- Name: Ulrich Krupke
Nickname: None
Age: 24
Social Class: Peasant
Occupation: Deliveryman
APPEARANCE
+Height: 5’6”
+Body Type: Short and stocky, with expected muscle in his legs built up from how he needs to run through all that snow. Delivering letters as well as packages of varying weight all across the city forces a person to be physically fit whether they want the workout or not. His upper body strength isn’t too shabby either, but while Ulrich’s not the type to start a fight, he certainly could end one.
+Coloration: Fair other than his near-permanently flushed skin from being out in the cold so often. He has scars from frostbite on the tip of his nose and along his fingers, having learned the hard way that with his job you’d best be prepared for the cold if you’re going to work the night shift for extra pay. Now that he can afford a good pair of gloves he just about never wants to take them off, not the type to care so much about his scars but it shows he works outdoors, unlike the refined upper class.
+Best feature: Despite his physically taxing job running from place to place all day, Ulrich is surprisingly good about keeping a tidy appearance. It’s taken him a while to scrap up the coins, but he’s managed to afford a rather nice fur-lined coat and a new pair of boots. He even had enough to buy a useless accessory like that little headband of his. Ooh, fancy! He keeps his hair at a moderate length to help insulate his ears a bit when he runs, but has learned how to trim his own hair. Dressing well give his ego a boost, making his head held high for a peasant. Maybe even a little too high…
+Worst feature: Straight up, it’s his attitude. Ulrich is just about always in a bad mood. He puts on the mask of “Good Guy”, even using manners such as “No ma’am” and “Thank you very much, good sir” when dealing directly with customers in hopes of earning a tip, but he is quick to badmouth them once they’re out of earshot. He’ll find the unsavory things about a person faster than you could even blink, but you probably won’t hear a word of it anyway. It’s all locked up in his head until Ulrich decides to grumble to himself. Negativity is what helps make the hard day go by.
+Unique Trait: Oddly enough, Ulrich has the uncanny ability to easily befriend any domestic canine he comes across, if he so chooses. While a lot of deliverymen have the trouble of being chased by loose wulfkind, Ulrich is actually very fond of the large animals. He would feed the strays if only his paycheck could afford it..! And he curses himself for not having enough money when he sees the hounds scratching about at doors in hopes of finding as little as potato peelings to eat. He does not have one of his own as a pet but wishes to someday.
PERSONALITY
Focused almost entirely on nothing but his work, Ulrich doesn’t have time to waste on others for companionship or intimacy, and time is money. Money is just about always on the forefront of his mind, actually. Ulrich’s job pays strictly by the minute, and every second counts where pay deduction is threatened on a daily basis... But it’s not because he’s a greedy person, no. Ulrich is far from that but his life would be a lot easier if there weren’t so many things to pay for; he can barely keep up with the rent at the inn he currently lives in as it is. What he truly desires is stability in his hectic life. He seldom has time to enjoy himself except for on days when work is slow or he simply can’t gather up enough hours to work from dawn to dusk. That spare time is usually spent in seclusion at a desk where Ulrich attempts to draw up plans for his machine that will hopefully change life in the city and earn him some money so that he could at least move up the food chain to an artisan.
Hardworking but bitter, Ulrich always has something to complain about. Some might say it’s just because he likes to hear himself talk, but it’s mostly because hardly anything in his life is ever going right. There’s always some new worry lurking around the corner and he’ll be damned if he’s going to accept any misery gladly just because he’s a peasant. Ulrich strives to change his meager existence and refuses to let anyone keep him down. It’s part of the reason why he brushes others off so easily with disinterest. If you aren’t going to help him get a foot up in the world, why should he even bother with you? His pace is always a brisk walk when he walks around town, and even when he does stop to get a drink of beer he’ll usually down it and go, not staying to listen to music or gossip unless his feet truly ache.
ABILITIES
While not the fastest messenger in the city, Ulrich instead finds good opportunity in his work because he is very good at keeping a steady rate while he runs. Young deliverymen usually sprint their little hearts out in one direction, struggling to make it back but Ulrich has figured out in his case what’s the best way for him to not exhaust himself. He runs at a comfortable rate, only using short bursts of speed when needed if he is pressed for time, or something else comes up.
Aware of his own physical limits, this helps makes avoiding conflicts easier in his opinion. Should he do or say something that ticks a person off, all he has to do is get out of the place and run, and unless you’re as trained as a hunter chances are you probably aren’t even going to come close to catching up to Ulrich.
HOBBIES
Ulrich doesn’t talk about his past, simply allowing others to believe he was born into poverty. If he ever were to share the information of the machine he’s trying to design, it would be quite simple to discover that he actually knows a lot about whitesmithing, and is pretty competent when it comes to reading and writing. Working with small, intricate parts is something he has always had a knack for, but one would never guess it. He laments not being able to find someone to teach him the trade, but one day he hopes to be able to at least borrow someone’s furnace so that he could truly work on his invention.
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TOUCHED APPEARANCE
When Ulrich begins to use his magic, his eyes solidify in color to a ice blue, and his hair begins to turn gray from the roots until his brown locks are a snowy white all the way to the tips. As he continues to use his powers, his hair grows at the rate of one inch per hour for a maximum of six hours continued use.
MAGIC
Level One - With practice, Ulrich has learned that he has the ability to heighten his own senses. This power is limited though, in that he can only enhance one sense at a time, having to choose whatever sense will best fit his current needs. Touch translates to improved physical strength (an additional 20 - 30% of what he can already carry), his sight improves in the dark, hearing is more advanced than a human's, and his nose is much more sensitive. His taste buds are as well but his appetite does not experience change in what his diet ought to be. While such an ability would probably be more suited to a hunter who actually stalked game and would appreciate the aid in finding prey, it is surprisingly useful what a better set of ears can do you. The duration of the heightened senses could technically last up to a solid six hours, but the more time he spends relying on heightening his senses, Ulrich is prone to "sensory overloads" where he suddenly has staggering headaches and may even be susceptible to bleeding from the nose and ears.
Level Two - Ulrich now has mastered his powers, now gaining an understanding of the meaning behind wulfkind barks, growls, etc. Not the same as "knowing" what the canine was saying, but getting a general feeling of what the animal is trying to communicate. Without verbalizing it, he can also send 'messages' to the canine but they generally only work for inquiries. While the animals have no true reason to listen to his direction, they feel they have a bond of sorts with Ulrich and tend to be more likely to cooperate with him when asked to do a task or give him certain information.
