Deer Country Application

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Character Base

• Character Name: Młynar Nearl
• Age: not stated, but from the timeline of events mentioned I estimate late 40s
• Canon/Canon Point: Arknights (2020)/post-"An Obscure Wanderer" (March 2023)
• Items Coming Along: His clothes, sword, gauntlet, and travel bag. The bag contains some old correspondence and the most recent newspaper he picked up.
• Content Warnings for Character: murder, verbal abuse (perpetrated by him), general awfulness related to war and institutional corruption, family going missing

Character Background

• History: wiki

• Core Relationships:

Kirill Nearl: Kazimierz is known as the land of knights, and the Nearls have long been one of the noble families making it so. Kirill, Młynar's father, was a prominent campaign knight (read: in the army) and war hero, famous in particular for a daring rescue mission which brought back a number of knights who had been taken prisoner. Kirill was a force, determined to uphold his values of chivalry and ensure the Nearl name stood for something. He was very encouraging of his sons (and later, his granddaughters), taking them with him on his trips around the country. On the very first one of these Młynar was taken on, Młynar took down a minor noble who had exorbitantly hiked up the tax rate on his people. It's an incident Kirill was clearly proud of, considering he's the one who later tells his granddaughters about it. Młynar had great respect for his father, and loved him too.

However, their relationship had its difficulties. One of the key reasons that Młynar never chose to be officially knighted, and never joined the army, is that he found his father's interpretation of what a knight owes the common people to ultimately be patronizing. Kirill, in turn, found some of Młynar's goals to be futile, though he still used his influence to keep the many enemies Młynar made over the years at bay. Kirill suffered a slow decline in health over the last decade or so of his life, and taking care of him over that period, and particularly during the stress that surrounded Margaret's exile (deliberately engineered by Kirill for her safety) clearly contributed to Młynar's feelings of helplessness and futility.

Schnitz Nearl: Młynar thought the world of his older brother. Although Schnitz followed in their father's footsteps by becoming a campaign knight, the brothers shared values and ultimate goals. Schnitz is described as having been absurdly talented, predicted to be at least equal to his father. Some of Młynar's wandering involved his ragtag group teaming up with Schnitz and his campaign knights (or rather, doing that as much as the knights other than Schnitz would allow). However disillusioned with the country Młynar was, starting from that very first trip with his father, he believed absolutely in Schnitz's (and his wife, Yolanta's) ability to improve it. Even after 15 years, Młynar remains unconvinced of the "presumed dead" part of "missing." Everyone else in the family, including Schnitz and Yolanta's daughters, may think it's impossible they're still alive, but then, they didn't know them like Młynar did.

Toland Cash: Other than Schnitz, Toland is Młynar's closest ally and friend, though good luck getting Młynar to actually say that. They met in Młynar's wandering days, when Toland and some fellow refugees (their homes destroyed in an invasion by Ursus) had formed a group of bounty hunters to get by. Although they were both initially skeptical of each other, there was also some respect from the start. One way or another, Młynar ended up joining the group, coming to lead them along with Toland. As Toland says later, Młynar had a "bad habit of seeing the best in people." But it wasn't always a bad habit - it helped actually bring out that best in people, and still informs Młynar's belief in equality and withholding judgement (unless he's actually close to them, then there's plenty of judgement). Młynar taught Toland how to fight like a knight, and it's implied that at least some of Toland's determination to reform Kazimierz comes from Młynar's influence. Młynar, in turn, picked up a willingness to get the job done regardless of method, and access to a wide network of underground contacts.

Notably, Toland's opinion of him is the only one that matters to Młynar (or at least, the only one belonging to someone who's still around). And Toland is also the only person Młynar actually discusses his plans with, rather than just announcing what he intends to do. After the events of the 24th Major, Młynar has a conversation with Toland about what comes next, in which he asks Toland to tell him honestly what he thinks of Młynar now. When Toland answers that Młynar let him down, Młynar doesn't argue, he simply accepts it and goes on to explain that what he's planning to do by leaving the city is look for his brother and sister-in-law again. Toland gets what that means in terms of Młynar's direction in life. However much they may jab at each other (Toland sarcastically calling Młynar "sir" and getting told to stay off the carpet in turn), and however rocky the decade or so of estrangement may have made their relationship, Młynar trusts Toland absolutely. Toland is the one he turns to when it looks like his nieces may be in very considerable danger. Toland is the one he goes to when he suspects someone of plotting to start a war. And Toland still has faith in Młynar's abilities (and isn't always being sarcastic when calling him a knight).

