Oscar Wilde

## Oscar Wilde (he/ him)

Art by @digitalintrovert on tumblr. Used with permission. If using this art as reference, please credit the artist.

### Affiliation

Meritocrats (field operative)
 The London Rangers (We're Still Working on the Name) (handler)
London & Other London Outstanding Mercenary Group (handler)
Harlequins

## Biographical information

### Place of death

Northern Wastes (he got better)London (he got better again)

## Meta Information

### Introductory episode

A Wilde After-party

Oscar Wilde is a journalist, illusionist bard, and the party's Meritocratic handler.

## Description

### Personality

He has a calm and unflappable attitude, and a tendency to obfuscate information. He is charismatic and easily amused, the latter often at other people's expense. He cares about his appearance and his persona, and puts effort into keeping up a face and hiding his true feelings. He has a tendency to overwork and can put too much responsibility on his own shoulders, and becomes irritable and stressed as he loses sleep and refuses to admit that he's struggling.

After the eighteen-month time jump, he is much more closed off and distrustful of anyone who could be infected. Over time, though, he opens up again and is often cheerful.

### Appearance

Wilde is an extremely handsome human man, with a strong chin and big floppy hair. He's not particularly well-built. He has a "big bright salesman smile."

When the party first encounters Wilde in episode 25, he is wearing an incredibly ostentatious set of clothes: a bright peacock-patterned waistcoat; a large, well-cut scarlet suit with big French cuffs and scarlet trousers; and bright red shoes with yellow socks. He pulls it off only because of his charisma.

In episode 60, Wilde is wearing some subtle concealer (which is running in the rain.)

In episode 81, Sasha first realizes that Wilde is sleep-deprived, but wears makeup to make him seem “fresh as a daisy.” In episode 110, Wilde appears gaunt, “like someone who has been running a multinational corporation on one hour sleep for like a year.” In episode 119, Grizzop and Giffis shave Wilde’s head into “an impromptu crewcut.” In episode 121, he is wearing antimagic shackles on his ankle, and appears significantly better after sleeping.

In episode 128, Wilde is dressed in a “passable peasant’s garb,” with tattered clothing and a rubbishy-looking hat; it’s a pretty good disguise. His face is very stern. In episode 129, it’s revealed that Wilde has a facial scar, which he sometimes gently strokes while thinking. Because of the injury, he’s lost some of the movement in his face, so that his smile is now a “wonky smirk.”

In episode 158, it's revealed that Wilde is still wearing the anti-magic shackles around his feet. They’re not chained, and he generally wears clothes that cover them (like bell-bottoms.) When traveling, Wilde is dressed practically, with a backpack and a featherless wide-brimmed hat.

In episode 162, Wilde wears a fur coat made by Hamid, with suggestions from Wilde.

After being brought back to life in episode 178, his hair is pure white, and all his scars are gone.

## History

### Season 1

In episode 25, Wilde breaks into Hamid's flat, helping himself to Hamid's alcohol. Wilde seeks to know more about the Rangers and their adventures, although it seems like he's been following them around for a while. Sasha threatens him, Zolf headbutts him (after Wilde boops Zolf on the nose), and Bertie flirts outrageously with him, setting up a one-on-one "interview."

In episode 34, the Rangers discover that Wilde has written and published a satirical article about him titled "Huffing and Puffing with Bertie MacGuffingham" claiming he was a cuddly soft sensitive man underneath all the gruffness. It includes a picture of Bertie in his underwear, pouting, with a feather boa; people on the street laugh at Bertie because of the article and photo. Bertie is very angry about this, and pledges to murder Wilde, but Zolf thinks it's hilarious.

In episode 39, Wilde arrives at La Triomphe in Paris and asks to meet with the Rangers. Zolf dumps several buckets of water over Wilde, threatening to kill him if he writes another article about them. The two of them almost start to fight, but Wilde explains that Bertie is planning to leave them via train from the central station.

