Atlas Armstrong

**Epithet** | N/A

## Description

Mr. Armstrong is lumbering at 6’6" with a slouch and an odd jaw shape. Along with a large, very ugly set of teeth. Despite not seeming Orcish at first, the Orc blood is noticeable. Former Corporal Armstrong has been given many scars due to his years of service, and many more due to his many years of mindless violence.

## History

Born to a young father and mother, neither of which were ready for a child. Mr. Armstrong was raised exclusively by his grandparents, his Grandfather: a veteran of several wars, was an Orc farmer, while his grandmother was a human seamstress. Mr. Armstrong lived his early years being taught a knight’s honor, but a soldier’s duties by his grandfather, who had him help around the farm, due to the child’s Orcish blood he was able to help with manual labor far earlier than most. Mr. Armstrong lived a very happy and fulfilling younger life, despite his abandonment issues given to him by his parents not wanting him. He got into several fights with local boys, but after some scolding, from his grandfather, got over his grudges.

At age 18, after becoming a man, he set off to become an adventurer, but after a month of adventuring, and being forced to save helpless idiots from monsters, changed his mind, and enlisted in the Ironguard. Despite performing well, his smugness caused his superiors to put him: on border patrol. After two months of boring work, mostly escorting poor families away from the border, and arresting smalltime thieves. Until one day, two figures arrived, wishing to pass despite not having access. All other members of the border patrol stood down meekly, they couldn’t say why, but they felt as though their lives depended on it. But Armstrong was stubborn, not brave, not following his sense of duty. Just very stubborn, and very bored. The first of the two travelers spoke, in a voice filled with wisdom. “We would like to pass.” he said. Mr. Armstrong replied with a calm. “Paperwork please.”

The second traveler, a woman wearing red and white, walked past Armstrong, he moved to stop her, but the first traveler was intrigued, and with a very wise voice stopped him. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.” Armstrong frowned, but listened, he didn’t know why he did, but he felt as though it was the safer option.

The first traveler tilted his- or its? Head. “Why are you attempting to stop us? The other members of your platoon appear to be avoiding us, do you not want to do the same?”

Armstrong frowned, and without missing a beat responded. “It seemed safer to avoid you two like the plague, I don’t know why, I can’t feel any power coming from either if you, but I’m doing my job. So if you don’t have paperwork, could you please leave? I’d like to get my shift over with.” The first traveler tilted his(?) head, and looked at Mr. Armstrong. “Hmm, I see.” He vanished. Armstrong was not happy about letting two people through without paperwork, and was not happy about being fined for letting two people through without paperwork.

Armstrong never met the two again, or if he had, it was not significant enough to be on record. However one week after that, the Ex-Corporal found the ability to manipulate cloth. No one knows exactly how it happened, but some of the people stationed where he was at the time spread a rumor about the man Armstrong attempted to turn away being Magus the Unrivaled.

Regardless of how he obtained his ability, he was transferred under the command of Platinum afterwards.

Armstrong was not exactly happy about being promoted due to his newfound ability, as opposed to his skill with a spear. And worked incredibly hard to train himself with his spear, to not become reliant on his Vis. After three of tireless work, he was promoted to Corporal. And put in charge of an outpost at war with a nomadic tribe of Druids.

Many battles were waged with this tribe, giving Armstrong time to make his own tactics, his men weren’t the smartest, but they were very aggressive. He used that, relying on simple, but brutally etics. And, with his more intellectual troops, relied on hit and run, and flanking tactics. While in the company of this group, Armstrong became fast friends with his eventual second in command, “Whirlwind” Barbarossa, a former pirate who after being let out of jail, decided to atone for his sins, by joining the Ironguard, he was ruthless, excellent with a sword and a rifle, and he shared Armstrong’s love of killing, and respect for those who fought. The two became fast friends, and drinking buddies. Training the troops, strategizing, and sparring constantly.

Barbarossa was reported dead two months later, after leading a rescue for a group of captives set to be sacrificed by the druids, he, along with all the captives were slowly tortured, before having their hearts removed, and eaten. Mr. Armstrong did not take this loss well, and began to order war prisoners to be flayed, and thrown back into the Druidic territory.

