Armiston Pendragon

Armiston Pendragon (née Cambarro) is a half-elven monarch and the current king of Arthuria. He acquired the throne by default after Elwin Pendragon and all his legitimate sons were killed; consequently, he is sometimes referred to as "the last Pendragon."

Appearance
Armiston is a large and muscular man, towering over most humans. His facial features include a square jaw, a short nose, and pointed ears. He has blond hair that falls past his shoulders, typically being pulled into a single braid, and a full beard. His body is covered in scars of varying shapes and sizes, with the most notable being a scar on his left eye resembling two claw marks.

Despite being a monarch, Armiston seldom wears royal garb. Instead, he can more commonly be found wearing a suit of polished plate armor; on special occasions, he will also be wearing a knee-length purple cape and a simple bejeweled gold and silver crown.

Personality
In his earlier years, Armiston was a bold, confident man. He would be the first to rush into danger at a moment's notice if the need arose, and put others before himself. However, despite his apparent recklessness, he learned to exercise some level of caution, knowing he couldn't help anyone else if he died a fool's death. This, obviously, did not stop him from returning to Fernia and joining in its last stand.

After years of imprisonment and torture, Armiston is a shadow of his former self. Though he still shows the benevolence he did in his earlier years, he is extremely reserved and displays a serious demeanor, almost never smiling. He struggles to keep his temper in check, and regularly drinks himself into a stupor. His drinking problem is so severe that alcohol has been banned from Camelot's grounds except on special occasions in an unsuccessful attempt to curtail it.

While a monarch, Armiston still behaves like a knight to a certain extent. He treats all he meets with respect yet does not expect others to do the same, and upholds a code of honor for himself as well as his guard. When someone angers him, this politeness yields to cruelty as he threatens the aggressor, often with his sword drawn and pointed at their throat.

Armiston always displayed wanderlust, which is what led him to become a travelling knight. This has only grown since his imprisonment; he will take any opportunity he has to travel, and has even been known to spend entire nights staring out longingly at the open road outside the castle walls. It is likely that he would abandon Arthuria in a heartbeat, if he did not feel so obligated to serve as its king.

Despite showing a general racial tolerance, Armiston disapproves of interracial relationships in spite and even because of his half-elven nature. He believes that hybrids, himself included, are inherently unlovable, and that the very conception of a hybrid child is an act of cruelty. Consequently, he shows contempt towards parents of hybrid children, and would likely have opted not to have children himself if it were not for his position as king.

History
Armiston was born out of wedlock to the then-king of Arthuria, Elwin Pendragon, and High Druidess of Fernia, Estronne Cambarro. His mother, for reasons the half-elf would never learn, wished to kill him immediately. However, his birth father, again for reasons Armiston wouldn't learn, threatened to end their alliance if the child was killed, but refused to take the child off her hands. Thus, she spared the infant and raised him as her own, though grudgingly.

As a child, Armiston was ostracized by his peers and looked down upon by his elders due to his half-human parentage. His stepfather, while strict with the boy, was among the few to show Armiston kindness, encouraging the half-elf to find his own way in the world. Eventually, he began to train with the orcish knights of Fernia and Arthuria to become a paladin. Not long after he came of age, he swore himself to Dinastis and became a wandering knight, travelling to neighboring lands and assisting those in need. He was in his element, and started to develop a reputation in the lands as a hero.

Unfortunately, this new life was short-lived. Just a few years after he started his adventures, he received some troubling news from his homelands: King Elwin and his sons were murdered in a successful coup d'etat--and the usurper sought to drive out all nonhumans from Arthuria and its surrounding lands. Realizing his homeland and its people were in danger, Armiston returned to Fernia as quickly as he could to warn them and organize a defense. He arrived just hours before the Red King's forces stormed the elven kingdom. Armiston alone was spared, the soldiers taking him back to the castle as a living trophy of their conquest.

For nearly two decades, Armiston was imprisoned within Camelot's deepest dungeons. Seen as less than human by his captors, he was physically and psychologically tortured frequently. While he would be found and freed during a prison break-in, the damage was already done. The once bold and confident Armiston was now just a shadow of his former self; however, his will remained strong, and once he was nursed back to health, he joined his rescuers in fighting the Red King's tyranny, becoming a key player in what would later be known as the Red War.

Armiston only participated in the Red War for a few short years, but proved himself a competent soldier and commander. He would even be credited with the war's end, though this would be due in great part to him unwittingly drawing Excalibur during the final battle.

The end of the Red War would be both a blessing and a curse for Armiston. On one end, he had gotten the revenge he craved since his imprisonment; on the other, he now found himself under intense pressure to take the throne, as he was believed to be the last Pendragon alive. He had intended to return to his travels once the war had ended. However, he instead caved under the pressure, taking the throne and becoming king of Arthuria.

