Lhiam Coor MacCloud - Border Squirrel

[Warhound]

Name: Lhiam Coor MacCloud
Gender: Male
Age: 24 Years Old
Species: Squirrel
Occupation: Warrior, Ex-Bodyguard

Physical Appearance:

This border squirrel from the north has inherited the same signature looks of any MacCloud Clansbeast, from the irregular blonde, weirdly spiky fur, to the strong blue eyes that seem to vary in shade depending on one's mood. Despite being a bit out of his teens, Lhiam's face still holds semblance to the squirrel he'd been during boyhood, and it's likely something he probably won't grow out of until his fur's gotten a little gray around the edges. Though being inexpressive by nature, all remainders of his childhood appearance vanish when his blood is up, and he can look almost mean if the fire in his blood has been stoked enough. He's fair of face and fur, it seems, and many creatures seem to find him a bit 'exotic' as 'blonde' is by no means an ordinary color on a squirrel. When he was younger and his voice hadn't changed yet, a lot of older beasts mistook him for a girl – simply because the color of his fur can be a bit 'feminine' to some creatures. There's no mistaking his gender now, of course, from the strong jaw to the muscular build, creatures are admiring him for a few different reasons nowadays. As mentioned before, the majority of Coor's emotions can be read through his eyes; the bluest of blue when happy, grayish-blue when sad, dark-blue when angry – it's as though he's got a shade or hue for every emotion under the sun! It'd take you more than a good part of an hour trying to figure out all of them though, and most can rely on his tone of voice or the twitch of his tail to pick up on how he's feeling.

{Attire} Coor chooses to wear a charcoal-gray sleeveless doublet with the collar unbuttoned over top a pair of black trousers that stop halfway down his shins. He has a brown leather belt to hold up his pants, and thick leather bracers on both arms. If he's chosen not to wear pants, however, he'll more than likely dress in a kilt bearing traditional tartan of his Clan, which is a mixture of various shades of blues, black and white. If not wearing the kilt, Coor chooses to carry something bearing the family colors on it – be it a simple plaid handkerchief, a scarf or a strip of fabric to tie onto his belt for good luck.

Example of Tartan:
www.lochcarron.com/reiver/ramsay_blue_ancient.html

Possessions:

Coor keeps a Sgian Dubh in his belt, and a beautiful claymore sheathed at his waist. The claymore's handle is made of blackwood, with a golden crossguard and pommel – simple but highly effective, the beautiful blade has been in his family for generations, and once belonged to Coor's father.

Besides his weapons, Coor has a few things that are dear to him;

A ring that once belonged to his mother, a carving knife that belonged to his father, an old uniform from his previous occupation, and a golden flower brooch from a long-lost friend.


Personality:

Though inexpressive of face, Lhiam Coor MacCloud is a creature of order and a bit of shyness. The latter coming out when he's embarrassed or uncomfortable; rather than babble or stutter like some creatures, Coor simply shuts down, his mind draws a blank and his stare becomes an empty one whenever he's put on the spot or asked an awkward question. Lhiam is also known for speaking in short, simple sentences, a quiet creature with a surprisingly witty side, he's overall an upbeat person with the occasional bout of moodiness. His defining traits, however, is his loyalty towards his friends, his selflessness and an incorruptibly kind, protective side. Though a bit carefree to the point of laziness sometimes (Lhiam has what's called minimalistic tendencies), Lhiam is a huge stickler for training, and is constantly sharpening his senses and keeping up a strict exercise regiment to keep himself constantly at the ready. He's got a warrior's restlessness, and though he's been at Redwall for a few years, he still has difficulty settling in and fitting into the daily life most Redwallers revel in, and favors the calmness of solitude over festivities and conversations.

At an earlier point in his life, Coor was extremely arrogant and hot-headed, often proclaiming himself the best fighter in the Highlands, however, several life-altering events knocked him down a few pegs to something almost like humbleness. In fact, Coor frequently rejects any position or place of authority offered to him with the explanation that there is someone better suited for such a job, and that the job itself just wouldn't suit him at all. He's not so introverted that he avoids people, and appears to be on friendly terms with everyone at the Abbey – he even teaches sword-fighting alongside his friend Broden when given the offer to do so. Though a bit detached, Lhiam Coor MacCloud cares deeply about those around him, and will defend them to the death – even if the odds are most definitely not in his favor. Capable of being both loud, violent and ruthless (to his enemies), battle and injustice tend to bring the best and worst out of him – the beast of raw determination rearing it's head during times like those. Coor can be a bit insensitive when it comes to talking about the problems of others – despite keeping his secrets, emotions and his own past thoroughly hidden, he appears to have no problem talking about another beast's. He's not a gossip, he's just a bit blunt sometimes.


Strengths:

Swordsmanship: Coor's an excellent swordsman, though limited to using a sword as he doesn't know how to use other weapons.

Paw-to-Paw Combat: If he isn't able to get his paws on a sword, Coor can definitely punch a beast's lights out if he needs to. Boxing/Brawling is something he's been doing since he was a child, and he's turned into something of an unofficial champion. Sure the record between himself and Broden is still Coor 30, Broden 31 but who's counting anyway?

