Vanlo Kandoliria

[Angmor]

Name: Vanlo Kandoliria

Age: 20

Race: Human

Appearance:

Standing at just about five and a half feet, he is sometimes mocked for his less than impressive height. Despite this, Vanlo has a slight, wiry build that is often underestimated for its strength. His face is sharp-featured and handsome, although weathered by lean living and marked by a few too many fights. His features are topped by a mess of brown hair interspersed with flecks of red. Untidy and unkempt, the front of this hair falls just short of his eyes, creating an appearance to match his title. When on a job, his lips seem turned up into a perpetual smile of amusement, and his face always seems to carry a look that makes it appear that he is about to burst out laughing, and this fact is always reflected in his twinkling, steel-blue eyes.

Unless a disguise is needed for one of his more elaborate cons, Vanlo mostly wears dark rust-brown tunic and breeches, and over this a waist-length jacket of brown leather. Although worn and much repaired after constant use, this is one of his most prized possessions, and he would not part with it for all the jewels in the palace. Especially in the winter months, he also sometimes wears a simple hooded cloak of rough fabric, for warmth and for disguise.

Although he could perhaps steal enough to afford some of the finest blades ever made, Vanlo has chosen a decidedly less lethal weapon for himself; A hardwood rod, about three feet long, usually of oak or ash. While many would scoff at the usefulness of such a weapon against swords and daggers, Vanlo finds it ideal for disarming his opponent with a well-placed swing. The only downside is the fact that well sharpened blades can cut straight through it, and he often has to replace it from the a nearby forest or by a passing merchant. He has acquired a great deal of proficiency with his chosen weapon through training and experience, and can wield it like a small staff or a sword depending on the need, and often interchanging between them to catch an enemy off guard. He keeps the stick in a simple brown leather tube, strapped unobtrusively across his back for easy access over his right shoulder. Being his most distinguishing feature, Vanlo has made this so that it can be easily concealed under a cloak when stealth is needed. He also carries the staple equipment for any self-respecting thief, a flask of oil and a small box containing a set of simple steel lockpicks.

Personality:

Having the sole ambition having as much amusement as he can, Vanlo thinks of life as a sort of enormous game. This game has very little rules and even fewer limits, and governed only by random chance, skill, and blind luck. As such, allegiance means nothing to him, and he will work for really anyone so long as they provide a challenge the suits his fancy, and provided they pay his fees. He seeks only new challenges that satisfy his sense of “fun”, which usually means having something he needs to “creatively acquire”, and then escape with it without being caught by the previous owner.

While he tries to get along with everyone he talks to, He is fiercely independent, and prefers not to be held down by any long-term relationships. Although he is perfectly content by himself, Vanlo thrives in the company of others, even if he is not the center of attention. He is nearly impossible to anger, but most of the time he must have the last word in an argument. Unlike some in his profession, he prefers to either use stealth or persuasion to accomplish his ends, and nothing spoils his fun more than having to kill someone, hence the non-lethal nature of his weapon. When caught, Vanlo most often relies on his smooth tongue and fast talk to get out of a situation, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. He has a hard time caring one way or the other. While being an excellent thief, he can sometimes be arrogant and overconfident in his abilities, which often leads to trouble when he tries to get too much out of a job.

History:

Vanlo has no recollection of his parents, only that they were never there, and he was abandoned to the unforgiving streets of Uru-Baen at a very young age. The question of why he was cast out instead of simply sold as a slave is sometimes a matter of speculation; perhaps they were dead, perhaps he was the result of an illicit affair between nobles. But he never wonders for long, the simple truth is that he doesn't remember, and doesn't care. The abandonment of children was not a particularly uncommon occurrence, and he was merely one of many waifs that was forced to learn to survive on his own, begging for food, fighting for any shelter that could be found. This he did for his early years, with more luck than most. Life was hard, but he found his own sense of joviality despite his circumstances. To him, life was the greatest of adventures, and the constant close calls were simply part of the fun.

As with most children of the streets, his attention soon turned to petty thievery as both a way to support himself and a way to simply fill the hours. As with most of trade, he began with simple snatching and pickpocketing, learning from observing others, taking tips from the older waifs, and a healthy amount of trial and error. At first, he was met only with marginal success. Over the next few years however, he became more and more skilled in the art, even starting to make a modest name for himself among the city's thriving criminal underworld. Vanlo had about him the rare combination of talent and luck, and he made the fullest possible use of both. Eventually, he began to take up the trade of a burglar, tagging along with known prowlers and others who were considered skilled in the art of breaking and entering, observing craft and taking tips wherever he could. Soon this was no longer challenge enough, and he began to work solo jobs. Soon after that, he began taking on the most insane jobs he could find, burgling the homes of imperial nobles.

It was on one of these jobs, the most unplanned and flamboyant that he had ever attempted, when he was caught red-handed by the private security force the noble had hired to protect the house. Now, it was not the first time Vanlo had been in trouble with the authorities, but now the situation was much more dire. The city guards that were responsible for keeping order were bound by imperial law, and therefore the worst that could happen to a captured thief is to lose a hand. With these private enforcers, Vanlo knew, he could be killed and have his body dumped in the streets, and there would not even be a need for paperwork. Vanlo’s characteristic luck held out yet again, and instead he found himself listening to a proposition from the general from whom he had been trying to steal. The general detailed that he had a powerful rival in the military, one that had discovered his habit for visiting an illegal brothel and was using the proof to blackmail him into resigning his post. He offered Vanlo a choice; he could either steal back the proof of the general’s misconduct, leaving the rival without a leg to stand on, or he could die. Vanlo, not very enthusiastic about the alternative, decided to accept the offer, and used his talents to sneak in the house of the rival and steal the fairths that had been made of the general at the brothel. After this, he suddenly found his services in high demand, taking commissions from imperial nobility in their constant power struggles and political machinations. It was a rather strange way to work, but it paid well. For the first time, Vanlo found himself with money enough for his own shelter, clothing, food, and more. He found however that the amenities that money could buy really held no charm for him, so he continued to live simply. Unable to think of much else to do with his newfound wealth, he traveled the Empire, exploring whole new cities and making connections with new underworlds. He continues to rove the land, taking commissions from both sides and stealing for himself just for the fun of it. He continues to play his game, looking neither forward nor back.

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