Lifts-Her-Tail gave me the okay on joining this. So, I'm gonna go ahead and post my profile before waiting on her approval.
The cost of knowledge is less than the price of ignorance.
» NAME Axel Alt-Eisen
» ALIAS - - -
» AGE 20
» BIRTH DATE 2nd of Sun's Height
» BIRTH PLACE Riverwood, Skyrim
» BIRTH SIGN The Lover
» ORIGIN Redguard
» CLASS Biochemist
o Alchemists are those who create potions. They double as chemists and physicians, being knowledgeable about chemicals, medicine and anatomy. Most of the time, they aren't fighters and prefer to keep to their potions and their books. However, this isn't always the case. Some alchemists are VERY capable of fighting. Biochemists are alchemists that have taken their knowledge of science and alchemy one step further. Their constant studying, research and experimentation has led them to become educated about the biological makeup and processes of all of Tamriel's races and creatures. They then apply this knowledge to their alchemy and their combat style. Their potions and poisons have now reached a new level of potency. With potions that can heal the most grievous of injuries, elixirs that can boost one's fighting capabilities to extraordinary levels and poisons that wreck and destroy any poor soul who is unfortunate enough to be afflicted by them, the Biochemist truly shows that knowledge is power . . .
» GENDER Male
» HEIGHT 5'5
» WEIGHT 130 pounds
» LATERALITY Left-Handed
» SEXUALITY Heterosexual
» MARTIAL STATUS Single
» HEALTH Well
» AFFILIATION None
» AFFLICTIONS None
» RELIGION Eight Divines
» PATRON DEITIES Mara and Kynareth
» POSITIVE TRAITS Intelligent, humble, focused, mature, likable
» NEGATIVE TRAITS Insecure, awkward, stiff, distant, anxious
» LIKES Alchemy, books, crossbows, reading, sweet rolls, fresh fruit juice, dwemer technology
» DISLIKES Swords, magic, arrogance, mead, smoke,politics, being underestimated
» FEARS Argonians, khajiit, caves, getting lost, failure
» ASPIRATIONS Become tamriel's greatest alchemist, manufacture the perfect crossbow, see the world, recreate dwemer technology, strengthen his mind, body and spirit
» QUIRKS sweats profusely when scared
Axel is a down-to-earth guy. He is practical and unpretentious and doesn’t put on airs to flaunt his abilities or possessions. It’s for this reason that Axel is a very easy person to talk to and befriend. You don’t need to impress him in any way in order for him to like you. All he asks is that you be yourself. Now, that goes without saying that he can’t stand arrogant, corrupt or evil folk. They don’t click well with him. Even so, he has the restraint to not outright lash out at them. In fact, it takes quite a bit for Axel to get angry. He doesn’t have a temper but once he does get angry or upset, it takes a bit of time for him to finally cool off.
The kid has a good head on his shoulders. He’s intelligent and crafty and tends to pick up on things quickly. Not to say that he’s an absolute genius but he’s definitely smart by intellectual standards. Axel loves to learn and puts a great deal of time into refining and sharpening his mind. If he doesn’t have his nose buried in a book, he’s either glued to his alchemy lab concocting all sorts of elixirs and poisons or tethered to the nearest forge, working on perfecting his smithing and marksmanship. Axel does have obsessive tendencies, often so absorbed by what he’s doing that he forgets to do basic things like eat ( he’ll miss his lunch time by a few hours or so ). Plus, the Redguard male doesn’t really know what it means to relax or have “fun”. Fun to him isn’t hanging out with friends or having a good drink at the bar but rather stumbling upon a new type of potion or smithing a piece of ancient Dwarven weaponry. He’s stiff and a bit awkward around others. Axel has good manners and etiquette and that’s his saving grace whenever he interacts with someone else. He tries to use slang and talk about popular trends in order to come off as being cool and cultured. Sadly, he fails miserably at it. This leads him to become insecure about himself, sometimes doubting that he’ll ever be able to relate to others on a personal or friendly level. Even so, it’s hard not to like the boy’s dorky and likable nature.
