Berkley Whispers Race: Human Gender: Male Height: 6'3" Weight: 216# Born: 28th Winter, 476 AV Birthplace: Sunberth |
Appearance
Scars :
Injuries :
Berkley is a very fit middle-aged man. He has an angled face with a strong jaw and a hardset brow. His hair is a bit long but fairly well trained. One push of strong, weathered fingers through the salt and pepper locks will keep them free of the icy blue eyes for a good while. Tall and broad, the man does not look poor or weak. Berkley has many signs of a hard life but he also bears the mark of good breeding. The distribution of his muscle tissue is statuesque and there's a patience to power of his bearing. It is apparent that he takes time to maintain his body.
Concept
Berkley is a grown man. He has lived through a lot and is very resilient. He takes a seemingly laid back approach to life in the filth. He is capable of being charming but also capable of being an arse. He has talents and tries to find ways to help people who are in need. Sunberth provides ample opportunity for such charity but he also wrestles with the demons of who he used to be. That part of him is not gone and will occasionally rear its ugly head. Ashamed of this selfishness, Berkley often buries himself away until he can find a way to stomach some of the choices that he's made. Then he re-emerges to seek out small means of redemption in a city of hopelessness.
History
Overview :
Berkley was born in Sunberth. He was raised in the Sunset Quarters like many-a street rat and it taught him much. The one thing the strong lad had that most didn't, however, was a father who belonged to the order of men and women known as the Syliran Knights.
The Whispers were a poor family but did better than most. Gannon, Berkley’s father, worked at the docks as a laborer. He never made a lot of money but he was generally healthy, mostly happy and always found time to spend with his family. Bianca, Berkley’s mother, was born in Sunberth and made a living stitching clothes and occasionally patching sails or ropes. It was a humble life but a good one.
When Berkley was six, his mother contracted some kind of strange illness that swept through the slums. Like many other occurrences, those who perished from the disease were gathered and burned. With tears in his eyes, the young boy watched his father wrap up his mother and load her onto a cart to be hauled away for disposal.
Life changed after that. Gannon was not such a cheerful man though he still bore a lot of patience for his son who was ever-growing towards a less than honorable life. Berkley was beginning to realize the value of deceit and selfishness. The young lad was often taken on trips out of Sunberth just for a day or two where his father would tell him a great many things from politics and integrity to patience and reason. The boy was given instruction on a great many things but nothing sunk in so much as the tales of battle and how the knights often used wit and strategy to win. The stories of great mysteries being solved by men who not only fought but could think fanned the flames of heroism inside a young man’s heart.
As Berkley aged, he began to involve himself in the true dealings of his father’s existence in Sunberth. Spying, following his father about and listening to forbidden conversations earned him an explanation of the real reason that the skinny adolescent was inhaling fumes from the slag heap instead of the free air of the castle city; Gannon was an undercover knight.
Originally, Gannon and a few others were merely meant to monitor the slave trade run out of the port but that all changed in 480 AV. A band of Syliran Knights had encountered a bad break and were cut off from reinforcements. When all was said and done, the men felt betrayed and lead a mass defection which the people of Sunberth came to recognize as the Sun’s Birth. While not bad men, they were misguided and Gannon’s mission was to keep a vigilant watch on the mercenary group. His years of service had truly uncovered the horrors of Sunberth and the corruption that crippled it. Even the dreams of the once noble men had been poisoned and eroded into cruel fantasies by the sad state of the dead mining town. Berkley learned of his father’s journal on one of these talks. The leather-bound tome was filled with information about many of the players in the seaside waste of a city. Gannon even detailed a series of events which he believed to be of dire circumstances and worse characters.
Sadly, he was killed shortly after revealing all of this to his son. Gannon never got around to telling Berkley the location of where the journal was hidden. The city had somehow heard that the strong man who worked at the docks used magic. Although there was no evidence, there was no trial. The mob swept through the Sunset Quarter and gathered up Gannon as well as two of Berkley’s neighbors then lead them down to the Gallows. Gannon was hung for being a mage even though he had never practiced magic in his life. The sound of the rope snapping tight will forever be a jarring memory for Berkley.
