Bastion

[Isolate]

Name: Bastion
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Rank: Roanist Knight of the Bloody Seer
Alias: The Bloodletter
Keepsakes: Bastion has but one precious possession: a ring that belonged to his mentor. He wears it on a chain around his neck.
Appearance: Bastion

Equipment

Weapons:

→ Bladed, spiked knuckles. These steel pieces wrap around his fists, and are a combination of spiked punching weapons and dagger-like blades that protrude downwards, parallel to his wrists. Bastion uses these very much as an extension of his own unarmed capabilities, as well as for quick inward slicing and downward stabbing.
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→ Heavy, back-mounted greatsword called "Breaker". A wide, straight blade that curves outward at the tip to create a saw-like, rounded third edge. Its hilt is extended to accomodate Bastion's wide grip and to allow him to create a larger area of effect when swinging it wildly about. Though it once was sharp, years of use has dulled its edge. This does not make it any less effective, however. Instead of cleaving Bastion's enemies in two, Breaker earns its namesake by crushing their bones with blunt force and weight.

Armor:

→ Overview: Bastion's armor is comprised primarily of heavily-plated steel, with underlying chainmail and leather. It is form-fitting, allowing free movement of his limbs and extra protection to his vital areas.

→ Pauldrons: Bastion's right shoulder is adorned with a curved plating, offset with short spikes meant to snag or deflect enemy blades. His left shoulder piece is far larger, because he is right-handed and leads with the left side of his body. A shield-like plating stretches upward towards his face for additional shock protection, and an intimidating, yet combat-effective, crafted skull lays across his bicep. Three bone spikes protrude from this skull, which Bastion sometimes uses as offensive weapons. Both pauldrons are heavily bound to the underlying chainmail, and are clasped together by leather straps that stretch along his armpits to protect from blows there.

→ Vambraces: The forearm protection of Bastion's armor is fairly simple, covering the area from his pauldrons down to his gauntlets. The right vambrace is comprised of three linked pieces that are designed with a curve in the center to mislead the edge of a blade. The left one is identical, apart from a large spiked piece that covers his elbow which is useful for both added defense and offense.

→ Gauntlets: His gauntlets are mostly made up of thick wrist pieces that extend in a downward arc over the tops of his hands. To protect his fingers, Bastion wears leather gloves that are overlaid with small steel platings that cover each section of his knuckles. Using this method instead of full-on gauntlets provides protection while still allowing completely free movement of his fists so that he may most effectively wield his knuckle weapons.

→ Breastplate: The breastplate is perhaps the most expertly crafted piece of Bastions ensamble. It is shaped in an upside-down "U" meant to fit and protect against his ribcage. The top of the plate extends upwards off his chest and comes to a point, shielding his chainmail-wrapped neck. In addition, the entire brestplate is curved outward so that any strike from a blade or thrust from a pointed weapon is more than likely to be deflected and slide away, completely disabling its effectiveness. The other piece of the brestplate is a disconnected plating that covers his midsection, rimmed at the top to prevent spacing. It comes to a point in the center, and is inlaid with silver emrboidery that pictures a wiltering rose.

→ Armored Skirt: To allow for complete mobility of Bastion's legs, his groin and buttocks areas are protected by a heavy leather skirt. This skirt is comprised of four layers. The first is an unseen, underlying codpiece that is made completely of thick and hardened leather. Above this is two pieces of even thicker leather, bordered in metal and hanging down from his waist across the fronts of his thighs. The third layer is a center piece that drapes across the front of the two thigh-pieces, which is of equal thickness and is also rimmed of metal. Finally, to protect his hipbones, two loose metal platings stretch down from beneath the midsection piece of his brestplate. This armored skirt is mirrored in the back, but is slightly longer to cover his entire backside.

→ Greaves: Bastion's greaves are fairly simple, stretching from beneath his armored skirting to his ankles. They aren't fancy; they are meant for protection and protection alone. His knees, however, are adorned with heavily-spiked overplates that he often uses in a vicious offensive manner.

