Is it bad that I'm just now noticing this? Damn you, alerts. I rely on you too much.
Name: Albel Black
Age: Unknown, appears to be in his late twenties
Sex: Male
Race: Nord
Height: 6' 5" (~2 meters)
Weight: ~195 Lbs (~88.5 kgs)
Appearance: Albel stands tall, even for Nord standards, and despite his relatively light weight, he can be an intimidating figure. He is most often scene in his traveling and combat gear, which consists of a set of simple, steel armor and a hooded cloak overtop. The armor, while relatively simple in design and make, is far from simple in appearance. The left pauldron is quite large and is composed of multiple overlapping steel plates over the shoulder while the right pauldron is non-existent and is instead composed of chain mail with a very thin sheet of metal applied overtop to allow for the glancing of bladed weapons. The poleyns are also unique in that they feature large spikes on the top plate, most likely used for rather deadly knee thrusts. The hood is large, perhaps overly so, and covers most of his face with the peak at the top coming down to a point. His cloak is large enough to cover his entire armor and only barely grazes the ground when he stands. His skin is a darker tone, tanned from his travels, and he is often mistaken for a Redguard because of it. There are three large scars on his face, the first starting from the center of his forehead and crossing down across his left eye and cheekbone to his jaw. The second begins at the inner corner of his right eye and crosses his nose and ends at the left corner of his mouth. The third starts at his right cheekbone and extends down across his lips and stops at the center of his chin. His eyes are a chilling blue and his voice is often a very flat and cold tone. It should also be noted that Albel's armor is hand-painted - literally. Some sort of black dye has been spread across most of the armor's plates, though some parts (primarily the edges) still shine silver. As well, over the left breastplate, there is an image of a horn pouring a liquid painted in actual gold - the symbol of Stendarr.
Personality: If his voice doesn't give it away, Albel is not the warmest of people nor does he make the best of company. He is cold and calculating and gives little, if any, value to the lives of others. While he will not deliberately sacrifice someone to save himself, he never allows himself to be put in such situations. He is a man of few words, except when they are needed, and they are often strong and hold great meaning. However, despite this, he is not openly aggressive. He is the man sitting at the corner table of the tavern, minding his own and watching the room. He has the careful approach of a hunter, even when communicating with people. It is not uncommon to feel as if he is sizing you up during conversation, if not determining the best way to snap your elbow should you move in a peculiar fashion. While extremely rational, he is the type to "shoot first, ask questions later".
Backstory: Much of Albel's past lies in mere rumors and here-say, which is what I'll be using to present him. Some believe Albel has been around since around the time of the Red Year, when the Red Mountain erupted in Morrowind. That would, however, place Albel's age around 200 years old and is often discredited as mere rumor and fantasy as the man does not look a day over 30. What is known is that Albel started his life as an orphan where he became a very devote priest of Stendarr. As he grew, Albel eventually left the orphanage and travelled across Cyrodill preaching the word and glory of Stendarr, of the evils of the Daedra and other dark arts. It should be no surprise to learn that Albel joined up with the Vigilants of Stendarr shortly after his traveling began. It was here that he learned most of his combat and magical knowledge and it was also here that his history becomes the most distorted and muddled. Should one ask a living Vigilant about one Albel Black, they will be able to provide no information. While it is widely accepted that Albel was a member of the Vigilants, there is no record of him in any journal or other documentation.
This is explained by Albel in that his 'disassociation' with the Vigilants was not done on the best of terms. He believed that there was more that the Vigilants could be doing - why try to defend against the Daedra and other dark arts when you could take the fight to them? He often cited the old Dawnguard from the Second Era which, though formed around primarily Vampires, it could have been easily expanded to also fight Daedra, Necromancers, Werewolves... anything deemed evil. It is documented that some time around the start of the Great War, there was a small group (no more than ten documented members) known as the Black Brigade that existed and did just that - sought out and killed Vampires, Werewolves, Daedra - all in the name of Stendarr. The group did not last long, nor did they truly accomplish much. During the Battle of the Red Ring in which the Empire retook the Imperial City, it is stated that the Black Brigade did fight on the side of the Empire and lost many of their numbers. With the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, the Black Brigade was also dismantled of their own choosing and once more, Albel Black seemed to have faded from the history books. Provided this all to prove true, Albel would be well over 50 years old and, as such, it is believed that he was simply a member of the Black Brigade with a convenient name (if it's real) rather than it's actual founder.
Combat Style: Albel's is a style developed on his own that has a very 'lone wolf' approach. His primary weapon is a Crossbow that hangs from the back of his hip along with bolts that he has crafted especially - upon impact, they explode, the tip of the bolt packed with fire salts. Aside from this, he carries a small Orcish dagger on a strap around his lower left leg. Aside from the physical, Albel's ability truly begin to shine when his magical talents become involved. Specializing only in holy restoration magics and destructive fire spells, he is more than formidable against the undead. He specializes in casting protective auras that turn undead as well as explosive defenses in the form of Fire Runes and casting walls of flames. In ideal situations, Albel prefers to lay down defenses around himself and make a stand with his crossbow, forcing any surviving enemies to traverse walls of fire and explosive traps just to reach him.
Additional Abilities: In addition to his combat, prowess, Albel is well versed in what it takes to survive in the wild. He is a trained alchemist and often poisons his already explosive bolts and this trade has granted him unique and experienced knowledge of almost all naturally occurring flora and fauna. When it comes to the wilderness and surviving, Albel is somewhat of an expert. Beyond his ability in Alchemy, there are a few shortcomings. He is not entirely skilled in hand-to-hand combat, though he has been known to brawl. He is also not the most congenial person and lacks any sort of persuasive ability (though intimidation is not out of the question). Any sort of stealth or thieving trade goes beyond Albel who is far more likely to simply incinerate the door in an explosive blast and began loosing bolts while demanding valuables rather than lockpicking and pickpocketing.
