Rogier Court-Manteau

[Kenshin]

First Name: Rogier
Last Name: Court-Manteau
Primary Alias: Jeremiah Puddletoes
Nickname: Rog or Remy

Appearance:

Race: Strongheart 'Tallfellow' Halfling
Sex: Male
Age: 21
Height: 4'
Weight: 85 Pounds
Eyes: Ice blue
Hair: Black, kept long in a ponytail
Facial Hair Style: Moustache and goatee

Personality Profile:

General Health: Very good
Deity: Brandobaris
Initial Alignment: True Neutral, Rogier understands the need for order but feels that laws are often crafted by those in power to safeguard their own interests.
Profession: A jack of all trades, Rogier has focused on mastering stealth and infiltration
Base Class & Proposed Development: Rogue, with a focus on exploiting opponents' vulnerabilities.
Languages: Common, Halfling, Elven, Gnomish
Weapon of Choice: Short sword

Background:

Born into a well-to-do merchant family - the Court-Manteaus of Esmeltaran in Amn - much of Rogier's youth was spent in comfortable circumstances. Unlike the somewhat manic personality of his older sister, Rose, Rogier's disposition tended towards a mix of curiosity and guile from the time he could express himself. Soon after his mother's death in childbirth, during his early adolescence, Rogier's father decided to remarry. To please his young wife, the Court-Manteau patriarch decided to send his two children away from home to "finish their schooling and gain a foothold in the world". Rogier was sent to Athkatla to live with his uncle, Henri, under whose tutelage he was to become a trader. The boy filled with a spirit of adventure adjusted to living in Athkatla quickly. His uncle, Henri Beauclerc, was well pleased with Rogier's rapid progress in learning management and bookkeeping techniques as well as his quick wit. In his nephew he saw a quicker and more glib version of himself though, of course, Rogier still had to develop a hard-nosed edge if he was ever to run Beauclerc Traders. Though there was not much differentiating the Bridge district where his uncle's home stood from the nearby slums, Rogier quite enjoyed his colorful surroundings. He made friends relatively easily and, with a knack for wheeling and dealing, he was able to profit on his own account from time to time. At one point he even formed a short-lived partnership with an eccentric young gnome named Jan Jensen that only failed after a promising start due to the Great Turnip Blight of 1343.

The arrival of his sister, Rose, excited Rogier and he hoped that they would be able to build upon the close bond they shared as children. The changes in his sister startled the happy-go-lucky Rogier, however, and he became increasingly concerned about her militant desire to fight for the 'rights' of the Hin people of Athkatla. To Rogier's annoyance uncle Henri helped incite Rose further with his complaints about the unfair 'levies' of the infamous Shadow Thieves guild upon his business. Rogier subsequently tried to fill Rose in on the realities of life in the Amnian capital and the power exercised by the Shadow Thieves throughout the poorer parts of the city. As weeks turned to months after Rose's arrival Rogier's hopes that his sister would calm down seemed to bear fruit until one day thugs working for the Shadow Thieves dropped by the offices of Beauclerc Traders and roughed up some of Henri's employees. Though Rose said nothing, within days of the incident news of attacks on the guild's couriers spread throughout the district. Soon a large bounty was offered for information leading to the capture of the masked attacker, who was described as possibly a very tall Hin. Informants were not hard to find and only Rogier's quick wit in surmising that that the vigilante may be his sister saved the day. He confronted Rose regarding the matter and when the latter confirmed his fears he alerted his uncle to the threat and by the time the agents of the guild surrounded the house the three of them were already onboard a ship bound for Murann. With his house and business seized by the Shadow Thieves, an embittered Henri would sail on to Lantan to see if anything from his holdings there might prove salvageable. Unsure whether the guild would choose to pursue them, Rose and Rogier travelled north with a Tethyrian caravan bound for Waterdeep. Barely eluding Shadow Thief agents on the lookout for them in Crimmor answered their question: the guild would neither forgive nor forget. They also learned in the caravan city that the Shadow Thieves extorted most of the Court-Manteau fortune from their father to pay for Rose's 'crimes'. The dispirited siblings fled north from Amn, eventually settling in Waterdeep under new identities.

Through these hardships Rogier's bond with his sister became stronger, he began to train with her to hone his skills at scouting, stealth, and evasion. Though initially not nearly as accomplished as his sister he made rapid progress. The pair of them took on various 'jobs' in Waterdeep primarily taking advantage of their skill at subterfuge and infiltration. After two years in the City of Splendors, with his sister having moved to Baldur's Gate to be closer to Amn, Rogier has wound up his employment and headed south himself to the grand duchy of Baldur's Gate.

Goals:

To restore his family's fortune.
To Keep his sister out of trouble as much as possible.
To protect the interests of other Hin in the area as much as possible.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:

Rogier has moved to Baldur's Gate to be able to safeguard his sister's wellbeing. Rogier is also looking to make contact with the halflings of the area and explore potential 'business' opportunities.

Unlike his sister, Rogier is willing to try to put the past behind and come to an

'understanding' with the Shadow Thieves.

Standing an inch shorter than his sister has led Rogier to joke about his not being a Court-Manteau.