→ Boots: No part of Bastion's body, apart from his head, is left uncovered. This includes his feet and toes, which are encompassed by hinged plates that do not restrict movement.

Combat

Abilities:

→ Pique Physical Condition: Ever since Bastion was able to pick up a sword, he hasn't missed a day of training. His entire life revolves around combat and killing, so he devotes the vast majority of his time to honing his skills and preparing for the next battle. This unwavering devotion to himself and his abilities has transformed him into a lean and muscled fighting machine. Even while wearing his full set of plate armor, he is able to move his mass with intense speed. Though something is to be said about his agility, it is far outshined by his almost precognitive reflexes and crushing brute strength.

→ Knight's Upbringing: Bastion was raised as the pupil of a veteran Roanist Knight, meaning he has extensive training in the use of melee weaponry, as well as the use of his own body in unarmed combat. As a result of this he is able to wield most any weapon he may find and, unless the weapon or unarmed tactic of his opponent is truly unique, he is able to identify with it, understand the extents of its use, and mentally formulate a strategy with which to potentially dismantle his opponent's defenses.

→ Up Close & Personal: Bastion's fighting skills really shine when he is within arm's length of his opponents. In his earlier years, he found that he preferred unarmed combat to most anything else; there was something about hand to hand duelling that he found irresistible, often casting aside his weaponry mid-battle and maiming his opponents with his fists. Bastion quickly discovered that this proved to be a reckless and sometimes unaffective tactic, and even more quickly devised a solution to this problem by forging the knuckle weapons that he most commonly uses. These weapons allow him to combine his tenacity and skill in unarmed combat, with the tactical and deadly advantage of spikes and small blades.

→ Endurance of Stone: The primary forces that drive Bastion are a solitary frustration and an unabated drive to discover his purpose in life. In the past, these forces brought him to the edge of insanity and, due to a lack of an outlet, he released his emotions physically by repeatedly smashing his fists and head into a stone wall. In order to better control his rage, Bastion made these explosions of emotion into a daily practice. Though it ripped his skin apart and broke his bones on multiple occasions, years of this excercise have resulted in the highly increased durability of both his skull and hands. This endurance allows him to unleash massively powerful strikes with his knuckled, gauntlet-equipped fists without feeling any pain in his hands. It is also not uncommon for Bastion to go into battle without a helmet and bash in the skulls of his helmeted opponents with his bare forehead.

→ Gore: When enraged, Bastion is known to go berserk and put all of his speed and body weight into a shoulder bash that, accompanied with his spiked shoulder piece, impales and gores his enemies.

Weaknesses:

→ Recklessness: Bastion has a tendency to become completely submerged in his anger. Though this can make him an extremely formidable foe, it can also blind him, to an extent. A skilled and tactical foe might be able to brave him with great patience and dexterity.

→ Exposed Head: Though his skull is hard enough to crush all but the most heavily plated steel, it is not impervious. An extremely sharp blade or pinpointed strike of immense force would be able to pierce it.


History

Bastion was orphaned as an infant, abandoned by his parents who were no longer able to care for him. They cast him, cradle and all, into a nearby river. After washing up on a riverbank many miles from home, he was discovered by a Roanist Knight of the Bloody Seer who showed him great empathy and raised him as his own. Though he led a modest life, the knight who took him in gave all that he could to the tiny child. However, being the son of a committed warrior also came with consequences. Bastion's new-found father was as strict and regimented as he was empathetic, raising him as a hardened soldier from the time he could carry a sword. He also taught him the creed of the Bloody Seer and, although Bastion had never fully committed to this purpose in his own right, he held enough loyalty to his father to trust in his teachings.

Now, many years after the passing of his mentor, Bastion is a knight who has seen his fair share of conflict. With reckless abandon, Bastion throws himself into battle tenaciously, much to the notice of his superiors. And yet, no matter how hard they try, they cannot provide Bastion with an offer of rank that satisfies him. As such, he has earned recognition from his fellow Knights, who have come to call him "The Bloodletter," because they believe he fights only to satiate his blood-lust.