Halor is tall. His skin is a rather drab shade of green, and he tends to wear garments similar to those of his homeland. His preferred garb is a flowing, red outfit that covers him from head to foot, although it does leave his eyes exposed. It comes into play when he fights, however, as the robes flare out and prove distracting to opponents. In the cooler northern climes, however, he has begun to uncover his head somewhat more than he used to. When he catches other people staring at his skin strangely, though, he puts the hood back up and covers his face.
BACKGROUND:
Halor was born to the heir-matriarch of House of Shiman in Shiman-Sekh. He wasn't an acknowledged member of the house, though, for close to thirteen years due to the circumstances surrounding his birth.
Halor's mother was making her annual visit to the tomb of her ancestors to pray for their spirits when her party was attacked by desert Orcs. She was raped by the leader of the band, and her group was left to die in the sands. One of the guards had escaped, however, and returned with a rescue party. Nine months later, Halor was born.
For 12 years, Halor was kept a secret from the majority of the world. He trained at swords and combat, and his goal in life was to join the Risen Guard protecting the Ruby Prince. On his twelfth name-day, however, he was brought before the now-matriarch of House Shiman, as well as her advisers and Shiman-Sekh's Council of Elders. She revealed to them his true origins, and claimed him as her own. She asked that he be acknowledged as her heir.
For 6 months, the Council of Elders argued against acknowledging him as her rightful heir. They saw his ancestry as shameful, and found many ways to deny him on those grounds. During the seventh month, however, they finally relented enough to give him a test. If he passed, he would prove his blood and his right to the family name. If he did not, then he would be forbidden another chance. It took them two months to come up with a test they deemed adequate to proving Halor's worth.
Halor was to return to the place where he was conceived, there with a single shortsword and a single skin of water. He would stay there, alone, for seven days and seven nights. On the eighth day, he was to return with the greatest treasure of the family, if he could find it. He would be allowed no help, no hints, and no clues.
Two days later, Halor left for the tomb of his ancestors. He reached it just after dawn, and spent the early part of the first day searching for a way into the tomb to escape the mid-day heat. Finding a way inside, he settled in to wait. On the second day, he began his explorations. He was struck by the images on the wall of warriors wielding both spells and swords simultaneously. On the fourth day, having consumed half his water and several scorpions he had caught, he managed to make his way to the antechamber of the burial-chamber.
While examining the door, he was surprised by a skeletal warrior. Drawing his shortsword, he bellowed a curse and moved to attack. Upon hearing his voice, however, the warrior dropped to its knees and made no move to attack or defend itself. Confused, Halor bid it to rise and let him into the burial chamber. It rose, then silently interposed itself between him and the door. Seeing that it would not let him in, Halor then asked it to lead him to the greatest treasure in the tomb. Silently, it led him down a hallway to a shelf that was full of various items. It left him there and returned to its post.
Halor spent the next two days examining the items on the shelf. The most intriguing item he found was a dusty tome that seemed to describe the ancient "spell-swords" and how their magic worked. It even included several of the spells. Halor spent the seventh day studying the tome, having finished the water. When night fell, he left and traveled across the desert as swiftly as he could.
At dawn on the eighth day, he entered the city and returned to the Council of Elders, bearing the book. He described to them the ancient order of spell-wielding warriors, and showed them the book. They examined it, and acknowledged that it was a greater treasure than they had expected him to find. His mother was summoned, and Halor was acknowledged as the true heir to the House of Shiman.
For the six years following, Halor studied the tome he had uncovered. He began to try and put the ideas within it into practice. After achieving some limited success, he asked to study with some of the wizards of the city. Their help carried him through a further three years, bringing him to his twenty-first name-day. On that day, he went before the matriarch, his mother, and asked that he be allowed to travel and try to find the secrets of any other spell-warriors in his journey to revitalize the order. He was granted permission, although not without a great deal of struggle. After being outfitted by his family, he left Shiman-Sekh to begin his journey. He's been traveling for a year now, seeking out any who are spell-swords or who know of ancient orders of spell-swords.
