Difference between revisions of "Germain"

Revision as of 10:24, 22 December 2011

Character Stats

Level	Level 8
Race	Human
Class	Professional 5, Ranger 1, Dragoman 1, Bard 1
Armor	Masterwork Studded Leather, Barbarian King's Buckler
Weapon(s)	Coldheart Bow, Sap, or Longsword
Hometown	Unknown (Flannary or Fresia)

 Germain is a recent citizen of Wydmoor who quickly rose to prominence during his tenure in Edrell's City Guard. In the guard, he established himself has an attentive, discerning, and politically cunning agent, and was given significant authority in a short time. The Odessan Invasion, recent political assassinations, and Edrell's promotion to City Magus have provided him with ample opportunities to build his reputation and power. Today he commands a small group of guardsmen and investigators, has close ties with the Halflings of Onrarch Landing, and holds a seat at the Bog Wraiths' war room.

Phyiscal Description

Physically, Germain is a handsome young man with a slight build but a powerful presence. Much of the time, he wears well-fitted, high-quality armor and weapons, which serves to some degree to counterbalance his unimposing figure. In general, he is a fashion-forward dresser, and sports fitted and modestly adorned clothes and jewelery appropriate for minor nobles or successful merchants. He wears his wavy, light-brown hair cropped to his ears and slicked back with copious amounts of oil, and he sports a thin, well-groomed moustache. He has clear, blue eyes that are always alert, betraying his sharp intellect. In public, he is quick to smile and laugh, and he has the friendly and complimentary personality of a politician or socialite.

Personality and Qualities

Germain's most significant strength is his masterful understanding of society, politics, and culture. His political skills, in particular, are par excellence: he demonstrates a commanding demeanor, and has shown himself to capable of controlling social situations through charm, subterfuge, and intimidation alike. Supporting this are his sharp senses; few facts, no matter how small, slip past his discerning eyes and ears, and fewer still can hide from his insights into the human mind. Germain is no specialist, however, and his passable skills as a naturalist, tracker, animal handler, historian, religious scholar, and cartographer contribute to many of the party's endeavours.

While not particularly adept in combat, Germain is helpful and well-trained, and often finds ways to assist more capable allies. Despite his lack of martial talent, he has demonstrated training with a wide range of weapons and armors, a mastery of defensive fighting techniques, and a cunning tactical mind befitting a soldier. Although he clearly lacks the physical prowess and combat experience of a veteran warrior, he is a brave man who is not afraid of creating diversions and aiding his allies on the front-lines, even at the cost of exposing himself to considerable risk. As a result, he aids his companions through tactical positioning (flank!) and combat maneuvers (aid another!) in melee, and in the back protecting the casters from archers with his shield.

Despite his persuasive and charming public face, Germain's friends are exposed to a number of personal idiosyncrasies and hypocrisies. Perhaps most glaring is the discrepancy between his public and private morals--while he represents himself publicly as an honest lawman, civil protector, and hero to the people, he has no personal qualms against propaganda, collateral damage to innocents, torture, and assassination (although he does not seem to revel in it). Also, he displays a tiresome obsession with public appearance and the nuanced meanings of conversations, often forcing others to follow along as he reads the tea leaves for even minor interactions. Perhaps not surprisingly, the obsession sometimes cripples his decision making abilities, as he is occasionally so preoccupied with suspicions that he can have difficulty acting decisively. Regardless, he has shown himself to be brave and loyal when action is necessary, although how one goes about earning such loyalty is widely variable. Despite his personal lax morals, he has consistently chosen to advance noble endeavorer over blatantly self-serving ones.

Upbringing and History

Germain has traditionally been quite evasive about his life before Wydmoor, and is in fact operating under an assumed name. For those outside his circle of trust, he claims to hail from the Flannary side of the Fresian border and that he is trying to distance himself from his family due to some politically difficult situation. While this answer is generally correct, the reality is far less sinister: his parents are successful and self-made political actors, and Germain didn't want to besmirch their name if he became infamous in Wydmoor for his shady activities and lax morals. In recent months, however, Germain has become a good bit more open with his friends the Silverwalkers, and they know more about the reality of his life.

He was born into an ambitious family that has carved out a reasonable chunk of power in Fresia. His father is an appointed military governor in a lightly-contested Fresian border town. His accomplishments maintaining peace locally and managing border skirmishes has made him popular both with the people and the Fresian government, and he achieved reasonable political clout in the area. His mother is a deposed Flannari noble, and consequently an effective and ambitious social climber. She has increased the social polish and status of the family, as well as provided a noble bloodline and cultured upbringing to the couples' five children.

Germain was born the fourth child and second son of his tight-knit family. His parents were extremely active in educating and training all of their children, who have in turn grown into capable and successful young adults. They grew up sparing with soldiers, accompanying their father on patrol, attending formal dinners and parties organized by their mother, and receiving a strong education in history and culture. Although Germain showed himself to be a passable soldier, his mental and social facilities truly stood out. Like his eldest sister before him, his parents chose to fund an expensive university education at the University of Ubrekt.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his privileged upbringing, Germain was an extremely difficult child. Even from a young age, he was willful, ambitious, and cunning, and was constantly pushing to control his own destiny. His parents, who recognized their own qualities in the young man, were more than qualified to handle him at home. Outside of their walls, however, he was a force to be reckoned with, and he was a constant source trouble for the nearby townsfolk. As Germain grew older, these hijinks became more of a political problem for his parents--a fact that contributed to the decision to send Germain to university and his eventual decision to move to Wydmoor.

At university in Ubrekti City, he became a man of his own accord for the first time, and took full advantage of it. He possessed natural mental aptitudes and a fierce attention span that allowed him to perform his studies passably with little effort. The rest of his time he spent engaged in behavior that was irresponsible at best, and often illegal or immoral. Because Germain's parents were not proper landed, wealthy nobles, he had little in petty cash, and had to fund his activities through rich friends, benefactors, or "entrepreneurial" activities. To this end, he built up a sizeable network in Ubkreti City, skills as a con artist, and a number of friends among the landed gentry.

With his education completed, both Germain and his family knew that he would not be able to settle in his home town. His father gifted him a small nest-egg to start a life there, and Germain packed his bags and left. His destination was Wydmoor Free City, a place famous for its shady dealings and fast talkers that he could call home.

Administrative Details

Germain's Contacts

Germain's Flunkies

Germain's Plans

SPOILER: Germain's Character Sheet

Investigations

• Kathkallan Investigation
• Odessan Invasion

Stories About Germain

• Interview at the Mill

Trivia

• He wears a +kitten leather cloak+ of dwarven make, which helped save him during a harsh winter trek
• He wears an absolutely fabulous earring that gives him +1 on all intelligence skill checks, and clicky that casts eagle's splendor once per day but removes the skill bonus
• He is guaranteed to turn an indifferent NPC into a helpful one, and he can make an unfriendly one helpful 50% of the time
• He is guaranteed to contribute something useful in any conversation on the following subjects: geography, history, nature, nobility, royalty, Ubrekt City, and Wydmoor
• The only 1st level NPC (with NPC classes) that is even capable of lying to Germain without magical enhancement is a half-elf. The best liars by my reckoning are:
  • bluff +14 -- human; charisma: 18; bluff: 4 ranks; feats: skill focus (bluff) and improved skill focus (bluff)
  • bluff +12 -- assimar/drow; charisma: 20; bluff: 4 ranks; feats: skill focus (bluff)
  • bluff +13 -- half-elf; charisma: 18; bluff: 4 ranks; feats: skill focus (bluff), racial bonus