In The Tomb of Hannibal, Wilde calls Bertie back to Paris, informing him that his friends are in danger. He also tells Bertie that he's the Rangers' Meritocratic handler and sends him down to the catacombs with two paladins of Apollo.

In episodes 49 and 50, Wilde appears in Mr Ceiling's simulation, bringing good news and eating cheesecake with Hamid; the Rangers notice something's off partly because Wilde is much more serious than usual.

In episode 53, Wilde meets the Rangers at the police station in a shut-down Paris; he is lounging in a concerned way, like he has the situation under control but wishes he didn't. They report back to him, although they don't tell him that Tesla was involved in the design of the Simulacrum. Wilde gives them a card to prove their connection to the Meritocrats, and asks them to stay at the hotel and await his instruction. He also suggests he might be able to get prosthetics for Zolf.

### Season 2

Attempts to help The Rangers escape Paris during the riots. Is incapacitated by La Gourmande's agents for a while but eventually manages to distract their enemies by casting illusions, including a tank and a dragon.

Is separated from the party at the aeroport as Amelia Earhart refuses to have him onboard and literally kicks him off her ship.

Sorts through the paperwork found with Mr. Ceiling.

In episode 80, he turns up in Prague after the party has killed Kafka and convinces the Cult of Mars not to detain the party or execute Sasha. Sets up an office in the university and instructs the party that they need to enter Newton's office to find Liliana Beekos, whose work is connected to the Simulacrum.

He waits outside Newton's office for about an hour after the party has gone in and is annoyed to find that they're suddenly having a meal in the canteen.  He is displeased that they turned Liliana over to the Cult of Mars instead of to him but is satisfied that they at least brought him her research. The party informs him that they will be heading to Cairo next and he tells them that he probably won't be able to get them out of the university before the lockdown lifts.

### Season 3

#### Cairo

Wilde makes it to Cairo a little while after the party. He visits Saira and requests that the party be allowed to meet with Apophis. He stays at the Tahan estate and joins up with the party as they travel to Apophis.

During the meeting, he displays demure obedience toward Apophis but is noticeable unhappy when Apophis reveals that he has described the party as "beyond irreplaceable". During the discussion about the Heart of Aphrodite, he suggests using it in secret, a suggestion that Apophis does not seem pleased with. After the meeting, he avoids interacting with the party.

As the party visits the Tahan bank, he shows up to give them the necessary authorisation to use the key found in Tesla's notebook. He casually steals a pen from the bank and accompanies the party to the vaults.

In Tesla's vault, Grizzop punches him in the genitals after he remarks that it has been a long time since anyone attempted a resurrection. Wilde crumples to the floor and is carried by Azu for a bit until he can walk on his own again.

#### Damascus

Azu and Hamid meet up with Wilde at the local meritocratic office in the early morning hours after investigating Crank Industries. Wilde prestidigitates himself to look presentable before seeing them and is livid about the amount of paperwork he has from Ratchet's after the party’s investigations there. Hamid smugly drops an information bomb on him by telling him everything they have discovered in Damascus so far and Wilde is genuinely shocked for once.

He tells them that things are getting bad, the riots in London have spread down to Paris and communication is starting to break down. He has been receiving orders which contradict themselves and don't make any sense. He is not sure what to do and tells Azu and Hamid to go back to the warehouses while he goes to see Apophis.

Wilde arranges for Apophis to come and destroy the entire compound and is teleported to it around mid-afternoon. He has Grizzop and Sasha hurriedly show him the Simulacra before quickly getting them away from the compound. He tells them that his support network is effectively gone, the meritocracy has been compromised, and there is no one outside the party that he can trust now.

He travels back to the compound with the full party once Apophis has destroyed it. They camp overnight as the glass plate cools and Wilde takes himself off to one side during the night. Grizzop notices that he looks utterly horrendous and gaunt but Wilde quickly covers his appearance with an illusion again and insists that he knows his own limits.

