Arlik Karim

*"Why is it, that when people have the choice between killing other creatures, clearly not of their kind, or their fellow man, they always choose their fellow man?"* ~ Arlik on war

**Maj. Arlik Karim** is an Auresian officer, that after witnessing his home country's atrocities in the field of battle, commited against fellow humans, deserted from the Auresian army, eventually joining a group of Thressosi spies in his home continent of Gedo. Seemingly an idealist, he is repulsed by his country's perceived hypocrisy in the enactment of their foreign policy.

## Appearance

Arlik is a tall man of swarthy complexion and dark hair and eyes. His face is round and his build is powerful, yet chunky. He wears his hair long, woven into a braid that reaches to around his ankles, as well as growing his beard out. He dresses practically, preferring form-fitting , easily washable clothing that however allows for movement and ventilation. Specifically he prefers a hooded white-and-yellow cloak, an armored red leather vest with silver studs and brownish pants and tall leather travel boots. Arlik almost always wears his gold-tinted, symbol-bestrewn metal crafter's glove on his right hand and his trusty hand-arcanocaster, decorated with golden scrollwork on his hip.

As an alchemy-crafter he also possesses a suit of powered combat armor that he has crafted, which is a hulking construct, with wide shoulders, massive legs and arms, and a helmet partially built into the armor's chest, with several arcane weapons systems integrated into its white-and-gold frame.

## Personality and Traits

While Arlik is a soldier through and through - stoic, patient and disciplined he is not perfectly willing to subject himself to just any authority, as he has a strong moral compass, having joined the Auresian Army out of idealism. He is unfond of unnecessary violence and very devoted to his own take on the tenets of the faith of the Golden Colossus. He tends to be compassionate and kind, and is generally unwilling to jeopardize other people for his own gain. Arlik also, however tends to be rather indecisive and often changes his opinion, on the basis of small facts he believes are important. He has a somewhat short temper and can be reduced to fits of either anger and sorrow which often cloud his judgement and drive him to irriational acts of violence, when faced with things he considers unjust or revolting, such as opting to attack Zoffrey Zefferel and his posse with grenades when they tried to threaten him with a siege mortar, inside of a moving train or alternatively when he felt genuine joy at the devastation wrought by the Red Scorpions on the slave arena in Gaara Sang, the sight of it having reduced him to tears previously. His being used to solve most problems through violence, due to his long tenure as a Marine in the Auresian army often backfires, as it drives him to see things in a fatalistic and grim light. He has a soldier's characteristic black sense of humor, often incredibly macabre and cynical, even if Arlik doesn't always intend for it to sound this way.

## Powers and Abilities

Arlik is a warrior that relies mostly on advanced weaponry ,quick wit and grim death-focus to win his battles, being untrained in any formal martial art. He prefers open confrontation, depending on his armor and various arcanocasters , fighting with a determined ferocity, and violent zeal, more characteristic of a holy warrior or a wild berserk than of a professional soldier.

### Auresian Alchemy

Most if not all of Arlik's combat ability derives from his mastery of alchemical rituals and methodology, using it to imbue items with arcane power and to produce and maintain various fearsome weapons. His alchemical methods can also be used to craft and arm traps, usually launched out of his crafter's glove, which also doubles as a cutting tool and can be transformed into various types of tools as per Arlik's need.

### Education

Arlik has spent a good six years being tutored to become an alchemist and additional years homeschooled. He is well-versed in history and anthropology, knowing several languages, including the tongues of Thressos and that of the faltering Zhuka peoples. He is also an experienced arcane and conventional engineer and can draft and then produce various magical items with proficiency as well as repair arcane machinery.

### War-Panoply

Arlik is especially skilled in the crafting, maintenance and development of war-panoplies, one of the ultimate products of Auresian military science. A perfectly-covering suit of plate armor movement in which is eased by magic, making it almost like a second skin to the user. It can also use the magical thaumocyan core in it to power several devastating weapons-such as wrist-mounted far-range energy emitters and energy blades mounted on the user's wrists. As well as that the armor has various support functions, such as a sound-dampening spell that constantly functions, as well as a passive defensive field. Its arcane power can also be directed to activate other features, such as night vision, magical propulsion devices and spike launchers as well, even if it being used this way is incredibly draining on the main core. The war-panoply can only mount one set of weapons and one set of support gear at a time, thus forcing the user to carefully customize their loadout before every mission. This however, can also be a weakness as not all situations allow the time necessary for the fine-tuning of the armor.

### Marksmanship

Arlik is an expert marksman, especially skilled in mid-range engagements. He normally uses a specially crafted pistol, additionally optimized for mid-range accuracy, alongside special fulminating ammo for greater effect, but has also on multiple occasions used a specialized anti-automaton arcanocaster with good accuracy.