Name: Solomon Albrecht Shade
Aliases: M. Shade
Titles: N/A
Age: Thirty-Six
Place of Origin: St. Le Coeur
Gender: Male
Build: 6'1" — Stocky, athletic
Eyes: Dark Brown/Hazel — Shrewd, squinted
Hair: Black — Sleek with sheen and slicked back; Dapper
Skin Tone: Pale — City shrouded in rain tends to heavily lighten skin
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings:A man so above commonality wouldn't acquire blemishes befitting the paupers he looks over. Wearing the guise of such a man, Solomon takes great stride in concealing each and every blemish on his body. The numerous scars lining his back always covered in heavy layers. The deep, gnarled gashes in his arms from heavy ropes coated in a dusting of hair if not a thick sleeve. And the callouses from hardened work, dirty and the like, always gloved and proper - slim, dainty, an elegant rouse. His face remains untouched by the raw hardship that batters down the city gates every night.
Day To Day Attire:Unbelievably proper. In the light of industry, Solomon considers himself among the idealized aristocrat, at least in appearance. Heavy coats lined in the finest materials, capes with moderate collars, shined and polished shoes, and pure, unadulterated cotton and linen. Well, he'll have you believe. His propensity for avoiding touch, as well as Solomon's own guile, leaves many of the materials up to a guess. It looks like pure finery and he wears such dark, shadowed tones that it proves quite difficult to discern the articles of his own shadow. For the most part, Solomon looks like an aristocrat, talks like one, walks like one, supposedly even wears gloves to avoid touching the common rabble. If it goes under noses, then it works and he might as well be what he boasts about in his silent, unyielding stares.
Strengths:☼ Discreet
☼ Cautious
☼ Efficient
Weaknesses:☼ Paranoid
☼ Myopic
Careful ✴ Paranoid ✴ Polite ✴ Bitter
Sexuality: Homosexual
Relationship Status: Single
Personality:This world comprises itself on the foundation of atrocities. Far be it for a man who's faced those atrocities head on comes out bitter than ever before. Solomon matches the dreary overcast skies of Haute-Colline, he trudges through the mud of his own mind in a dirty and battered form. People consider calling him caustic as a term of endearment, for there are far nastier words to call Solomon. Worse things than death have frozen his capacity for anything but a cynical thought. A heavy reason to go about living as he does.
As a better term, Solomon is efficient. He's deliberate and does everything he does with enough foresight to plan steps ahead. Different steps ahead. He likes to go into any situation with a plan of action for a list of various things that concern him. At the root of it, it's sheer paranoia. He'd rather call it caution - it's far from a lie and sounds less psychiatric. As if he's plagued by it, which, on numerous occasions, has some truth to it. Mostly, however, he finds being able to draw out a meticulous plan of action has saved him the trouble of thinking on the spot. Solomon doesn't think on the spot and not because he's awful at it. Even if it's because he's awful at it.
Having an eye for constant planning has its pitfalls. Solomon doesn't take kindly to criticism of his tactics, nor does he adjust accordingly. He suffers a myopic outlook on his own strategy, seeing as it's one of his most valued skills. And because it's something Solomon tends to do far too much. It bleeds into socializing, as well, having a fair bit of prejudice in regards to talents and skill. Perhaps his elitism bleeds out when talking to people, even if he chooses each word careful. For Solomon, it's very easy to call someone an idiot in the politest way possible - it's a talent of his, being a condescending prick.
Habits:☼ Refuses to be touched by anyone he doesn't know and doesn't care for.
☼ Has an issue with staring at people for too long.
