Freelance
TravellerBaron Rory Furminger
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue.
Rory Furminger is 6’ 3” tall and weighs 192 lb. He has short-cropped dark brown hair, worn in the classic spacers cut, and blue eyes.
Furminger is relatively good looking. His face has undergone dramatic reconstructive surgery, although this is not noticeable to the naked eye, and his left forearm and hand have been re-grown. These injuries occurred in an action that saved Gvutson (3233 Gvurrdon), an Imperial client state, from a massive corsair raid.
Furminger is the third in line for the title of Marquis of Porozlo (2715 Spinward Marches) and as such is unlikely to inherit. For his 16th birthday his mother the Marquee bestowed a small Barony upon him. This allows him a small independent income although little or no influence in court or planetary affairs. With his elder sister likely to inherit Furminger did what lots of second and third siblings do and joined the Imperial Navy.
He attended the Naval Academy and passed, however he failed admission to flight school. He was able to pull some strings and was posted to the flight branch although he had to take an assignment along the frontier with the Extents to achieve this.
Furminger’s first years in the Navy were a little uneventful as he was posted to Depot (Corridor). He was eventually assigned to patrol duty along the frontier, and he launched himself into the work of corsair suppression. He was soon promoted. He commanded many strike missions against corsair bases and was decorated in numerous actions. His liking for the work and his successes allowed him to continue in this role. He gained a great respect for the Vargr he met also for those he came up against in battle and he started to study their language and cultures. As the years passed he became even more daring in his assignments and was awarded the Starburst for Extreme Heroism when corsair ships enlisted the help of a Vargr government destroyer squadron. Furminger fought a rear guard action that allowed the other Imperial ships under his command to jump to safety. Once his ships were all accounted for he used his powers as an Imperial noble to commandeer a colonial squadron and he then jumped back into the system to pursue and destroy the corsairs and force the destroyer squadron to surrender. This action resulted in the capture of three destroyers and a frigate, and the complete destruction of the corsairs.
Furminger enthusiastically continued in his assignments and was awarded a bar for his Starburst for Extreme Heroism when he took command of the system defences of an Imperial client state and with his ships he successfully fought off a concerted corsair attack on the systems main world. The corsairs retreated to refuel and Furminger gave chase. He received a nearly fatally wound when his ship took a direct hit. Lock Thormadon, who had served under Furminger for six months, saved his life by applying first aid during the action following the death of the ship’s doctor. Thormadon had already come to the attention of Furminger as an efficient petty officer who was struggling in the Navy due to his backwater upbringing, and following the action Furminger started to think of ways to repay him for his efforts.
When attempting to sign up for his 6th term, Furminger was informed that he was no longer needed and was released from service. This was not only a complete shock to Furminger but to everyone else in the fleet as well. His peers saw Furminger as the epitome of an Imperial Naval Officer, and are still dumbfounded at his release to this day.
From his time along the frontier and in the Existents Furminger has gained an in-depth knowledge of the Vargr, their society and culture, and their attitudes and tactics. He speaks Gvegh fluently. He holds a great respect for them and is able to work and mingle in Vargr society with little effort.
Furminger came to the attention of Duke Norris of Regina after he received his second decoration of the Starburst for Extreme Heroism. Norris saw in him a great ability to be an Imperial trouble-shooter along the frontier of the Existents. With his great knowledge of the Vargr and his Noble and Navy training Norris saw great potential in the man that could be put to better use than being in the upper ranks of the Navy. Norris saw to it that Furminger’s career in the Navy come to an abrupt end and arranged a membership in the Travellers Aid Society. Following a meeting at court Norris asked Furminger if he would be interested in being an Imperial trouble-shooter along the frontier. With nothing better to do Furminger accepted on the understanding that he could be accompanied by Lock Thormadon. Thormadon had been discharged from the Navy when he was unable to keep up with the pressures of paperwork.
Furminger has an effective charisma of 9 when dealing with Vargr due to his in-depth knowledge of how to carry himself and behave in their culture. At any time he can effectively drop this to any level below 9 when he thinks it necessary to interact with lower charisma Vargr. While he can raise it above 9, when the occasion necessitates, he finds it relatively hard to sustain and can only manage it for very short periods of time.
Furminger is currently undertaking dedicated practice in the art of Vargr street fighting and in the use of an auto-pistol, as he thinks that this is necessary in his new role in life. He carries a letter from Duke Norris that asks the reader to offer any assistance Furminger thinks necessary, however Furminger tries not to use this if at all possible and relies on his own Rank and training to sort out any problems that he finds.
Rory Furminger 869ADC (CHR 9) Age 43 Cr76,900
Mixed-Race Human Male
Imperial Navy 5 terms, Final Rank Commander
Special Assignment: Naval Academy
Decorations: Eight combat commands, MCUF with four bars, MCG with three
bars, and the SEH with bar.
Member, Travellers’ Aid Society
Skills: Pilot-4, Admin-1, Brawling-1, Bribary-1, Communications-1,
Computer-1, Engineering-1, Fleet Tactics-1, Foil-1, Handgun-1, Liason-1,
Navigation-1, Ships Tactics-1, Vacc Suit-1
Personal Equipment: Foil, Auto-pistol, Vacc Suit (TL F), Ducal Warrant