A savage beast within

Afales was born in the wilderness in Winter near Mount Omedan. He grew up in a very harsh environment. His father died early on in his life, and his mother could barely care for him. Thanks to his mother, he learned which plants and herbs were edible within his surroundings, knowledge which would prove useful later on in his life. He quickly learned some basic survival skills in his teenage years. How to make and tend a campfire. How to hunt with a bow and arrow. How to use any manner of weapons to defend himself. When he got older, he gained a temper and liked seeing the blood come out of the animals he slaughtered. He eventually left his mother at 17 years of age, and naturally became a member of the ranger's guild. And still, he had savage tendencies within... He felt a beast within himself for years but suppressed it somehow. When he was about to enter the Academy, Afales realized a large part of his identity would involve that savage beast within him. He woke from a dream the night before entering, and shook the thoughts from his head.

Motives

As Afales went through the Academy, his inner savage beast continued to cause some turmoil within him. He was able to suppress it for quite a while before reaching his 15th title within his guild. Arachnos called to him, and he felt oddly compelled to respond. Their meeting was brief but it left a permanent impression on him. He found it harder to trust others after that, especially after joining arms with an illusionist briefly and finding his body unnaturally hasted at one point. Afales decided somewhere along the way that he wanted to perform his battles without the unnatural aid of magic, and looked at what the Warlords stood for many times over. Honor? Yes, he cared about that. Arachnos deceived him, as had the illusionist; he had no desire to fight his battles like they did. Not using magic? As stated just now, Afales figured out from first-hand experience that he didn't want that kind of assistance, or indeed, any kind of unnatural enhancement to his physical prowess. Afales also cares about honoring Lord Davairus, especially because he feels he committed a faux pas at one point unintentionally and wants to prove his devotion. Thus, Afales hopes to gain the favor of the Lord of Blood, regardless of whether his application is accepted or denied. As such, Afales dislikes several things (in no particular order): magic-users, cowards, and those without honor.

Challenges anew

And so Afales became a Recruit within the Warlords without problems. However, until his entry he had not even considered just what the Warlords stood for overall, what actually motivated them day by day. The Immortal without a name who inducted him spoke of challenges, and noted several things others had done to challenge themselves before inducting him and giving him a chance. It was almost like they wondered what he was doing applying to the Warlords if he wasn't approaching this from the mindset of somebody who actively seeks out challenges. Along the way, he found plenty of challenges. He advanced within the Warlords to Proven rank and by then it was clear he viewed Kryton as a rival and a challenge to be overcome. He aimed for Blademaster, not even thinking until the hint had been dropped that Warmaster could be his position one day. The only reason he knew that was because he heard a comment about Kryton being fit for Blademaster by sheer virtue of his fighting prowess, but Afales himself might be destined for something greater. Afales eventually made it to Warmaster, as it turned out. He had many fights, though it seemed he had many losses against Legion before one of their especially cocky young fighters named Oogruk demanded a fight and Afales trounced him in a duel to the death. Afales was quite proud of that kill, and kept a personal trophy for his collection. But as the challenges continued in terms of fights, and Afales's body started to get battered from the abuse, he realized there were only so many challenges left for him. Sure, he was going to keep his promise to his lord to remain in Serin until his body could no longer withstand further abuse, but... Well, not everything was as easy as it once seemed. With leadership came other challenges. He liked interacting with the applicants and recruits overall, but one person in particular stood out to him among the many he interacted with. Her name was Luluna, and she has proven to be a greater challenge for Afales internally than many of his dueling partners or other opponents...