Name: Alain Montaigne
Aliases: Monte Du Monde (exclusively what he goes by)
Age: 39
Gender: M
Race: Human
Height: 6’1”

Appearance:

In his most common state, that is drunk and mud-caked on the street, Monte is an easy sight to miss -a transient man typically in worn clothes, tall and narrow, yellow teeth, with an odor somewhere between the vile and the chemical. His favorite brown shirt/pants/suspender combination and wavy locks of blonde hair are likely covered in grease and dirt, and his skin bruised and scratched from last night’s fight. The only truly pure aspect of his appearance are his green irises, which shine no matter the physical condition of the man.

That said, every now and then, there’s work that calls for a cleaner appearance. A bath, some chalk, a trim, and some wax, and Monte can easily play the part of a sleazy gamesman or dealer at a mid-stakes card game. Add in some nice clothes, and Monte is the image of class, if not character.



Personality:

There’s a type of man who is always looking on the bright side, no matter how dark things look. Monte does his best to pretend to be that man.

Monte is too aware that he’s doomed (worse, damned), but he only has one real survival tool and that is smarm. Everyone is Monte’s friend and more importantly, Monte is theirs. He talks fast, often mixing flattery and bite at rapid pace to confuse a mark, and anyone is a potential mark. He’s well bred, despite all evidence to the contrary, and can muster the energy to put on the airs of nobility when it suits him.

Who Monte is on the inside is nearly impossible to discern from his chameleoning about, but those who knew him *before* can tell that there is a new seed of darkness. Fear and regret and self-loathing etching across his soul like mold, tainting each bad decision.

Skill Sets:

Card Sharp: Monte is adept at a true few skills, but there is no denying he is prodigious at games of probability and deception. He swims through a game of cards like a shark, finding weak prey and killing without mercy. Only the absolute best can begin to pierce one of Monte’s facades, and he can always tell if his opponent has the cards. And when being good doesn’t work, Monte has the fast hands and arithmetical mind to cheat.

Conman: The rollercoaster swing of his life has given Monte exposure to all walks of life, and as such, he’s quite skilled at code switching for the right occasion. His ability to lie also extends beyond cards- he is a blur of a fast-talker and portrays “mostly harmless” with ease. Monte was also born with the kind of face that is easy to mold with wax and rouge and as such can put on a decent disguise, and he has the mastery of posture to disappear into a crowd.

Street People: More than a few nights in the gutters and alleys of cities all over the world honed a few of Monte’s instincts. His ability to forage for garbage, break into windows, and steal purses is truly impressive. Unfortunately, he’s also learned to take a punch or a kick to the gut, and his tolerance for turned food is higher than it used to be.
-Language- Throughout his time on the streets, Monte has learned to rely on thieves and fences to survive, and as such has learned Thieves’ Cant.


Neutral Aspects:
Monte’s constant projection of aloofness carries with it some pros and cons. People tend to buy it- and he can easily hide his interest or concern in any situation. However, whenever Monte needs to be sincere, it’s very hard for him to do so- often coming across more sarcastic.

Weaknesses:

The thing that has brought him to this low point in life is the thing that keeps him here. Monte is greedy- it is nearly impossible for him to turn down an easy score or even a hard score if it’s big enough. He doesn’t quite know it, but he always calls when the odds seem even.

Years of getting kicked and spat on have made him enduring, but not any better at delivering violence. Monte is weak- his ability to punch is laughable and while he carries a dagger, it’s entirely for show. The idea of really hurting someone turns his stomach. Though this may change as time keeps ticking away.

The vice that really started him down this path, before his exile, before his fateful game, was fun. Monte is hedonistic- he is all but completely incapable of turning down a free drink, and only slightly better at turning down harder drugs, or an attractive sexual proposal. Once upon a time, for Monte, life was a party. Now it’s just one endless hangover.

Notable Equipment:

“Cheer up, at least you’re not leaving empty handed, Alain.” – the taunt the devil gave Monte while flipping the bespoke wooden chip, white and red painted border with an emblem depicting a goblet leaking wine from a keyhole.

He always keeps a set of six-sided dice and a couple decks of cards on his person.

One cheap dagger, displayed conspicuously as a deterrent.

