Salem Knox Haukins

[Salem]

Salem Knox Haukins
[SAY-lem 'Knocks' HAWK-ins]

Race: Elf
Age: 19
Alias: Any of his three names.
Sex: Male
Affiliations: Grey Company
Favorite/Best Power(s): If he has any powers, he does not know it; his talents include designing swords and swordplay, fixing things, cooking, and being able to survive on close to nothing.

>> back story

Mate/Spouse: None
Family/Ancestry: No one remains but his little sister.

History: Salem was from a family who lived near Forste in the time of King Arion. His ancestors did not live or come from the city itself, but from a neighboring village. The destruction of Forste rippled to the surrounding areas, when Rutherford came to power, and the family was nearly wiped out. Even his parents could not say where they came from, who they were related to or how long they had been living in Forinasi.

Salem was born to a middle class elvish couple, as their first child and only son. George Haukins and Katherine Knox were quite young when they married, both coming from poor families as a result of the centuries of cruelty. They raised him as best they could, with his father being a blacksmith and earning enough to support the family. He, in short, had a pleasant childhood. His mother taught him to cook in his boyhood years, and then he often helped his father in his shop learning his trade in his teenage years. His parents had another child when he was ten, a little girl named Arabella. Salem grew very fond of her, and as soon as she could talk and play he was teaching her all he knew- how to lie, how to pull pranks, get free food from the bakery, and other useful childhood fancies. He practiced swordplay with his friends and laughed about the cranky old man down the street, just like any other normal boy....

There were often visitors in the small dwelling; the little family lived on the edge of Forinasi and often gave travelers a place to stay for the night. It was a regular occurrence to see a stranger sitting at the table in the glow of the fireplace, and Salem liked them all well enough. Sometimes they would tell Arabella and him strange tales about the places they came from, or give small gifts of gratitude.

And so it was normal when one night, soon after his fifteenth birthday a cloaked visitor arrived at their door…he paid no attention to the man and stalked off to his room for bed. In the morning, the house was unusually silent. His mother was not in the kitchen as usual, and his father was not in his shop. The visitor seemed to have left. Finally he discovered his parents‘ bodies on the floor of their room, which was across from the guest‘s dwelling. Without hesitation he checked to make sure Arabella was okay; she was still sound asleep, barely more than five years old.

Salem still does not know what happened that night…perhaps the visitor was a bloodthirsty assassin, perhaps he was being followed by someone who was and the killer mistook his parents for the intended victim…Either way he knows that it is a miracle he and his sister survived. They were sent to live with friends of his parents‘ shortly afterward, who were also elves and had no children. They were not unkind, but the minute Salem turned eighteen he took a portion of his inheritance and set out on his own, leaving Arabella with them and most of their small fortune. He wandered about the city, doing odd jobs, and writing letters to his then eight year old sister for over a year before joining the Grey Company.

>> more in depth

Personality: Salem is still somewhat of a boy at heart...he still loves petty mischief, taking risks, and playing pranks...and a small dose of chaos is essential every once in a while. His style of humor is dry and slightly sarcastic.

He is not, however, careless by any means. He's actually quite wise, given his varied experiences. When first introduced, one will find him very quiet, but once he begins to gain your trust he warms up surprisingly fast. He'll be a loyal friend until he either dies or you lose his trust. He's rather protective of those he loves, caring more for them than himself.

In terms of anger, there isn't really much to say. It's a difficult thing to make him extremely angry. If he is, he likely won't show his emotions; he'll just either stare blankly at you or fiddle with something without looking up. He's also extremely patient, so much so it is sometimes annoying. The downside, however, is that his emotions tend to bottle up, especially his anger, and he can suddenly lash out in rage if stress runs high.

>> physical description

Okay, I kinda only picked this picture because it displayed his correct hair and eye color, and his narrow face shape. Just imagine no headband, his skin a little darker, and his ears pointed.

Hair: Black, longish with the back ends at his shoulders with slightly shorter locks framing his face.
Eyes: Green, the color of celery.
Build: Salem is tall- 6'2, slender, and nicely, but not overly muscled.
Other:

-Both of his ears are pierced with small silver hoops, mostly hidden by his hair.
-He is a virgin...he was brought up in a very traditional home...
-His body is extremely sensitive to anything even lightly fermented. He can easily get tipsy off of his favorite beverage, apple cider.

[Naryae]

accepted~