Although he’s naturally curious and wishes to explore and travel, Axel can’t help but be afraid of the unknown. Skyrim is a dangerous place, riddled with strife and adversity. One wrong move could easily spell your death. However, this hasn’t completely stopped Axel from pursuing his desire to travel. What it has done is made him apprehensive of traveling far without being completely confident in his ability to defend himself. After some rigorous training and self-coaxing, the lad has finally built up the courage and confidence to be able to travel the roads on his own if he needs to. He’d much rather ride a carriage or travel in a group than on his own.
» HAIR Black, short and curly, sometimes shaved bald
» EYE COLOR Dark Brown
» SKIN COLOR Dark Brown
» BUILD Average
» SCARS None
» PHYSICAL — Being a Redguard, Axel has dark-brown skin. His eyes are the same color and are the easiest way of finding out how Axel is feeling. He may try to hide his true emotions in some cases but one good look in his eyes spells out the truth. In a way, people can read Axel like an open book. He doesn’t like admitting it though. Short, black hair covers the lad’s scalp. Usually, it’s kept in a low buzzcut. If Axel lets his hair grow it, it’ll grow out curly into a miniature afro. His facial features are roughly proportional with one another, save for his ears which are a bit large for his head. Standing at five foot five inches and weighing at one hundred thirty pounds, Axel is much shorter than other Redguard males his age. In fact, he’s just shorter than most people period. His stature isn’t much to boast about either. Now, Axel’s not a twig but he isn’t Hercules either. Average would be the best word to describe his physique. His chest, torso, arms and legs have slight amounts of muscle in them. Strength wise, Axel’s not a complete weakling but don’t expect him to swing around a greatsword or be able to battle in a suit of heavy armor. To make up for his short-comings in strength, other than his intelligence, Axel’s relatively quick and agile. He’s physically conditioned and can run for extended periods of time. The young adult’s physique tends to make others underestimate him. In some cases, that could be a deadly mistake for them.
» ATTIRE [CASUAL] — Axel likes to wear simple clothing. Most of the time, he’ll cycle between a variety of colored, cotton long-sleeved shirts ranging from green, brown, red and orange and then wear a pair of black pants along with them. He tends to roll up his sleeves, just so that they won’t get in the way with what’s he doing. For footwear, Axel favors a pair of sturdy, black walking boots, ones that are able to be used on all terrains. Axel’s almost never seen without a pair of dwarven goggles perched on the top of his head. He usually doesn’t wear them over his eyes unless he’s working with volatile alchemy reagents or dealing with a smithing forge. You could say that they are the kid’s trade-mark accessory and he takes great pride in them. In his casual clothing, Axel typically doesn’t carry his crossbow and bolts with him. However, if need be, he’ll take them along with him while he goes about his daily business. You can never be too prepared, especially in a place like Skyrim.
» FIGHTING STYLE – Axel possesses an interesting fighting style. While those who use ranged weapons tend to keep their distance and remain undetected by the enemy, Axel faces his opponents head-on. He has no problem fighting at long range but he’s equally comfortable with close-range combat. He wields his crossbow with a surprising proficiency, capable of using it at long range or close range and is even able to use it to block incoming attacks or as an improvised blunt weapon. Also, he uses his mastery of alchemy to heal injuries, boost his and his allies’ fighting ability with special potions and even to lace his crossbow bolts with absolutely deadly poisons. Axel also uses spell scrolls to cast spells despite his overwhelming incompetence in magic and mostly sticks to Alteration and Restoration scrolls. However, Axel’s most potent resource is his intelligence. He’ll try to outsmart you in whatever way possible and he’ll definitely keep you on your toes. Be careful about underestimating him for that could be a deadly mistake on your part.
