Leon

'And once again, the Gods shit in my dinner.'

## Personality and Behavior

Leon is largely personified by his carefree and somewhat lackadaisical attitude towards most things in life, save a select few 'passions'. Those acquainted with him would describe him a witty yet highly sarcastic pessimist, who seems to care about little more than where his next drink is coming from. However, those close to him know that underneath his exterior of a hedonistic cynic lies a warm and trustworthy heart with good, if albeit jaded intentions.

## Occupation

Leon serves as a Witcher, travelling the lands and taking contracts to rid others of their many monster-related ills. Though equally skilled and educated in the fight against many a monster, his specialty in particular lies in dealing with vampires, be they the mere rabid beasts, or the much more deadly Higher Vampire variant.

## Religious Beliefs

To match with his general cynicism, Leon holds no beliefs in a higher power. He provides evidence to his views with events such as the animalistic witch hunts carried out by the Eternal Fire, believing that organised religion can turn even the most peaceful of people into a rabid mob bent on craving death and destruction akin to a bloodsport.

## Likes and Dislikes

A man of simple tastes, Leon feels most at home in a gritty inn, cheap ale in one hand and a gwent deck in the other. The life of a Witcher is neither joyful nor largely rewarding, so he takes the small pleasures he can get in his stride, whether it be a full coinpurse or a hearty hot meal. His relationship with alcohol however, is twofold. While enjoying a drink as much as the next man, Leon uses alcohol as a crutch to live through the reality of all that he has seen and continues to experience.

As with many Witchers, and is the case vice versa, Leon is quite adverse to cats, finding their presence somewhat disturbing. As a wanderer of simplicity, he tends to find dishes or drinks that are overdone with ingredients not to his taste, such as meals that would be served to the higher classes. There are also certain types of ingredient that he finds absolutely abhorrent, such as the herb mint.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

Although all Witchers employ a degree of guile and tactical observation, Leon in particular uses them as arguably his strongest assets. While he of course, like all his kin, is a trained monster hunter and slayer, his style of combat is based much more on dexterity, evasion and goading then countering, than pure melee might such as that employed by a Witcher of the Bear. Having been a child thief, he was naturally nimble and agile, with those traits only having improved over the years, especially with his training and enhancements.

Outside of combat, he displays a great deal of wit and even humour at times, being silver-tongued in many of his dealings. As one who also takes a comparatively calm stride in the face of life, he is less prone than the average man to panic or mull over problems, displaying a rather 'It is what it is' attitude.

However, his laid back and apathetic style often makes him seen uncaring and cold. While he is, at least underneath, very loyal to those he holds dear, he would often be one of the last people in a room to help out a stranger with a random act of kindness, always acting in at least some form of quid pro quo in any situation. This outlook and way of living afford him very few friends, even for a Witcher. He may act like this is the least of his concerns, but it is at least somewhat apparent that the opposite is the case. Unfortunately to deal with the many issues in his life, Leon turned from an early age to heavy drinking, and shows no signs of changing his ways.

## Ambitions

While some possess grand ambitions of power or fame, or even a noble goal, Leon finds himself lacking in such things. While an easy and comfortable life would be preferable to him at times, he generally accepts his lot in life, and feels no need to try and improve on it.

## Appearance

Leon is a man who could be described as classically handsome. At least he would, if not for his usual appearance of being caked in the innards of monsters, or slathered in mud from having drunkenly spent the night in a pig sty and rarely having the opportunity, or excusing the opportunity to bathe.

Cleaned up however, he presents a head of sleek and dark long hair, with natural curls the further down it goes. While his iconic Witcher eyes tend to give his identity away in an instant, others would generally note that his face is well structured, his his cheekbones sloping down to give a narrow appearance, where his chin is covered by a short beard, accompanied with a light moustache and soul patch. His eyelids are naturally heavily lidded, giving off what same may say was a mysterious appearance, though his nose could be described as slightly more bulbous than would be fitting of his overall face.

Under the armour, he gives a muscled yet lithe figure, honed by years of training and field work. Yet not flawless, as would be expected from his line of work. His back and chest in particular display several notable scars, the most evident being a taloned gouge across his right pec which he received, perhaps somewhat ironically, when combatting a Griffin.

## Abilities

### **Immense Combat Prowess**

Leon is an exceptional warrior in peak physical condition and possesses, in his own words, 'reflexes like a cat'. He is able to hold his own in bar brawls against several opponents while smashed drunk, a state he finds himself in often. When sober, he is nigh unbeatable to all but the mightiest of monsters.

### **Skilled Martial Artist**

Leon displays outstanding capabilities in hand-to-hand combat. He is capable of defending himself from the inhuman monsters with or without a weapon. Against most human foes, especially those undisciplined in combat, he faces them unarmed playfully, capable of weaving in and out of their attacks without breaking a sweat. Even when attacked from both sides, Leon remains calm and collected, displaying a nonchalant aura while executing very advanced moves. Leon also has trained knowledge of the use of pressure points which he uses in both fights and for more general purposes.

