Ivanhoe_23 got their homepage at Neopets.com

1 September: Oi you! Ivan's in the BC. A vote would be much appreciated ^^

31 August: So Ivan finally got a revamp. New design, new page! Actual content is coming soon and new adopties too. Stay tuned!

Name: Ivan
Gender: Male
Birthday: 26th of June
Occupation: Mercenary

Level: 73
Strength: 80
Defence: 78
Agility: 66
Endurance: 75

Jobs Completed: 162
Jobs Failed: 1
Latest Job: Hired Sword for the Shadow Hand Guild

Favourite Weapon: Scimitar Minion: Shorak the Pirate Gallion

Welcome!

I'M IN THE BC! VOTE FOR ME! CLICKY ^

I'm nothing like my namesake, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, if you were wondering. You may have heard of him, but if you haven't, don't bother looking it up. Its a waste of time. Truly. I'll tell you all that you need to know. Thank Fyora for that too. If I were a crusading fool with such little talent, no brains and of such middling, mediocre abilities, I'd probably go and...er well, suffice to say, we share no common ground. I for one, live for battle and take glory in the pure adrenaline rush when an opponent is bested. Taking in that split second before they hit the ground and catching that flash in their eyes; the one that speaks of fear and the unexpected realisation that they are in trouble: it's intoxicating. I live for that moment. Also, I'm really, really good at what I do. I have more talent for the warrior arts in my little pinkie than that poor rockhead Wilfred could ever hope to achieve within a lifetime of training. Make that two lifetimes. That's the way of it I'm sorry to say. I'm not boasting either, I simply speak of facts. I don't know what my parents were thinking when they chose to bestow this name on me. I guess they were hoping in some misguided sense that some of ol' Wilfred's ideals and virtues would instil themselves in me and guide me as I was growing up. Maybe they thought that i would sometimes pause and ask myself, What would Wilfred do? You know the type he was? Brave, loyal, true. A vacuous crusader-knight for good, coming to the rescue of fair maidens everywhere. Me? I'd describe myself more as a sellsword. Opportunistic, turncloak, liar. Money wins my heart. And no, there is no heart of gold beating deep within my chest.

Sorry ma, sorry pa. I probably didn't grow up quite the way you envisioned.

***

-"Hey Ivan."
-"Eh?" In a languid motion, Ivan set down his tankard on the scarred, pockmarked wooden bench and raised a questioning eyebrow at Tinto. The mustachioed innkeeper's brow was furrowed, the oily wiping cloth in his burly hands suddenly still. His eyes were focused and staring intently past the serving bench and at Ivan's left side.
-"Your armour is melting."

And so it was. The polished obsidian and steel armour that was normally strapped to Ivan's left arm had begun an astonishing metamorphosis. The lowest bracer's edge was no longer solid steel but rather it was liquifying before Tinto's bewildered eyes, coalescing to an iridescent quicksilver and dribbling casually down Ivan's jacket in fine rivulets. Ivan wiped his mouth as he glanced down, a surly look crossing his face. An annoyed sigh escaped under his breath.

-"Dangit, not again Proto." Tinto wasn't really sure what happened next, save that the harebrained mercenary was suddenly on his feet, swinging his right, gauntleted arm into the face of a ragged, cloaked and apparently homeless looking human. A flash of light and a sudden clatter revealed an ornate silver dagger hitting the floor as it flew out of the attacker's grip. The attacker howled in pain, stumbling back and holding his bleeding nose. The grungy cloak flapped aside and for a split second revealed that the attacker was clothed in luxuriant crimson velvet robes. Tinto stared in foggy confusion at Ivan's polished silver gauntlet on his right arm as the mercenary grabbed his attacker roughly by the cloak and pushed him to the ground. The mercenary had been wearing leather gloves when he enter the inn. He couldn't possibly have changed them?

-"Ferwin. You know that your sneaking is pathetic." Ivan's tone was vehement with barely concealed anger. "Trying to slide a blade in my back eh? A poor attempt as usual. You may want to consider hiring someone more competent than you. A street rat beggar has a better chance of succeeding than you do. Coward!" He spat on the floor and released his iron grip from Ferwin's filthy cloak. A look of panicked relief darted across the attacker's eyes as he rolled over, scrabbled to his knees and darted out the door to a chorus of raucous laughter from the inn's other patrons.

