Germain
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| Level | Level 10 |
| Race | Human |
| Class | Professional 6, Ranger 1, Dragoman 2, Bard 1 |
| Armor | Masterwork Studded Leather, Barbarian King's Buckler |
| Weapon(s) | Coldheart Bow, Sap, or Masterwork Bog-Iron Longsword |
| Hometown | Unknown (Flannary or Fresia) |
Germain was a citizen of Wydmoor who quickly rose to prominence during his tenure in Edrell's City Guard, and perished along with his friends Egtheladanna Krin and Marhagarain while orchestrating the evacuation of the city during the Odessan Invasion. 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, political assassinations, and Edrell's promotion to City Magus provided him with ample opportunities to build his reputation and power. At the height of his career, he commanded a small group of guardsmen and investigators, had close ties with the Halflings of Onrarch Landing, and held a seat at the Bog Wraiths' war room. Because of his commitment to Wydmoor's lower classes at the expense of the nobility, his association with the Odessan turncoat Edrell, and his opposition to the Wydmoor Thieves' Guild, he earned himself a number of powerful enemies. In his final days, he found himself opposed by the Bog Wraiths, hunted by mysterious leaders of the guild, and abandoned by his friends the Silverwalkers.
Contents
Phyiscal Description
Physically, Germain was a handsome young man with a slight build but a powerful presence. Much of the time, he wore well-fitted, high-quality armor and weapons, which served to some degree to counterbalance his unimposing figure. In general, he was a fashion-forward dresser, and sported fitted and modestly adorned clothes and jewelery appropriate for minor nobles or successful merchants. He wore his wavy, light-brown hair cropped to his ears and slicked back with copious amounts of oil, and he kept a thin, well-groomed pencil moustache. He had clear, blue eyes that were always alert, betraying his sharp intellect. In public, he was quick to smile and laugh, and he had the friendly and complimentary personality of a politician or socialite.
Personality and Qualities
Germain's most significant strength was his masterful understanding of society, politics, and culture. His political skills, in particular, were par excellence: he demonstrated a commanding demeanor, and showed himself capable of controlling social situations through charm, subterfuge, and intimidation alike. Supporting this were his sharp senses; few facts, no matter how small, sliped past his discerning eyes and ears, and fewer still could hide from his insights into the human mind. Germain was no specialist, however, and his passable skills as a naturalist, tracker, animal handler, historian, religious scholar, and cartographer contributed to many of the party's endeavours.
While not particularly adept in combat, Germain was helpful and well-trained, and often found ways to assist more capable allies. Despite his lack of martial talent, he 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 lacked the physical prowess and combat experience of a veteran warrior, he was a brave man who was 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 and providing cover fire.
Despite his persuasive and charming public face, Germain's friends were exposed to a number of personal idiosyncrasies and hypocrisies. Perhaps most glaring was the discrepancy between his public and private morals--while he represented himself publicly as an honest lawman, civil protector, and hero to the people, he had no personal qualms against propaganda, collateral damage to innocents, torture, and assassination (although in his defense he did not seem to revel in it). Also, he displayed a tiresome obsession with public appearance and the nuanced meanings of conversations, often forcing others to follow along as he read tea leaves for even minor interactions. Perhaps not surprisingly, this obsession sometimes crippled his decision making abilities, as he was occasionally so preoccupied with suspicions that was not able to act decisively. Regardless, he showed himself to be brave and loyal, although how one earned such loyalty was widely variable. Despite his personal lax morals, he consistently chose to advance noble endeavorers over blatantly self-serving ones.
Upbringing and History
Germain was traditionally been quite evasive about his life before Wydmoor, and was in fact operating under an assumed name. For those outside his circle of trust, he claimed to hail from the Flannary side of the Fresian border, and was trying to distance himself from his family due to some politically difficult situation. While this answer was generally correct, the reality was far less sinister: his parents were 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. Towards the end of his life, however, Germain had become a good bit more open with his friends the Silverwalkers, and they knew 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 somewhere else, 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. In the end, despite his vagabond nature, he refused to abandoned his adopted city. He died leading a final defense of the city, holding the breach as long as possible against the siege golems as the citizen refugees carried the bulk of the city's remaining wealth off into the swamps, denying the Odessans any recompense or profit from their actions.
Administrative Details
SPOILER: Germain's Character Sheet
SPOILER: Germain's Character Sheet (Pathfinder)
Investigations
Stories About Germain
Trivia
- He wore a +kitten leather cloak+ of dwarven make, which helped save him during a harsh winter trek
- He wore an absolutely fabulous earring that gave him +1 on all intelligence skill checks, and clicky that cast eagle's splendor once per day but removes the skill bonus
- He was guaranteed to turn an indifferent NPC into a helpful one, and he could make an unfriendly one helpful 50% of the time
- He was 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 was even capable of lying to Germain without magical enhancement was 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
