Jaques Guillaume

Jaques Guillaume
'A drink? Maybe next time. I've got a job I should start on.'
'Recovering alcoholic'
Gender	Male
Race	Elezen
Clan	Duskwight
Citizenship	Unaffiliated

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Character

General

Full Name: Jaques Guillaume

Goes by: Jaques

Pronunciation (listen to the french version): [1]

Birthplace: - The Clan Marécage caverns are located in southern Coerthas. In the mountains just north of the Yafaem Saltmoor.

Current Residence: Homeless

Relationship Status: Single.

Religion: "May Byregot ever build you up."

Appearance

Height: 6 fulm 10 ilms

Weight: ~215 ponz

Hair: Thick and unruly. He keeps it braided back away from his face. If it's unbraided think 'Einstein hair'.

Age: Appears middle aged.

Typical expression: Serious.

Clothing: Nothing fancy or high end. Prefers light armors that give him freedom of movement. Carries a battered and patched cloth backpack that holds the majority of his traveling gear.

Voice: Deep, masculine.

Build: Lean like most of his race. Well muscled.

Behavior

When sober: He is quiet, preferring to let others do the talking. He will offer his opinion when he sees fit. Is very goal oriented and has a 'fix-it' approach to problems. Tends to be quite guarded, especially when questioned in personal matters. Can be quick to anger, especially early in the morning. Has a dry and occasionally sarcastic sense of humor. Can be on edge and irritable around children.

When drunk: Louder, more outgoing. Wears his emotions more on his sleeve and can be quick to cycle through them. Still doesn't talk about personal matters. Is prone to gamboling and/or a drunken brawl.

Tendencies

Likes

• Working and being active.
• Training.
• When he finally understands something about overland culture.
• Being drunk.

Dislikes

• Money.
• Wildwoods/Wood Wailers
• Being on boats or extended wagon rides. (He gets motion sick.)
• Being drunk.

Strengths

• Excellent at close quarters hand-to-hand combat.
• Fairly good shot with a bow.
• Good at picking out edible plants vs. unedible ones.

Weaknesses

• Bias against Wood Wailers and by extension the Wildwoods for continually "escorting" him out of towns and to the very outskirts of the Shroud for "poaching" and begging in the small settlements and towns around Gridania.
• Alcohol. He tries to avoid alcohol as he doesn't know moderation. Once he starts he usually doesn't stop until his body makes him.
• Is very bad at judging item/service values and is bad with his money.
• Can be very ignorant of the workings of overland society.
• Has nightmares and doesn't sleep well.

Hobbies/Talents

• A pretty good cook.
• Tracking.
• Coin/slight-of-hand tricks.

Personal history

Prior to exile

To be updated

After exile

To be updated

Clan Marécage information

General information

• The caverns were discovered by a group of 12 extended families. The Guillaume were one of those families that makes up their clan.
• The community is highly insular, communal, and are a fairly self sufficient hunter/gatherer society.
• They have no monetary system.
• At the time of Jaques exile there were ~350 individuals that called the caverns their home.
• Cave structure and development. Originally the caves where three large connected caverns. With hard labor (and explosives...) over the centuries they have added additional large caverns as well as smaller branches leading to private living quarters. The living quarters are pretty much just for that. They are fairly small spaces and used for sleeping/intimacy/privacy. When a couple newly wed, they will take up a spare living quarter. If none are available then one would have to be hollowed out. Of the original three caverns: The first cavern, the one leading to above ground, is the smallest of the caverns. It is used primarily as a staging and receiving area. Goods that are brought in are processed here. DWs heading out of the caverns use this area to equip, supply and prepare. The second cavern is the largest. This is where games/the arena/festivals/the school/general socializing can be found and is held. Most of the living quarter branches start off from this cavern. The third cavern, still fairly large in size, is the community mess hall. Most of the storage and mushroom crop passages lead off from this cavern. The clan created a fourth cavern deeper than the original three. This one is where the council members convene and work. The only passage from that cavern is the one linking it to the third.
• During one of their early living quarter expansions, they blasted into a small crevice that extended deeper down into the earth. Right into an underground river. This is where the community's fresh water is now supplied from. When things shifted during the calamity, the crevice apparently deepened and the clan had to rework their mechanical pump to reach their fresh water supply.
• The caverns are not just rough cut walls. Stoneshapers (sculptors) are highly prized for their artistry. Patterns and gems have been carved and inset into the walls, columns and passages. The floors are polished smooth. Sculptures representing Byregot are common.
• Just over a malm away there is another cave structure that this tribe actively mines for gems and other earth commodities.
• The clan has been and remains to be fairly successful due to the community's continued sweat blood and tears.
• For religion they acknowledge the Twelve. But they have strong leanings to Byregot, the Builder. They have rituals and such they perform before excavating a new area in order to ensure a safe excavation and divining where to dig. They also have a few religious holidays in his honor.

