Mercer Hayes
Mercer Hayes 
Age: 45
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 218lbs
Hair: Black Eyes: Pale Blue
Birth Place: Calabash North Carolina
Education: Graduate of Brunswick County High School, Honorary Doctoral from Vanderbilt University
Occupation: Novelist
Cool Points Used: 11 (6 on raising Stealin' It to +1, 5 on boons)
Boons:
Signature Item: Mercers Ka-Bar (+1 to skill rolls made with this item)
On his hip was an old but well cared for Ka-Bar. It was decorated with old weathered and extremely faded Pokémon stickers courtesy of his niece and nephew. There were better survival knives but this one had saved his life on not one but two occasions. So as essential gear went, it always made the cut. Pun intended.
GM Notes: xxx
Skill List
Killin' It: +3 (Close quarters combat instructor, Boxing, Good at getting punched in the face and staying on his feat, Functional alcoholism is a real skill, Swimming, Diving, Climbing/Rappelling, Various firearms training, and a few flashy dance moves. (Limited: Throwing, Basketball.) (VERY LIMITED: Golf.)
Background Notes: Mercer was an exceptional high school athlete who grew up working on his family's fishing boat. He joined the Marine Corps at a young age an served during where he served as an infantryman in the Gulf War and later in Somalia. Father time has begun to dust a few of his skills with rust.
Stealin' It: +1 (Can cut cards with one hand,Some slight of hand including the ability to cut a deck of cards with one hand, Shoplifted as a kid and only got caught twice.
Background Notes: In spite of a remarkably misspent youth Mercer never picked up any significant Stealin' It skills. He did have a fascination with magic and card tricks as a kid and still knows several of them.
Thrillin' It: +2 (Public speaking, Singing, Dancing including some formal ballroom training, Practiced use of obscure cultural social customs, has been blessed by a Toltec shaman and cursed by a Gypsy.
Background Notes: Mercer has some natural charisma and can carry a tune. He is a good dancer with a little formal training. Nothing to write home about but he generally moves and performs better than people expect. He makes a point to learn customs of the areas he travels and uses them appropriately.
Buildin' It: +2 (Carpentry, Woodworking/carving, General Mechanics, Small Engine Repair, Handmade fishing lures. Cooking fish & hush-puppies, Making pancakes & bacon. (Limited: Cooking everything else, Photography.) (VERY LIMITED: Origami.)
Background Notes: Mercer is good with his hands and even has a little artistic skill when it comes to wood carving. With a few exceptions he is a below average cook.
Healin' It: +4 (Writing, History, Religion, Philosophy, Chess. (Limited: Mythology, Occult, Latin, Lang-German, Lang-Farsi, Adv First-Aid ) (VERY LIMITED: Numerous Gallo and Ibero Romance Languages, Lang-Tangawan, Solve a Rubik's Cube, Most science stuff)
Background Notes: Mercer has a keen mind that absorbs and retains knowledge with remarkable ability. He is a gifted word smith and has a natural knack for languages. His travels and naturally curious mind have given him an odd array of knowledge.
Huntin' It: +3 (Fishing, Bush-craft, Mountaineering, Navigation, Hunting/tracking, Cleaning/Skinning/processing, Stealth, Bow, Building shelter/boma. (Limited: Herbalist, kite fishing, ) (VERY LIMITED: Panning for gold.)
Background Notes: Growing up Mercer was taught a lot about boating, fishing and the sea but it wasn't until later in life, first as a marine and later as an adventure that he picked up most of his Huntin' It skills. Over the course of his life he has spent significant time living and learning from native peoples on almost every continent.
Equipment List:
1. Mercers Ka-Bar
2. Camping Gear
3. Several Notebooks, Laptop,
Mercer Hayes
Play-By: Jeffery Dean Morgan
Age: 45
Occupation: Novelist (A former journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and noted humorist that has been described by people magazine as a modern day Hemingway.)
Birth Place: Calabash, North Carolina.
Sexuality: After a bit of youthful experimentation Mercer has settled almost exclusively into Heterosexuality.
Physical Description: Tall and fit with rough work-worn hands and wildly amused pale blue eyes. Mercer has a smile that often graces his face at completely inappropriate times. Generally, he smells like sandalwood, cinnamon and the ocean.
Distinguishing Marks: A tattoo on his right forearm that says Bisou. The word love across the knuckles of his right hand and the word more across the knuckles of his left. Mercer has numerous nicks and cuts on his hands from his youth as a fisherman and a gunshot wound in his right hip from his reporting days in Afghanistan.
Personality: A little abrasive and irreverent Mercer is still generally warm and positive. He's curious and intelligent and can forgive almost anything if its funny. He has an accepting way about him and does his best to withhold his own personal judgment and remain objective during times of conflict. A trait that serves him well as a writer.
Back Ground: Born on the Carolina coast Mercer grew up helping with the family fishing business before joining the Marines right out of high school. He served one tour in desert storm transitioned smoothly into the civilian life of a journalist and began to work on his first novel. Decades later he is a well-established writer although it has been some time since he has published anything new.
Likes: Dogs, Music, Stormy weather, Being in the rain, listening to a good story, telling a good story, the ocean, bad jokes, kids, the feel of a woman's head on his chest, trying new things, people, and quirky laughs.
Dislikes: Celebrating his birthday, sweet pickles, coconut (the texture not the taste).
Strengths:
Open-minded, perceptive, great at cards, is the patron saint of knuckleheads.
Weaknesses:
Women, booze, women and booze.
Fears:
Time,
The Writer:
Known for simple unadorned prose, Hayes' writing style takes on a self-proclaimed quality over quantity approach. While his structure is simple it holds powerful thought-provoking imagery. Selective word choice and purposeful misuse of punctuation create a unique cadence that is the hallmark of his work.
His characters are often deeply flawed yet rarely irredeemable. He is considered a master of dialogue and while his plots are often described as simple and straightforward. The journey is complex and unexpected.
Published Works:
House in The Sand -
Overview: Hayes first published novel, House in The Sand, is about Wyatt, a man shaped by the horrors of war, and his childhood sweetheart, Cassidy. It is sometimes criticized as a romantic portrayal of domestic and sexual abuse. Others, who have actually finished the book, generally view it as a well-defined break from the shackles of social norms. A theme often revisited in Hayes works.
Synopsis:
Venture of the Infinite Man
Captains Verse
****WIP****