Czcibor Paleniskos: Czcibor was another old friend of Młynar's. It's implied that they first met as children who were in training to become knights when Kirill brought Młynar along to the Paleniskos estate, though Czcibor is definitely younger. An honest, principled type, Czcibor became one of Młynar's closest friends, trusted on nearly the same level as Toland. Like Schnitz, Czcibor eventually joined the campaign knights but held fast to chivalrous ideals. ...Up to a point.

It's implied that Czcibor, an unimportant son of a branch of the Paleniskos family, turned to Młynar when he found out that the head of the family was working with others to betray Kazimierz and pave the way for Leithanien to invade. This led to the legend of the "tenebrous knight," a mysterious figure (Młynar) who stopped the plot by simply killing everyone who was part of it while they were gathered at the Paleniskos estate. In the aftermath, Czcibor and his friends had nowhere to go, and Młynar welcomed them into his and Toland's group until they struck out on their own paths. Czcibor and Młynar trusted that each had the same priorities, especially when it came to the direction the country would take. As it turns out, they didn't - Czcibor thought there needed to be a return to the glory days of knights to shake people out of their stupor. Młynar is too aware of the human cost of such a venture; he believes the people of Kazimierz need to construct their own new path.

Yolanta Nearl: Honestly we don't know much about Młynar's relationship with his sister-in-law, but we do know he valued her just about as much as his brother. He respected her, and refers to both his brother and Yolanta as having been his "pride and joy."

Margaret Nearl: Młynar's relationship with his nieces, and Margaret in particular, has...undergone several changes over the years, to say the least. It appears that in her earlier years they were on better terms - he was one of the various people who trained her to fight, and Margaret implies that it was really the big argument about her becoming a competition knight (knights who compete in heavily commercialized tournaments, most notably the Kazimierz Major) that drove them apart. Margaret wanted to prove by example that chivalry still meant something. Młynar thought she was a naive idiot teenager (...accurate) who through her methods of trying to be a noble light for others was in fact just propping up the commercialization and corruption she opposed. Margaret won the major, but in doing so made a whole host of enemies she wasn't equipped to take on. Młynar was part of Kirill's plot to get her out of the country - they doctored things to make it appear that Margaret was Infected (Margaret herself believed this for a few years until her continued health made it obviously impossible) and thus she was 'forced' to leave Kazimierz in disgrace.

The thing is, she was supposed to stay gone. The whole charade cost Kirill a great deal, and Młynar, well, "exhorts all to flee Kazimierz, yet never left himself." Margaret would be able to make a better, safer life for herself elsewhere. But Margaret is as stubborn as her uncle, and after 6 years of her own knight errant wandering, she dramatically returned to help out her sister and once more enter the Major, wiser and worldlier but with the same goal as before. This immediately put her and Młynar at odds again, as Młynar viewed this as her wasting his father's efforts on a pointless crusade. But after getting an idea of her resolve, he steps aside and lets her pursue her own path, recognizing that she really is strong enough to move forward now. He doesn't say that to her, of course. He says that she'd better pray for luck, and that no one will understand her. The person he says that to is the head of an organization of assassins who have tried to kill her and Maria, when Młynar threatens said assassin into never going after his family again. ...Priorities?

Maria Nearl: Maria grew up with an ever-diminishing family. Her parents vanished before she could form memories of them, the older sister she adored was forced to flee the country, the grandfather she loved passed away. For the past 5 years or so, it was just Młynar and Maria in the house. Unfortunately, Młynar was something of an absentee substitute parent. He ensured they could keep getting by, and presumably took some part in encouraging her interests in metalwork and engineering as well as daily activities. But for the most part, Młynar was too caught up in work (and his own issues) to properly look after Maria, and it was some old friends of the family and her cousin Zofia who stepped into the roles of mentors and supporters. Still, Maria and Młynar do love each other. Although he is absolutely vicious to her when she declares her intention to compete in the Major as her sister did, Maria still tells Margaret she hopes to patch things up with him eventually. And when Młynar and Maria do patch things up during a brief but apparently very effective "family meeting" at Rhodes Island, Maria comes away energized and more enthusiastic about pursuing her own engineering goals rather than trying to be like other Nearls. Młynar and Margaret are more alike, and Margaret understands more of why he is the way he is. But Młynar and Maria have the stronger soft spots for each other, born of a more day-to-day understanding. He has come to have the same faith in her ability to uphold her ideals and follow her own path that he has in Margaret (...also said to the aforementioned assassin leader before Maria could ever hear about it. Priorities?)

