Marrow Bonebreaker

"The coward's rage burns bright and blind"

**Marrow Bonebreaker** (Formerly Merrick) is a supporting character of Temptation's Ballad. He's the father of Cole and the captain of the Bonebreaker Mercenary Company located in the Marauder's District of the City of Axia.

*"The coward's rage burns bright and blind."*

"Marrow Bonebreaber is a legend among the city of Axia for his horrific history of destroying property (owned mostly by nobles), holding hostages (of noble's assets in exchange for better city infrastructure), and inspiring fear across the land (in nobles).

After wrecking an amount of destruction that even the royal family could not ignore, his merry crew of mercenaries finally settled down after city officials gave in to all their demands (and also pardoned the Bonebreakers of all their crimes).

Nowadays, he and his partner Hamish lead the Bonebreaker Mercenary Guild in a honest living of mercenary work in the city of Axia.

The origins of this famous warrior is shrouded in rumor and mystery.

Some claim that he was a child raised by feral animals in the wilderness of the Exterior, while others say that he was a noble himself who ran away from home in rebellion.

Marrow alleges during an interview that he popped into existence through sheer willpower and spite.

When his partner, Hamish, was asked to confirm this statement, he simply rolled his eyes and asked the interviewer to cough up their publicity payment."

## Appearance

Marrow is a very tall and muscular hyena with very light brown fur, and dark brown markings, and relatively short and pointy ears. He wears a dark brown and red loincloth. He has red eyes, though one of his eyes was replaced by a glass one. He's always seen carrying his axe around on his back.

## Personality

As Hamish's Foil, Marrow is very bombastic and light-hearted. He likes to joke around a lot and is a very playful character. Impulsive to a fault, he will often spring into action without warning and suddenly decide to do things on a whim, immediately forgetting any prior engagements he may have had.

As the captain of his own mercenary company, Marrow shows absolute qualities of leadership. He often goes on jobs himself, and is beloved by his crew. He demonstrates great compassion towards his fellow man and lets them know that he is just like them-part of the team, valuing camaraderie and loyalty above all else... except maybe a good battle........... and better sex.

Marrow has a *very* active libido, much like his son, and regularly tries to drag Hamish away for a "quickie", which usually lasts several hours.

Marrow despises magic, often remarking that it is "the tool for the weak and spineless". This opinion, once unanimously shared by all the Bonebreakers, has since faded now that magic has become more widespread within Axia. Most of the mercenaries are relatively comfortable with magic now, leaving Marrow as one of the few, if not the only one that still thinks this way.

## Background

**Significant plot details follow** - peruse at your own risk, lest your game experience be ruined.

Bards have woven many tales about Marrow's origin story. Some say he was raised by wild animals, others that he was an ex-noble himself who ran away. Marrow himself claims that he willed himself to life "through sheer willpower and spite". Truthfully, Marrow's past is likely only known to himself and Hamish.

In a vision of Hamish's past, it is revealed that Marrow's name was formerly Merrick.

Marrow is noted to have a glass eye on his left eye. Upon close inspection, it appears the scarring around that eye originated from a magical source, which may be relevant to his past.

## Abilities

Marrow is a fierce barbarian warrior, wielding insane strength and powering his attacks with rage and fury. A swing of his axe can easily propel an unprepared opponent into the nearest wall, and his combat prowess has been finely tuned with years of experience.

He wields the *Vox Soror*, one of Clyde's masterwork creations. Forged of Damascus steel, it's sharp blade has the power to neutralize magic on contact-a fitting weapon for a magic-hating berserker.

 Dexterity
 Constitution
 Intelligence
 Wisdom
 Charisma

## Relationships

### Bonebreaker Mercenary Company

Marrow stands proudly as the leader of the Bonebreaker guild. In the Guild building, he often acts more as a regular team member than a leader. However, none question his position, having been earned by his proven strength, successes in battle, and leadership skills. While he lacks the planning and cunning that Hamish possesses, his energy and charisma have earned him the respect of all his lackeys.

### Hamish

Marrow deeply loves Hamish, and makes no secret of it. He regularly flirts with and teases him, much to Hamish's chagrin and annoyance. They had once petitioned the church to have a wedding ceremony, but it was refused. The reason for the refusal has not been explicitly stated, but it is heavily implied that it is due to the Church's stance on same-sex unions. Regardless, both Hamish and Marrow recognize that they do not need a formal ceremony to commemorate or acknowledge their relationship.

#### Collodi Bonebreaker

Marrow dotes on his son, ever supportive of his hobbies, and brimming with pride over his achievements and his potential. He regularly showers his son with praise and affection. While this fondness seems like sunshine and roses at a glance, his overwhelming love and high expectations for his son, coupled with Cole's admiration and desire to make his father happy, has created a severe communication barrier between them; Marrow regularly finds himself unwilling to discipline and offer guidance to his son, fearful that he will lash out at him in the same way Marrow once did to his own father.

## Trivia

* Marrow is the one who named his weapon, the *Vox Soror*, despite the fact Clyde was the one to forge it. The name translates to "Sister's Voice"
* It is speculated amongst most of the Bonebreaker Mercenaries that "Bonebreaker" is not Marrow's original name and was simply something he came up with when he decided to change it because it sounded cool.