Natural Abilities

 * Slowed Aging: As a half-elf, Armiston ages more slowly than he would if he was a pure human; consequently, he still has much of the strength he had in his youth.
 * Magic Affinity: Armiston, as a half-elf, has a natural affinity for magic, able to learn spells more quickly than the average human.

Skillset

 * Leadership: Armiston displays a talent for leading, and has become a competent leader over the years (if only by necessity).
 * Light Magic: As a paladin, Armiston has become adept at controlling light magic, and knows a number of spells to assist himself or others in combat.
 * Healing Spells: Armiston knows spells that allow him to heal serious injuries dealt to himself or others, and can even stabilize an individual near death using his magic alone.
 * Armor Training: Armiston, due to his training as a knight, can move in heavy armor with relative ease.
 * Sword/Shield Proficiency: Armiston is trained to fight with a sword and shield.
 * Limited Druidic Magic: Having been raised an elf, Armiston knows some druidic spells; however, he is nowhere near as proficient in druidic magic as he is light magic.

Unique Abilities

 * Sun's Blessing: As part of his oath to Dinastis, Armiston has been endowed with a blessing that enhances his strength. If he is not in sunlight for any reason (whether it be due to the time of day or his location), his strength is completely unaffected by the blessing. However, if he is in sunlight, he grows stronger the higher the sun is in the sky. That is, at dawn or dusk, he is not much stronger than normal; meanwhile, at noon, he is strong enough to hold his own against an army.

Tools and Weapons

 * Excalibur: As a true-blooded Pendragon, Armiston is able to wield Excalibur and consequently benefit from its unique properties. He is rarely seen without the legendary sword, and even when it isn't at his side, it's usually within arm's reach.

Weaknesses

 * Self-Control: Though he once exercised an impressive level of self-control as part of his knightly training, Armiston did not retain it as the years passed. In recent years, he has been known to draw his sword at the slightest provocation and make violent threats against anyone that upsets him. In addition, it is a poorly-kept secret that Armiston has a serious drinking problem.

Elwin Pendragon
Armiston never met his birth father in person, only learning of their blood relation at the end of the Red War. He avoids talking about Elwin in public, as he lacks any respect and has a deep resentment towards the dead king, refusing to refer to him as his father. This is partly due to Elwin's apparent lack of love for his own son, but also because Armiston blames his birth father for the Red War, believing that even if he couldn't foresee the conflict, that Elwin should have executed the Red King instead of exiling him.

Estronne Cambarro
Armiston knew from an early age that his birth mother did not like him. The feeling quickly became mutual, and the two would get into arguments frequently. Near the end of Armiston's paladin training, the High Druidess fell gravely ill, and he put aside his resentment long enough to visit her on her deathbed. During this time, he formally forgave her for her emotional abuse and neglect; however, for the soon-to-be knight, it was just him covering his bases and proving he was better than her. In reality, Armiston never truly forgave Estronne for what she had done to him, and continues to detest her long after her death.

Lilith Pendragon
Armiston's marriage with Lilith is strictly political. The two split royal duties and work together well, but do not view one another as friends, much less romantic partners. Armiston knows how Lilith feels (or, rather, doesn't feel) about him, but due to his disinterest in her, he has no desire to improve their relationship.

Lynne Piper
Armiston wants to be a good father to Lynne; however, his and Lynne's ideals on what a "good father" is has led to conflict between them. He is very strict with her, putting her under non-negotiable rules and an exhausting training regimen. He understands that this has caused her to dislike him, but reasons that she will eventually come to understand and respect him for it.

Merinna Cambarro
As children, Armiston and Merinna had a strained relationship. While the two would eventually reconcile their differences, they never developed a friendship. Instead, they share a mutual respect and trust as fellow monarchs.

The Red King
Armiston never forgave and never forgot what the Red King did to him, and was not satisfied by his death. Upon becoming king, his first order was to have the Red King's body destroyed and his name erased from all records to dehumanize him.

Serenio Cambarro
Armiston viewed Serenio as his father figure, admiring him and turning to him for advice. He maintained correspondence with his stepfather even as he left to travel the lands around Arthuria, and the two stood together during the Fernian Last Stand. Though he seldom talks about Serenio, Armiston misses him deeply, and continues to refer to him as his father. Armiston's respect for Serenio is such that he opted to name his and Lilith's second-born son after his stepfather.

Uther Pendragon
Though the two obviously never met, Armiston was deeply inspired by Uther Pendragon; in fact, it was the tale of Uther that inspired Armiston to become a knight. In fact, he arguably holds more respect for King Arthur's father than he does for King Arthur himself. Armiston opted to name his first-born son with Lilith after Uther in his honor.

Trivia

 * The original Armiston was a player character created in Everquest 2.
 * This version of Armiston was a high elf paladin, in an attempt to create the epitome of a "holy white knight" character. However, his character changed drastically over the years.
 * Armiston's "Sun's Blessing" is inspired by Sir Gawain of Arthurian legend, who received a similar blessing.