Aiken Brudenell
Staff member
- Influence
- 26,105.00
Neame Heath Grosvenor
| Age | 36 (Born Macabre 20, 1729) |
| Species | Pine Marten |
| Build | Average |
| Affiliation | Imperial Ministry of Peace and War |
| Rank | Minister of War |
SKILLS:
| Physical | Mental | Social |
|---|---|---|
| Longsword [Seasoned] (4) | Command [Veteran] (6) | Charm [Veteran] (6) |
| Skill [Rank] (Points) | Engineering [Trained] (2) | Skill [Rank] (Points) |
| Skill [Rank] (Points) | Music Theory [Trained] (2) | Skill [Rank] (Points) |
| Skill [Rank] (Points) | Skill [Rank] (Points) | Skill [Rank] (Points) |
| Total Points in Category: 4 | Total Points in Category: 10 | Total Points in Category: 6 |
DESCRIPTION:
Loud, boisterous, and full of energy, Neame most often appears with an infectious smile, full of jovial amusement. In the rare situations where his outward disposition is not a cheery one, the marten tends towards fits of intense anger – he is capable of switching between the two expressions on a moment’s notice. Any charges of emotional immaturity are easily put to mumbles, however, by the row of medals on his breast, including some of the highest awards for bravery in the Imperium.
As Minister of War, he carries himself as though beholden to nobeast – though he would be sure to make all the necessary appeals to his long-spanning loyalty to the Empress if ever charged as such. Humility is not a concern for him, but his self-importance is a matter taken quite seriously. To let the beasts of the Imperium be sure of his significance to their nation, he has spent a considerable sum of both his wealth and various MinoWar discretionary funds to produce a wide variety of particularly gaudy uniforms to wear. Of these his favorite is a white jacket with gold trim, buttons, epaulettes and shoulder cords, the eye-searingly bright empty space on the fabric easily filled with his collection of military awards, dating back to his youth in the Imperial Army.
His favored weapon is a longsword, embedded with a ruby or other precious stone, in the hilt and furnished with gold almost to the point of tastelessness. Such weapons are honed incredibly sharp, lest an underling or assassin decide they are merely indulgences for a newly wealthy beast, or that the Minister has lost his taste for bloodshed.
Underneath the uniform, he is a beast of average height, with the typical fur pattern and coloration of his race, and an average build, with a face and body still considered quite handsome, aided by his incredible confidence and often jovial attitude. A single imperfection mars his appearance – an altogether sightly dueling scar across his muzzle, enough to make him seem mysterious to some, and inspire some patience for his vanity and pompousness in others.
BIOGRAPHY:
Neame Heath Grosvenor, called “Neth” by his friends, was the son of the owner of a small hotel on the coast of the Imperium. His family made good enough business, despite the uncertainty and instability elsewhere in the country, but Neame longed for something more. It’s unsure more of what exactly he longed for, as the young pine marten made his choice to join the Imperial Army during a bout of peacetime, in 1736, and hardly made more money or saw more of the country than his parents had in their modest business.
One year into his term of service, the Army was ordered to move on Amarone – the so-called Soggus Emergency of 1737. This marked a period of intense confusion and isolation for the army, tasked with quarantining the capital of the nation, preventing any beast from leaving or entering without the express permission of the Minister of War, one Willard R. Brudenell. It was not yet publicly known, then, that the Emperor had vanished from the Imperium entirely, and that the Soggus Emergency had been in effect a coup d’etat, putting all the nation’s power and legitimacy behind the Minister of War, who ruled from his headquarters in Bully Harbour as though directly instructed by Emperor Ullyanov in Amarone.
Bored, Neame nevertheless followed his orders diligently, receiving his first commendation for single-handedly preventing a break-in attempt by Saturday Evening Smelt journalists, initially believed to be foreign infiltrators intent on murdering the Emperor.
Steadily rising through the ranks, Neame was able to purchase entry into officer’s school with some help from his family. Excelling in his studies, he found himself in charge of a company in the Army’s 1st Battalion just before the outbreak of the civil war.
The war tended to be confusing for all. Conflicting orders came from all around. On one day, Neame would be tasked with crushing a barricade manned by anarchists and republicans, and on the next day with disarming obviously government-aligned SDS mercenaries. It was not until several weeks of fighting on nearly all sides of the emerging civil war that a proper line of command was established with his company, accomplished by the arrest and execution of many higher-ranking officers in the battalion, and his promotion to lead it.
It was at this point that Neame finally came into his own. Fearless, and unflinchingly loyal to the orders sent down his way, he demanded nothing less than complete success from his troops in accomplishing their objectives, heedless of the danger. In this manner his battalion was almost wiped out on occasion, consistently taking higher casualties than other units in the Imperial Army, but also one of the most successful. No stranger to combat himself, winning several awards for risking his own life in the field, he was nevertheless only spared a reputation as a butcher by an emerging association with another fast-rising officer of the Imperial Army, one Captain Amélie.
He would fatefully follow the vixen in her gambit for the throne, a gamble which paid off enormously. By the time the war had ended, he was left the natural choice for the position as Minister of War. His predecessor, Brudenell, was forcibly deposed, and many of his allies who had stayed loyal to his regime despite Amélie’s coup were outside consideration. The navy had spent years out of relevance, and the Empress was unlikely to trust outsiders with control over the military.
Some would say he has built his career off of riding the future Empress’s successes. Many such detractors exist, even with his decorations. Neame is known to waste much time and resources on excesses, such as composing new music for bands to play upon his arrival, and of course in designing his many uniforms. But the pine marten has been quick to use his position to implement the Empress’s desired reforms and technological advancements in both the army and navy, surprising many from the Ministry of Innovation with a seemingly intuitive grasp of technical implications. He is a beast that works hard to make sure deadlines are met, personally overseeing projects wherever it may seem prudent – even if his demands for ceremonial receptions prove disruptive and off-putting in the short term.
Further, despite his first interactions with members of the journalistic persuasion, he has proven to be amicable and popular with the civilian population and the powers that be within it, charming reporters and businessmen alike with his jovial spirit and lofty personality, even as the many from lower classes joke about his appearance, and the wealthy about his nouveau riche gaudiness. It appears that, no matter his whispered reputation, the Minister of War retains the Empress’s confidence.
POSSESSIONS:
Neame owns a vast collection of uniforms and swords for his use, of which some might be considered reasonable or practical attire. He has also done well with his Ministry salary, owning several vacation homes across the country, a castle, and a considerable estate in Bully Harbour's own Insanely Rich Area. Following in the footsteps of the former Minister of War, the pine marten also owns controlling interest in several contractors doing business with the military directly, though accusations of impropriety are shrugged off with bombastic claims of investing in his country's war potential and increasing efficiency.
Though not necessarily his property, the Minister of War also considers much of the military's assets on land or at sea to exist at his discretion - if it may so please the Empress, of course.
