- Influence
- 331.00
Arthur Barrett
"The sea claims her price in blood and bone, and pay her toll we must. But not a penny more."
Skills (14 pts)
Physical (3 pts) | Mental (5 pts) | Social (6 pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Submission (Proficient, 3) Arthur has dealt with enough patients, he knows how to subdue unruly ones gently. | Trauma Surgeon (Veteran, 5) Arthur expertly cares for wounded beasts, even ones at the brink of death. | Intimidation (Trained, 2) Arthur has a way with words, and knows how to make things uncomfortable when necessary. |
| Leadership (Seasoned, 4) Arthur speaks with authority, commands respect, and can organize a team to care for multiple wounded simultaneously. |
General Information
- Age: 51- Species: Pine Marten
- Size: Hulking
Physical Description
Arthur is an imposing figure. Taller than your average beast, broad shouldered, and surprisingly fit for someone his age. He wears an austere expression, and carries himself with the air of someone who doesn't want to be bothered.His fur is a rich, dark walnut brown, typical of a pine marten, though flecks of gray around his face betray his age. Under his chin, a thick patch of cream colored fur spills down his throat and across his chest, softening his otherwise rugged appearance.
Often he is found dressed in a simple white collared shirt, and a herringbone waistcoat of some earthy color. When the occasion calls for it, he has an old gray velvet tailcoat with brass buttons -- though he seldom wears it otherwise.
Inventory and Real Estate
Arthur carries precious little with him. A pair of small round spectacles for reading is tucked carefully away in his breastpocket, next to a plain white hankerchief. In his pocket, he often carries a fountain pen, and several pieces of paper folded into a makeshift notebook.Aboard the ship, he keeps a small library of well read books in his quarters. Anatomy, medicinal herbs, and reference books on various ailments and procedures. Though the books are somewhat outdated, his own notes and corrections are neatly written in the page margins. Poetry, history, philosophy, and other literature adorn the shelves in neatly organized clusters. Arthur was quite protective of his library, but those who found themselves in his good graces -- or under his care, may find he loans them something of interest.
The vast majority of his "possessions" were stored in the infirmary. A locked chest, secured to sturdy furniture, contained his surgical implements. Velvet lined drawers neatly organized a small collection of saws, scalpels, foreceps, clamps, probes -- and other unpleasant implements that most beasts would prefer to avoid.
One cabinet in the infirmary was stocked with various colored glass bottles, filled with medicinal herbs. Each had a neatly written label affixed to it -- and Arthur meticulously kept them as organized as he kept his library. A small portion of the cabinet was kept under lock and key, which Arthur kept on his person. Another cabinet was stocked with bandages, blankets, spare uniforms, bite sticks, and other miscellanious items pertinent to the care of seabeasts.
Outside the ship, Arthur would have a small cottage in a more remote part of Bully Harbor -- though not much is known about his personal life.
Personality
A veteran surgeon of the Winter War, Arthur Barrett carries himself with a gravity that few dare to challenge. A perpetual frown sits on his face like a battle scar, and he speaks with a brusque, unadorned edge. There are no wasted words, no empty comforts; bedside manner, in Arthur's view, is measured in skillful hands and clear-eyed honesty, not in pleasantries or beating around the bush.The pine marten maintained an aloof and unsentimental presence, preferring to allocate his faculties towards efficiency. Distant as he may have seemed, he wasn't known to be cruel or uncaring. Rather, he had a fierce passion for the wellbeing of his crew. Patients were always treated as individuals, and Barrett reserved the best of his bedside manner for his most critical patients.
Arthur had no tolerance for flippancy, poor leadership, lies, or excuses. This frequently put him at odds with his superiors -- and manifested as outright contempt for politicians and bureaucrats. The infirmary was a game of life and death, and he played it with all sincerity -- but he couldn't tolerate those who would gamble with lives over tea and crackers.
Outside his professional work, Arthur struggled to maintain social relationships. Rather than joining the crew on deck, he preferred to find solace in the upkeep of the infirmary. One wondered how he'd manage in retirement.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:- Physical strength and discipline
- Thrives in chaotic environments
Weaknesses:
- Short temper
- Social recluse
- Contempt for other leadership
- A private addiction to pain killers
History
Arthur grew up during the unrest surrounding the Maelstrom Conflict. The constant tension served as an impetus to do well in his studies. Graduating top of his class at the University in Length, Vulpinsula, he found a position at Pyrostoat Memorial Hospital just as the Winter War broke out.Thrown headlong into the chaos of battlefield medicine, Barrett quickly proved himself. He cut his teeth caring for the wounded, and built a reputation as an excellent surgeon with an intuition as sharp as his scalpel. However, Barrett knew he was essential, and flaunted his ability to speak truth to power.
As the war wound down, Barrett was a legend in the wards, but an outcast in the officer's mess. By Armistice Day, Barrett found himself adrift. The intensity of battlefield trauma subsided into the tedium of civillian hospitals. Barrett felt a stranger in a world that valued diplomacy over decisiveness, and social niceties over efficiency.
Having burned all his social capital, Barrett drifted from one job to the next, each shorter than the last. His skills remained undeniable, but his reputation as a caustic, insubordinate malcontent preceded him everywhere he went. When an opening aboard the Golden Hide arose -- a post no one with sense or seniority would volunteer for -- the brass saw their opportunity. Officially, they offered him the position as a mark of trust in his capabilities; unofficially, it was a quiet exile.
It pained Arthur to give the Naval commission the satisfaction of seeing him broken. The firebrand of Pyrostoat, reduced to grovelling for his own banishment. And yet, The Hide provided him escape from the society he no longer fit: a rigid routine, no committees, and a wide berth to run the infirmary as he saw fit.
Barrett didn't ask for an apprentice. In his eyes, the young todd was insult to injury -- a babysitting assignment, and a liability to his precious order. At first, he treated the kit with cold efficiency: curt instructions, harsher corrections, and little else. Yet the todd endured it all with a stubborn determination. In time, Arthur could not help but see a reflection of his younger self -- fierce, unpolished, unbroken. The sight wounded him more deeply than he cared to admit. It reminded him of the fire he once carried so proudly, now reduced to a smoldering flax by his own brashness.
Against every bitter instinct, Arthur began to teach. In passing on what he knew, he found something stirring within him. Not pride, not hope, but a quiet, aching longing for the man he might have been. It was a small thing, fragile as a newborn spark. But in the cold passage to Urk, it was enough.
