed by the Kushan to find and hunt down rogue Daka demons who broke out of the emperor’s control. However, as time passed (and the transformation method become more effective) he had little work to do regarding the demon troops, but words eventually reached his ear about devilish beasts (Apostles) roaming the land. Hell-bent on taking down monsters who threaten humanity, he started journeying the land to get rid of them...
Personality: Jango usually appears very calm and wise, one who thinks first and kills second. But once in combat he’s brutal and ruthless, though his rage is focused (so he won’t attack allies). Due to his teachings, he values human life greatly and refuses to murder mere humans, he just knocks them out at best. However, just because he cares for others, he doesn’t like having companions because he fears they would die, not being so experienced as he is.
Combat Style: Jango fights using a heavy iron staff, which he calls the „Dozen-Headed Spear”, because it can be fitted with various spearheads at both ends. Jango carries the spearheads hidden under his robes, and equips them on the staff depending on what type of head would be most useful, his selection including heads those make his staff into a pike, a poleaxe, a naginata, a flail, and so on. He can also detach the iron staff into two shorter pieces and fit them with seperate heads, fighting in two-weapon style. Lastly, he is skilled at unarmed combat, though nowhere near the extent of elite Bakiraka warriors.
Inquisitor Garrov de Balc
„If I could make a wish, then I’d wish for seeing the face of the God the Holy See worships... so I can spit on it and tell him that he messed things up.”
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Nationality: Holy See (Midland)
Appearence: a somewhat pale-skinned man of average height with blue eyes and shoulderlength dark hair, and a short beard forming a circle around his mouth, wearing a coat with reinforced leather armor beneath it, plus a set of heavy leather boots and spiky gauntlets.
Background: Both of Garrov’s parents were mercenaries, and so he was instructed in the art of fighting since young age. After the death of his parents, he grew to be a distinct bastard, lacking any sense of comradeship and sympathy, until he got himself mortally wounded. He crawled as far as he could, but lost consciousness. Fortunately, a bypassing Holy See retinue discovered him and took him along, despite the escorting soldiers thought it was already too late. The priest who attended him, however, managed to heal him by using elf dust which he usually kept hidden because of its „pagan origins”, so when Garrov came to his sense he told him his recovery was a godly miracle. From that point on, Garrov became a follower of the Holy See, eventually rising to the rank of Inquisitor. But as he climbed up the ranks he discovered how corrupt the Holy See was, and eventually started to develop his own way of worshiping God. The Holy See made notice of this, but due to Garrov’s overall obidience and outstanding achievements they ignored this. However, after a brief encounter with the re-born Griffith he decided to step off entirely, because he realized within a moment that Griffith just manipulated everyone, including the Pope. Since then he walks his own path with a retinue of loyal followers.
Personality: Garrov is a broad-minded, sane man who walks with both feet on the ground. He firmly believes in the existance of a higher power, but follows a different moral than the Holy See, believing men should recognize their own ways; only then will God help them in their struggles, as an unseen hand, and for this reason humans must cast aside all superstitions and supernatural forces from their path. He’s not hesitant to kill people, though he prefers to avoid bloodshed. If necessary, he’s an iron-fisted warlord, but can be also a caring comrade and a forgiving fatherly figure. He does what he sees right, when he sees right.
Combat Style: if he’s force to personal combat, Garrov uses a one-edged bastard sword with either one or both hands to fence, and also possesses a couple of pistols, plus a dagger just in case and is also a decent brawler. He’s fast and agile enough to avoid most blows and pretty strong for a human, though neither of his attributes can be considered exceptional like Serpicio’s speed or Guts’ might.
Dankell Baerd
„This world caused us much grief. Now, we intend to repay that debt.”
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 40
Nationality: Tudor/Midland
Appearence: Dankell is a grim man of average height, muscles of steel, with countless wounds and scars dotting his body. His first fingertips missing from the little and ring-finger of his left hand (replaced by prostetic fingertips), and his right ear is cut off as well, and a scar running along his face, from the left side of his forehead across his left eye and down to his mouth (but he still got both his eyes safe and sound). He prefers to wear a full plate mail armor made of dark steel, almost black along with a red cape, and a black helm which covers his entire head, with a face plate that resembles the face of a howling man with the teeth of a large carnivore; only his eyes and mouth are left freely. His hair is black and cut short, his eyes are brown.
