Synopsis
♧Master Builder of Clubs♣
Description
Gavin is tall standing at a 6'10" at full height. He has a thin wiry frame but is several times stronger than any normal human being due to the various unspecified modifications he has made to his body. Like most everyone in the Club-Works, he is vain and has undergone procedures to enhance his natural appearance. As a result, he has an unblemished fair complexion and nearly metallic blond hair which he keeps styled in a dashingly haphazard manner. He has the chartreuse eyes of an amused cat that glimmer with a cold silver fire when he's about to do something particularly nasty.
Being the ultimate power in a country fixated with technology and machinery, but more important... fashionable technology and machinery, Gavin has access to some of the finest clothes and accessories in all of Wonderland. His outfits are often bedecked with polished metal adornments be they brass, gold, silver, or rarely, copper. His gloves and gauntlets are the only thing that remain constant though he has created several pairs in different colors and metals lest he clash with his outfit. He sometimes wears a monocle purely for show, though it could also serve as an aiming mechanism should he need to fire a weapon.
As far as age, he is relatively young by Club-Works standards at only 712 years old, however he appears to be in his mid to late twenties to someone from "Above".
Personality
If a peacock and a serpent could have a child... and then that unholy union would best describe Gavin. He is a vain, arrogant, selfish, womanizing, back-stabber, but with one of the most brilliantly dangerous mind in all of Wonderland. His creations are often an amalgamation of power and beauty reflecting the things he values above all else. He surrounds himself with skilled Masters of every trade and beautiful women. Sometimes, if he's lucky, he'll ensnare a beautiful Trade Master.
He is a man who knows what he wants, but more importantly has always managed to know how get it. Be it through charm, trade, or subterfuge, Gavin has the gift of deducing a person's desires and weaknesses. He has few confidants and even fewer real enemies. He can be diplomatic when it will work in his favor, but at the same time, he is not above using force when 'diplomacy has failed'. A few of the nastier bouts of infighting within his government came to a sudden and definitive stop after the parties involved were 'promoted' and shipped off to fight in the front lines. Their funerals were held with great pomp and special honors were bestowed to their families.
Overall, he rules over his realm with relative fairness given the amount of nepotism and favoritism rampant within the Club-Work's governing bodies. A tiny part of him does honestly care about the well-being of his realm even though such thoughts are often self-serving. That is not to say he is an entirely just ruler. Like most of the Citizens in his realm he views those without technical prowess or telekinetic powers (known as Nulls) as little more than Laborers or "Fleshy Clanks". Since they are unnecessary to his sphere of influence and constitute a minority, he doesn't acknowledge their existence.
Gavin only remembers the names of 'important' people he encounters, as such he rarely holds grudges even when bested. As a result, each encounter with someone is approached with a clean slate. Though the name may escape him, he does have a good memory when it comes to personalities and character flaws. This comes in handy when he's trying to cut a deal or blackmail 'what's-his-name'.
Equipment / Abilities
Equipment: As the Master Builder of Clubs, he is dictated by the great and unseen forces of fashion to wear only the finest the Club-Works can provide:
♧ Monocle
♣ Gauntlets
♧ Cane
♣ Cape
♧ Robo-Butler
♣ Cybernetic Implants
♧ Clank Army
Ability:
Gavin is the most powerful Electropath or an 'Arcer' in the Club-Works. He can manifest and manipulate existing electrical currents through will alone. While this means that he can emit a devastating amount of damage with a single blast, he has fine tuned his ability to the point where he can control a Clank's basic functions by shutting off and powering sections of their circuitry. He is also skilled in electromagnetism due to his familiarity with electrical forces.
History
The Houses of Carlyle, Loxley, and Castell founded the Club-Works and have become the most prestigious names in their realm. They are known for having children with particularly powerful abilities as well as above average intellect. Gavin was born Gavin Alaric Carlyle IV, to the oldest and most influential branch of the House of Carlyle. As a child he developed Electropathic abilities which was considered a rare and highly desirable trait for a leader. Almost immediately he was groomed and trained for greatness. Though he was expected and often pressured to succeed, he spent most of his childhood being doted upon. His parents often lavished him with gifts and everything his heart desired. His family's hopes were not unfounded. As a young man he effortlessly excelled at every subject, and that which he couldn't master, he could easily cheat his way through. As a result of his intelligence and cunning, he became the youngest person to ever reach the level of Master in all of the Clock-Work's Guilds, and received the title of Lord.
Soon after Gavin's rise in status, the ancient Master Builder vanished as the elderly often did once they grew bored with the mortal realm. The position now vacant, an election was held between the Guild Masters to choose a successor. Though he was far too young to be considered competent, Gavin managed to convince the Guild Masters to choose him through persuasion, bribes, and good old fashioned blackmail.