Hobbies:☼ Gardens
☼ Fletching and Arrowmaking
☼ Casual Card Games
☼ Stargazing (Recently on Le Coeur)
Fears:☼ Being fooled into a contract that binds him past even death
☼ Someone discovering his guise and dying for it
Likes:☼ Warm Tea
☼ Warm Food
☼ Honestly, Warm Anything
☼ Flowers
☼ Happy Children and Dogs
☼ Complaining about while reading Penny dreadfuls; Dime novels
Dislikes:☼ Rain and Mud
☼ Aristocracy
☼ Dirt/Grime
☼ Being Stumped
☼ Giving Up
☼ Cold Anything
A listing of skills, such as horseback riding or cooking. Levels include novice (1 pt), apprentice (2 pt), journeyman (3 pt), expert (4 pt), master (5 pt). Each character can spend 21 points & only two skills can be mastered.
- Espionage (Master):
Everything Solomon does works to gain a foothold in his government, from acting a part, stealing an identity, to the basics of breaking and entering. Gathering information doesn't halt at factions and political parties, but also individuals - targets. Being able to steal important documents and items, as well as dispatching important pawns and chess pieces is a specialty of his. Stealth is only minimally required when it's as simple as acting a part, a dab of poison, and slipping out without a trace. His plans and tactics are near air tight, if a bit overcompensating when it comes to precautions. It works just as well in combat, taking time in the shadows to calculate the various possible outcomes before swooping in unnoticed to eliminate a few targets here and there.
- Disguise (Master):
For a spy, disguising oneself is paramount to success. As a bounty hunter who acts as a spy, well, it's just another means to completing a job. Solomon does well to never lose himself in the many faces he portrays, and they come in a number of colorful varieties. It's more than wearing certain articles of clothing. A true persona requires meticulous details, from a change in voice, to a change in perspectives, to walking cadence, and then inevitably to dress wear. And Mr. Shade has achieved an innumerable amount of disguises, of which he calls the many character he's come to tailor in his years. He'll be more keen to pop up just about anywhere. Solomon doesn't leave his home without the proper research and the proper disguise.
- Sleuthing (Expert):
Not everything comes down to the end of a blade. Honestly, there's not a lot in his world that ends in a fight. Bloodshed, certainly, but that's par for the course. No, most things require an ample amount of observation, tracing, and tracking to eventually lead to a rather lackluster climax. Solomon is a wonder at finding out the mysteries that surround a situation that ultimately leads up to a pivotal point in which the individual he's searching for reveals him or herself from the woodwork of a fabulous pages they've left behind.
- Marksmanship (Journeyman):
Primarily, Solomon focuses most of his marksmanship on small hand-crossbows, though he's known for taking a whack at a crossbow. For someone like Solomon, it's usually a last resort so he's not all too adept at it. Of course, in a dire situation, he'll take his aim over any other chances.
- Poisons (Apprentice):
Actual targets don't come around too often in what work he picks up, but most of them require a quiet death. One that undergoes what most would call a natural death. Sudden illness isn't too uncommon, even in the apex of social classes. So, if anyone ever happens to drop dead, no one questions even the shoddy poison work of your average "contract worker".
- Physiognomy (Apprentice):
The art of reading people. This art isn't too off the nose for Solomon, who always has an idea of what an individual is on the surface. What they're most likely to be at a simple glance. It helps him acquire what information he needs, whether it be convincing someone he needs directions for the manor he's infiltrating, or figuring out which individuals he likely needs to avoid. It's still a work in progress and he's more interested in dealing with his own caricatures, but he isn't quite a beginner.
A listing of unique powers, magic, artifacts, and techniques. A maximum of four only.
- Marking:
If, within the vicinity of an individual or object, Solomon wishes to track what he considers 'prey', he can attune every one of his senses to pick up their distinct sound, smell, and appearance. This keeps them within sort of sight tether that he can keep track of within a half a mile radius before it flickers and breaks. It enables Solomon to separate a target from the din of the background surrounding them. Though he cannot see through walls, the sounds emmitted from footfalls and breath enable him to pinpoint their exact location, as well track their previous movement via scent.