Background: Dankell’s early years are shrouded in mystery and he hasn’t earned much attention until in an earlier period of the Midland-Tudor war, he raised a band of mercenaries known as the Legion of Carnage, similar in caliber to the old Band of the Hawk, except its members were really hardcore bastards. He led a successful campaign against Midland on his own and attained the rank of Great General, but both the king and the nobility felt that he was too ambitious and wished to remove him (for good reason, because Dankell indeed wanted to claim the throne of Tudor, one way or another so he could crush Midland himself and unite the two countries). Their attemps failed one after another for various reasons. In the end, they persuaded one of Dankell’s sub-commanders to charge him with false crimes in public and declare a vendetta against him, all this in return of the title of General and a big load of gold. Dankell got rid of the guy, but it was too late. Neither Tudor or Midland wanted his services anymore, and the Legion of Carnage was mostly destroyed or disbanded. When the Band of the Hawk captured Doldrey, he made notice of their potential and wanted to meet up with them, but in the end, he couldn’t because they got screwed sooner than Dankell could contact them. When he was about to give up hope, acknowledging that the world’s social order can’t be changed so easily, he heard of Griffith’s return and the re-formed Band of the Hawk. Inspired again, he started to gather an army of his own, willing to meet the Hawk of Light, either as kindred spirits, or opponents clashing in the field of murder.
Personality: both towards his allies and foes, Dankell is a cold, strict and violent person who keeps things running by means of agression and intimidation if he has to. But those who get close to him realize that deep inside, he cares a lot for his men (on his own way) and from time to time, he displays a strong sense of comradeship, as well as respect for worthy advesaries. It is not rare that after a bloody battle, he lets the captured soldiers flee freely or even assimilate them into his own band if he sees them fit for the purpose.
Combat Style: Dankell is very powerful (almost as strong as Guts). and while his armor looks pretty heavy, it is actually made from a unique combiantion of different metals which is relatively light yet durable, so it doesn’t limit his movement too much while it can endure all but the strongest blows. His cape has metal filaments woven into it, which make it a bit shiny and heavier than usual, but more importantly, capable to stop arrows and bolts fired from longer distances (but can’t resist projectiles fired/thrown from close distance). He prefers to fight in melee, albeit he also has a small crossbow. Once in the thick of the fray, he employs a weapon similar to an Aztec sword (except it’s made of solid steel rather than wood and obsidian), which can be used both for slashing and bashing, named „The Iron Fist”. He can use this weapon either with one or both hands. The Iron Fist also has a little spike poking out of the bottom of the handle, covered by a cap. Unknown to many, the handle part itself is a little container filled with a weird potion made of various plants and mushrooms; if facing overwhelming odds, Dankell takes the cap off the spike and stings it into his own flesh, letting the potion flow into his body, then places the cap back. Within a matter of moment, he goes berserk (similarly to the effect of the Berserker Armor, though less extreme). In this state, he can rip even lesser Apostles apart with ease (but is still inferior to greater Apostles like Zodd, or Guts in his Berserker Armor). Often, Dankell also carries a shield with him, but the shield is always different because it usually gets broken in the thick of battle.
Valonne Coborlwitz
„So... you are the bastard who murdered my beloved brothers, Adon and Samson ! ...just between the two of us, I always hated those two but you know how family works... so prepare to die !”
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Nationality: Tudor
Appearence: an over-average height woman with a sturdy body structure (similar to a female body builder, though not exaggerated), clad in grey plate mail armor with a helmet that slightly resembles a doplhin, and a shorter blue cape. She has brown eyes and blond hair, and a scar running along her forehead.
Background: Valonne is a half-sister of Adon and Samson Coborlwitz (they share the same father). During her childhood, she was more interested in boy-ish games (weapons, brawling, etc.) than acting womanly, but Adon and Samson continuously bullied and abused her, saying girls have no place in a true battlefield. As they matured, Valonne grew into a headstrong harpy. Though she and her brothers never engaged in any serious infighting, Valonne came to utterly hate and despise men and founded a fighting company on her own, the Blue Dolphins, entirely made of women warriors, fighting for Tudor, though they were allowed to take part only in minor battles despite their promising skills. After the death of her brothers, she softened up a bit and even allowed surviving Blue Whale soldiers to join her company. However, her relatives insisted that she should avenge her brothers and use the family’s influence to ensure she would succeed...
Personality: Valonne is a stubborn amazon with a bit of feminist attitude (and comic relief), though she also maintains a warrior’s code of honor, being much more fit for leading roles than the spineless Adon or the mindless Samson were. She’s actually pretty glad for her brothers’ deaths which freed her from a lot of pressure; her only true motive to face the killers of her brothers is mere curiosity regarding the murderers’ nature. She doesn’t give a damn about phylosophical crap and the like, she just enjoys challenging fights and hates to be overlooked. But if treated well she can be a useful sergeant and comrade.