Early in his rule, Gavin determined that technology was not advancing at a fast enough speed due to the constant repairs being done to existing machinery and the excessive durability of 'ancient tech'. Around this time the Heartland had declared war on the Diamond Wastes. Gavin seized the opportunity and promptly joined the fray throwing all the old-mech into the fight. His ploy worked, and soon the entire archipelago was busy modifying and streamlining their old systems. Given that most of the Clock-Works' Army was clank-based, there were few casualties and the "Quaint Little War", as the conflict came to be known, became a topic of conversation to pass the time. Score boards were placed, souvenir military maps were sold, bets were made, it even had its own board game... the entire thing was seen as very clever and amusing to all.
During his time as Master Builder, Gavin has focused primarily on expanding his cities and facilitating resources for his creative Citizens. However, he has drawn criticism for having little thought for the 'unproductive' members of his realm. Among these are those known as Nulls who do not have telekinetic abilities, or are unable to succeed as scholars. Unlike his predecessor, who tried to find ways to integrate them into society, Gavin has gone as far as to question if a Null should be considered a Citizen of the Clock-Works. In order to deflect negative press he established a program for Nulls to earn a comfortable pension if they served as Scrappers in the front lines. Few if any ever returned to claim their prize.
For several centuries, Gavin has been quite pleased with his lot in life of delights, vices, and women. There is but one dark cloud that lays on his mind. Not long ago a Scrapper returned from the battlefield, terribly wounded and driven half-mad. He'd been rambling on about moon soap, maple sugar toes, invisible monkey ninjas, cow tails... all of it properly mad content to be sure, but among the babbling he kept yelling out for Alice. Normally such things were not worthy of his attention, least of all from a Null, however the news had spread through his cabinet like wildfire.
What if an Alice were to be brought into Wonderland? Well for starters any Alice at random would be disastrous for their little era of innovation, but even more disconcerting: they might actually LOSE the war! Suddenly, their "Quaint Little War" looked a lot more sinister unless of course, the Clock-Works was in possession of the Alice. Better yet, if he were to possess all four Alices the surrounding kingdoms would cave. To be Master Builder, nay, to be Master of Wonderland... now THAT was a goal worthy of his ambition.
And so it was that a plan was formed...
Extra
Strengths: ♧ Diplomat - Gavin has the innate ability to reach a happy medium. He is flexible and tries to keep most of his Lords content. However, he is not a man to be manipulated, as he is quite capable of holding his ground when he truly believes in something.
♧ Measure Twice, Cut Once - Although he has impulsive moments, Gavin tends to approach most decisions as if he were playing a game of chess. He is very cautious particularly when things appear to be too easy. Most projects he initiates have been scrutinized to the last bolt long before they are sent to a workshop to be built.
♧ Renaissance Man - He prides himself in learning and mastering all trades. This often involves an ongoing pursuit of knowledge. If there is one thing he will not tolerate is outdated tech. As a result of this outlook, a great majority of the Club-Works has undergone renovation.
♧ For they Are All Honorable Men... - As the Master Builder, he has made it a priority to make his subjects feel as if they are valued. Though their opinions have little sway on the whims of the Master Builder, he always treats them with respect and often sends them a consolation prize when they simply can't get their way. As a result, he has projected a benevolent, classy persona, and has become quite popular with his Citizens.
♧ The House of One - One of his greatest accomplishments was unifying the three main Houses thus putting an end to the centuries of bickering and infighting. Ironically, this was accomplished by redirecting their viciousness towards the War by promising them each a control of a realm once the Club-Works subdued the rest of Wonderland.
Weaknesses:
♣ Lovely Ladies... - Gavin enjoys the companionship of the fairer sex, perhaps far more than is prudent. He can often be seen purchasing extravagant gifts or bestowing noble titles to his companions. Unfortunately his affection is fleeting and to date there is yet a woman who can hold his attention for more than a few months.
♣ Axis Mundi - The man is in love with himself. Most of the Citizens of the Club-Works are vain and meticulous about their appearance, but Gavin is considered narcissistic even by their standards. He believes himself to be the center of the universe. Expect no sincere humility from him, no form of apology, but what did you expect from the man who established criticizing his fashion sense as a form of treason?
♣ Another Man's Hero - His actions have only his Citizens in mind. And by "Citizens" he means those in his realm with telekinetic powers or great mental ability. To the vast majority of Wonderland he is nothing short of a cruel and ruthless despot sitting upon a golden throne. His motives and goals for the War are questionable at best. But make no mistake, treason -be it true or perceived- is dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly. There are hushed whispers of particularly nasty creations he keeps in the dungeons designed to harvest a prisoner's brains and organs to be used in wet ware clanks and machines.
♣ A Clockwork Orange - Like all Wonderlanders, Gavin is a touch mad. This often results in creating machines or objects simply for the sake of having them. Due to this trait, things like floating orbs, and mechanical mice are now commonplace within the archipelago. Often times, something which was meant to be practical becomes massively complicated due to Gavin's tinkering. An example of this is the Three-Hour-Tea kettle which causes the tea to be distilled a drop at a time. Needless to say, the golden contraption has an aesthetic rather than practical use.
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