Shepherd Faria
Description[edit]
Shepherd Faria, once known as Captain Horace Baylin of the Alliance Marines 4th Force Recon (a.k.a Voodoo Company). This was the unit Rick Allen served in during the war. Faria is a double amputee, his left arm, and right leg. He possesses NewTech prosthetics, but appears more comfortable without them. Preferring what appears to be a hand made peg leg. He also is blind in one eye. During the war, he was known as a tough, ruthless, and generally obedient if willing to break to rules of war to accomplish his mission.
He appears to be fairly well supported with NewTech and a willingness to travel First Class.
Faria doesn't seem much like a shepherd except for certain times...
He always says grace at every meal (assuming you allow this) and can be seen praying at various times and in various places. He will say that he is trying to find the best place for prayer and meditation.
He drinks, often to the border of excess, he is quick with vulgarity (especially if drinking), and he seems more cynical and harsh in judgment than most Shepherds, although he will attempt to correct himself if he comes across as too unforgiving.
He is well educated, knows both about his own religion and others. He seems quite comfortable with the idea that most of the Bible is 'technically' false, but presses that the message or meaning is not. Sometimes it is a bit hard to suss that out. He doesn't press people too hard to say grace or pray or anything like that. But he is ready and happy to talk about anything. He doesn't like the idea of secrets on a ship (unless they are about him) so he will press to be in on discussions.
- He will be a little antagonistic to both Joshua and Arden pressing them on the issues of Freewill, natural law etc.. He doesn't come out and say anything nasty, he just seems to tease them relentlessly as though to provoke an angry response, and that seems to please him to no end.
- With Nika and Rina, he is polite and not condescending, but there is a reservation about his interactions that bespeaks a little discomfort with his role as a shepherd. He is not a dirty old man. But he seems a bit out of ease around the women.
- With Rick he wavers between three positions: comfortably ordering Rick around as though they were back in the unit; being casual and reminiscing about good times as though with an old friend' and strangely apologetic as though he has done Rick some great harm or is deeply ashamed of some past deed(s).
He is interested in the ship and crew and will try to spend some time each day at every station: bridge, sickbay, galley, engineering, weapons locker, etc.. Assuming you permit this.
He works out 'religiously' each day, mostly doing strength training on his good leg and arm. He never wears his NewTech prosthetics on the ship unless he is specifically asked to do something for which he needs two hands or legs. He has a wheel chair which he tends to use only in the evenings (on account of his muscles getting tired).
Quotations[edit]
Some choice quotations:
- "Don't draw your gun unless you've already decided to kill."
- "Remember that the fellow staring you down is probably scared out of his wits, what would you in that situation."
- "There ain't no soul that is this way or that, good or evil. That is what it means to have a soul."
- "I gave an arm and a leg to the Alliance. I reckon what's left is mine."
- "Trying to figure out what God is up to is like turning to the end of a whodoneit. Ain't much point in reading the rest once you learned that."
- "Commandments are roads, stray from them at your own peril. God is more like a mapmaker than a traffic cop."
- "I agree with the Independents on one thing, I want to able to choose to live the way I want. The only problem is when my neighbor does the same."
- "Every war is a holy war. If you ain't fightin for what you believe in, you ain't fightin, and you ain't believin neither."
