Valerick

Walking through the sun lit streets of the city, Valerick kept his hood pulled up over his face and walked with a smooth, determined step careful to avoid eye contact with those around him. He liked the feeling of anonymity the cloak provided him and it also served the secondary function of hiding his Estoc. "Won't be much longer now..." he thought aloud.

Moving through the city, he ended up smelling the Alchemist shop long before he saw it; a heady mix of botanicals and pickled animals. Pushing past a variety of NPCs and the occasional player, he finally found the source of the "unique" odor. Built along a long line of shops in Merchant's row, the Alchemist was marked only by a pictograph of a potion bottle. The windows were darkened from the outside and a long plume of purple smoke rose from the chimney.

Taking a moment to adjust his equipment, Valerick pushed on the front door and it swung open with the sound of bells. The smell intensified as he zoned into the room. It was small, dark, cramped and cluttered with curios, ingredients, potion bottles and the occasional stuffed and mounted monster. Perched in the corner of the establishment was the Alchemist who looked up as Valerick entered.

"Welcome to my shoppe traveler. No doubt you have heard the name of..."

"I'd like to collect ingredients to help you brew potions like on the ad you placed out!"

"No doubt you have heard the na... Oh. Yes. I remember that. Good, good. I require the following...."

[SP - NK - F1 - Valerick]

Valerick woke up on the floor of the empty room he had been squatting in. One of the many empty rooms that dotted parts of the Town of Beginnings. Perhaps the room was meant to be updated later, or maybe it was just meant to fill out the shape of a building. Either way, Valerick had made it his own and there he stewed in silence and paranoia. Slowly but surely his head would turn to the side to observe the ramshackle barricade he had created to bar the door closed. A book case, a dresser and his boots. All wedged together as well as possible to provide him a comforting sleep, and to keep the door from opening without a struggle.

Ever since the incident when his former friends had gone Red, he had worried that they might one day come back for him. It had made for a shallow existence of looking over his shoulder and keeping to himself. 

Just then a bird began to sing outside, it's musical notes pulling Valerick's attention back to the moment. "I can't stay in here forever. This is not what I am." he said out loud, body still unmoving on the floor of the room. His gloved right hand would slap around beside him, grabbing a hold of the edgeless, hilted spike he used as a weapon. An Estoc he had heard it called. Knights would use it on horse back like an unbreakable metal spear couched under their arm. On foot they could choke up on the weapon to use it in wrestling or to work the deadly, sharp point into vital areas. In a pinch it could be wielded like a blunt long sword in similar blows and wards. Valerick chose it because it was a unique weapon, something people would not be used to. It reminded him and inspired him to become a person like that.

"I have to get up." he said again out loud. With an effort of force he rolled up onto his side and stand, still gripping the Estoc. "Let's get moving. Come on. Don't be a layabout..."

Scanning his inventory and player guide, he saw a lead. "The First Few Lessons are Free..." he saw the reward and his eye brows lifted in greed. "Health potions? Done.". With his choice made, he set out to meet the Alchemist.

 

Profile

Username: Valerick

Real name: Vincent Bridgewater

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Height: 6 foot 2

About: Valerick grew up in a military family. Despite that, his life was actually rather unstructured; his family keen to leave him to his own devices. Because of this Valerick explored many different ways of thinking. From different religions, to politics and everything in between. While not a horrible childhood by any stretch of the imagination, it was undoubtedly a lonely one. Both parents worked long hours and were content to let their son be raised mostly by video games. Valerick did have friends but they were always very few and in between. 

Valerick fell inside of himself after a time and almost became a useless NEET. This all changed however in high school when he decided to force himself to be the person he had wanted to be. Becoming more social, getting a girlfriend, hitting the gym and playing the "game" of life. Valerick was able to stretch together a life that while leagues better then the one of isolation he had dwelt in, still felt fake or wrong; like he was merely playing a character.

In College Valerick struggled with what he wanted to do in life but decided on Criminal Justice. There he was able to focus some of his confusion and work on helping other people. After interning with the police he decided to make it his career, a decision that would greatly effect his life. Originally head-over-heels for the occupation, as the years dragged on he grew more and more disillusioned. The rare person he actually helped paled in comparison to the throngs of people he simply helped contain. Assaulted with daily violence and images of humanity at it's worst, Valerick grew more and more depressed until finally he decided to resign. After putting in his notice, Valerick returned home to unwind with some video games. He had just purchased SAO and the escapism it promised seemed like just what the doctor ordered....

