Name: Axel Bear-Claw.
Age: 27.
Race: Nord.
Gender: Male.
Birthsign: The Warrior.

General Description: Nordic genes have blessed Axel with his tall and powerful figure, with daunting height and heavy bones Axel is noticeably larger than most other Nords. His history and upbringing as well as many years spent in the harsh wilderness have taken their toll on his muscular frame and allow for strength that is hard to equal. Concave cheeks, a strong jaw and a long, sharp, broken nose added with his low brow and slanted eyebrows give Axel a hard and rugged looking face, which often appears unfriendly and often serious regardless of his actual mood. His eyes too are unforgiving and their steel blue gaze reflects the harshness of the freezing cold environment that Axel has grown up with, complimented both by his thick black eyebrows and darkened surrounding sockets. His hair is unkempt and knotted; a black tangle left to trail down his back.
His fringe is almost spikey and trails off down to the left side of his face, often falling in front of his eye and the scar that is ripped across it. The scar is his most distinguishable feature; it remains from a bear’s paw swipe that managed to catch his face when he was younger. The scar is also what gives him his surname, and it has left him partially blind in his left eye (though it would be impossible to guess so).

Skills: Much like a typical Nord, Axel is far more gifted in the art of combat than any other, he is trained in both the use of Blades and Blunted weaponry though his favoured weapon, unusually for a Nord of his size, is a Katana. He has a simple knowledge of Alchemy able to concoct simple healing potions and weak fatigue restores (though he rarely uses them in combat), but otherwise his magical talent is non-existent. He relies in battle upon stamina and incredible strength; though he is not unintelligent and will more often than not outwit his opponent before he has to resort to his reserve of resilience and power. For such a large man, Axel is rarely clumsy; though give his size it is a challenge for him to remain undetected for long. His hunting experience has taught him, to some extent, the art of stealth for use in desperate times, though it is not often practised outside of the occasional deer hunt.

Apparel: Axel hates the feel of metal, feeling far more comfortable in leather and fur. Cohering with his name and reputation he wears an underlay of black bear fur, with dark steel pauldrons on each shoulder and similar gauntlets on his wrists. On his lower half he wears the same black bears fur coated leather pants, which are wrapped in a sort-of robe bottom made of a thin material, which too is a dark colour. He wears ordinary black leather boots though with an inlay of fur to keep out the cold. He often wears a large black cloak draping down only his left side, tattered and torn, ragged from the environment and various scraqes that he has found himself in throughout his years. The cloak has a hood attached which serves in place of a helmet and is tied around his neck almost like a scarf.

Weapons: The Katana commonly used by Axel is a family heirloom, passed down from father to son, and is cherished by Axel to the highest degree. Given its age the Katana is in surprisingly good condition. Though the blade itself remains sharp, there are various scars, chips and cuts into the swords sharp edge. The sword’s hilt is black with a simple steel blade however its size is larger (longer blade) than most ordinary katanas, and for most other men would probably serve as a two handed weapon. Axel also keeps a small knife on his belt for the majority of time, though this is not used for combat, rather an item for skinning animals or even eating. Though Axel keeps no other weapons with him, he has been known to use other weapons in the past; such as spears and axes, it is clear though that he uses his favoured katana more so than any other weapon.

Other: Axel keeps a utility like belt of helpful items to aid him on his travels:
- A map of Skyrim.
- His hunting knife.
- 30+ coins. In case he needs something.
- A leather skin for water.
- Sometimes, some ingredients that may help in making a potion or two, or simply for eating.

Personality/Mentality: Axel is renowned for his clear mind and his kind heart. Though he is quiet in person, he possesses great people skills and can often build a strong relationship with those that he interacts with. He tries to be friendly and well liked, though he will not lie nor go out of his way to impress or attract someone whom he feels would not like him for who he is. He is a good leader, confident in himself and those around him, and as a great leader can influence and build a strong team of friends, comrades or otherwise through his ability to promote a good atmosphere and raise confidence. He is, in battle calculated and precise with his movement, relying on his able speed and stamina as well as his increased strength. Resilient, Axel is tough and rarely takes failure as an option, when he does; he does it with pride and a certainty that there was nothing more he could offer to resolve a situation. He is strong in spirit and in mind, and though it would take a lot to break him down mentally he has a weakness in that he can be overly trusting or ambitious.

Nothing means more to Axel than honour, and often his word is his law. He is a highly moral being and though enjoys a scruff, would not fight and certainly not kill without need. He takes pride in his own ability to control himself and his non-violent nature towards both people and nature.

