Whitaker

Basic Information

Name: Whitaker
Current Age: 50 (Chapter 1: 43)
Type: Dragon-Blooded Exalt
Player: NPC
Aspect: Water
Concept: Member of the Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders, River Pirate
Motivation: Eliminate the excess in the world around him and redistribute it to more appropriate places.
Political Affiliation: The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders
Anima: Tentacles of black and purple essence rise up from the water or earth surrounding him, eventually grasping towards the clouds.
Likes: Theater, Rum, Sailing, Climbing Trees, Fish.
Dislikes: Flying, The Guild, Dairy Products, Lintha Pirates, slavery.

Background

Whiataker was born a slave in the city of Great Forks where he worked the opium fields from a young age. His owner was a decent enough man and he took fair care of his slaves for the hard work they provided. Whitaker had aspirations to do bigger and better things, but there was no escape for him and his family. That is until he exalted in his early teen years. Whitaker was uneducated and didn't really know what it was he had become, but his owner quickly did and sought to utilize it. He was now too valuable to waste in the fields, his god-blooded master saw that quickly.

Whitaker was at the time quite loyal so he did as his master asked, but when war broke out between rival drug lords and their opium fields were caught in the middle he was asked to do much more. His master moved to manipulate the drug war and he used Whitaker's skills in the shadows to do it. Whitaker was more than proficient, but eventually the drug lords figured out that their supplier controlled them both. They turned against Whitaker's master, Whitaker saw this as an opportunity to escape. He led his family and fellow slaves on an escape heading far east along the river.

As he led the slaves that had escaped along the river a River Spirit found him, one who had heard of his deeds in Great Forks. The camp of slaves headed east and gathered enough food to survive, meanwhile the River Spirit continued to whisper into Whitaker's ear. He told him what he was, about the world from a perspective that was not a slave's perspective though some might debate it was just as biased. Either way under the leadership of Whitaker the slave group found a way to settle into an empty marsh area that they could call their own and provide enough food to let them survive. Under the subtle guidance of the river spirit who had a grudge against the guide he was encouraged to start small acts of piracy. Over time they started to grow more proficient and skilled, they succeeded not only because of his exalted talents, but because they started to become a savvy group of river pirates.

Over the years the group continued to grow, and eventually it was enough of a problem that the guild saw fit to eliminate with great force. The pirates who were used to ambushing their foes suddenly found themselves ambushed by mass force they could not compete against, quickly they were disbanded and on the run. Most did not escape the grasp of the guild, Whitaker managed to escape but was now alone. His first order of business was the systematic assassination of those who had come after him and his companions, it took careful planning and perfect execution to exact his revenge. The last guild trader who he killed, the man directly responsible for crushing Whitaker's pirates also happened to be a marked man by The Grass Spiders. It was rare that someone beat the Grass Spider's to a hit, Whitaker's grudge was unrelated but the Grass Spiders took notice. His talent impressed them and they offered him membership after some research on where he'd come from, with no place else to go and a general agreement with The Grass Spider's philosophy he decided to accept.

What He's Been Up To

The Veil War

More often than not Whitaker finds himself surrounded by loners, The Minstrels of Eden are a mysterious lot even among The Grass Spiders. All except for Whitaker that is, who ironically doesn't quite fit in his own circle because he's too likable. Whitaker is the glue that holds The Minstrels of Eden together when they do work as a circle, but typically they each go their own way. No problem for Whitaker though, as it happens he's one of the most popular members of The Grass Spiders, and almost every member would list him not only as a brother of The Order, but one of their own personal friends. Whitaker completes a relatively average number of missions for a Member of his tenure, but also plays a small role in a very large number of smaller operations or missions spearheaded by other circles. The reason for this is two-fold, partially because his own circle does not often work on missions as a complete circle, and because Whitaker provides the most efficient mundane travel method for the group. Whitaker knows the rivers of The Scavenger Lands and East as well as anyone alive and is the captain of a fast river skiff that often provides transport for Grass Spider's and associates alike. While his transport does not match the speed of sorcery or even The Geronimo it is drastically more subtle and as reliable and efficient as most of Creation could ever hope for. All of this means that Whitaker has spent a considerable amount of time with almost every member of The Order and a very large number of associates; and as a very amiable and charismatic guy he counts almost all of them as close friends. Whitaker is also the poorest member of The Order, not necessarily because he doesn't get paid as well as the other members or isn't successful, but because he simply gives almost all of his wealth away. Though he recognizes his own personal contributions are a small factor in the surrounding poverty of Creation, he does what he can by donating much of his pay and making a point of taking missions that help the little guy when given the choice. He is also one of the strictest followers of the No Bystanders rule within the organization, likely surpassed only by Rizuka.