Virtues:

Friendly - Able to make friends with most people, Valerick has never had issues weaponizing a friendly smile. A big smile and some kind words go a long way towards disarming a heated situation. With his natural, friendly tendencies Valerick has never had issues making a good impression. Keeping that good impression though is another thing entirely.

Calm under pressure - As an ex-police officer, Valerick has seen his fair share of gore, screaming people and crying mothers. The experiences shocked him at first but over time his mind has adapted. He is able to stay unusually calm in stressful or dangerous  situations.

See’s the bigger picture - Able to put aside immediate wants for future needs. Valerick has spent most of his life playing strategy games and experimenting with social dynamics. He knows how to move one piece to cause another to fall. This can make him seem detached at times but it all (most of the time…) comes together in the end. Valerick, despite his mental struggles is essentially benevolent, so his abilities are almost always used to benefit people in a positive way.

Natural Leader: Valerick has never been one to let other’s lead him. Only if he truly respects the leader will he follow. Because of that he often ends up either alone or founding his own groups, guilds and societies. His organizational skill in this regard is above the norm and he is quick to weaponize his other virtues to inspire and lead people forward.

Flaws:

Untrusting: Working as an Officer had the other effect of making Valerick paranoid and untrusting of other people. He almost always assumes an ulterior motive and believes that most people are likely lying in some way. This make it very hard for him to form close friendships, relationships and so on. As a result he spends a lot of his off time alone or in the company of a very small select group.

Lonely: Valerick’s natural desire to be friendly conflicts highly with his untrusting nature. This has made for a somewhat lonely life. Valerick will sometimes falls into melancholic episodes or depression and can disappear for days at a time.

Hyper Awareness: From his real world job and now the stress of living in SAO, Valerick has developed a case of Hyper Awareness. Certain loud noises, situations or battles can cause Valerick to fall into a state of being acutely aware of everything around him. If at home he will go check all of the doors and windows, scan outside for monsters and sometimes even barricade the door. He can become grumpy, moody, upset and further detached. These mood swings can last for upwards of a day. They’re cured by time, seclusion or by finding the right friend to talk with.

Profession: (Leave blank until the Earning a Living quest has been completed.)

Skills

Non-combat:

»

Passive:

»

Combat:

» 

Weapon skills:

» Two Handed Straight Sword - (1) Novice

Inventory

Weapons/Tools:

» Two Handed Estoc: Resembling a normal two handed sword but the blade has been forged into a long, triangular spike. Valerick uses this weapon to fence from a distance but is also able to choke up on the blade and use it to defend and to get into tight areas. Due to the blades unusual shape it can not cut well at all. It does however make a decent bludgeon and can perform devastating thrusts against armored opponents.

» Iron Breastplate: Worn over drab, brown clothing and painted a rusty red in color.

Roleplays

» [solo/private/open] LinkedTitle

» [solo/private/open] LinkedTitle - in progress

(no "in progress" means its complete; "incomplete" can mean one or the other person stopped replying for a long time)

Relationships (optional)

Story Thus Far (optional)

    After putting in his two week notice and applying to work for Parks and Recreation, Valerick returned home to try out the new game, Sword Art Online. Placing on the headset spelled the end of Valerick’s vacation.

    Trapped within the game Valerick watched as madness gripped some and courage gripped others. He knew from the start that this was no mere game anymore. This has become a killing field, a mad mans’ challenge.

    Overtime Valerick managed to find a group of what he thought were decent human beings and went to work doing odd jobs like slaying simple, safe monsters. As time progressed he saw that some of his fellows had begun to go mad. After catching one of them in the act of Player Killing, Valerick was forced to put the man down. This spelled the end of his time with the group and markd the beginning of his retreat into the forest. Valerick has since moved forward in the game but is always wondering if the others will come back for revenge.

Howdy Folks,

I'm Valerick a long time rp'er. Started when I was in my early teens on a WebTV playing Mystic Shadows Inn. Played in chat RPG's for years. Played D&D and Vampire in college as a story teller and player. Role played in MMORPG's on and off as well. Last serious roleplay experience was on SecondLife in the Midgar sim (An FF7 themed game). Played as a Turk and eventually became a GM for awhile. Good memories!

Really enjoy making stories, playing different characters and exploring new ideas. SAO is one of my favorite shows since it forced me to think about what I would do if trapped within a game. Found this community today and thought I'd give it a shot.

Thanks for your time :-)

-Val