About Morvius ZaanBACKGROUND “The Emperor saves – with House Zaan, of course”
Morvius Zaan – or, more correctly, Morvius of House Zaan – was born in the palatinal palace of Snope’s World, and has spent much of his life there. He was not raised by his parents, whom he barely knows, but by a succession of servants, nannies, butlers and so on. Noble families tend to be large, with children adopted in, legitimised, de-legitimised, disinherited in an endless cycle depending on the whims of the parent. Running the House and ensuring it prospers is a full-time job; his parents don’t have a lot of time for their children – and there are a lot of children: Morvius has over a dozen siblings, some of them genuinely blood relatives, others adopted when they showed sufficient ability or loyalty. True friends are rare, especially in your own family: there is a constant competition among them for favour and status, and they each have their own faction within the House. Of the good friends Morvius had growing up, one (a former childhood sweetheart) is now rising up the ranks of the Adeptus Sororitas, another is making his mark among the Rogue Traders of the Sector, and another (his favourite cousin) has just been executed for heresy. House Zaan itself is well-known across the sector for its financial dealings. It is above all a banking House: it doesn’t trade as such, but if you bought it, sold it or transported it across the sector then at some point the money came into or out of the deep coffers of House Zaan. If you need to swap the currency of your world for the currency of the world you are currently trading in, you need House Zaan to make the exchange. They are not a House with great political or religious connections or vast armies, but if you cross House Zaan, they will do things to your credit rating that nobody would do to a dead dog. Finance, of course, involves bureaucracy and Morvius (like most of his family) has spent much of his life among the files and data-clerks of the Adeptus Administratum, happily ensuring that wealth flows in the right direction and keeping the rules firmly in his favour. Part of that is about forming connections with the right people, and making sure that they remember what they owe, and to whom. This can often involve the supply and sale of things which are not, strictly speaking, entirely legal but which are nonetheless amusing or essential luxuries for spoilt nobles trying to fill their days and stave off boredom. He has built something of a name for himself (discreetly of course, and only in the right circles) in arranging the supply of such things, as well as for covering-up any resulting indiscretions. Unfortunately, some nobles tend to pursue habits or hobbies which go beyond the illegal and well into the forbidden. Morvius first became aware of this when his favourite cousin was recently arrested for being part of a cult of Slaanesh. They were swiftly executed, but Inquisitor Vervize du Bordaal was quick to bring suspicion upon Morvius himself: his cousin had unfortunately had a drug habit that Morvius was supplying, and it was the Inquisitor’s suspicion that Morvius was involved in the supply of heretical artefacts. He has been offered a single way out: prove his innocence (and, more importantly, his usefulness to the Inquisitor) by tracking down whoever is responsible for the current wave of deaths in the upper levels of Hive Desoleum. Fail... and be executed as a heretic. It’s the incentive, you might say, of a lifetime. DESCRIPTION & PERSONALITY Nobles basically come in two forms: the sort that wants to put you in your place, and the sort that wants to put you at your ease. Morvius is the second type: he always seems interested in other people, wanting to know what they do and how they are. He can be charm itself, without ever giving away too much of himself or what he is thinking. He tends towards verbosity, often as a way of hiding what he is really thinking or feeling. Morvius is in his early 50s, but rejuvanation tech (for those who can afford it) is a wonderful thing and he looks about 25. He is of average height, and although he’s not overweight he has the sleek, privileged look of someone who has never gone hungry in their life. His long, black hair is elaborately brushed and oiled and tied back, artfully and almost certainly by someone else, in a manner that takes hours (but Morvius has all the luxuries, including time). His long frock-coat is emblazoned with the crest of House Zaan, proclaiming not merely his allegiance but his membership of that elite family. A las-pistol can be seen in a holster in easy reach on his person, and when permitted he also carries a long rifle – he is no marksman but every nobleman should be able to shoot game (although apparently shooting peasants is “illegal” - even if they’re your