Guiscard Hauteville

[Kenshin]

First Name: Guiscard (aka "Gentleman Jules")
Last Name: Hauteville
Appearance: Tall and well muscled with a medium build, Guiscard is extremely handsome and exudes an air of cultivation in his appearance and arrogance in his manners.
Race: Human
Age: 22
Height: 186 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 86 kg (190 pounds)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black (shoulder length and generally artfully tousled to display his fine features to advantage)
Facial Hair Style: Clean-shaven

Personality Profile: Guiscard uses the alias "Gentleman Jules" and at least superficially appears to be a soldier of fortune with independent means. Well educated and traveled and possessing a quick wit he can be charming when he desires. Bitterness over his misfortunes have rendered him sarcastic and given to cutting remarks. Though he is little more than a vagabond at this point, Guiscard still puts on the air of a noble at leisure, slumming with unwashed 'commoners'.
General Health: Good
Deity: Istishia
Initial Alignment: Neutral Evil
Profession: Noble turned Wanderer
Base Class & Proposed Development: Favored Soul
Habits/Hobbies: Having fallen on hard times and having found a measure of grounding through a sense of entitlement and vanity, Guiscard spends what funds he has to keep up appearances. Driven by deep discontent, he spends most of his time plotting and scheming to regain the position and wealth that was lost through the ruin of his family.
Languages: Common and Elven
Weapon of Choice: Warhammer

Background:

Born and raised as the only son in the noble merchant house of Hauteville (in the Tethyrian city of Zazesspur) Guiscard received education and training befitting his station. At the age of 18 he entered the family business, becoming an officer on one of the family's merchantman. Within a few months he rose to the position of captain and over the next three years his galleon sailed the western seas from as far south as Port Nyranzaru in Chult to as far north as Luskan on the northern Sword Coast. During this time Guiscard lived the life of a gentleman trader, taking far more interest in the joys of the voyages themselves than in keeping up with business matters. It therefore came as a complete shock to him when upon his return to Zazesspur in early 1347 DR he learned that the family's business holdings were teetering on the verge of collapse. Unbeknownst to Guiscard, subsequent to his mother's death a few years prior to this crisis, his father, Tancred, had increasingly given himself up to a life of excess and dissolution, incurring massive debts in the process.

Faced with ruin, Tancred now turned to his only son to try to save the day. Guiscard proceeded to sell all of the family's possessions, save for the fleet and warehouses, to satisfy his father's local creditors. He then used the remaining funds to underwrite a large-scale expedition to the Jungles of Chult. Five months later half of the ships that sailed out of port limped into the harbor in Zazesspur carrying a large cargo of rare herbs, precious spices, and exotic hardwoods. After the cargo had been warehoused, Guiscard immediately set about to negotiate a settlement with Tancred's Calim creditors. This was on the 12th of Eleint. By the morning of the 14th news had reached Zazesspur that king Alemander IV had been murdered. The rest of that day the political discontent that had been building for years in Tethyr began to spill into the streets. By the time the sun had set angry mobs were burning and looting in many parts of the city.

Guiscard's father, his sister Maude, and the family's few loyal retainers died that night having barricaded themselves within the Hauteville warehouses in an attempt to escape from the angry mob. Guiscard fought running battles with rioters trying to get through to the family's quayside warehouses from the Calim trade mission in central Zazesspur. He reached the harbor just as the sun began to rise only to find the warehouses burned to the ground with a number of charred corpses scattered amidst the ruins. As he turned away from the grim scene Guiscard caught the glint of metal from the corner of his eye. His father's signet ring had resisted the flames and a small part of it, free of dirt, soot, or tarnish now gleamed in the early morning light. During Guiscard's unsuccessful search for his sister's matching ring feelings of sorrow, self-pity, hatred, and contempt vied within him and eventually coalesced into a silent rage. Self-preservation had to come first, he knew, but there would come a time when he would sate his need for retribution.

Guiscard left Zazesspur behind that morning. Some of the merchant vessels that hastily withdrew from the harbor during the previous day had now returned, whether out of curiosity or the hope of salvaging some cargo, he knew not and cared even less. He bought passage on a merchantman bound for Waterdeep with what gold he had and the promise of his strong arm should pirates need to be repelled. Guiscard introduced himself to the captain as Jules, and over the six weeks he spent aboard the Pelican the crew came to refer to him as "Gentleman Jules". If this was in jest, they were sure to keep it to themselves after witnessing his prowess against pirates and some unruly sailors, whom he had occasion to chastise. Moneyless and not wishing to be recognized in Waterdeep, where he had an enjoyable stay a year or two previously, Guiscard disembarked from the Pelican during its port call at Baldur's Gate. His needs were clear and he was certain that the upheaval in the area would present opportunities aplenty to a resourceful man.


Goals: To rebuild the Hauteville family fortune and achieve a secure base of power.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:

Family lore has it that noble house of Hauteville has a divine connection to the sea going back some three hundred years to the founder of the dynasty, a certain Bohemond by name. It is said that Bohemond's father, an explorer named Drogo, captured the heart of the sea elf princess Sybilla during one of his voyages of discovery. Upon the birth of their son, Bohemond, Sybilla revealed that the royal family of her tribe has been granted a boon by Istishia: all male offspring of the family would be able to call upon the Water Lord's power directly. Sure enough, from the time he had learned how to speak, Bohemond was able to use minor blessings spontaneously. In time, as his power grew, he rose to prominence and wealth and utilizing his natural business instincts he founded the Hauteville trading house. Ever since then, though the noble house of Hauteville's fortunes have waxed and waned, the family has kept its faith in the Water Lord, and all male children were blessed with the boon of Istishia.

[Kenshin]

Any chance of getting this biographical brief reviewed?

[DM RabidBadger]

*bump. Waiting to see them in game to reward.

[DM RabidBadger]

Reviewed - XP rewarded