Editing Freedom Landing:Freedom Landing (section)

==First==
Gunslinger

Lieutenant Gaius Alonzo Ortiz II, AKA "Ol' Emberbeard"

A severe, dour dwarf from Mastier.  Born the son of a Senator and later made a scion in his own right, his devotion to Mastier was second only to his devotion to Aa.  His intensity of devotion made others nervous, and did little to improve his standing or his father's in the Senate.  A dutiful and devoted son, he left the senate and took a commission in the Mastier Army with the 1st Longbarrels.  The Longbarrels are Mastier's newest commissioned division - making use of gnomish firearms and invention - in order to match the forces of Charn.  Primarily an ambush unit, the goal of the Longbarrels was to harass the enemy with shots while the Hammerhands or other heavier unit charged in.

The position was well suited to Ortiz, who picked up the art of gunmanship faster than his peers, and because it was a unit that was typically away from the main force (powder explosions scare even battle-donkeys, and make it hard for fellow soldiers to sleep) it meant that he didn't have to worry about what others thought of him.  

Ortiz served with valor, dedication, and bravery - but due to his reputation as such a strict and severe devotee of Aa, he was never awarded medal or merit. He never complained, but then knew the truth of the matter - that most were just paying lip service to their God, where he truly believed - and that belief unsettled the common.  He knew he would never be truly accepted - he had no calling into the clergy, where such a person might flourish.  That was when he heard the call to adventure - tales of the New World and its bountiful opportunities that lie just out of reach of the more meek and timid of men.  He knew that he had a chance there, in that brave new land, a chance to spread a purer faith of Aa - a chance to build glory for his clan and family - a chance at a new life.

He resigned his commission with the Longbarrels and set out to find the first ship bound West.