Gregory Merchant
Gregory Merchant is an art dealer in Daggersford. He is well-versed in art, history, and art history, but rarely brings these subjects up other than in context of a sale. His sales technique is very low-pressure, and he is content to let people browse his shop. There are a few small statues available, but the shop focuses on paintings of various sizes, values, and significance. He seems perpetually distracted. Is it a ruse?
Appearance
Gregory is a balding Formourian man in his early 50's. He wears respectable and stylish clothes, if a bit drab in colour. Gregory is a patch of grey in a sea of bright and multi-hued paint. The walls of the one-room shop are completely filled with art, with a few hanging from the ceiling, and lower-valued paintings leaning grouped against the walls on the floor.
History/Background
His life was remarkable only for its uneventfulness. As the only child, he inherited the business from his father, and his father before him. Gregory is a confirmed batchelor, and does not socialise extensively. Other than a polite 'hello' in reply to familiar people in the area, he doesn't seem to have much of a life outside the shop. Uknown to most of the residents of Daggersford, Gregory's early teen years were spent with a rather rowdy bunch of other youths. Several of them went on to more exciting lives of crime (life at hard-labour for two of them), but Gregory instead would return to his parents and their art shop, where he remains to this day.
Special Equipment
None
Roleplaying Notes
Reply to most statements or questions with 'Huh, what?' while looking away, then reply. Do this even when you've been talking to them for several minutes. If someone shouts, get perturbed for a moment and state thay you hear just fine, then promptly forget the incidence ever occurred. Don't look directly at someone, unless they are directly talking to you. If they inquire about the art, look off at the (pantomimed) piece instead and focus on it exclusively. Rub the side of your head whenever someone asks you a question, or you are remembering a fact about a painting. Gregory isn't stupid, and isn't easily tricked. He always knows both the fair price, and what the value to the prospective owner is (sometimes much more, sometimes the same).
Fun facts:
* Gregory purchases from local artists only rarely. He prefers older pieces from established artists. The older, further away in origin, and more famous the artist, the better. Note that this means that one can sometimes find a painting by someone famous for other than their art—a large oil painting of a post-battle scene by a well-known Bizzannite general (and only an amature painter) hangs over his small desk.
* He is red-green colourblind, something that he never reveals, and even kept hidden from his parents.
* The small desk where he writes up bills-of-sale or other paperwork contains his money in a locked drawer. There are a few coins in a locked box inside the drawer, and more coins in a hidden bottom under that. The bulk of Gregory's monetary wealth, is in a false bottom under that. Most of his true wealth is in the paintings, however.
* Some of the paintings are stolen, and purchased from a fence (one of his childhood friends, but one he only sees now for business). These paintings are never well-known, and are always stolen from distant lands.
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? Responses (7)
If he is colorblind, how can he then per say tell a fake painting from the genuine one?
Other than that there's nothing too complain about.
A good solid NPC. I liked the rp notes.
A little too mundane though. Can't really see him being involved in any exciting plots. Still,it is servicable enough for a low level game I suppose. 3/5
He relies more on personal reputation (of the seller) and documentation that may accompany a piece than by closely examining them himself (which his colourblindness effects less than one might suppose). He also keeps tabs on major art dealings, and where important pieces are held, thus is likely to be aware if one of them was sold or stolen. If he can honestly assure a potential buyer that a painting is genuine--and back this up if needed--then Gregory doesn't really care if it's real or not.
I found this character rather fun to play, and is useful either for comedic value or as a delaying/nuisance encounter.
It could be interesting if he DOES purchase a forgery which inverts red for green. A rival dealer could set him up in this way (if they somehow found out his secret) in order to expose him as a purchaser of shady works.
We need more of this, I like that it is written with specific instruction on how to play this extra with a bit of past.
Hmm, somewhat low-key, but a well presented character.