At age 25 Armstrong was given a peace treaty by the Druidic tribe, and was ordered to accept. His response; was to go mad, he began to smash his office, and attempted to burn the peace treaty, five of his men restrained him, one lost several teeth in the process. Eventually, when he calmed down, Armstrong thought of a plan, he gathered up those who had lost friends and blood brothers during the battles. And he lead them, not for peace, but for a coup. Using his powers over Cloth, he made it appear as though they were ambassadors, they were let in, and the chief welcomed them with a smile, and took them back to his hut. That was when their clothes unraveled, revealing armor and weapons underneath.

Not a single druid survived that day, Armstrong had every child, woman, and elder killed. And when he found the one who commanded the armies. He ripped his heart out, and took a bite out of it.

The nearest platoon was notified, and sent to apprehend him. He intended to go down with a fight, but when the doors slammed open, and the woman he respected, and formerly idolized told him to turn himself in. He accepted. Platinum’s troops scoured the base, arresting those who participating in the coup. Armstrong spent the next five years of his life in military prison. At first, he stayed there willingly, accepting his actions, but as he spent time in prison, he began to think differently. Countless good men were killed by those Druids, including his second in command. Why the hell shouldn’t he had slaughtered them!? He began to believe it was Vera’s fault, and one day, he snapped. As the guard came to give him his meal, some of his clothing unraveled, and trailed off to hide, for now. When the guard left, Armstrong willed the cloth to enter the lock on his chains, reform, and stiffen. He succeeded.

He vanished into the night, taking with him nothing more than the clothes on his back, and the weapons on any guard who attempted to stop him.
He joined the Silver Blades, and became a mercenary, wandering from client to client constantly, his name began to show up again and again, he was far from the most acclaimed mercenary, not even in the area. However, he was good at what he did, enjoyed it, and didn’t question his orders as long as they weren’t stupid. For these reasons, he attracted the attention of the politician known as Emmerick Mersinias, and was hired to be his bodyguard. Armstrong enjoyed the work, quite a bit actually, as Emmerick was a competent, and uncorrupted politician, meaning everyone wanted him dead. That gave Armstrong a very large number of people he could kill.

## Personality

When first interviewed, the Ex-Corporal Armstrong seemed to be a young man wanting to try to help change the world, he expressed his admiration for one of the higher ups, Platinum, saying that she had the strength and strength of character to help change the world. He appeared to be very cheerful, but was quite stern, and stuck to a respectable sense of justice. When question about this, Armstrong claimed it was his Grandfather who taught him morality.

As Ex-Corporal Armstrong rose through the ranks however, there was a clear sign of something darker. He enjoyed fighting, while a healthy enjoyment of one’s job may help one in life, Armstrong actively sought out fights in scenarios that could have been ended peacefully, without either side losing men. Armstrong’s sanity was reported devolving when he was giving the rank Corporal, He began giving speeches to the soldiers under his command that many described as mad. Those speeches included: A one hour speech about how spears were better than swords, in which the Ex-Corporal ranted about his own love of spears for most of it, and decided to begin calling swords inferior halfway through.

Eventually Ex-Corporal Armstrong began to rant about his disgust with our Marshal, Vera. Calling her a coward who let, as he put it “worthy soldiers” do all of the work, while she relaxed, which could not be further from the truth, but all attempts to tell him that did not work. He claimed that people like the “expendable” soldiers, and himself should be praised, instead of a leader who, once again by his claim, sat on her ass. From more recent observations, he appears to still be absolutely mad, but in a far less dark way (that isn’t to say he’s lost his original personality in any way.), often spouting out nonsense, and laughing at things most would not find funny.

## Powers & Abilities

**Cloth Manipulation**: Armstrong is able to control all different kinds of cloths, controlling them as if tendrils or restraints. At his current level of understanding he is able to bind his opponents, use cloth for offensive purposes, and is able to change the properties of cloth.

**Soldier**: Due to his background Atlas knows how to take a hit granting him a 1D5 dice (has to be 4 or above) to halve damage taken.

**War-Criminal**: Due to his status as a war criminal Ironguard affiliated NPCs will attack Atlas on sight, however, he gains a 1D4 dice to intimidate them into backing down rolling a 3-4 will lead in success, he also gains a +1 to all intimidation.

**Mercenary**: Atlas is a hardened mercenary and gains a +4 to all attack rolls.

**Orc-Blood**: Thanks to his diluted blood, Atlas is able to go into a mad rage when his health drops below 40. He gains +3 to all attacks but loses the ability to use his Vis.