Charl Wikhtori

Charl Wikhtori

Charl Wikhtori was the discoverer of Psionics Potential in Artemisia's telepaths. Before the cataclysm, they worked with their study participants on developing this potential and were known, to the sort of people who didn't consider telepaths to be people, as the "creator" of the psions. If pressed, they would have insisted with cheerful irritation that they were a co-creator at best, and shared the title with the telepaths who enthusiastically participated in their studies and developed their psionic powers.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

On the small side both in height and weight, Charl has definitely not prioritized their real-life strength modifier. What muscle they have is the sort normal people build from lugging around heavy equipment and building robots and such. Their hand-eye coordination is excellent on tasks they perform often, like working on the insides of Neurals, and they could thread wire through the eye of a needle without poking at it and swearing for half a minute.

Special abilities

Is probably the only person on the Fleet who knows the whole story about how all the different ship systems function.

Apparel & Accessories

Usually seen in a button-down with a thick apron suitable for keeping liquid metal, chemicals, scan radiation, and the occasional bodily fluid off of their front. They also wear boots that protect from spills and heavy objects, and keep suitable eye protection tucked in the bag that they haul around with them from place to place.

Specialized Equipment

Has a toolkit of futuristic medical and tinkering tools, primarily geared at working on neurals, though they also use them on the half-psionic machinery that makes the ships in the Fleet go.

Mental characteristics

Accomplishments & Achievements

• Discoverer of Psionics Potential
• Main architect of travel across Artemisia's Fractured Reality

Intellectual Characteristics

Charl clearly enjoys what they do, and often reacts with joy and excitement at an unexpected result, rather than being worried or offended. They are just as happy to be proven wrong as right, especially when the result is positive or takes them by surprise. They are about the act of learning instead of just knowing stuff.

Morality & Philosophy

Is pretty open and tolerant of anything that doesn't actively harm people. Feels no particular loyalty to rules that don't work or authority for the sake of authority. Likes to share what excites them with others, and is instinctively well-disposed towards them, wanting to have a positive effect on the world.

Taboos

Since they are driven by a need to learn how things work and discover what is true, they are puzzled and sometimes angered by people arguing in bad faith or distorting the facts to support their point. They would much rather people present honest data so they can work together to figure out what's actually happening in the situation at hand.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

In general terms, Charl is motivated by wonder, and a firm belief that humanity's lot in life can be improved by increasing scientific understanding and applying new discoveries to Artemisia's problems.

After the cataclysm, Charl is also a firm believer that the psions were scapegoated and that whatever really fractured reality can be tracked down and possibly remedied. They thus proactively involves themself in developing the means to travel the void between islands of reality. They are particularly interested in restoring the universe, and not just because it's the right thing to do. They also suspects that it could restore their friends, the psions, whose current disembodied state they feel responsible for.

Age

Late thirties

Pronouns

they/them

Eyes

Bright and engaged, deep blue

Hair

Long and curly, hairline beginning to recede, turns into a ridiculous bright halo in strong light

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Appears never to have felt the sun's kiss

Character Prototype

They are a direct challenge to the mad scientist stereotype, in that they are quite personable and absolutely have a conscience about what they do, considering the people they work with to be friends and colleagues. They do have an exotic name, and experiment in areas considered off-limits by peers, but overall, they're not so much Victor Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll, much less Ruvik from The Evil Within. They're much more like if Adam Savage and a Dnd rock gnome had a baby.