Abelard Lassmar's page

1. Abelard is a younger son of the nobility - thanks to primogeniture, he'll never inherit the lands or the title, and he will (at some point) be expected to fend for himself, although with some sort of stipend, and not until he comes of age at 25. He has pretty much accepted this as his lot, and holds no grudges against his older brother - in fact, it means he doesn't have to learn how to manage the estate (dull!) or connive in politics with the other families (deadly dull!): he can, within reason, do pretty much what he likes.

2. What he likes is fairly simple (some would say, cruelly, that he is simple, but this is not quite true: he is direct in a way that most Asmodeans aren't, but he's not actually stupid) - he likes sports, and he likes fighting. He is good at fighting. His formal education never really took off (he has some training in law because - duh! - Cheliax) but he has an instinctive grasp of all things martial. He first learned fencing, but sees it as slightly silly - in his view, there's no better way of getting someone's measure than in fighting without weapons. He persuaded the captain of the household guard to teach him boxing and (after a recent free-style bout ended badly) he has started using some of his own money to hire people to teach him all sorts of styles, from Tian through to Vudran through to the ancient Azlanti styles of wrestling.

3. With his love of combat and his views on things like honour, it's no surprise that he looks down on Asmodeus (although he has the sense to keep this to himself). He has recently converted to Iomedae, seeing her as more honest and straightforward. He doesn't see himself as a rebel, though - he considers most of the 'horror stories' about devil-worship and human sacrifice to be nonsense spread by the 'riff-raff' in order to cause trouble. However, enough nobles around Kintargo have suffered recently that he is - dimly - becoming aware that all is not well.

4. His grasp of what it means to follow Iomedae is limited: the state permits worship of her, but the image that's presented is carefully controlled. Abelard has some ideas about honour and valour and a chap doing what a chap has to, but not so much about 'justice' or 'righteousness'. He still believes that being a noble is - in some indefinable way - better than being a commoner and this attitude may take some time to shift.

5. Abelard doesn't look like much of a fighter, at least at first glance: he's not especially tall, although he is stocky, and his long blonde hair (tied in a ponytail) and fine clothes make him look like a dandy. A closer look will reveal the muscles of his broad shoulders, and his long arms which give him the reach of someone taller. Several boxers have underestimated him, and all of them ended up losing.

Karrixas Lassmar - Abelard's father, a paunchy, morose and reclusive half-elf waiting for old age (or his eldest son) to claim him. Karrixas is a Chelish patriot first and an Iomedaean second: this is why, during the Civil War, he sided with House Thrune who offered the strongest leadership and the restoration of past Chelish glories. He has since had several decades to regret (quietly) his deal with the devil. Karrixas has hidden his own loyalties and done his best to disappear, rarely leaving Kintargo and hasn't visited Egorian for decades. He'd be overjoyed (in that repressed, upper-class way of showing no emotion whatsoever) to learn that Abelard has converted to Iomedae. (Note: Karrixas married a human and both his sons are human.)

Adolfus Lassmar - Abelard's older brother (by three years). Tall, lean, and wolfish-looking, Adolfus is a thinker and a schemer rather than a man of action; he is already one of the foremost barristers in Cheliax and is becoming something of a masterly politician. He rarely returns to the family estates in Kintargo, preferring to stay in Egorian where the action is. At some point, he will decide he needs the resources of the family for himself, and arrange for his father's death. In Adolfus' view, this is the way of things.

Serrit Flax - captain of the household guard, and a tiefling. He took the young Abelard under his wing from an early age and taught him to box; he was also responsible for retrieving Abelard from the fight that went horribly wrong (see below) and patching him up afterwards. Serrit is also, even more discreetly, responsible for Abelard's recent conversion to Iomedae, although he knows little enough himself about the Inheritor. Serrit has no illusions about Cheliax and is doing his best to try and get Abelard to see the injustices that are taking place right under his privileged nose.

Rakshar Shen - owner of one of the better drinking establishments in town, and always happy to separate the young nobility from their coins: he runs a classy brothel (in the attic) and gaming-pit (in the cellar). The games are high-stakes, winner take all affairs with no limits; not legal, but profitable enough that Rakshar can pay off the guard. It was in Rakshar's cellar that Abelard started fighting for money, rather than just fun; and it was here that the no-holds-barred beatdown occurred from which Serrit had to rescue him. Abelard doesn't like Rakshar much, seeing him as dishonourable ('not a gentleman'), but the chap runs the best alehouse in town and the girls are clean.

Freedom! - Being sat down by his father as a boy for an explanation of the nobility's inheritance rules; and that he wouldn't inherit. After a quick bout of sulking, the realisation that this effectively left him with no responsibilities and a stipend for life - the world was his oyster (or mollusc of choice).

Defeat - His first foray into the murky world beyond boxing, in a free-style bout six months ago in Rakshar Shen's cellar. It was a chastening experience: his opponent beat the snot out of Abelard without breaking a sweat, although he broke Abelard's nose and most of his ribs, badly enough that Abelard needed magical healing to make a full recovery. He learnt afterwards that the man was a Hellknight aspirant. He also learnt that a mean right hook is not enough, and has spent his time since then seeking out training in a number of different fighting styles.

The One That Got Away - At a rather tedious birthday party 3 weeks ago, Abelard was mingling, bored, when he spotted a girl who seemed as out of place as he felt. Following her out of the ballroom and up the main stairs, he was about to talk with her when she drew a blade on him, lightning-fast. Faced with a knife pointing somewhere a chap really doesn't want a knife pointing at, Abelard had no choice but to let the girl - and her stolen loot - dive out the window to escape. His last blurry memory is of her face, turned back towards him, as she leapt, their eyes meeting. It was love at first sight - for Abelard; although he sadly realises the chances of ever meeting her again are basically zero.

Abelard would like to learn more about Iomedae: he's dimly aware that all he has is the state-sanctioned version of the honourable warrior and Chelish patriot. For example, why is she called the Inheritor? What did she inherit? In gaming terms, the plan is for him - slowly - to shift from a LN alignment to either LG or NG (to be decided) as he learns more about concepts like justice and goodness.

Abelard would also like to face and take down a devil in one-on-one combat. He's heard that this is what the Hellknights have to do, and while he doesn't want to join the Hellknights (too much like hard work) it would be nice to prove that he's as good as them. It might erase the sting of that defeat. (This goal falls under the heading "be careful what you wish for"...)

What's wrong with bed? A chap can have a lot of fun there. I suppose if one runs out of girls, or drink, or food then one has to go in search of more - but then, what are servants for?

More seriously, under Serrit's guidance he is slowly becoming aware that the cosy world he grew up in is not as it seemed - this is alarming, but he's determined to know what's really going on. A chap has to do what a chap has to do, after all.