» SKILLS
Master
» Alchemy – Being the son of two proficient apothecaries and spellswords, Axel was introduced to alchemy when he was seven years old. His parents have taught him much of what he knows now but of course, Axel has learned and discovered things on his own. He’s a natural at alchemy and he has made an astounding amount of progress in the time that he has been practicing it. As soon as he hit twenty years old, he became a master alchemist and he can produce any elixir or poison out there. Of course, getting to this point wasn’t easy and Axel spends every day honing and refining his alchemy.
Expert
» Archery [Crossbows] – Due to having little to no experience in using one-handed and two-handed weapons and having no proficiency in any sort of magic at all, archery was the combat skill that Axel strove to perfect. He learned how to shoot a bow in his younger years and can use them alongside crossbows. However, Axel favors the crossbow over the bow. After using them so much, Axel can even use a crossbow at melee range, whether it be blocking a sword with the stock, using it as a blunt weapon or even shooting it at close range. Reloading the weapon isn’t a problem for him anymore as he’s able to place a bolt in the stock and cock the crossbow back without much effort, even if he’s in an awkward position.
» Smithing – With his slight obsession of Dwemer technology, it was only a matter of time before Axel decided to take up blacksmithing. At first, his weapons and armor weren’t the greatest and it took quite a bit of time and discipline before he finally was able to produce battle-worthy weapons and armor. While he was learning alchemy, Axel frequently visited the local blacksmith in order to learn more about the trade. Axel can smith a wide range of weapons and armor and can improve upon and repair pieces of armaments. He eventually wishes to be able to smith himself the finest crossbow and armor possible but he knows that it’ll be plenty of years before that dream becomes a reality.
Adept
» Speech – Speechcraft is somewhat of an overlooked art not pursued by many. While Axel is no bard, his love of books has caused him to pick up plenty about communicating with others. Although he won’t be intimidating anyone any time soon, he is able to negotiate with others and can act as a mediator between two opposing parties. Plus, his friendly nature lead others to be more inclined to do what he asks. This is the reason why he has been able to get good deals from local merchants without going completely broke.
» Heavy Armor – Having armor is great and all but it doesn’t do much if you don’t know how to use it. After enlisting the help of a potent Heavy Armor user ( and several back-breaking training sessions later ), Axel has gotten to the point where he is able to move effectively in heavy armor without hindering his movements while still fully utilizing the protection his set of heavy armor grants him.
» Block – While melee weapons aren’t exactly Axel’s forte, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to defend against attacks. He has gotten to the point where he can use his crossbow to block and deflect blows. Extensive training has allowed Axel to use his crossbow as an improvised blunt weapon and he’s capable of dealing crippling damage should his blows connect.
Apprentice
» Sneak – If you asked Axel what the key of sneaking was, he’d say “. . . Don’t get caught?” It’s a decent answer to say the least and Axel can be sneaky if he needs to. His smaller stature helps, making him a bit harder to spot and he knows how to move quietly and not make noise ( most of the time ). Don’t expect him to sneak through an entire bandit fort and take out every single bandit without being seen.
Novice
» Lockpicking and Pickpocketing – Axel’s no thief. He’s a lousy pickpocket and can’t be bothered fiddling with locks. For him to successfully pickpocket someone, they’d have to be completely unconscious with nobody else around them. Oh and if you want him to lockpick a chest or a door, just be ready for him to break plenty of your lockpicks.
» One-Handed and Two-Handed– Close combat was never Axel’s forte. Despite constant efforts to improve his use of melee weaponry, he has barely got any better at using them. If he has to use a melee weapon, one-handed weapons are his best bet. Two-handed weapons are far too heavy and clunky for Axel to use. Plus, it’s almost comical watching him trying to swing a sword that’s bigger than he is.
» Light Armor – Using light armor effectively requires both constant conditioning and dedication. While Axel is physically conditioned and could learn to use light armor if he wanted to, he instead chose heavy armor due to its better protection. To him, using light armor is too risky since it can't nearly protect as much as heavy armor.
