Your Name ∙ Lily
Contact Information ∙ PM
Time Zone ∙ Eastern USA ;; GMT -5


Character’s Name ∙ Elwood of Brightleigh, Heir of Brightleigh
Age ∙ 27
Gender ∙ Male
Residing ∙ the Palace, Brightleigh Quarters
Character Class ∙ Nobility
Occupation ∙ Knight


Sexual Orientation ∙ Heterosexual
Overall Personality ∙

Elwood is a very proud Knight, the only thing being memorized from his Page year’s being the Code of Chivalry; sometimes, he might remind other Knights of certain aspects that they agreed to follow upon taking their shield. In fact, it has shaped him into the young man he has grown into. The Knight will always be loyal to the Crown of Tortall, and non other. He is a dependable man, one to get the job done efficiently, and will do so with out questioning his commanding officers or superiors. The knight figures that if they won’t tell him, it is not any of his business and probably way over his head, which does not take much. To be truthful, Elwood is certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed; he lacks patience with riddles, complex jokes leave him clueless, and wordy articles give him headaches. He is also horrible at names, and only remembers them after constant repetition. There have been instances when the repeated name is pronounced wrong, or misheard, and other times he just makes stuff up as he goes. Also, Brightleigh has a soft spot for animals, whether large, small, stupid, or intelligent. All insects are excluded from his soft spot, except the pretty ones like butterflies.

Brightleigh is known to be a very conservative fief, and the fief’s oldest traditions have passed down onto Elwood. Since a young age, he has been accustomed to the tight, formality of hosiery and tunics. Thus, he is also a stickler about being clean; after hours of training, he requires his servants to have a warm bath ready to allow him to be rid of the smell of sweat and the small case of dirt. He is also wary about unnatural things, such as mages, even those of the healing kind, make him very uncomfortable. Thus, he prefers to have things healed naturally, aided with the use of herbs. He frowns upon the idea of nicknames, and prefers to be called his full title by strangers and acquaintances, friends being allowed to call him Elwood. Not “Elly”, or “El”, or “Woody”. He has made it quite clear to his family, friends, and peers they will not call him such nonsense. The only one who can get away with it is Zoe, but he insists it is in privacy only. Also, Elwood’s mother thought it proper that each of her children, like her herself, require a taste in music and play at least one instrument. Elwood chose the harpsichord, and he keeps one his suite, practicing occasionally. Not many know of this, except his close friends.

Elwood, for all he has practiced and trained, does have weak spots and strong spots in his fighting style. The knight, for one, prefers to use weapons as noble as his profession. He restricts his weapons to two- and one-handed swords, a lance, and a crossbow. When using his two-handed sword, it must require the man to know everything around him, because he has no shield, other than his heavy, metal armor. The slow movement allows for quicker enemies to find holes in his fighting style, and a chance to cause dangerous wounds. He also will never use the two-handed sword on horseback. Although he swings the heavy sword with a large amount of might, it inhibits his movement; gaining speed is one of the main aspects with his training. A shield does accompany the man when he uses his one-handed sword, which he thinks is a knight’s primary weapon. As with the one-handed sword, his lance is also accompanied with a shield, but its movement is faster, and its damage depends on how much effort he puts behind the strike. The less effort, the faster he can go, and vice versa. When it comes to the crossbow, like any man, he has excellent aim, and finds it harder to hit his a target successfully while on horseback. The man feels that throwing knives are for thieves, and throwing axes are crude, almost barbaric. In addition he finds the bulky nature of the mace far too outrageous for a knight to ride into battle with. It should also be noted he has a rapier, a family heirloom, that he wears at his sides to events he must attend that require dressing formally. Never once, has it had to be used for a battle, nor does he plan to.

