Aber Galantonor

Aber Galantonor
ht: 5’ 11"
eyes: Blue (L), brown (R)
hair color: Silver
wt: 160 lbs.
race: Human

Equipment: An outdated projectile weapon unsuited for modern combat, a hunting knife, a journal, and several envelopes pre-addressed for home.

Clothing: Aber Galantonor wears loose pants gathered at the ankle, belted over a tight shirt. He normally wears heavy boots and carries a duffel bag. His clothing is partially obscured by pieces of light combat armor scattered across his torso, arms, and thighs. All of his clothing has been worn down by exposure; whites have become greys, browns have become tans, and jungle greens have turned to lime.

Appearance: Despite his rather ragged attire, Galantonor has a striking air about him. His features are craggy, with small scars bearing testament to battles won and lost. Galantonor’s hair is kept back away from his face, and is too short to be gripped in combat. As his clothing is faded and unexciting in appearance, those looking at Galantonor are invariably drawn to his face, where the clash of metallic silver, bright blue, and warm brown creates a remarkable effect.

Aber Galantonor is a driven man. His every step is filled with urgency, and his words come out quickly, each one following on the heels of the word before. He takes little leisure and sleeps only as much as he must, using high-powered stimulants to overcome his infirmities. Galantonor lives a demanding life, the kind that only the strongest can lead without cooling off or burning out.

But then, Aber Galantonor wasted 62 of his years. He has a lot of catching up to do.

From birth, Aber Galantonor had heard music. By age six, the music had become little more than a soundtrack to life, its constant presence no more worthy of thought than breathing. At 17, Aber believed that everyone heard the music--that it was as universal as gravity.

Hence, it is understandable that, 45 years later, when the music stopped and the voices started, Aber believed that he was unique. The presence of the voices meant that he was important, destined to be held apart from the masses of humanity. Aber was special, special in a way that mere accountants for interstellar corporations could not normally aspire to. Moreover, Aber’s perception of his own importance was heightened by what the voices whispered to him. The voices said that he could make a difference. Aber, they insisted, could prevent the atrocities he read about in the news. It was his destiny--and his duty--to take up the mantle of greatness. He required only the courage to take the first step.

Three weeks later, Aber resigned from his post as Assistant Director of Accountants, Accounts Payable Division. No sooner had he closed his office door than he cashed in his pension and headed for the dangerous part of town to purchase the plethora of armaments and devices that heroes always seemed to have on hand. Three blocks past the last Mega-Mart, while trying to decide which boarded-up storefront was most likely to house a black-market weapons dealer, Aber was mugged. He was left bruised and penniless in the street. Aber picked himself up with every intention of going home, reapplying for his job, and closing his ears to the demands of the angels that wanted him to violate his nature as a simple man.

Two days and a sold personal vehicle later, Aber was back in the slums. This second trip was no more successful than the first; the third came out even worse. However, Aber was learning. He no longer asked dangerous-looking passersby for directions; instead, he began to observe and explore. Aber no longer walked with a slouch that made him look like a target; rather, he stepped strongly and stood straight, giving himself an air of power that made cutthroats look for easier marks. Aber no longer flailed helplessly when cornered; he fought with determination and grit.

Aber was learning to be a hero--and always, always, the voices urged him on.

Aber Galantonor is a man of contradictions. Most obviously, he is an elder in what is very much a young man’s profession: Adventurer. More importantly, however, Aber is a highly reluctant hero. Every day, Aber Galantonor feels his 63 years. His muscles ache more often than not, his bones creak when he moves too quickly, and the silver hair he sees in the mirror is a constant reminder that Aber has more days behind him than ahead of him. Despite his stern and robust demeanor, Aber wants very much to hang up his makeshift armor and satisfy himself with a selection of gripping stories to tell his grandchildren.

Yet, he knows he cannot. Even thinking of such a thing changes the voices from invigorating encouragers to enraged accusers; Aber cannot, and does not wish to, imagine what they could become were he to set his "destiny" aside. Hence, the greatest contradiction of all is born: Aber Galantonor, Fate’s chosen warrior, is deathly afraid. Most heroes, after all, need only to run when matters get out of hand. Aber, however, knows there is no escape. He must placate the forces that demand constant heroism, or face the wrath of his own personal Inquisitors.

In his heart of hearts, Aber doubts he would survive the experience.

Therefore, Aber struggles to make each waking moment as important, as useful, as meaningful as possible. It is not enough, he feels, to simply rescue the damsel in distress; Aber Galantonor has to blow up the dragon’s tower, as well. The voices want a full-fledged hero, not just a helpful soul; it is a requirement which Aber spends all of his waking hours struggling to live up to.

Over time, Aber Galantonor has grown into an adventurer’s life. He has been through what he terms his "training period;" Aber "graduated" when he brought down a thief at a hundred paces, despite not having picked up a firearm since his boyhood in the Star Scouts. His active lifestyle has left him trimmer, sharper-witted, and with an indomitable will (not to mention significant combat experience). Galantonor is ready, he feels, to move past stopping muggings and busting drug meets and begin trying to make a difference on a grander scale.

Perhaps doing so will appease the voices.

To Whom It May Concern:

I have not included a "character-sheet" style design for Aber Galantonor; it was my impression that this was what was meant by "no system-specific character types." If I was mistaken in not providing statistics, I have absolutely no objection to those statistics being generated "in-house (which, I assume, would provide a character who is closer to what is being looked for, anyway)." I regret that I cannot provide these statistics myself; none of my local gaming stores has a copy of Orbit available. I apologize if this causes inconvenience, and hope that my submission is nonetheless valuable.