Biography/History: Axel was born and raised in a small village, due west of Markarth Side; west Skyrim. A small community and a solid moral upbringing made him the man he is, and his praise and pride for his home are often referred to in conversation. His parents are his idols, his father especially whom he maintained a close relationship throughout both his childhood and into his advlthood. It was his father that had taught him his combat and mental skills and had encouraged strength and determination through rigorous training and exercise. The small village upbringing taught him qualities of trust and friendship, and in school Axel showed great thirst for both camaraderie and knowledge.

Though he appreciated his small village, he could not help but feel that there was often, not a lot to do. He was bored, and though hunting and fishing trips with his father, school and friends were enough to keep him occupied through his early years, his later teenage years demanded more adventure and excitement than he’d previously experienced.

It was his idea that he and a small group of friends led a hunting trip when he was 17. He knew the local forests well, especially of their dangers, (drilled into him as a child by his father, which is notably where Axel gets his calculated and cautious side from) and the boys left the village for a small adventure a little further from home. The trip had been going well, they had caught a large stag and that evening the small group sat around the campfire whist the stag cooked on a roaring fire.

The smell of the stag had brought to them an unwelcome guest. A large black bear, that although approached the camp with caution had every intention of grabbing what he could of the stag, or even a young Nord. The bear attacked from behind, it was Axel’s best friend, Hans, who took the brunt of the bear’s swipe. It slammed into the back of his head and knocked him unconscious. Before anyone could react, the bear was atop Hans, mauling him, ignoring the stag that cooked beside him, and tearing at all parts of his now broken body. Axel watched as his friends stood, scared, too scared to move. He decided to act himself, and alone. Rushing at the bear and kicking it as hard as he could. The blow was hard and fast to the massive creature’s skull, but it was not enough to shake him from Hans. Axel had had no time to reach his weapon from the nearby tent, and again went at the Bear with a swift punch to the face. It was soon to be regretted as the Bear switched his attention from Hans, and onto Axel.

He began to backpedal, but the bear was fast, slamming his paws into Axels face, slashing and gauging his left side with the clear mark of the claws of the bear. He fell to the floor and the bear approached at some speed. Axel wrestled the bear, but he was no match and as fear of a fate similar to that of his friend crept into his mind, he was saved. An arrow from another of his companions shot into the bear’s skull, it cried in agony swiping more furiously at Axel, who could do no more than raise his arms and try to shield the hard blows. He survived, as another arrow slammed into the bear’s face causing it to run from the camp, and from further pain. Axel lay in both agony and exhaustion but he knew he’d been lucky.

The event had had a profound effect on the rest of his life; he decided to leave the village, to head for the city. Perhaps to find work, perhaps to find love. He knew not of what he wanted other than to get away from the memories of his friend, and to start fresh relationships and find new adventures and so he arrived in Winterhold almost immediately signing on for the expedition to Saarthal.

Shane thinks of himself as crazy. He has many eccentricities and peculiarities, but he hides them well and seems sane enough. He’s always been a happy kid, and has a cheerful personality. He is quick to smile and laugh, and is quite the optimist about everything. Shane finds comfort in making people laugh and enjoys telling stories and making merry. He jokes that he would’ve been a bard if they weren’t reputed dandies. Shane is slow to anger, and he only has a few things that really set him off. Most things roll right off his back but when something hits close to home he has more trouble shrugging it off. He possesses a great sensitivity and empathy to those around him. Shane is naturally gifted at reading body language, and that enables him to tell how a person is feeling without even talking to them. He is very sarcastic, and although sometimes he finds the wrong moments for it, it always has good-natured intentions.

Shane is overly paranoid, and although he hides it, when he gets a bad thought in his head it’s hard to shake it. He also has a sort of contradictory confidence. His self-image is poor enough to the point that the only people whose opinion he holds to any value are those he cares about. This allows him to have full confidence around anyone else, and although he does wonder what people think about him he often doesn’t care. This confidence enables him to mask his real age easily, often coming off as someone much older and experienced. However he is not overconfident, Shane knows when he’s completely clueless and will often admit it. Shane has a refreshing honesty about him. He doesn’t boast or misrepresent anything, and often what he says is a varying degree of what he actually feels. He doesn’t see the point in lying about most things, but when he needs to he is quite the convincing liar. Shane believes in doing good for the sake of doing good. He does believe in the Nine, but not to the point of active worship. He feels that living a good life and trying to do right by others is more redeeming than any prayer. Shane also displays a furious loyalty to those he cares about, and would gladly fight for them. Shane has been known to show a great lack of motivation in pursuits he doesn’t really believe in, however when he believes in what he is doing, or if its for a purpose important to him, his determination to accomplish the task knows no equal. He has never killed another person, and killing creatures took a while as well. So although he is able to slay creatures with ease, he would need quite the necessity to take the life of another. Basically, he’s chivalrous.

