Jamik Gothar

*"Stay sharp, stay quiet, stay alive... and the money will follow."* -- Jamik

## History

Born into a more-or-less freshly-"liberated" Nirmathas, Jamik has been quite attuned with a rural lifestyle for the majority of his life. Although he is not quite old enough to remember the Freedom War in its official capacity (or his parents, for that matter, as both had perished in the conflict,) he was certainly no stranger to the fighting that continued on the country's Southern border, the imperious legions of Molthune letting no mere declaration of independence stop them from raiding and pillaging the settlements of its formerly controlled lands. Though from a very young age he had become practiced enough at avoiding the horrors of war, at the ripe age of 9 his luck would run out, and he would be abducted by a particularly sadistic mercenary company on Molthune's payroll when making a routine run to Phaendar for general supplies.

The practice was far from uncommon for this particular Gorum-worshipping company. Grimly named the Sons of Iron, it was a common tactic to abduct youths from the places they were sent in order to strengthen their own numbers. Those who refused excessively, of course, were either put to the sword or cast out as the situation called for it. Jamik, however, was enraptured by their religious teachings. Being beholden to a background of solitude, finding a sense of community within the company's religion, and praise from the ranks for being a quick learner, he soon found himself willingly fighting alongside his captors as a paid mercenary.

For more than a decade, Jamik fought for the Sons of Iron (and many times for Molthune by proxy.) His natural aptitude for general fighting as well as his quick mastery of heavy armors and shields made him a valuable unit on the battlefield, a hefty obstacle in way of any resistance he would encounter on his sorties. With time came fame, and with fame, rank. For a while, the glory, wealth, and victory was enough for a young Jamik. He was living his days as a war hero, even if there was no official war at the time.

It would all come to a crashing halt when he was 23. His superiors in the company had grown tired of the outsider soaking up their riches and glory, and decided he and some other trouble-makers needed to be dealt with. They would sell a mission to Molthune as one that would eliminate the troublesome Chernasardo Rangers of Nirmathas for good, with Jamik as lead. Drunk off years of previous success and wealth (and at that point, probably actual alcohol, too,) Jamik wouldn't recognize the suicide mission that this truly was until it was too late. The hostile wilds of the Chernasardo proved a ready coffin for the learned rangers to put his team in, and he himself had barely escaped with his life. Though young, Jamik had realized what had happened too late. With no company to turn back to and deep behind enemy lines, Jamik had no choice but to rough it on his own in the hostile Fangwood armed with only his wits, his arms, and his trusty armor.

For the next several years, Jamik lead the solitary life as a travelling hunter, making end's meet either by trade with the occasional settlement or with his bare hands. Though the betrayal of his comrades stung, his true grief was realized by living the life of the average Nirmathan citizen -- while he could protect himself from hostile foreign entities, seeing the fruits of the labor of people like him from the losing side firsthand took a toll on his psyche. When losses were suffered with the company, there was always the coin to buy replacements, but for these people, losses wiped out family lines and ensured who survived often starved. Worse, when they weren't beset upon by legions of hired swords, they often came under attack by beasts most foul from the rugged landscape.

While Jamik couldn't quite fend off an army for the people of the land, he gradually synthesized his hunting skills with his considerable combat ability in order to become quite the effective monster slayer. WHile his reputation as the "Armored Warden" grew amongst the people, he was never allowed entry into any order of rangers of the country, for elven memories are ironclad, and their gesture of goodwill to him for his deeds ended at merely refusing to finish what they had started.

While his actions brought him limited closure, eventually Jamik's guilt mounted on him to an overwhelming degree. With Molthune finally recognized by him as the aggressor that it was, and the oppressive shame of being an uncaring instrument of Nirmathan suffering for so long bearing down upon him, he decided to make the voyage out to the mysterious content of Nibiru as a clean slate, offering his talents both at combat and at armory up for coin as methods to build himself a better reputation and future.

## Appearance

When not on the job, Jamik still wears his armor most of the time, save for his helmet. As he is getting on in the years, His short black hair is tinged with grey, and his face is hard and worn. He has a somewhat deep scar across his chin, long-since blanched white. In a rare time when he does not have his armor on, he has a muscular yet somewhat stocky build. His hands and upper arms are heavily calloused and quite rough from all the work he has done.

## Personality

Jamik is a self described "optimistic pessimist." He knows things can always get worse, but likes to think he plays a part in defining what tomorrow's definition of "worse" will be. His years of war and bloodshed have made him gruff, but not so impersonal as to turn down casual conversation if he's in the time and place for it. He has a distinct patronizing streak, especially to those who look or act more than 5 or so years younger than him.

## Aspirations

If one were to ask Jamik what he wants out of his life, he would say something along the lines of "plenty of money to get me through my years when I can't wear this shit no more." While not exactly a lie, what Jamik won't say is that he wants to do enough good for people to absolve the guilt of his previous actions in life.

## Relationships

Arcadian: "Quite a peculiar runt, though not one out of place in this blasted city. Damn strong, that's for sure. Hopefully she'll always be on our side."

Elijah Earnhardt: "Nice kid. Real pure, real naive. Real powerful too, just hope he's able to continue to put it ti good use."

Galandrian Zukhash: "Always count on an elf to be the smartest shit in the room. His ass is almost as smart as his head, which I don't appreciate, but he puts the latter to good use, which I reckon I do."