Zelanze Balestra

Dueling Rapier: 42" of a long thin blade made for dueling with a black swept hilt. Not to be carelessly swung about, the rapier is martial weapon which is used for precise striking. Making contact with the point instead of the blade, the sword is used to pierce, putting an end to an opponent with only a small but critical attack. Proper technique shows not to so much block with the weapon, but to parry, pushing to other person's weapon off point before retaliating with a smooth reposte.

Longsword and Kiteshield: More meant for a wider range of combat than dueling or arena matches, the longsword has good reach and a sharp edge. Meant for sweeping archs and cuts and not so much the piercing point-precision of the rapier. Matched to this is Zel's kite shield which bared the family's heraldry sprawled on it in gold, his ser-name written across the banner beneath it; the shield straps to his left forearm.

Kodachrome's Chainmail and Tabard: A suit of Chainmail smithed by the woman he loves. This super durable protective chainmail is strong enough to keep a sword from piercing it but light and non restrictive in movement, allowing him to maneuver and fight as he sees fit. Smooth and finely meshed this outfit is mostly silver in color, gold trimming adorns the neck arms and base with a band of silver on it's edge. Underneath the chainmail are several small plates strategically placed to protect vital organs without hampering movement or noticably increasing the sets weight. Laid over this armor is a black tabard with gold trimmings and a finely embroided golden symbol; every layer of this set carefully fire treated to stand up to even the lick of a dragon's breath. Red cape was held to right shoulder by a fancy golden pin that was set to quick release should the cape be rgabbed or snag during combat and draped down his back to his heels. Finally, pulling this all together was the black sword belt, which also held loops for his weapons, coin purse, and etc.

Wheel-Lock Rifle (Rarely Worn): A lesser known firearm of the age, wheel lock's were the stepping stone inbetween matchlock and flintlock weaponry. They were quick firing/reloading rifles ahead of their time but never saw mass use due to their expensive maintenance and tendency to break. Zelanze favors this in ranged combat, be in ship to ship battle or simply dealing with conflict that cannot be handled in close quarters. Polished wood and sleek, golden colored metals make up the overall design of this weapon.

Lantern: Worn on his belt opposite of his two blades, this simply lantern is always kept fueled and ready to use. A mandatory part of any adventurers kit.

Thermos and Traveling Cups: Strapped to his belt on the back right hand side inbetween his lantern and medical pack is a large thermos that hangs next to two metal traveling cups. Usually containing coffee, but on long trips in to the wilderness it can keep any drink warm.

Medical Bag: Zelanze always carries this medical pack on the back center of his belt. A roll out medicall kit containing several items;

Bandages and Padding
Stitching Supplies
Various Small Herbal Pills and Mixtures
Milk of the Poppy
Alcohol
Vial Containing Leeches and Maggots

Journals: Finally, strapped to the back left hand side of the belt are small leather booklets tightly secured. Including his personal diary, a traveling journal, and a sketchbook used for work.

“In fencing, weight & strength mean nothing…The fencer need only know when, how and where he must thrust his blade.” - Aldo Nadi

Zelanze is a trained duelist and fencer with very few peers. Proper posture stands with his back straight, shoulder's high, and chest proud as feet rest shoulder length apart with a bend at his knees. Right arm remained partially extended so that he can take advantage of the reach of his 42 inch rapier and quick movements allow him to control distance in a match. Parries are far superior to a straight block and allows him to control the position of his foes weapon before his own retaliation; attacks that come in the form of lunges and half-circle cuts.

Alternative he is rather adept at longsword and kite shield combat as well. The kite shield is sturdy enough to receive strikes head on but, like the rapier, is light enough that it can be used to parry incoming blows and allow for a retaliatory strike from his blade. When used without the shield the longsword is held firmly with a grip from both paws and attacks are fierce and constant, meant to keep his opponent off balance.

Strength: Physically, Zel is not notably stronger than the average competitor, nor is he any weaker.

Speed: Years of training and competing in swordsmanship and fencing has left the knight both physically quick and with reflexes that are mostly unmatched. Furthermore, when using proper technique smaller and more accurate movements make what is already difficult-to-match speed even harder to retaliate to.

Stamina: Zelanze is an experienced fighter that is no stranger to pain and adversary.

Weapon: A master fencer, Zel uses a 42" long dueling rapier. Not swung about like an average sword, the rapier is a point based weapon used for precise striking and controlled mostly with the wrist and forearm. Making contact with the point instead of the blade, the sword is used to pierce, putting an end to an opponent with only a small but critical pierce of their flesh. Proper technique shows not to so much block with the weapon, but to parry, throwing to other person's sword off point and forcing his opponent to miss.

Armor: In the arena, Zel does not use his entire set (Tabard, Shield, Padding) and instead just wears his chainmail shirt and outfit over his clothes accompanied with fluffed neck section and a hood. These well woven chains allow for full range of unhindered movement while still giving a fair amount of protection.

Zelanze never learned magic, at least not proper. Instead, Zel uses a faith-based 'spells' called Miracles that are often used to dispel magics, remove curses, or generally fight demonic or evil influence.

Magic Resistance: While no longer immune to the effects of magic, Zel is still resistant to them. Spells classified as instant death, time manipulation, or some instant-casts have limited or no effect. Piercing this veil of immunity is not done through the power of the spell, rather the precision of it. An incredibly powerful spell that is cast quickly is less likely to penetrate than a weaker but more precise spell.

Bless Weapon: Zel can bless a weapon or object, supposedly improving it's power against evil or demonic forces. Sometimes accused of being a placebo effect, this ritual is the process of applying holy water to the weapon and then praying briefly over it.

Dispel: With a moment's prayer Zel can dispel any currently active magic on a target or, in some cases, stop a spell as it is being cast. This is often used to equalize the field against magic users. The prayer itself may need to be longer depending on the intensity of the cast, and any significantly extended prayer increases the effects and area exponentially. Once Dispel has been cast on an area it's spell-diminishing effects remain for an extended period of time on both the persons whom it interrupted the cast of and the general area around them when they were casting it; heavily limiting magic in the area.

Decurse: Able to use capabilities similar to a priest, the knight can remove the effects of low tier curses permanently, or temporarily remove them for more powerful or permanent curses. This prayer/miracle is very similar to Dispell in that it's length of time depends on the power of the curse.