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Nicolas "The Lion" of Iron Pit
[Character Picture]
[Character Picture]
| Age | 53 (Born Third of Smarch, 1712) |
| Species | Maine Coon Wildcat |
| Pronouns | He/His |
| Size (Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large) | Large |
| Build | Male, chubby but seems |
| Rank | Minister of Innovation, Gentry: Knight. |
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Over his grey-blue eyes, he wears a pair of spectacles made from silver. Ever since he got formally knighted, he has a scabbard and his sword attached to his belt. He does rarely use them still as he prefers to use various formulas he carries in the inside pockets of his coat.
He usually wears a white shirt, black waistcoat and black long coat on top. Rarely there is any colour to his outfit, safe for blue pocket square. The only jewellery he wears is his wedding ring and one single piercing on his left ear.
PERSONALITY:
-Passionate, loves talking about his passions and listening about others
-Firmly believes that each beast can define their fate with hard work
-Content with Technocratic ideal, does not see ethical problems it raises
-Inquisitive, patient, diligent yet rather arbitrary in his decisions
-Loves recognition he has, doesn’t like attention or fame it brings
STRENGTHS:
-Quick-witted and knowledgeable beyond just his fields of study
-Decisive, takes as informed decisions as he can in decent time
-Just being big is an advantage, even if he isn’t a paragon of fitness
-Very popular among academic, military and aristocratic elites.
WEAKNESSES:
-Indoctrinated by MinoInn Technocrats, blind to the flaws they have
-Misguided morally
-Quick to lose temper in some situations, becoming irrational and easy to manipulate
-Sees status quo as preferable outcome, in other words stubborn
BIOGRAPHY:
Who wouldn’t want to be Nicolas “The Lion” of Iron Pit?
Commonly known among scientific community as Father of Chemistry and Beast who had changed the world. Known for identifying Hydrogen and Oxygen, defining acids and bases as well as combustion, establishing Law of conservation of mass, inventing redox reactions, calorimetry, stoichiometry and most importantly to many: gunpowder.
This wildcat had a stunning career for which he got Knighted by Empress Amelie herself.
But his history starts in 1712. Nicolas was born in small mining settlement named Iron Pit. As most kittens from poor families, he had to work in the mines that produced zinc, iron and lead for the Imperium. He didn’t like that one bit, but as a curious mind, he got a lot of base metals and other ingredients to experiment with. Incredibly early on, at the age of nine, he had discovered how using limewater does help with sulphuric water and vents. Sheer luck it was that at the time, Innovation geologists were at the place prospecting for silver. Noticing potential in the young kitten, they offered him a scholarship.
Of course, Nicolas agreed and his parents were given a generous sum to repay a lost source of income. With all sides happy, the kitten was taken to Magh and taught by some of the best professionals that Imperium had to offer. They very quickly did learn that Nicolas was not operating at the same level as other promising pupils they took. He was barely sixteen when he published his first paper on acids and bases. With that, his work only continued, and he again and again proven himself to be beyond what most could do. Alchemists and chemists of the ministry had all eaten their boots as the next era of discoveries was very much dominated by Nicolas.
Due to his very humble origins, he took the surname “The Lion” as being called “of Iron Pit” belittled him. He very quickly ranked within the Ministry itself. At the age of 27 he was already very well-known specialist and got to travel the Vulpine Imperium to do geology and test out new methods of prospecting. His journey took two years. Because of his work, many new veins of iron, coal and other resources were found and helped to initiate the incoming industrial revolution.
Nicolas in that period for the first time got to meet beasts outside of the Innovation ranks, serving in the field, coordinating and cooperating also with other ministries. It was in a way, a test of his loyalty. One that he passed with flying colours, even if he at the time met with a lot of beasts from other ministries to cooperate with them in their endeavours. That is however how he got to learn about the world beyond the Innovation science. He found new passions, lovers and friends. Some of which, like Orina Emberkin, he holds dear to this day.
