Braden Rushlight

Quick Reference
Braden Rushlight
Home	Archet, Breelands
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Culture	Bree
Title	Huntsman of Archet; "Young" Rushlight; Maker of General Mischief
House
Clan
Age	34
Birthdate	November 27, 1424
Occupation
Occupations	{{{occupations}}}
Hair	Brown
Eyes	Black
Skin
Height	5'11"
Weight	160 lbs
Player	Bry
Character type

Description

This man does not quite qualify as young, but is still far from old age. His curls of chestnut brown, though soft and loose, retain an untamed quality as they peek out from beneath the confines of his rabbit-fur cap. A pair of all-but-pitch eyes gleam beneath brows that are lifted with a hint of mischeif, and his lightly freckled nose is the only departure from his skin's otherwise tawny and weathered hue. A thick, but short-clipped beard swathes the lower half of his face, and if one were to look very closely, they might note that he doesn't seem to have much of a left ear.

His clothes have seen many seasons, but with a few subtle and strategic mendings, still serve their purpose well. A cotton shirt -- perhaps once white, now dun -- is buttoned over his lithe, but clearly hard-worked, frame. A black leather belt holds up brown trousers that are tucked neatly into his tall boots. These are sturdy, but well broken in with use; the laces tied by long-fingered hands that share those qualities.

In the cooler weather, he wears a dark green woolen cloak pinned at his neck with a wooden clasp. A quiver of arrows with tails of various kinds of feathers, along with a bow, hang across his back; a small skinning-knife from his belt.

History

Braden is the second of two children born to Danton and Ethel Rushlight. In his youth, he always seemed to be teetering about in the Archet wilderness in the most curious of manners-- jostling in bushes, careening about in the Chetwood, peeking down rabbitholes in hopes of obtaining a furry companion. The lad's manner was dauntless, and he would often accompany his father for hunting escapades in the forest, perhaps hoping to someday become skilled in this, Danton's trade. His mother would sometimes worry over his enthusiastic explorations, but was far more pleased that he had a love of life.

This was, in every way, a contrast to his sister. Bryony Rushlight, eight years his elder, was reclused and unreachable in every way. She spent nigh all of her time cleaning, for it seemed to be one of the only things she was willing to take notice of in life. The other was Braden himself. Despite the opposite polarity of their dispositions, Braden and Bryony were indeed an inseparable pair. Taking an almost matronly attitude towards the lad, Braden had the equivalent of two mothers watching over him through his early years.

There was the day when Bryony left, however, to go find a life of her own in the town of Bree. After her departure, there was something a bit more pensive about Braden-- a caution towards those who were unfriendly, perhaps a greater inclination to spend time in the bushes by himself. This continued for a time, and began to worry his parents. Quite obvious to the cause of the lad's doleful mood, they sent him on a sojourn to Bree himself, to stay with his sister for a time and perhaps regain his previous bouyancy.

The venture was a success: Braden snooped about the hedges of Bree with a guileless grin for many years, accompanied by his faithful pet duck, Waddle, with whom he faced many trials and tribulations: a troll attack, a wolf hunt, and a campaign for Mayor of the town not the least of them (and which is often referred to in jest to this day). While Waddle was not elected, the two gained a respectable reputation in the town for a little while, even despite the boy's blatant friendliness to those no-good Rangers. He studied letters and history often with Jonah Thistledown, the lorekeeper, and spent most falls doing seasonal work for the Heatherseed family on their apple orchard in Combe, courtesy of his and his sister's friendship with Elias of that family. Braden has been known to play a mean tune or two on a fiddle as well.

That is, until his late teen years and early twenties, when his dauntless nature brought him into the acquaintance of some of the less savory figures known about Bree. He was seen late at night in dark alleys sometimes, or having a drink with fellows that ought to be avoided, and for a while seemed to have a few more pennies in his pockets than is appropriate for a young roustabout. There was a brief flash of hope for him as he embarked on an engagement and was set to marry Sarah Thistledown, the granddaughter of his teacher Jonah, but the relationship came to a grinding halt over matters that Braden (mostly) refuses to discuss to this day.

Following his fallout with miss Thistledown, the man gained a bit of a scoundrelly reputation among the young women of Bree for a little while, and seemed to be diving deeper and deeper into the murky waters of no-good business, beyond even the reach of his beloved sister. But the sudden death of his cousin Dahlia (who left behind a young Tommy for Ethel to care for) hit him hard, and in a rare decision of wisdom, retreated to his family haunt in Archet to recuperate from his mess in Bree, and start a new and more respectable life among his family members as a hunter under the tutelage of his father.

He has lived in Archet now for seven years, and has rebuilt a reputation as a man of good word and a sturdy upbringing. He is known for raising goats as pack animals that accompany him on his longer forays into the Chetwood, as well as spending time keeping the company of his lumberman Rushlight relatives at the Lodge. Recently, he has been called upon to lead a hunting party to seek out a pack of wolves that has attacked the citizens of the town repeatedly. While he achieved little success, after returning from the woods severely wounded, he soon married Nimah Dearway, and the two have one daughter, Willow.