Phenius Quaestor Valmore
From AJS.COM
This fictional player character or player organization / possesion is part of Aaron's Shackled City Dungeons & Dragons role playing game.
This information is intended for players in a specific campaign, and might contian spoilers for players in other instances of the Adventure Path.
Phenius Quaestor Valmore is a Bard, Advocate and human. He stands just under 6 feet tall, and has black hair and bright, inquisitive blue eyes.
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Quotes
- "My dear sir, what you describe as my heroic campanions 'attacking' you, I would rather see as the overly enthusiastic embrace of new friends."
- "Wouldn't you agree, Lady, that these brave heroes deserve a generous reward for saving your beloved child from such a dire fate?"
Background
Q, as he is known to be called by his friends, doesn't like to talk about his past. His youth, which he does occasionally reference with the folksy sayings of his grandmother, was spent in a modest home in Hot Springs on the edges of Greyhawk. His parents wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for their only son than they themselves had. They therefore saved and finally paid the extensive fees required to enroll their son in the Advocate Barding Institute of Greyhawk. The day he graduated was their happiest and within two years, they passed away.
Q went on to become a well-regarded Advocate in the Courts of Hot Springs until the day he defended the notorious criminal George Bushwood. Charged with criminal necromancy, Bushwood was popularly viewed as being a villain of the worst sort. For reasons that remain unclear -- but speculation ranges from a flaw in character to an undetected magical compulsion -- Q elected to defend the man. His day in Court was brillant. And at the end, Bushwood was cleared of wrongdoing.
It was less than a month later that Bushwood was caught raising an army of undead in order to attack a shipment of gold intended for the payment of the debts of the Orphanage of St. Cuthbert. Bushwood was slaughtered by the City Gaurd, but enormous losses were inflicted on the gaurd, local citizenry and the material fabric of the town. Worse from Q's point of view was that whenever thereafter he defended a client, the Courts found his very Advocacy to be evidence of his client's guilt. Quickly, word spread and no one would hire him. Indeed, he was finding himself frequently shunned.
Seeking a means of changing both his situation and his location, he stumbled into a job entertaining a caravan while it traveled. Having done it once, he hired on to another carvan as a guard. And another. Almost a full two years have passed and Q has grown as a Bard because of his travels and has become more hardened.
Outlook
Q is inclined to talk to people rather than fight them. He believes most situations can be resolved with a combination of clever rhetoric, investigation, and, perhaps, a harmless exaggeration or two. Or three. Or four.
He has an unexpected loyalty to the members of his party, viewing them more as an extended family than a collection of adventurers. He pretends to be motivated by the money, but is, in fact, simply seeking redemption. He usually objects to being termed an adventurer, but will take offense if anyone puts down the adventurers he now considers his friends.
While often acting as if he is ruthlessly mercernary and exploitative with those he does not know, Q in fact is a soft touch with a particular soft place for children and families.
Recent
Hired on as a guard for a caravan heading south from Sasserine to Cauldron. Trouble on the way with a beholder that kidnapped a caravan member. They don't want us involved in the search, since we couldn't stop the creature. Funds are running low, so looking for some quality adventuring - er, advocating - out of Cauldron.
