Mordecai Ladron

==Stats==
===Mark Tracker===
Marks: 1 (Infamy: Having stolen the Post-Master's quill, possessing vials for alternate ink colours)
Afflictions:
===Advances===
*Old Favours (Story, +1 Underworld Ties)
==Background==
(Several years ago) While House Devante focused on holding the Eastern shores from the invasion of the Drow, Mordecai was active in the region first taking to his life of crime by opportunities seemingly too good to pass up. First catching the notice of House Devante, Mordecai was outlawed and a warrant for his capture was issued. Evading capture and honing his skills as a criminal, he began to expand his web of contacts and ties to whatever area of crime he might need to call upon in times of need.
(A few years later) During the time of the Dawn King's return, it was then that Mordecai's arrogance in teasing House Devante ultimately led to his capture. Having believed himself to have teased the great house for far too long, he spent a length of time within their captivity. The details to this remain confidential and unverifiable.
However, it became publicly admitted that Mordecai had escaped custody after sightings of the tiefling were documented, taking to the life of crime once more. Choosing to take no further risks in the matter, it was then that House Devante contacted the Athesian council for aid in subduing the evasive criminal to avoid further wasting their resources. Council members Paavi Karjalainen and Tacitus Ajax Liber Silvanus were called to deal with the matter to further aid peace-keeping between House Devante and Athesia.
Captured by the Commander of the Eleventh Legion, and a former-con man, Mordecai was given the offer of employment for his capacity at espionage and evading capture, which he seized over execution without hesitation. Recruited as a field agent, the extent of the tiefling's former connections to the criminal underworld provided insight into various areas that legitimate sources could not match, earmarking Mordecai for a position upon the Athesian Council.
With a position now within Athesia, Mordecai's motivations and ambition continues to elude certain inquirers; everything from the moment he attempted to swindle the House Devante at the beginning of the tale that made him who he was, be it out of greed or for other reasons.
Returning to unity city, Mordecai fought mild pick-pocketing, mugging and burglary in Athesia. During such times, he confronted a thief, learning of the hardships that was afflicting the citizens of Athesia, even within the capital. After intimidating him from turning to crime, Mordecai arranged for goods to be delivered to him. Unfortunately such nature would be followed by himself being pick-pocketed, suggesting that some things still had a long way to go.
Following the knowledge of Aton Thorvold's semi-destruction, Mordecai's attention was turned away from the Unity City and drawn to the region of the God Cursed. Invited by Skinne to assist in its restoration, following the aftermath of Loki's rampage through Arianna's library and unleashing a number of dinosaurs.
They arrived to find refugees fleeing. Following Skinne's suggestion they offered drinks of alcohol to calm nerves and fight the cold.
Following this they made their way to where the arterial tunnel had collapsed in and began excavating their way back inside. This was followed by reinforcing the tunnel and coming upon a rioting mob in its effort to escape. Skinne took point and armed the mob, confusing and rallying them to follow him back into the city. Cassia had fled from the mob through fear of crowds. Eventually found with Arianna's black pony confronted by a T-Rex. Mordecai drew its attention, luring it away so they could escape. After diving between its legs to escape its pursuit, Skinne confronted the beast until Cassia could placate it with magic.
Following this, the dinosaurs were put in temporary stasis and actions were taken to begin repairs. Mordecai waved the flag of Athesia to improve morale and upon discussion with only found government dwarf, Southern Alliance and Mordecai will have holdings in the government of Aton Thorvold.
Some time later, Mordecai is believed to have overseen the live-fire testing of Empire flintlock weapons. In the company of other scientists, Mordecai was present when a combination of the great minds of Athesia led to the genesis of energy crystal batteries. Charged through thermal conduction and magical energy conversion from a near-infinite forge heat source that was formally addressed and recognised.
Stoic Hartman learnt of the flintlock rifle testing and research and confronted Mordecai and Cassia on a conflicting statement of an other council member over the authorization to study such things. This also led to the knowledge that his original research before the previous discussion with a council member, believed to be Tacitus, was destroyed in a small fire the Watch suspected to have been an accident. Stoic maintains the belief that members of Athesia declared it not to be studied.
In private company, Mordecai addressed Tacitus' encounter with Stoic, identifying we were apparently not responsible for any fire relating to Tacitus' warning as to its danger in the public domain.
After receiving a missive of the former-mayor taking ill, Mordecai joined James Griffin (his son) and Arianna (Griffin's cousin once removed). Upon discussing possible leads, they decided to confront Aurora after obtaining two College Artefacts: A hammer of dispelling (requiring the target to be forcefully hit, broken or damaged by the strike); and a ring of detect magic (pulling in the direction of the closest magical source).
Upon visiting Aurora's cell in Dargan's Prison, it was determined she was not using illusion magic and was indeed trapped in the cell. Under suggestion from James, Mordecai reluctantly conceded to going inside to check she hadn't undergone any non-magic body modification. However upon entering, Mordecai was trapped in a recursive illusion of an empty cell.
According to James and Arianna, "Mordecai" walked out after supposedly physically searching and interrogating her, leaving "Aurora" still in the cell.
Mordecai was trapped in the illusive cell for some time. Still possessing the ring and hammer.
After a month passed, James Griffin and the company of other council members, Harrison and Two-Four, returned to Dargan's Prison to release Mordecai, having finally killed Aurora following a heated confrontation and a battle of morality on killing her.
Angered by his time in the cell, a cell even he had no means to escape from, he was irritated by the council's lack of realisation he had been replaced by an impostor. He had since grown facial hair from his unkempt time in the cell, wearing month-old clothes and still possessing the two magical artefacts.