Zofia: Zofia is a cousin from a branch of the Nearl family, though her actual surname isn't currently known. A few years older than Margaret, Zofia actually remembers what Młynar used to be like. The two have a mutual disappointment in each other - Młynar has a low opinion of competition knights, which Zofia was until an arm injury, while Zofia is frustrated by Młynar giving up and becoming an office drone. Nevertheless, they also trust each other. Zofia recognizes the impact Młynar's grief has had on him but believes that it's possible for him to return to how he was. Młynar has no problem with his nieces staying with Zofia because he knows they'll be safe with her (but come home sometimes?). Zofia nags and Młynar puts her down, but she's ultimately one of the few people who does get through to him. It's Zofia who finally drags him into the "family meeting" with her and Maria mentioned above.

Character Personality Through Key Moments

(2+) Positive Experiences:

Knight Errant Days: Młynar's first stint as a wanderer who is Definitely Not A Knight except for how he's clearly a knight (just not officially) wasn't positive in the sense of good things generally happening - it was a time of on and off war, suffering refugees, and the endless Kazimierzan exploitation of its own people. But it was positive in that he was able to put his ideals into practice and sometimes manage to do lasting good. He successfully helped relocate a large number of refugees and coordinated distribution of supplies to rural or otherwise underserved regions. He fought exploitative local lords and killed rampaging wild animals. And he had companions. The men followed him (and Toland), but it's clear Młynar never viewed them as subordinates. They were his equals and his friends. For all the hardships, this was possibly the only genuinely happy period in his life. It's when he has truly committed to at least partway returning to this way of life, at the end of "An Obscure Wanderer," that we get the literal only frame in which Młynar smiles.

The End of the 24th Kazimierz Major: Over the course of the Major, Młynar finally starts to come back to himself after a decade of capitulating to the powers of modern Kazimierz. It starts with two particular turning points, which occur at basically the same time: his duel with Margaret and reconnecting with Toland.

When Margaret declares her intention to enter the Major again, Młynar challenges her to a duel, with the condition being that she can only do so if she defeats him. She does, and so he steps out of the way to let her proceed, even while declaring it foolish. The notable thing, though, is that Margaret comes at him with both her physical skill and her Arts (read: magic). Młynar uses all his sword skills, but never his Arts. This could be seen as looking down on Margaret, but the truth is that Młynar follows the knightly tradition of only using Arts when your ideals are on the line. And he doesn't disagree with Margaret's ideals at all, just with some of her methods. For all the skepticism he still expresses, Młynar does believe that she's proving herself.

Immediately after this, he meets with Toland. Later, we find out that Młynar hired Toland (friends are nice and all but bounty hunters also need to get paid) to watch over his nieces and help keep them safe. This also opens up a line of communication which allows Toland to keep reminding Młynar of how he used to be, and that he can still be that person again. And indeed, Młynar starts visibly stepping up. He says he isn't concerned about a group of assassins trying to stir up more trouble by killing a bunch of Infected people...before going and deliberately putting himself right in the middle of their path and refusing to leave so they can get their murder on. Look, he wasn't protecting anyone, he was just really determined to read his newspaper on that bench without being interrupted. Really. And he later teams up with Toland against those same assassins to keep them away from Margaret and her allies. But no one needs to know about that. At the end, Młynar decides to give in to a little idealism instead of fatalism, and leave the capital to search for his brother and sister-in-law once more. But don't read too much into it - this is just him finding something to do while using the vacation he's accumulated over 10 years of not using it.

(He later quits that office job via letter. He has yet to return to the city.)

