Arteaus Lugaro

General Information

## Physical Appearance

Arteaus is a tall toned man standing at 5’ 10” and although he has been alive for thirty years he still looks as though he were in his early twenties. His hair is the same sleek raven color as his father’s. His style is rather unruly as he keeps it roughly spiked towards the back with the sides just around his pointed ears shaved. Throughout his mid-length spiked hair there are small braids and iron beads and on his right side are two feathers shed from a hawk decoratively entangled in strands of his hair. His eyes are an enchanting shade of jade green with tribal markings around his left side. Arteaus has a cleft in his right ear and a scar on his right cheek from a wound he had sustained during the war of Ezora. In contrast to his ivory skin color he favors dark colored leather armor brandished with iron facets for the majority of the time. The deer pelt cloak he had made when he was fifteen now serves as shoulder pads with a hood and boot covers. He wears the leather necklace that his father had made him back then and never takes it off. Also carried with him at all times is the dagger he had found the day his family died in hopes it will lead him to those responsible.

## Personality

Arteaus is a very straight forward man. He is very goal oriented and determined, but his personal goals don’t stop him from standing up for what he believes in along the way. He has built walls that make it difficult for him to trust people but when he finally lets people in he becomes a powerful ally, loyal almost to a fault. His caution comes from a secret fear of losing more people that he cares about, however, that level of emotion is hardly ever reached. He is quiet unless spoken directly to and has a surprisingly witty and sarcastic sense of humor. He is level headed in even the stickiest situation and has a temper with a very long fuse. His family is a very sensitive subject to him that he refuses to speak about even to his closest allies. When thoughts do turn to his family he is often filled with regret. Arteaus believes that if he hadn’t left, that if he were there that day, he could have done something to save his family. It is his belief that his only retribution is to bring his sister home and make those who took the lives of his family pay.

## Childhood

Snow gently drifted down from the dark blue clouds that engulfed the sky above the grotto and the surrounding forest. Everything was silent and still as Arteaus stood out front of his family’s hall waiting for his father. ‘Everything must still be asleep,’ he thought to himself as he lifted an open palm skyward to catch some of the flakes if only for moments before they disappeared. The sun had yet to rise and not even the birds were awake to sing their lively choruses. Today was Arteaus’ fifteenth birthday and as was tradition in his family, he would participate in a right of passage. He would go out into the forest on his own for two days and two nights, surviving on all the skills that his parents had been cultivating in him and armed only with his soft leather armor, and a bow with no arrows. Anything else would come from the forest. To pass this trial he would not only have to survive and return home, but he would hunt and utilize every part of the animal to sustain himself. This would show respect for the animal’s sacrifice. The many things going through Arteaus’ mind was interrupted as his father and the rest of his family walked out of the hall to see him off. His father walked up to him, placing his large hands on his shoulders and looking into Arteaus’ eyes with a proud smirk on his bearded face, “You’ve worked hard Arteaus my son. Today you will become a man and make us all very proud.” Arteaus’ heart began to flutter lightly in his chest. Now more than ever he was anxious to begin. His father drew a beaded leather necklace from his pocket then took it in both hands and lowered it down over Arteaus’ head. Arteaus took the bauble at the end in the palm of his hand to inspect it closer. It was a canine shed from a dire wolf of the grotto and given as a gift to signify his coming of age. Arteaus nodded confidently to his father and without another spoken word he set off out of the grotto and into the forest beyond. Later that day the sun would break through the thinning clouds above, giving Arteaus a small reprieve from the cold. The next night, however, would bring another storm much fiercer than the last. The trial was not without its challenges, despite the training he had received from both his parents. Exhausted and a bit tattered he returned to the grotto and to a sight that would forever haunt his heart. Clad in a cloak of deer pelt and brandishing a spear fashioned from wood and antler, Arteaus broke through the tree line into the clearing where his family’s hall once stood. Before him now only pieces of a smoldering frame and a pile of ashes stood. Instantly he felt his heart and breath stop altogether. The shock wore as quickly as it had come, jump starting his heart as he laid eyes upon the lifeless body of a dire wolf half buried in the snow between him and the ashes that was once his home. He desperately surveyed the area, but there wasn’t another soul in sight. Again the grotto was still and silent, but instead of the peace he had felt before, it was an eerie and almost unbearable silence. He sprinted towards the ashes, heart pounding painfully in his chest as he screamed for his family. The only answer came from his own desperate cries echoing through the grotto. He stopped at the edge of the smoldering debris and carefully made his way through, searching for any sign of what had happened. Still there was no trace of anyone. There were no burnt bodies, thus Arteaus had begun to will himself to feel hope that perhaps this was just an accident and his family was alright. However, as he made his way to the back of the hall his hopes and his heart would be dashed. Just down the hill from the back of the hall lay the lifeless bodies of his family buried under a light coat of snow. A macabre amount of blood stained the snow around them crimson. Tears began to stream uncontrollably from his eyes as he dropped to his knees and let out a scream of agony that could be heard beyond the grotto. All thoughts ceased in his head as he stared blankly at each one of them for what seemed to be an eternity, until he noticed something. His movements seemed to be in a haze as he slowly stood and walked to his six year old brother’s side. Protruding from the small frame’s chest was a dagger with an intricately decorated hilt bearing an odd symbol Arteaus had never before seen. He knelt down beside Selvin and gently placed a hand on his frozen cheek, a few of his tears landed on the little boy’s face, leaving streaks in the blood that covered it as they rolled off. Arteaus grasped the hilt of the dagger and looked away as he pulled it free. He looked at the symbol one more time as his anguish turned to fury. His brows furrowed and he clenched the hilt of the dagger with all of his strength, knowing that this would be the key to finding those responsible for the massacre of his family. After taking a long moment to collect himself,  Arteaus solemnly began cleaning and preparing each body for burial, including the five dire wolves that he had found to be amongst the carnage. The snow had stopped for a time and the sun had begun to set as Arteaus had just finished digging ten graves. As he looked upon the faces of those he loved one last time, something had dawned on him; his younger sister Eslyn was not among them. He scanned the clearing, then searched the area one last time, but there was no sign of her. He desperately wanted to allow himself the reprieve of feeling hope that she had not suffered the same fate, but after everything how could he? Arteaus returned to the graves to finish his work. It had gotten dark, forcing him to stop to make a fire for enough light to continue. The moon was at its peak in the sky when he had finally finished and sat down to say some words and rest. Not long afterward, however, he heard footsteps in the snow coming from the nearby tree line. He jumped to his feet and clenched the hilt of the dagger at his hip, readying himself for the killers to return. Instead, the alpha of the dire wolf pack slowly walked out into the fire light. His intense amber eyes were glowing and were focused intensely on Arteaus. The large wolf stopped, allowing for the young half-elf to make his way over. Arteaus relaxed upon seeing the familiar face and walked up to the alpha, meeting his gaze. He watched as the wolf looked over the graves and let out a low whine. Once the wolf had looked back up at Arteaus, he extended a hand out to the alpha who gently laid his muzzle in the young man’s hand and closed his eyes. He seemed to be showing his gratitude for the kindness Arteaus had shown his dead pack mates. After a moment the wolf lifted his head and dropped something from his mouth into Artaeus’ open hand. Arteaus looked at the item in shock. It was his sister’s leather bracelet that their father had made for her on her last birthday. Without warning, the alpha wolf took off at a brisk trot toward the mouth of the grotto with a yip, signaling Arteaus to follow. It took a moment for the shock to wear off before Arteaus did follow the alpha. The large wolf stopped at the mouth of the grotto and looked expectantly up at Arteaus. That was it then, Arteaus would first make his way to Penrith and from there, he would not stop his search until he was reunited with Eslyn and had taken his revenge.

