Player: Aimen
Character Name: Milo Stoutwood
Alias/Nickname: Knuckles
Race: Halfling
Age/Date of Birth: 30 / Icedawn 30, 3089 ADW
Apparent Age: To big people 10-12; to Halflings looks his age.
Sex: Male
Height: 4'3"
Weight: 105 lbs
Hair Color/Style: Milo's hair is curly brown when he had hair. But now, he has a shaved head.
Eyes: A vibrant green/blue shining out of his tanned face.
Marks/Scars/Tattoos: The six dots of enlightenment located on his forehead.
Physical Appearance: Milo's height is typical for a Tallfellow due to the Gnomish grandfather in his family tree. His skin is tanned from long hours of martial training outdoors. His body exhibits the development from the austere life of a monk; a slim, wiry and covered in well defined muscle body. Milo is in peak of physical health and condition. Due to monk training, Milo weighs a surprising amount from the dense muscle and developed bone structure. He has a striking appearance and a charismatic white smile.
Occupation/Class: Monk / Relic Hunter
Magic/Magite: Holy, Wind
Carried Possessions: Milo carries a collection of items he has found or bought on his travels. First and foremost, Milo carries a small red spirit box tied around his waist that houses his ritual tools for his daily meditation. Inside the box are incense, a bell, and a small chanting prayer book. Once on a relic hunt to an old monastery, Milo found meditation bead which he now wears around his wrist and uses when he meditates. Milo wears a grey waist belt with pockets on the inside. These pockets contain coin earned, and bits of relics he has found to sell or keep: Like pretty stones, colorful glass beads, old signet rings, discs with ancient writing, small metal figurines, and a couple of gems. None of the relics have any magical powers. Hanging from his belt is a calligraphic symbol for power. A constant reminder, of what he wants to develop. Hanging from around Milo's neck on a stout leather thong is three blessed Light stamped (holy) magite. On a second leather thong hangs a fourth and fifth magite with the stamps of Wind. In the folds of his robes, Milo carries a week's worth of food and water. He has tools for mending clothes and his martial equipment.
Clothing and Armor: Milo is dressed in layers of silk and cotton materials. Milo enjoys the use of color in his clothes wearing reds with gold trim and white. The only armor Milo wears is the fighting sleeves. These custom sleeves are made of thick leather with re-enforcing weaves of metal discs sewn on to them with red silk coverings and gold ties. Milo wears over his monk uniform a rough hewn wool material. These robes are dyed a dark, distinct shade of earthen brown that blends easily with his surroundings if in the wild. These robes have no marks on them, but are typical garb that traveling monks would wear. On his hands, Milo wears cloth wrappings that appear to be a bit tattered and bulge at the knuckles.
Weapons: Inside the hand wrappings, which hold them in place and allow Milo to grab and grapple, are metal knuckles. Milo loves to walk bare footed but he had to train his feet to use shoes made similar to the sleeves and have metal at the ball of the foot and heel though he typically doesn't wear the shoes and often forgetting to put them on before a fight. Milo also wears throwing daggers in his belt
Likes: nature, looking out while on top of high places, the buzzing hum of bumble bees it reminds him of chanting with the monks, good food, cooking, swimming, running, fishing, dancing, deep sense of peace in the middle of battle, laughing, and good jokes.
Dislikes: cats they make him sneeze, injustice, promise breakers, the killing of innocence, the wanton destruction of beauty, coarseness for just being coarse.
Merits: fast learner, ambidextrous, great sense of balance, practical, survivalist, acute combat awareness, lucky, helpful, curious, silent walker, humorous.
Flaws: curious, rigorous, solemn, stubborn, wanderlust, obsessive behavior: must meditate at sunrise, no exceptions; rash, audacious, overambitious, fierce, envious, taunting humor, some inner doubt, and fear of failure.
Worst Fear: Missing his morning meditation with God and losing his power over the big people. Watching innocent people getting killed, knowing he has the power to stop it but cannot. This injustice will push Milo to be rash at times. But what truly terrifies Milo is being a failure to his mother's hopes of his success and failing the trust of his master Oguzu and the training Milo received. Being locked inside a small dark metal box. This is what the bullies did to Milo on the way home from school and then beat the box. This triggers off his feelings of helplessness and fear.