» All Magic Schools – Although both of his parents are mages, Axel has no proficiency in magic. His complete ineptitude with magic is viewed as a disability to some. This has caused Axel to become slightly jealous of mages or anyone who has talent in the magical arts. While he has still has no prowess or ability to learn and use magic, he hasn't let that dampen his confidence too much.
» GEAR
» Dwarven Crossbow and Bolts [Enhanced] [Steel and Elemental]
A medium-sized crossbow smithed out of pure dwarven metal, the Dwarven Crossbow is a deadly weapon that allows the user to shoot various bolts at impressive speeds and frightening power. Ornate designs litter the crossbow’s stock and bow string mechanism. The crossbow’s firing mechanism is simple and it works on a self-cocking system where the user pulls back the lever in order to cock the crossbow back before loading in a bolt of their choice. Standard Dwarven crossbows sometimes have difficulty penetrating through heavy armor. However, with modifications done by a blacksmith with enough skill, the crossbow’s power and potency can be improved even further to the point where bolts launched by the crossbow can even punch through heavy armor. Axel created and improved this weapon himself and it is used as his primary weapon of choice. When he’s not using it, he keeps it on his back with a special sling that allows for easy storage and retrieval. He makes sure to keep plenty of crossbow bolts on him as well, ranging from steel bolts to elemental, exploding bolts. Listed below are the amounts of bolts that Axel typically has on him at a time.
o Steel Bolt [50]
o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Fire [5]
o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Ice [5]
o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Shock [5]
» Customized Ebony Armor
Axel’s set of armor is just like any set of Ebony Armor save for a few modifications. Since ebony is an expensive ore, Axel took another approach to crafting Ebony Armor to compensate for its high cost. Instead of wearing full ebony mail, Axel instead wears a tough vest made out of ebony ore. Underneath, he wears a long-sleeved chainmail shirt. The sleeves stop at the middle of his forearms. Other than that, the leggings, gloves and boots are just like any other piece of ebony armor. Axel doesn't wear a helmet, instead preferring to keep his Dwemer goggles on his head. While this set of armor isn't as protective as standard Ebony armor, it does allow for more mobility whilst still being able to effectively protect Axel from all sorts of weaponry and blows.
» Potions [Assorted]
Axel carries a variety of potions and poisons on him. Being a master alchemist, his potions and poisons are extremely potent. His potions range from healing potions to boosting potions while his poisons vary in effect and intensity. Typically, the more potent a potion or poison is, the fewer he has of it. Listed below are the amounts of potions and poisons Axel usually has with him at a time.
o Healing Potions [5]
o Fortifying Potions [3]
o Poisons [3]
» Spell Scrolls [Assorted]
In order to circumvent his inability to use magic, Axel uses spell scrolls in order to cast spells during battle. Spell scrolls can be used by anyone no matter how skilled or unskilled they are in magic and thus they are an invaluable tool to use during combat situations. Plus, they fit exceptionally well with Axel’s usage of potions. The only types of scrolls that Axel carries are Alteration and Restoration scrolls. Destruction, Conjuration and Illusion scrolls are far too volatile for Axel to use, mostly due to him not having the ability to effectively control the magical energy in his grasp. Axel uses his Alteration Scrolls in order to bolster his defenses while he uses his Restoration scrolls to heal injuries quickly, usually whenever he doesn’t have time to use a healing potion on himself or an ally. These scrolls are small and easy to carry. Listed below are the amounts of scrolls that Axel typically has on him at a time.
o Ironflesh [2]
o Ebonyflesh [1]
o Heal Other [2]
o Grand Healing [1]
» Thalmor [ENEMIES] – Axel has a sharp dislike for the Thalmor. They seek to rule all of Tamriel under a single government where elves hold all positions of power. They are elven supremacists who do nothing more than oppress and harass those who are not of Altmer blood. Plus, they claimed false responsibility for closing the Oblivion Gates when it was truly Martin Septim who sacrificed himself to close the gates and ultimately save the world. In all, Axel believes the Thalmor to be the true threat to Skyrim and wishes that both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks would combine their efforts to stop them instead of fighting each other. Other than that, Axel just tries to avoid dealing with the Thalmor whenever possible. Although he does not worship Talos, he still feels that the Thalmor’s presence doesn’t do anyone any sort of good.