peasants). A shimmering, silken chameleoline cloak completes the look - expensive and discreet, much like the man himself. In terms of his beliefs and morality, Morvius is not hugely inclined to believe in the Emperor as a god-like figure; but he does believe, very strongly, in the Imperium as being vastly better than any alternatives. Most of this is of course because the existing order is greatly in his favour, in keeping him at the top of the pile. He is unconcerned by law-breaking as such, but there is a huge difference between cheating at the game (which is fine) and trying to set fire to the board (which is not fine). He genuinely was not aware that his cousin was a cultist of Chaos, and was horrified to discover the truth. Not that his innocence helps his current predicament. However, Morvius is not one to dwell on unpleasantness and always prefers to see the up-side of things. In this case, yes, there is a distinct risk that he is about to be arrested and executed if he fails; but on the positive side, the last few days have brought him into contact with people of such different social classes that he would never normally be in the same building as them, let alone the same room; and while the forthcoming investigations will likely lead him into terrible danger to life and limb (and maybe even his very soul), there is little to no risk of his being bored. After fifty-plus years of unimaginable, idle, luxury there is the prospect of adventure, excitement and fun. It should at least be amusing. One thing that is not amusing is that in the last couple of days, Morvius has started to hear voices. He can’t tell what language they’re speaking, but he has a nasty feeling he really, REALLY, doesn’t want to know what they are saying. So far, he hasn’t told anyone about this – he is at the “ignore it and hope it goes away” stage. STATISTICS Homeworld: Highborn Background: Adeptus Administratum Role: Seeker Aptitudes: Fellowship, Knowledge, Willpower, Intelligence, Perception, Social, Tech ATTRIBUTES Weapon Skill: 36
Wounds: 13 Fate Threshold: 4 (Emperor’s Blessing 10+) SKILLS Charm (Fell) 40 Commerce (Int) 35 Common Lore (Int; Adeptus Administratum) 35 Deceive (Fell) 40 Inquiry (Fell) 40 Linguistics (Int; High Gothic) 35 Logic (Int) 35 Scholastic Lore (Int; Bureaucracy) 35 Scrutiny (Per) 34 TALENTS Cover Up: Even the slightest whisper of the Inquisition’s presence can be enough to scatter suspected heretics and drive cults into hiding. To prevent the growth and spread of rumours, Acolytes use combinations of well-placed bribes, dire threats, and other means to keep their activities as secretive as possible. At the GM’s discretion, the character can reduce his Influence to increase his group’s Subtlety. For every point of Influence lost in this way, the Acolyte increases his warband’s Subtlety by 1d5. Keen Intuition: The Acolyte has trained extensively to notice objects that seem out of place or hidden. This can bring the smallest irregularity to prominence, revealing the heresy festering beneath the surface. After failing an Awareness skill test, the character can re-roll the test with a –10 modifier. Peer (Rogue Traders): The Acolyte knows how to deal with a particular social group or organisation, or even xenos race. He gains a +10 bonus to all Fellowship and Influence tests when interacting with this chosen group, and at the GM’s discretion can sometimes call upon them for favours. Weapon Training (Las): The Acolyte can use all weapons with Class: Pistol, Basic, Melee, Throwing, and Vehicle within the group he has selected with this talent. When a character attempts to use a weapon he does not have the correct Weapon Training talent for, he suffers a –20 penalty to any relevant Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill test. EQUIPMENT Las-pistol (30 metres, S/2, d10+2 E, AP 0, Reliable) Imperial robes (Arms, Body, Legs, AP 1) Autoquill Chrono Data-slate Medikit *Mesh Vest (Body, AP 4) *Long Las (150 metres, S, d10+3 E, AP 1, Accurate, Felling (4), Reliable) *Chameleoline cloak (+20 Stealth, -30 to BS for enemies if stationary) SPECIAL Breeding Counts: Any time a highborn character would reduce his Influence, he reduces it by 1 less (to a minimum reduction of 1). Master of Paperwork: An Adeptus Administratum character counts the Availability of all items as one level more available (Very Rare items count as Rare, Average items count as Common, etc.). Nothing Escapes My Sight: In addition to the normal uses of Fate points (see page 293), a Seeker character may spend a Fate point to automatically succeed at an Awareness or Inquiry skill test with a number of degrees of success equal to his Perception bonus. EXPERIENCE +5 Fellowship (100 XP) Charm (100 XP) Deceive (100 XP) Inquiry (100 XP) Scrutiny (100 XP) Talent – Peer (200 XP) Talent – Cover up (300 XP) |
