A sketch composition of Solus Aximand (one of Tavs) during his time as a mercenary and gladiator. Nicknamed "Mountain Dog of the Pits".
Everyone else are faces he used to work with at the stage of his life as a "Critmin" Gladiator and Mercenary.
It’s a quick concept art piece that’s meant peek into Solus’ more chaotic lifestyle, to serve as imagery for a section of his backstory. I wanted to provide quickly sketched imagery along with some character lore and bios, so it’s not just words. That aside I’ll go ahead and get into a condensed version of Solus Aximand’s background, more so his Mercenary arc, before his joining into the Monk Monastery.
Solus' time as a mercenary was miserably grueling and filled with perpetual battles. He would push himself to his limits, spurred by the desire to never feel weak or vulnerable again. His survival guilt and determination to become a capable warrior would fuel his relentless training and combat efforts.
Solus struggled with the immoral actions of the mercenary group. Often finding himself at odds with their ruthless methods, leading to internal conflict and a sense of isolation.
Due to their moral and personality differences Solus would maintain a professional distance from his fellow mercenaries, seeing them as nothing more than necessary allies rather than friends. He would avoid forming close bonds, fearing betrayal and further emotional pain.
Solus' intensive militaristic training by his uncle Nemeus and determination would earn him respect, but his reluctance to fully embrace the ways of The Critmin Mercenaries made him a target of suspicion and distrust.
Solus' develops feelings for Kharmine. The female human barbarian that found him. He would be drawn to her strength and resilience, seeing her as a beacon of hope and stability in his chaotic life. But this is an unrequited Love.
Despite his deep affection, Kharmine would not reciprocate Solus' feelings. Kharmine only sees him as a useful asset and a loyal companion but would remain emotionally distant and unattainable.
Kharmine's Manipulation: Kharmine often exploits Solus' feelings to her advantage, using his loyalty and devotion to further her own goals and those of The Critmin organization. This manipulation would deepen Solus' emotional turmoil, leaving him feeling used and betrayed. Her only intent was making him a loyal attack dog, she knew no matter how dire the heat of combat escalated, he'd be willing to take risky and reckless actions to ensure her and The Critmin's victory. Kharmine's only focus was The Critmin Mercenary organization's well-being and the ambition of their fanatic leader.
**Psychological Effects on Solus:**
The combination of unrequited love, moral conflict, and the trauma of Solus' past would leave Solus in a state of constant emotional turmoil. He is haunted by feelings of guilt, anger, and grief, struggling to find a sense of purpose and belonging.
Despite his inner struggles and conflicts, Solus' experiences forged a deep resilience and hardening resolve within him. Driven by a desire to avenge his loved ones and prove his worth, using his pain as fuel for his relentless pursuit of what he'd consider justice.
The revelation of the supposed purpose of his Aximandian lineage and the betrayal by his uncle would leave Solus questioning his own identity and worth. Aximand and/or Axia are forged and destined for war and attrition, something his Uncle tried to deeply conditon into him. However, this would conflict with the heroic tales and stories read to him by his mother. He wanted to be a hero, not a soldier fighting an eternal war of any kind. He would come to realize that certain compromises must be made in order to survive. Even if that results his moral integrity, but he refuses to give in to needless abhorrent acts that his fellow mercenary and gladiatorial members would take part in.
Solus would occasionally grapple with feelings of internal self-doubt and insecurity, constantly seeking some form of validation and redemption. This caused Solus to take on dangerous quests or risky ventures to distract himself from his internal conflicts or other jobs that help distract him.
Solus' inability to form meaningful connections with his new companions and the unrequited love for Kharmine would leave him feeling profoundly lonely. This loneliness would be a constant companion, shaping his actions and decisions as he navigates his new life as a mercenary.
Solus is plagued by survival guilt, constantly questioning why he survived when so many others did not. This guilt would drive him to push himself harder, striving to become a powerful warrior capable of protecting his allies.
The constant exposure to violence and brutality would further desensitize Solus, hardening him emotionally. Kharmine's Manipulation and harsh training would push Solus to become more ruthless and efficient in combat, but at the cost of his empathy and compassion. The immoral actions of the mercenary group would gradually erode Solus's own moral compass. He would find himself making compromises and engaging in actions he once would have condemned.
