Appearance

Physical Description

A lean, but fit figure, standing with a proud, upright posture.

Body Features

Though he is almost always fully covered below the neck, his skin shows a number of scars remembering deep wounds of adventures past.

Facial Features

A somewhat gaunt face. Clean-shaven, with piercing green eyes that seem to peer directly into anyone who anyone that looks into them.

Identifying Characteristics

White hair, not from aging, but seemingly his natural shade, as it has been the same color ever since he arrived in Cyrus as a young boy.

Physical quirks

A limp, often unnoticed by observes as he makes a concerted effort to disguise it, attempting to act as though his cane is instead a fashion choice.

Apparel & Accessories

Generally seen wearing a stylish, tailored suit, dark in color, and not overly flashy, though it is obviously of a high quality. He carries a cane made of a dark wood, with a handle resembling the head of a silver dragon.

Special abilities

Though he does not talk publicly about it, James posses a series of psychic abilities that allow him to communicate with others telepathically, and move objects with a mere thought. He is also able to read the psychometric resonance of any object he comes in contact with.

Mentality

Personal history

Arrival in Cyrus
Thirty years ago, a young, white haired boy wandered in the town of Cyrus. Appearing no more than six to eight years of age, and seemingly mute, it was assumed that he was an orphan of war, traumatized by whatever it was he had seen. He did not speak, but he did seem to understand Lothic, however his deep gaze seemed to hold an almost puzzled nature whenever anyone would address him verbally. The townspeople were able to gather that the boy did not seem to remember where he had come from, nor what had happened to his parents, and so when no one showed up to claim him, he was consigned to the local orphanage. He would live there under the care of Ysabel, who decided that since he did not seem to remember his own name, he would be called James Ducat.
 
Early Childhood
James seemed to get along well enough with the other children, but his silent stare seemed to make the other children uneasy at times, and occasionally made him the target of bullying. He did well in his classes, excelling in history, writing, and linguistics. It was noticed that while the other children would be playing together in the schoolyard after classes had let out, James would often disappear.
 
Every day he would march straight out of school to a corner of the town square where traveling bards would set up camp, and perform songs, puppet shows, and recount epic tales of old heroes, of nations rising from the sand and crumbling to ash, of time beginning and gods dying. These stories seemed to fully enwrap the boy's attention, though he did not seem to react with laughter or gasps as the other children might.
 
The Storm
James had been residing in the village for two years, and yet, he had still not spoken a single word to anyone, until one night, a terrible storm struck Cyrus. As the winds howled and thunder crashed outside, the children of the orphanage shook with fear in their beds. Finally the noise of the storm became so intense that one boy, the youngest among them, began to cry for his mother, who had sadly passed away some time ago. James bolted up and went over to the boy's bedside, and to everyones' amazement, he began to speak.
 
He recounted a tale of a young boy lost in the woods and captured by a hag, who was able to bravely save himself and outsmart his captor, performing the tale in the style of the bards he would watch in the town square, acting the scenes out and using unique voices for each character. The other children gathered around James in a circle, as he continued to tell stories and sing songs through the night until at last, the morning sun finally peaked through the cracks of their shared bedroom’s shuttered windows, but the children had already forgotten all about the storm. They were too busy enjoying the show being put on in front of them.
 
Adolescence
After the night of the storm, James gradually became more talkative, and many would even say quite charming. He would continue to attend the performances of the local troubadours and would often ask the bards about minute details of their performances, always looking for new tricks and techniques that they would use to keep their audiences captivated.
 
James would continue to do well in school, learning all he could and eventually began to make more friends, including another orphaned young man by the name Abayomi. The two endlessly curious youngsters would often study together, even going so far as to learn about subjects not covered in their school’s curriculum, such as Old Lothic. Eventually, James would decide to focus his studies on the legal practices of The Stormlands, and upon graduation managed to pass the examination required to become a licensed barrister.
 
Barrister Ducat
Upon receiving his certification as a barrister, James sought work as a legal clerk within the local government of Cyrus. This would eventually lead him to become a public defender, who would provide legal counsel to people that could not otherwise afford representation. His help in these cases earned him many friends in the town of Cyrus, but also drew the ire of many powerful figures within the higher levels of the town government, the city guard, and the few wealthy individuals that had not moved on after the collapse of the silver industry.
 