Likes: Wine, waltz music, and most importantly, winning.
Dislikes: Losing, violence, rats.
Habits: smoking, drinking, gambling, and a tendency to sleep fully clothed in case he needs to make a break for it.


History:

The neighboring land of Atterre, before the revolts, was divided into counties. One of these counties was ruled by Comte Aime Montaigne and his wife Celine, who had four children. The first two of these children were Agathe and Jules, and the third was Alain. With his older brother, Jules, being the natural inheritor of the county, there were few eyes on young Alain and even fewer restrictions.

The unruly behavior of a young prankster eventually evolved into the wild and reckless antics of a spoiled teenager. He was never lashing out- Alain and his parents were civil and he admired and loved his older brother who taught him how to play several card, board, and dice games. Alain merely wanted to have fun and had the money and time to make it happen. He was a true example of the moral rot at the root of the ruling class.

Even now, he can’t deny the peasants had a point (at least when looking at someone like Alain) when they took to the manors and castles and drug out the lords and ladies. Jules, a man of twenty, stayed behind to defend Chateau Montaigne from the mobs with his parents, while Agathe (twenty-two at the time) took her young brother (eighteen), and they escaped Atterre for Deptilia.

The plan was always to return, but the news that came from Atterre made it clear that there was no going back. It was mob-rule now, democracy, and the Montaigne family and estate were all dead. All but Agathe and Alain. What little money they took with didn’t go far for the siblings. Agathe, always responsible and brave, took a sensible marriage. Her groom agreed even to allow Alain to live in his mansion. Alain, however, spurned the man immediately after the wedding and stole as much as he could carry on the way out. He hasn’t seen his sister since.

Monte (a nickname given him by a friend without enough teeth to pronounce his last name) as a youth was sharp and, while angsty, had a lust for life that was contagious. It was not hard for him to find a willing partner for a few nights here and there and he did well at the tables, enough to earn hotel money. He kept up this life for years, earning just slightly more than he could spend and giving the rest away to his fair-weather friends. For years, he was Monte Montaigne, then grew into the faux debonair persona of Monte du Monde, the name he goes by even still.

“You’re one hell of a card player.” That’s what the man in the expensive black suit said to him, the day it all went sour. His hair was slicked back and he had a thick black mustache, perfectly curled. Black gloves reached into his coat and handed Monte a card with a drawing of a key one side, and a goblet leaking wine from a keyhole on the other. “My master is looking for players who aren’t afraid of a higher stakes game. You seem a boy unafraid to do what it takes to win truly big. Be there tomorrow night, if I’m right.” Monte didn’t say a word. Something was haunting about the man, and he could hear a voice that sounded like his sister’s telling him not to go. Another voice, from deeper inside, told Monte he deserved to be rich again.

The game was in a back alley in the darkest part of the city, and Monte has never found the room again no matter how many times he’s searched. The place was dark and smoky with a table coated in red felt. The host was a beautiful woman in a red dress, with dark blue skin and seven skyward horns piercing through her black hair. A devil, Monte knew immediately, but he couldn’t resist her. Couldn’t resist the game. The buy-in was choice of a million coins or the memory of a younger sibling. Strangely, they let Monte take the latter despite having no younger sibling. So when he sat at the table, he smirked thinking of how he was already one up on the devil, and gathered his chips.  The game’s stakes proved more esoteric than expected, with the pot including at various times immortality, beauty, and a wish. No one had ever better at reading people while being inscrutable themselves than Monte, but he was in over his head here. As he found himself out, the devil offered to buy him back in, for a price.

He was out again within thirty minutes, and she had his soul. The rules weren’t attached, but when your soul is no longer yours, you gain an innate understanding that damnation awaits you when it’s all over. It looms, and tints every lens by which you view reality. Monte found the patience of others for him just slightly less than before, and his patience for them similarly diminished. A man barely climbing on the good will of others found himself slipping the second he lost his grip. And he has been slipping ever since.

Monte needs to get the money for that buy-in. He needs to find that game again. And he needs to be sharp enough to win his soul back.

Connections:

Agathe Bellus nee Montaigne – Monte’s estranged sister and only living family member.
____________ - Monte’s forgotten younger sibling.