Despite his hardened exterior, Solus would continue to struggle with inner conflict. The disparity between his actions and his sense of honor would create a deep-seated tension within him, leading to moments of doubt and self-reflection.
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[ Here's a Part of Solus' origin after his home town was in ruin, I'll post the full synopsis separately, this post is solely Mercenary/Gladiator Solus info. How Solus met the Critmin mercenary group. ]
(This section starts off upon Solus' defeat against his uncle Nemeus and the eldritch-looking cambions. Everything prior will be in a seperate post.)
Solus declared his Uncle Nemeus a traitor, saying that he would avenge his mother, friends, and other family members. Solus' body is broken and worn, the demon soldiers that relentlessly battered him, mock him as he lies there with half his face in a puddle of blood and mud. His right eye above puddle level, still fixated on Nemeus.
Solus, disoriented and on the brink of passing out, hears garbled noises, prompting the cambions and Solus' uncle Nemeus to leave him there, figuring Solus' wounds would undoubtedly kill him. Nemeus unfolds his arms and orders the oddly eldritch appearing cambions to retreat, the figures walk out of Solus' line of sight before Solus' vision grows dark and he inevitably loses consciousness.
Despite his deadly wounds, Solus survives and awakens hours later, attempting to rise to his feet.
Solus looks around, only to be reminded that his visceral nightmare was real; in deep sadness, he spends his time burying the remains of his loved ones. In the pouring rain, he salvaged everything he could from their broken bodies. He would gather what remembrances he could as well as pictures and trinkets in his backpack before leaving his eradicated home town.
Solus becomes a wandering hermit for months after leaving his ruined hamlet grieving, where he had served as a watchman. A Barbarian mercenary woman and her companions discover him. Solus was curled up in a small crevasse he had made his own in a mountain. His ears twitch as he hears footsteps approaching him, his head tucked behind his bruised and bloodied knees.
Peering down at Solus, She laughs at his vulnerability before ordering Solus to get up. "Well well, look at the size of you, yet so pitiable." She raises her large axe adorned with extravagant gems crested within bands on the handle and points it at Solus' unkempt, coiled hair. Solus flinched with his palms jittery facing forward helplessly. "Rise. You're coming with us, consider yourself a recruit." Solus glances up at her, a large woman with years of battle defining her musculature and posture.
She stood proud and firm in the sunlight that gleamed over and through her tousled hair. Solus could've sworn he saw a halo behind the silhouette of her head. Her face in shade, revealing the intense battle scarring of her face, yet there was still a sense of grace, elegance and allure to her. She snaps Solus out of his trance with her imperious voice, "Do you intend on rotting there in decay...If so, I'll leave you to the wilds then."
She turns to walk away, but Solus mutters short in desperation and struggles to hoist himself up, his wounds not yet healed and his muscles and bones trembling. His curly, kinked hair obscuring his eyes. The Barbarian woman looks him up and down, surprised by his stature, and then cracks a smile "About time. You will call me Kharmine. Come on, lets get some food in you; you're beginning to resemble a 'bagman'." Solus limps as one of the mercenaries approaches cautiously to assist him.
Solus begins a new life as a mercenary and gladiator at age 21 to 24. The mercenary group called themselves "The Critmin". Solus still feels great sorrow and survival guilt as the sole survivor of his uncle Nemeus' betrayal and treachery.
Solus realizes that he must push himself from now on in order to become a skilled warrior capable of protecting and assisting his comerades in the heat of combat and attrition. Solus was a skilled fighter and showed great promise as a child in training, but at a certain point in his late teens (17 -19) he became complacent in his skills. His uncle Nemeus and Town gaurdsman mentors would strongly advise he continues his intensive training. But Solus at the time felt that he didn't have to train as hard since he wasn't an actual soldier. Solus strongly feels that his complacency is why he was ill prepared to save anyone from his hometown.
Solus' only desire is never to feel weak or vulnerable again, and is insecure about seeming inadequate, becoming increasingly terrified of failure.
