Proximo

Backstory

Proximo, son of Leeroy of the house of Jenkins, ran away from his family’s mercantile responsibilities at the age of fifteen, intent on a heroic career as a warrior on the frontier. By nineteen, he was the youngest recruit in a famous ranging party that hunted fade beasts around Midweld. Even at that age, Proximo was a ferocious warrior, but had a habit of drinking, gambling and debauchery, and would drag his whole squad into drunken fistfights at half the taverns they frequented.

One day Proximo and his ranging party ventured too deep into the fade, and disappeared. Proximo himself remembers almost nothing of what happened. He woke on the edge of Midweld six months later, alone and naked, with a strand of fiery red hair streaking his black mane. Struck with amnesia, he stumbled back into town, spouting gibberish and haunted by waking nightmares, as if a malevolent presence followed him back from the fade. Living as a mad, homeless drunk, it took him almost a year for his family to identify him. Proximo was dragged back to his parents’ estate and spent another year trying to recover. He desperately wished to find his lost comrades, but waking nightmares overcame him every time he considered returning to the fade.

Eventually Proximo fell in love with a surprisingly devout courtesan named Sylvia Chambers, and married her. His new wife taught him religious scripture and the nature of the divine, and as Proximo learned to worship, the nightmares plaguing his mind finally ceased.

In time, Proximo forgot about his old life. He gave up the drink, took to the straight and narrow, and was reborn as a devout follower of the Church of the Creator. For the next 50 years, he helped his older brother run the Jenkins estate, and ran a gang of teamsters to drive caravans of goods across Midweld. He also had nine children, and eighteen grandchildren.

As the decades passed, Proximo’s dark hair turned to gray, and he became fat. And then, the year he turned 65, calamity arrived.

A plague swept in from the mists of the fade, devastating his town and family. His brother and half his children and grandchildren died, and the Jenkins estate fell to ruin. Toiling in poverty, Proximo’s wife became ill shortly after. Her dying wish was that Proximo take up arms again, and bring the Creator’s light to the fade, to end all its sickness and death. But when Sylvia passed, Proximo’s spirit broke. He took to the ale again, and for the next four years, he became the same miserable drunkard he was in his youth.

The morning after his landlord sent him an eviction notice, Proximo overheard a pair of teamsters at a bar, gossiping about a ranger captain who appeared in Solace, claiming he’d been lost in the fade for 50 years. Proximo’s bloodshot eyes bulged: could the man be Solomon, his old captain? In his heart, Proximo was sure. The Creator told him it was true, and he felt God’s divine love course threw his aged body, filling him with renewed vigor. He knew with glorious certainty what he had to do, and how he was meant to leave this world.

Proximo sold the last of his belongings for an axe, shield, chain shirt, and a pack of supplies, and immediately made the long journey to Solace. There he laid eyes on his brother-in-arms for the first time in fifty years. Captain Solomon had not aged a day, and despite his strange, vibrant red hair, Proximo knew Solomon’s appearance for what it was: a miracle. He hugged his captain, sobbing and dripping snot, thanking the divine for this blessing.

Proximo felt stronger in that moment than ever in his long life. He knew, at long last, that he would find his fallen companions - every one of them - and that together, in the Creator’s name, they would rid His world of the fade once and for all.

Allies

- Various companies of teamsters and caravan guards across Aarden.

- A few old, veteran fade hunters at the border, or retired

- Dice players, gamblers and sharks probably know Proximo. Some would be friendly, others might want to collect on debts

- A few barkeeps, tavern proprietors and serving wenches in Aarden will likely recognize Proximo, but their impression might not be favorable

(50 Years ago)

Members of Solomon's Team

Drew Cobb (28) Rogue

As the youngest recruit, Proximo looked up to Drew and Solomon. Like an excited puppy, he spent a lot of time trying to get their attention, and many of Proximo's most reckless habits were inspired by these two and their friendship.

Mei Beauchamp (35) Ranger

Mei was the older one on the team. She wasn't really interested in leadership. But as the wiser one she would try an temper the impulsiveness of the other members. Proximo fought with Mei a lot, mockingly calling her "mom" or even "grandma."

Caitlyn Cogwright (30) Artificer

Caitlyn was very clever and seen as a wonderkid in the artificer field. But she didn't want to be contained in a lab so she joined a ranging team that would put her in close contact wit the fade. Her knowledge and devices proved very useful for the team. For a while, Proximo had a huge crush on Kate, but she constantly rejected his advances via electrical shocks and stabbing mechanical blades. Proximo learned to hate technology by this association.

Enemies

- Dice players, gamblers and sharks probably know Proximo. Some would be friendly, others might want to collect on debts

- A few barkeeps, tavern proprietors and serving wenches in Aarden will likely recognize Proximo, but their impression might not be favorable

Organizations

Midweld Teamsters Coalition (MTC)