Elwood is very independent for a knight, and while he is errant, he prefers a small group of trusted companions, perhaps two or three that are much like him. They take their oaths and shields seriously, and finds it hard to trust strangers. Sometimes, his old Knightmaster will accompany him, with whichever squire he has under his wing. Actually, he still looks up to his old Knightmaster for advice and as a sparring buddy. He has been quite relieved that they have not had the chance to face each other in a tournament. While him and his friends are errant, they stick to the south during the harsh winter months, because Elwood hates it when his armor gets cold. In the spring and fall, they stay in Corus for a while, to attend the court functions. After the Mid-Winter ball, they leave immediately for a warmer climate. This knight is also considered the worst cook in his little group, even though he will eat almost anything, even the most bizarre of things to prove he is a sturdy knight, and not a weak-kneed nobleman.

Other than his sisters and mother, other women confuse Elwood, especially noblewoman with their chatty, most-of-the-time gossiping ways. He doesn’t understand why the must giggle and scream in delight at the oddest things. Lady Knights sometimes intimidate him; mostly because of the strong contrast they have from the preppy noblewoman. Such behaviors have caused the man to be rather fearful of being in a marriage. Yet, he knows that if he doesn’t choose one of these strange creatures as a wife, his parents will pick for him. In addition, he knows that with a marriage, requires offspring, all which start off with crying, smelly, sleeping infants. He disliked both Krystal and Norman when they were babies, mostly because he felt it was his fault they cried so much (in fact, they are just very picky and annoying siblings). When woman do approach Elwood to flirt, or idly chat, he finds himself extremely fidgety and nervous, stuttering every so often.



Height ∙ 5'11
Weight ∙ 235 lbs
Overall Appearance ∙

Short, curly, dark brown hair lies on the knights head, always willing to break out of even the most toughest gel on the most still of days. He keeps it short to help keep it easier under is cap, which is wears whenever he adorns his head with his metal helmet. It is very silky to the touch, thin, and there is a lot of it; he plans to be old with a full-head of hair, unlike his father whose hairline is slowly receding. Two, almond shaped eyes of a hazel-green hue tend to blend in with the man's tan complexion, which unfortunately freckles underneath his eyes, fore arms, and on his shoulders. His father is the same way too, and it has been for generations; the females try to hide it with make up, and the men don't care enough to do so on a daily basis; it only sweats off.

Elwood has thick neck, his jawline square but his cheek bones high. Facial hair grows quickly on the man, and he usually shaves again before dinner. The knight's ears are small and round, and his eyebrows thick and straight that move easily with his expressions. His nose is small, and crooked, and is very susceptible to be bleeding. It had broken sometime during the end of his training as a page, when they were jousting up against each other. His lips are small, and teeth crooked; he is very obsessive about his teeth, and brushes them twice a day, three if he has the chance. He hates waking up with morning breath and a horrible taste, and wouldn't want to insult anyone by talking to them with his breathe smelling.

The knight, as any other knight, has a muscular build, but is not one for being extremely buff, or showing off his form. Besides, he's quiet hairy, the only places without hair being his battle scars. Everyone has them, and he doesn't think any will affect him in old age... as long as he ages well. Yet, being as he has more important things to focus on, Elwood isn't really all that worried. It should also be noted that Elwood has horrible hearing on the right side, due to a horrible infection during his years as a squire, and, according to the healers, permanently damaged, reducing his hearing by 75%. He sometimes has a startled expression on his face when people approach on that side to speak to him.


Family History ∙ Brightleigh is an older fief, built upon the cliff-like shores of Tortall to help guide ships incoming the nearest ports. It had taken ten years, but at last, a large tower had been built to host a large beacon. It has since been the charge of the Brightleigh family to light the tower every night. It is also the fief's duty to make sure any damages to the tower made during harsh conditions, be fixed promptly, and continue to relight the light should it go out in the middle of the knight. That duty is given to a night-servant, so the Lord and Lady rest peacefully. It is a dangerous job during the harsh, changing weather of spring and fall, but pays well.