Ivan watched Ferwin scurry away with a guarded look on his face. Suddenly, all the tension flowed away from him and he shrugged and laughed. "Sorry Tinto. My bad." He knelt by his overturned stool and reached a beckoning hand to the puddle of quicksilver on the floor.
You really are useless sometimes Proto. How am I supposed to rely on you if you chicken out on me like that when I need you?" The puddle arched up with a life of its own and flowed up Ivan's arm towards the remainder of his plated shoulder armour. There it fused with and reformed the rest of the bracers, seemingly returning to a solid state. Standing to his feet, Ivan grinned sheepishly and ran a nervous hand through his teal hair.
-"Sorry about the mess Tinto, put it on my tab."
-"Ivan."
-"Yeah?"
-"Your tab is at its limit."
-"I promise I'll pay soon!"
-"Ivan!"
-"Later!"

Tinto rolled his eyes as he watched the mercenary saunter out of his inn. Glancing at his retreating back, Tinto was hit with a sudden realisation. The silver gauntlet on his right arm had disappeared again.

Friends

Alatariel.

She is a gentle soul that I get along with tremendously well. She is curious, mischievous and entertaining young creature, calm and sensitive to the needs of others.

Alatariel is fond of most and although she shows a trait of being shy in her personality, she is not one to be crossed...not that I can imagine anyone wanting to harm such a gentle and carefree soul. She is not bitter, malicious or vengeful, but rather she can stand up for herself and her allies - a trait that I strongly admire for I do not see it in myself. She practices as a healer. I understand she gained her knowledge from intuition and practice, but she truly is gifted as many need to study for years before they achieve her level of proficiency.

Likes and Dislikes

Enjoys

Sarcasm,
My favourite type of humour. Unfortunately it seems to go over most people's heads.
Sushi,
Why is it so hard to find great sushi? With the right preparation, this stuff is AMAZING.
Fighting,
I'm a soldier at heart and the thrill of battle still gets my pulse racing after all these years.
Clandestine operations,
Ah cat and mouse games. Dangerous, precarious and volatile. But oh so exhilarating when the carefully laid plans fall into place.

Loathes

Idle Chatter,
If you don't have anything useful to say, don't say anything at all. Honestly this seems such a difficult concept for most to grasp.
The Guild,
The Guild, Actually, this is more a love-hate relationship. It is a rats nest of thugs and corruption, but the work it offers can make things ridiculously fun.
Incompetence,
Nothing worse than having tow work with a bumbling incompetent oaf on a contract who can't tell his left from his right.
Cowardice,
...I hate cowards.

Mucro and Protego

Mucro: Sword, edge, dagger.

Protego: Cover, defend, protect, guard against, guard from, hide.

Mucro can take the form of any weapon, real or imagined, almost instantaneously. When danger threatens, the predominant form instinctively assumed is that of a blade such as a katana or scimitar, but all forms are possible; maces, staves, bagh nakh, even throwing weapons (though it sometimes gets a little messy to retrieve Mucro in that situation). When not in use, Mucro usually favours the form of a katana or other slim, elegant blade and hangs in a sheath at Ivan's waist. He can also metamorphose into other non-weaponised objects, for example a metallic statue, but this requires immense concentration from Ivan and the form cannot be held for more than a few minutes (with one exception!).

When concealment or clandestine conduct is necessary, Mucro chooses to stay on Ivan's person as a silver gauntlet, or diffuses himself and merges with the numerous metal buckles on Ivan's belts. This is the only non-weapon form that Mucro can retain near indefinitely due to substantial practice. Mucro is highly disciplined and significantly more aggressive than Protego.

Protego (or Proto as Ivan enjoys calling him), is defensive in nature and can instantaneously take the form of any shield, armour or wall-like structure. Normally taking the appearance of steel-obsidian shoulder armour and bracers, Protego is substantially more neurotic, timid and observant than Mucro. He has on more than one occasion saved Ivan's life due to astute senses and prompt reaction to imminent danger. However, he also has an inconvenient tendency to start losing control over his form and reverting to his natural quicksilver state when feeling apprehensive or anxious. His favourite form is that of a large kite-shaped obsidian-steel shield emblazoned with the Mutego symbol.

