Name/Nicknames: Arman Murphy
Race: Human
Age: 46
Appearance:
yesitshartiganfromsincityDespite nearing the end of his crooked career in the Santa Sombara Police Department, Arman remains relatively unscathed. Being the all-so careful Irish-Russian-American that he is, the worst injury he has received was a slash across the face by an armed robber addicted to Runez. He stands at a modest 5"9 but as old age catches up with him, he finds the pounds are easier to put on but harder to lose. While still quite skinny, flab has replaced muscle on his stomach and limbs. Armans clothes bare the look of someone who has stopped caring or has no fashion sense to begin with (probably both). A long, beige coat clings to his stained, white dress shirt. A tie attempts to make him seem more formal but only enchances the "I was probably homeless once" look.
His trousers are of a boring, dark colour and are tucked in to a pair of heavy, cracked workmans boots that he looks far too old to be wearing. His hair, in his youth a lovely mane of brown, is now showing the same, grey signs of age as his unshaven face. His voice is deep and gravelly due to years of cigarette abuse. Probably the youngest part of Arman's face are his eyes, intelligent and not yet dulled by the concrete jungle. On the surface, he is a downtrodden cop on the wrong side of 40. Within, he has a cunning and selfish mind, concerned with only his own well-being.
Personality:When he was lined up for promotion in the police force 15 years ago, the big wigs at city hall praised his no-nonsense attitude to the rising crime rate, his loyalty to the city and commitment to the force. The long fingers of the criminal underworld had tainted even the police department by that point, however and most of the force was in the pocket of one criminal or another. Arman has received bribes, passed on information, advised mobsters and even killed when the money was right. While he does his job on occasion and has assisted mobsters, his loyalty remains firmly with himself and his only drive to assist others is money. Some would describe him has selfish and materialistic for accepting bribes. Others would say he is a cunning genius for playing the politics of the city for his own gain. He personally would describe himself as a guilt-ridden, old, alcoholic who has betrayed his friends, his family and his job for extra money that goes straight into his addictions. In the underworld, he is known among certain circles for being a mercenary who'd do anything for the right amount. In the police force, he is known as one of many veteran crooked cops who spends more time in bars than arresting criminals.
But Arman doesn't care. When alone in his cold, drafty apartment at night or sitting in some seedy bar getting drunk, he can only think about what a failure his life has turned out to be. He never met a girl, he never had kids or did anything good with his life. He no longer cares what his friends or contacts think of him since it is usually the same things he thinks about himself. Crooked, selfish and old.
Bio:Born on the east coast to a Russian mother and a dead-beat Irish father, Arman spent his childhood like any normal antebellum-era child would. Playing with his friends, going to school, working when he was old enough, falling in love, fighting and then finding purpose in his life. The only girl he ever loved ran off with some ditzy Frenchman to Paris and his mother died when he was in his early 20's. He found no reason to continue living on the East Coast and moved to Santa Somabra. He took the job his father was said to have held and joined the police force. In those early days as a cop, he was naive and wet behind the ears. He still thought cops in that town were good people who protected the citizens from crime. But that changed when he began accepting bribes in his early 30's. Everyone else was doing it, so why not him too? Guilt accompanied these bribes as he realised he was assisting the rapidly rising crime rate by letting criminals go and he fell into the spell of drinking and cigarettes.
He began working closely with his boss, another crooked copper, who had him promoted to a plain-clothes officer to do his dirty work. His boss, who has since gone into retirement, worked closely with local mobsters and Arman was often out assisting their operations. He was giving vast sums of money for these ventures but drowned it all in alcohol and cigarettes to fight off the guilt that gnawed at his conscious. Through his years assisting the police and the mob, he built up an extensive list of contacts and often trades information for money. On the outside, the police force is seen as poorly funded but trying its best to fight back the crime. Newspapers and politicians alike are intimidated by the police to keep the image of being non-corrupt all the while being in the pockets of criminals.
In some ways, you could call the S.S.P.D a gang of loosely-connected criminals, who work for the highest bidder. Most cops are affiliated to some kind of criminal leader but Arman tries not to affiliate himself with anyone for too long (partly for his own safety - crooked cops working for some mob bosses have been known to kill their colleagues working for rivals).
As of now, Arman is drifting between crime bosses and has recently been working for the police force properly. But the rise of theis new brand of criminals, The Forlorn Disciples, has all levels of society worried and none more than Arman himself.
- @Kingfisher
