# #### **Basic Information** - **Name:** Vex Thornton - **Race/Species:** Hobgoblin - **Class/Profession:** Enforcer/Fighter - **Alignment/Morality:** Lawful Evil - **Age:** 36 - **Gender & Pronouns:** Male (He/Him) - **Appearance:** An imposing figure who embodies disciplined menace, standing six feet two inches with a muscular, battle-hardened build that projects immediate physical threat. His face features the distinctive hobgoblin characteristics—orange-red skin, flattened nose, and slightly pointed ears—enhanced by a network of ritual scarification that marks his rank and accomplishments within hobgoblin military tradition. His eyes are a deep amber that assess threats and weaknesses with the practiced evaluation of a veteran soldier, constantly scanning for potential challenges to his authority or his employer's interests. His black hair is kept in a military-short style that reveals the full impact of his scarred and intimidating features, including a prominent burn mark across the left side of his face—the result of a past betrayal he survived and avenged. He dresses in practical clothing that emphasizes function over appearance—quality leather and reinforced fabrics in dark colors, cut to allow freedom of movement while providing some protection in combat situations. Unlike his employer who favors subtle displays of power, his adornments are overtly intimidating—metal-reinforced gloves that double as weapons, a belt adorned with trophies taken from those who challenged him, and visible weapons that serve as both tools and warnings. His hands show the calluses and scars of someone who has personally broken bones and ended lives in service to the syndicate, and he moves with the controlled, efficient movements of a trained fighter who wastes no energy on unnecessary motion. A collection of tattoos visible at his neck and wrists—incorporating both hobgoblin military symbols and criminal syndicate markings—serves as a visual record of his unusual path from tribal warrior to criminal lieutenant, readable to those who know either culture's symbolism. #### **Personality & Traits** - **Personality Summary:** Vex embodies the perfect fusion of hobgoblin military discipline and criminal pragmatism—an enforcer who views violence as both necessary tool and personal craft. He approaches both syndicate operations and territorial disputes with methodical efficiency, applying precisely calibrated force to achieve objectives while minimizing unnecessary complications. To his subordinates, he represents both aspiration and threat, demonstrating the rewards of competence while delivering swift punishment for failure. To his employer, Silvio Korda, he presents absolute loyalty combined with tactical initiative, executing orders with precision while handling routine matters without requiring direction. His hobgoblin heritage manifests in his emphasis on discipline and hierarchy, his talent for organizing enforcers into effective units, and his belief that strength must be demonstrated rather than merely claimed. Though capable of basic social interaction when necessary for operations, he is most authentic when planning or executing enforcement actions, where his natural intelligence and accumulated experience create effective solutions to physical threats. Beneath his controlled exterior lies a man defined by dedication to both personal honor and syndicate success—a perspective that occasionally puts him at odds with more chaotic criminals but has established the Mosswater Syndicate as a disciplined organization rather than a mere gang of thugs. - **Strengths & Skills:** - **Tactical Planning** – Exceptional ability to organize enforcement operations with military precision - **Intimidation** – Remarkable talent for inspiring fear through calculated displays of controlled violence - **Personnel Management** – Highly developed skill at identifying and developing effective enforcers - **Combat Expertise** – Comprehensive mastery of multiple weapons and fighting styles - **Loyalty Assessment** – Expertise in detecting potential betrayal or weakness among syndicate members - **Weaknesses & Flaws:** - **Racial Prejudice** – Faces discrimination and suspicion due to hobgoblin heritage in human-dominated areas - **Excessive Force** – Occasional tendency to escalate violence beyond what the situation requires - **Cultural Isolation** – Disconnection from both hobgoblin society and human social norms - **Blind Loyalty** – Dangerous level of personal devotion to Silvio Korda that could be exploited - **Code Rigidity** – Adherence to personal honor code that sometimes conflicts with criminal pragmatism - **Mannerisms & Speech Patterns:** - Speaks in clipped, efficient sentences that waste no words, reflecting both military training and non-native Common - Maintains direct, challenging eye contact during conversations, a technique developed to establish dominance - Uses minimal but precise hand gestures when giving orders, each movement conveying specific meaning - Habitually positions himself at Silvio Korda's right hand, symbolizing his role as primary enforcer - Employs military terminology and structure when organizing syndicate operations #### **Background & Story Role** - **Backstory Summary:** Born to a hobgoblin war band in the northern borderlands, Vex's early years