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« on: February 03, 2014, 01:21:31 AM »
Gordon Hamilton wasn't much of anybody before the Fall, and now that it's done he isn't anyone at all.
He had an unremarkable childhood in British Columbia, Canada, happy if not perfect. Growing up his teachers and family despaired as he was intelligent but unfocused. His academic career was spotty, his early twenties filled with dead end jobs. Marriage at 25 and an adopted 5 year old daughter, followed 3 years later by one of his own sharpened him up considerably. Gordon dusted off the technical and graphic design skills he had excelled at in his teens and got a good job with a marketing company. His daughters grew up, graduated and moved out.The only tragedy that marred his life prior to the Fall was the death of his wife after 15 years of marriage. Her death wasn't sudden, but she did not linger long enough to leave him bitter.
Only a few months later Gordon was down in Houston visiting his older daughter and her new husband when the first news reports began to come in. By the time Gordon realized what was going on it was too late. Air travel was impossible, panics and riots were commonplace and he ended up on the wrong side of the line.
Gordon survived though. Knowing a little of everything came in handy as things went wrong. His experience in dealing with diverse groups of people, stress and constantly changing situations helped him to navigate the worst of it. Where those things couldn't help luck or chance took care of the rest.
In the last 5 years Gordon has worked Bounties with a half dozen groups. He's picked up a few more things along the way and while he's no specialist those who have worked with him point out that he never panics and rarely balks at 'doing the right thing'.
That's always been Gordon's gift in a way, he does what he believes to be right or necessary and suffers the consequences later. That was what made it possible to put his daughter down after she got a hot kiss from her latent husband and tore his throat out in that basement apartment back in Houston.
Thing is Gordon isn't quite as ok as he appears to be. He's earned enough that he could probably have made his way into the Vancouver Island Q-zone by now, but he keeps spending it. There's always someone who needs it more than he does, someone whose kid needs suppresin or some enclave that could use those ration dollars for antibiotics. Even though he talks about making his way back 'home'; that he's sure his younger daughter made it to safety; he never really gets closer.
Without knowing about mechanics - generalized skills, with a slightly higher focus on leadership/social, if you're doing perks/flaws as part of the system:
Jack of All trades / Slacker - Gordon has a reduced unskilled penalty, but can't learn skills beyond a certain qualification as he lacks focus
Stable/Strong Willed - However that would be handled, the idea is that Gordon is capable of overriding his humanity where it would prevent him from doing what he thinks is right. He rarely panics. He still loses it, gains disorders, suffers from ptsd but remains in control in the moment.
On the other hand his need to help others isn't about conscious choice or morality, it's a compulsive need to save his dead daughter.
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