Arthur Hartest

"Hard work is its own reward" Arthur Hartest is an original character created by Aldrasos.

Appearance
Arthur Hartest is a tall, well-built faunus of Valeian descent, with tanned, weathered skin and short brown curly hair. His dark brown eyes are nearsighted, so he wears rectangular-framed black glasses. He often has a short stubble growing along his jaw due to lack of free time to shave, and has a general unkempt look about him. He has a dark red tribal tattoo that stretches from his left elbow, over his shoulder and across his upper back. If one looks closely, they might notice that his nails are black - this is due to his faunus trait, which is that his nails are instead sharp bear-like claws. He tries to keep them filed down for practicality, but by morning they always grow back to their usual size.

His usual attire consists of light brown slacks tucked into thick fur-lined leather travelling boots, with a light tunic over his upper body. Over his tunic he dons a leather chestpiece with a blackened chainmail sleeve for his right arm. On his arms he wears long fur-lined leather vambraces and studded fingerless gloves over his hands. Additionally, he wears patches of modified tree bark for a pair of makeshift greaves, as well as reinforcements for his vambraces, chainmail and small pauldron over his right shoulder. Across his waist he wears three brown belts - two to act as holsters for his axes, and a third for general use. A large belt crosses his chest from right shoulder to his left side, allowing him to store his battleaxe and shield.

Personality
If Arthur was to be summarised in a single word, it would be 'hardworking'. A challenging life of toil and turmoil have made him thick-skinned and driven, unfazed by life's challenges and general hardships. He values effort and courage more than success, and so is more agreeable to those that struggle and persevere than those who skate by on fortune, or who give up when the going gets tough. Arthur's childhood teachings focussed primarily on personal integrity and honour, though Arthur harbours a strong sense of morality and will stubbornly refuse to do anything which he deems amoral or beneath him, while equally being the first to do the 'right thing' whenever a situation presents itself - not out of love for doing good, but out of what he believes to be his responsibility and duty as a living person.

One type of person Arthur particularly hates is a thief. Being a person who values hard work, Arthur despises those who steal from others for their own gain and will be ruthlessly unforgiving to those he catches in the act. Despite his general morality, Arthur is known to have loud, and sometimes violent, outbursts when pushed too far, and often has to force himself to meditate in order to regain his cool. Usually, however, he is a social creature who enjoys the company of others - particularly those who can regale him with stories of their adventures and exploits. He dislikes large groups of people, especially crowds, and so prefers small groups and quiet spaces.

History
Arthur was born the third child and second son of a woodsman and his wife, on the outskirts of a small village situated to the west of the city of Vale. The Hartests were known to have heroic ancestors, but Arthur's small family preferred the relative peacefulness and isolation of simple life. And so did Arthur, at first. As soon as he was old enough the young faunus was put to work by his father, learning the trade of a woodsman, which was when he discovered his father's main source of income - the maintence of a small copse of rare Strongbark trees, known for being almost impervious to damage from tool or element. From the age of six until he was sixteen, Arthur spent his days cutting down trees as a typical lumberjack and hunting wild game in the nearby forests, having little interaction with the outside world besides occasionally going into town to trade and sell his goods. The work made him strong, mentally as well as physically, and slew a good many rogue Grimm over the years with his trusted axe.

All of this changed when Arthur was seventeen. One day, the Huntsmen and Huntresses hired to defend the nearby village skipped down after collecting their payment - and in their absence Grimm descended on the populus. The village was destroyed despite Arthur and his brother's best efforts, but Arthur's family managed to avoid the slaughter without harm. Without the relative safety of the village, the Hartests were forced to abandon their home and move to the city, where all but Arthur stayed. As soon as he made sure his family was settled into their new lives, the faunus left them, deciding to find a new purpose in life now that his woodsman days were behind him. For two years he has been travelling from kingdom to kingdom, searching for a new calling, but has so far remained unsuccessful.

Weapons and Abilities
TBA