Jemmick (Jem) Canmore is the brother of
Breydon Canmore (co-protaganist of
Green Thumb, Golden Tongue) and half-owner of
Two Sisters Vineyards.
Appearance
Jem takes great care with his appearance, even on days he works in the vineyard. He stands a well-built five feet, eleven inches tall His dark hair is kept to a short, manageable length and his facial hair is always neatly trimmed. His clothing, usually of the comfortable variety, is kept clean and well cared-for.
Mental
Jem is most know for his dedication to the duty he has to his family, having sacrificed his own dreams of a life somewhere else as the next in line to inherit the vineyard. This trickles down into his interactions with his younger cousins and brother, whom he has always felt responsible for. He feels the weight of the family's success rests on his shoulders.
Not particularly gifted with his
enmanity, Jem has always been interested in academic study. He is a problem-solver who much prefers managing the business of the vineyard rather than tending to the grapes himself, though he willingly steps in if his help is needed.
Though he sometimes comes off as rigid, Jem has a good sense of humor. He doesn't seek to be the center of social gatherings but he feels comfortable talking with just about anyone.
History
Jemmick Canmore was born in 1244 as the first child to
Sadie and
Niall Canmore. He grew up close with his cousin
Mellie who was a year younger than him. At age seven he manifested
Power of Flora, earning him the
inheritorship of the vineyard.
As Jem grew up he was taught the ins and outs of the vineyard side of the family business, a more in-depth education than his brother and cousins because of his position as inheritor. At first he happily accepted it, but as he grew older he began to feel burdened by it as he started dreaming of the world beyond the vineyard. He struggled with his strong sense of dedication to family and tradition in the face of what he truly wanted. This internal conflict made it difficult to engage with his peers, requiring Mellie to forcibly drag him to gatherings with people their age.
Jem was accepted into
Ilium University at twenty two, but had to wait a year due to lack of sponsorship from his parents who wanted him to attend at the same time as Mellie. Sensing her son's frustration with the situation and knowing what his true wishes were, Sadie offered him the opportunity to relinquish his inheritorship upon graduation should he still feel his calling was elsewhere, a bold offer given the years of family tradition and the legal requirement that she sign off on the change of inheritorship. This was something Jem had never dreamed possible since he'd been groomed to take over the vineyard since he had manifested his enmanity. He agreed that he would keep an open mind about the proposition.
The following year he attended Ilium for business studies along with Mellie. As his studies progressed, he found himself more interested in politics and began taking classes on the subject as well as brushing up on the politics of Deamei.
Unfortunately, Jem's dreams of a future away from home would be shattered just before the start of his final term when an accident claimed the lives of his mother, father, and uncle. He would never get the opportunity to pass his inheritorship on to someone else because he was now proprietor of the vineyard at Two Sisters. His aunt, Tamara, offered to keep the vineyard running with the help of Breydon so that he could finish his studies, but Jem couldn't in good conscience leave her responsible for both halves of the business. He also didn't see much point in finishing university if he was just going to end up in the same place anyway.
In taking over the vineyard, Jem was finally able to make some of the changes his mother never would, mostly in terms of making financially beneficial decisions. He had visions of expanding the land of the vineyard as well as the number of markets Two Sisters was sold in, a vision he shared with his one-day business partner Mellie. He trusted Breydon knew how to look after the grapes without much supervision, but Jem took it upon himself to see that
Justyne received proper instruction regarding her enmanity, much to her chagrin.
If Jem couldn't find a life outside of the vineyard, then he would damn well leave his mark on its history.
Novel Appearances (Spoilers)
Green Thumb, Golden Tongue
Upon returning to the house after a horseback ride with Breydon, Jem learns of the troubles of a nearby vineyard from Mellie and begins to consider the business opportunities of the situation. His considerations are cut short, however, when a summons arrives from Deamei for Breydon and his sponsor. Jem is furious, both because of Breydon getting into trouble again and the fact that they'll both have to go to Deamei during the start of the busiest time of year at the vineyard.
When the two brothers arrive in Deamei, they learn that Breydon's case has been assigned to the Central Court of Reisouth. Jem, knowing his fair share about the current state of the Court from his studies, warns Breydon not to try anything funny because of the High Inquisitor's aide,
Abbelithe Olevera, a
visaurant with a dangerous reputation who will know if he is lying. When the hearing gets out of hand and the High Inquisitor adjourns the session pending further review, Breydon is put on probation with community service and an offer to submit for aura study in lieu of community service. Jem pleads with him to not accept the deal on the grounds that it's torture, but Breydon does so anyway, eventually choosing to stay in Deamei to continue the process. Jem is placated by Breydon's decision to attend Ilium while in the city.
Months later, Jem serves as the stand in for Mellie's father, his uncle, at Mellie's wedding. Following the ceremony, Jem is avoiding the rush of well-wishers to the bride and groom with Breydon and Justyne when he mentions looking out for the owners of Moren Fields. Despite Breydon's suggestion that business not be discussed on Mellie's special day, Jem reveals that he has Mellie's blessing to broach the subject of acquisition during a time when the Morens will likely have their guards down. Unfortunately, the conversation doesn't get very far before the festivities are interrupted by officers coming to arrest Breydon and return him to Deamei.
Jem ends up on a train to Deamei shortly following Breydon's arrest. At the hearing, they learn that Breydon has been arrested for using his golden tongue on a group of people that had been harassing him and Abbelithe, with whom he'd become friends over the course of their time spent together. Jem immediately blames Abbelithe for the situation, having warned Breydon not to engage with her in their very first trip to Deamei. Following the hearing, Breydon assaults his harasser in the corridor, leading to a civil lawsuit on top of the criminal charges.
As Breydon is taken to jail, Jem is left scrambling to find legal representation for his brother. The criminal charges would be bad enough, but as Breydon's sponsor, Jem is financially responsible for the outcome of the civil lawsuit, which could mean losing the vineyard to pay the ridiculously high claim for damages.
All hope seems lost until a few weeks later when he recieves a visit from Abbelithe who claims that Breydon has been caught up in a conspiracy against her, considered collateral damage to those involved. Jem doesn't trust her, but he's exhausted every avenue and he isn't about to stop someone who's willing to help save his brother from prison and his family from eviction.
Jem is left in the dark about the outcome of Abbelithe's plans until the day of the hearing. The High Inquisitor barges into the room and announces that all charges have been dropped regarding the most recent incidents. There is no reason to believe that Breydon is a greater danger to society than he was before the recent incidents, so the status quo of probation and community service is put back into place. He privately tells Breydon and Jem that they are lucky to have Abbelithe on their side, and that he hopes to never see either of them in court again. To Jem's relief, Breydon agrees to return home and try to put the whole incident behind them.
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