James was relegated to the position of dock administrator. Though this was once a very important job, it had become largely unnecessary when silver supply had run out, causing both external trade and travel to and from Cyrus to become almost nonexistent. While this posting was meant to keep James out of the hair of the town’s corrupt elite, he would use his vast amounts of free time to work on private legal cases representing the targets of this corruption, often working pro bono when a client was unable to pay for his services.
 
Barrister Ducat was well aware that he had been given this position of limited authority as a way to prevent him from interfering with any meaningful local legislation, but he was undeterred. He would bide his time, work his way up the ranks, and wait for his moment to strike back against these corrupt officials so that he could bring about the change that the townsfolk so desperately needed and return Cyrus to its former glory.

Education

An educated and licensed barister. Extensive training in bardcrafts, particularly oration. Well-studied with a particular penchant for history and linguistics.

Employment

Currently working as the dock administrator of Cyrus, though he frequently takes on legal cases as a barrister, often representing people who cannot afford legal counsel pro bono.

Accomplishments & Achievements

-One of the youngest people to ever pass the barrister's examination.
-Dock Administrator of Cyrus (though this position now holds very limited authority).
-Taught himself Old Lothic in his teens.

Failures & Embarrassments

-Somewhat ashamed of his limp, and thereby attempts to hide it, claiming that his cane is merely a fashion choice.
-Upset that his position as Dock Administrator is unable to enact any meaningful authority.
-Feels that he should've been able to prevent Annie's death.

Mental Trauma

-Has no memory of his life or identity before coming to Cyrus.
-Worries that people finding out about his psychic abilities will cause him to be ostracized.
-Still feels traumatized by the bullying he faced as a child, which causes him to relentlessly fight against any entity he views as a "bully".

Intellectual Characteristics

-Has high levels of integrity.
-Prefers to sit back and examine a situation before making a decision.
-Feels personally responsible for enacting the changes he wants to see in the world, and protecting the people he cares about.
-Fears being ostracized or cut off from his community.
-Holds a deep mistrust of most authority figures, and hates anyone that he sees as using their power to hurt others, though he is adept at hiding it.
-Seeks out knowledge as a means to fill the memories he's lost.

Morality & Philosophy

Fairness and equality are paramount to James. He tries to do whatever he can to help those who are powerless, and that the only effective way to do so is by enacting societal change, which is what initially drove him into politics. Though he would try his best to aid anyone in need, he prioritizes the town of Cyrus and its people above all, because in his mind, if they had not taken him in as a child, he would almost certainly have died alone in the wilderness of The Stormlands. For James, cooperation is the basis of society, and therefore it is everyone's responsibility to give what they can and take only what they need.

person.sexuality

James tends to behave in a very polite, yet charming manner, and can be quite flirtatious with people that seem receptive to it. Things such as gender, ancestry, heritage, and age do not seem to him or effect his sexual or romantic interests, but rather whether or not they are what James would consider to be a "good person". As such, many have speculated about the nature of James and his sexuality, but being the fiercely private individual that he is, when questioned directly he would tend to respond with a very vague answer, or attempt to dodge the question entirely, though he is far from prudish or uncomfortable talking about the subject of sexuality in general terms. He has never had a partner to knowledge of anyone in Cyrus, but there are a fair number of rumors and claims of private trysts going on behind closed doors.

person.gender_identity

James typically uses male pronouns when referring to himself, but would care very little if instead addressed with femine or neutral pronons.

Taboos

James is a relatively open-minded individual and as such there is little that he would consider completely taboo.

Known Languages

-Lothic
-Old Lothic
-Elven

Personality

Motivation

James is motivated to help others, but primarily the town of Cyrus and its residents. As he believes that the best way to do this is through large scale societal change, he seeks to achieve the highest levels of political office that he is able to attain, be that in Cyrus, or the world at large.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Savvies
-Skilled in diplomacy and deception
-Legal expert and gifted barrister
-Highly knowledgable in a wide variety of areas
-Quite deft and able to move and act stealthily
 
Ineptitudes
-Physically quite weak
-Unskilled in survival and outdoorsmanship
-Little ability to engage in combat directly

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