Name: Ludwig Beilschmidt
Age: Early to mid-twenties. Ludwig himself isn't too sure.
Appearance: At a height of around five feet and with a muscular build too, Ludwig is the kind of guy you would want to be your ally and not your enemy. He's got piercing blue eyes and a blond head of hair, which he neatly combed back so his fringe does not fall down to his eyes. His face is usually set in a serious, stern expression, making him look as the formidable Hunter he is.
His usual attire comprises of a black overcoat with matching black trousers and tall black boots, which he polishes at a regular basis. Inside his overcoat, Ludwig wears a grey wool turtleneck and harnesses that holds his throwing axes. His leather gloves also has a secret pocket sewn in the inside to conceal a pair of blessed throwing daggers for emergencies.
Species: Human, Hunter and part time Swordsmith.
Sexuality: Unknown. Living an introverted life and a busy one with his duties as a Hunter and Swordsmith, Ludwig has never had the chance to explore his options.
Personality: Ludwig's appearance says it all; he is a cold and distant man. He doesn't want to get close to others, having gone through a rough childhood, he has lost a part of his faith in others. Ludwig prefers the company of his work and beer. This withdrawal is also because of the fact that he's a Hunter. He became gruff and severe when dealing with others. It is still disputed whether he has a sense of humor or not. His temper could be considered short, but he has enough control to not assault someone physically, though that also depends on how much beer he has consumed.
Ludwig is a realistic man, who sees things in a logical aspect, and he knows that his job does not come without a risk. Having a relationship with someone else, for him, does not seem practical. One of them could very well be killed while out on a mission and the other would be left in shatters.
Ludwig has an eye for detail. It helps him when he's at his forge working on the most beautiful and deadliest of weapons. It is also why his clothes and home/workplace always look so neat and well maintained, and why he's so good at fixing any kind of machinery, from a simple clock to a complicated weapon. He is also able to discern the most tiniest tear in fabric and stitch it right up. Dusts have a reason to fear Ludwig as well if they happen to find themselves in Ludwig's house. Cleaning made him busy and he likes to be busy.
Background:
Ludwig doesn't remember most of his childhood. It was all a hazy memory for him. He could vaguely remember a brother, but it was such a long time ago. He couldn't even remember anything about his parents. The only thing he remembered was his name and strangely the meaning behind his surname, Beilschmidt, which means 'axe smith'.
When he was little he had no clue why it was important and why people had hounded him because of it. It made him feel conflicted about his name. It was the only thing he remembered of his parents, the only connection he had with them. But it was also the reason for his prosecution. He was passed from one house to the other, until he had made it to the Council. It was there that he knew how important he was.
Ludwig discovered that he was descended from an ancient line of Swordsmiths. They could make all kinds of weapons, but they were especially good at creating axes that were so sharp, it could cut a hair into two and slice a body part with only a single swing. Being able to create such weapons, the family were greatly pursued by many forces, good and evil. Nobody had known what had happened to Ludwig's family. Or whether Ludwig had inherited his family's metal crafting skills.
The fact was apparent when Ludwig had turned fifteen that he had the skill to craft metal. He had already been the apprentice of a master Swordsmith for three years. He was a fast learner and very serious in his studies, preferring to spend his spare time studying books and scrolls about sculpting red hot metal into deadly weapons rather than playing with kids his age. The day he turned fifteen was the day that he made his first weapon, a lightweight throwing axe, in honor of his family.
Ludwig was also training to become a Hunter, hoping that one day he might come across someone who knew what had happened to his family. He was growing at a fast pace under the watchful eye of his trainers. He was already towering over his peers in training and out grew them all, because of this Ludwig was the best at hand to hand combat, but surprisingly not very good with a gun. He excelled at using his favourite weapon, the axe. He could throw them, as well as he wields a halberd.
When he finally became a Hunter, Ludwig was eager to obey any order or mission given to him, thinking that he was on the side of the good guys. He worked on weapons in his spare time or at the order of the Council. His forge was not just a gift from the Council. Back then he wouldn't question whatever mission the Council gave him and held his fellow Hunters in high regards, the human ones that is. He had the notion that whatever happened to his family had something to do with the 'non-humans'. He used to believe that all of them, even the ones that were Hunters, were up to no good.
One day a strange thing happened. He freed a werewolf cub who had wondered into a trap. He could have been awarded with a pay raise, if he had brought it back to the HQ. But, he didn't. It was just a cub, he had thought. When he had seen it kicking, biting, and whining to free itself from the trap, he saw a lost and frightened living being. Freeing the cub might have been the best decision he has made. The alpha, who had come to save the cub, had showed him more honor than most of the other humans he had ever known by letting him walk away with his life. The experience had left him with a new found respect for the other species. He was still wary of them, but now he had learned to not judge them by their fangs or fur.
As more trouble rose from misbehaving Hunters. Ludwig began to realize that the Hunters he had put on a pedestal were not so perfect. Many of them had misused their weapons and status to extort money and spread terror. Although, some of those that he knew was very much honorable, questions formed in his mind about the system, about the missions the Council gave them, and about the existence of the Hunters themselves. With so many sides, who decides what is wrong and what is right?
(orz this looks so long. sorry guys!)
Subject: Ludwig Beilschmidt 
Tue May 07, 2013 3:38 am
