This is 3 out of 7 character profiles, that will be created for my story "Medieval Cohesion".

Full name: Gary Jenkins
Specie: Lynx
Age: 67 years old
Gender: Male
Class: Thief
2nd Class: None
Weapon: Dual daggers
Armor: Leather

Strength ◙ ◙
Defense ◙ ◙
Dexterity ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙
Endurance ◙ ◙
Agility ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙
Magical ◙ ◙

- Abilities -

Stealth ~ As most thieves around the world, Gary has mastered the art of fading away in the shadows of night, making it easier for him to sneak around unnoticed. Even during combat, he can occasionally strike an unsuspecting enemy from the shadows, while his defenses are down. Most enemies taken by surprise, don't live to witness the next dawn.

Sticky Fingers ~ Any opponent unfortunate enough to cross blades with Gary in melee combat, will quickly learn that an inattentive eye, can lead to empty pockets in a heartbeat. While keeping his opponent distracted in combat, Gary's swift hands may snatch gold pieces and other interesting trinkets, too quick for his enemy to realize before its too late.

Dagger Mastery ~ Having mastered the art of wielding short blades in combat, Gary is able to equip a dagger in both hands, dual-wielding them for swift and deadly attacks. Besides overwhelming his enemies with combos, he can also use his daggers to block certain types attacks, but some weapons are too powerful for his daggers to resist.

Hail of Knives ~ A thief's dexterity is his greatest weapon, and after years of practice, Gary has learned to hurl multiple throwing knives at the same time. This offers him the opportunity to strike more than one enemy at once, or hitting a larger enemy with more than one knife at the same time. This ability is only available when throwing knives are carried.

Navigation ~ Throughout his many years of traveling, Gary's journey has occasionally taken place by sea, where he has learned much about directing great vessels through the endless bodies of water. He knows his way around the deck of a ship, and with a compass in hand, he can direct vessels through storms and dangerous reefs with minimal damages.

Taunt ~ The only thing sharper than Gary's dagger, is his tongue. When it seems convenient, he can provoke an enemy to direct all attention towards him, pushing the enemy into a reckless attack. This is a great way to distract foes from weak or wounded party members. But unfortunately, it's a risky move to use, as Gary cannot endure much punishment himself. An unwise taunt could become his downfall.

Pathfinding ~ Every experienced adventurer, will become familiar with the lands that he has journeyed across. Gary has explored many interesting parts of the world, and because of this, he can direct his allies to shortcuts that will save them heaps of time. Additionally, he usually also know all the greatest locations to hide out, when things get rough.

- Background -

For approximately 42 years ago, the ambitious and highly intelligent Gary Jenkins worked as a humble sculptor, earning his underwhelming pay by shaping posh statues out of common stone. With his chisel and mallet in hand, he created impressive products that eventually drew a lot of attention, making it easy for him to make a living. His wealth grew significantly over the following few years, but some claimed that the solitude was threatening his sanity, as he lived alone with no wife or children. Work occupied most of his life, because he needed the wealth to fulfill his dream, of venturing out to explore the world as a traveler. The magnificent statues that he designed, made appearance throughout an entire region, and eventually attracted a royal family to hire his service. It made his heart swell with pride, when the noble King Salowmere asked him to create a statue of him and his queen, to welcome the visitors outside their castle by the gate. These were statues meant to go down in history, even long after the king and his queen had passed away, and Gary was generously rewarded for his work. But the glittering gold acquired, was far from the only benefit connected to this deal. After having been hired by a royal family, Gary’s reputation as a sculptor increased significantly, and even more people sought his service. A couple of years passed by, and once the flow of business finally calmed down, Gary had accumulated an impressive amount of gold pieces. He was considered a wealthy man, and was either respected or envied for having come so far as a low sculptor. It was clearly his enthusiasm that had carried him this far, but then to everyone’s surprise, he suddenly quit his job despite it was going so well. He had decided that what wealth he had gathered, was sufficient for him to achieve his greatest goal in life.

