Name: Tobias Smith
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Burden: 35-40%
Faction: Vanguard mechanic/techie
Appearance:
Tobias is a couple of inches below average height, with a stocky frame and solid build. He has messy brown hair and a rough beard which he keeps more or less under control whenever they start getting too long. He has blocky features and brown eyes, with a slightly crooked nose where it wasn't set properly after being broken.
Black veins are visible at the corners of his eyes and along his forearms and the backs of his hands. His canines might be a bit more pointed than usual and if his skin has become paler its hard to tell under the clothes and layer of dirt and grime that comes with his job.
Personality:
Tobias is a devout member of the Vanguard, and believes that if everyone could pull together and pool their resources that they could rebuild civilization, if not the way it was then as something equally fair and equitable to all. Time and experience have added a hefty dose of realism to that outlook, dulling his optimism, though he is still somewhat hopeful that one day they will regain what they have lost.
Fairly open and talkative, he is prepared to give anyone at least the time of day; happily chatting away as he works on some engine or other. He works hard to deal with the anger and aggression that comes with his Burden, preferring to channel it into his work or at the people he feels deserve it. He can be loud and boisterous at times, putting on a brave front to deal with the prejudice and abuse he encounters.
His workshop is a mess, with piles of spare parts and scrap everywhere, though he always seems to know exactly where he left that one part he needs. While he is certainly prepared to fight for what he believes in he is reluctant to kill, often holding back in fights to his own detriment.
Synopsis:
Tobias was eight when the Hail fell, living in one of the major cities with his parents, At first they decided to stay up, holing up in their apartment in the hope it would all blow over. For a short while it looked like this might be the case, then all of a sudden things seemed to escalate and the world descended into anarchy. One night their apartment building caught fire and in the ensuing chaos Tobias was separated from his parents, becoming another hungry, lost face on the streets.
He probably would have fallen then and become truly Lost, but he wandered out to the edge of the city and was picked up by a refugee convoy that was heading for one of the DERB camps. As he got older he found he had a natural talent for machines and got a job in one of the camp workshops repairing the different vehicles that rolled in and out. It was here he also started learn about electronics as well, working on different types of machine.
When he was older, and dissatisfied with what he saw as a lack of progress on behalf of DERB in restoring technology and order to the world he joined up with the Vanguard. He currently works as a mechanic at one of their bases, but also accompanies their convoys and helps set up communications with distant settlements and locations. It was on a scouting mission to the edge of one of the major cities that he gained the most visible of his Hailstorm-taint markings.
Strengths:
Tobias is a gifted mechanic and tinkerer, repairing and maintaining the technologies that keep people alive in the post-apocalyptic world. He works mainly on ground transports such as cars and trucks, though he has some skill at electronics, and often works on radios and the occasional solar array. In the course of his work he has also picked up some skill at metal working and low level fabrication, as it isn't always possible to find the spare part you need.
He has an active lifestyle, going to and through, lugging around parts and wrestling various machines back into working order, so he’s fairly fit and strong, though he isn’t particularly quick on his feet.
Vices/Weaknesses:
Most of Tobias’s knowledge comes from experience, trial and error, and hanging around other mechanics. This means he has very little actual theoretical and book knowledge about the machines he works on. As he was very young when the Hailstorm occurred the inner workings of the technologies of the past age, such as Lumid, Mirage and USD’s are pretty much Greek to him.
Although he is fairly strong he isn't very fast and hasn't had any dedicated combat training, relying instead on natural brawn and a hefty wrench if things come to blows.
The black veins visible in his eyes and arms mark him out as a Burdened, with all of of the prejudice and abuse that entails.
Equipment:
Tobias is rarely without his toolkit, which lives in a beaten up old duffel bag on a long strap he slings over one shoulder. it contains a rather eclectic mix of different tools, usually a combination of whatever he’s been working on recently and what he thought he’d need that day. He has a wide range of different tools for various situations, though is favourite is a hefty metal shifter.
He has an old CB-style portable radio with antenna that he can use to listen in to different wavelengths and attempt to communicate with other settlements or parties.
He dresses mainly for practicality, usually in coveralls or jeans and an old t-shirt, with the Vanguard logo proudly displayed and a solid set boots on his feet.
Quirks:
Although he isn't much of a singer he has a habit of singing to himself while he works - scraps of doggerel, old drinking songs, half remembered tunes.
