Wayne

Wayne is a Human, most commonly known for his work as a Marshal in the Barren-Lands.

## Early Life

Wayne was born in the Western Reach in a small town near Lons. His only known family member was his older brother Tyne.

When Wayne was old enough, Tyne brought him in as his partner in Freelancing.

## Service to Alpha Clan

Wayne and Tyne signed a contract with the Alpha Clan, where they accompanied Phoenix Squad during their campaign through the Northern Reach and Western Reach. They mainly provided intelligence and reconnaissance on the region, occasionally joining the squad to provide support in battle.

During this time, they both began to feel contempt for the Alpha Clan and Dragoons in general.

After the Battle of Patna, their contract expired.

## Road to Ralpur and the Barren-Lands

During their time in Patna, they helped the Alpha Clan secure dozens of prisoners made up of Zeta sympathizers and resistance fighters. Wayne and Tyne's contract expired as the Alpha Clan agreed to sell these prisoners to the Gaiden Corporation.

Needing work, Tyne and Wayne make a deal the commander of Gaiden's private military responsible for escorting the prisoners to Ralpur: Tyne and Wayne will assist in transporting the prisoners, and in return they'll receive some supplies and resources upon arrival. When they make it Ralpur, a higher Gaiden official does not recognize the deal.

Angry, the brothers conspire to release one of the prisoners named Silvie, who apparently had connections with Human resistance organizations, most notably the rising White Horse. They successfully break Silvie out of Gaiden's prison, but Tyne was left behind and seemingly killed in the process.

Wayne and Silvie hijacked a thopter and piloted it into the Barren-Lands as a last ditch effort to escape the Gaiden pursuers. They hit a sand storm and crashed into the desert.

Wayne was knocked unconscious during the crash. When he came to, Silvie was gone. He barely evaded a Gaiden patrol sent to inspect the crash sight. From there, he was on his own.

After struggling to survive his first few days in the Barren-Lands, he was eventually saved by Sydney. Sydney helped nurse him back to 100 percent, and she began teaching him the ropes of the Barren-Lands.

Once he successfully adapted to life in the desert, he began to feel like this was his true home and started feeling protective of the land, especially the town of Running Fridge. Eventually Sydney approached him to join the Marshals, who desperately needed help. Wayne accepted the invitation without hesitation.

## Marshal Service

Life in the Barren-Lands had its ups and downs, but Wayne found purpose in his new role among the Marshals. He also struck up a romantic relationship with Lucie Manette, a local girl.

Wayne stood by Sydney as the Marshals struggled to regain respect and authority. He even stands by her when Birk is disfigured by some bad recruits, which leads to the resignation of many marshals.

The Marshals begin finding citizens of the Barren-Lands brutally murdered in multiple locations. While searching for the culprit, Sydney is also brutally murdered. With a lack of experienced Marshals, they look to Wayne for leadership. He obliges, and he leads the Marshals and the people of the Barren-Lands at the Battle of Washboard Ridge.

Following
the Battle of Washboard Ridge, Wayne gathers the Marshals and community leaders to vote for the next official leader of the Marshals. Earning the respect of the people after Washboard Ridge, they unanimously elect Wayne. Wayne reluctantly accepts, pledging to do what he feels is best for the people.

#### Leader of Marshals

He
immediately attempts to re-recruit Birk, who politely declines. He approaches
Rollo, the owner of local inn, claiming everyone in the Barren-Lands likes and respects Rollo so he’d
be an asset. Rollo is hesitant, but he agrees.

Wayne
and Rollo begin riding from town to town and village to village looking to
recruit. Wayne remarks on Sydney’s failed attempts at recruiting new marshals,
and he claims that with Rollo’s help he won’t make the same mistakes. They
manage to recruit some townsfolk and some retired mercenaries looking to redeem
themselves, but it isn’t enough. One of the retired mercs, Murphy, offers to
help recruit some active freelancers/mercenaries who he can vouch for. Among
them are Drake, Mack, and some of the Birk sisters.

After
some time, Rollo points out that they've built quite a capable army. Small, but
capable. All the while, they observe that confrontations with the Durin have
been less frequent and there have been less sightings. With the Durin out of
the way (for the most part) and conflict at an all-time low, Wayne begins
toying with the idea of trying to establish a bit of government in the
Barren-Lands. He and Rollo begin speaking with leaders in the existing
towns/villages, hoping to come to an agreement that would fulfill all of their
needs.

With what becomes known as the Running Fridge Accords, roughly 20 different towns and cities in the Barren-Lands agree to provide aide and support to the Marshals, who will act as the union's military. The accords also provide economic arrangements that benefit everyone involved.