PLAYED BY: John J. Black, esq.
CHARACTER NAME: Johan Schwartz
GENDER: M
PRONOUN(S): He/Him
CLASS: Rogue
AGE: 31
RACE: Human
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Green
OCCUPATION: Baker, former sellsword
KNOWN SKILLS: Baking, swordsmanship, shieldwork
BIRTHPLACE: New Aldoria
APPEARANCE: He is pale skinned with brown hair and a brown beard.
NOTABLE TRAITS: None
RELATIONSHIPS: Artemis and Matheris. Friends and business associates.
RUMORS: Why does a baker need a kite shield and soldier’s sword?
BIO / BACKGROUND HISTORY:
Born to Aldorian parents, Johan is an immigrant who never feels at home. Fleeing the undead, Johan’s parents sought out a better life. Johan was 10 when the undead forced their family to leave their ancestral home. Johan would grow to fondly pine for the simplicity of life before their exodus. New Aldoria became their home where they would raise their family. Johan grew up in the relative safety and comfort of a New Aldorian home. Although it was home to his family, Johan felt adrift.
They were not wealthy, but not particularly poor either. Johan’s father was a soldier and wanted nothing more than for their son to earn glory on the battlefield. Johan’s mother was a seamstress and provided him with the tenderness that his father lacked. Johan loved them both dearly and wanted to earn their love and respect.
From youth to young adulthood Johan was fed stories of the Old World and how life used to be. His father would often regale Johan with stories of blood and honor. Through these stories Johan found he longed for a land he would never know again, but the Old World didn’t really feel like home either. He felt lost in his formative years.
Johan was no soldier, but he wasn’t a bad fighter either. It’s not that he didn’t like fighting. Rather, he loved sparring with his father in his youth. He does not seek out violence on its own but Johan has never run from a fight. To Johan, becoming a soldier just felt like an inevitability he wanted no part of. He would be forever grateful to his parents fighting for a better life, but he needed to find his own path.
Hoping to improve his standing and earn a living, Johan became a city watchman. It wasn’t so much the routine as the monotonous pace of city life that led Johan into depression. He was miserable, and after five years he left the watch to become a freelance sellsword. His father was not pleased, but Johan was an adult of his own at this point. The two didn’t talk much after Johan left the watch.
Thinking he could be his own boss and set his own hours, Johan was less than thrilled to find out a sellsword just does the same hack and slash work as a guard but with less accolade. For the better part of a decade Johan was gainfully “employed” as whatever wealthy lords with too much money for sense wanted him to be. He’d been a bodyguard, security, mercenary, and a goon on at least one occasion. To him it all felt pointless, but it paid the bills.
He was once again miserable. Johan was no stranger to depression and allowed himself to wallow in it. His father was a soldier who earned great honor on the battlefield and he couldn’t help but compare his failings to his father’s success. He felt like his life was simply missing some key thing.
Johan’s father died. Johan received word via letter, and he didn’t know how to react. They weren’t close anymore and he wished that they could have talked and sparred once more. Sometimes life just doesn’t work out. Johan visited his mother and paid his respects. He didn’t stay long, maybe a day. He received no closure with his father, and this just added to the stressors facing Johan. He felt like if something didn’t change he couldn’t go on anymore.
Everything changed for Johan the day he met Artemis. Artemis was in the area selling his wares of wine and cookies. Ever the showman, Artemis put on several displays for the local townsfolk. During one such demonstration Artemis and his assistant Matheris baked and provided samples of cookies. Johan had eaten cookies before but never so scrumptious. Johan was beside himself. All he had known was the sword, but the cookies were so delicious he knew upon tasting one what he wanted to do with his life. He would be a baker! And occasional sellsword. So Johan set off with Artemis and Matheris, determined to be the greatest baker in all the land. Or at least a pretty good one. In any event he finally felt like his life had purpose.
Today Johan can be found throughout the inns and villages of Mardrun selling his wares. He is happier now, dealing in various baked goods rather than death. That said, although he chooses to wield a rolling pin and peel, his skills with a sword remain sharp.