Bel Burtau (steampunk/dieselpunk)

[Bone2pick]

Bel Burtau

Bel's Theme Song

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH-PmbZtYsU[/media]

Character Art

Spoiler

Hoary Bird — Ridolfo Transport-class









Hand Flamer









Trauly - Dusty Roads









Bel Burtau

Spoiler

Character Content

• Just The Basics
• Personality
• Background
• Turning Point

• Name: Bel Burtau
  
  
  Age: 41
  
  
  Gender: Male
  
  
  Height/Weight: 6'2 // 190lbs
  
  
  Sexuality: Heterosexual
  
  
  Nationality: Ridolfo Imperium
  
  
  Occupation: Treasure Hunter
  
  
  Combat Style: Bel isn't a warrior, he's a survivor. He isn't concerned about honor or pride, he just wants to make it back in one piece. So his first option in a potentially lethal scenario is always deescalation. If that fails he'll look to flee, and if that's not feasible he'll ambush and disorient his enemies. The flame pistol is great at both roles.
  
  
  Thanks to his boxing days Bel's an excellent striker. His gauntlet, combined with his punching speed & strength, can deliver quite a blow. For a man not looking for a fight, he sure has found his way into a lot them.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  After forty years of life, one should be able to look back and see growth. As a bright-eyed boy Bel was a show-off, he was brimming with imagination, and he was protective of friends. But adolescence hardened him. As early as eleven Bel started to challenge the pecking order among his peers. He shaped up into an alpha male, athletic, brave, decisive, and clever.
  
  
  But as gifted as the youth was, others were even more exceptional. There was always a more handsome boy, a more ingenuous girl, or a more charismatic teen in the next neighborhood. Bel's self-awareness painted an honest picture of his talents & ability: He was good, but there would always be someone better.
  
  
  Bel made his work ethic a top priority as he grew into a young man. His years as a repo agent sharpened his instincts and satiated his need to be challenged. It also put a chill in his heart. Where he was once a thoughtful and empathetic boy, he moved closer in the direction of "survival of the fittest." It brought more success at work, but it began to isolate him from others.
  
  
  The freedom of treasure hunting allowed him to finally relax. The competitor wasn't needed; he adventured for himself now. Exploration was the greatest experience life could offer Bel, and he drank it up heartily. But the cold nights and quiet dinners were starting to pile up. Even if Bel wouldn't admit it.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  If you come from a city of shrinking opportunities, you're probably going to have to take a risk in order to make something of yourself. Bel Burtau hails from such a place, and he's always been willing to take the risk. At the age of fourteen, the same year he finished school, he landed work as an assistant for a repossession guild. It was gritty work; it was dangerous, and Bel took to it like a duck to water.
  
  
  He was a full repo agent before he was sixteen. His superiors were thrilled with his instincts, and one boss in particular—Felix Murdoch—saw bigger potential in the young man. He approached Bel with an offer: a chance to pilot a Transport/Cargo ship on the condition that he would moonlight as Murdoch's smuggler. If Bel accepted, then he would get his airship school paid for; and after he got off the ground, he'd be putting more cash in his pocket. But it would also make him an outlaw, and the thought of watching life slip by behind the bars of a Ridolfo prison deterred most folks. Bel never gave it a second thought. He went straight to work for Murdoch.
  
  
  He was issued the Hoary Bird, a relic of a cargo ship that wasn't particularly fast, agile, or stylish. Its redeeming quality was dependability; it would fly today, and it would fly a century from today. A funny thing happened shortly after Bel became a smuggler — he fell in love with flying. When the edges of his floating homeland ceased to be boundaries, the winds of Celestis started to beckon.
  
  
  Bel needed his own ship, because the Bird belonged to Murdoch. He started to put away money. He saved whatever he could afford from his main job, and even started to bareknuckle box on the side to pick up quick cash. His hands still ache from those fights. It took six years before he could scrape together enough to buy his own airship, and the best deal he could get was for Murdoch's Hoary Bird. It wasn't a gem, but Bel knew it was trustworthy. He bought the Bird and handed in his notice to Murdoch. Bel's plan was always to work for himself.
  
  
  When asked, he describes himself as a treasure hunter and antique dealer. But most folks speak of Bel as nothing more than a glorified scrap collector. That's probably because the bulk of his income is earned through pillaging and reselling abandoned materials, specifically metal. Digging through rubble is a crude way to make a living, but one man's crude living is another man's adventure.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Nearly two years have passed since Bel was arrested for the murder of a Ridolfo Peace Keeper. Mr. Burtau admitted to killing the man, but insisted the act was in self-defense. The officer was young, respected, and relatively well connected to senior government officials. Mr. Burtau was a former repo agent, a former freighter pilot (and rumored smuggler), and a self-described treasure hunter. The slaying of a Peace Keeper is one of the Imperium's few capital crimes. If found guilty one was to be hanged by the neck until dead.
  