### **Enhanced Attributes and Pain Tolerance**

Aside from his enhancements as a result of the Trials, such as strength, senses and agility, Leon has outstanding survivability for a mortal man, able to recover from attacks from greater monsters, falling great heights and survive wounds fatal to lesser men.

### **Weapon Mastery**

Leon is a master with his chosen weapons of whips and flails, as well as the customary Witcher swords. He is capable of extreme accuracy with his whip and can hold his own in sword duels with those noted as expert swordsmen. He is also quite capable with other weapons, being able to hurl spears and axes with deadly accuracy.

### **Bestial Expertise**

Leon is highly versed, as with all Witchers, on studies on monsters and the supernatural. As one of the ever dwindling Witchers left in the world, he is one of the foremost experts on monsters of all kinds. Examples of his knowledge in use are applying salt to weapons and consecrating his whips in blessed water to kill vampires and the like.

### **Knowledge of Mob Mentality**

Leon's knowledge and experiences have made him very aware of the dangers of mob mentality, as well as being resistant to it. A lifetime of being a scapegoat for problems as a Witcher has taught him how to avoid the threat his fellow citizens pose to him. Leon is a cynical man, perhaps because he has seen what lies can do to those who believe them. He is skeptical of fantastical beliefs, sometimes to a fault.

## Equipment

### **Bullwhip**

Though trained, as with all Witchers with the traditional longswords, Leon's preferred tools of the trade are those of whips. While lacking the bladed edge of a sword, they are equally capable of causing wounds, gashes and the like, as well as removing appendages such as fingers and eyeballs if the user is skilled enough. Aside from providing offense in the from of a ranged weapon, they can also be used for purposes, such as makeshift grappling devices.

Far more lightweight than a sword, whips traditionally made of leather are easier to wield, although it takes years of training to master the whip's use, as it did with Leon. Wielded in an untrained hand, whips can cause just as much harm to the user as to the target.

### **Flail**

Leon's 'crown jewel' if there was such a thing. A whip in essence, but constructed nearly entirely out of metal, save the weapons hilt. A long chain is attached to the bulkhead, which like the leather cord of a bullwhip can be used in several ways, whether to grapple an enemy or object, or to restrain a captive. At the end of the chain is linked the centerpiece of the weapon, the flail itself. This bulky and blunt bludgeon lacks the cutting power of a sword, but in its place delivers a hefty punch, easily able to shatter wood and bone when projected with force. The bludgeon is comprised of not only steel, but also silver for combatting otherwordly forces, and is melded with a final addition of dimeritium, which is also melded into the chain itself. The reason for this, an idea of Leon himself, is to negate the abilities of mages to an extent, should he come up against any magical wielding foes.

### **Longsword**

While Leon's main weapons of choice of his whips, he still carries his Witcher longsword for a more melee combat situation. Unlike the longswords of old which meant having a Witcher carry both a steel and silver sword, Leon's blade has been crafted within the forge of Kaer Seren, producing a sword comprising of both. While the blade itself was smelted with the finest steel, the core of the blade is comprised of silver, as well as a number of runes that run along the blade's surface. Working in a similar vein to the Witcher medallions, upon near contact of a supernatural presence, the silver runes will activate, rendering the already deadly weapon as a tool to battle and injure monsters. Finished with a downcast crossguard and a black leather grip around the hilt, complete with three golden grip rings, and a heavy spherical pommel.

### **Throwing Knives**

While Leon's whips and his longsword serve as his main armaments, he also carries on him a stash of small throwing knives at all times. Useful for a number of reasons, whether it is pinning down a dexterous target, grounding a flying monster or simply as a tool for use in a bar game.

### **Witcher Medallion**

    As with any Witcher, Leon carries his medallion around his neck almost religiously. Just as obvious as the cat-like eyes, the medallion signifies a Witcher, with various designs depending upon the school one is a member of. The only way a Witcher would part with their medallion is if it was pried from their corpse. Upon close vicinity of a monster or any forms of the supernatural, the medallion begins to vibrate and the eyes glow red, signifying immediate danger.

### **Armour**

Leon's armour serves as both practical and protective, with enough weight to withstand blows, but to allow him flexibility in his movements. The main tunic is comprised of leather padding, accompanied with a fur trim, with a hardboiled leather cuirass atop the chest area. Along the chest, gauntlets and boots, as well as the shoulders are placed several lightweight metal plates for impact damage and protection.

The gloves, boots and shoulderpads are made of the same leather as the cuirass, while the shoulder area is draped and adorned with bear fur, an addition that provides extra padding but also protection around the neck area from the cold if need be.