- Panacea:
After years and years of research, Solomon has found the immediate cure all to every single disease known to all dimensions. The trick? It can cure an individual once and only once. It does not make an individual immune to poisons or sickness. There's only a limited amount he has and one drop is enough to cure a malady, but he must choose carefully and tends to keep it close to his chest. He doesn't know when to use it. When he should use it. Or why he should use it. It's difficult to tell becaues the drawback is so severe. The remedy does not cure physical wounds, however, simply poisons and disease. A secret he keeps close: he's already used it on himself.
- Cloud of Smoke:
Should Solomon ever require an escape, he can conjure up a cloud of smoke that is intensely dense and disorients for a small amount of time. It doesn't protect him from harm, but should he navigate through toward an escape route, he can escape most situations. As well, it does have an offensive use to it, as forcing the smoke into someone's throat can potentially asphyxiate them. That is, if he holds it long enough. Mostly, it's a great way to incapacitate someone that's a bit quicker than a choke hold.
Parents: Deceased; Died of TB
Siblings: N/A
Childhood:The contract: "You and yours shall relieve your first child of your custody to work in an iron mill established within Blacksoot Valley..." it read the various amenities they should provide the child, Saul Chase (now Solomon Shade), as well as the working conditions and the hours. The pay would alleviate both parents from their eternal contract as dock scrubbers along the Mire's seediest piers. "The effect lasts until the death of the child, or the death of his parents." In short, either the child would suffer greatly in resent toward his parents and his freedom would come at their deaths, so they wouldn't take physical blame. Or the child would simply die. The fine print read that they could no longer conceive a child as long as this one lived. They were certain he'd die out like the lot of 'em.
In short, the child did not simply die. And the consequences were great.
"If the child should ever disobey, the contract permits an hour of searing pain." The scars on his back can attest greatly to the various punishments that befell him. And not a individual had to lift a thumb; the contract did all the tortuous pain for them. Better that way. Leaves dirt off the hands of the oppressor.
For years, grueling and endless, Solomon fought tooth and nail under his contractors. So determined to see him break, they all kept eager watch over the boy as he grew into his role in the factory. After the endless, aching pain, Solomon learned to play the part. Grit and bear it, was supposed to be the motto. For a child, his vendetta grew quite exponentially. For his parents, for all of the children around him, for the bastard in his tiny glass and wooden box above them.
Channeling that rage was surprisingly easy.
Adulthood:At about twenty years of age, Solomon's parents died. When a contract breaks, it's like something clicks into place; freedom for the one held, and loss for the one dealing. Vendetta unforgotten, Solomon simply walked out with the full intention of coming back.
Blacksoot's environment allows for the flourishing of just a few types of people. Conmen eager to manipulate, criminals willing to work for those conmen, and bounty men eager to collect the rewards of a specific type of contract. Without much to gain from going back to his parents' home, Solomon gained what knowledge he could of this particular world. The people. Their ideals. Their grimy culture and they way they talk, as if they've got cotton in their mouth and gargle sharp rocks on the daily.
Years as a child sneaking through loopholes, gaining all he could, garnered him a specific set of skills. At least, they laid the foundation for the formation of them. Solomon took that route easily, immediately changing his guise to fit the locals, as well as his name for good measure. Perhaps this outlines the birth of Solomon Shade, a Monsieur Shade to many of his contractors.
For those allotted years, Solomon roamed the three islands gaining knowledge, gaining experience, and gaining an ever loving hatred for the Gentry that hung so high above them. He honed his skills and allowed his situation to carve out the man he sees today.
Special Moments:A man such as Solomon has little in the way of moments. Moments, in Colline, are like the sun: taken by the rich and hidden from those stuck in the rain.
Only two come to mind, separated by a length of nearly two decades.
When just beginning his career as a bounty hunter, Solomon had many slip ups. One in particular landed him in a cell beneath San Sanct for an entire week. Stealing something perhaps wasn't exactly the worst situation, when most people stole to survive. Constables didn't care much for it. Stealing something of great value to an aristocrat, however, was punishable by death. Lucky for him he'd practiced enough slight of hand to be caught with a book, rather than priceless jewels. His success could be a moment in itself, however, what happened that first night with the young prison guard vastly overshadowed it.
