Character Post - Aiken Timhamér

Hannah!
Character Posts are fun! So I'm doing another one. I was going to do one on Armen (my favorite bloke in the whole series). But I'm not, yet, saving the best for... later. For now I'm going to do... Aiken!

Aiken Timhamér

I don't know how his name is actually pronounced, so I just call him

(Ay-kin Tim-ham-mur)

Elf, Leader of 'Aiken's Gang'

At a desk in the center of the large tent, sat a dark-skinned, dark-haired elf intently studying a map.

Standing, Aiken was taller than Lina and even taller than Falk, who was over six feet tall.

That was my original description of Aiken, though my idea of him has changed over time. I can't find a perfect picture of him, one of those where I can look at it and go, "Hey, that's Aiken!" If I find one, I'll let you know. But for now, of all the pictures I can find that remind me of his character, this is his basic description.

Aiken was tall and fit, with tanned skin and a half-amused expression on his face at all times. His hair was a dark brown, cut short at the sides and longer on top, giving him a careless rugged look.



Kind of like this. In appearance, and maybe in personality.

Aiken was a strange character to write. He started out as a serious, abrupt elf. He wasn't a very nice man. But as time went on (outside of the story timeline) he slowly became a stern but cheerful, likeable guy, a big brother-type that everyone wants to be around.

Inversely, there was another amiable, friendly minor character who gradually became the living rock, flinty and grumpy all the time, but he's another story.

Aiken is the leader of a travelling group, informally called "Aiken's Gang".
Aiken's Gang is hard to explain. Basically, they're... a volunteer medieval-time police vigilante Robin Hood's Merry Men group who travel around Eyra (the land of the elves) to protect the innocent and bring justice to evil-doers. A little different, though.
I know, it sounds like your run-of-the-mill vigilante group. I'm trying to give it a distinction from the other bands.
Okay, here's the deal. Aiken has no real family. When he was a teenager, he came home to see the bodies of his brutally murdered parents, along with blood trails leading out of the house. His older brother and twin sister were completely gone. The authorities of the city at the time ordered searches for Aiken's siblings and for the murders, but nothing turned up.
Over the years, he met several others who had been through similar tragedies. They were all of the same mind - they all wanted to prevent others from going through that sort of misfortune. Currently there are twelve "members" in the Gang, including Blessing Laliso, Ciaran Kagan, and Eitan Haroun. Lina and the aforementioned Armen have been friends of Aiken, since before the murders of his family, and are informal members of the gang.

Concerning Aiken's personality.
Aiken is a leader at heart. He is serious, but not bad-tempered. He feels an urge to be responsible for and protective of those in his close circle. On occasion he can also be a bit silly and juvenile, showing a sense of humor that is lacking in some of the others. Sarcasm is not unheard of around him, and he may find the need to laugh at very inopportune times, but when his surrogate family is threatened, he will drop all frivolities to defend them.

Aiken's weapon of choice is a broadsword. He has not been as well-trained as Lina, but he can be very destructive and dangerous if he chooses.

Time to stop so I can get ready for bed. Hope you enjoyed it! Please realize that I am still learning about these characters, they aren't crystal clear to me yet. These character posts are really helping.