Undertow — Dartmouth's Background
Dartmouth, Son of Brand
© 2004 John Lees
Complexity. Dartmouth likes Complexity. He likes things to be complex enough to engage him, because most of the time he is rather bored, filled with a dreadful ennui. He enjoys getting into trouble so that he can then get out of it. He has a rather skewed, but rather absolute sense of honor and justice. He sees nothing wrong with outright murder if someone has violated that code, especially if they do so for petty or stupid reasons.
As a child he was something of a manipulator, he enjoyed the game of getting others to do what he wanted them to do without asking them directly. He likes to push buttons. He likes to disturb the status quo and watch everyone around him scramble. He thinks that freedom is the absolute essential quality of life.
As an adolescent, Dartmouth is filled with ennui, something that will plague him for the rest of his life. His 'playmates' have probably ceased to amuse him and his nature has probably been revealed by the smarter amongst them. He studies magic passionately, because it is a way to mess with the status quo and it is the only thing that really interests him. He starts light, a bit of sorcery, and he wants to know how the Trumps function. At some point, he is bullied by someone older or bigger than he is, and learns that he must develop other talents if he is going to do the things that he wants to do. He begins martial training. Freedom is still essential to him, but he has come to understand the need for order as well.
As a young adult, Dartmouth seeks to fill the long, slow gaps of his life with something else: female companionship. He goes about it as he has gone about everything, with a mixture of the sly and the direct. He never forces himself, that would be a violation of his code of honor, but he will manipulate events around him to gain that which he desires. He has also come to learnt hat the direct route is sometimes the best, and he comes to realize that his earlier emphasis on manipulating others to do everything involved a lot of wasted effort on his part. This is a growth experience for him, and he becomes more direct and open about some things and remains sly and manipulative about others. He still manipulates, but he starts to change up on his tactics for maximum effect.
His studies in the arcane arts may suffer a bit during this time, but he meets with challenges from someone else - his parent if nothing else - and he renews his research in this area. The martial development slows, as long as he is reasonably better than everyone around him (like, say Chaos level among Normal humans or Amber level among Chaosians) he will let this slide. If he is in a position to, he will have a strong desire to learn about Trump artistry, and he develops his artistic talents as a kind of precursor. The Trumps for him represent absolute freedom, the ability to get somewhere instantly, the ability to communicate over vast distances, the possible snatches of thought he can catch while using them.
Dartmouth will also become rather persistent about walking the Pattern, going to great lengths to get himself there then possibly giving up and using a more direct route. If he has the opportunity at all - including by stealing in to accomplish it - he will walk the Pattern. This is not only the key to the freedom which can be found in Shadow, but the secret to Trump Artistry, and he will want that secret desperately.
This should take them up to the point that you seem to be establishing the game, as a young adult Amberite on the cusp of walking the Pattern.
The one thing that Dartmouth does not want after is power. Power to him is synonymous with responsibility; and responsibility, while not an anathema, isn't really something that will shake him out of his ennui. People who have power are the status quo, and he is interested in changing the status quo. The only way that power would entice him at this stage is if he were doing something challenging with it, like establishing a kingdom or hewing out a community in a challenging environment. Then the power is simply a means to the goal, but a necessary one.
He does not share well. He does not play well with others. He is a Kindergarden Teacher's nightmare.
As he gets older, he will become more jaded, and will eventually settle down. That is when he will acquire power over his immediate surroundings, but little beyond. This base of power he will utilize for his sanctuary, and he will mold shadow paths to bring him interesting things to do.
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other writings: Background, Quiz, "Dartmouth and Brand", "Dartmouth and Rio", Undertow conclusion,