It was at the end of those travels, as he had aged 29, that he had met Callisto. With whom he had a very intimate relationship stemming from the great chemistry the two had. While both of them were seemingly perfect for one another, sharing passions and mindset alike, it ended in a crushing break-up. One that made Nicolas forever more secluded and less interested in romantic pursues.
At the age of just 30 he was approved into the Committee as the youngest member of it ever. Being mostly raised and having grown up within the Ministry, Nicolas was extremely loyal to it and the leading ideals that science had to be done for the sake of power. While he was all for meritocracy, he was not going as far as some of his peers who wished for society ruled by the scientists. He himself was however all for efficiency and as such he ended up aligned with the technocratic camp.
At the age of 32 after years of scientific work he decided however to shake things up for himself. To prove that his idea for pocket bombs and grenades would work, he took charge of a few missions of industrial sabotage. Many speculate that this led to two things. Later leading to him developing the gunpowder as well as meeting his future wife, Irene Stickypaws. None but him were able to say who she was before he got her into the Ministry, but she, as it soon turned out, was just as brilliant of a mind as Nicolas was. Her work on species categorisation and finding connections between them started a whole new science. Nicolas ended his field work at age 33 when he married Irene. (In truth, she was the target he was meant to neutralise, but she offered him a very practical deal. She would get his protection as his wife and be allowed to work within Innovation ranks, and he would both get a powerful ally and a wife with all that it entails. Nicolas agreed for he wasn't aware at the time how badly this would end)
As an important member of the Ministry, he was excluded from having to fight in both the turmoil of 20s and 30s as well as the Revolutions. In the latter ones, he did convince the rest of the committee to redirect funds to him in order to research further into the bombs he experimented with earlier. An accident in his lab, one he refuses to speak of, led to creation of first gunpowder. That in the eyes of many is his crown achievement.
Just after the revolutions had ended, he was formally knighted by the new Empress Amelie for his work. He was also given his hometown and the mines around it, still operational, as his personal holding.
In the years after the revolution, Nicolas went into a partial retirement to focus on raising his kittens more. He still worked and developed new formulas for explosives as well as he got to work on more analytical part of the chemistry. He lived with his now-wife and kittens in his new mansion built in the Iron Pit. And while the new minister of innovation, Talinn Ryalor, was in charge of the ministry, the Committee wasn’t enjoying the fact that a beast unrelated to them was now in control. They were compliant in working with Duke Talinn on his requests, even if they didn’t like those, but in truth, the ministry was run by Nicolas who managed the committee by their vote. Despite coming from technocratic faction, he was a moderate so he could mediate rather well with other nascent groups, giving them just enough to keep them satisfied while keeping most important operations and matters in paws of his own faction.
With such a career, achievements, fame and being de facto the one in charge of Ministry of Innovation, it was just a matter of time till he would finally be given official power over it. But not being great with scheming (that was more a domain of his wife) Nicolas for now continued his work and maintained his passion of gathering petrifactions, learning about ancient world as well as continued to give all love and care to his four kittens. Alice(15), Jasper(12), Robert(8) and Melody(3). All of them being stellar, with Melody being the exception, yet one that didn't change much about his approach to them.
POSSESSIONS/REAL ESTATE:
-Collection of Petrifications
-Estate of the town and mines of Iron Pit
-Mansion overseeing his Estate
-Penthouse in Magh, on top of Ministry of Innovation central office
-A longsword he had obtained when he got Knighted
-Most advanced chemical lab equipment known to beasts, commissioned just for him
-A small pendant in shape of a beetle
SKILLS:
| Physical | Mental | Social |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting Style: Grenades and Bombs, Seasoned (4) | Trade: Chemistry, Master (10) | Social Skill: Mediator, Trained (1) |
| Fighting Style: Longsword, Trained (1) | Trade: Physics, Seasoned (4) | |
| Approach: Climbing, Novice (0) | Knowledge: Biology, Novice (0) | |
| Knowledge: History, Novice (0) | ||
| Knowledge: Acting, Novice (0) | ||
| Knowledge: Ancient Literature, Novice (0) | ||
| Total Points in Category: 5 | Total Points in Category: 14 | Total Points in Category: 1 |
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