Personality: Milo is a Halfling with a personal quest to show that his race is capable of amazing things. To this end, Milo works very hard to assure his connection to power through God is strong. He rigorously practices everyday to hone his martial skills. However, this solemn existence is tempered by the nature of being a Halfling. His curiosity sets his feet walking and into ruins for exploration. The hours of being alone are balance by his frequent visits to towns to sell his finds or to sit at the pub and tell jokes and laugh with the patrons. Milo doesn't drink alcohol but enjoys teas of various types. Milo often challenges big people to grappling matches at the pub by wagering a coin on the outcome. His friendly demeanor and winning smile softens his stubborn streak. He laughs boldly and enjoys a turn or two on the dance floor.
History: Milo was born on a small farm in a Halfling community in the hilly Oakwood region of Drenabon. His parents Dill, an herbalist, and Mila, a master cook, were a kind and loving set of parents. They were fond of parties and being part of a close to nature community. The first five years of Milo's life were pleasantly spent being part of this idyllic farming community. Milo life might have been following in the footsteps of his father as a herbalist or mother as a cook, but that was not to be. One day a child in the community took ill with a rare disease, the scarlet pox.
Within a week, all the children under the age of ten were ill. This was of great concern for the community as this illness could wipe out a generation of children. Dill found that none of the usual herbal remedies worked a side from reducing the symptoms. Judging by severity and intensity of the illness, Dill researched his old masters books and found a solution, Shadow Caps. Shadow Caps are extremely toxic and only grow in the shadow of the poisonous Wormwood trees. The picking of these mushrooms must be done carefully. If the person inhales the spores, death comes in minutes. However, cooking the fresh mushrooms in a special silver pot with certain herbs creates a tea of immense healing and a cure for scarlet pox.
Realizing he was short on time, Dill rushed off and went deep into the woods to collect the toxic mushrooms. Dill found he had forgotten his special mask. Each time he collected the mushrooms, he held his breath putting the mushroom into the air tight jars that he brought. Dill hurried home and began to make the cure. He had collected more than enough and set aside the extra jars. Dill had not slept for two day as he worked slavishly on the cure. Once the tea was ready, Dill had all the parents come to his home and collect the bottles. All the children that were still alive were saved.
Dill was tired and dead on his feet. He walked into his lab and knocked over one of the Shadow Cap jars. Dill watched as the jar fell in a graceful tumble and shatter at his feet spraying his whole body with the spores. Dill immediately held his breath. Hearing his wife walking over to talk to him, Dill smiled grimly. "I have saved lives and now I must save my loves." He thought. Taking a breath and tasting the spores on his tong he said: "Don't come in here my love. I have accidentally broken open a Shadow Cap jar. Leave the house immediately and take our son Milo. Go to Bromville and find my father, Trimble Stoutwood. He will be at the mage school teaching. I have left an emergency letter for you in the kitchen money box in case I didn't come back from the mushroom trip."
Mila ran from the house sobbing with the letter in the money tin knowing she could do nothing. Dill could feel the paralyzing effects starting to take effect. He knew that fire would destroy the spores. In the minutes left Dill set fire to his herb room and house. In her grief and pain, Mila took Milo to Dill's father in Bromville. The village gave her a hero's honor, and most of them walked with her to Bromville.
Five years later, Mila works for a noble's house as the second-in-command chef due to the influence of Milo's grandfather Trimble. Milo spent most of his five years going to the local public school and getting beat up by the street thugs looking for easy marks. One particular gang of older kids caught Milo, now age ten, right on the outskirts of the noble house that Mila was working for. They demanded money and when Milo didn't have any to give. They began to beat him. Milo fought furiously, five years of fighting taught him a thing or two and for a moment Milo was holding his own until a punch here and a kick there got in and he crumpled to the ground. Milo curled into a defensive ball and waited until they tired. Then a shout rang out and the boys ran off.
This was the day Milo met his mentor, teacher, and later friend. Master Oguzu ran a small monastery dedicated to the God, Evithanon, in the city. Master Oguzu walked Milo home and had a long talk with Mila, while the nursemaid tended to his face cuts and bruises. Milo later found out that his mother agreed to pay a small tuition for her son to be trained as monk. Milo moved into the monastery and began his training.
For the next five year, Milo only left the monastery grounds to visit his mother on the last weekend of every month or special holidays. The rest of the time Milo days were filled with martial arts, reading, writing, religious studies, philosophy, math, astrology, meditation, and hours of cleaning. After the first five years, initiate becomes a novice and receives his first two dots magically tattooed on to the forehead.