Love is, however, very fleeting.
The second event placed him near his current age. It was a small one, but substantial to his frosted heart. Witnessing a young child and her puppy in the only green, clean patch of grass beneath Le Coeur shattered something deep within Solomon. Happiness despite circumstance. He'd never felt that, could never really feel that. Perhaps he should, someday. Try to, at least.
Current Events:At the moment, Solomon has taken the time to make his ventures into Le Coeur an effortless task. It's taken long years to get to this point, making sure everything is precisely in place. Having tested numerous amount of ways to break the unbreakable contracts has proven a daunting task. However, he feels he's so close to grasping the last, most elusive ingredient. It's just finding out what that is. Unfortunately, his ventures have been stopped quite short. The universe has funny ways of working, especially since it'd forcibly ripped him out of his own.
Climate:The entire world, as the denizens know of, has always been called Haute-Colline. The Highest Hill. The entirety of their continent sits upon three sets of small pieces of land. Each is separated by a large body of water, but the world itself is rather small. Most of Haute-Colline, or Colline as most consider it, is coated in very thick layers of clouds with the only area of potential sunshine being the highest peak of St. Le Coeur, where the Gentry resides.
Many cities and small towns nestle into the clouded, rain soaked world with the biggest lining the coast with their glorious docks and harbors. The most notable areas could be considered as such:
The Mire - Quite a large city held together by rickety docks. They sit upon a large delta, where many of the world's resources flow through. The Mire is considered a gate city, where precious goods and cargo make their way to Le Coeur and the cities surrounding the mountain. They sit upon the eastern most island of
Marecage, which gets the most rain in all of Colline but contains the sacred mountain of St. Sean, only known as Le Coeur. The mire has many dock workers, most of which are bound to the city's ruling Gent,
Monsieur Leaumont. Nothing goes in and out of the city without his know how.
Le Coeur - The Gentry populates St. Sean's mountain, dotting it with endless spires and palaces made of the most pristine stones and material. Every Gentry has a home upon this mountain, built entirely upon the workers enslaved by their contracts. Here, the multitude of the reigning oligarchy amass great balls and galas to celebrate their meaningless achievements. Artistry they've stolen and claimed as their own, affairs they've lead, people they've tricked and manipulated. They count their wealth in the number of contracts they've signed over their lives and the highest number affords the best of the precious goods they trek around the world. Everything they've lived for and gained have been built upon the backs of the workers they've tricked and sold among each other. Le Coeur shines above the clouds that mask Colline, an ever bright pinnacle of the fist that grips the throat of the many unfortunate citizens of Colline's islands.
San Sanct - A city entirely comprised of contract bound scholars. The city itself isn't large, but it does represent what many Collinites consider the 'Middle Class' of their world. Though the contracts are just as ruthless, many of the scholars contain benefits that many citizens don't. Among that is a close relation to the study of magic, as well as warm bed and warm fires in their homes at the Le Coeur's sole university. As, well, even with the clouds ahead, San Sanct resides on the western most island that gets very little rain over the years -
Cote de Vincent. Due to the lack of precipitation, the Cape is the only area in which crops can grow without the fear of constant drowning. They get food and shelter, something not even a quarter of the working class can achieve.
Blacksoot Valley - Comprising the largest island in the entirety of the world,
Blacksoot is the nastiest of all places within Colline. The fact that it's considered a valley is all that needs to be said. Much of what used to be a small mountain and large plains had been craved in by tireless mining and digging. Towns, if they can be called such, are supported along rickety, wooden towers from the deep forest that crowd the second largest mountain in Colline. The people there are all bound by contracts, or are contractors themselves, but instead of the Gentry that hide their venom in lies and makeup, these contractors are blunt in their ruthlessness. And yet they persuade many, many individuals to do work not meant for a mere human. Blacksoot also contains most of Colline's notorious bounty hunters, those who sign contracts in order to gather information, assassinate notable individuals, or steal valuable items. Blacksoot is Haute-Colline's dangerous underworld.
