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 close to 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 head of vibrant blue hair instead of his usual black. 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 unusual blue hair turned to gray, and he became fat.
And then, the year the old man turned 65, a pair of calamities arrived.
The first calamity came in the form of one of Proximo's own grandchildren. Sweet little Syl was only four years of age when she began to display innate magical powers. When her parents found out, word quickly spread throughout the household. Proximo and his wife had raised their children to always trust the decrees of the Church, but little Syl was beloved by everyone, and the debate over whether to report the child or conceal her from the Hand nearly tore his family apart. Proximo himself, having never been directly confronted with the Church's cruelties, became crippled with indecision over the matter. He beseeched the Creator for wisdom, but his prayers went unanswered.
When the truth ultimately reached the church, witch hunters came to the estate. They told Proximo that God required him to surrender the child, and Proximo, in the end, did nothing to stop little Syl from being taken away, even as her parents screamed and begged him to intervene. It was the last anyone ever saw of the poor girl.
After that, half of Proximo's family abandoned the estate, cursing him and his wife for their cowardice.
And cursed they were, for as the first calamity passed, the second immediately struck, like divine retribution.
Mere days after the witch hunters departed, a monstrous plague swept in from the mists of the fade, devastating the entire town. Inside of a week, Proximo's brother and half his remaining children and grandchildren died, and the Jenkins estate fell to ruin.
Toiling in poverty, Proximo’s wife became ill shortly after. The old woman's 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. The plague, he knew, was the creator's punishment for his abandonment of his grandchild. Overcome with grief and guilt, he took to the ale again, and for the next four years, he became the same miserable drunkard he was in his youth.
At nearly 70 years, Proximo's liver was almost rotted through when he overheard a pair of teamsters at a bar, gossiping about a madman with unnatural, vibrant red hair who stumbled into Solace stark naked, spouting gibberish. Proximo’s bloodshot eyes bulged: could one of his old comrades, at last, have returned from the fade? In his heart, Proximo was sure. The Creator told him it was true, and he felt God’s divine love course through 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 Solomon, his beloved captain, for the first time in fifty years. Captain Solomon had not aged a day, and despite his strange, luminescent 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.
For the next few weeks, Proximo tended to his long-lost brother-in-arms, easing his nightmares with scripture, and teaching the poor man to speak again. As he did, Proximo felt stronger than ever in his long life. He knew, at long last, that he would find his lost 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
Solomon Fairbeard
Leader of the team
(full article) Solomon Fairbeard
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 might want to collect on debts
- A few barkeeps, tavern proprietors and serving wenches in Aarden will likely recognize Proximo, but their impressions of him might not be favorable
Organizations
Midweld Teamsters Coalition (MTC)
Notes
- Marta, widow who moved to Vezenhold. We found her lover's letter
- Nostor Olec
- Tender Jonas of Midweld: (recovering woman: one is ten)
- Stanley B. Clark (showman and snakeoil salesman from Vezenhold who really pissed somebody off)