Solus begins working jobs under The Critmin's name and is involved in an intense yet complicated intimate relationship with Kharmine.
Due to the Mercenaries' unethical behavior and their growing discontent of Solus. He would suffer from impostor syndrome as a result of the abhorrent crimes committed by the "Critmin" organization. Solus would eventually abandon the The Critmin mercenaries at the age of 24, taking with him any recollections and meaningful trinkets he kept close from his hometown.
Although, this wasn't a peaceful departure, Kharmine and other Critmin mercenaries he once deemed comrades would catch on to his attempt to abandon the organization. He was valuable, if a bit merciful when it came to specific circumstances. Solus' abilities and battle experience were beneficial.
They needed him nonetheless, and they don't allow individuals who quit the organization go without a lethal parting mark, or live at all. Kharmine and the others waited for him at a checkpoint he arranged to abandon the Critmin organization. Solus would confront Kharmine and the mercenaries she brought with her. She was tasked with bringing Solus back, but Solus refused to be chained any longer, being used as an instrument for the Critmin's wicked aspirations.
Solus needed a new stable structure, to find another way of achieving his own goals and vengence against Nemeus. Working under The Critmins wouldn't benefit him in any way, they only further damaged and stagnated him. Solus would conclude this arc of his life by battling Kharmine and the other Mercenaries to the death in order to continue his journey. It was a savage struggle in which Solus finally unleashed all of his suppressed rage, bitterness and vengeance. Even yet, it was merely a taste of the High Wood Elf hybrids' 'golden green ire'.
After becoming a vagabond hunting beasts and aiding locals for several months, in search of a new purpose, still grieving and bent on a rage that continues to consume him. He would eventually reach a Warrior Monk Monastery at the age of 25. (Unsure on which Monastery our buddy Solus joins at the moment. Haven't made up my mind on that yet. lol)
A peaceful place, a place that would provide Solus routine, structure, mindful meditations, proper sleep, calming exercises further increasing his strength and mental fortitude. Solus sought some form of peace, however this wanting of peace being what was left of his old self, would perpetually conflict with his deeper feelings of regret, loss and vengence that would also encourage him to seek power. Enduring pain, allowing it to swallow him whole, while ignoring most pleasures. He felt it was the only way he'd stand any chance against his traitorous uncle.
This broiling golden green flame within Solus needed control, the bloodlust of his war addicted Aximandian lineage would need to be quelled for focus and enjoy moments of true prolonged peace and his body needed to be further disciplined. Sculpted into something immovable yet mobile, a tempered weapon beyond that of a blade, axe or hammer.
Meditations would allow Solus to cultivate and focus his golden green ire, increasing focus, calming his Aximandian bloodlust and sharpening his vengeful intent. Solus is less reckless, more in tune and mindful of his emotions. Becoming and remaining calm and unperturbed. Of course the down side to this is that his vengeful intent and latent rage is laid dormant by the Monastery's teachings and training. Solus was growing numb, passion beginning to die...
- To be continued. I'll go in depth further once I've fleshed out his short time as a warrior monk, trying to reignite what had been dimmed, though not fully extinguished. Solus Aximand isn't a typical High Elf and carries a mysterious genetic essence that lies within Aximandian warrior blood. (Somthing Solus has very little knowledge of, and kinda doesn't care much for since it has to do with his Uncle Nemeus' mental conditioning, or anything to with Nemeus for that matter... he hates that man. Lol)
- You've my absolute and humblest gratitude for reading this far. It means a lot, greatly. :)
Any questions, thoughts or feedback is most welcome and appreciated. I'll probably be editing around and added little things to this while working on other information, bios and characters that connect to this.
Also please forgive me if it jumps around a bit. I've been adding different sections over time. It's more of an about Solus during this time rather than a well segmented bio as for right now.
Apologies for the absence, these past few weeks have been quite busy and most of the projects in the works on still in sketchy phases. But I'll be posting some of them as well as the doodles I've found time to do.
random OC ask: if your OC inexplicably had access to real-world media, what character would be their favorite? what character would they unreasoningly despise? why?
