Shep

I wrote up Shep a few years ago as the protagonist of Solo adventure (like the old choose-your-own path books) for Risus. The setting is within the world of the movie Metropolis by Fritz Lang. I've altered him a little to get him ready to play in another Risus pbp game set in a Metropolis variant.

Here are his stats and story:

Attendant Class Security Specialist (4)
Tireless Resource Fixer (3)
Cool Methodical Gambler (2)
Washed-out seminary student (1)

Shep is a 'Shepherd,' or a personal security attendant for Abel Rogge, one of the Masters of Metropolis. He served the Rogge family faithfully for two years, when he was tasked with guarding Rogge's daughter Althea. She had received threatening letters from a group calling itself the 'Knights of the Blue Linen,' a Worker's terrorist group. Althea was kidnapped and taken to the catacombs below Metropolis. Shep tracked her down and found that rather than a victim, Althea was a member of the cell! Shep returned Althea to her father, but rather than expressing gratitude, Rogge deemed the incident to be scandalous, and terminated Shep's employment.

Originally, Shep had sensed a calling to the ministry in order to provide hope to the masses who call the city their home. But he quickly became disillusioned with the corrupt prelates in power at the cathedral, yet was not 'radical' enough in his views to be attracted to the Gothic sect. Instead, he dropped out and took on his current role. In fact, he is so completely lost in this new life that he does not even use his given name, preferring instead to be known by his profession. He is Shepherd, or more familiarly, Shep.

Currently Shep takes on the odd freelance assignment, where he operates with impeccable discretion.

He carries with him a pistol.

Wes Jolly
Mercenary Gunner

Wes is not as developed as some of the other characters I've written up. I haven't played him yet, but hope to in an upcoming Risus Car Wars/Autoduel play-by-post (pbp) game.

Cliches:
Former Texas Ranger who's seen a lot of strange things in his day (4)
Twitchy-fingered Gun Bunny (3)
Crackerjack Auto Mechanic (2)
Mournful Harmonica Player (1)

History: Wes is very evasive when asked about his history. All he mentions is that he was a member of the elite Texas Rangers, but will decline to elaborate as to which company he was assigned to or even what cases he worked. He does have a noticeable aversion to windowless rooms, and a peculiar attitude that most problems can be solved using firearms. For other problems, his skills as a mechanic take over. When Wes tries to relax, he pulls out a harmonica. Sadly, his talent there doesn't quite measure up to the other areas in his life.

Description: Wes is tall and lanky, with a shock of unruly reddish-brown hair and matching beard. Most people guess that Wes is between 30 and 35 years of age, but he will not reveal his exact age.

Equipment: Flak vest (w/ pockets for spare magazines, cartridges, grenades, etc.), pistol (with belt and holster), five AP grenades, and round Polarizing sunglasses.

Bip Jedditt, Jedi Academy Dropout

I have not had an opportunity to play Bip yet, and I wrote him up mostly as an exercise in learning the SKETCH system from Farsight Games (see a good review here).

At any rate, his stats and story are below:

STR 5

Agility 4
Combat 3
Technical 6
Personality 5
Sciences 3
Starships 2

Force 4


Bip was born on Darkknell, a planet in the Outer Rim Territories. Early on he was determined to be Force-Sensitive and sent to the Jedi Academy on Coruscant. However, he was not a great student, and didn't adapt well to the discipline of the Order so he eventually (in his middle teenaged years) dropped out to return home.

Although he returned to his family and childhood friends too many things had changed. First of all, though they never said so, Bip could tell his family was disappointed in his decision to leave the Academy. Second, many of his friends had grown up and he was no longer a part of their world. Third, and perhaps most importantly, his time at Coruscant had given him a taste for travel throughout the system. He decided to take a journey of self-discovery and began bouncing around the sector, doing odd jobs as he found them in order to survive.

Following my posting of Brother Clary, I decided I'd go back and start pulling all my other characters that I've either played, am currently playing or want to play here. First up is:

Ya'qub ibn Wahid al Kadir

Ya'qub is a merchant caravaneer who secretly (well, not so much now) dabbles in Fire Magic. He is my character in a play-by-post Arabian Nights-inspired game using modified Risus rules. I've played Ya'qub, off and on, about five years.

At the end of the first campaign, Ya'qub ended up with a wife and is now engaged in a venture that makes use of his father's old sailing vessel (now repaired), the Bright Dancer.

Fast-Talking Merchant (5)
Likeable Scatterbrained Caravaneer (3)
Dabbler in Fire Magic [3]
Sidekick/Camel "Nasim":
* Smelly Dead-eye (with spit Merchant Camel (2)
* Bellowing Uncanny Locator of Water (1)

Lucky Shots
[ ] [ ] [ ]

Hook: Begins to lisp when excited, making Ya'qub hard to understand

Description: Short, balding, slightly pudgy individual, with a moon-shaped face and wide, gapped-toothed smile. His hair (or what's left of it) and beard is black with a barely-perceptible reddish tint to it.

Tale: Ya'qub is a Fast-Talking Merchant and a Likeable Scatterbrained Caravaneer.

He is often seen with his smelly camel "Nasim" who possesses a dealy aim with with spit and has an uncanny sense of how to find water in the desert.

Often, he will begins to lisp when excited, making Ya'qub hard to understand

Description: Short, balding, slightly pudgy individual, with a moon-shaped face and wide, gapped-toothed smile. His hair (or what's left of it) and beard is black with a barely-perceptible reddish tint to it.

Tale: Ya'Qub is the son of an average merchant family. Bandits murdered his father while Ya'Qub was quite young, leaving him to be raised by his hard-working mother and grandparents. Before his teenaged years, he began helping the family business at the market stall of his hometown.

In his mid-twenties, following a failed romantic adventure, he signed on with a caravan traveling the merchant routes. It was obvious to the owner of the caravan that Ya'Qub had a knack for administration and working with camels, so he was made the caravaneer, or leader of the caravan.

On one particular route, his caravan was attacked by bandits, who beat Ya'Qub and made off with all of his goods. The attack knocked a few teeth out (giving him his gap-toothed smile) and a little scatterbrained.

In general, Ya'Qub is a very good-natured and likeable man, who prefers to talk his way out of trouble than fight. People seem well-disposed to Ya'Qub. He is not a complete pacifist, however. Ya'Qub has a wicked-looking dagger he keeps under his shirt, a dying gift from his father, or so his grandfather told him...

Many of my previous posts have come from my faith-orientation, and I know that there are some readers who don't necessarily share that. So in an effort to appeal to them, I present to you Brother Clary.

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