Freelance mercenary from the Southern Clans

late thirties, I guess

Male

Ricky (Only his older brother calls him that. Don't try it.)

Human

slight beard

Short, thick, a little messy

Light brown

6'4". And he's not even the tallest in the family.

hhhh probably like 190 pounds, I'm still new to weight calculations lol. He's no featherweight, I know that much.

Sky blue

none

He has tattoos on his arms/torso/neck that mimic the adult markings of a Deorn, as is customary for anyone over 18 (who isn't a total failure) in his culture.
He also has a set of small but deep scars on the left side of his face (not from anything heroic, he was screwing around with his cousins when he was a kid and let's just say the 'dead' alligator turned out to still be alive T.T)

Ever seen Captain America? He looks like that. Built like a dorito chip, all chest and shoulders. Very muscular.

Fair, very tanned

Dislikes pessimistic/crabby/reserved people, really cold weather, snow, boredom, and any house of worship--for personal reasons related to some nasty neighbors back home. He's also a firm patriot, but the country he believes in is not necessarily the country that exists.

Healthy as a horse. It's odd, considering his upbringing and lifestyle. Several of his brothers and his father suffer from varying levels of PTSD because of what they've experienced as mercenaries living in a ruined country. But somehow Rick's managed to avoid any serious trauma so far, and he has a very healthy outlook on life and its adversities---an outlook he learned mostly from his mother and her brother, who were always more pacifistic types.

-lol
-bro
-so cheerful
-like, ALL THE TIME
-sorta loud
-but reaaaallly nice
-friendly with everyone
-even his enemies
-loves to help out
-loves being active
-loves to babysit little kids
-gonna be a family guy someday
-likes to talk
-tough af though
-and a HECKIN good fighter
-do not underestimate
-handsome southern accent, btw
-very polite but slang-filled way of talking
-"well now, all y'all are 'bout the nicest folks I've ever met"
-oldschool gentleman
-holds doors and tips cap for ladies, and not in a sarcastic or mocking way
-fights honorably
-believes in family above all else
-oh and also he kills ppl for money but shhh he's so nice shhhh
-I promise I can explain this inconsistency lol

He really just wants to find a wife and settle down somewhere, but he's patient enough to wait until he finds the right person. He'd also like to reconcile things with his estranged family, but only if he doesn't have to compromise his own beliefs to suit theirs.

A tiny bit insensitive (although he tries hard), doesn't think much about the deeper parts of life, has maybe too much faith and loyalty for his clan, thinks violence is good clean fun, has trouble wrapping his head around the "settle" part of settling down.

Also, let's talk about his ability to work in a very violent, often unethical line of work when he himself is a naturally kind, self-sacrificing, friendly person. Several factors account for this. He was raised by a father who believed that not all problems could be solved peacefully and that a certain amount of bloodshed was justifiable if the payoff was good. His mother, on the other hand, firmly believed that kindness, generosity, and community were of utmost importance, and she got to Rick first. She instilled him and his siblings with good hearts, and made sure they understood the values of respect, courtesy, and emotional intelligence--and those habits stayed with Rick his entire life. For the most part, his childhood was very safe, happy, and comfortable, even as he got older and started to learn about the mess their country was in.
So how did he ever feel okay with mercenary work? It's mostly thanks to his father. He taught his sons first and foremost a code of honor to live by, even as mercenaries, so they didn't fall prey to mindless violence. He also taught them that as soldiers, they were doing the country a favor by providing extra strength to those who couldn't defend themselves from 'evil'. He encouraged them to be competitive, to push themselves, to hit hard and never back down from what they wanted. He made fighting a game, a way of life. And if the boys started to question him when they grew older, he reminded them of their moral code, saying they were far better than the human trash they fought against. (I'll put the Gator Boys Code in the notes section, I think).
To be fair, the longer Rick lived away from his family and the more he saw of the world, the more he started to internally challenge his father's lessons and seek out a more peaceful way of life. Fighting was all he knew, though, so it took him quite a while. And there were many years before that where he never stopped to think about the finer moral points of his actions.

Several forms of combat, tracking, tactics, cooking (sorta), horsemanship (although he hasn't owned a horse in a while), making friends, telling jokes and stories, wilderness survival, boat-craft, swimming, and repairing and/or making his own gear/clothes/weapons.

Woodcarving, singing, dancing, playing the harmonica.

That one guy who's honestly the nicest but still looks like he could crush a brick into dust with his bare hands and tends to settle arguments by picking up whoever's talking like they're made of cardboard and holding them over a the edge of a cliff until they promise to shut up.

Either his harmonica or his assault rifle, depending on the situation

His shotgun has a lot of power, but he has a really nice hunting rifle that his dad gave him that he affectionately calls Old Gal and takes very good care of.

Any home-cooked meal, tbh, but especially grilled steak--a rare luxury these days.

Swamp green

Lone mercenary, was originally part of a group but then stuff happened and he left. (More on that in his backstory.)

Grew up in a part of the country that was very politically minded before and during the Deornian War. They still carry some of those opinions with them, but any names or specifics have been forgotten over time. As an individual he doesn't care enough to argue about it.
If I had to guess, he'd probably be more conservative than liberal according to the way he was raised.

Technically, all Southern Clans (they're wary alliances tho). Also the People's Army, and he has a letter of recommendation from one of the wealthy Landowners he worked for a few years ago.

