Félix Renaud

'I hadn't realized God speaks the language of ignorance.'

## Background

Félix Renaud was born into a family of relatively recently landed aristocrats (only a couple or so generations) who won their nobility through military service and later had to fight for it through political struggles against those who would seek to undermine the idea of social mobility of any kind in society. Thus the Renauds gained the reputation of being uncompromisingly ruthless and politically motivated on the scene of the royal court. Their ascendance to status of nobility has not killed their martial tradition however, even now the family has significant influence within the military of France.

So unfortunate it was for them then that the eldest son of the family primed to be the heir to the family's fortune was made into a pariah.

How did this come to be? Félix was born into the privileges which his parents and their parents were old enough to remember came through sacrifice and ruthless struggle against a cruel world. Félix was clearly a very bright child, described by all his tutors as brilliant and well-ahead of all his peers when it came to grasping the many different sciences and arts. However his family was more interested in his advancement to the position of an officer in the French military to continue the legacy of the Renauds.

Against the wishes of his family, Félix enrolled into the Parisian university and to his chagrin, he faced a great deal of adversity from many of the noble scholars who saw him as an upstart from lower nobility. Still, the young man persevered and buried himself in books and studies, spying on lectures he wasn't invited to, attending experiments under false pretenses and sneaking into sections of the library which were restricted.

This rising star however in French academia had his bright flame snuffed out when his request for funds was denied despite the promising preliminary findings he had on the subject of Dragonrot and the possibility of treatment. His research was passed on in favor of people who had been considered to have higher status and greater prestige than him. This drove him to the act which labelled him as a traitor to France.

A visiting academic from the university of Salamanca happened to catch wind of the promising research which young Félix had made. He approached the young man and offered him to present it in Spain instead where he would be handsomely rewarded for his outstanding scholastic achievements. It is unfortunate then that unbeknownst to Félix; his research did indeed gain the attention of the French rulership. And it is even more unfortunate that they captured him during preparation to set sail for Spain.

## Personality and Behaviour

Although most would claim otherwise, Félix did indeed inherit his family's penchant for ruthlessness and pursuit of ambition above all else. Still his ambition is deeply intertwined with his religious beliefs. Unlike many cynics which hide themselves from the church in academia by saying the right things at the right times, Félix is what one might call a true believer. He is deeply rooted in the belief that all his research and study is the truest study of God's creation. And thus his zealousness is expressed through his work and endless projects.

Although he is not without compassion, even if his compassion is based on the 'bigger picture'. He is determined to carve a legacy not by name but by laying foundations for new heights for which others could strive to by continuing on his work.

Félix was trained in court etiquette throughout a big part of his childhood and yet little of it followed him into adulthood. He is far too focused on the efficiency in all things to concern himself with the pleasantries of the social game.

Overall, Félix is a rather enigmatic individual and very rarely gives away his emotions in any given interaction. This unflappability has served him well in some situations but also lost him friends due to appearing aloof. Still if one can get past the man's cold demeanor then one will find a fiery passion and a deep yearning to improve the current state of affairs and fix the status quo.

## Occupational Details

Félix's career is quite young, unsurprising considering his age. Most of his career amounts to many drawn-up prototype schematics of industrial devices and alchemical theses. What set Félix apart from his counterparts and what won him the attentions of his betters however was his direct engagement in all aspects of his projects. He would personally stay up all night and build his own prototypes and experiment with dangerous substances without any assistants. This confidence and self-reliance on his own knowledge and abilities allowed him to stand apart from his peers against all odds.

Such ambition and single-minded pursuit however has left him with many enemies who feared such a challenge to their status in high society and the current establishment's old guard.

## Likes/Hobbies/Interests

Félix's interests unsurprisingly are closely tied to his occupation and goals. He is an avid student of the humanities. He spends his time studying history, philosophy and literature. His claim is that divine inspiration extends to more than just study of the world but that through noble pursuits of humanity's arts one can learn more about the very spirit of the holy. However these are merely the interests he dares talk about in public. For even such an outspoken iconoclast does not dare reveal where his deepest interests truly lie.

The occult. And the history of the draconic beings and their intertwined fate with that of humankind. Stranger still, the more he finds himself diving into this deviant interest of his... The more he finds himself consumed by this morbid curiosity.

Félix finds himself drawn to kindred spirits who dare defy the establishment. Unique ideas, open minds and intellectual challenges are all things which Félix is drawn to. Despite the otherwise Spartan and fiercely practical attitude that the young man has towards many aspects of his life, he also has a taste for luxury. Indeed, the man often finds himself affected by an all-too-familiar past time for the upper classes in France: Hedonism.

## Dislikes/Fears/Phobias

He finds it hard to respect those limit themselves by arbitrary rules and morals set by man when they inhibit the progress of France and humankind as a whole. Worse yet, he believes that such inflexible thought directly opposes the free will granted to man by God. Similarly his upbringing has made it hard for him to relate to people of common birth. His birth and resources made his only limitation his own ambition and effort which makes him ignorant of what it truly means to be deprived of opportunity in life.

Félix has developed a strange fear of the dark. It is a fairly recent development after many sleepless nights trying to solve the many puzzles of existence flowing around his mind. Of course being imprisoned for treason and thrown into a dungeon did not help matters. Perhaps what complicated matters even further were the things that spoke to him in the dark... In an otherwise empty cell.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

### **Strengths**

**Exceptional Genius** - It is hard to deny that Félix Renaud has been blessed with a mind capable of not only receiving illumination but to withstand it without consuming itself. There are few subjects which he has not broached and is always looking to expand his arsenal of information.

**Growing Popularity** - Félix's on-going struggle against an orthodoxy has made him an unlikely icon for people who disliked the aristocratic rule of France. His achievements and struggles against academia and his family's status as a family of lower noble status meant to establish new martial tradition in the military. It was all dramatized by interest groups to make an anti-establishment figure of an otherwise privileged individual.

**Indomitable Will** - Félix has fanatical devotion to his pursuits, whatever they may be in the moment. It is a mix of the ruthlessness instilled in him by his family, life of adversity and zealous devotion to his faith. One will be hard-pressed to find someone as determined to his mission as Félix.

### **Weaknesses**

**Narcissism/Megalomania** - Although Félix's achievements are indeed impressive. The constant victories over his rivals were not just a product of his abilities but also the circumstances surrounding the precarious situation in France. Sadly, this is lost on Félix for his personal perspective has him convinced that all his accomplishments are a result of his mastery over the world as well as his personal relationship with God.

**Loosening Grip On Reality** - Too much time spent challenging the established laws of reality set by academia and religious institutions have left Félix with some rather eccentric ideas of how the world works. He says strange things. He seems to stare off into spaces where there is nothing. In his own company, he talks to things which are not there. For now he knows that these are figments of his mind, but for how long?

**Pariah** - Félix valuing his eccentric ideas over his loyalty to France has gotten him arrested for the crime of treason. He has been disowned and disinherited by his family. The university of Paris has denounced him and all of his research. Whatever political career or status this man may have once held in high society is now lost to his own pursuit of his ambitions.