The next five years, Milo found that his duties were expanded to help the new initiates, go on errands to other monasteries, and Milo found he had more free time with which he would often visit his mother who now had become the Master chef of the Manor. Master Oguzu also began conducting private lesson and watching the novices and had them tested on different subjects or martial forms. In one such private lesson Master Oguzu suggested Milo focus his studies on the Iron knuckles fighting style, a range weapon such as throwing daggers, and though about becoming a relic hunter. He told Milo there were some lore about magical iron knuckles in some of the old temples by the mountains that gave the user giant strength and toughness. Like a fish to water, Milo mastered the style and it's grappling and striking forms as well as, throwing daggers, and stimulating his research abilities on relic lore earning him the next two dots.
The next five years, Milo taught initiates and novices. Master Oguzu would have Milo spend hours in meditation while doing form in the dirt, or seated on a pole high in the air, in a room with hundreds of candles, and underwater holding his breath. Milo's mind began to quiet down. He could feel or sense the presence of God. As Milo began to spar, he entered into a deep state of peace feeling the movements of the forms as a prayer. The around him also began to thicken as if he could almost push it or manipulate it like clay in a potters hands.
Milo just past his twenty-fifth birthday when Master Oguzu called Milo into his official meeting room in the early evening to discuss the master's ordeal. In order to become a master monk he must pass the ordeal. Milo was instructed to wear only a white loin cloth and meditate in the great hall. Milo went to his room and found a white loin cloth and been set out for him with a flap in front with the calligraphy of power on it. Milo done the cloth and went into the great hall. He sat in a full lotus position and entered into a deep meditation for three days while monks chanted around him purifying him for the right of passage. It was night and the great hall was dark. A sweet smell of an unfamiliar incense caught Milo's nose. Letting the distraction go Milo continued to breathe and meditate. Landing softly behind him Milo could feel an attacker coming. Milo began to rise when he staggered drunkenly. He felt woozy, like under a drug's influence. Balls of light exploded left and right as he got hit. Milo settled under the drug's influence and moved into the trusted forms he drilled his body to do for hours on end. Strange glowing balls of light floated about the room.
This light illuminated his opponent. It was himself but with a twisted demonic face. It roared at him and attacked again. The fight was evenly matched both knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. Master Oguzu jumped into the room and began chanting a prayer while attacking the demon. The demon fought both of them evenly and with a sudden unexpected move punched his fist through the chest of Master Oguzu and pulled out his heart laugh. Milo screamed "NOOO!" charged the demon who now seemed stronger and able to brush off the anger fueled attacks of Milo. A small voice in his mind said: "Remember your training if you are to be a master. BE A MASTER OF YOURSELF." Milo stopped attacking and pondered this moment. The demon attacked seeing the opening and punched into his chest with a grin of victory. The fist passed harmlessly through his body. The demon howled with frustration as he dissipated.
Milo sat back down into a full lotus position as he felt his head slip open and his mind expand to the ends of the universe. The God came to him and wordlessly anointed him a master monk. Pain burned on his forehead as the last two dots appeared. Milo was aware that there was chanting around him. Sunlight streamed into the great hall and he felt very weak. Master Oguzu smiled at him and bowed low from a seated position. The chanting stopped and all the rest of the monks bowed as well. Milo bowed back but lack the strength to sit up again. "Careful now Master Milo, let me help you." Said Master Oguzu. With Master Oguzu aid, Milo returned to his seated posture.
With a gesture to the side, a dwarf entered the room from a side door carrying a small low table. The table was place before Milo and upon it was four magite shapes. Three were the same square shape with a light symbol imprinted on them and one was a oval with a wind symbol imprinted upon it. The dwarf began to tell Milo that he was an attuner and he passed through the attuning ritual. The three blessed light magite represent the three levels of attainment and the last one, wind, is the element of affinity. The last step was to seal the bond with his blood. With a small sharp knife, the dwarf cut the palm of Milo's hand and dripped the blood onto each magite, three of which began to glow with holy light and the last did not. Master Oguzu held his holy magite and healed the cut in Milo's hand.
A week later, Milo stood before the door of the monastery. Master Oguzu simply opened the door and said: "Go Master Milo and learn deeper in the way. Learn how to use those magite stones. Journey the world. Don't come back until five years have passed. Good luck. May the God watch over you."
"Thank you my master." Milo said and bow. Milo walked out the door and into the big world.