Politics/laws

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• The 12 families elect one head to represent them on the council.
• The council is responsible for directing and looking out for the best interests of the community as a whole. The clan has notices that 12 families coincides with The Twelve. It is considered a good omen. But it isn't like each seat represents one of The Twelve or anything like that.
• In lean years the council takes direct control on rationing and distributing goods.
• Under the council, prominent family members tend to look after and police their own families.

Laws:

• One must provide for the community in some capacity.
• One will never take the life of another.
• One will not take more than their share. Especially at the expense of others.
• Two child per married couple. (This was established at the founding of the clan to help create a stable, predictable population growth. By this point it's tradition and not much push to change the law.)

Growing up in the clan

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There is a school set up in the main cavern that serves as a place for children to learn about a variety of subjects. They start schooling at about the age of 5. The elders are usually tasked with teaching the younger generations.

A child isn't restricted to a job their parents adhere to. Instead, as part of their schooling, they are tested for a variety of aptitudes and are nudged to fully explore and discover those strengths. A child who shows remarkable physical prowess and skills at combat will usually become the guardians and hunters. One that shows a lot of abstract thought and looks/plans on things as a whole would probably be groomed as a family head, if not a potential council member.

Punishment

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The individual accused will stand before the council. The council will review their crime and then a majority vote will take place on the level of punishment.

Ostracism- The lowest tier of punishment. Most common punishment. The individual will be ostracized from the group for an initial period of 3-7 days with a third party community member being assigned to monitor the individual. They will still be allowed to live amongst the community and their caverns will still provide a roof over their heads. But that will be the extent of that the community will help the convicted individual. They will not get to partake in the communal meals and services.

If the individual didn't simply leave the tribe or die, (both rare) then the individual would be presented back in front of the council for further judgement. The person who had been assigned to monitor the convicted will report their findings of how the convicted performed. If they attempted to make amends with the community (Still providing some service for the community even though they were getting nothing in return for example.) then the individual would be welcomed back into the community. If the convicted didn't try to make amends or deliberately decided to continue to cause issues inside the community, then the council would re-review the individual's punishment. It could be extended if they saw some hope. Or the punishment could escalate.

Banishment- The middle tier of punishment. Fairly rare punishment. But was known to happen. The individual will have demonstrated that they could not and/or would not assimilate into the community and work for the community betterment. This individual is given a small window of time to supply and say farewells. Then they must leave the clan. They were allowed to visit and share on major holidays, if they wished, to check up on any loved ones they left behind.

Exiled- The top and final tier of punishment. Reserved for those who actively and intentionally caused some harm to the community. Very rare punishment. The individual, upon sentencing, is immediately cast out with only the Items on their person. Their names are stricken from record as the individual is kicked out of even their family. In the eyes of the clan: The exiled have the duskwight race. But he/she may no longer BE a duskwight. The individual is (obviously) never allowed back to the caverns.

Additional notes:

Usually if the crime isn't large enough to make it to the council, the family heads will punish their own. Sometimes with lesser ostracism but could include everything from a stern talking to, to a public humiliation, or to a caning.

Infanticide, while uncommon, is practiced within reason. Its one of the grim allowances they've made to relieve some of the restriction on a couple only being able to have two children. For instance: because neither gender is viewed more desirable than another, killing an infant based solely on gender is hugely taboo. Couples have been banished for it. But if the babe has a major physical deformity or very apparent diminished mental capacity at or shortly after birth? Then it is generally considered a kindness to help those babes pass on rather than have them not be able to fit within and be unable to contribute to the society.

Outside interactions/contacts

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Common expeditions out of the caverns.

- To head down to the saltmoors for fishing, hunting, and gathering.

- To head to the mine.

Scheduled expeditions out of the caverns.

- To convene with a couple neighboring clans for joint holidays/customs/and trade.

- Once a year, after the majority of the trading with the neighboring clans had concluded, and towards the end of the harvest season for the surface dwellers. The clan puts together a caravan of the seasons surplus goods and gems make the many malm journey eastwards. There they meet up with a predominately hyur settlement where they trade for things like grains, textiles, and other resources and luxuries they can't get themselves.

You might know him from...

To be updated

Relationships

To be updated.

Annotations

More Duskwight clans on the Duskwight Clans list.

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