Atticus Brock

Atticus Brock is a male human NPC in the Om campaign.

Atticus Brock was the Royal Spymaster and Chief Cartographer of Waymere. His counterparts in Gildorn hired the Royal Explorers who, largely, later became the Fate Fighters. He was suspicious of Felix Lapubelle, the personal spymaster of Duke Agrippa, and suspected that he did not have New Gildorn's best interests in mind. He is an ally of the Fate Fighters and initially provided them with several missions and the means to procure Stonewatch Abbey after capturing it.

## History

Atticus Brock was a capable spy and royal agent who was placed in charge of the intelligence of New Gildorn. Though ordered to serve the Crown's governor of the colony, Duke Marcus Cornelius Agrippa, he ultimately reported directly to the crown.

He quickly developed an interest in the history of the Irda people for scholastic purposes, but he also quickly became aware of the potential powers of the magical artifacts and knowledge left behind by the Irda. This interest became far more professional when he began to hear credible reports that the Orleseans were also after all possible artifacts and knowledge of the Irda.

As the Royal Spymaster Atticus maintained information on several events taking place in the autumn of 465. Among the many matters he was monitoring and investigating he was taking note of the assassination attempts on Gunnar the Wolf, the apparent activity of Orlesean spies in the colony, the activity of the Wild Runners in the area, increased pirate activity in the area, and reports of disruptions in the Silvercliff Mines.

When the Royal Explorers, who later mostly became the Fate Fighters, initially came to New Gildorn it was to Atticus that they reported. Evidently he had received a string of especially inept recruits as he declared the Explorers "the best he'd been spent in some time" in spite of their initial missteps.

### Meeting the Royal Explorers

Atticus met with the Royal Explorers on the 28th of Father, 465. He explained the history of Waymere and the colony of New Gildorn to them, as well as the other local powers and political situation. He arranged for the sale of the captured cargo that the Royal Explorers had taken from the *Scourge* in exchange for a quarter of the profits going to the crown, to which they agreed.

Duke Agrippa sent the Royal Explorers to Dunkirk to escort a caravan of settlers to land south of Dunkirk and, while there, investigate reports of mysterious attacks in Dunkirk. Atticus also requested that the Explorers keep their ear open for reports of Irda knowledge or artifacts and advised them that he was making preparations for them to travel west in search of such finds.

### Explorers Return from Dunkirk

The Royal Explorers reported back to Atticus on the 30th of the Gatekeeper, 465. He informed them that Varis Dorn had been acquitted by Duke Agrippa. He demanded an explanation for a report he'd received from Captain Hunter Brynan that they had let a Wild Runner that attacked the caravan to Dunkirk escape. He was not especially mollified by the Explorer's mumbled excuses, but decided to table the matter as they had performed well on the recent mission. He warned them, however, that Duke Agrippa was growing increasingly wary about sedition given growing tensions with Orlesea. He warned the group to be wary of their associations with elves, as duke would surely see it as seditious activity.

Atticus had received several reports of the Explorers openly flashing their credentials as agents of the Crown, drawing unwanted attention to them. He proposed they reorganize as a mercenary company, whom he would still employ, but it would avoid such an obvious direct link to his office. The group accepted and he assigned them a mission to stop rogue bandit captain Goddard Brandik and his Orlesean allies at Stonewatch Abbey. He stated he would arrange for their newly formed mercenary company to purchase the Abbey for a nominal fee if they successfully captured it.

### Further Complications

Shortly after sending the Royal Explorers to capture Stonewatch Abbey Atticus became aware that the captain and officers of the *Morning Star* had been recovered and returned to Waymere. They immediately leveled charges of Mutiny against Jasper Conroy, Fynnhanar, Fernith, Leandra, Boz, and Noel Gorehammer, most of whom were still working for Atticus. Further the First Mate of the *Morning Star* that led the mutiny, Clint Connery, apparently testified that it was at the behest of the Royal Explorers.

### Results of the Battle for Stonewatch Abbey

The Royal Explorers sent word on the 3rd of the Twins, 465, Fernith returned to Waymere bringing word of the Battle at Stonewatch Abbey. She reported that the Royal Explorers had captured the fort, slain Goddard Brandik, the Orlesean wizard Balamer the Blue, and many of their officers and men. Those not slain were either imprisoned, fled or turned their cloak to follow Gildorn or the Explorers personally. With her she bore the private letters of both Brandik. Among other things the letters indicated that Brandik answered to the Orlesean spymaster Henri Neuville. whom Brock knew.

