In anticipation of the rapidly-approaching release of The Alchemist of Middlesbrooke on Wednesday —
And current presale:
— here’s Alveric von Strom and Chauncey. Much like popular singer Billie Eilish and/or 90s Wrestler Razor Ramon, they’re the Bad Guys…
Alveric von Strom
It’s that time of year again. The Duchy’s annual regional Alchemy contest is a few short weeks away. The winner of the regional contest will go on to compete at the Ducal grand finals, and the winner of that contest will be awarded a rather handsome winner’s purse in addition to a trophy and a commemorative plaque and an image of himself enshrined in the halls of Middlesbrooke’s Alchemical Guildhall.
Alveric is the reigning, repeated, and quite thoroughly undisputed champion. For the past four years, he has proven himself to be the Duchy’s supreme Alchemist. However, Alveric finds himself facing a possible future where the winner is someone other than himself. Hence, his recent vexation.
And, hence, his recent decision to address the cause of that vexation.
Reigning, defending, repeat: alchemical champion of Middlesbrooke
Greatest strength: humility and self-awareness
The above should be: read with the utmost irony
The self-proclaimed best and greatest alchemist in the Duchy of Middlesbrooke, Alveric Mirabelle von Strom takes his title and his honour as an alchemist with the utmost seriousness and is willing to respond to any slights to his honour with the utmost severity.
A longtime alchemical rival of mainstay of Middlesbrooke’s alchemical community Constantine von Braidford, Alveric views the older alchemist as his foremost adversary and the single greatest threat to repeating as champion in the Duchy’s annual alchemy contest.
In fact, Alveric views Constantine von Braidford as such a clear and obvious challenge to his continued recognition as the best alchemy in the Duchy that he sees no choice but to make a highwayman of himself to sabotage the older alchemist’s attempts to win the annual competition.
Though a nobleman of Middlesbrooke, Alveric is not above associating with the Duchy’s renegades and villains, viewing them as a useful blunt object to wield against his rivals and relying upon them to do the dirty work to which Alveric himself would never stoop.
First among these is Chauncey, a career criminal in the Duchy whom Alveric has appointed as his effective lieutenant, trusted second, and intermediary with the rougher elements of the Duchy’s population.
Despite the differences in their stations, Chauncey is one of the few people in the Duchy of Middlesbrooke whom Alveric views with any semblance of trust or respect.
Chauncey
Alveric originally hired Chauncey during some prior unpleasantness with the Goldharbour Bankers’ Guild. Since then, he has proven reliable. At least where acts of wanton criminality, violence, intimidation, unscrupulous tactics, or other unsorted villainy are concerned.
Why say ‘highwayman’ when you could say: ‘Land Pirate’
Has as many scruples as: Head-hairs
Usually aims for: the liver
A notorious criminal in and around the Duchy of Middlesbrooke, Chauncey (full name unknown) has spent years terrorising the good burghers of Middlesbrooke, robbing travellers, rustling cattle, mocking public artworks, and loitering in front of clearly-marked ‘No Loitering’ signs. Years of wanton criminality have made Chauncey well-known and well-connected in the Duchy’s underworld and he has a working relationship with many other career criminals.
In recent years, Chauncey has been hired as an assistant in all things illegal to the nobleman alchemist Alveric von Strom, who, while having a scant few more scruples than Chauncey, has a reputation and facade of gentility to maintain. This makes Chauncey’s help invaluable to Alveric, who has already relied on him to settle several of his numerous and frequent grudges.
The Alchemist of Middlesbrooke goes live in a mere two days.
In the meantime, my latest chapter is here:
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