» Imperial Legion [NEUTRAL] – Honestly, Axel tries to avoid taking sides in terms of the Civil War. However, he sides more with the Imperials than the Stormcloaks. Most of the distaste for the Empire comes from their peace treaty with the Thalmor. However, that very peace treaty is one of the only things that is stopping the Thalmor from overtaking Skyrim. Plus, even Imperials themselves know that the Thalmor are the true evil and not the Stormcloaks. Axel hopes that the conflict between the two opposing forces can be resolved with something other than violence and that both sides combine their efforts into taking down the Thalmor.
» Stormcloaks [DISLIKES] – Being a Redguard, Axel has faced his fair share of racial discrimination from Stormcloak supporters. Even so, he knows that not all of them are xenophobic and heated racists. Some genuinely care for Skyrim’s well-being and her people, regardless of race. Axel doesn’t necessarily hate the Stormcloaks but he doesn’t support them either. Again, he believes that the Stormcloaks should work together with the Imperials in order to eliminate the Thalmor from Tamriel.
» Falmer [NEUTRAL] – It is sad how the Falmer came to be. The Dwemer were responsible for their enslavement and their grotesque transformation into the blind beasts they are known as today. Though Axel is extremely interested in the Dwemer’s technology, he can’t help but think that they were terrible for what they did to the Falmer. It’s a definite tragedy and Axel only hopes something can be done before the Falmer take to more drastic measures in their plan for complete domination of the surface world.
» Forsworn [DISLIKES] – After educating himself about the Markarth Incident, Axel has slightly changed his opinion about the Forsworn. Before, he viewed them as a group of bloodthirsty savages but now, he sees the reasoning behind their constant attacks against the people of the Reach. Still, he wishes that they could find a much more peaceful alternative to settling their differences with the local Nords. Axel still does his best to avoid dealing with them altogether though.
» The Thieves Guild [DISLIKES] – To be blunt, Axel doesn’t like the Thieves’ Guild one bit. They are nothing more than heartless, greedy thugs and they are the main reason why Riften is such a corrupt and dangerous place. He understands that some people have to resort to stealing in order to stay alive. However, those who do it out of greed and malice are rabble. The problem with the Thieves Guild is that the amount of influence they have and rooting out their power will be extremely difficult. Still, it’s not like Axel wouldn’t at least try to stop them.
» The Companions [LIKES] – Axel respects the Companions. They are a close-knit family with good intentions despite their public image being a group of savage brutes. Of course, Axel isn’t aware of the organization’s well-guarded secrets. He has actually expressed an interest of joining the Companions. However, he has been hesitant to try and join due to fear of rejection.
» Mages College [NEUTRAL] – Having been blamed by many for the cause of the Great Collapse, it’s not surprising that a majority of Skyrim’s residents are skeptical of the College and of mages in general. Axel isn’t entirely sure if the College is to blame for Winterhold’s past destruction however he doesn’t hold any sort of hatred for the College or its mages.
» The Dark Brotherhood [DISLIKES] – Axel doesn’t know too much about the Dark Brotherhood, other than the fact that they are a shadowy group of assassins who carry out a countless amount of assassination contracts. They are merciless, twisted killers who take joy froAxel has absolutely no interest in joining them whatsoever. He tends to avoid anything that remotely deals with the Dark Brotherhood. After all, he doesn’t want trained assassins sent after him.
