__________________QUICK STATSName: Bastian van Toews (pronounced van Taves)
Aliases: Bass, Bastian One-eye
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Ethnicity: Serenian
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 175 lbs
Occupation: Detective Inspector
Birthplace: Arca
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFFPhysical DescriptionTall and stocky with a prominent chin and a long nose. The most striking thing about Bastian van Toews is not any of his natural looks but instead the unnatural scarring and discoloration of his right profile. The right side of his face is discolored and disfigured with scarring that runs from high up his temple and down his cheek, shoulders and arm. His right ear is a mangled cauliflower and his right eye is missing, instead replaced by what appears to be a shimmering glass eye. His left eye remains, a hardened orb with a deep brown pupil.
His clothing, while respectable and occasionally stylish, is plain enough to represent his lower-middle class roots. He is most often seen wearing a thick overcoat with many pockets, within whose folds he keeps several sharpened knives, to go with the one inside his boot. His face is kept clean shaven and his dark hair is maintained at a respectable length, slicked back with scented oils as is the fashion of the day. A polished saber, the badge of his rank among the city guard, hangs from his side.
PersonalityNo-sensense, rough-and-tumble, prickly, short-tempered, unforgiving -- these are all adjectives that describe Bastian very well. He is very much what one can expect of a man with his job description, to investigate and root out organized crime within the sprawling magical labyrinth of Arca, capital of Serendipity. In that regard he does his job quite proficiently in the eyes of his superiors, though clearly the trade-off is that he can be quite offputting and lacking in social grace. Not that he cares much for what others think of him. He is very single-minded when it comes to his tasks, and absolutely dedicated.
His anti-social nature also helps to conceal several of his deepest secrets, secrets that he would kill to keep: his addiction to the narcotic known as Ash, and the fact that he secretly is being paid to turn a blind eye to a criminal organization's dealings. This highlights a very telling personality trait, that above all else he looks after himself first. He is not above stealing money from a crime scene to fuel his drug problem, or to accept shady bribes.
Magic/AbilitiesBastian has a knack for the analytical and investigative, making him quite a proficient detective inspector (when he isn't taking bribes). He is more than capable with his sword and with his knives, although the cheap magical replacement for his missing right eye occasionally strikes him with bouts of vertigo and plays tricks with his depth perception. It DOES help him see in the dark.
Relationships---
HistoryBastian van Toews is somewhat of a minor celebrity as a result of his story and of his heroics one fateful night. Born of a lower-class stock with no magical powers so to speak, his childhood consisted of many rough nights of violence and starvation. Yet he persevered where many children would have died; he turned his own fortunes around as soon as he became of age by being enlisted as a cadet in the city guard.
His career as a public servant hit a high point when, at the age of 34, he was instrumental in thwarting the attempted kidnapping of a high lord's young daughter by one of the many criminal organizations festering in the underground of Arca. More a product of luck and timing than of skill, Bastian nonetheless was nearby enough to be able to fend off an ambush on the lord's carriage. In the process he was severely disfigured on the right side of his face by a thrown magical concoction that burned a bright green trail down his body. He lost his right eye and was permanently disfigured from the ordeal, but nonetheless drew the praises of the local populace and his fellow officers by going above and beyond the call of duty. The lord paid him handsomely for his rewards. His superiors promoted him to detective inspector.
The attack left him scarred both mentally and physically. Even after he had healed a great deal, Bastian still found that he had difficulty sleeping at night because of the incessant pain that wracked his body. This was no ordinary pain, but one of magical proportions that had pervaded every inch of his scarred flesh and would leave him writhing in agony the rest of his life. To combat the pain, he soon became addicted to the analgesic narcotic Ash, named both for the way it burned bright, and for the burning sensation it left when ingested. Some either joked that Ash left burnt through its users, leaving them empty husks consumed from within.
In the course of his duty, dealing with his secret addiction to Ash, Bastian began spiralling into corruption. He would pocket money from crime scenes, kill witnesses for a portion of the loot, and even accept bribes, all to fuel his drug addiction. Eventually the shadowy organization that ran the Ash trade in Arca even began supplying him with the drugs in return for turning a blind eye to their activities and for focusing his efforts on a rival criminal organization, the Soot Wolves.
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