He has since returned the dispelling hammer to James, but has decided to keep the ring on his person, paranoid of being caught in an inescapable illusion again, but glad the caster responsible was dead.
==Events==
In the events of the Vale, Mordecai had a somewhat reserved presence in the council, as a period of time when his history and presence was not well known within Unity City, and when his participation in matters of politics was both alien and new to him.
In the events of later years, he has became more settled in his role as a council member. Though threats such as the Guild have taken his interest for their criminal activities and growing notoriety. Their activities would not entirely keep Mordecai bound to Unity City, as on occasion threats within the Dark Plains and the Dead Wastes required his presence.
==Personal Notes==
In the early days of Mordecai's presence on the council his involvement in matters of politics were distant involvement at best, and personal opinion at most. His disinterest in matters of state have become known among members of the council, though that does not exclude him from weighing in on such matters. Presented instead with a mindset towards keeping the empire whole and dealing with matters from the perspective of the military and secret service.
In an encounter with the shadow realm, courtesy of a high-priority mission led by Appoline to address turmoil with the Fey and the Planes, he came to realize a sense of self which troubled him greatly. Possessing no magical potential, besides that which his race is known to provide, he became increasingly aware of the abundance of magic between members of the Athesian Council and the encounters and threats across regions of Athesia. Combined with the knowledge that he was never a truly combat-focused figure within the council, his attention has since turned to a dark questioning of his place upon the council. That he is a small figure in a large world has only since then dawned on him.
It is noted he went missing after this event throughout the year of the Empire Occupation. Certain members of the council have since noted after the lifting of the occupation that his approach and methods have become questionable, though his intentions remain pure and for the good of Athesia, loyal to the instructions of the council.
==Significant Relationships==
 The Guild: 
Over the course of Mordecai's time as a member of the Athesian Council he has had frequent encounters with the Guild which has led to a long-standing resentment towards the syndicate. Having foiled kidnappings, thefts and other such criminal activity, the Athesian Council as a whole has been so far unable to eradicate their presence from the city.
Though their activities during the Empire Occupation seemed notably infrequent.
Certain sources have since suggested a person by the name of Aurora to be a lead figure in the Guild's internal hierarchy. The accuracy of this information is unverified, but corroborates a few other sources.
Paavi Karjalainen:
Owed for his part in securing his future, Mordecai regards Paavi with a level of respect for his actions and his own dealings in the connections and information network which extends considerably further than Mordecai's own, if only for the legitimacy and legality of some of Paavi's own dealings.
Mordecai made to attend Paavi's trial upon getting word of it, half-expecting to devise some means of extracting Paavi from the court if events turned sour, but as the trial drew on in the Dead Wastes, Salthazar, to whom Mordecai had not yet had the pleasure of meeting, proved his skill in the court of law, reducing Paavi's charges substantially and saving Paavi Karjalainen from apprehension or execution.
Mordecai's participation was, at that point, a contingency of "just in case", but he still maintains a level of appreciation for being able to attend in the defence of one of the two men who provided him with a second chance.
Tacitus:
While affording Tacitus a prominent level of respect, Mordecai is content to defer matters of the Southern Alliance and Athesian Military to him. Considering him as a superior in terms of the Southern Alliance (and in part for Tacitus ensuring Mordecai's second chance, after his criminal past had earnt him a warrant for execution).
Considering Tacitus a more than capable member of the Athesian council and a prime representative for the Athesian military and defence, Mordecai has not had many dealings with the elf outside of a professional context. However it has snapped to Mordecai's attention to learn of events transpiring which have left Tacitus in the elf's true form trapped in the Shadowfel Plane (a plane upon which Mordecai has been mildly disturbed at discovering), a captive of the emperor.
Appoline:
Over the course of time that they have collaborated on fighting against the Guild, Mordecai has come to consider Appoline a trustworthy companion and member of the counsel (as much a comrade in arms as a respectable ambassador for her Drow people). Working together on various occasions for the good of Athesia, or ensuring the security and safety of Unity City itself, Mordecai is both respectful and cautious of her abilities in wielding Shadow Magic.
During the Fall of the Vale, Mordecai travelled with Appoline, Lanzo and others to Appoline's homeland whereby they encountered Appoline's matriarch mother and revealed to Mordecai the culture of Drow matriarchal society. The encounter did little to change Mordecai's respect for Appoline, moreso developping a cautious anxiety of Drow society, but events that since followed a year after the Fall of the Vales have afforded Mordecai giving an honest congratulations of Appoline and Lanzo's engagement following the events of the journey, and the best hopes for their lives thereafter.
Lanzo:
While Mordecai has personally not had many dealings with Lanzo outside of the council chambers on matters of congress, the two ventured together to the distant lands of Drow territory during the Fall of the Vale, whereby they seemed to get along together and events unfolded which almost led to his recruitment into Appoline's mother's harem. Both Lanzo and Mordecai have also met during the court trial of Paavi Karjalainen, but the solemnity of the event denied much in the way of socialisation.
As an individual, Mordecai cannot find fault with Lanzo for the honesty of the man's work as a miller, and as a peasant under the boot of nobles (nobles with whom Mordecai naturally only holds antipathy for). It has occured to him in the past, that while Lanzo has strong dealings and significance among the peasantry of the Dark Plains, and Mordecai's own distaste and hatred for House Devante and the principle of oppresion at the hands of Nobility, the two might hold mutually beneficial interests in the future.