Axel was born on the 2nd of Sun’s Height in Riverwood. Being the son of two proficient spell-swords and apothecaries, it seemed only a matter of time before Axel would take up his parents’ art. However, that would soon prove not to be the case. Riverwood was quiet and peaceful enough, a suitable place to raise a child. Like any other kid, Axel had few worries in the world, aside from wondering if he would get his favorite sweet roll every day. His parents decided to introduce him to alchemy at a young age, both of them being town apothecaries. They cared for Riverwood’s inhabitants and would often travel in order to treat those who were in need but could not make the journey to visit them. At first, they taught their son some of the basics and left it at that. However, they soon came to found out that their son was picking up new concepts extremely quickly. He was even going so far as to discover new alchemy recipes on his own and modifying existing recipes in order to make them that much more effective. While his parents saw this as amazing, Axel remained humble. In his eyes, anybody could do it, all they needed was dedication and determination. Axel wasn’t too much of the social type, instead wanting to solely keep to his books and potions. He’d play with the other kids from time to time but if he had a choice, he kept to himself.
Once he turned twelve, Axel’s parents decided to introduce him to weaponry and magic. With Skyrim being as dangerous as it was, it was never too early to teach someone how to defend themselves. Since both of Axel’s parents were spellswords, the two of them wanted Axel to take up their fighting style as well. However, they were met with a surprise. Axel was absolutely horrible with melee weapons and he had no sort of talent with magic whatsoever. This soon raised a question. Was their son’s only saving grace was his brilliant mind? Of course, they didn’t treat Axel any different. They loved him, no matter who he was. However, Axel’s morale took a big blow. He couldn’t help but be a bit distraught, knowing that the other children were already showing promise with their skills.
Still, Axel wouldn’t give up just yet. There was still one other thing that his parents haven’t showed him yet.
Archery.
After snatching his mother’s bow and arrows, the lad hurried out to the edge of Riverwood’s outskirts. There, he tried to embed an arrow in a tree though he really didn’t have much of an idea for proper bow techniques. The most what he was going off of was how his mother shot arrows. It couldn’t have been that much different, could it? Of course, it only took a matter of moments for Axel’s mother to find her son fiddling with her bow and arrow. Amused, she showed him the minimal basics, only to see that their child was able to stick an arrow into a nearby tree on the first shot.
Maybe he was a fighter after all.
After two years, Axel had become an expert alchemist and was able to use a bow with surprising proficiency. Still, his skill with bows wasn’t exactly up to par with other archers. While he was still young at the age of fourteen, Axel strove to refine his archery to the point where it’ll be at the level of his alchemy. Considering his expertise with potions, that much was a lofty goal. That had to be something that he could do though. Then, Axel remembered something. He remembered reading a very peculiar book, one that focused on Dwemer technology. Supposedly, the Dwemer were the ones who created the crossbow, a bow mounted on a stock that shot crossbow bolts. The crossbow was able to shoot with startling power, enough to where it could actually penetrate through light and heavy armor. Plus, it was much easier to operate than a bow. Even though it shot slower than a bow, Axel was extremely interested in finding out more about crossbows as well as the technology that the Dwemer created and utilized. As such, Axel decided to take up blacksmithing so that he would be able to manufacture brilliant pieces of weaponry and armor on his own. He saw it like alchemy except he was dealing with metals instead of alchemy reagents. Axel’s father was a respectable blacksmith. After hearing his son’s sudden interest in blacksmithing, he decided to show him the ropes by taking him frequently to the town’s forge. It would seem as though it’d only be a matter of time before Axel would become a skilled smith as well.
On Axel’s twentieth birthday, Axel’s persistent studying and practice allowed him to become a master alchemist. There was almost no potion he couldn’t brew and he could take the most common ingredients and brew them into a potent elixir. Also, he had learned how to smith and create a variety of weapons and armor and was even able to craft a crossbow based on Dwemer designs. Still, Axel wished to accomplish more.
He hadn’t traveled much at all.
The furthest he had been from home was going to Whiterun to run errands for his parents. Other than that, he was only able to envision what the other parts of Skyrim looked like from the mountains of books he had read. There was so much more to learn and to see other than the small and remote village of Riverwood. However, there was still much more danger and strife outside the humble village as well. Axel knew that he could get mauled by beasts, mobbed and robbed by bandits and ultimately perish out in the unforgiving wilderness.
. . . But to Axel, it was worth the risk.