No more than a week after having resigned as a famous sculptor, Gary Jenkins left the town by horse carriage, bringing only his most important personal belongings, and the great chest of gold pieces that he had earned. He was finally on his way out to explore the world, as a young man following a dream. The wealth he brought along, was meant to deal with the traveling expenses, and to ensure that he wouldn’t run low on food supplies during the journey. But traveling alone is dangerous, in such a dark and merciless world. Having traveled for no more than a month, Gary Jenkins was ambushed by ruthless brigands on the road, chasing him down on horseback. Despite his attempt to escape, the weight of his carriage slowed him down, and he was eventually overwhelmed by the swift bandits. Standing with the great risk of having his own life forfeit, Gary had no choice but to surrender his fortune to these criminal brigands, and watch them ride away with the gold he spend years to earn. They even killed his two beautiful stallions, that pulled his wooden carriage, to make sure that he wouldn’t attempt to seek them out. Gary came out of this experience unharmed, but he had lost everything. His great wealth was stolen. He had no longer a job. His fame was worth nothing. And he was hundreds of miles away from home. But despite of this highly depressing coincident, Gary refused to let those brigands ruin his dream. After having blown off some steam and cooled down, he decided to keep traveling, even if he had to so as a tramp. Driven by his own stubbornness, he left the pitiful remains of his horse carriage, and continued his journey by foot. Nothing could possibly stand in his way of exploring the world and harvesting rich experiences on the way. But unfortunately, it didn’t take long before he realized how futile his goal had become, now that he had neither food or wealth anymore.

His clothes became worn, his stomach growled and things were only getting worse with each day. Once the hunger became too overwhelming, he even found himself begging people for a few pieces of gold. But few were willing to part with their money, despite that Gary would’ve been pleased with even the smallest contribution. His anger directed towards the mingy civilization grew, and he completely lost faith in the society. By that moment, he was convinced that the only way for him to survive, would be to embrace an illegal lifestyle. The rude treatment and lack of generosity, made it easy for Gary to turn his back on the world, and focus on his own needs and desires. From that day, he no longer begged for gold to ensure his survival - he simply took it, and slipped out of sight unnoticed. Fingers slipped into the pockets of rich men, snatching loose coins and full pouches. Once having grown more comfortable with this criminal lifestyle, he kept himself nourished with fresh food stolen directly from stores or outdoor stalls. As a newcomer embracing the art of theft, he was occasionally discovered during his attempts to steal, but never once was he caught and put behind bars. To his own surprise, it quickly became clear to him that he possessed a natural talent, when it came to escaping uncomfortable situations and hiding in the shadows. He even felt at home in the dark of night, waiting for convenient victims to mug. Once having used the stolen gold pieces to fill his empty stomach, he decided to invest in new clothes, that seemed fitting for his new way of life - a black cloak decorated with orange trims, hooded to keep his identity hidden, dark to make his body merge with the shadows of night.

As Gary kept traveling around the world, drifting from one town to the other, he eventually decided to switch his old chisel out with a pair of daggers for combat. As a thief, he found it necessary to master the art of self defense, so that he wouldn't stand completely helpless when things got out of control. Furthermore, he yearned to seek vengeance upon the despicable criminals that took everything away from him months before. One day, he successfully tracked down the same brigands that stole his fortune, and killed the stallions pulling his carriage. The wealth was all spend by then, but Gary didn't care. He found satisfaction in killing every single man, striking them so fast that they barely managed to draw their blades. With his daggers stained by the blood of the low brigands, Gary had hereby committed his first of many murders, and he didn't feel the slightest remorse. Years passed by, and Gary eventually became notorious throughout the regions. Recognized as a master thief, he gained connections with other criminals around the world, and even agreed to take part in temporary partnerships. He had been through everything - theft, burglary, smuggling, piracy and even assassination. But as he was growing old in the process, he eventually settled down in the town of Barrock, claiming to have retired as a traveler. But once he was approached by the young knight Wesley Lightweaver, and his close friend Paul Drakemyre, their quest was apparently capable of making Gary step out of retirement. They sought his experience as a traveler, as only he knew how to find the sacred forest of Niévahna, where the forgotten tribes are said to exist. Not only did he accept to show them the way; he even offered to join them on their quest. It remains unknown, what motivated the old lynx to embark on this journey with the two bold adventurers from Paravil. Sensing the end approaching, perhaps he hungered for one last journey before his time expired. Maybe he schemed to stab their backs when they least expected it, and steal everything they own for profit. Or could there be an even deeper reason behind it...?