Solus would be very into fantasy, sci-fi and most things nerd culture. I suppose a list of franchises and characters within them he'd be drawn to. I'll try not to make it too long, but he'd be into a lot of things.😅 Given his military background and heroic tales he was read, he would steer towards comics/manga, fantasy, action adventure and even have a sweet spot for hopeless romantic novels and the like. War & Love.
- Warhammer 40k & Fantasy (Lore & Tabletop) Solus likes strategy and tactical rpgs.
Favorite characters would be Eldrad Ulthran, an immensely powerful Aeldari psyker in 40k. He'd be one Solus' favorite characters as well as part of his favorite faction which would be Aeldari. His main armies would be mostly Eldar, his secondary army collection would be Vulkan legion army. His tertiary would be the Eldar Harlequins, Eldar overall are his favorite faction, because Space Elves thought not really elves...
Another favorite character would be Sangunius, admiring the feats, heroism and sacrifice.
Least favored character or despised would be a wild guess "Erebus", however without this character the heresy era of 40k wouldn't exist, so it's a love/hate or love to hate.
Another form of media he'd be interested in and what is the comic book series Invincible, favorite characters would be Invincible (Mark Grayson), Omni-man (Nolan Grayson), Atom Eve (Samantha Wilkins) and the Mauler Twins due their comedic banter on who's the original and the parts they play in the story. He would like how invincible takes an alternate approach on the consequences and what it takes to actually be a hero in that world. Mark being a favorite and relatable character, starting off as not-so invincible and developing overall as a character and hero from there, being unveiled by what he thinks or thought being a hero would be like. Solus can relate deeply with this, seeing as he was once wearing rose tinted glasses in being a hero or war hero of sorts, the excitement of adventure and duty only to be brutally exposed to the reality of it all. However, he still kept his hope and optimism, just a rational amount, approaching things with caution and purpose. Solus can also relate to the physical struggles of pushing past the limits of his body. Nolan (Mark's father) is a favorite by simply being a well written individual, how he went from apathetic to compassionate and showing that he has feelings and does care for his family.
Atom Eve is a favorite for Solus as she goes through the necessary character development that would later complete Mark's perception as a character. Her being the love interest as well as her own seperate goals and evolution as a person. Seeing as being the traditional hero is not what it's cracked up to be.
Lord of the Rings is a another piece or media he'd be interested in, very much so. Characters of this he'd be drawn to would be Aragorn, Legolas because of course and Gimli. Pretty much he main party if heroes he'd drawn too.
As for disliked or hated characters Gollum would be one, despite his inner conflict, it would be difficult for Solus to like him. Gothmog that orc lieutenant would make Solus' hated list as well. The torturous methods and needless desecration is something Solus is pretty "blegh" and "meh" towards.
He'd be into Star Wars as well, it's a tale not too far off from stories and lore his mother would read or tell him during bedtime. Tales of heroism, fallen heroes and redemption, which is something Solus is drawn to the most since he feels he has failed those he loved and lost due to him not being capable enough. He would enjoy the music and group of friends Star Wars would establish as the characters would venture fourth through the story. His favorite characters would be Luke (Young hero set to save others and his father, develops own philosophy in being a jedi), Leia, Han, Anakin (To Fall so far, yet turn back to the light in he end), Obi-Wan, (a jedi who wasn't as talented but still managed to learn as much in his studies to compensate for his lack of force sensitivity). Solus likes stories on underdogs and feels for those characters deeply. He'd like Count Dooku as a character, seeing as Count Dooku wasn't necessarily fully engulfed by the dark side, but instead used it as a means to further what he thought was right on the political front. A different outlook than the restriction and limitations of the Jedi order which grew too involved in politics and in the wars at the time of the Republic.
As for a hated character or one he despises would be Darth Sidous (Emperor) cause of course, highly manipulative describing him as a character does no justice. But he also likes how campy the character is written in, appreciating the manipulation of both sides as a good villain. Solus wouldn't like him as a person but as a villainous character he appreciate it. Solus has been manipulated and tricked before by someone close to him who he saw as a father, but was used as a pawn to further something devastating and unforseen, so villains like this he would hate with a passion. Solus' life was wiped clean of close friends, family and good innocent acquaintances so this would hit home.