The letters indicated that Neuville tasked the rogue Brandik with gathering and training an army with which to disrupt Gildornian commerce. Among the plans found in Brandik's papers were preliminary preparations to capture Waymere for Orlesea as well. Brandik was also tasked with setting aside anyone with nautical experience to be recovered by a messenger on regular intervals to be delivered to Silas Thatcher's pirate organization at Dead Man's Cove. The letters also indicated that an Orlesean spy named Jules was in Waymere but had been arrested for being involved in a petty brawl. Braindik was ordered to have him assassinated so he could not deliver anything he knew to the Gildornian authorities in exchange for leniency.

Atticus immediately arranged for the arrest and interrogation of Jules, and sent word with one of his agents embedded in the Gildornian Army marching north to deliver a message to summon the Royal Explorers, now reorganized as a mercenary company called the Fate Fighters, back to Waymere, to address the mutiny charges.

The spymaster suspected there was something more at play with the Mutiny charges. After many discussions with the Fate Fighters, Atticus had suggested to Duke Agrippa that he scale back some of the Anti-Elf dictates that he had been instituting to lessen the elven unrest in the area. Brock later suspected that this turned the Agrippa against him as he had subsequently begun to omit the spymaster from meetings and intelligence briefings. Atticus suspected that someone was moving against him and that the charges were a means of robbing him of his most prominent agents.

As a result Atticus signed off on the necessary paperwork to formalize the Fate Fighters Mercenary Company and sell them Stonewatch Abbey in spite of the charges, and further arranged to have them categorized as a wing of the Church of Jamor, so the Crown would not interfere with the activities there and assisted the Fate Fighters in finding needed staff to operate the abbey. Atticus also hired a solicitor to defend the Fate Fighters from the Mutiny charges and delay their incarceration until the trial.

Among the intelligence gained from the captured Orleseans was the existence of a trio of forsaken gods called The Triad. This dark religion was reported to have taken hold in some circles in Orlesea, perhaps even among members of the Royal Court. One of the clerics slain at Stonewatch Abbey had been offering prayers to the Triad and bore a holy symbol of them.

### Further Intrigue in Waymere

Upon interrogating Jules, Atticus learned of his contact and dispatched the Fate Fighters to apprehend the man, though he only had a vague description as Jules was never given his contact's name. In spite of this the Fate Fighters were able to identify and apprehend the spy. Upon sight Atticus identified him as Preston Massaro, one of Felix Lapubelle's agents.

While Atticus interrogated Massaro The Fate Fighters turned their attentions to the repeated assassination attempts upon Gunnar the Wolf and were able to foil yet another one during their initial meeting with the Thunnish prince. In short order the Fate Fighters were able to identify the poison that was used to try to kill Gunnar, tracking its purchase back to Massaro. Further, Massaro revealed that before the mutiny charges had been leveled upon the Fate Fighters that he had recovered Clint Connery and delivered him to Lapubelle.

Atticus was very troubled that Massaro, and by extension Lapubelle, was behind both the assassination attempts on Gunnar and feeding intelligence to the Orlesians and Goddard Brandik. He urged the Fate Fighters to leave Waymere immediately as it was no longer safe in the city for them. He suspected that the missions Duke Agrippa had sent them on were distractions to divert attention while Lapubelle initiated some other, unknown, plan. As the mutiny charges had failed to remove the Fate Fighters from operation, Atticus warned them that their lives were likely in danger. They offered Atticus sanctuary at Stonewatch Abbey. Atticus accepted, but stated he needed to wrap up affairs in Waymere first.

### Things Fall Apart

Events rapidly began to spiral out of control in Waymere. On the 6th of the Twins, 465, the elf leader Merith escaped from his imprisonment in the prison on Praetor's Block, throwing Duke Agrippa into a savage and paranoid fury.

A force of two thousand soldiers under the command of Sir Boewin Banister arrived from Gildorn, the timing of which means they must have been requested months ago. Worse, Agrippa and Felix Lapubelle had managed to keep word of these troops from Brock until they had arrived. Though officially the troops were to secure Shadow Gap, Brock suspected the Duke had requested them to attempt to wipe out the local elven populations.

Worse an assassination attempt on Gunnar the Wolf by a faction of Wild Runners apparently in league with the Triad. The attack was nearly successful, and when Gunnar's retinue turned to nearby Gildornian soldiers for help, they betrayed the Thuns and attempted to finish the job. It was only the intervention of Opal that allowed Gunnar to barely escape with his life, and his entire retinue was slain to secure his escape.

Atticus began seeing movements against him and his agents, but with the escape of Merith he could not leave the city without arousing too much suspicion. He dispatched his assistant, Aquibius, to Stonewatch Abbey in his stead to act as a temporary administrator for the Fate Fighters and to keep him safe from events in the city. Atticus intended to depart the city as soon as he was able, but began making preparations in case he was killed before he was able. He urged the Fate Fighters to continue the search for Irda artifacts and the fabled city of gold, believing that it was the key to controlling the region and that the Triad sought it for conquest and destruction.