He doesn't exactly have a solid religion, but his family believed in sort of a mix of Christianity and a nature-based religion called Tanveism that sprung up after the Discovery happened. Tanveism essentially teaches of the wisdom of the earth and a god called the Green One who sustains all life. Deorns are closely tied to the Green One, and therefore the Gator Boys treat them with reverence and admiration as well. Rick himself doesn't follow the religion too closely--he rarely prays or follows any religious practices-- but he abides by certain moral laws and feels like some higher power is there if he needs guidance.

English, a little bit of French and Spanish but only enough to embarrass himself with XD

Quarter horses or coon hounds, he can't decide which.

His dad and uncles taught him all sorts of practical outdoor skills like hunting, fighting, etc. He also attended a tiny country schoolhouse that was run by his aunt up until he was twelve. He was taught as much as his clan knew about history, literature, science, etc, and was a good student, but would still be considered kind of ignorant by today's standards. He knows just exactly what he needs for his job and quality of life, and likes to pick up little tidbits of knowledge on his travels as well.

He's a Southern Clansman from the clan known as the Gator Boys. They're a family of mercenaries with a home territory down near the mouth of the Mississippi. His father, Will, was an army man who left the battlefield after the war started to go downhill and built a survival bunker/farm deep in the southern swamps, along with his brothers and their families. Will had five sons and three daughters. Rick was third-oldest, and grew up in the middle of a very loud, lively redneck family. Will trained all his kids in combat, but his wife Magnolia refused to let him get the girls too involved in fighting, so he focused on his sons when he started thinking of starting a mercenary business with his brothers. He taught his boys everything he knew about fighting, military tactics, stealth, gunmanship, mechanics, tracking, etc. Rick was a fast, willing learner, and enjoyed working with a team and constantly pushing himself to his physical and mental limits. When he was fifteen, his dad started taking him and his older brothers on their first real missions, and soon enough his younger brothers came along as well. It was dangerous work, but Rick was thrilled by the challenges and the rewards of victory.
But as the years passed, two things happened.
One, Will began to grow old. His many years on the front lines were starting to catch up with him, and he became weaker, more withdrawn, and less friendly with his family. He spoke little, even to his wife, and soon his body started to fail him. He could no longer accompany his sons and brothers on their seasonal missions, and finally he passed the title of acting leader to his eldest. He stays at their farm now, managing the business from afar and quietly building an economy of sorts around their settlement and the settlements of their neighboring clans.
The second thing that happened was that Johnny Stonehand, Rick's older brother, was given command of the mercenary group during their ventures into the outside world. No one realized how bad of an idea this had been until it was too late. Johnny, previously a brave, outgoing, popular young man, was slowly becoming twisted by his violent lifestyle into a much less pleasant person. He became more reckless, more temperamental, and much more eager for bloodshed than his father had been. He enjoyed flaunting his group's strength by starting fights needlessly and intimidating even the people that hired them, and soon these extra conflicts began risking the reputation--and the safety--of the Gator Boys themselves. Rick had always gotten along with his brother before, but now they only argued when Rick tried to voice his concerns about where Johnny was taking their group. At first the others sided with Johnny because, frankly, they were mercenaries. Why should they worry about spilling a little more blood than usual. But over time, Johnny began acting harsh and unfair even to his own brothers, and by then they were too frightened of him to talk back. Only Rick continued to try guiding him back to a better path, not wanting to make them enemies.
Sadly, it didn't work. Johnny wouldn't hear a word of it and eventually framed Rick for attempted mutiny. Disgraced and heartbroken, Rick left the mercenaries soon after and started working on his own. He misses his family and home very much and wants to at least visit--and he knows that most of his younger brothers and sisters would welcome him--but he doesn't know if Johnny would even let him into the clan's territory after the way they parted, and he doesn't want to cause further trouble. He still holds onto a glimmer of hope that Johnny will one day come to his senses and allow them to live happily together, just like the old days.

He seems like an August 6th kind of guy to me

none at the moment

Similar to a military outfit but more casual and lightweight, without the heavy tactical vest or protective armor. A lot of his clothes are hand-me-downs from his father and uncles. He has a ridiculous amount of weapons, both concealed and in full view. He wears a camo baseball cap almost constantly--it's kind of his trademark accessory.

The Gator Boys Code of Honor and Conduct:
-Always treat allies and clients with respect, regardless of who they are.
-When encountering aggressors, first, ignore.
-If that does not work, intimidate.
-Finally, if that does not work, incapacitate.
-Do not kill unless necessary.
-Respect your weapons. Do not misuse them or let them get rusty.
-Do not take on work that involves targeting women or children. (Amendment: If the women are also warriors, fighting against them is allowed.)
-Treat even your opponents with basic respect. We don't need any more enemies.
-When taking prisoners or hostages, never abuse or neglect them.
-NEVER accept work that targets a Deorn unless it is clearly deranged and has no young to care for. Deorns are sacred to us, and at any rate, they are not worth antagonizing.
-No matter the job, no matter the pay, family comes first. Always.
-Take pride and joy in your work. Don't slack or complain, and don't spread a bad attitude. Do what you can to maintain our good reputation. Be accountable, admit mistakes, respect your commander, and always stay humble. Don't forget to count your lucky stars and thank the Green One for what you have.

One more thing. Gator Boys have two last names: their family name and their title. Titles are given to an adult once they either join the mercenary band, marry, or do something heroic. Rick's family name is Harper. He got his title (Longpaw) from the fact that he's missing the tips of his index and middle fingers on his left hand, which makes his other hand appear longer. (Hey, they can't call him Shortpaw, can they? That doesn't sound very cool.) Again, no awesome story behind this injury. Let's just say the first crabby alligator didn't leave a lasting impression.