Encountering Deszcz: His interaction with corporate lawyer about to turn whistleblower Deszcz is brief but illustrative. Młynar encounters her after he car broke down on the way to a small town and helps her get the rest of the way there. Although he doesn't recognize her, she recognizes him - some years ago he'd thrown all of his effort into securing a contract from Gale Industries for his company to help them build a hospital, over a competitor. Deszcz goes on to the describe the various misdeeds of Gale Industries in this rural area, before cheerfully clarifying that she's here for them to do some more unethical land grabs. Młynar doesn't judge her for her role, saying that to do so would be naive. In fact, he continues to help her, going back to her car on the pretense of getting some of her things that she missed to investigate his (correct) hunch that someone may have been out for her. But Młynar is still part of Deszcz's change of heart. She deduces that the reason Młynar was so desperate to snag that contract, to the point of getting everyone roaring drunk, was because he was aware that the competition was violating all kinds of safety guidelines. He denies this, saying that that's more naivety that he wouldn't bother with. But then...he also doesn't drink, a habit that long predated that bidding war. People can fight for others in their own ways, within their roles.

Joining Rhodes Island: Młynar isn't too closely connected to Rhodes Island even after accepting the job offer - he's an inconsistent presence. He doesn't get close to anyone. However, it's noted that whenever he is present at the hq he's willing to help train other operators. In the field, he surprises his colleagues by listening and being respectful, rather than immediately insisting he knows best and putting himself in command, as they expect from his background and general demeanor. When he is offered command, he's very effective, but his particular approach is to tell people what to do in general and leave the how up to them. They know their own strengths and weaknesses better than he does, after all, and if they're here they're presumably competent in the first place. Młynar, basically, manages to be both a lone wolf and a team player. He has his own priorities and largely keeps to himself, but he is paying attention to and here to help everyone else. The flexibility offered by Rhodes Island gives him the freedom to be both things he is at once.


(2+) Negative Experiences:

Attempting to Change Anything: The sheer depth and variety of corruption and callousness in Kazimierz makes fighting it a sisyphean task. We see in flashbacks and hear from discussions just how much Młynar tried to do and how it failed. Yeah, you can get a law on the books to protect ordinary citizens if you push for it, but no one is actually going to enforce it in the rural areas where it's needed. You can save some of the Infected from dire circumstances, but in time they still end up back in those circumstances. You can team up with a ragtag bunch of refugees with combat experience and knowledge of the terrain, but the military will still refuse to work alongside them even in a campaign to reclaim those refugees' homeland. Młynar started pushing this boulder when he was a kid, only to find over the years that the boulder was much larger than he'd thought, and also now there were people shooting arrows at him in revenge. This doesn't break him - his personal philosophy is that part of standing with the weak as he believes a knight should is accepting that sometimes you will fail. But it does wear him down.

The Nearl Family Falls Apart: What breaks him is Schnitz and Yolanta disappearing. Around 15 years before his canonpoint, Schnitz and Yolanta were sent on a mission by the military powers, on basically no notice. For a time, letters were sent back. Then they stopped. Młynar's efforts at trying to track down any information on the mission or their potential whereabouts were fruitless or flat-out blocked by powerful figures. After about five years splitting his time between home and searching, Młynar returned home permanently. Kirill's health was failing, and there was the young Margaret and even younger Maria to look after as well. Młynar got an ordinary office job and became a dedicated capitalist drone, trying to keep the family afloat and fend off threats. He nevertheless never gave up preaching that the Nearls should not capitulate to the powers of modern Kazimierz, pointing out that upholding ideals requires no recognition from official bodies. He is fully aware this makes him a giant hypocrite. But he wants his nieces to stay out of all of this mess. However, his tendency to take a very hard line with very little explanation just drives a wedge between them.

The Start of the 24th Kazimierz Major: Although he comes out of all the drama surrounding the Major in a better place, Młynar starts it at a low point. He loudly opposes Maria's choice to compete in the Major to secure the family's continued status, going so far as to say she's a blemish on the family name for giving up their ideals that truly matter in favor of recognition from the corrupt powers of Kazimierz. Who he is obsequiously serving. With overtime. Really, the only things close to being a saving grace for him in the first event he appears in are 1. he's too busy working to seriously get in Maria's way and 2. when Maria challenges him on his hypocrisy, he's just as mean to himself as he is to her. You will note that these are not, in fact, saving graces at all. He had hecome so deeply mired in cynicism, desperation, defeat, and self-loathing that he was perfectly capable of blowing up what was left of the family he values above everything (until interrupted by yet another call from his boss).

