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Valerian Fairchild

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2024 4:51 am
by Valerian Fairchild
Name: Valerian Fairchild

Race: Tallman

Age: 43

Appearance:
Slender and with good posture, Valerian often gives the impression of being taller than his 170cm frame. His features are sharp, and he dresses simply and practically, though with great attention to proper tailoring and fit. Though preferring to be clean-shaven and keeping his greying hair short and tidy, he can often be found sporting unkempt stubble and with hair long enough to need slicking back, creating a look that may or may not remind people of a greased ferret. Notably, Valerian has two simple silver hoops through each earlobe, and a triangular chunk punched out from his right ear's helix. His facial scars are mostly small; the rest of his body is littered with scars speaking of more than one attempt on his life.
Image

Personality:
In theory, Valerian had charisma once. It's been a long time since he's had a need to use it, and like a neglected Tamagotchi pet, it might well be dead. Still, he manages to be courteous and not antagonistic, though "warmth" and "friendliness" are milestones he has yet to reach. His sense of humor is dry and self-deprecating, entirely appropriate for a man with the vibes of a career substitute teacher. He's intelligent enough, and would describe himself as an enthusiast of puzzles, fine arts, and music. Interacting with him gives the impression that he did not expect to have to do this, for a nebulous definition of "this," but there's no help for it now and he has accepted his fate. At this point, he's trying to scrape together whatever life he can manage, and figure out where to go from there. There is no point in time where he does not secretly wish for an uncomplicated nap.

Skills:
Expert: Art (Forgery), Organization (Logistics and Project Management), Item Appraisal
Adept: Science (Biochemistry: Poison, Venom), Defensive fighting (short blades: daggers, knives), Ranged attack (shortbow)
Thinks He Is Adept, Is Absolutely Not Adept; Also Is Not Allowed By Stipulations of His Parole/Exile: Combustion magic, Necromancy
Better Than Nothing: Lockpicking, Stealth, Weapon Repair

Background:
Valerian grew up in undercity slums, a member of the urchin gangs that fought for and ran through the alleyways and gutters. A talent for forgery brought him some extra funds and a bit more respect than a run-of-the-mill orphan. When he was old enough, he was taught lockpicking and simple ranged fighting and sent off into the dungeons to bring back coin or to tidily dispose of himself, whichever. Valerian used this opportunity to hone his fighting skills, learn what he could about dungeon flora and poisonous creatures, and make contacts among adventurers with malleable moralities. He leveraged connection after connection, tidy murder after tidy murder, and built himself a sizable base of criminal allies. With years of hard work and cutthroat politics, Valerian successfully established himself as the leader of a gang in control of the human encampments in levels one and two of a local dungeon.

With enough power, Valerian indulged his ambitions: fine clothes he'd never been able to afford previously, well-made weapons, and an education in combustion/explosion magic and questionably legal necromancy. It was likely the latter that led to his downfall (and certainly the interest of elven and gnomish authorities), but certainly it wasn't helped by the efforts of a plucky gang of teens interested in bringing Valerian down.

An annoyingly speedy trial later, and Valerian lost it all: his underlings turned against him, either for leniency from the law or for the favor of up-and-coming crime bosses ready to fill in the power vacuum; his carefully organized empire crumbled, and the only reason he wasn't sentenced to death was that a full prison sentence was actually shorter than the wait for an execution.

That, more than anything, stung. All that power and not even the dignity of people willing to wait to have his head on a pike. No more money, no more underlings, no more magic – just a stone cell and after a sentence served, an ignominious release and exile to The Island.

In his youth, Valerian did lockpicking and ranged fighting. By the time he began to learn dubiously legal magic, he'd stopped working for dungeon parties and started extorting them. Currently, he's returned to his roots and now offers his services as a logistics manager for expeditions, as well as being available for combat if necessary. Obviously, it would be easier if he was allowed to use magic once again, but nooo, that's not acceptable due to "collateral damage" and "you have not proven yourself trustworthy quite yet, Mr. Fairchild."

Typical Role in Dungeon Parties:
Logistics management, ranged combat/cover

Re: Valerian Fairchild

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2024 10:08 am
by Creature
How convenient it is for him that there really isn't anyone on this island who's going to be checking whether or not he's allowed to use magic or not. Convenient indeed!

Approved!