Combat Style: Unlike her brothers, Valonne prefers to fight on horseback because the Tudor folks hold more respect for mounted combat. She is a skilled rider who knows what can he expect from the steed she mounts. Her main weapon is a strange lance, which has a curved steel hook at the end, shaped like a dolphin’s backflipper, making the weapon slightly similar to a schyte. However, this weapon is not a good choice for foot combat so she also carries a sturdy short sword. In matters of strength she is weaker than Samson’s but her courage and brain make her a worthy advesary nonetheless.
Dasharon de Villes
„Men, do not fear ! The greatest weapons of all wars are ours ! Should the monsters of Kushan be bold enough to approach our position, we shall await them with savage new instruments of destruction !”
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Nationality: Pameria (Rahna)
Appearence: an man of avarage height in a napoleonic sergant-style clothing with a conquistador-style helmet. Determined face with shoulderlength brownish hair and blue eyes.
Background: The Villes family used to be that of alchemists until they discovered gunpowder and got rich by this invention. Since then the Villes family reached a high position among the wealthy merchant houses of the Pamerian city-states, producing and selling most gunpowder-based weaponry in the known world. They have a relatively great influence over the military of Rahna, being the army’s first weapon suppliers. Dasharon himself didn’t bother much about anything apart from politics, business and hunting (the latter being his hobby) until the Kushan warbands started harassing his fiefs. Witnessing the horrors they could muster, Dasharon spent a large part of his personal wealth on developing new types of firearms and cannons, seeing that these weapons could tear apart even the largest monstrosities and thickest formations. However, after a serious argument with Federico de Vandimon regarding his trade policies, and some members of the Holy See protesting against such „devilish crafts”, he responded by pulling his wares and servants out of Pamerian territories and sought to make deal with the Kushans. But He was tricked and lost many servants due to the ambush, but managed to save the weaponry from falling into enemy hands. Now exiled from Rahna because of his treachery and his wealth being drastically reduced, he started to gather a band of mercenaries on his own by using whatever fortune and weaponry he has left. This band is growing to be rather successful due to its devastating firepower, but holds no ties to any major power as of yet...
Personality: basically, Dasharon is a confident, slighly snobbish merchant type but his hard situation also revealed a new side of his, that of a charismatic leader and quick-witted tactician, though he maintains a bad habit of overlooking enemy forces and ignoring „tiny details” such as overall morale or terrain/weather conditions. He doesn’t hesitate to make sacrifices but despises heavy losses (due to replacement costs) and values loyalty and devotion very highly.
Combat Style: Dasharon rarely takes part in combat personally, but as many other nobles in Rahna he is a skilled fencer, and a promising sharpshooter with firearms. He is a decent rider as well. On horseback, he prefers pistol-and-saber style, while on foot he likes heavy muskets better. In addition, his weapons can be fitted with „accesories”, including a targeting scope which can be attached to either a pistol or musket, making it a sort of primitive sniper rifle.
Korven Gavin
„Flee, losers ! And tell your master that we’re here to pick chicks and kick ass !”
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Nationality: Midland
Appearence: a towering man with the height of a bit above 2 metres and great muscles, clad in all chainmail from top to bottom, wearing heraldic clothes over the armor, displaying a sign of a black rock cleaved in half by a red sword. He has a somewhat childish face expression, with some small scars on his cheek. Short dark brown/reddish hair, brown eyes.
Background: not much is known about Korven’s early years, but it is rumored that his father served among the Purple Rhino Knights. In any case, by the time he was a grown-up man he already held a respectable fame among mercenaries, but his unwillingness to give up independence by joining the regular army or any greater mercenary bands cut him off from the chance of climbing to higher positions. Due to his chaotic nature, he never developed closer ties with any groups and roams the countryside freely, either alone or with a band of random sell-swords.
Personality: carefree and rather hedonistic, Korven considers slaughter and looting as a sort of entertainment, though he maintains a self-made code of fighting honor. What he likes the most is dueling with capable warriors. While he’s a mercenary, he is far from obidient, his only reason to serve „lousy, whiny noble *****es” being the need for money, and even then he does things the way he likes to do them. Korven is pretty quick-witted in battle and a realiable comrade at arms, but otherwise pretty dumb and rarely mourns over the death of others, believing that „The poor fellow just lost this game, such things happen every day.” He never really found decent opponents yet though, nor warrior leaders worthy of being served.
Combat Style: Korven is skilled in the use of many weapons, but his favourite one is a claymore he inherited from his father, plus a great steel round shield from which small spikes poke out and its edge is similar to that of a blade (meaning he could, for example, literally cut off a head with the shield’s edge if he wanted). Both items are rather heavy, but he carries each in one hand. He uses his brute strength to his advantage, crushing into enemy formations head-on with his shield held out, sweeping his foes away and reaping among the ranks with his frightening skill of swordsmanship.