Lord Landon, born on November 13, 138 H.E, was born the youngest of six, and the only male. Even as a young boy, his father filled him with stories about the fief, which fascinated him, and how to be a just and kind lord, following the Crown of Tortall faithfully. When he turned ten, it was not a surprise when he was sent to the castle to become a knight. He certainly wasn’t the manliest of pages, for with five older sisters to coddle him, he wasn’t used to the hard life of sweating, getting dirty, and being picked on by older pages. The young boy tried his best, but Brightleigh had never produced any significant knights in history, only pawns, mentioned as “fellow knights”, “comrades”, et cetera.

Landon, although not the best knight, had a certain, thing with ladies. He knew how to treat them right, and felt the only way to find the right one was to try each and every type of woman out there. However, his parents felt he had been taking his sweet time courting almost every lady in the palace, that they collaborated with the Lord and Lady of Goldenlake about their youngest daughter, Michelle. Although he was upset his parents even inclined at an arranged marriage, he courted her anyways. At first, he thought she was just this sweet, do-as-you’re-told, brunette with the calmest light brown eyes. The man didn’t know that she kept such a face because it was proper. The knight learned of her fiery, and somewhat eccentric personality when they were alone, with her love of laughter. So, the two fiefs agreed it was a good match and they were wed in the summer; Michelle was eighteen, and Landon thirty-one.

Family ∙

Landon of Brightleigh // Father, Lord of Brightleigh, Knight, 62
+ Michelle of Brightleigh (Goldenlake) // Mother, Lady of Brightleigh, 46

Zoe of ____________ (Brightleigh) // Sister, Scholar, Composer, 25
+ Matthias of ___________ // Brother-in-law, Knight, 27
---- Bronwen of _________ // Neice, 5
---- Sibley of __________ // Neice, 2
---- Siobhan of _________ // Neice, 2

Krystal of ___________ (Brightleigh) // Sister, Lady, 22
+ Harold of ___________ // Brother-in-law, Knight, 25
---- Michael of _________ // Nephew, 16 mths

Norman of Brightleigh -- Brother, Knight, 20
Amelia of Brightleigh -- Sister, Convent, 15

> Marcus of ________ // Friend, Knight, 27
> Arnold of _________ // Friend, Knight, 27
> Aurelia Pesaro // Squire, 16


Birthplace ∙ Brightleigh
Background ∙

Elwood was born at the fief of Brightleigh, to parents Lord Landon and Lady Michelle of Brightleigh, on August 22nd, 172 H.E, in the bleak hours of the morning, two weeks late. To be frank, he kept the entire east wing of the fief wide-awake; his mother likes to joke that it seemed as if he was not satisfied with having to leave the womb. He was a noisy baby in general; he cried when he needed changing, when he was hungry, and slept at the most inconvenient hours for both parents. Although the two were pleased to have their first born a son, they were rather unprepared. They worried every time he cried, and called for the healer on a regular basis on the littlest thing. As he waned out of being a noisy newborn, he turned into a happy infant. He smiled at the simplest of games and jokes, and it didn’t take much to entertain him.

Elwood was very exploratory as a child, and got frustrated quickly when he would fall and was unable to pronounce certain words. By this time, he was greeted with another sibling, whom his parents named Zoe. He tried to do countless experiments with his sister, whom was a rather quiet baby, and didn’t seem to mind her brother using her as a bench, a table, a pillow…. They were inseparable. When Elwood turned four, and Zoe was two, his mother, pregnant once more, had hired an instrumentalist to begin teaching Elwood how to read music and play the harpsichord – Zoe was enthralled with the noise, and sat with him during lessons and when he practice. That same year, however, Michelle miscarried, and although it devastated her, Landon took excellent care of his wife.

When Elwood was five, Michelle was pregnant again, armed with the knowledge that her grandmother and mother had the same problem – after two children, there is a miscarriage. The healers can’t explain why, but it’s a rather unusual family tradition, and the mothers could do nothing more than support one another. The next child, Krystal, was as healthy as can be, born a day before Elwood. The oddly blonde-haired child didn’t seem to fit in well with the two brunettes, and the boy, becoming more serious, was not fond of the constant noise of Krystal. Even as the little girl grew, she just doesn’t respect quietness.