It should be mentioned that Shane is head over heels in love. He knows that many young people fall in love, or at least they think they do, and often times its just infatuation. However he believes he has found the one in Isabella. Shane feels they are perfect for each other in every way, and he loves her with a passion bordering on zealotry. He strives to be the perfect man for her, and he would do anything for her. He believes his purpose in life is to make her happy, and he lives for her. Shane has had doubts about his feelings, and hers for him, but with each day he grows more assured. Ever the romantic, Shane has dreamed of wedding her and starting a family and living out the rest of their days together. He has told Isabella all of this, and its public knowledge that he is in love with her, but he keeps the degree of that love closely guarded from all but her.

Shane was born in Chorrol under the Lady constellation. Growing up he guarded this information closely, for the mocking he would receive would be too much for him. Growing up he never had many close friends, and found companionship in his older cousin Nicolas. They were as close as brothers and grew up with each other. However Nicolas was always one step ahead of him in more than age. His father was a renowned knight of Chorrol and as such Nicolas started training at age 13 to become a knight. Shane’s father was a farmer, and as such he would be as well. Nicolas received superior schooling and also went through combat practice, much to Shane’s chagrin. But Nicolas began teaching Shane what he had been learning from his father and other knights. Shane also took to watching the training sessions of other knights as well as Nicolas’ in order to see all he could.

Nicolas was a good teacher. As they grew older, he taught Shane all he learned from his father. Shane and his cousin were nearly equal in skill. It was hard to keep this training secret for long. One day Nicolas’ father, Shane’s uncle heard the clanking of iron and followed the sound to Shane and Nicolas, both in iron armor and sparring with iron shields and swords. He watched in silence and saw that Shane was a promising combatant. After this moment he started inviting Shane to the same training sessions as his cousin. They trained together, no longer in secret, and became the most promising young warriors in all of Tamriel. Shane told his father about his training and was surprised to learn his father used to be a soldier in the Imperial Legion in Skyrim. At this point their training became a family affair, both Shane’s father and uncle teaching he and Nicolas both the knightly ways of combat and the more rugged, proven methods of a military force. In this way, they received the best training possible.

Shane balanced his household farming chores, secondary school at the Chapel of Stendarr, and his combat training for 6 years. He was happy with the way his life was, however one day he realized something was missing. That was the day he met Isabella Taylor. He was taking a break from training, and when a group of kids not much younger than himself. Shane and Nicolas decided to throw pebbles at them. It was all great fun until a young lady saw them doing that. She proceeded to march towards them, and slap Shane across the back of the head. Her name was Isabella. Little did he know it, that was the beginning of the most important relationship he would ever have. After a few weeks of courting, the two began a relationship. They did everything together, and Shane had fun as long as she was around. He started slacking off in school and work, although he always had time for training. It took him two months to fall in love with her, and her even less time. Shane proclaimed his love for her, and she for him, and they became closer than ever. Isabella was Shane’s closest friend and he told her everything without fear. After they were together for nearly a year, Isabella’s grandmother fell ill. Healers across the province couldn’t cure her no matter what they tried. The affliction weighed heavily on Isabella, and in turn weighed on Shane as well. He promised Isabella he would do everything he could to help.

One day a healer from Morrowind came to see Isabella’s grandmother. The healer said it was a rare disease, and she needed many alchemical ingredients in order to concoct a potion to cure her. All together, these ingredients cost a small fortune, much more than they could afford. Shane started working in the fighter’s guild, trying to raise the money needed to get Isabella’s grandmother her treatment. However it was never enough. So one day Shane decided he would go out into the world and do as much as he could to obtain the gold. He told everyone he thought should know to varying degrees of approval. Isabella was the most vehemently against it, however Shane needed to keep his promise to her and do all he could to do so. And so Shane left his home and his love, venturing out to find enough money, or the materials themselves, in order to keep his promise to his future wife and save her grandmother.

Shane heard of Winterhold, and the call it’s king has sent out. He responded, hoping that by exploring the ruins of Saarthal he would be richly rewarded by the nobles and kings. To those without knowledge of Shane’s life, his journey seems selfish and he seems greedy, but he hopes to obtain enough wealth to cure Isabella’s grandmother.Shane plans on keeping his age a secret, thinking that the others would feel having a 16-year-old warrior in their midst would be more a hinderence than an aid