Description: A young man with short, dark ginger hair, closely cropped to his head. An intent, determined expression frames his dark green eyes behind a pair of circular reading glasses. His face is narrow and stern, seeming more serious in intent than it is in reality, and he is not entirely unhandsome. His body frame is lightly built, yet with a summer soldiers wartime physique-he sports the look of a man recently accustoming himself to the rigors of outdoor living. His face is often ill at ease. Men describe him as 'haunted'-but in truth he's merely distracted, constantly lost in calculation.
Background: Issak came of age in the times. Born into a colorful family of 'theater-historians' (A profession entailing both creative interpretation of certain historical events and the performance thereof), he at first enjoyed a life of mild leisure-not giving much thought to the occupation, only interested in expanding his circle of friends among the artists and thinkers of the Elberth 'old guard'. His 18th year swept him into these events, however-as the entire nation seemed to be gripped in Patriotic resurgence, he found himself dragged along.
He quickly found his study of history, oratory, and politics-not to mention drama and acting-made him popular among the freedom minded. He liked being popular, and initially he was not terribly invested in the conflict. What began as a vapid attempt to woo a series of attractive women, however, slowly changed the person he was-only through the crucible of combat, did he find faith in the cause. Just another sheltered youth who endured the horror of war, and found himself changed for it. Issak became quite the Firebrand, learning how to cajole and rally apathetic citizens to the cause-after all, he had been one himself.
He also learned how to fight...though it was quickly realized he was far better leading men than fighting with him. His martial skills were notoriously bad. Issak was said to have been the absolutely worst shot of his squad, and he couldn't swing a blade-literally-to save his life. A widely spread joke was that he nearly beheaded himself with a claymore after his first swing, which explains his favored style of haircut. Still, a shine in his eyes a well chosen word would fire a mans convictions, inspire him to greatness..tell them to die, with the confidence is was worth a greater cause. He displayed a certain courage under fire that rallied men around him like water flowing around a stone. He was able to stay calm and think even under dire circumstances. The 7th battle of the Press River (it was more a skirmish) had nearly been a complete rout-only Issak's quick thinking and a truly impassioned speech had managed to stop the foreign mercenaries from forging the bridge and running the local rebel army to the ground, mostly be convincing those around him that it was better to die holding the narrow pass, than be run down and spitted by the cavalry like so many wild boars. The river ran dark red with gore that day, but the bridge was held.
He rose rapidly in the ranks afterwards, not entirely on merit-like many, he was shoved forward to fill the ranks of the newly dead. A self taught student of strategy, his early military record showed every mark of a budding, unschooled commander-the occasional bright, intuitive, and overthought maneuver countered by a sort of plodding and predictable tactics that cost far too lives on both sides. Over time, he improved-at the cost of lives and defeats. He was noted for a dislike of cavalry (Believing them to be outdated in the age of the mass produced fire arm), and a true appreciation of artillery, when he can get it. His private moniker among his men was 'Playwright'-since he seemed to enjoy his battles as a director, fought out like well written scripts. His greatest skill was his ability to organize the undisciplined rebels into a semblance of an actual army-some say his skill in the training, logistics, and supply overhaul he instituted into the rebel army, helped more than anything he did on the battlefield. He put it down to an early childhood running a theater with his family, which was just about as chaotic.
As an additional note of interest, Issak has unintentional found himself the center of a small religious movement-a student of history, he was said to have made idle comments and recreated ancient rituals for his officers, first as jests-asking the 'Old Gods' for aid before difficult battles. Fenrir the thief, Jorgumund the warrior, and Rekhyt the explorer. To his surprise, the idea caught on like wildfire, and filtered down through the ranks. Now some of his soldiers and officers parody the warrior cults of old, performing ancient rites and long forgotten prayers, especially before a fight. Much to the displeasure of the clergy, no doubt, but this is not yet an organized religion and hasn't spread very far beyond the men under his direct command.
Ultimately, Issak is an over proud young man who wishes to see his country free. He dreams of routing the occupiers gloriously, and establishing himself as a powerful man, a respected man in a new order. He dreams of the end of the war, and thinks little of what will come after. His only concentration at the moment is the next battle, the camp follower he might enjoy that night (He's rumored to have a great many lovers, but none last longer than the next morning), and perhaps expanding his collection of rare books and scrolls.
Tactician (+1 to Tactics in battle per level)
Charisma (bonus to any speech, persuasion and political rolls)
Natural Philosopher (+1 to research and science rolls)
Author
Topic: You Are King! - The Steam Age [OOC Thread and Signup] (Read 18346 times)