Shepherd
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Shepherd
209
16-4-8086 / Tuesday, Day 16th of the Month of Arrival, Year of Coins 8086
6'2"
Male
Dark Elf
Sage
Banker | Trafficker
Dark Blossoming
Likes
Money | Whisky | Coffee | Dogs | Art (Romanticism) | Tax loop holes
Dislikes
Dirt | Poor quality materials | Opera | The Poor | Cats
Personality
Disciplined | Calculative | Controlling | Dismissive | Intolerant | Sadistic
By day, Shepherd plays the straightlaced banker, Mr Thompson, who specialises in insurance. A boring man with a busy life that is all strictly business. Shepherd strives to be so dull and so to the letter that no one remembers him beyond his financial advice.
Shepherd thrives in the criminal underground, where he is well-known for his connections, dubious business dealings, and trafficking network. Shepherd is manipulative and controlling by nature, a man who fakes his emotions, his history and his interests to get close to the vulnerable, preying on their desperation. Shepherd takes pride in the quality of his work and enjoys controlling every element. This leads him to have a specific way of working, and he expects others to meet his standards. Any deviation from his plans or expectations quickly gets under his skin and forces him to course correct by any means. His low tolerance for poor behaviour and failure makes him difficult to work with, but it ensures that high-quality results are achieved.
Strangers may only have a few minutes to impart a good impression. He maintains a composed and polite demeanor towards his clients and those who command respect. If they fail to add value to the conversation, Shepherd quickly deems them useless and irrelevant, and will not tolerate foolishness for long. He’s careful not to step on the foot of influential underbelly bosses and expects to be treated with the same respect.
History
Shepherd shares very little about his past, seeing no value in others knowing where he’s from or what he’s experienced. He claims to have a rather plain family just like anyone else.
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In truth, Shepherd came from simple means. A son of a poor sheep farmer had no upward mobility in a matrilineal royalist society, he set off for the military as soon as he turned of age. Discovering an aptitude for magic, he was pushed to become an officer’s underling, running errands and chores between training and drills. It was tiresome work, but Shepherd could easily settle into the routine for years.
Shepherd doesn’t fully understand what drove him to end his career in flames, why did he set the encampment alight? What he does remember was the cries of the soldiers and the smell of burnt flesh.
Throwing away his name, his identity, and his home, Shepherd fled Reluir.
Shepherd found himself in Tusa with no money to his name. With no paperwork or anyone to vouch for the newcomer, Shepherd fell between cracks into the underworld. The work was simple enough, shake down those who owed a drug lord money and if they couldn’t pay up, there were other ways to settle their dues. His years on the bottom rung taught him a thing or two about that world: how to navigate it, and how to manipulate it. Shepherd, despite his humble beginnings, was quick to learn and found he had a knack for this new life.
The meager coppers never satisfied the hunger in his stomach. He had seen the decadence that the wealthy drowned themselves in and he wanted it for himself. Making off with pockets lined with gems, Shepherd made his way to the bright city of Koben and carved out a name for himself.
A hundred or so years pass, Shepherd stands on an empire of his own. His name was known among circles that mattered and his business reached corners of the empire, either crushing or absorbing competition that stood in his way. These days he focuses on handling the paper and clientele side of his work, leaving the dirty work to his underlings.
Current Story
Shepherd has never been interested in the ‘real world’, in its leaders, or its gods. He does not care about anything beyond his work, and would rather not the real world impede that.
The war with the Kingdom brought a hole in his roof. The Ley elk brought him a stranger willing to work. Reluir blowing up brought back his butler. The change of imperial family brought him nothing more than a mild nuisance. Still nothing that could interest him in the real world.
Yet by accident one thorn kept appearing in his life again and again. Leaving Shepherd with hidden memories and unanswered questions.
Additional Info
Very established in Koben with connections to the brothels, underground fighting pits and wealthy. He considers himself a provider for his clientele.
His work does require him to work across the Empire. He's mostly focused on Koben, Linhythe, Song-lu and formerly Tusa (before the creation of the Southern Federation). He has a smaller stake in Linhythe, trying his best not to rock the boat. The rats fighting over scraps are not worth his attention.
Dedicated owner over two very spoiled dogs: Duke (Doberman - Guard dog) and Kassandra (Danish Spitz - Jester)
Longsighted
Never forgets a face
Germaphobe
Mildly allergic to Cats
Aliases
Shepherd (Criminal Alias)
Alex Thompson (Public facing name, goes by Thompson)
John Smith
Dyllan Jones