Boris Flake

"Boris is the only one who's so manlish he makes your third eye cry." (Edgar de Tavey)

Boris Flake is a reformed mafia mob, who joined the royal army after having impressed Jeremiah II by his courage, complete lack of honor and talent. He is known for being the best whipper in the whole royal army and has quickly become somebody wealthy, influent, having forged many links in business and army alike. Many people see him as a potential recruitment minister, as soon as Valentine retires, or gets retired.

HISTORY

Boris was born in the city-jail of Atlanta. Instead of being raised by the Dies Irae, as would any child born in detention, Boris was hidden by his mother and, as soon as he could walk, carried drugs from one point to another. Because nobody suspects a baby, even in the most dangerous places. He did so until he was 8, when he once came back home and didn't find his parents. He never knew what happened, but she was probably killed in some kind of drug business rivalry. Left to himself, the kid wandered around, stealing his food and sleeping with homeless people.

Between this and his teenager years, Boris was stabbed, beaten and even once, shot at. But he managed to survive every time, until the day he was 13, he saw a baby carrying drugs. He knew his mother would have probably spoken about her techniques when she was captured, and so on, the baby would lead him to the gang who kidnapped her. So he kidnapped the baby and waited to see who would show up.

He soon received a response : "be here at this time, at this precise street and bring people. We will see how you grew up." It is the day Boris learned how to loose all honor. The unknown enemies didn't show up, instead, they burned down the entire facility Boris and his friends used to sleep in. But they made sure to leave drugs on the place, so that the authorities would punish Boris and his friends severely.

The sanction was rude. Boris was thrown to the low quarters of the city-jail, away from the gang he wanted to avenge against. Step by step, Boris changed his identity and started working as a regular thug, killing, stealing, kidnapping etc.

It took 12 years to have enough reputation with his false identity to be finally recruited by the gang he wanted to avenge against. After a mission, he managed to sneak into the gang building and went to stab the leader. He found out that the leader was his mother. She wasn't kidnapped, she left him for "better opportunities".

Boris killed her without hesitation and took control of the gang. He owned an equivalent of a villa in the city jail and became getting wealthy and influent. Then, three soldiers of the royal army came to see him, wondering what would happen to the drug deliveries now. They had bosses who enjoyed the services of Boris mother.

The lack of respect from the three soldiers lead Boris to arrest them, take their whips and ask their employers to get Boris out of jail if they wanted to see their "best agents" back home. Boris would let somebody lead the traffic, on which he would receive a cut for life, but in the wastes, not between walls. The mysterious employers were impressed and accepted. They even let Boris keep the whips and wanted to meet him.

Boris enjoyed the first days of liberty he ever had. Free and rich for the first time, with a whole world opening its arms. How can you not become ambitious with such a fate ?

THE ROYAL AGENT

Boris finally met the aristocrat who wanted his services, the baron John Flanagan (father of Helena Flanagan and grandfather of Alaric Flanagan). He wanted Boris to create a criminal cell, which would propose "luxury" assassination services. In other words, getting down high protected targets.

John Flanagan only wanted to know who would pay to see him dead, and if such thing would happen, he would re-buy the contract and turn it against the source. Since the baron Flanagan was one of the richest aristocrats in the wastes, he was often targeted. And Boris became extremely rich, expanding his cell and becoming one of the most known mafia mob of the wastes. His activities expanded to brand new domains, such as prostitution, slavery, bounty hunting, always according to the interests of his investor.

Also, Boris kept all the royal whips of the men who protected his targets, and started to learn how to use them, in autodidact. Fifteen years later, his relations with the baron Flanagan became less cordial. Nobody knows exactly the reason of the rivalry : debts, a woman, lands, too much expansion... but Boris felt that danger was coming.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

At this precise moment, Valentine stopped by and asked Boris to hide Ish at his place, while the old baron would pretend that the guy died. He didn't want him to bring a Wendigo back at the castle, and since Valentine had his "fuel", it didn't matter if Ish lived or not. Well, it mattered for Valentine's conscience.

Boris accepted. And fled away right in the morning.

He met the king and started to denounce Valentine's activities. Jeremiah II listened, agreed that Valentine had to be punished. But he also agreed that Boris had no honor, and gave him clear instructions. He would leave the king's justice by himself. But if he fails, his death would be his punishment for his lack of honor. And how could such thing happen ? In a duel, between Boris and Valentine, with the whip. It is quite clear that Jeremiah II expected Valentine to win.

He didn't. The old lion was quickly defeated and lost his right eye in the duel. Boris was simply an artist when it came to use the royal whip, he looked more like a dancer than a soldier at combat.

Jeremiah stopped the duel and proposed a deal. Boris would become Valentine's student, in order to learn a bit of honor. The king would be more than attentive to his successes, and the rewards in case of surviving Valentine's missions were huge. Become a baron, maybe a minister, like Valentine. With all the advantages it comes with... and first, getting the baron Flanagan out of business.

NOW

Boris is indeed a baron. John Flanagan has mysteriously deceased and Boris earned his huge castle, his lands and his men, he joined to his own. He has shares in many companies and leads his own special commando in the royal secret services ; between the campaigns, he enjoys a more than luxurious life and seems to enjoy the responsabilities an aristocrat's life brings.

In society, he is the cliche of the 19th century general, coming in his parade uniform at cocktails, being immediatly respected and asked about his most glorious campaigns, thinking about marrying an archiduchess who may give him more than the double of what he already has...

PERSONNALITY

He is extremely calm, clearly intelligent, and takes time before taking any action. He is believed to have a mental illness, some kind of autism, which leads him to never speak much or loudly, but which also leads him to be extremely devoted to his works, always thinking about all the consequences before taking an action. This very autism, some kind of Asperger Syndrome, is probably the cause of his excellence in the art of the whip. It probably pushes him to be the best in everything, a much greater motivation than friendship or love. Boris has simply no personnal life and it is a fact well known, he doesn't even wants to hide. His only interests in social activity are related to his career, his only obsession.

Boris is hard to reach, more than a standard aristocrat. He is very impressive, and he irradiates a calm force. He has deep eyes, full of bloody memoirs, and only crossing his eyes tells you that the guy has lived a lot before being somebody influent. In fact, he's more a mafia leader than an aristocrat, in his ways and his speeches.