owarimade

1. Player Information
Name: Xae
Username: Plurk: Tsukeru, AIM: FeathersGlow, Email: trucidoindignus@gmail.com
Current characters in ToS:
Padmé Amidala | Star Wars |

rebelangel
USS Enterprise | Star Trek |

loyalfool
Age: Mid-twenties
Appearance:

Arthur stands at 6 foot even with a muscular frame. He has relatively short dirty blond hair with blue eyes. There are various scars littering his body from various battles or tournaments. When in a relaxed setting he can be found wearing a simple shirt, vest and pants combo accompanied with a belt and boots. He has a long brown duster that he occasionally wears. Arthur is also prone to wearing chainmail, sometimes with a pauldron and vambrace or sometimes with his long red cloak with an embroidered golden dragon insignia, especially when going into combat. At his hip rests Excalibur. Usually.

When relaxed Arthur will sit comfortably, sometimes with with one of his feet up. Sometimes he may fiddle with something but he does know how to stay perfectly still. However, in the public eye he has very good posture and doesn't often fidget. Though Arthur is far more comfortable out in the open air with a weapon in his hand.

History:

"I swear I'm going to rescue my men, or die trying."

Powers/Talents:

Weapons/Fighting: Since birth Arthur has been trained to fight. Not just in hand-to-hand combat but with every available weapon of the time from swords, maces, spears to even crossbows and lances.

Riding: Horseback riding is basically the fastest mode of traveling in his time. That means Arthur has been riding horses probably as long as he could walk. He's a natural when it comes to riding.

Tracking: As a hunter Arthur has been trained to track through the forest. This ranges from animals to humans to the occasional supernatural beast.

Leader/Strategist: Seeing as how he was the only heir to the throne he's been taught to rule the kingdom from a young age. Now that his father is gone it's up to Arthur to lead not only his people on an everyday basis but also his men into battle. While it's true that he leads with his heart as well as his head, his men follow him loyally because of it.

Psychic Link: Not that he's aware of it but there seems to be some sort of connection between him and Merlin that allows them to sense the trouble the other is in. Usually it occurs when one or both are in a life-or-death situation. Especially when one is unconscious.

Personality:

Arthur has first and foremost always been a man of duty. This is often to double-edged blade for the young king. There are times when he believes that he should put the good of Camelot above everything else and sometimes this works out just fine. Other times he often puts himself and even others aside in order to do what he thinks is best or even occasionally what other people expect of him. In the past this has led to people suffering because of his duties. So much suffering that there has been deaths that Arthur later regrets. Due to his duty he often allows other to influence his decisions when he’s unsure of how to handle certain situations. Not always for the better. That doesn’t mean that even when he does take the advice of others, Arthur always knows the right thing to do. Sometimes he’s just so sure of his choices and the times he follows his own heart usually doesn’t steer him wrong but everyone makes mistakes. From the very beginning he’s been aware of the crushing weight that his duties bring. He knows he can’t run from certain things and even resists the things that he wants.

Arthur: I feel like such a fool. I put such trust in him. All this time I was blind to his treachery as I was to Morgana's.
Merlin: You were deceived, Arthur. That could happen to anyone.
Arthur: Yet it keeps happening to me. I cared about these people. I don't understand. What have I done wrong? Why do they hate me?

This is one man who has unwavering loyalty to his kingdom and its people. While his father may have tried to instill him that the kingdom must come first Arthur often thinks of its people. He is the sort of man who would risk life and limb for even a lowly servant, even if he has to go against the wishes of others. Arthur does not think his life is more important then anyone else’s – without the people there would be no point to a kingdom or crown. This trust runs so deep that he was willing to take the word of a servant over someone of noble blood even without any solid proof in hand, that he stood up for such a person. In fact, Arthur is willing to suffer punishment for those who have earned his loyalty. His trust may not be easily gained but once someone has it, it’s hard to break it. One of Arthur’s main faults. Often times his loyalty blinds him to the treachery or secrets they may be hiding, even when pointed out to him. It takes an absolute betrayal of his trust in order for his loyalty to be broken. Even Arthur is aware of this flaw in himself and actually verbalizes it, yet it’s just not something he can break free from. In the end the combination of his blind loyalty, and duties was his undoing.

