Lord Orilar and Sergeant Meecham
Contents
Lord Orilar and Sergeant Meecham
Rarely, if ever, seen separately, Orilar and Meecham come as a unit. Orilar seems to expect Meecham to come with him, and Meecham seems more than happy to oblige.
From the Sergeant's perspective
Orilar and Meecham have been together almost all of Meecham's adult life. Rankin Meecham, then a lowly private, joined up with a border guard on the outskirts of TODO FIXME, an area with a chronic raiding orc problem. He was assigned as batman to a newly-arrived Elf who was demanding (and skilled) enough to warrant one, and after their first combat together Meecham took a liking to the Elf. After a year or so in service, Meecham was promoted and reassigned... only the orders carrying the reassignment part seem to have gotten lost. And lost again, and finally deliberately set on fire in front of the Captain. After that the message seems to have been received, and despite further promotion, Meecham retained the lowly post of batman.
When Orilar finally took his leave of the army for regions closer to the capitol, Meecham rode with him. Orilar doesn't seem to have noted anything unusual about this, and continues to give Meecham orders as if they were still in the Army. Now perpetually the Sergeant (as there's no one around to promote him), Meecham seems content to follow the orders he's given, and the Elf seems to keep food on the table for the both of them.
And that's not such a bad life, is it? Beats the Army, at any rate.
From Orilar's perspective
It was with some amusement, after a particularly tiring series of border skirmishes, that I noted I'd acquired a follower. I had heard of humans who placed themselves in service of the Elvenkind, but I had never truly understood the mindset that could induce one to do this thing. Had I realized that instead of acting as slaves or bowing servants that they would simply persist, I might have been enlightened. Even for a human though, this servant of mine seems to be unnaturally hard-headed - at first, I had assumed that someone had neglected to reassign him despite his recent promotion, but after hearing the 'letter on fire in front of the Captain' story, I realized what had occurred.
The fellow has proven himself useful on more than one occasion, a worthy benefit for so light an incursion on the purse. Of course, he now grows old as all humans seem to, but he shows no signs of slackening his pace so far. I would not wish on him the eternal weariness that accrues on Elven shoulders, but perhaps there is a way to continue his service...?
Orilar's History
Is something he doesn't talk about, really. He's obviously proficient with many types of weapons, and he appears to have no problem employing his skills as a sell-sword, rather than any 'great purpose' or 'high calling'. If Meecham were to think about it, he might notice that there's a definite pattern to their movements... sadly for the author, Meecham doesn't particularly care to. Orilar, of course, is perfectly aware of the pattern that his unjustified arrest saw fit to interrupt, but he's not giving away what it was or what import it might have had.
Home Region/Origin
Orilar is Elven Nobility - that "Lord" isn't just for show. His family comes from a wooded area, Norak, far to the east. Elves have been living in that area since before the Thousand Eyes King, and if anyone knew to ask him, Orilar could recite his lineage from the period quite precisely. Orilar's parents were still alive and fulfilling his noble duties when he left, so he decided to go out and see the world. He has been gone a very, very long time.
Fighting Style
Orilar is pretty direct, for an Elf. He prefers the hammering of blows, and goes in for pure strength over finesse or cunning. He is cruel, and enjoys crippling attacks, bleeding his opponent, and anything else which drains their power to fight. He is unlikely to show mercy, but doesn't exchange blows unless required.
Exploration Hook
As mentioned, Orilar left his parents and duties behind to wander the world. This was mostly because he was bored and tired of the intricacies of Elven politics and social life. He's exploring to fend off the long, terrible doldrums that Elves fall into after years of not seeing anything new in the world, and the tedium of the everyday.
Social Hook
Are you kidding? These guys are the most interesting thing to happen in literally hundreds of years. Orilar might worry about the danger if he wasn't having so much fun!
