Farrival Marchant, renowned star of stage and screen! Semi-retired actor repurposing his skills to become... The World's Greatest Gentleman Thief!
What a Piece of Work is Farrival!
HISTORY: Young Farrival caught the acting bug as a child. He heard an impassioned speech defending an unpopular, squalid villager who was wrongly accused of a crime. The speech ennobled villager and showed him to be more than was apparent. Farrival, too, wanted to reveal the truth of the human (orc, elf, etc.) condition.
Few else in town shared Farrival's theatrical interest. So he put on one-man shows, playing roles of different genders. When he played female-presenting roles, some of the local boys derided him with the nickname "the skirt." But Farrival took pride in exploring perspectives other than his own, and in his willingness to tell all stories, and not to let others put him in a box.
When he came of age, he left the family business with his parents' blessing. As a struggling young actor "paying his dues," young Farrival had to take work where he could get it. So he learned a variety of arts: he learned to entrance the romantic with his lyre; AND he learned to enchant children with the magic of shadow puppetry.
While still working to establish himself, Farrival joined a troupe of traveling actors. On their way to a performance, they got lost and stumbled into a lair of goblins. Fearing goblins' reputation and unsure of their intent, Farrival's troupe created "1001 Nights" situation, impressing the Goblin Boss with their stories, puppetry and musicianship. This engagement proved to be longer and more fulfilling than the gig they'd been headed to. Quickly, Farrival learned the goblins' reputation was not all it was made out to be. Over time, Farrival learned Goblin to tell more compelling stories.
Farrival found a mentor in the legendary Sir Patrick of Picardy. Under his tutelage, Farrival grew to become a widely renowned star of the stage and the (shadow puppetry) screen. And he earned a prestigious acting residence in the Evershoal Royal Theatre Company, putting his traveling days behind him. He also developed a friendship and bitter rivalry with Renaud Gadbois, another mentee of Sir Patrick.
Although initially drawn to the truth of stories and storytelling, Farrival grew distant from his roots and grew enamored with his own fame and lifestyle. As an actor, Farrival was famed for being able to embody any character and to display that character's personal truth. Being somewhat vain, he did this with as little facial makeup as possible. Yet he could still disappear into any role.
Spoiler: Farrival confided the origins of his name to Renny during their friendship. Farrival's original surname was Merchant, based on his family's profession. He took the stage name Farrival Marchant to honor his upbringing and to be fancy. Given their cutthroat world, Farrival grew worried that he'd made himself too vulnerable. So, he undermined or betrayed Renny in some way, and the rift grew from there.
To his frustration, Farrival plateaued at "renowned" but could not make the jump to "legend," like Sir Patrick. Then a new production attempted to stage "Orcb--" ahem -- "The Orcish Play." In his 20s, Sir Patrick had famously played the lead, a role which typically went to actors in their 50s or older. With this new production, Sir Patrick, Gadbois, and Farrival were all strong contenders. To bring new depth and verity to the role, Sir Patrick embedded with a group of orcs. But he disappeared and was never heard from again.
Somehow, scurrilous rumors began to swirl that Farrival Marchant was somehow responsible for the death of his own beloved mentor. So, at the height of his career, Farrival retired under a cloud of scandal.
MAGIC: Farrival left with a glove that has magical abilities. It appears like a black, exquisitely maintained leather that somehow fits like latex.
The back of the palm contains a pouch that stores material components. Components like like feathers stay in the pouch. Components like gold and jewels are stored briefly to attune, then are removed and placed back into his purse.
To "cast," the glove typically produces a small, whitish cube that Farrival throws at the target. But this method is not required.
RECENT HISTORY: Farrival fled scandal in Evershoal for the bucolic anonymity of Quillpond. After a period of despondency, he grew restless. And he missed being famous. Starting and running a community theater failed to scratch the itch. Then Season 1 happened, and Farrival stirred towards a new, unarticulated purpose.
In Season 2, he returned to Evershoal and created the Harris Teeter persona to hide his famous face during his extra-, sub-, and illegal activities. He learned that in the local Goblin dialect, the word for "lie" is the same as the word for "story." He came face to face with Renaud Gadbois and emerged triumphant. And he largely regained his social standing. This combination of events inspired him to become the World's Greatest Gentleman Thief.
His gentleman thieving is motivated by theatricality and adventure, and somewhat as a bit of revenge against the social class that once shunned him. Farrival may give to the poor, but mostly because that is a compelling story trope, not really because of altruism.
GENTLEMAN THIEF IDENTITY:
I first thought it would be a distinct identity that Farrival tries to keep secret from NPCs. (Name Ideas/Spoilers: Le Joupé ["jupe" is Fr. for "skirt" - skirting the law and a callback to his nickname]; The Velvet Whisper; The Velvet Varlet; Le Velour Voleur [the velour thief]; open to other ideas from GMs & PCs.)
Or it could be an open secret that the rich tolerate because being robbed by a dashing rogue disrupts the ennui, as long as he is not associated with any truly disruptive act. This idea better might better lend itself to competition with Gadbois?
Or it can be something else, I'm open to ideas.
Traits: Knows a story for most situations. Can defuse any tension, so nobody stays angry at me or around me. [From initial creation, doesn't really apply.]
Ideals: Seeing people’s smiles/reactions when I perform. Art should reveal truth. In Goblin, "story" equals "lie." All the world’s a stage.
Bonds: The muse. My troupe/party.
Flaws: Anything to win fame and renown. Thrill-seeking.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Languages: Common, Elvish, Goblin, Thieves' Cant
Appearance: Half-elf male, early middle age, lithe build, salt & pepper hair, brown skin, sparkling eyes.
Affiliations:
• formerly - Alles Well That Anra Well Improv Troupe
• formerly - Shadow & Act -- The Society for Manual/Umbral Storytelling
• inactive - The Greater Selethren Play Society (tiered member)
• it's complicated - The Evershoal Royal Theatre Company, Actor-in-Residence
• inactive - Quillpond Community Theatre, Part-Time Occasional Director
• Lady Harlequin, Patron, Cover/Alibi for Thieving
• Allora 'Lora' Selmer, creative collaborator
• Renaud Gadbois - hated rival
• Elliot Strangford - frenemy
Aliases:
• Harris Teeter - low-life street criminal with a price on his head (2x05)
• Billiam Utler - batman to minor houses in Evershoal
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