were shaped by strict military training and tribal discipline. From childhood, he was molded into a warrior, showing particular aptitude for both personal combat and small unit tactics that marked him for leadership within the tribe's hierarchy. His path diverged from traditional hobgoblin society when his war band was decimated in a conflict with human forces, leaving him captured rather than honorably dead. Expected execution never came; instead, a perceptive criminal recruiter recognized his potential value and offered an alternative to imprisonment or death—service in an emerging criminal organization. His integration into human criminal society was neither easy nor immediate. Cultural differences and mutual suspicion created constant challenges, but his discipline, combat skills, and tactical mind gradually earned him position and respect. What began as survival necessity evolved into a new purpose as he applied hobgoblin military principles to criminal operations with remarkable effectiveness. His defining moment came during a period of internal conflict within what would become the Mosswater Syndicate. When multiple lieutenants betrayed Silvio Korda in a coordinated coup attempt, Vex not only remained loyal but systematically eliminated the traitors and their supporters, sustaining serious injuries (including his facial burn) in the process. This demonstration of absolute loyalty and lethal efficiency established his position as Korda's right hand and primary enforcer. Over the subsequent years, he has systematically built the syndicate's enforcement arm into a disciplined force that operates with military precision rather than thuggish brutality. His particular expertise lies in territory defense and rival elimination—areas where his background in hobgoblin warfare provides significant advantages over typical criminal enforcers. His relationship with Silvio Korda has evolved from employer-employee to something approaching partnership, though always with clear hierarchy. Korda provides the strategic vision and political maneuvering, while Vex ensures that physical obstacles to those plans are efficiently removed. This complementary arrangement has made the Mosswater Syndicate unusually resilient against both internal and external threats. Currently, he divides his time between personally handling high-priority enforcement actions, training and organizing the syndicate's growing number of enforcers, and serving as Korda's bodyguard during sensitive meetings. This balanced approach has made him not only Korda's most valuable lieutenant but a figure of fear and dark respect throughout the criminal underworld, where his name is whispered as a warning to those who might consider crossing the Mosswater Syndicate. - **Current Role:** - Serves as Silvio Korda's primary enforcer and bodyguard - Oversees all syndicate enforcement operations and territory defense - Trains and disciplines the organization's growing force of enforcers - Personally handles elimination of high-value targets and serious threats - Maintains order and hierarchy within the syndicate's ranks - **Connections & Relationships:** - **[[Silvio Korda]]** – Dhampir crime lord to whom he has pledged absolute loyalty - **[[The Mosswater Syndicate]]** – Criminal organization where he serves as chief enforcer - **[[The Enforcer Corps]]** – Syndicate members under his direct command and training - **[[The Northern Hobgoblin Tribes]]** – His cultural origin, though he maintains no active connections - **[[The Rival Gangs]]** – Criminal organizations against which he has led successful operations - **Factions or Allegiances:** - **The Mosswater Syndicate** – His primary identity and purpose - **Korda's Inner Circle** – Elite group of trusted lieutenants with specialized responsibilities - **The Hobgoblin Exiles** – Loose association of hobgoblins living in human territories - **The Mercenary Network** – Former soldiers and warriors recruited for syndicate operations - **Notable Items or Equipment:** - **Matched Shortswords** – Paired weapons taken from the first assassin he killed protecting Korda - **Reinforced Gloves** – Metal-plated hand protection that doubles as lethal striking weapons - **Trophy Belt** – Collection of items taken from defeated enemies, worn as intimidation - **Commander's Whistle** – Signal device used to coordinate complex enforcement operations - **Hobgoblin War Paint** – Ritual pigments applied before particularly dangerous operations #### **Additional Notes** - **Recurring Themes:** - The application of military discipline and tactics to criminal operations - The balance between personal honor code and criminal necessity - The outsider perspective that allows objective assessment of human criminal society - The transformation of tribal warrior traditions to serve syndicate purposes - **Player/GM Notes:** - Can serve as a formidable physical antagonist for characters opposing the syndicate - Might provide unexpected alliance opportunities for characters with military backgrounds - Could become a source of information on syndicate operations if his loyalty to Korda is compromised - His disciplined approach makes syndicate operations predictable in methodology if not timing - Represents the organized, militaristic dimension of criminal operations rather than chaotic violence