Joss Martins
Josiah Martins (a.k.a. Joss, Old Joss)
You've got te be a certain type of person to run the Caraed. Savvy enough to make a profit, but not so greedy as to start steppin to the toes of your clientele. Smart enough to leave the dodgers alone if they're being quiet enough, and smart enough to know when to remove 'em before they cause damage. Old Joss is certainly one of those people. To be one of those people, however, you need to have a wee handful of strange up there in your noggin. Joss is no exception.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Joss is fit, save for his right shoulder. When couriering a message for the Cenata in his youth, he was jumped by the Cada Cratal City Guard in an alleyway, breaking his right shoulder. He attempted to heal it himself, fearful of being arrested should he go to an apothecary or doctor for help. Although he managed to recover most of the use of his arm, any heavy exertion still causes him great pain and he has occasional difficulty with writing. He manufactured the iron arm to assist him in regaining normal function.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Joss does not remember his parents, only knowing that he began to roam the streets at the age of 5. Begging and stealing to survive initially, he eventually landed a place in a street gang tied to the Cenata. At the age of 10, he began running messages for the Cenata officially.
Employment
Joss had no formal education, and instead learnt what he knows from a series of informal and on occasion not-exactly-legal, apprenticeships and jobs. He first served as a street rat for the Cenata, running messages through the streets between various teams. Although he showed a basic competence at this, Joss seems to have had no desire to rise through the ranks overmuch, and remained a runner for several years. After he was injured during the transportation of a particularly sensitive message, Joss left the active service of the Cenata, and began to seek other pathways.
No more than a year later, Joss was working studiously as an assistant scribe at the Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting, making copies of spellwrits that were created by the academics studying there. It's assumed that this is where he learnt much of his literacy, and how he made some of the connections that would help him later in life. Joss remained here for a few months more, before being sacked after failing to show up for work multiple days in a row. This absence was not simply because he was lazy - far from it, in fact. Joss was searching the city for castoffs from artificers, artists, and craftsmen. As he accumulated these at the hut he occupied on the outskirts of the academy, passers-by noted noises of manufacture and the occasional muted explosion. When those assigned to evict him arrived at his hut, they found nothing - the room was spotless, as though he had never been there. Joss had disappeared with his first, and most useful, invention - the iron arm. Joss took his invention to the workshops of many artificers around the city, hoping to persuade them to buy his prototype. Even at the relatively young age of 21, he was a shrewd businessman and ensured that he would gain royalties from those he sold the design from. He played off various interested parties against each other, ensuring that he got the best deal for his invention. In the end, he signed a contract with Arven, who offered him a down payment for the prototype as well as 10% royalties on further copies. This was the beginning of Joss's business dealings and fortune. He would only improve upon them from here. Although his first invention was a great success, Joss quickly shifted from the field of entrepreneurship to the more conventional one of trade. He made himself a large presence in the world of Cada Cratal's merchants, offering to serve as a courier to their various trading partners for no cost, save what he could barter from those they traded with. Most were quick to take him up on this proposition, thinking that they would gain a free courier service. Joss became a regular presence on the roads of Mythia, along with his various carts and horses that he purchased using the proceeds from the iron arm. At every point on his trade route, he would manage to increase his profit margin - whether through the use of smart negotiation, side deals for his own exclusive benefit, or outright trickery. Although he was not a universally loved figure, he was a universally respected one among the merchant community. Everyone knew "young Joss, the traveler." At the age of 30, Joss returned to his home base of Cada Cratal, having amassed a small fortune from his trading exploits. There, he extended his credentials to the Cenata once again, offering his services as a fence and public face for their commercial activities. Seeing the chance to operate through a respected public figure, the Cenata jumped at his suggestion and began operating extensively through Joss. However, Joss remained a fence only for a short time, before he left the Cenata once again - many suspect that he found the reality of higher-level crime distasteful. When the last operator of the Cenata died, Joss was aged 35. He was almost perfectly placed to assume the mantle of this role, having connections with the merchants who supplied the place, the shady figures who ran the betting and congregated out of the eye of the watch, and his connections to figures of authority through his time as a scribe. Joss put forward his name for the role and was almost instantly accepted. He has not changed jobs since.