He'd be into some anime, one that comes to mind I can see him liking a lot especially while growing up is classics like Dbz (r.i.p. Akira😔) Favorite characters would be Vegeta mostly, started out as a cocky proud villain, was humbled time and time again as the story progresses and learned to care for others while still training hard to try and surpass Goku. Solus can appreciate such dedication and grind of a mindset. Another character would be Piccolo a close second and Bardock (Goku's father).
Naruto (fave characters: Kakashi, Might Guy, Rock Lee, Hinata, Tsunade, and Shikamaru) Bleach (Rukia, Yasutora Sado, Retsu Unohana and Toshiro) Fist of the Northstar, Berserk (he'd like Guts a lot) and Claymore.
I won't get too far into those character I don't want to spend too much time on them individually.
Solus would of course get into Dragon Age and Mass Effect. His favorite characters in Dragon Age so far would be, Alistair, Varric, Morrigan, Sten, Zevran, Dagna (Inquisition), Solas (compelling character, he'd also be good friends with him if they resided in the same universe. However his methods going into Dread Wolf Solus would disagree with). Cullen, Avelline, Shale, and Cassandra (would be his Inquisition romance option also a relatable character, a warrior who still has or makes room for love). Fenris, Merrill and Bethany (Hawke's sister). Dragon Age is pretty huge there would be more I'd list but they'd go on for a while lol. Solus would definitely be a fan of the Bioware games, specifically DA & ME.
Mass Effect would be David Anderson, Garrus, Dr. Chakwas, Urdnot Wrex, Tali, Liara, Mordin Solus, Thane Krios, Jack, Javik, Ashley, Aria, Shiala and Samara.
Halo franchise would be The Arbiter (Thel'Vadam) his most favorite character, second is Master Chief, third would be Rookie from halo odst reason being something relatable about the "strong silent type loner". Fourth would Jorge 052 from Halo Reach. Other honorable mentions would be Kat from Reach, Sergeant Johnson, Cortana, Guilty Spark, Rtas'Vadum, and Atriox. Would be some favorable amd memorable characters he'd like alot. Other than all that, I can see him getting into stuff like that as well as much more with character he loves and hates, or not like as much.
Apologies for the hefty answer, I had to really think about this one since I had a lot on my mind about what he'd be interested in.
Baldur’s Gate 3 - A grumpy Solus Aximand (Tav) portrait The Warrior Monk
(Little Origin Lore “Good Ol’Goat” - a nickname given to him during his time part of a small barbarian war band. He head butted an Orthon challenging it, earning him the title by his new barbarian comrades who aided in this fight. The word “good” in the title comes from Solus’ sense of trying to do a reasonable amount of good, even though he himself doesn’t consider himself as such, to him it’s simply being a decent person. Compared to the others of this band, he was considered a goodie goodie, honestly some of the others were some rough, dark minded individuals.)
random OC ask: what is something about your OC that people wouldn't expect from looking at them?
what are the preconceived notions people might form or have formed about them? how does your OC respond to those notions?
Let's see... I'd have to ask around personally, but going off what I've come up with lore-wise for em, most think of him as haughty, arrogant, and pretty intimidating due to his build and strong facial features. He "can" be intimidating but isn't unless provoked or feels there's a need for it. He's relatively friendly, just not as approachable since he's mostly quiet, which also counts against him. Another notion is some may see him as a heroic figure, something that he himself internally does not exactly believe or think he is. Another notion is that he has some form of elegance in whatever he does and is a supposed natural at it, that him being a high elf must means he rarely fails. However, for Solus specifically, this is untrue, his origins are full of failures only molding him into who he currently is and influencing the choices he makes in bg3. There have been some that may see him and categorize as another high elf who believes he is superior to others. Because of past events in his life he never really thought he was better than anyone, his lessons in being humbled began very early. That’s all I can think of at the moment lol. I appreciate the opportunity to answer this question.