Elwood then gained a tutor, as Zoe picked up lessons on the harpsichord as well, thoroughly excited at the opportunity. The boy studied and practiced hard, keeping a close bond with his oldest-youngest sister Zoe. Arguments usually arose between Zoe and Krystal, and Elwood always backed his sister. When he was seven, another bundle of joy came, and was named Norman. He was another loud baby that quieted as time went on. Krystal had done the same thing Elwood had done, and bonded with Norman. The boy looked up to Elwood, but never had the chance to really bond with him, because when he was three, Elwood became a page. The boys are not really friends, and Elwood was never impressed with Norman’s sometimes wacky behavior. During his page years, he kept close contact with his parents, and sent personal letters to Zoe.

Elwood did enjoy his training as a page, and befriended his roommate, Arnold of _______. The two also befriended another yearmate, Marcus of __________, and his room mate Matthias of _________. The three were close, their only little group. They held study sessions together, sparred, and ate together. The only time they were apart, was for their four years of squiredom. They all had similar work habits, but different personalities. Elwood was considered the quiet one, not the most brilliant of the four, but a good one to be paired with during lessons. Arnold was the brainy one, and the other three often had to ask him for explanations on complicated subjects, especially Algebra. Marcus was seen as being stiff, and prideful, and known to get deeply focused with his fighting; he had a sarcastic tongue, and his bite was as bad as his bark. Though, he was very loyal to his friends, and was often the one with extra duty for causing a tumble down the stairs, or fight if you will. Plenty of times, the three would try to get him out of the mess. For that, they relied on Matthias, the diplomatic one, the flirt, and the one most to talk before he thought.

When Elwood was fourteen, he was chosen by Bruce of __________ to be his squire. The man was a soft one, and hardly looked bulky enough to carry the weight of his plate armor. Elwood felt at first insulted and indifferent towards the man. He had hoped someone more, knightly, had stepped up to the plate to claim him. Yet, he didn't say a word, and learned quite a lot from the man. During his page years, he was known to be very slow, but heavy with his hits. Bruce taught him how to build up speed, and become more agile. In addition, Elwood was surprised when his knightmaster made it in the fifth spot at a jousting tournament. He didn't the man had enough weight too him, and after seeing this, the squire was much more at ease, confident the lean man could teach him. The only times he had the chance to make contact with his old page friends was during the holidays - the only one who hadn't ever showed up was Matthias and his knightmaster, who, as Elwood would find out in four years, was not the most sociably of people. At some point during this time, his last sibling was born Amelia. Never being home, he never had the chance to bond with her.

On his eighteenth Mid-winter, it was time for Elwood to enter the chamber. He endured watching his fears, and horrors placed before his eyes with out a sound. Granted, his ears were ringing and he had a migraine for the following ten days, but he made it. His friends did as well, and for two years they left to explore the country, bonding. The four never really changed much, even though Marcus seemed to have some sociability beaten into him, Matthias to be less of a flirt, and Arnold advancing in his combat skills. They returned, all now twenty, to attend a court function, and greet their families again. Much to Elwood's dismay, his younger sister Zoe admitted to how much she admired Matthias. He tried to convince her out of it, but she gathered the courage from her mother Michelle to ask him for a dance. Elwood tried to save his friend from such a predicament, but was too late - Matthias was, in turn, falling in love with Zoe. Elwood felt like an extremely awkward best man for his best friend's and favorite sister's wedding when they married a year and a half later. He was even angered when his parents suggest he too find someone to settle down with.

