Orso of the Black Banner -
Úlf
Name: Orso
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Faction of Birth: Rhodok
Allegiance: Mercenary for Hire
Experience: Elite
FeudalRank: Minor Noble
Appearance: Stands above average height (tall), athletic build (despite his poor drinking habits he is a career soldier), keeps his hair short and his beard is medium length (although often unkempt when traveling), black hair, gray eyes,
Personality: Orso is a capable soldier, an iron-willed individual and a skilled leader of men. He has the ability to keep those serving under him going even in the darkest of times and far longer than they would under other circumstances. Unfortunately for all of his strengths, Orso is prone to bouts of excess drinking and on occasion can display a poor temper. He disdains needless ceremony and the rules of polite society, however, he is friendly and agreeable in most situations. He has little patience for braggarts and fools, is quick to deal with either.
Talents: Orso is a trained soldier and skilled with most manners of arms. Unlike a great many nobles of Rhodok origin he is an able and accomplished horseman.
Biography: Orso ____ was born in the first months of 1227, in the small Rhodok village of Buvran to ____ ____ and _____ ______. His father was a retired mercenary captain of company that had served the Rhodok kingdom for the better part of a century and his mother was the daughter of a prominent local farmer.
The oldest son in a long line of professional soldiers and mercenaries, Orso grew up learning the ways of war. Following in the footsteps of his father, when he came of age Orso became a professional soldier and entered into the employ of Count Rimusk. A capable leader and gifted tactician Orso rose through the ranks in the following years, securing a position commanding a sizable number of men, and leading a detachment of the soldiers in 1245 during a brief military campaign conducted against the Kingdom of Swadia.
However, after a bitter falling out with Count Rimusk, Orso chose to became a mercenary captain and formed a company of his own. However, the Rhodoks were loathe to lose a skilled commander and Orso was quickly retained by Count Talbar. Mounted on light horses and specializing in fast but devastating skirmishing tactics and ambushes the small company of Rhodoks managed to win a number of unexpected victories. The success of his unorthodox tactics garnered Orso much acclaim and he earned a reputation as one of the most promising military commanders of his age.
In 1249, he was tasked with resolving the so-called “Rebellion of the Seven” and defeated the gathered rebel barons that threatened the Rhodok city of Yalen. This great feat earned him many accolades and uncommonly for a commoner, Orso was subsequently elevated to the ranks of the nobility by King Graveth himself, becoming the Baron of Buvran.
The following year King Graveth allied with tribesmen opposed to Sultan Hakim of the Sarranid Sultanate to regain territory lost to the Sultanate in 1245. Orso was called in under the command of Count Talbar, defeating the Sarranids at the bloody battle of Caraf Castle in November. Despite a string of early Rhodok victories, the war quickly deteriorated into a bloody stalemate.
In a last desperate attempt to win the war, Orso and his company were sent far into the heart of the Sultanate with the hope that they would cause enough chaos to weaken the resolve of the Sarranids and at the very least to secure better terms for the Rhodoks in the imminent peace treaty that was sure to follow.
Surrounded by Sarranid hosts on all sides and assailed by the merciless desert Sun the company of mercenaries fought a desperate series of running battles. Eventually, succumbing to the oppressive heat and lack of supplies, the company was routed and scattered into the wind. In the weeks that followed, precious few of the mercenaries managed to escape the pursuing Sarranids, Orso among them.
Orso returned to the Rhodok Kingdom a changed man, full of bitterness and sorrow he turned to alcohol and began to nurse a growing hatred towards the liege he felt had left him to die in the endless sea of sand. Unwilling to return to the service of Count Talbar or the Rhodok Kingdom, Orso has instead embarked upon a succession of hopeless mercenary expeditions and minor jobs, earning just enough to continue to drown his sorrows in a bottle.
Equipment:
Worn
(Clothing/Armor): When dressed for battle Orso wears a black surcoat over mail. To further guard against the the impact of any blows he also wears a thick, brown gambeson beneath his armor. His hands are protected by mail mittens, his feet rest inside a pair of splinted greaves and over a padded coif he wears a full helm of a distinctly Rhodok design.
However, even when combat seems far at hand Orso is known to dress pragmatically and without the gaudy taste of other nobles. If free to choose, he wears a a pale brown tunic fringed with silk, simple hose over his lower limbs, and a pair of well-made turnshoes. He prefers a thick, hooded cloak of Swadian wool, dyed a dark shade of red for riding and in winter he dons a close-fitting Vaegirian coat lined with fur.
Weapons
(melee weapons, shields and ranged weapons): As a knight and experienced soldier, Orso is rarely is found far from his long arming sword, a parting gift from Count Talbar for his loyal years of service. He favors a heater shield of solid construction and a double sided lance for mounted combat, holding quick lighting strikes against his foes in high esteem. When meeting the enemy in close quarters Orso is quick to employ his military hammer to deadly effect, having found that more often than not an armored foe is more easily dispatched with a brutal instrument of war than with an expensive blade. Like most knights Orso also carries a cruel misericorde with him in order to dispatch a wounded or heavily armored enemy.
Horse: Orso has been generously loaned a courser by Bertram, a dapple gray stallion named Nalst, a prize won following a series of successful wagers on the part of the elderly merchant.
Miscellaneous: While Orso has ensured that supplies enough to last the journey to Dhirim are kept safely secured on his horse, he has also managed to convince one of the caravan drivers to ferry a sizable amount of alcohol from his personal stock.