Pelleas Arklay

Pelleas Arklay is the First Captain of the Longreth Knights, a man with rank and station. He was not born with such things, however; he earned his place among the nobility of the Fortress City in truest Longreth fashion: through blood, sweat, and sheer tenacity. An expert in general combat, Pelleas is particularly renowned for his swordsmanship.

Given a lordship as a personal favor by Longreth's queen, Pelleas is no stranger to the fact that he owes everything in his life to the glory of his crown. He is particularly steadfast in his devotion to the royal family, and has been known to take on missions and tasks with which no one of his station should ever be trusted. No one quite knows what he has done to earn the queen's favor, but rumors abound. Very few people are willing to speak these rumors out loud, however.

Appearance
Pelleas is rarely ever found out of his uniform: a suit of chainmail accented by boiled leather plates. He has a full suit of whitesteel plate armor, a gift from the royal family after his promotion to the post of First Captain, but he has only been seen to wear it in extremely formal settings. He is of average height, stocky and well-muscled, with a squarish jaw and short-cropped hair. His beard is groomed properly. He keeps himself presentable at all times.

In spite of his general propriety, however, there are signs of a bit of color in Pelleas's past. His dark brown eyes hold many secrets, and every so often one can spy what looks like a faded prison tattoo on one side of his thick neck.

Personality
Pelleas is a solemn, thoughtful man, devoted heart and soul to his city and his monarch. He is a stern but fair leader, and is particularly patient with his young squire, Bradley. It is very rare to see Pelleas display any particular emotion outside of his fervent determination. There is darkness in him, however. He has been known to have a certain sadistic streak, which only ever comes out when he is angry. While Pelleas is slow to anger, generally, once he has decided that a man—or woman—is an enemy, he is as single-minded as a feral predator; one unafraid to play with its food before eating.

History
Pelleas was born to a long line of blacksmiths and silversmiths, and it was believed in his young childhood that he would follow this path once he grew to manhood. It became quickly obvious to his family, however, that Pelleas was much better at using the products of the family business than making them. Pelleas's artistry was in swinging a sword, not a hammer, and he quickly made a name for himself amongst local children by offering his services as a bodyguard.

This caught the attention of the knight, Julius Northwood, who took on young Pelleas as his page. By the time Pelleas grew into manhood, he had climbed the ranks of the knighthood, using his natural strength and force of will to excel where his peers often failed. Soon, he had earned the favor of the queen herself, and his career as a warrior was set for life. He became one of her personal guards, and spent a good amount of time working out of her castle, defending the queen and her children.

Pelleas returned to the field during the Fell-Field Uprising, and opted to take on a squire of his own, following in the footsteps of his old master.

Affiliations
Pelleas's one and only love is his country. He is affiliated with the Knights of Longreth.