Preventing a War with Leithanien Redux: If Młynar had a nickel for every time he stopped a war from breaking out by killing members of the Paleniskos family before their plots could reach fruition, he'd have two nickels, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

It took longer for Czcibor to become bitterly disillusioned with Kazimierz the way Młynar and Toland are, but when it happened Czcibor took it the worst. Rather than slowly building a revolutionary movement (Toland) or trying to do what you can with what's immediately around you (Młynar), Czcibor became convinced that the country needed violent change, and while he was at it he could take revenge on those who let him down. This included Młynar, as Czcibor was convinced that Młynar could have intervened to save Czcibor's lover from trumped up charges. It would have been impossible - there were too many powers in on it. But again Młynar's tendency to offer no excuses for himself and little explanation either (saying only that it wouldn't have worked) makes things worse. In a mirror image of his treacherous family members, Czcibor hatches a plot to incite Kazimierz into attacking Leithanien, with some framing of Młynar as a bonus. Młynar and Toland each figure this out. Młynar asks Toland to go save the Leithanien ambassador who's due to be assassinated, while he goes to confront Czcibor. Młynar wanted to give Czcibor this last chance, wanted to let him turn back on his own if he still could. But by the time he reached Czcibor, the man was too far gone down this path. Though he didn't agree with what Czcibor said, Młynar heard him out, and respected some of the questions that led Czcibor to this point. And he killed him.

When questioned afterwards, Młynar refuses to admit to any regrets or grief. But in the moment, he did mourn. And the next steps he took were to set things right for some of the people who were caught up as pawns in the scheme. He wishes he could fix it. But at least he stopped things from being worse.

Deer Country Attributes

• Canon Powers: First, it's worth noting that all the types of furry races of Terra have a higher baseline of strength and endurance than normal Earth humans. As a Pegasian Kuranta (horse person), Młynar is also exceptionally fast, can run long distances without tiring, and has keen eyesight.

Młynar is proficient in Arts, which are honestly ill-defined from a story standpoint, but I'll try to sum up what we know. All of the Nearl family have light-themed Arts, but Młynar's are noted to have a different quality. Instead of dazzling bursts of light, his Arts typically manifest as a seemingly gentle glow, most prominently in the form of a mist or a soft glowing rain. The apparent gentleness is deceptive - his powers are extremely destructive, noted for having a huge amount of anger behind them. That rain will eat through anything, from armor to the entire Rhodes Island training room. He also appears to have powers connected with manipulating perception. At one point he uses light to distract an enemy for the moment it takes to get close enough to put his sword to their throat. Gameplay-wise, he's the first unit to have a permanent taunt, drawing enemy attention to him over any other unit. It's unclear whether or not Młynar can heal with his Arts, but it's possible based on the fact that both his nieces can.

In addition to his Arts, Młynar is simply an extremely skilled fighter. He appears to have confidence in his unarmed combat skills, is competent with all traditional knightly weapons, and is outstanding with a sword. He never allowed himself to get rusty during his decade as an office worker.

• Blood Type: Darkblood
• Omen: a pegasus (legally obligated)
• Blessed Day: December 3
• Patron Pthumerian: Dorothea
• Blood Power Manifestation: Młynar's blood powers will be based around his canon powers and gameplay mechanics, but with the vagueness of the former removed.

Golden mist: a mist that drains and disorients others caught in it

Golden rain: ah, a nice glowing shower of gentle ohmygodisthisacidrain

Blinding speed: using light to blind or distract an enemy long enough for him to seemingly teleport

Illusions: this will be the biggest change for him - the ability to create whole illusionary figures or entirely hide the existence of others. it'll require training to use at a scale larger than one person, and possible to see through with the right powers. but still a powerful tactical tool.

Reflective shields: creating an aura around himself or others that reflects a portion of damage directed towards them. this can work even when someone is far away from him.

Writing Samples

One: here
Two: and here

The Player

• Player Name: Orlando
• Player Age: 34
• Player Contact:
• Permissions: Here.

Other Characters

Lucius Artorius Castus (Askeladd)

Link to Character 1 overall AC: link