Member
General
Name: Caradoc Bryn Hoekstra
Race: Dwarf
Age: Fifty Two
Appearance:
Hoekstra takes great pride in his appearance and makes a point of being finely dressed, effecting the look of a well off merchant. He keeps his head shorn smooth without any stubble and maintains a tidy umber beard with the use of large bronze beads. It’s in the details that the cracks in his facade begin to show; his trouser cuffs show the dust of Lower Shenul and the stump of one leg speaks of hardship not usually found in the merchant class. Beside his moderately polished shoe is a metal rod in place of the dwarfs left foot, capped by a steel semi circle similar in look to an upturned mushroom. Not the only sign of hardship, Hoekstra prefers to wear soft brown or black gloves altered to hide a few missing digits on each hand, and a rough scar bisects his pale sightless left eye. Always with a mind to focusing others gaze, he has a preference to wearing blues, greens and greys to bring out the colour in his remaining eye.
Personal
The child who would become Caradoc Hoekstra was born in Upper Shenul to a well off mining family with interests in the lower deeps Glimhallow. His story wouldn’t truly start until he was a young boy and a series of minor setbacks snowballed into disaster to the Hoekstra family fortunes, culminating in the death of his father. While the loss was considered a tragic accident, it was the nail in the coffin heralding the final end of the widow Tegwen Hoekstra’s life of comfort. By the time Caradoc was in his adolescence, he and his mothers downward spiral had ended them in the Grey District with the young dwarf doing his best to get by and look after his mother.
Having little advantage other then strength and will, Caradoc fought and scrapped and stole as well as any of the poor sods in Lower Shenul. Running with one gang or another was inevitable, and it was on those pale dusty streets and alleys that the young dwarf made his first connections. The trick was getting involved, but not too involved. Living rough a man gains scars, and Caradoc gained his fair share until his face fit that of the most hardened street thug.
Feeling his star was on the rise, young Hoekstra became bold and stretched his means too far. When those he owed came to collect, they found neither hand entirely full and not worth chopping off, so decided to be creative. They pulverising the mans left foot with hammers so thoroughly that a chirurgeon could do nothing but amputate.
After a long recovery, Caradoc walked the dark streets of Lower Shenul again. He’d long been ambitious, but now he had to use new means to make his way and found he was actually quite good at acting as a middle man - a neutral party that could broker deals, facilitate the fencing of goods and launder stone through otherwise legitimate businesses. No longer Creep-Eyed Caradoc, the businessman known as Hoekstra had made his way back to Upper Shenul, clunking conspicuously as he walks. Now, his misshapen fingers were in many pockets and his one eye was on many prizes.
Money flows upwards, however and Hoekstra has those he owes stone to as well. Due to a long history of working alongside the Dusthawks in their territories, he sets aside a percentage of his monthly income as tribute to their coffers. It’s merely a cost of doing business.
“I want to be so high and mighty that the little people can’t even see who’s spitting on them.”
Having little advantage other then strength and will, Caradoc fought and scrapped and stole as well as any of the poor sods in Lower Shenul. Running with one gang or another was inevitable, and it was on those pale dusty streets and alleys that the young dwarf made his first connections. The trick was getting involved, but not too involved. Living rough a man gains scars, and Caradoc gained his fair share until his face fit that of the most hardened street thug.
Feeling his star was on the rise, young Hoekstra became bold and stretched his means too far. When those he owed came to collect, they found neither hand entirely full and not worth chopping off, so decided to be creative. They pulverising the mans left foot with hammers so thoroughly that a chirurgeon could do nothing but amputate.
After a long recovery, Caradoc walked the dark streets of Lower Shenul again. He’d long been ambitious, but now he had to use new means to make his way and found he was actually quite good at acting as a middle man - a neutral party that could broker deals, facilitate the fencing of goods and launder stone through otherwise legitimate businesses. No longer Creep-Eyed Caradoc, the businessman known as Hoekstra had made his way back to Upper Shenul, clunking conspicuously as he walks. Now, his misshapen fingers were in many pockets and his one eye was on many prizes.
Money flows upwards, however and Hoekstra has those he owes stone to as well. Due to a long history of working alongside the Dusthawks in their territories, he sets aside a percentage of his monthly income as tribute to their coffers. It’s merely a cost of doing business.
“I want to be so high and mighty that the little people can’t even see who’s spitting on them.”
Prime Motive: Climbing the Ladder; Hoekstra wants to be Better Than, and strives ambitiously to increase his station and prove he’s not just another undertown rat.
Accessory Motive(s): To get where he wants to be, wealth and prestige are both tools and byproducts of Caradoc’s ambitions.
Internal Conflict: Hoekstra longs for legitimate success, but his felonious origins are hard to shake. The criminal methods can have bigger and quicker payoffs, but working in that world often closes as many doors as it opens and despite his better judgement, Caradoc often cant help but take those risks.
Vocational
Occupation: ‘Legitimate’ Businessman. Hoekstra has been everything from a fence to a launderer and owns shares in several legal and illegal businesses, and has recently financed a Sparkboat, Captained by Bundrod Steelbrow.
Talents:
- Negotiator - Following the loss of a foot and thus a mans reputation as a fighter, one must find alternative ways to get by. For Hoekstra, this meant using charisma and guile.
- Connections - If there’s somebody Caradoc Hoekstra doesn’t know, he probably knows somebody who does - even if they’d rather not admit their relation to him in certain circles.
- Pugilist - Hoekstra is a member of a gentleman’s boxing club, participating bi-weekly to keep his skills up. His footwork isn’t the cleanest, but he hits like a smiths hammer.
Flaws:
- Mobility - Even with a quality prosthetic and much effort to adjust, two feet just work better then one.
- Reputation - A person can’t fully escape their past, as it’s a part of them. Everyone who knows Caradoc Hoekstra knows he’s still a little shady and probably always will be.
- Hubris - Though always seeming confident, Hoekstra manages not to come off as arrogant in his dealings. In his own mind, however, he’s always the smartest in the room.
- Luxury - The balance between frugality and the love of finer things is a constant struggle, both for his own enjoyment and to be seen enjoying them.
Equipment:
-A mid-length knife of the traditional Dwarven ‘seax’ style, with a tastefully decorated handle.
-‘Ducks Foot’ Spark Pistol, though kept in his office desk. It wouldn’t do to walk around with such a threatening weapon.
-Steel capped prosthetic foot.
-Specticals for reading, kept in a case in his jacket.
-Fine clothes that give the appearance of wealth and success, but would not pass muster in the upper districts of the city.
Supplemental
Secrets: Caradoc’s middle name is Bryn, which means ‘fair’ or ‘fine’ in the Dwarven tongue. His mother calls him Brynbachgen, or her ‘beautiful boy.’ Caradoc dotes on his ageing mother Tegwen and fears she could either come to harm or be used as leverage against him.
Quirks: Somehow being both proud and irreverent of his Dwarven heritage, Caradoc makes a point of going by his true family name: Hoekstra. Most Dwarves of Glimhallow carry on the tradition of translating their names into the human tongue, being known as Bloodaxe, Ironbeard, Strong-in-the-Arm and such. Nobody has ever learned why he prefers it this way.
When Hoekstra negotiates, he has a habit of turning his head in such a way that his white sightless eye peers at the other party. He enjoys their unease.