As they investigated the destruction the next day, he is very clearly tired but continues to insist that he is fine. He has a barbecue with Sasha and Azu as the small team members investigate a pipe and starts doing puns with Sasha, clearly enjoying himself. He leaves the party and heads back to Damascus as they head down to investigate further in the moist pump hole. As he's leaving, he casts an illusion of fireworks, spelling out "Wilde's fine! Stop asking!" in response to the party's continued questioning.

In episode 118, Grizzop finds Wilde unconscious on his desk, bleeding from the ears and nose. He regains consciousness after some magical healing and confesses that he has not slept in a long time. He has tried getting healed at more than one temple but nothing has helped.

In episode 119, Grizzop brings him to the Temple of Artemis temple and Giffis the healer. Wilde is in a truly bad state and blankly goes along with the medical examination. He hands Grizzop the incomplete plans for a kill switch from the Cairo vault and warns him stay away from the meritocrats. He tells him to find someone trustworthy in the Cult of Hephaestus to craft it for them. Giffis eventually figures that several people must be casting spells on Wilde and puts him in an anti-magic cell. Wilde immediately falls asleep.

In episode 120, Wilde has slept for about 20 hours before Grizzop wakes him up. He is significantly restored and even makes a pun again.

In episode 121, he is back in his office, wearing anti-magic ankle shackles as protection. Grizzop gives him information about simulacra deliveries to the Shoin Institute and Wilde tells him he'll be waiting for the party near Atsugi if they make it out of Rome. For getting Grizzop to Rome, Wilde tips him off about a group of Harlequins in Damascus who might be able to help.

### Pre-Season 4

Disappears and becomes his own agent. Starts working with Zolf, Carter, and Barnes.

Gains a scar that permanently damages some of the muscles in the side of his face, creating a lopsided smile.

Sets up base near Shoin.

After Shoin, travels to Hiroshima with the party and becomes part of Earhart's new crew as they set out for Svalbard.

[Ref: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1moRR9CTQ2Pff40TUOfYFM0PKCoQl1CLMF7QCFza0yHM/edit?usp=sharing ]

In RQG 174, he is flung from the airship and dies. Zolf retrieves his spirit by means of a ritual, in which he tells Wilde that he needs him. Zolf and Wilde are, according to Ben, "life partners" who are still sorting out whether their relationship is platonic or romantic.

Travels to the Garden of Yerlik with the party and is affected differently than the rest after being resurrected. Jumps into a magic bud with the rest and is flung through a planar space before landing in Other London, where he meets Barret and the squizzards.

## Additional Information

* Secretly loves Harrison Cambell books.
* Once tried to learn an instrument. It didn't go well.

## Mechanics

### Class Features

* **Bardic Performance, Inspire Courage:** For at least 24 rounds per day Wilde can inspire courage in himself and his allies. As long as they can perceive his performance, allies gain +3 on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws against charm and fear effects.

### Spells

Wilde is a bard between of lvl 11 or higher. He is a spontaneous arcane caster with a speciality in illusion magic and is very skilled at magic for a field operative. He has cast the following spells:

* Prestidigitation, multiple times, usually to clean up his appearance — first cast in episode 39, to dry himself of the water Zolf poured on him.
* Unknown spell to contact Bertie in part 5 of his sidequest. Bards notably do not have access to Sending.
* Scrying (in Mr Ceiling's simulation) to find out where the party is.
* Hold Person (presumably) to stop Hamid from walking away from him in episode 55.
* Major Image (presumably) to conjure the image of a tank in episode 58 and a dragon and illusion of a ruined building in episode 60.
* Silent Image (presumably) to conjure a miniaturized image of what Crank's warehouses look like, exploding in episode 108.
* Unknown spell to cope with the heat from the ruined Crank's Factory in episode 110. Bards notably do not have access to Endure Elements.
* Neutralize Poison (presumably) to neutralise the silver dust in episode 184.
* Audiovisual Hallucination or Complex Hallucination (presumably) to distract the Electric Bosstree in episode 187.