He is Courage. He is everything that word entails. Arthur faces everything that’s thrown at him with such courage, no matter if he’s scared or frightened. That is the true meaning of bravery – to face what scares you and every time Arthur doesn’t back down. No, instead he charges it head-on, accepting whatever his fate might be. Which, in all honesty, makes Arthur the self-sacrificing type. He’s come a long way from the first time he met Merlin as he’s no longer completely spoiled and self-serving. Not only is he willing to risk his life for someone, but he is willing to lay it down before someone he cares for or due to the consequences of his own action. In fact, he didn’t want Merlin to drink from a cup that was thought to hold poison. At one point he even offered up his life to a child spirit that his battalion had cut down simply because he was among those who practiced magic. Arthur is also willing to help someone in need, no matter if he knows them or not (unless they’re a known) enemy.

Since the beginning Arthur has matured a lot, some of that due to Merlin. He started out a huge jerk that picked on the weaker and even the lesser people. The first time we see him, Arthur is literally seriously mocking one of the servants. Over time this changed greatly and he often shows more respect towards other people. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a bit of a prat at times, especially towards Merlin. While he does respect and even thinks of Merlin as his best friend, well, best friends rib each other in good nature. Of course, Merlin gives as good as he gets – sometimes secretly with magic – the true test of friendship is that Arthur no longer throws him in the stocks for it. It doesn’t just stop at Merlin, though, he can also play along with the knights too. He often makes fun of Gwaine but each one of them has his deep respect. When it comes to being playful with the female sex it’s a little harder. The closest relationship he had was with Morgana and they often pulled pranks on each other but that ended when she turned on him. That relationship was years in the making and his sense of honor won’t allow him to treat women the same way he would with the men.

Speaking of honor, Arthur is a very honorable man. It was simply the way he was raised to be – how quite a few were raised to be in that time. Often times he was the most honorable amongst killers and liars, as any good royal should be. When he gave his word, he kept it, no matter what it was. Deception wasn’t something he did a lot of, some of it was under a spell while others were because he was defying his father’s direct orders in order to save someone. He almost always tried to do the right thing, to be someone that others would want to side with and it worked. There were a lot of laws that Arthur simply didn’t agree with, even after he was king but changing them weren’t exactly easy. So he always attempted to be a fair ruler instead unlike his father. While Uther needed little proof to execute someone for betrayal or the use of magic, Arthur would hold a fair trial so no innocent was executed. Some might think him weak for it but in the end Arthur had earned the complete loyalty of his people and even his allies because of it.

During those few moments when he let someone skew his sense of right and wrong, he has held regret. When this happens his sense of guilt and remorse is so deep that sometimes he offers his life as payment for what he’s done. Sometimes he holds on to these feelings for years which is good when a similar situation happens in the future. Yet, Arthur is good at hiding these sort of feelings. Only those who are truly close to him would even know that something was wrong or that it bothered him until he finally allowed himself to open up on the rare occasions. There are also other feelings he holds close to his heart such as his grief because he knows he must do his duty for the good of Camelot. Another one of those feelings is his temper that is seen so little. On one occasion he actually took a sword to his own father in his rage, while in another he banished the woman he loved from his lands.

