Guile Markus

[Guile]

Player Name: Zina
Name: Dr. Guile Markus
Age: 52
Race: Human
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 350lbs

Physical Description: Guile is a very large, stoutly built man. Although he isn't short, he looks like some form of ripe plum or peach ready for the picking, his muscles plump and brimming with the satisfaction of expensive food and drink. His skin is that annoyingly creamy white and his eyes are that annoyingly beautiful blue. His hair is a light color of brown that in sunlight could be mistaken as blond. Guile's steps are heavy but his movements are oddly dainty, probably due to his aristocratic company he keeps and the constant need to impress everyone with his vile presence. He has a strangely handsome face which does not match his body, or at least it would be handsome if not interrupted by a very thick chin (at least one of them), soft cheeks and large ears warm with pink pride.

Guile often dresses in colorful aristrocratic clothing that denotes his position in greater society. While not a noble and certainly not a judge, Guile is the minister of health in Marn and likes to brag about this. He often wears blue robes with a fit red shirt and pants beneath them. He switches colors and styles often, but most of them don't really help his oversized belly much.

Possessions: Expensive clothes, shoes, food, and a large but not mansion-like home. He owns two horses, a large dog, and several women. He also keeps a wife named Hermipises that he lovingly calls Hemroid.

One horse is a bay mare. The other is a striking male white draft horse suitable for royalty.

Strengths:
Government official – Guile is one of few government officials assigned in Marn. His title is the Minister of Health which means that he controls anything medically or health-related to every citizen of Marn. He controls how much staff the hospital receives, the pay of the doctors and nurses there, the materials, equipment, drugs, and treatments administered to the hospital. Guile is also responsible for regulating and reporting any magical-related methods used for any health reason for any citizen. There are several drugs that have been exclusively banned by Guile through the Judges as they pertain to magical techniques in the creation of their essence. He has been a Minister for around 14 years.

Experienced Surgeon - Prior to becoming Minister, Guile was one of the frequent staff at Marn's hospital. He went to medical school, practiced under strict guidance, and became a trained surgeon. He has installed many metal plates in peoples' heads and has a wide assortment of knowledge and passion surrounding the human body. As Minister of Health, Guile enjoys special privileges regarding his hours at the hospital, and may drop in at will or if his skills are needed.

Wealthy – Although not exceptionally wealthy, Guile has a lot more bishani than the average Marnian. Along with the other government fat cats, Guile is part of higher society and thus tends to be obsessed with expensive trinkets and material wealth. It is obvious when he walks down a street in Marn that he is wealthy by the company he keeps, the way he dresses, and the fact that he is greatly overweight.

Lack of conscience – Guile doesn't care if his actions get other people killed; has no qualms about hitting women, children or animals; and does not feel guilty when he partakes in illegal activities himself despite being a minister.

Access to underground – The elusive underground operations are normally out of bounds for lower government positions like Guile, but he is an exception to this minor rule. Through one individual in particular he has access to a specific drug ring, slave trade, and gang connections. While he doesn't have any control over these operations, he is able to take part in these illegal operations with relative ease. His single connection to these operations is not currently known.

Educated – Guile is in higher society because his mother was married into higher society and thus, he was born into this secluded section of Marn. As a child he had access to exceptional private tutoring and study materials from the library. Although he has never been wonderfully bright, he is well-educated and isn't stupid.

Weaknesses:
Public image – Guile is extremely unpopular with the Marnian public who know about his existence. Most people in health professions of any kind dislike him for greatly limiting the number and amount of materials they and the hospital can access. He does not have a greatly unattractive face, but he is greatly overweight and isn't the most charming person. Marn as a whole hates Guile.

Young men – Guile is at least somewhat gay and has a weakness for young male prositutes. He's not particularly interested in the vast majority of women because he believes their stupidity and lesser selves affect his own intelligence.

Clumsy- As careless as he is large, Guile is both physically and mentally a clumsy individual. It is unwise for anyone to trust him with performing basic memory tasks, walking in a straight line, or not breaking any glassware he owns. He forgets important events or details very often. He's terrible with names and faces. Logically he also tends to do things in a more difficult, roundabout way than a straight forward solution to a problem. He overcomplicates everything he touches and is probably an unacceptable choice for a Minister. He is remarkably delicate and precise, however, when performing surgical tasks.