On the 11th of the Twins, 465, Gildorinian soldiers attacked a meeting of elven leaders in the Glade of the Dancer, a holy and revered place for the Elven people. Many elves were killed and most of the leaders were arrested, including Merith.

By the 13th of the Twins Atticus had spent his days locked in his office, primarily for security, and was sleeping little. The Fate Fighters arranged a secret meeting with him. They informed him that they planned to rescue Merith and the elven leaders but requested that he arrange to have a ship leave harbor at midnight to give the appearance that he was fleeing by boat, which would allow them to slip out of the town with the elven leaders. Atticus agreed, arranging for the *Siren* to leave port at midnight. He also provided the Fate Fighters paperwork to travel the city, as Duke Agrippa had declared Marshal Law in Waymere.

### Capture

The night of the 13th the Twins, 465, while the Fate Fighters were mounting their rescue mission, Atticus was captured, presumably by Gildornian forces. Su-Won, as part of a deal with Wu Xen to protect Atticus, had attempted to thwart the arrest but the attempt had gone disastrously costing the lives of many of Su-Won's agents. Felix Lapubelle interrogated Atticus brutally. Atticus detected the presence of a scrying sensor operated by Fynn, and at a moment when he was alone told Fynn to head for the Lost City of the Irda and not to mount a rescue. He also warned the half-elf to "beware the dwarf" but he did not have the chance to elaborate before his interrogation resumed.

Atticus Brock was condemned to death by Duke Agrippa and slated for a public execution alongside several other condemned prisoners on the 20th of Twins, 465, although he was held by the Red Spears at their headquarters instead of being interred in the prison at Praetor's Block.

On the 20th, The Red Spears would have been more than happy to execute Brock, but Lapbuelle left explicit orders that he was to be left alive and transferred to Provonce for further debriefing. The day of the executions coincided with the Orlesean attack and the resulting Battle of Waymere. Lapubelle was to be at the public executions and the Red Spears had gained intelligence that the Fate Fighters would be mounting a rescue of the other condemned and the Red Spears had the opportunity to kill them and earn a bonus from Lapubelle.

Brego ordered Ezra Thorne, the Red Spears cleric, to guard Atticus while the rest went off to ambush the Fate Fighters. Without Brego around to object, Thorne took the opportunity to force Atticus to aid him in the translation of an Irda document he found along with an Irda sarcophagus. Atticus refused, and Ezra tortured him brutally, ultimately severing a finger, before Atticus to translate.

Atticus was no fool, however, and he purposely gave a substandard translation, intending to cause the demonic creature the ritual was designed to summon to actually merge with Ezra instead. He hoped that once this would give the Red Spears and the coming Orlesean army a monster to have to fight in the city, and would likely result in the death of Thorne as well.

### Rescue

Meanwhile the Fate Fighters detected the ambush laid for them and slipped away instead coming to the Red Spears Keep to try to rescue Atticus. They surprised Ezra Thorne, who retreated to the keep's hidden basement where he had several zombies that he'd previously murdered and raised to fuel the Irda ritual Atticus had mis-translated for him. Thorne performed the ritual as translated and instead of summoning a demonic creature it to turned him into the beast instead. In his new form Thorne engaged the Fate Fighters and was killed by them, turning back to his own form once dead.

The Fate Fighters healed Atticus and escaped with him, eventually escaping the city through Southgate via a trip through the sewers. Fynn escorted Atticus to Stonewatch Abbey, where he immediately met with Aquibius to get his bearings.

### Leaving Elira

Atticus decided that events would be best served personally informing the King of Gildorn what was occurring on Elira and the ramifications beyond. However, doing so would involve getting off the continent, a task that seemed impossible given that Orlesea controlled all the ports in the area and that there were no Gildornian vessels in the area.

The Fate Fighters offered a solution. Since the mercenary company owned the *Sea Bitch*, which was still serving in Commodore Upton's fleet on Socortia, they could magically teleport Atticus to the island and put the ship at his disposal. Atticus agreed, and after a week recovering at Stonewatch Abbey and putting his affairs in order, Fynn teleported him to Socortia to begin his journey back to Gildorn.

## Abilities and Personality

Atticus Brock appears to be patriot to the Crown of Gildorn above all else. While he seems to be a moral man, he has shown himself willing to commit morally dubious acts, such as torture, for the greater good of Gildorn. He proved amenable to reason and not blindly loyal, however, softening his position on the elves of the region after discussions with the Fate Fighters.

Brock is a highly capable spymaster, and maintained a network of spies and informants throughout New Gildorn and beyond. He appears to have excellent organization skills and good foresight and preparation abilities. He is a capable cartographer, necessary for his cover as the Royal Cartographer in Waymere.

Last, but not least, Atticus appears to have a strong interest in archaeology, leading him to come upon the possible power of the Irda artifacts and their secret location before another spymaster might have.