Desmond Westerling

Background

Desmond spent much of his earlier years traveling with his father to help conduct precious gem trades, all the while picking up the particular skill of appraising gemstones. This skill faded a bit after his father left him and his mother for longer business trips. Desmond grew apart from him, and became closer with his mother, who often had to deal with him brawling with siblings. Siblings that were quite keen on preying on not only him, but his twin, Cherise as well.

At a loss for what to do with all of his brimming energy, an acquaintance suggested to his mother that he train for knighthood, so he was sent off to be paired up with a knight, Auliffe.

Desmond was quite a promising student for a while. He never missed a drill, was never insubordinate, and exhibited much more patience and attentiveness than he had in his youth. He took up dual weapons - daggers in particular - and honed his skills as often as he could, priding himself on his ability to catch the subtle gestures. While Desmond never did much to warrant punishment, Auliffe was deeply unkind to him, and /only/ him, putting on a facade for other nobles who adored him. The knight was abusive, but Desmond always strove to push himself, so he thought it best to bear the terrible treatment.

At 14, a malady begun to surface. His combative skills began to falter. Auliffe noticed Desmond growing less and less perceptive in spars, until he struggled to block even the most obvious blows. Over the course of several weeks, Desmond's sight grew more and more sensitive to light, and it wasn't long before mere candles pained him. A week of the inability to even open his eyes without immense pain, and his curse began to ease up. From soft indoor light to the sunlight, he was able to tread outside again, though only with the aid of a mesh cloth bound over his eyes and a wide-brimmed hat.

Auliffe was displeased, to say the least, and was certain that Desmond could never become a knight with such a disability, so he was to be sent home, but not right away. Auliffe ceased the training, instead using the squire as more of a servant. This kept up for a year, until a tournament in Riverrun, where another Westerling, Garett, came upon Auliffe and his very broken 'assistant'. Garett ended up taking Desmond off Auliffe's hands and into his care.

A jaded man, the older Westerling was at first difficult to get along with. Desmond wasn't an auspicious student anymore. He'd grown a temper, and was highly reactive. Easily frustrated, it took a lot of patience from Garett to more or less reform him. The knight would train him by night, during which Desmond could move and react just as well as he once could. Throughout the five years he spent with his knight, Garett became something like a father to him.

As of late, Desmond resides in Stonebridge, occasionally providing security for the trade envoys the Westerling house conducts.

Info

Physical Features

Desmond is a youth of around twenty. His features cannot be easily discerned, as there is a wide-brimmed hat that rests low on his brow, and beneath it, a black mesh is worn much like a bandana, only pulled down over his eyes and the bridge of his nose. With a palette of tans and forest greens made from dyed cotton, lined with black trimming, he wears something of a long-sleeve tunic over basic trousers. A roll of twine sits coiled beside a pouch at his hip, with a scallop shell threaded dangling from a teal lace. Two daggers with ornate grips are sheathed on either side of his belt.

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