Note: The islands of Haute-Colline are only considered islands because they're all tied to one country, that being Haute-Colline itself. However, each island could vary well be considered numerous countries themselves, with the smallest being Marecage. The world of Haute-Colline is essentially all ruled under one party and their influence is vast.
Everything begins and ends with The Gentry. St. Le Coeur sits at the pinnacle of society within Haute-Colline. Most of aristocracy rules in an oligarchy upon the highest peak in the world. They do so under the rulings of contracts. Contracts collect workers, workers collect resources, and resources allow the Gentry a life of luxury. It's how it's always been. And a contract in Colline proves unbreakable. Everything within the city is bound by law of contract, signed in a declaration among the ruling class. In doing so, their rule over the entirety of Colline proves immutable, especially since they're among the only individuals who have true experience over the magic that grips their world. Fewer less know how to play these individuals to their very whims, for a contract is a two way street and the rules that bind it bind them.
As such, much of the world is drowned in slave labor and poverty. Children go missing in the night, people turn up dead, or worse. Disappearances happen on a daily basis. People sign things they don't read and are whisked away for eternity. Immortality is achieved at the cost of Hell. The magic flows thick, but the blood flows thicker and the Gentry count their wealth along the broken spines of the proletariat. Revolution can only come on the wake of minds smarter than most. The Gentry does well to keep their workers dumb and more than willing to sign and sign some more.
History:For as long as can be recorded, magic has been a heavy foundation in the lives of Colline's vast empires. Yet, for centuries, its capacity hadn't quite been known to many. Like technology, though faster still, magic has come through iterations and evolution. The one currently set in stone had been founded by a group of elite scientists, hypothesizing the very nature of magic itself. They'd discovered that magic is a contract, binding the user's soul to the will of mana around them. In extracting the details behind this 'contract' they discovered this world's magical properties beyond the limits they were using.
Thus, the first Contractors came to fruition. Built upon their business, individuals swarmed to discover the extent of this magic itself. Contractors became Elites. Elites became Aristocracy. Aristocracy became the ruling Gentry. Their insatiable greed for control and power gave them the leash with which they bound most of Colline's denizens. Broken city states and various cities across the various plains of this world became united under one Empire.
And now, the small body of aristocrats that rule over the various cities that dot the continent convene in one place. They consider this time a renaissance, despite the boot that crushes the lower class beneath them. They create art in their high palaces along the mountain walls, pristine and hanging above the dirty grunge of a city beneath Le Coeur. So determined in their power that they grow sloppier still, though their contracts come and go in surprisingly creative ways.
Notes:Magic in Colline is absolutely unforgiving. It's not the magic that is governed by rules, but the people who use it. Unspoken rules, rules that people aren't allowed to speak for fear of repercussions so lethal as to make many bend and break under their ruling class. There are secrets lain within the fabric of the source that provides for this world, yet none have taken the steps to find the ones beyond what the Contractors had discovered.
Contracts and deals within Colline are binding. The magic is so unimaginably powerful that any worldwaker that sets foot within the world and doesn't take care to not sign or accept anything will likely never leave - will likely die there. The only weakness are the various loopholes that cover these contracts; nothing within Colline is air tight and if you're smart enough there are various ways an individual can manipulate a contract they're bound to. Just make sure to read everything carefully.
And never accept a kiss you cannot keep.
* ☠ Enemy * ⚜ Unfriendly * ☯ Neutral * ☮ Friends * ღ Ally * ♥ Crush/Significant Other *
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Character Quote: TBD
Theme Song: Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden (cover by Haley Reinhart)Aura Color: A dark shade of green, shaded in vague grey-ish tones
Scent: Rain, first and foremost, with a dash of cinnamon and whisky
Anything Else: TBD
Member
Snowdrops
Damo021
