Archimedes Mercator

Archimedes Mercator Feb 4, 2016 17:43:33 GMT -5

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Post by chris on Feb 4, 2016 17:43:33 GMT -5

Archimedes Mercator
The Map Thief

Description: A lanky, bespectacled Human of middling height
Class: Wizard, studying the Illusion Tradition

Background: Guild Merchant (Cartographers, Surveyors and Chart-Makers)
Proficiency: Alchemist Supplies

Motto: Every map tells lies...

An esteemed and respectable antiquarian map dealer, Archimedes Mercator operates a tiny shop called ‘Mercator Projections’ in the merchant quarter of Blackdawn City. His ability to locate and identify the ‘lost maps’ of the ancient Explorers has earned him renown among the tight-knit cartographer community. A lover of map lore and the mysteries they reveal, Mercator has even written books on the history of map-making.

By presenting a bookish, clumsy affectation, the bespectacled Mercator would have you believe that he never leaves the safety of his musty office, that he is all but chained to the historical tomes and atlases that line its walls. The shop is usually manned by Mercator’s trusted clerk Lewis, who warmly greets customers as well as the frequent couriers visiting with supplies or merchandise.

Mr. Mercator’s business is an illusion, however. While his keen intelligence and love of maps are genuine (along with his eccentric personality), he works closely with an accomplished cracksman --his friend Octavie-- to steal valuable antiquities. They specialize in maps, atlases and cartographic equipment, often replacing stolen items with clever fakes. Most of his valuable maps are the spoils of daring heists from libraries and private collections around the world, but some are clever forgeries made by doctoring less valuable specimens with illusory magic or alchemical solutions. Mercator loves to say, ‘Every map tells lies. Only the best ones lie to show the truth.’

Mercator has a true affection for maps and a hunger to acquire them. For him, they provide insight into valuable things lost to the passage of time, while serving as practical tools to navigate the world.

About his Work

Though not a map-maker himself, Mercator does possess Cartographer's Tools. It pains him that his lack of artistic talent prevents him from creating his own masterpieces. However, this has pushed him into other specialties, where his contributions have become truly sublime.

In order to facilitate his work in the field of map curation, Mercator delved into magic, especially illusion and chemical alchemy. He will treat maps with chemicals or spellcraft to divine their secrets, or to protect a delicate, decaying specimen. Often, in the course of business, he will use specially mixed inks to 'fudge' a map, creating a forgery that can peak the interest of a buyer or perhaps tease an adventurer that a far-off place holds untold secrets. He often justifies this practice with a perverted version of his motto, ‘Every map tells lies.’

Consequently, years of working with the inks and chemicals used to preserve (and touch up) ancient maps have led to a proficiency with Alchemist's Supplies.

Mercator possesses an intensely curious mind, which he usually directs toward practical matters. His research has led him into the arcane subjects, such as the Weave and the mystical energies that energize our magic. However, these topics occupy his interest far less than the mysteries inherent in even the crudest map, for a map represents all the marks we leave behind as we move about the face of this world, exploring, building, destroying and remaking it.

For Mercator, maps and charts represent the most powerful kind of knowledge. They show us the passage of time, plotted carefully as we move about the world, forming the patterns of our History. Just so, the story of our world becomes charted and made known --no, made alive-- through our maps.

Such Maps have captured the mind of Archimedes Mercator, without letting go.

Known Associates:

Lewis (John-Lewis Fitch), the clerk who manages Mercator Projections.
Octavie, a female cracksman friend who helps Mercator obtain difficult maps through burglary.
A Secretive Client, who is Mercator’s principle buyer and benefactor. Mercator has created several collections for him.

Mercator Role play

Attachments:

Archimedes Mercator Feb 5, 2016 0:55:20 GMT -5

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Post by chris on Feb 5, 2016 0:55:20 GMT -5

Archimedes Mercator

Ideals: Every map tells lies. Only the best ones lie to show the truth.
Flaw: As gifted as he is at remembering details about maps, Mercator is abysmal at managing the details of the business through which he earns his livelihood. He is overextended and hemorrhaging money.
Bond: Mercator is a loyal friend to his partner, Octavie.

Missing Partner

Mercator is in trouble. He is overstretched financially, having invested heavily in several maps he required for his research, but which then proved difficult to sell. To make matters worse, his partner (and close friend) Octavie has not returned from a routine burglary assignment. She's now been missing twelve days, and Mercator is beside himself with worry.

Falling further behind on his obligations and with few options, Mercator reached out to Mr. Weston through back channels, intending to connect with the Radiants. He must find ways to obtain new antiquities or gold. Above all, he must learn the fate of Octavie and help her if he can. He believes the Radiants are his only chance.

Plot Points

Mercator is working on a map collection for a secretive buyer he’s known for years. An amateur collector with deep pockets, the buyer wants the maps for their artistry and historical value (ergo he wants them to present himself as a cultured, erudite lover of finery). He utterly depends on Mercator to select, acquire and interpret the maps, which Mercator uses to his advantage.

On Mercator’s advice, the buyer has commissioned him to research destroyed elven settlements in the East, focusing on maps dated to the period of the Third Empire. Although a number of maps exist from this period, most historians believe they represent a fictional society, that the maps are nothing more than storybook illustrations. However, a recent archaeological discovery (made by a team privately funded by Mercator’s benefactor) has introduced some doubt. The find suggests that the ‘mythical’ society did exist after all.

The surviving manuscripts (and Mercator’s maps) indicate that the Empire represented a thriving civilization until it suddenly broke apart more than two thousand years ago.
Outwardly, Mercator’s goal is to help the archeological team locate more dig sites and to authenticate the maps already in their possession. Secretly, however, Mercator wants to trace the Empire’s fabled Ink Roads so he can discover the ancient elven ink recipe, that he might someday produce it for himself.

The Ink Roads were a network of highways linking the entire territory. Developed by the first emperor during his early years of conquest, the Ink Roads were originally built to speed supply lines for his army and act as messenger routes for his spies. In the lasting peace that followed these founding wars, the Ink Roads became arteries of commerce and trade between the distant mercantile centers, driving the economy of the fledgling dynasty.

The myths hold that the Ink Roads were used by the emperor to transport a special kind of ink, which held magical properties. This magic could be infused into clothing and armor through a dyeing or weaving process that was closely guarded by the royal court. There are even claims that the ink can be tattooed onto skin, although the known effects are lost to the passage of time.

For Mercator, the Elven Maps hold many rewards, and he is investing all his resources to unlock their mysteries.

Post by chris on Feb 4, 2016 17:43:33 GMT -5

Post by chris on Feb 5, 2016 0:55:20 GMT -5

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