Robert Beaumarys-Moorkroft

Son of Archduke John Beaumarys-Moorkroft of Westheath

AC 1016

"Do you not know who I am? I am the son of the Archduke of Westheath! Get out of my way!"

Appearance

Robert Beaumarys-Moorkroft is of barrel-shaped build, the kind that indicates years of growing far from overeating, overdrinking, and other excesses. He is not short, but looks stocky due to his expanding girth. His clothes always seem too tight—failed attempts of his tailors at his impossible insistence to fit him in slim, tall clothes. Nevertheless, his attire is always the latest, most expensive, and gaudiest in the City of Canals.

Robert has beady black eyes with permanent eye bags from the perpetual nights out. He has thick head of slick black hair and keeps small trim moustaches, which look all the smaller on his pudgy obese face. He does not have a neck, just layer upon layer of double and triple chins. His skin should be fair, but because of constant oily sweating, dirt tends to accumulate in the folds of his fat, leaving a grayish discoloration and sheen.

Robert speaks like he has food in his mouth—which is not infrequently the case. When angry, his voice can be boisterous and booming, but he still tends to eat his words. And despite the most expensive perfumes or the most potent of scent magic, Robert reeks of a characteristic odor reminiscent of sweat, alcohol and gorgon breath.

Personality & Quirks

The son of the Archduke is an arrogant, corrupt bully, who believes anything everything in Glantri is entitled to him—particularly money, food, women, and other worldly indulgences—and will not hesitate to use rank, reputation, magic or might to satisfy his hedonism and greed. Robert does not think himself a thief or a grafter, because he sees the coffers of Glantri and his own personal purse. He does not see himself as a liar, because he believes the ego-pumping fantasies that his cronies and sycophants flatter him with. He does not consider himself a depraved villain that he is, because everyone else is inferior and their opinion of him are unimportant.

Simple rules of decency and etiquette do not apply Robert—much less laws of justice. He is prone to blatant displays of power and extravagance, and should anyone try to cross him, he would always run back to his claim of being "the son of the Archduke."

Background

Robert Beaumarys-Moorkroft is the eldest son of Lord John Beaumarys-Moorkroft, the infamous Fenswick nobleman with the fastest rising political career in Glantrian history, terribly marked with deceit, deception, and treachery. Robert learned no respect for others, for law, for common decency. What he did learn was—as the son of the most powerful noble of Glantri—he could take liberties with people, particularly mundaners, without fear or punishment or reprisal. He would raid his father's coffers, crash private parties, then go out on nights in the town with his cronies and sycophants and not pay a penny! He would harass mundaners and molest women, eat till he threw up, drink till he fell into an intoxicated stupor—and repeat all these activities for the next day.

In AC 997, a terrible curse befell the Beaumarys-Moorkrofts, bestowed by his father's mistress Doña Carmina de Belcadiz. Robert and his brothers were transformed into ravens and his sisters Judith sacrificed 3 years of her life to break the evil enchantment. And yet, after this, Robert simply returned to his debauched lifestyle, as if nothing had ever happened! He had never thanked nor acknowledged his sister's efforts.

Robert, at that time, was enrolled at the Great School of Magic. He never studied and seldom attended classes; when he did, Robert would always disrupt the class, and insult and threaten his instructors, knowing they would never accept a challenge against "the son of the Duke of Hightower." And Robert would always get a nominal passing mark—except when he chose to twist some arms, then he would pass with flying colors.

But unfortunately for Robert, Lady Tereis of Haaskinz became his teacher in AC 1004, and she did what all of his previous instructors had always wanted but was too afraid to do: She flunked him! At first, Robert tried to cajole her, then bribe her, and finally threaten her—but Lady Tereis, the sister of Lord Harald Haaskinz, the Archduke of Westheath (and later Prince of Sablestone and Grand Master of the Great School of Magic), would not be threatened! On disciplinary grounds, she had him expelled.

His expulsion from the Great School of Magic effectively ended his dreams of becoming a military wizard of the Glantrian Army—not that he was actually putting any effort to this endeavor, beyond winning favors from other Glantrian military wizards by inviting them to parties and sending them bribes. But this event did have repercussions all the way to the Parliament, making the House Haaskinz a sworn foe of the House Beaumarys-Moorkroft—not that another enemy noble house would matter in the already long list of rivals of the treacherous Lord John.

Since 1016, Robert has ironically taken up Doña Carmina de Belcadiz as his own mistress. (He would never admit that it was she who seduced him and has his around her little elven finger!) he knows his father would never approve of this and tries to be discreet with his affairs with the most scandalous woman in the City of Canals before it even had canals! Robert realizes that to inherit his father's title, he has to gain more power, political and magical—and Doña Carmina has enticed him with such offers.

Web of Intrigue

Robert is considered the black sheep of the notorious House Beaumarys-Moorkroft. His father, Lord John, thinks little of him, and would rather become a nosferatu or clone himself repeatedly than die and pass his title to Robert! The apparent heiress of the Archduke, Lady Judith, is confident and capable; she is confident that Robert will make a bid for the title and capable of facing and defeating Robert in a magical duel. Robert's two younger brothers, the weak-willed Sir Jonathan and the morose Sir Edgar, could never stand up to their brother's bullying—until they surpassed him in magical ability. No love is lost between them.

The Glantrian bureaucrats and minor nobles generally hate Robert Beaumarys-Moorkroft. The more corrupt ones welcome him, hoping to strike an advantageous deal or benefit from being part of his endless entourage of underlings. He has dealings with the Unseen Hand, and if it weren't for his favored customer status, the guild would have killed him a long time ago. The Beggar's Court, on the other hand—many of who have been victims of his violence—are not so easily swayed by offers of money. The members of the People's Spellcasters Company are of two minds with this scion of a noble house: he frequently buys their contraband magical treasures, almost as frequently as he steals these stolen items.

Among Glantrian society, he is generally disliked. The fact that he is crude, ugly, and a dropout of the Great School of Magic, makes it easier for the haute société to tolerate his presence. And no matter how loud and offensive his blustering maybe, Glantrian nobles know that he is merely a pawn of the true power mongers, such as Doña Carmina. Sir Robert is jealously possessive of her, and he truly believes he can manipulate her—an exercise in futility, as most other Glantrians know! Doña Carmina, other the other hand, is using him for her own motives, particularly in injuring the Secret Craft of Cryptomancy for her own rise in the Secret Craft of Witchcraft.

He was once partners-in-crime with a fellow apprentice at the Great School, Derghov Loeten, and since Derghov became the Master of Evocation, Robert has renewed this acquaintance, to gain access to the deadly spells that he loves so.

Style of Magic & Combat

Statistics: 6th-level mage; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 8; AL C (D&D), CE (AD&D).

Languages: Fenswick, Thyatian (Glantrian dialect with a thick Fenswick accent)

Skills: intimidation, gambling, drinking, reading/writing.

Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, knife.

Robert is a brute and a bully. He does not work with sophisticated spells (or rather, they do not work for him) and only uses direct-damage spells, particularly invocations (given to him by an old crony, Master Derghov Loeten). What Robert lacks in spellcasting, he makes up for with magical items, none of which he crafted and very few of which he bought with his own money.

"Another bane from the Moorkroft blood! Will not someone do us a favor and rid us of him?"

(Sir Alasdair McAllister)

References:

History of House Beaumarys-Moorkroft 

A Fenswick Tale, a fairy tale story about the Beaumarys-Moorkrofts