Fiercely Loyal: There's no beast more prepared to lay down his life for you than Lhiam Coor MacCloud, and even though he's hard to read sometimes, he's easy to be friends with thanks to his calm, normally cool persona.

Weaknesses:

Sea Sickness: Coor can't handle boat rides of any kind, be it simply a few laps around the Abbey Pond or the rushing rapids the GUOSIM seem to have a fondness for.

Battle-lust: Contrary to his normally cool demeanor, Coor can sometimes get a little too into his battles, he can get loud, and he isn't afraid to kill a creature he feels truly deserves it. Coor shows mercy to his friends but has none for vermin-kind whatsoever.

Emotionally Detached: Difficult to read and even harder to get a backstory out of, Coor's admittedly a bit 'shut down' when it comes to talking about himself or how he's feeling. It takes the best of coaxing to get him to open up, and even then it's not for very long. Still, you give him his privacy and his give you his life if asked.

Limited Fighting Style: Because Coor is skilled only in the use of swords, anything from a knife, dagger to a long bow is foreign to him.

History:

Coor grew up in a family setting that wasn't uncommon for his village; his mother died bringing into this world, and his father died protecting the tribe when he was roughly ten years old. With only an older sister to care for him, Coor, upset at his father's death, gave her endless trouble by running away or fighting with anybeast who looked at him funny. This started the young Lhiam Coor MacCloud's career as a fighter, and while his abilities were constantly improving, his temper certainly didn't – not even when Uncle Dram moved in to take responsibility for Coor and his sister Leila. Uncle Dram took care of them until Coor was roughly 15, his sister in her early twenties, when warring between the tribes Coor's father used to watch over broke out, and Dram decided it was time for them to leave. Packing up their things, Uncle Dram explained that they were bound for Redwall Abbey – where things like this definitely didn't happen.
Not about to turn his back on the tribes or a chance to fight, Coor ditched Leila and Uncle Dram halfway through the journey, the siblings forced to part ways. Leila went on to become a sister of Redwall Abbey, while Lhiam took out his anger in the war, learning the way of the sword and a code of honor in the process.

4 years of solid fighting found Lhiam on the winning side of the tribe wars, and with a reputation of being a tough border squirrel who knew his way around a sword – but without a clue as what to do with himself. Did he go find Leila and join Redwall Abbey? Did he wander the highlands? Did he become a mercenary for hire? The answer came to him in the form of Shale Blackbrush, an older squirrel, a Captain of the Guard serving under a royal family in Glenglas. In the search of new recruits, it wasn't long before Shale had Coor jumping on the bandwagon, outfitted in a snazzy new uniform and learning to march and fight like a proper beast should. Shale was every bit the father figure Coor needed, and Coor learned the most from him than he ever did from his Uncle Dram.
At 20 years old, Coor graduated from a simple guardsbeast to the bodyguard of the Princess of Glenglas. Having lost his temper and his recklessness, Coor by that point had become an honorable, skilled beast who for the most part knew what he was doing. He learned shyness, however, from spending most of his time by the princess's side as “Her Majesty's Knight”, finding her questions and her smile and her laughter to be very distracting. He hadn't really cared before, but suddenly he was mindful of his words, his actions, how he looked and sounded – her presence making him constantly aware of himself and how he might do something foolish.

He eventually got over this, but by the time he did, his service to the princess had drawn to a tragic close. She died of an unknown illness, and all of Glenglas – even Coor – wept for the lost princess, but eventually it was time to move on. Coor was of the same opinion, and after resigning from his post in Glenglas, he said goodbye to Shale and the friends he'd made there, packed up his belongings and set a new course for Redwall Abbey. 21 years old at the time, upon Coor's arrival to Redwall Abbey, however, tragedy had struck his heart for a second time; his sister Leila was dead. From what he'd gleaned from the Abbeybeasts, she had died protecting the others from a bandit attack while they'd been foraging earlier that year. They had planted a beautiful little plum tree in her honor. Grief-stricken, Coor was unable to leave the Abbey now – not after he'd discovered just how much she had loved that place. Coor too, had grown fond of it after a while, and it was with the help of Rook Dare and Broden Spikediggle that the young squirrel eventually found solace.

It's been 3 years since he'd arrived at Redwall Abbey, and Coor's fit in just fine, though he still sleeps in the gatehouse with the gatekeeper, but isn't the kind of beast to miss a feast or reject the hospitality Redwall has shown him for so long.


Relationships:
Cecilia MacCloud (mother, deceased)
Reiver Coor MacCloud (father, deceased)
Leila MacCloud (older sister, deceased)
Uncle Dram (Uncle, wanderer, alive)
Her Royal Highness the Princess of Glenglas (friend/love interest, deceased)
Shale Blackbrush (mentor, alive)
Rook Dare (Close friend, alive)
Broden Spikediggle (Close friend, alive)

Other:
Coor (also spelled cour, cure, cuir) means to cover or protect in Scottish. When referencing a stallion it means to cover.

^^; over all not my best profile by any stretch of the imagination, but it'll do. Plus it's kinda late and I'm really tired for some reason, hah.

[Tracy]

Can you just do me the one favor of adding that he can't use non-swords into his weaknesses rather than mentioning it in his strengths?

I'll go ahead and accept, just make that change for me.

Accepted!