Types of Weapons

BLADES

Straight One-Handed Swords.

Basket-Hilted Sword.

Sai.

Flamberge.
Also known as a flame-bladed sword due to the scalloped edges of the blade. The undulating edge is mostly for show, but its believed by many that the undulating edge causes friction when parried against an opponent's blade and consequently slows opponents blade slightly. This could potentially be useful in battle where split-second reflexes are crucial. Or maybe the effect is completely negligible. A great swordsman doesn't rely on petty tricks like this.

Hook Sword.
Hook swords are most often used in pairs. They are characterised by a double edged blade, a pointed, sharpened hilt, large crescent hand guards and a hook at the end of the blade. The hooks are highly useful at trapping and controlling an opponent's weapons, especially flexible weapons like chain whips. If you really want to get flashy, the hooks on the end of each sword can be linked together and swung for an extended attack like a flail.

Epee.
A long, extremely slender sword (coughflimsycough) often characterised by an intricate hilt that covers the hand of its wielder. The design, size and weight allows for fast reactions and the long reach can be useful; the average length is 100 cm (39 in). These swords are perfect for one-on-one dueling and for looking fashionable, but in terms of actual battle and serious combat, you're probably better off with something a little heftier and with more cutting power.

Curved One-Handed Swords.

Cutlass.

Scimitar.

Khopesh.
An interesting combination of a sword and sickle, khopesh are typically 50–60 cm (20 to 24 inches) in length and made from bronze or iron. A nifty feature of this little sword is that the hooked edge was designed for hooking an opponents shield and disarming them. Useful no? On the other hand, often only the curved outer edge of the blade is sharpened which limits the type of movements that can be used.

Straight Two-Handed Swords.

Claymore.

Curved Two-Handed Swords.

Katana.

Daggers & Throwing.

Kris.

Dirk.

Janbiya.

Kukri.

Kunai.

Chakram.
You know who else uses one of these? XENA. Chakrams can be used as melee weapons but being so aerodynamic, they really were designed to be thrown (and well made ones can be thrown in excess of 100 metres! (328 feet)). It can be thrown under arm horizontally like a frisbee, but in battle its usually smarter to throw it vertically so that your allies don't get a face full of metal. Really talented wielders use the tajani method of throwing; they twirl the weapon on an upright finger and toss it with a timed flick of the wrist, adding power and range to the throw. Those who choose to wield chakrams often like to wear these on their arms or around their necks like an odd, but useful decoration. Go figure.

HAND WEAPONS

Bagh Nakh.
Also known as tiger claws, these interesting weapons are used for close range melee combat. Wolverine is a fan of these ;) Bagh Nakh typically have 4 or 5 claws that vary in design from large conspicuous claws designed to fit over the knuckles to small spikes that can be concealed within the hand against the palm (the latter ones can make for a very nasty surprise against an unprepared opponent). These are great for hand-to-hand combat, but not really practical against skilled swordsmen.

Gauntlets.
Gauntlets are mostly only used as protective armour. In a tight spot however, they can be used to deal punishing blows in hand to hand combat. They come in many forms including flexible fabric and leather gloves, to mail and fully articulated plate armour. The gauntlets that are the most suitable for hand-to-hand fighting have knuckle dusters (aka brass knuckles) built into the glove. That being said, if you have a sword on hand, you'd probably have a higher chance of living if you used that instead to defend yourself.

AXES

Battle Axe.

CLUBS

Cudgel.

Mace.
Slightly more elegant that the cudgel, maces consist of a strong wooden or metal shaft with a strong metal head for hitting things. Lengths typically ranged from 70 to 90cm (2-3ft). It seems to be a common misconception that maces have spikes on the club head. NO. YOU'RE THINKING OF THE MORNING STAR. Maces can however have knobs or flanges (rims/ribs) on the crown for greater destructive power when hitting metal armour. Despite their potential power, I loathe using them. There's absolutely no sophistication; you simply aim and swing.

Morning Star.

War Hammer.

STAFFS

Blunt Staff.

SPEARS

Pike.

Trident.

Lance.

POLEARMS

Halberd.

Pudao.

Scythe.

FLEXIBLE/CHAIN WEAPONS

Sansetsukon.

Flail.

Ball and Chain Flail.

Shorak

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Trophies