Thus, Elwood, Arnold, Marcus left Corus, returning only briefly for the Christening of their friend's children. Its been seven years now since Zoe and Matthias were wed, and they returned early, unexpectedly, because Arnold got a severe wound to his leg. The local village healer that was close by was able to secure it for the long journey to Corus were professional healers can help it mend. It was a slow ride from the Hill Country of Tortall, to the capital of Corus. His father caught wind of this and swiftly left Brightleigh to speak with his son, giving Elwood the lecture that was inevitable. The one about how Landon was not going to live forever, and being the oldest son, he was to secure himself a marriage, and heirs, and learn the ways of being a Lord.

All that Marcus could do was give Elwood a comforting pat on the shoulder, and tried to think of it as a good thing. He said he would stay with Elwood, and that, once Arnold was on his feet again, they'll have to help him gain the muscle back that was torn. He suggested they could just try to avoid woman, with training. All that Elwood could do was smirk., and say that he could hope.



Twilight began peacefully on the grounds and rooms of the Royal Palace of Corus. A bell, ringing from somewhere inside the large, ancient, palace, rang, as the sounds of the bugal horn announced that dinner was served. The nobles gathered, like a school of fish, to settle themselves in and begin their ceaseless polite chatter. Elwood of Brightleigh was not among the many men in the banquet hall. He was instead in the Infirmary, and the only notion of acknowledgment he gave at the call of food was raise of his eye towards the door. He thought about leaving - the knight heard his younger sister Zoe was back in town, pregnant again. It would also mean his friend Matthias would be in town as well. His hazel eyes then glanced down across at his friend Arnold; he laid in quiet, drugged sleep. Surely, Eli knew the man wouldn't know if he had left his side or not to fill his stomach. The knight looked back down at the book in his lap, though he didn't read the words - he was stuck in thoughts.

The man wasn't completely sure why Zoe had to have more children, as she was not exactly good at being pregnant. She had a habit of purging, and had to be watched carefully, to make sure she stayed dehydrated - the knight almost lost his niece Bronwen because Zoe was so unhealthy. The second trimester was easier for Zoe, but the last one took the most out of the young lady. The promise of twins had greatly frightened the knight, and he tried to keep himself distracted with fighting, knowing Matthias will be able to take good care of her. Elwood was also uneasy because he didn't know if the family tradition of miscarrying was passed onto his little sister. He hoped not; he would dread if she had to go through such a phase. Eli worried that she might loose her musical creativity that he admired, in her depression of the lost child. Matt was always a happy, go-lucky guy - if that changed, the man wasn't sure what to do.

As Eli continued to think of the worst case scenario's should occur, the infirmary door opened, and a man with honey-gold hair tied back in a bow entered. His brown eyes were serious as he gazed directly at Elwood - it was Marcus, dressed in the black and yellow of his fief, ready for dinner. He gave a look of pity at Eli, and approached his fellow knight. As Elwood turned his eyes upwards, Marcus looked down, unimpressed, lips pursing. Marcus spoke, voice deep, "Come now, Sir Elwood - you haven't even changed out of your riding clothes. Come on, lets go eat with the others."

Eli sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair, "Sir Marcus, I am not even bathed. Besides, what if something happens? Someone has to alert the healers."

The man folded his arms, "Then go and get a bath. I will wait with him. And don't try to tell me you aren't hungry, because that would be a lie. I'm sure the healers have it all under control." Marcus' eyes glanced over at the seemingly empty Infirmary. Elwood looked too; there was a page with a swollen face, who claimed he fell down a flight stairs; a noblewoman who looked a little green around the gills, probably a bad stomach bug, and an old man that was on bed rest after giving his family a scare with a failing heart. Then there was Arnold, leg wounded tightly in bandages and in a sling from the ceiling to keep it propped, sleeping like the dead,

Eli sighed, and stood, the same height as Marcus, placing his book on the nightstand. "You win." He said in a defeated tone, watching as the other man sat fluidly down into seat.

"Good." Marcus retorted, having to have the last word, as he picked up the book Eli had been occupied with, as said knight began to leave. "Do be quick, Elwood, even I'm hungry."


By submitting this application, I am also stating that I have read, and understood, the forum rules, and that I agree to follow them.

--Lily