Alone, barely a teenager, Berkley did what many in the southern port do to get by- he begged. For a few years, the strong teenager learned the hard way what it meant to survive. He was ill almost constantly and weak; too weak to fight for much. Good shelter, a halfway decent meal and the occasional drink were things well beyond his reach. Despite these hardships, he endured and Berkley learned the value of things beyond knightly virtues.
One day, a hungry young Berkley tried to rob a merchant. The man caught the little thief and had him beat for his insolence. For whatever reason, the man took the child home and gave him a new (used) pair of boots, a clean shirt and something to eat. The family was better off than most but there seemed to be a good number of adult men so there was a sense of protection. Berkley was not allowed to stay past dinner but was told to come back the next day for a list of jobs that could earn him more clothes and more food. This was the beginning of Berkley’s relationship with the Busco family. He ran errands- sometimes simple ones like fetching laundry from the river and other times he would keep watch while some of the men ransacked a shop for goods and coin.
Berkley prospered under this kind of environment. He took the ease of it but always had a nagging feeling when he would rip someone off. Not every time but often enough, the young man would find a way to help the people he had helped hurt or rob. He never took claim for these deeds and there were times when he wished he could avoid a situation but his loyalty to the Buscos was a hard thing to push aside. Berkley did many horrible things in those first years. The worst of it came when the Djed Storm hit. The things the Buscos did to survive and endure within the Warrens started to haunt Berkley. He had been born of the stock of knights and heroes. The life of a brigand began to eat away at him.
His guilt eventually overcame him and he convinced the youngest Busco man to branch out and start his own ‘legitimate’ business. Fat and dafty, Donovan agreed then quickly changed his name and set about to run his brothel. Berkley was the first employee and initially just used as muscle but he has since evolved into a ‘choice’ slave for the right price. However, only Donovan and Berkley know that he’s not actually a slave. The cover was thought by both to be kept intact for a variety of reasons. Berkley still tries to help people when he can and he can still be found at the Muted Maiden working for Donovan.
Perspectives
How do you feel about Sunberth?
It's a rough place but it's home. Even though I've never strayed far from the Slag Heap, I would imagine that there is a mixture of a good and bad in every city. Sunberth has her poor and the corrupt but there is still hope and happiness here. Surely, any such notion that survives in this kind of place is far more powerful than a similar standard in a city where life is easier.
Do you believe the gods should be worshipped?
No god has ever done anything for me personally. I do know my father believed with every fiber of his being, however, and that is enough for me. His worship was of silent prayer and the honor of his life. He sought, above all, to live a life that was pleasing to his god. I thank the gods for making everything but not on a first name basis and certainly not daily. I guess I just haven't met the right one yet.
What is your main goal in life?
To live one more day- and to live it well.
What do you think about the gangs?
Some cities have a military and a government. Sunberth has the Slag Heap and her gangs. It's just the way it is around here.
If you were in charge of Sunberth, what would you do?
I wouldn't be in charge. A bad leader is worse than no leader and I would be a bad one.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like to make women smile.
What is the one thing that you would go back and change if you had the power?
...I don't want to answer that right now.
It's a rough place but it's home. Even though I've never strayed far from the Slag Heap, I would imagine that there is a mixture of a good and bad in every city. Sunberth has her poor and the corrupt but there is still hope and happiness here. Surely, any such notion that survives in this kind of place is far more powerful than a similar standard in a city where life is easier.
Do you believe the gods should be worshipped?
No god has ever done anything for me personally. I do know my father believed with every fiber of his being, however, and that is enough for me. His worship was of silent prayer and the honor of his life. He sought, above all, to live a life that was pleasing to his god. I thank the gods for making everything but not on a first name basis and certainly not daily. I guess I just haven't met the right one yet.
What is your main goal in life?
To live one more day- and to live it well.
What do you think about the gangs?
Some cities have a military and a government. Sunberth has the Slag Heap and her gangs. It's just the way it is around here.
If you were in charge of Sunberth, what would you do?
I wouldn't be in charge. A bad leader is worse than no leader and I would be a bad one.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like to make women smile.
What is the one thing that you would go back and change if you had the power?
...I don't want to answer that right now.
