Ignis Gaudiama

**Ignis Gaudiama** was a male Coronan mercenary and privateer from the planet Yangin Var. In the past, he had worked with other mercenaries and hired help, such as Teuthona Cephal and Lawrence Fenton. He was the husband of Bentoria Gaudiama and the father of Effie Gaudiama, who had a home on the station Solitude Plaza.

## Biography

### Early Life

In 5915 ASA, Ignis Gaudiama was born on the planet Yangin Var, a volcanic ocean world in the Central Expanse region of the Cassiopeia Galaxy that was home to a population of Coronans. At some point in his life, Ignis had intensive physical training that turned him into the formidable fighter he was in his adulthood. No one quite knew how and where he received this training, and Ignis kept it this way.

Eventually, Ignis became a mercenary and privateer, sometimes taking jobs officially sanctioned by the United Cassiopeian Republic, but at most times accepting riskier jobs outside of the law.

### Mercenary Work

#### The Abandoned Human Settler Ship

Late into the year 5956 ASA, Ignis and a group of other privateers, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and scavengers stumbled upon a massive abandoned ship located far out into the Outer Expanse. This group included the Selachian and Ologan duo Hammer and Anvil, the stealthy Teuthona Cephal, the young Shiki Nami, and the cybernetic-eyed Rykh Lyyseskis to name a few.

The group later discovered that the ship belonged to Humans not from the Cassiopeia Galaxy, nor even the Faraway Galaxy, with Humans still left aboard in stasis for over thousands of years. One Human, Shelly Baker, was freed from her cryogenic sleep and was immediately met by culture shock when she encountered lifeforms like herself aboard the station. In a panic, Shelly Baker eventually fled her former expedition ship through an escape pod, whereas Ignis and the others continued to the reap whatever they could find onboard.

#### Finding Information on Rhewddi

Sometime in the year 5957 ASA, Ignis took a job for a client named Tess Dotrys, who wanted to know the whereabouts of a human woman named Casha Dotrys, with Tess being Casha's spouse. Ignis' work took him to the planet Rhewddi, an frigid ocean world in the Kaiseran Sector, near the edge of the Central Expanse. Ignis began his search for a Jaharian information broker named Gon Onash in the Rhewddian city of Shuumont. He visited a tavern called the Silent 'Morrow, where his client directed him to. The tavern's bartender, a scarred Walrakian man named Motath, refused to let him see Onash and suggested that Ignis leave. Onash himself made an appearance and allowed Ignis to speak with him, not thinking their talk would take very long.

Onash sat with Ignis privately in his office behind the main area of the tavern. After paying Onash with a sack a credits, Ignis clarified that his client wanted to know the whereabouts of someone named Casha Dotrys. Ignis showed a holographic image of the human woman to Onash, to which Onash verified that the woman was on the moon of Kondelak as forced labor for mining runestone veins. Onash correctly assumed that Ignis' client was Casha's spouse, although Ignis tried to leave before verifying Onash's claim.

Onash offered Ignis to work under him in the city of Shuumont, to which Ignis declined, saying that he was in no need of any further work. Onash toyed with him, asking if Bentoria, Ignis' wife, would say the same. Onash reiterated that he knew everything, including things about Ignis' personal life that he would rather keep secret. Onash offered Ignis two choices: to work under him and keep his secret safe, or to let everyone in the Central Expanse know about his family and their whereabouts.

Before Onash could even finish telling Ignis the rest of his offer, Ignis killed Onash with a blast to the head. When Ignis left the tavern and by extension the planet, a wave of relief washed over the patrons of the Silent 'Morrow. Ignis freed Motath and other criminals and bounty hunters from Gon Onash's control.

After completing his job, Ignis returned back to his apartment on Solitude Plaza just in time for dinner with his wife and daughter.

## Personality and Traits

Ignis Gaudiama was a Coronan man with intense blue flames burning atop his head.

Ignis carried himself with a somewhat formal demeanor, showing his manners even to those who probably didn't deserve them. While he kept his words professional and friendly, it was his actions that sometimes got on the nerves of others.

Although he was a mercenary, Ignis was not afraid to get his hands dirty during work, although he's told others that he prefers his jobs to go smoothly and not require bloodshed. While Ignis didn't keep his upbringing a total secret, he didn't necessarily advertise it either. No one asked him about his background very often, and he preferred it that way.

In contrast to his profession as a mercenary, Ignis was considered by many to be a family man. He cared much for his wife and daughter and would stop at nothing to ensure their safety. Some considered him hypocritical, saying how Ignis' mercenary work alone jeopardized the wellbeing of his family.

## Skills and Abilities

As a mercenary, Ignis was highly skilled at hand-to-hand combat. No one was ever sure where Ignis learned his expertise, and Ignis enjoyed keeping it that way for as long as he lived.