## Family

Arteaus’ Father Koba was a very talented Druid  who had personally trained Arteaus and his siblings in the ways of the old faith. His father's line had lived in and protected the grotto that lies deep in the forest near Penrith for generations.

Arteaus’ mother Athilona was an Elven Ranger who had worked alongside their father and trained them in the skill sets of the Rangers. When they first met, she had wandered into the grotto after having been ambushed while out on a mission. She had been injured and it was Arteaus’ father that had nursed her back to health, however, by the time she had regained her health the two had begun to fall in love. Both are now Deceased.

## Adventures

Arteaus had spent the last fifteen years in Penrith, researching and learning as much as he could of Ezora, hoping it would give him a clue as to what the odd symbol etched in the hilt of the dagger meant. He had joined in on many missions concerning problems with all sorts of unsavory groups with the same intention. Even on solo missions nothing was found. Five years ago a war broke out between North and South Ezora. Arteaus did not hesitate to join the fight upon learning of the prejudice that had ignited it, he was infuriated. He would fight to defend his honor as a half breed and he would fight to defend his home in both Penrith and the forests of his childhood. If Penrith were to fall there would be no telling what would happen to his treasured forest. Arteaus still makes frequent visits to the forest and the grotto to check up on the dire wolf pack there and make sure the balance of the forest is still in tact. Just recently he had visited the pack for the naming of the new Alpha. The alpha that had helped him on that night fifteen years ago had grown too old and had stepped down to let the next in his line take over. Upon his return to Penrith a messenger had delivered to him a letter addressed from The Burning Phoenix. Arteaus would have questioned the messenger concerning the true recipient of the letter if his name weren’t written clearly on the front of the envelope. Arteaus had never received a letter before considering the fact that the only allies he really had at present was a pack of illiterate dire wolves. He thanked the messenger and opened the letter where he stood. He read over the letter, then folded it back up and slipped it back in its envelope with a look of deep thought on his face. It was nearly nightfall and his empty stomach had begun to make itself known. He made his way to the nearest tavern and ordered a meal. He set the letter on the table before him as he slowly took bites of his meal in between his thoughts. The letter was an invitation to join the guild’s ranks. Arteaus had been searching on his own for fifteen years now with no progress, perhaps if he had the aid of a guild he may finally be able to learn something. Perhaps there may even be another within the guild who had seen something. However, there was also the current status of the guild to consider and despite that reputation he knew the guild was not without honor. Arteaus let out a frustrated sigh. There was a chance that joining the guild would lead to another dead end, but perhaps becoming somewhat of a target to all sorts would draw out the symbol he had been searching for all this time. The next morning, as was typical for Arteaus he awoke before the sun. He gathered his gear then made his way down to the docks, presenting the crewman with the letter as he boarded the boat.