NPC backstory, Barham the Water Shaper

[Bastet]

The Most Blessed Purveyors of Water, or more colloquially the Water Board are charged with regulating and maintaining the water infrastructure of Yu-Shan from the pipes of ancient Primordial sewers to keeping detailed schedules of where and when it is supposed to rain. Initially their business model was an uncomplicated one where the gods paid for the service that brought clean and drinkable water to their homes, manses, and palaces.

Times have grown complicated though as the human and elemental populations of the Celestial City have swelled over the millennia. These new inhabitants need water, but they are often unable to pay for it leading to more and more instances of water theft that law enforcement is reluctant to pursue because it is one thing to turn a blind eye to the plight of the impoverished and quite another to persecute them for attempting to survive.

Thus, the Purveyors has formed the Syphonites, a group of comparatively well-paid elementals to serve as regulators and leg-breakers willing to hunt the more egregious violations of their ordained purview but also carry a more generalised campaign of intimidation against the slums, particularly against spirits who might redistribute water for their own benefit.

Barham was a young man born to the slums, but fortunate enough to receive the position as a custodian at a water treatment facility he never held any regard for his employers, merely appreciated that he, his mother and younger sister were permitted to sleep within the facility. That was until one day he was brought before the Directors themselves and given a unique offer. Their Syphonites were encountering increasingly strong resistance and to rectify that situation the board had obtained for itself the Exigence.

The young man knew better than to ask how his masters obtained it, but he did ask why him of all the mortals in Yu-Shan. One of them explained “You will be our success story, the mortal who made a place for himself through hard work rather than leaching off the success of others.”  He agreed, after all it would be unlikely that the Directors would be magnanimous at his refusal, but he also thought in that moment that he and his family deserved success.

That was a few months ago, Barham now flaunts his newfound power as the leader of the Syphonites while he finds the approach of the team a little too ruthless, he has discovered that his superiors barely raise an eyebrow at his expense reports allowing him to at least get some more money into the slums.

Though as he is becoming more adept to being the instrument of the Board of Directors and learning how they think, he has begun to suspect why they really chose him. His mother and sister represent an excellent source of leverage if he were really to get out of line and tried to hurt what they built.
 

[Flare]

This character was effectively the antagonist to my Sidereal during an assignment recently. While he was busy doing other stuff, him and Barham ended up engaging in a pair of fights with no conclusive winner.

Even though the story ended with a soccer match that Barham lost, their inconclusive battles meant there was no satisfactory conclusion to a comparison of strength. If he shows up again it's likely they'd want to have a more conclusive battle.

[andrix]

This character was effectively the antagonist to my Sidereal during an assignment recently. While he was busy doing other stuff, him and Barham ended up engaging in a pair of fights with no conclusive winner.

Even though the story ended with a soccer match that Barham lost, their inconclusive battles meant there was no satisfactory conclusion to a comparison of strength. If he shows up again it's likely they'd want to have a more conclusive battle.

Yeah, we're still not entirely sure why he's all in on the foe-yay with your PC either