  
  Bel's trial looked grim. His testimony was up against the officer's reputation, and the deceased Peace Keeper had influential people in his corner. The treasure hunter would surely face the noose. At least, he would have if not for a brave young lady. A red-haired paraplegic named Cameron finally came forward to testify on Bel's behalf, and not a moment too soon. She saw the killing unfold under the light of a full moon; she had went unseen, unnoticed as a ghost in the darkness. She hesitated to tell her story because she knew the officer — her father was Boet Covarr, Constable of the Peace Keepers.
  
  
  Cameron had been waiting alone in her carriage. She was exhausted after accompanying her mother to a midnight art auction, and she snuck out early to get some fresh air. Having nothing better to do she watched a rascally-looking merchant taking inventory of his wares. The dark curtains of her carriage afforded Cam a perfect view under the bridge where the man had setup. Only a handful of minutes passed before the Peace Keeper attacked.
  
  
  The officer's approach hid his intention. He smiled a greeting at Bel, who returned the smile, nodded politely, and continued working. Cameron recognized the Peace Keeper—Laza Garkas—a promising young man who was recruited into his position by Cameron's own father. She was puzzled when Laza, unprovoked, pulled the pistol from his belt. She gasped when he pressed the weapon's barrel into the small of Bel's back. Cam clearly saw the merchant lift his hands in submission, but the officer didn't attempt an arrest. Instead Laza spat on his victim and lifted the pistol up towards Bel's head.
  
  
  But a downward swipe from Burtau's gauntlet sent Laza's pistol crashing onto the street curb. The officer kicked out at Bel; it missed its mark but it gave him room to leap for his gun. Bel never had a choice, he pulled his hand flamer and burned his enemy down. Cameron could feel the heat from her carriage.
  
  
  She was an articulate witness; she was unshakable, and she regretted keeping the truth bottled up for so long. Cam's testimony saved a man's life. Later it would come out that Laza, along with his career as a Peace Keeper, had been doing contract killings for the mob. Apparently the treasure hunter had made a vengeful enemy when he reclaimed his stolen loot from a "connected" crew a few weeks prior. After the trial Bel sought out the red-haired young woman. He tried his best to thank her but she struggled to accept his gratitude. Despite that, the two discovered that they enjoyed each other's company. A friendship bloomed out of the ashes of tragedy.
  
  
  One day she asked Bel to take her away. Cameron had outgrown her birthplace — she needed to see if the world could live up to her dreams. And strangely, the man who had committed to a life of solitude, said yes.
  
  
  

 

[Warg Overlord]

So... I like it. I like the images you used and I like his history. One problem that I see is that you didn't go into his personality to much. You made it about his childhood and how he used to be, and the only thing in particular that you mentioned about his personality is his survivalist mentality. It doesn't go into the finer details of his personality, and didn't answer a lot of questions. Is he a typically cheerful or depressed? How quick is his anger? Is he an honest man, or does he find lying an easy solution? Although not all of these questions are answered in many personality sections, they are important.

 

[Bone2pick]

Interestingly enough, all three of your questions are answered in Bel's character sheet.

[QUOTE="Warg Overlord]Is he a typically cheerful or depressed?

[/QUOTE]
"The freedom of treasure hunting allowed him to finally relax.... ....Exploration was the greatest experience life could offer Bel, and he drank it up heartily. But the cold nights and quiet dinners were starting to pile up. Even if Bel wouldn't admit it."

[QUOTE="Warg Overlord]How quick is his anger?

[/QUOTE]
"So his first option in a potentially lethal scenario is always deescalation. If that fails he'll look to flee, and if that's not feasible he'll ambush and disorient his enemies."




[QUOTE="Warg Overlord]Is he an honest man, or does he find lying an easy solution?

[/QUOTE]
"He approached Bel with an offer: a chance to pilot a Transport/Cargo ship on the condition that he would moonlight as Murdoch's smuggler... ...But it would also make him an outlaw, and the thought of watching life slip by behind the bars of a Ridolfo prison deterred most folks. Bel never gave it a second thought. He went straight to work for Murdoch."




Also you may have missed the significance of including Bel's childhood in the personality tab: all of his younger qualities are still present to varying degrees. So he's still imaginative, brave, decisive, self-aware, a risk taker, protective of friends, ect. It's all there, it's just more narrative than meta.


I do, however, appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. As always, it was very insightful.

 

[Warg Overlord]

Ah. Well, this is probably just another me thing. I always have had trouble picking up on details in someone's SU if it's not made painfully obvious ( )