Expensive Tastes - Constantly trying to look like he has a lot more money than he actually does, Guile is prone to buying things he either can't afford or can barely afford. While he has never actually struggled with money, it is not unusual to see him strapped for bishani on any given day.

The Drug - Guile has access to a drug ring which manufactures and distributes a drug called astral dust or copiax. Copiax is a compound which, when ingested, gives the user the "ability" to see through the seal into the astral plane. Low doses of copiax grant visions, while increased doses may actually meld reality with the astral plane. In this way users may receive magical abilities, but they are always much stronger in the vision than in reality. Higher doses cause death by various magical manifestations. Guile is a habitual user of copiax, which is obviously strictly illegal in Marn, and when high is very delusional and incapable of most normal activities.

History: - Guile's mother, Betrina Liliath, was married off to a wealthy aristocrat named Fletcher Markus at the age of thirteen. A son was born two years later who would eventually become the minister of health. Growing up in a wealthy family, Guile's playmates were all also from wealthy families. One in particular, a boy he met from another Eyropan country, would return to play a large role in his life. At five years old, tutoring lessons began and Guile was educated on various subjects from horse-racing, archery, and iron-working to business, art, philosophy and medical technology. Throughout his childhood he was tought these subjects and more and eventually found an interest in two things: money, and helping people.

Guile believed for most of his childhood and adolescence that he was destined to become a great doctor. He developed an interest in the body and its workings, surgical operations, and herbalism. His mother greatly supported this desire to help the people of Marn and hired a particularly special tutor named Dr. Varnigus Rafael.

Rafael lived in a rented room in the Markus manor for some time. He schooled Guile on medical techonologies and techniques for five years, during which the two became especially close. It was the third year that Guile finally discovered he had feelings for this older man. Rafael seemed to, at least in part, share this interest. For some time the two shared sexual relations, but had a falling out a couple years later. Guile had fallen in love with the professor and the doctor did not feel mutual about this development. This conflict blew up and the doctor stormed out of the house one day with all of his belongings, much to the surprise of the Markus family.
"Your son is a sodomistic little twit!"
The parents did not take this statement literally.

Over the years, Guile was also schooled heavily in business and began attending meetings with his father. The family business was horse breeding and trading, and although it wasn't how his father had received his wealth, it was how the family was subsisting so easily. On his off time, Guile grew to have an affinity with the fruit orchards on the property. To this day he feels he has some spiritual tie to "the woods and wild" when he has likely only ever set foot in real forest once or twice, both under heavy supervision.

When Fletcher Markus became fraught with debt, he was forced to sell all of the horses and other goods and to fire all of the employees working under the Markus trading company. Shortly thereafter, the father died of an unknown ailment, possibly drug related. The business sale did not cut the family's wealth, but it did stop its increase. The money grew stagnant.

Guile decided to become a practitioner of medicine at the Marn hospital, and was working there for several years to support his mother. She suggested he marry, as he was already in his late twenties, so he found a young bride with lovely long red hair and married her. She married for money, while he married for status. They bore no children, though no one knew why.

Guile's friends at this age were all still those that he had known from childhood, some from his later schooled years. This social group of individuals was tied heavily with the government officials of Marn, namely the ministers and one judge. When Guile had spent his tenth year at the hospital, an election for a new minister of health was called due to the death of Dr. Magus Lich Sr. The election was advertised as public, but the vote is said to have been twisted in favor of the ministers' decision: Dr. Guile Markus.

Guile Markus altered a lot of policies that Magus Lich had only started on. He angered those who were tied with the medical field in Marn by lowing all health-related government position salaries. New changes in what was and wasn't considered "magical herbalism" forced many drugs to be banned. Guile also began campaigning with posters around the city, many still up today, which read "Magic: the true plague" and cite many arguable "facts" pertaining to the effect of breaks in the astral plane on human health. He has a hatred of elves and all things with magical properties, even non-magical items that he considers having magical properties.

When the minister hit forty, he met again with a childhood friend who had long been forgotten. Through this individual, Guile received his connection with the underground copiax market. He plays an important role in funding and covering this unknown organization, and rumors have already been founded in the public about his involvement.

The minister is a well-hated member of Marn and well-loved member of aristocracy. Through the minister position he has regained all of his father's lost wealth. He uses his funding his sick mother's treatment (her ailment is as yet unknown) as proof to the public that his intentions for general society are positive and good in nature.

[Niabi]

Approved.