No I understand, I’m just saying that it being 6 feet long would be a little awkward to maneuver if he’s under … like whatever average height is, 5’8 or so.
Name: Nico Anatoly Markl - preferably Markl; has been referred to as Ghost-hands, or sometimes Hands.
Personality: Nico’s personality is gentle, caring, empathetic, and compassionate. His frank, honest face is stronger than any raised voice, and as quartermaster he will gladly show you how something is to be done with his own two hands. These two hands, however, stay hidden behind white leather gloves at all times, only ever coming off when there is killing to be done.
Nico’s mind is so refined and polarized to the concept of swift and efficient murder that it remains simply part of who he is; there is no conflict of interest in Nico’s mind as his charming, youthful face will radiate happiness and empathy even as he is goring the throat of some unfortunate fool. He feels nothing contrary to his cheery demeanor; frustration and anger only ever occur on a level comparable to others. He views assassination and murder as simple as pulling weeds out of a garden, or playing a game of chess - an action with little consequence outside of the visible. He cares and genuinely empathises with the less fortunate, the more fortunate, and everyone in between - the rotten, the gentle, the caring, the vicious. However, if the path forward means clawing your fellow man’s throat out with your fingers, well, a tear or two may be shed for his discomfort and the inconvenience being dead would cause the poor fellow.
All men die eventually; how could Nico be found at fault for rearranging the calendar a little?
Weapons: Nico carries a heavy cane of exquisite make, with a silver, toothed seahorse’s head on the top and a blunt steel tip at its base. He washes it on a regular basis with seawater and a natural sponge, so if he ever uses it for its intended purpose - a sinister and brutal club - his cleanliness would not be considered suspicious. He also carries two knives, one a small, curved hunting knife and the other a heavier dueling blade. He is also a crack shot with a crossbow, but does not currently own any. In his childhood, Nico briefly began training as a Caelin, and understands the mechanics, theology, and even experience of Fire Magic, but possesses very little ability - or at least trust in the ability - to perform it.
Armor: Nico’s garb unfortunately prioritizes form over function, his only armor being in the form of a hardened leather breastplate, beneath which he wears a long-sleeved white fabric tunic and black dhoti pants, fastened halfway up his calf. Over it all he wears a heavy black coat in the style of a gambeson, which provides some additional protection. His head is usually bare.
Position: Quartermaster
Backstory:
Nico Markl was an unknown corpse, ripped from the bay. Maybe not an uncommon occurrence, but definitely uncommon in that he was not, in fact, dead.
A good amount of those he had worked with were, however.
Nico believes in the circularity of existence. How else to explain his state? From a gifted student, to an apprentice Caelin; to the lowest of the low, a street urchin barely getting by; to a cabin boy on a trading ship who’s real trade had nothing to do with commerce; to a lineman on that ship, and then to quartermaster. But that was the pattern in which life operated; the rich grow richer, the rich grow poorer, the living live, the living die. Ultimately, this was the course of all things. So why did the crew of the Saint not seem to understand that? The captain had been an unscrupulous, greedy man, whose actions would have destroyed trust in the shipping trade for hundreds of years to come. Every sailor on the sea would be out of work; the military would lose the trust it had earned from the general populous. In vain Nico had explored every opportunity to swing the captain’s opinion, to convince him that a more legitimate form of business was the only way things could be done.
Murder, after all, was looked upon rather poorly by the public. But after a long and fruitless endeavor of poking and prodding, with no possible sign of relenting, Nico knew he had to eliminate Pyotr Gorov. The youngest Gorov had spoken long hours about the villainy and cruel manipulation from his eldest brother Gregor as if he were one of the gods, so flawless and righteous that mortals destroyed by his hand and left to rot away were blessed by his goodness. Perhaps all the Gorovs exhibited this kind of wickedness and seemed to revel in it so. The crew did not much care for the murder of their captain, but the Saint happened to be carrying explosives that day, and a well-laid fuse plus a quick and strained use of fire magic gave Nico enough time to plunge off the boat and into the water below. Now, he picked himself up, wringing out his coat as he stepped onto the dock. He had been out at sea for a while… Maybe he should check the post. Who knows; perhaps there was someone else in need of a charming, cheery young quartermaster with a good reputation.
Additional Information: Nico is shockingly young, and precocious in his profession to say the least. He gained the rank of quartermaster on the Saint at the age of 16, and sunk the vessel a year later after the murder of Pyotr Gorov.
His cane, being visibly more ornate than any other part of his attire, will often prompt him to fake some kind of ailment, such as a limp or cramp, but only when trying to blend in with the public. Nico wears a pair of white leather gloves at all times outside of murder - understanding his hypocritical worldview, he enforces a strict separation between assassination and any other action - a habit that gained him the nickname Ghost-hands during his time as a sailor and eventually quartermaster. When making a getaway, he can also be seen wearing a bandanna covering his nose and mouth.
Nico is of average height, but skinny, bordering on gangly. His clothing blends to both hide some aspects of this and emphasize others, giving him a somewhat unsettling presence. His hair is black, and he often wears it pulled back into a tight, short ponytail. His face is unmarked except for an X-shaped scar on his left cheek. If he has any other scars, or tattoos, they are not visible.