Despite his many faults Arthur is truly kind beneath it all. There is a soft side to him that most don’t get to see. Even when attempting to show this kindness to Merlin it often comes out as harassment. He’s just not that used to showing it and actually doesn’t know that much about comforting people. Not surprising considering what kind of man his father was and the fact that he lacked a mother. There are times when he really doesn’t even need to try, the comfort and kindness just comes naturally, mostly when things are at their most serious. Arthur is also a very sincere person, he isn’t the type to say things that he doesn’t mean unless he’s playing around. Even growing up knowing that he has to rule the kingdom he has his fair share of doubts. Sometimes about himself that Arthur isn’t prone to expressing to a lot of people. He doesn’t want people to lose faith in himself even when he’s lost faith in himself. Very few have seen this side to him, most notable is Merlin. Often the servant is the one to help restore that lost faith, sometimes with simply words and on one occasion, with a sword. In fact, Merlin is probably the one who has the most faith in him. Only Gwen comes a close second and in his times of need, Arthur has a tendency to lean on them both.

Arthur also can have a lack of patience at times. Usually when he’s worrying over something important or has a matter weighing heavily on his mind. Those are the moments when he really has little patience for trivial and unamusing things. Most notably is in the morning if his sleep is interrupted by noisy servants. Arthur won’t hesitate to throw items in the general direction the source is coming from. Or he may assign Merlin a bunch of chores all at once. He also has the tendency to be stubborn about things. Though Arthur may call it his determination, which he surely has quite a lot of. It all goes hand-in-hand with his ego. Arthur knows he has an image to maintain in order to not appear weak to other kingdoms and there’s a hint of that leftover from the early years. He also doesn’t like to admit when a girl or his servant saves his life.

That determination can also inspire others to believe in what they can accomplish. Arthur has this natural ability to just lead and get people to follow him using his actions to back up his words. No one would say that Arthur isn’t a tough bastard, especially in battle. He takes his hits well, sometimes too well even when he shouldn’t. Even when seriously wounded, Arthur isn’t the type to turn tail and run. Most of the time he has to be carried or dragged away when hurt. It’s a matter of pride to not give in to the enemy, something his position as first prince and then king would never allow him to do. When Mordred finally dealt a death blow Arthur found the strength to strike back and end the druid’s life.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a complete application without talking about Arthur and magic. While he may have grown up on his father’s beliefs that all magic was evil, he didn’t really start to believe it himself until sometime later. Sure he may have followed the law and caught sorcerers that were later executed but Arthur had his share in helping them too. Most notable was Mordred’s escape when the young druid boy was caught. Killing children just isn’t something Arthur can bring himself to do, even if that boy has magic. Uther’s death where magic failed to save him nearly turned Arthur completely against sorcery but he did eventually see reason there. No, it was Morgana who hardened his heart on the matter. The girl he’d grown up beside, the woman he once cared for deeply, his own half-sister was a source of all the evil that magic could do. She continuously used it against him, against his kingdom and that wasn’t something Arthur could stand. Despite that there were the very rare occasions when he sought out magic to save people he cared about but Arthur couldn’t be swayed enough to allow magic back into Camelot. It wasn’t until Merlin admitted to being a sorcerer that he could see all the good magic could do – that it really wasn’t magic that was evil but what the person who wielded it did with it. With his dying breath he accepted Merlin for who he was – for what he could do. However that comes from years upon years of the trust they built together. Just because he accepted Merlin doesn’t mean he’ll automatically do the same to others. Arthur will be wary of any and all magic users until he knows he can trust them. After all it took a couple of days, lots of convincing and his own imminent death to accept Merlin.

Why would your character be chosen?

He's the King of Camelot. The one who would unite and bring peace to Albion. Arthur can use all sorts of weapons with deadly efficiency and has an excellent head for leadership and strategy. He can hunt, ride a horse, train other soldiers. And let's not forget he's pretty damn loyal. Loyal to his kingdom and country but most importantly - his people. He is willing to go above and beyond in order to protect them, even if it meant defying his own father.

How much does your character know about nonhumans?

Arthur has always been aware of nonhumans - sorcerers and druids especially. However for most of his life his father did execute anyone who used magic. Since Merlin came into his life he has come across many strange creatures such as dragons, griffins, trolls, unicorns and other such beings. He may not be an expert in dealing with them (or even knowing them all) but Arthur does still have a lot to learn.

