efreysson
07-06-2007, 05:52 AM
Two of the main characters in my fantasy writings are a man and a woman named Kody and Verana. They have very different backgrounds, many dissimilarities, but both are capable warriors. Once meeting and working together, they quickly gain a certain respect for one another, and may grow closer than that down the line.
What I've started wondering is: Which one of them should really be considered the more dangerous? I'd love to get opinions on it, based on these descriptions.
Kody: He is forty years old, and lived a normal peasant live until age seventeen, when he joined an extremely grisly war, which dragged on for three years. He was originally given a spear, and some basic tutoring in using it, and then thrown into the front lines. After a year of that, and a great deal of fighting, he looted a sabre from a battlefield when the spear broke, and took to using it instead. The more experienced warriors would give him some tips on using it, and the occasional sparring match, but mostly he learned to use it through toe-to-toe fighting in dozens of battles.
After the war Kody was a hardened killer, but also an emotional wreck, having almost gone insane from various horrors (his friends dying, having to resort to cannibalism, the ghastly acts of his enemies...) with a dangerous temper and latent suicidal tendencies. Since then he has lived for twenty years in the most violent city in the world, and finds an outlet for his violent impulses that doesn't bother his conscience, by acting as a vigilante of sorts. He kills those who harm and prey on the innocent, sometimes for payment, sometimes just because he wants to. And while he's capable of great selflessness and compassion towards those he feels deserve it, he can be really nasty towards his enemies, even somewhat sadistic.
Kody has never received any formal sword training, but has tremendous combat experience, finely honed survival instincts, is very resistant to pain, and is generally too angry in battle to feel fear. He hates those who do evil with a passion, and lets it fuel him.
Physically, his stamina isn't as good as it used to be, but he is still quick, strong, and tough enough to really push his limits when needed.
Verana: She is thirty-five years old, was born into a secret order of stealthy warriors, and trained from an early age by one of their sword-masters. She was raised to be very disciplined and duty-conscious, to the point where both are pretty much her defining characteristics. Once Verana hit twenty years she was put in the field, and has spent the last fifteen years doing both reconnaissance and combat missions.
Verana has seen enough ugly and unnatural things for them to take their toll on her mental stamina, but her discipline allows her to push on without it affecting her behaviour much. Verana remains a cool-headed warrior who views her own death in battle as an acceptable part of her duty. The only times her own actions cause her distress is when the greater good, demand she do something that goes against her conscience, such as torturing an enemy. It takes a chunk out of her soul, but duty is god, so she does it anyway.
Verana has nowhere near Kody's combat experience, but still has more than most of her brethren and never hesitates in battle. She is very merciless towards herself, and refuses to indulge in self-pity or go easy on herself. She works hard not to get too upset with her enemies, since anger can cloud the mind.
She is five-foot-ten, fit, with great finesse and speed.
What I've started wondering is: Which one of them should really be considered the more dangerous? I'd love to get opinions on it, based on these descriptions.
Kody: He is forty years old, and lived a normal peasant live until age seventeen, when he joined an extremely grisly war, which dragged on for three years. He was originally given a spear, and some basic tutoring in using it, and then thrown into the front lines. After a year of that, and a great deal of fighting, he looted a sabre from a battlefield when the spear broke, and took to using it instead. The more experienced warriors would give him some tips on using it, and the occasional sparring match, but mostly he learned to use it through toe-to-toe fighting in dozens of battles.
After the war Kody was a hardened killer, but also an emotional wreck, having almost gone insane from various horrors (his friends dying, having to resort to cannibalism, the ghastly acts of his enemies...) with a dangerous temper and latent suicidal tendencies. Since then he has lived for twenty years in the most violent city in the world, and finds an outlet for his violent impulses that doesn't bother his conscience, by acting as a vigilante of sorts. He kills those who harm and prey on the innocent, sometimes for payment, sometimes just because he wants to. And while he's capable of great selflessness and compassion towards those he feels deserve it, he can be really nasty towards his enemies, even somewhat sadistic.
Kody has never received any formal sword training, but has tremendous combat experience, finely honed survival instincts, is very resistant to pain, and is generally too angry in battle to feel fear. He hates those who do evil with a passion, and lets it fuel him.
Physically, his stamina isn't as good as it used to be, but he is still quick, strong, and tough enough to really push his limits when needed.
Verana: She is thirty-five years old, was born into a secret order of stealthy warriors, and trained from an early age by one of their sword-masters. She was raised to be very disciplined and duty-conscious, to the point where both are pretty much her defining characteristics. Once Verana hit twenty years she was put in the field, and has spent the last fifteen years doing both reconnaissance and combat missions.
Verana has seen enough ugly and unnatural things for them to take their toll on her mental stamina, but her discipline allows her to push on without it affecting her behaviour much. Verana remains a cool-headed warrior who views her own death in battle as an acceptable part of her duty. The only times her own actions cause her distress is when the greater good, demand she do something that goes against her conscience, such as torturing an enemy. It takes a chunk out of her soul, but duty is god, so she does it anyway.
Verana has nowhere near Kody's combat experience, but still has more than most of her brethren and never hesitates in battle. She is very merciless towards herself, and refuses to indulge in self-pity or go easy on herself. She works hard not to get too upset with her enemies, since anger can cloud the mind.
She is five-foot-ten, fit, with great finesse and speed.