Prowess
Skills
| Skill | EXP | Total | Proficiency |
| Acrobatics | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Acting | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Disguise | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Investigation | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Persuasion | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Seduction | 7 SP | 7 | Novice |
| Stealth | 8 SP | 8 | Novice |
| Tactics | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Unarmed Combat | 5 SP | 5 | Novice |
| Weapon: Dagger | 15 RB | 15 | Novice |
Lores
SP - Sunberth: Basic Layout of the Streets
SP - Dagger: Can be thrown or held
SP - Dagger: Can be thrown or held
Language
Fluent Language: Common
Basic Language: Fratava
Basic Language: Fratava
Inventory
Worn Gear
1 Light Blue Shirt
1 Tan Cotton Pants
1 Brown Canvas Coat
1 Worn Black Leather Boots
1 Bracelet
1 Belt
1 Waterskin
1 Dagger - heirloom
1 Tan Cotton Pants
1 Brown Canvas Coat
1 Worn Black Leather Boots
1 Bracelet
1 Belt
1 Waterskin
1 Dagger - heirloom
Stored Gear
| 1 Backpack |
| 1 Comb (Bone) |
| 1 Brush (Wood) |
| 1 Soap |
| 1 Razor |
| 1 Balanced Rations (1 Week’s Worth) |
| 1 Eating Knife |
| 1 Flint & Steel |
| 1 Dagger - ear |
| 1 Dagger - punching |
| 2 Daggers |
| 9 Daggers - throwing |
| 4 Cotton Pants; black, blue, grey, brown |
| 4 Cotton Shirts; grey, white, faded red, black |
| 1 Linen Apron |
| 1 Linen Cloak |
| 1 Brown Hat |
Heirloom
Housing
Location: Mr. Whispers lives in the Sunset Quarter in a small shack that hardly seems stable. He has a tiny hearth which can be used for cooking but does little for heat or removing the dampness. A beat up old bunk sits in one corner with a chest at the feet. There's also a rickety old table and a single chair over by the door and the lone window which is no more than a hacked out hole in the wall.
Ledger
| Purchase | Cost | Total |
| Starting | +100 GM | 100 GM |
| Dagger-ear | -5 | 95 GM |
| Dagger-punching | -2 | 93 GM |
| Dagger-throwing x9 | -9 | 84 GM |
| Dagger x2 | -4 | 80 GM |
| Leather Bracelet* | -1 | 79 GM |
| Leather Belt** | -12 | 67 GM |
| Cotton Pants*** x4 | -18 | 49 GM |
| Cloak | -1.5.0 | 48.5.0 GM |
| Apron | -0.0.9 | 48.4.1 GM |
| Cotton Shirts*** x4 | - 0.6.0 | 47.8.1 GM |
| Brown Hat **** | -36 | 11.8.1 GM |
| Wine | -.3 | 11.5.1 GM |
| Drug Cocktail | -3 | 8.5.1 GM |
| Acrobatics Class | -7 | 1.5.1 GM |
All clothing is large.
*Bracelet Breakdown: .1 * 10 for three pieces of bone sewn into a small triangle on the leather band. Band is tied by leather cord in a neat knot with hidden ends.
**Belt Breakdown: .2 * 2 * 10 * 3 for leather and simple buckles and chains. Belt is wide, thick brown leather with a round brass buckle and peg with a length of chain on the inside back right.
***Pants & Shirts Breakdown: .8/.1 * 1.25 * 1.5 * 3 for dyed cotton pants.
****Hat Breakdown: 4 * 1.5 * 2 * 3 for a brown, soft leather, broad-brimmed hat. The brim is slightly wavy and the top is a pinch front.
Thread List
Spring 518
| Date | Link | Rewards |
| 1st | The Things We Burn | Secret :
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| 10th | Learning to Move | Secret :
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| 40th | Getting Poked With a Stick | Secret :
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| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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Summer 518
| Date | Link | Rewards |
| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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Fall 518
| Date | Link | Rewards |
| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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Winter 518
| Date | Link | Rewards |
| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
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| xx | Insert Name | Secret :
|
Flashbacks
| Date | Link | Rewards |
| Summer 36, 487 | Lessons | Secret :
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| Spring 19, 492 | The Lady Doth Protest Too Much | Secret :
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| Spring 81, 509 | The Delinquent and the Silver Fox | Secret :
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