No more than a year later, Joss was working studiously as an assistant scribe at the Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting, making copies of spellwrits that were created by the academics studying there. It's assumed that this is where he learnt much of his literacy, and how he made some of the connections that would help him later in life. Joss remained here for a few months more, before being sacked after failing to show up for work multiple days in a row. This absence was not simply because he was lazy - far from it, in fact. Joss was searching the city for castoffs from artificers, artists, and craftsmen. As he accumulated these at the hut he occupied on the outskirts of the academy, passers-by noted noises of manufacture and the occasional muted explosion. When those assigned to evict him arrived at his hut, they found nothing - the room was spotless, as though he had never been there. Joss had disappeared with his first, and most useful, invention - the iron arm. Joss took his invention to the workshops of many artificers around the city, hoping to persuade them to buy his prototype. Even at the relatively young age of 21, he was a shrewd businessman and ensured that he would gain royalties from those he sold the design from. He played off various interested parties against each other, ensuring that he got the best deal for his invention. In the end, he signed a contract with Arven, who offered him a down payment for the prototype as well as 10% royalties on further copies. This was the beginning of Joss's business dealings and fortune. He would only improve upon them from here. Although his first invention was a great success, Joss quickly shifted from the field of entrepreneurship to the more conventional one of trade. He made himself a large presence in the world of Cada Cratal's merchants, offering to serve as a courier to their various trading partners for no cost, save what he could barter from those they traded with. Most were quick to take him up on this proposition, thinking that they would gain a free courier service. Joss became a regular presence on the roads of Mythia, along with his various carts and horses that he purchased using the proceeds from the iron arm. At every point on his trade route, he would manage to increase his profit margin - whether through the use of smart negotiation, side deals for his own exclusive benefit, or outright trickery. Although he was not a universally loved figure, he was a universally respected one among the merchant community. Everyone knew "young Joss, the traveler." At the age of 30, Joss returned to his home base of Cada Cratal, having amassed a small fortune from his trading exploits. There, he extended his credentials to the Cenata once again, offering his services as a fence and public face for their commercial activities. Seeing the chance to operate through a respected public figure, the Cenata jumped at his suggestion and began operating extensively through Joss. However, Joss remained a fence only for a short time, before he left the Cenata once again - many suspect that he found the reality of higher-level crime distasteful. When the last operator of the Cenata died, Joss was aged 35. He was almost perfectly placed to assume the mantle of this role, having connections with the merchants who supplied the place, the shady figures who ran the betting and congregated out of the eye of the watch, and his connections to figures of authority through his time as a scribe. Joss put forward his name for the role and was almost instantly accepted. He has not changed jobs since.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Aside from his impressive business credentials, Joss has also used much of his excess money to finance various civic projects around the city of Cada Cratal. He was a large contributor to the restoring of the sewer system, allowing better sanitation, as well as donating large amounts of money to the Literature Museum to ensure its continued operation.
Although each of his business accomplishments are worthy of notice, his work as the operator of the Caraed is perhaps the most notable. After its previous operator had nearly run the place into the ground, hiking prices of tickets, food, and drink while ignoring calls from the industry and the populace that they would lose custom, Joss had next to nothing to work with. Sinking much of his own funds into the business, Joss rebuilt the organisation from the ground up, ensuring that the commodities sold by the Caraed were affordable to citizens. He also rebuilt connections with sports teams from outside Cada Cratal that the previous operator had not maintained, ensuring a steady flow of high-grade sport into the arenas.
Failures & Embarrassments
Joss has failed very few times in his life, as his success in varied fields attests to. He has confessed to being ashamed of being fired from his job as a scribe, saying that he wishes he had left in a more dignified manner. Additionally, his injured shoulder from his days as a Cenata runner still plagues him, and he is often embarrassed by the fact that he cannot use this arm very well. In public, he either wears a concealed and miniaturised iron arm to assist him, or avoids exerting himself.
Intellectual Characteristics
Joss is widely regarded as a shrewd thinker, as well as a particularly able businessman. He has exceptional "street smarts", and is able to judge a situation very quickly, something that has contributed to his success as a businessman and entrepeneur. Although he seldom plays, Joss is rumoured to be particularly good at games of strategy such as Task.
Morality & Philosophy
Joss sees the world as a place that he can manipulate, for the good of himself and others. Often, he will use his considerable speaking skills to persuade others to follow what he believes best for the city. Although others might say that this behaviour is predatory, Joss is confident that he is using it for the best possible reasons, and so ignores this criticism. He is firmly in favour of the view that the ends justify the means.
Joss is also largely a pacifist, and often for this reason stays away from the more violent sports that take place in the Caraed's many arenas. He allows these as he believes that they let off tension in a more controlled environment than a street or bar fight, and places heavy supervision on them when he knows they are occurring.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Joss is motivated by two distinct factors - a desire to advance himself in wealth and social standing, and also a desire to improve the life of those similar to him. Most of his altruistic actions are a result of this second motivation - Joss's rough early life has meant that he has been aware of the troubles many children face, causing him to be motivated to alleviate these.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Joss is on relatively good terms with the Cenata, and would be able to call upon fairly high-ranking officials within it should he wish to do so. Additionally, he knows more than a few of the royal family through mutual associates, mostly from the Academy of Spellwriting. Finally, his name is well known in the merchant and artificer circles of Cada Cratal, allowing him to often get discounts on various services, as well as allowing him a greater knowledge of what is going on in these circles than most.
Wealth & Financial state
Joss's wealth is almost fabled in Cada Cratal. Although nobody is sure just how much he rakes in each month from his various royalties, side gigs, and other areas, his net wealth is estimated to be second only to those of the royal family themselves.
Current Location
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Technically, Joss has the title of Operator, due to his jurisdiction over the Caraed, but nobody calls him that.
Age
43
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Male
Eyes
Grey
Hair
Short and stubbly, kept this way via frequent shaving
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Brown
Height
6'2
Other Affiliations
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He is really impressive - going from begging on the streets to what he is today. What an interesting man. I loved reading his backstory.