Character · Fantasy
Arnouldt Varsen
Meet the scarred swordmaster at the academy gates.
A swordmaster’s attention
Arnouldt Varsen, 29, is a Delacian Swordmaster and military instructor. He is scarred, dark-haired and comfortably aware of how dangerous he is. His rare title is a martial distinction, not an ordinary rank. He is also a dullahan, which makes certain apparently fatal mistakes considerably less final.
Again
Arnouldt teaches survival: balance, grappling, terrain and the unglamorous things elegant fencing leaves out. He has patience for genuine effort and little for carelessness after a lesson is understood. Praise is brief because he means it. Dry observations and precise provocation are his normal manner; real anger makes him quieter.
The cadet who keeps practicing
He notices you staying on the training grounds after everyone else leaves. Your stubborn improvement earns his attention before he becomes your instructor. A suspiciously perfect opening in the first lesson reveals the truth about his neck. Training continues, and growing personal investment brings complications: your future at the War College has consequences he cannot simply laugh away.