Nikias
Here’s a character who’s going to play an ambiguous role in the first Danassos story. When Alexandra first arrives in Athens, Nikias is going to be the first Athenian of any importance to give her real help. On the other hand, later in the story he’s going to be one of her opponents, although an honorable one.
Nikias, son of Nikeratos (205 points)
Age 56; Human; 5′ 7″; 140 lbs.; Distinguished-looking middle-aged gentleman, receding grey hair, dark eyes, expensive clothing.
ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 10 [0].
Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0].
Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Block 6 (DX); Dodge 8; Parry 8 (DX).
Social Background
TL: 2 [0]. CF: Hellenic (Native) [0]. Languages: Attic Greek (Native) [0].
Advantages
Reputation (Accomplished diplomat) 2 (All the time; Almost everyone) [10]; Status (Wealthy aristocrat) (+3) [15]; Wealth (Multimillionaire 1) [75].
Perks: Proxenos (Danassos) [1].
Disadvantages
Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) [-10]; Honesty (12 or less) [-10]; Indecisive (12 or less) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Athens) (Large Group) [-10]; Susceptible to Intestinal Disease -2 [-2].
Quirks: Careful; Constantly consults omens; Sarcastic when talking to foolish people; Spends lavishly on public duties; Staunch political conservative [-5].
Skills
Accounting-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Administration-13 (IQ+0) [2]; Area Knowledge (Athens)-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Connoisseur (Visual Arts)-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Current Affairs/TL2 (Politics)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Diplomacy-15 (IQ+2) [12]; Finance-13 (IQ+0) [4]; Hiking-10 (HT+0) [2]; History (Athenian)-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Law (Athenian)-13 (IQ+0) [4]; Leadership-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Literature-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Musical Instrument (Lyre)-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Navigation/TL2 (Land)-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Politics-14 (IQ+1) [4]; Public Speaking-13 (IQ+0) [2]; Religious Ritual (Hellenic)-13 (IQ+0) [4]; Riding (Equines)-11 (DX+0) [2]; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Shield (Shield)-12 (DX+1) [2]; Shortsword-10 (DX-1) [1]; Singing-10 (HT+0) [1]; Soldier/TL2-13 (IQ+0) [2]; Spear-12 (DX+1) [4]; Strategy (Land)-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Tactics-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Theology (Hellenic)-13 (IQ+0) [4]; Wrestling-11 (DX+0) [2].
Nikias is one of the leading statesmen of this time, having been the primary negotiator for the current truce in the ongoing wars between Athens and Sparta. He is a staunchly conservative aristocrat, who dislikes both populist demagogues and the war-hawks of his own class.
At first, his role in the story is as the proxenos of Danassos in Athens – kind of a local advocate who represents a foreign city’s legitimate interests and helps out any citizens of that polis who come to visit. (In our history, Nikias was the proxenos of Syracuse, which was one of the things that pulled him into the debates over the Sicilian Expedition.)
Character notes:
- In general, Nikias is drawn here as a typical Athenian gentleman, never as outstanding as some of his peers, but solidly competent in his chosen fields of endeavor. His best skill is his Diplomacy, the basis of his foremost accomplishment. He also has high levels of Religious Ritual and Theology, as he was known for extreme piety and a tendency to take the omens before every big decision.
- As a war-commander, Nikias was cautious and indecisive. He managed to lead a few minor expeditions without serious loss, but it was a complete disaster when the Sicilian Expedition fell into his hands. I also gave him a mild Susceptibility to various intestinal bugs – he’s not a young man any more, and he has a brittle digestion which sometimes knocks him flat at critical moments.
- One notable element of this character is his extreme wealth – Nikias was one of the dozen or so wealthiest men in Athens at the time, having invested in the extremely profitable business of leasing slaves in bulk to the silver mines at Laurion. Wealthy men often served as proxenoi, since they would often house visitors from their represented city at their own expense. Nikias will be very able to help Alexandra when she turns up on his doorstep.
I’m not done working up characters, but I think I want to build a few of the more supernaturally oriented ones next – which means I’m going to need to define how magic works in this setting.
As it happens, I’ve done some informal work in that direction already – my novelette “Harmony’s Choice” includes a protagonist who uses exactly the kind of magic I want to include in these stories. I think my big project for tomorrow (the one day I’m going to have off for the next week) will be to analyze my own published story and hammer out GURPS references for everything. Look for that soon.