Why this character:

Arthur is a fun character. He's not the average ruler who doesn't know how to joke around or treats his subjects cruelly despite how he started the beginning of the series. Throughout the series Arthur grows as a both a royal and as a person so much that I was just drawn to him. Because the series was cancelled we didn't really get to see them exploring the reveal of Merlin's magic and it's something I'd like to be able to do in game.

4. Samples
First-Person:

[It took him forever to figure out how this worked, of course, it really doesn’t help that he doesn’t want to know. Mostly because it seems like the work of sorcery. Put it in the ear and it allows a person to talk to other people over a distance. Seems a bit rubbish if anyone asked him.]

Is this bloody thing even working? How does someone tell? [The distinctly male British voice is muttering to himself.]

Right then. [He’ll just have to believe it is.] Something tells me that this isn’t what it’s like beyond the veil. Yet somehow my mortal wound has miraculously been healed. Like magic. [The man is suspicious and it shows in his voice.]

My name is Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot and I’d like to know just what exactly is going on here. Someone explain the situation to me as I hardly believe that I’ve been brought here to be a candidate for marriage to a prince. [Normally this would be the point where he would say he’s already married but if he died, does it matter anymore? Arthur had passed on his royal seal to Gaius to give to Gwen. She would rule Camelot in his stead.]

Merlin, if you’re here I expect you in my chambers immediately.

Third-Person:

Not only was he feeling better than he had for the first time in days, but he was certain that the wound was entirely gone. Considering that Gaius could do nothing with science it was only natural to suspect it was the work of magic. Merlin had been trying so desperately to get him somewhere that he would be healed but surely this wasn’t the place. Not with its windows that looked out upon what lie beneath the ocean. Surely this wasn’t where his manservant had been taking him. Excalibur was gone from his side so all he could do was follow the man as he explained the situation.

Besides, something told him that this man would not appreciate having a sword drawn on him. It would be a mistake to do so, one of the many Arthur had made in the past. So he followed in silence torn between staring at the back of the man’s head as they walked and looking out the windows. When the man led him to a pair of women he remained silent, though his displeasure was evident on his face. Finally he was left alone with his own thoughts.

This was not the work of Merlin then. Arthur remembered losing strength, losing the ability to stay conscious. The broken bit of sword was claiming his life and they wouldn’t reach their destination in time. At least Morgana wouldn’t continue to be a problem for Camelot, for Gwen who would rule in his stead. She was finally gone and despite everything she had done it hurt. They had spent so much of their lives together, and she was his half-sister. Her death may have been a relief but Arthur also mourned. On top of that was the knowledge that for years Merlin had been at his side and keeping the fact that he was a sorcerer for him.

Part of Arthur had accepted it but all his life he’d been fighting against the use of magic. When he’d been dying the King had accepted that Merlin had used his magic mostly for the good of Camelot – for his sake as well. There hadn’t been much time to think about it but he hadn’t wanted to die angry at one of the most loyal individuals in his life. Merlin had plenty of opportunities to bring magic back to Camelot, to really change things but instead put the sake of the kingdom before his own desires. Not just for the kingdom but for Arthur. That was a kind of loyalty that was hard to find, especially in his life. It did explain a few things about Merlin's odd behaviour. The man was hiding right under his and his father's noses for years, practicing magic that he could easily be executed for. Merlin had even admitted to it once.

How blind he's been. The betrayals of his sister and uncle had been hard enough but Arthur had been ready to cast Merlin aside the moment he learned of the sorcerer's secret. Thinking back on everything now was certainly interesting. If Merlin was truly the old man who had appeared not once but three times in front of him then the king had a few things to say. Or maybe a few things to throw. For god's sake, Arthur had carried the old man! The very idea was enough for his gloved hand to tighten around the odd earpiece he'd been given. He had a few questions that needed answering, might as well see if Merlin was here in this strange place while he was at it.

Third Sample:

Here

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Throne of Shadows - Arthur Pendragon (Reply)

Throne of Shadows - Arthur Pendragon

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