SHELTER:Charlotte Devereux
Charlotte Devereux
Charlotte Devereux comes from Old Money, and never wanted for anything during her privileged upbringing in New York, which is why some might question her choice of profession. But as far as she's concerned, it makes perfect sense. Her wealth means that she is unfazed by the notoriously poor remuneration an intelligence operative earns, and the work is some of the most challenging to be found. And Charlotte has always enjoyed a challenge, whether it be an cliff face to be scaled (she is a keen mountaineer), a difficult problem to be solved, or a man doubting her ability to compete. More importantly, she is a committed patriot, who loves her country and believes in its ideals far more fervently than any religion, and who feels an acute obligation to give something back to the country that has given her so much.
A determined woman, she decided on her chosen occupation in high school, and set about achieving it with single-minded zeal. Intelligent and driven, and with her family's wealth and connections at her back, she easily won admission to Yale where she studied Modern Languages and International Relations with a clear eye to attracting Agency recruiters. When she was 'tapped' for the Order of Skull and Bones, she knew she was on her way, and sure enough, the contacts she made there soon allowed her to let it be known she was open for an offer. It was not long in coming.
After joining the CIA, she spent several years as a field agent in Europe, training her tradecraft skills to a fine point and making a name for herself as an upcoming agent. When Project Pitfall was launched, a number of agents decided to join its ranks, but although tempted by its resources and prestige, she demurred, preferring to stick with an Agency she knew was dedicated to America's interests and its interests alone. It was this attitude that saw her short listed by SHELTER's recruiters.
Charlotte is a resourceful and savvy agent, with the instincts of a natural. She has eyes in the back of her head, an uncanny ability to disappear into a crowd or a dark alleyway with equal ease, and a pragmatic knack for the Great Game that serves her well time and time again. Why dress up like a ninja and crawl through vents when it is just as effective to cause a distraction and slip and out the front door before anyone notices the 'new girl'? Acutely conscious that as an attractive women she might be easily relegated to the status of a "swallow", she has scrupulously focused on Rescue and Intelligence missions where possible, rather than the Recruitment and Subversion missions that might lead her down that path. Of course, she has performed such missions when ordered to, but she's ensured that her skill set makes her better used in other roles, and so far, it seems to be an effective tactic.
Origin: Graceful Master
Class: Intruder 3
Action Dice: 3d4
Reputation: 12
Experience: 3125 xp
STR: 12 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+3)
CON: 10 (+0)
INT: 14 (+2)
WIS: 12 (+1)
CHA: 14 (+2)
BAB: +2
Defence: 17
Initiative: +5
Vitality: 15
Wounds: 10
Unarmed: +5
Melee: +3
Ranged: +5
Fortitude: +1
Reflex: +6
Will: +2
Stress Threshold: 12
Subdual Threshold: 10
Knowledge: +5
Request: +5
Gear: +4
Origin Abilities: +2 DEX/-2 CON, 1 Additional Interest, Impress always a Class skill, +1 threat with Sleight of Hand, +1 Defence, Unarmed Proficiency, +1 with Disarm checks
Class Abilities: Dexterous, Gear Prep, Evasion I, Bonus Feat (Combat Expertise)
Skills:
Athletics +7/+6 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Blend +9/+8 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Bluff +8 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Cultures (North America, Western Europe, Western Asia) +2 (0 ranks, cap 15)*
Drive (Standard Ground Vehicle, Service Aircraft) +9 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Impress +8 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Investigation +7/+8 (6 ranks from Talented, cap 35)
Notice +7 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Profession (Intelligence Officer) +2 (0 ranks, cap 15)
Search +8 (6 ranks, cap 30)
Security +8 (6 ranks, cap 35)
Science (Economy) +2 (0 ranks, cap 15)*
Sleight of Hand +9 [19-20] (6 ranks, cap 30)
Sneak +9/+8 (6 ranks, cap 30)
- Cross-class
Feats: Martial Arts (Dex), Talented (Private Eye), Combat Expertise, Silver Spoon
Proficiencies: Unarmed (Forte), Pistol, SMG, Rifle
Interests: Mountaineering, Painting, Modern Art, Classical Music, Literature
Subplot: Mystery (Did my father really commit suicide or was he murdered? A wealthy and powerful man with considerable connections, he was found dead at his desk a year ago, supposedly of a self-inflicted gunshot. A month later, Charlotte received an anonymous phone call from a woman claiming that Charlotte had a right to know the truth about her father's death, and asking for a meeting in Central Park. She went, but no-one showed up. Did the woman intend to confess to an affair only to back out at the last moment, or was there something more sinister afoot, with the informant silenced too before she could tell her the truth? Charlotte has no idea, but the question gnaws at her to this day.)
Contacts: Heather Anders, CIA station chief in Paris
Acquaintance: specialist (Intercept Communication)
Wealth: 6
Lifestyle: 5 (Condos in NYC and Washington D.C., Luxury Sports Car, Fashionable Appearance +1)
Possessions: 1 (Colt M1911A1, Lockpicking Kit I, Consumer Grade Still Camera, binoculars, mini maglite, cell phone, sunglasses, wristwatch, swiss army knife, duct tape, paperback copy of latest best-seller, art supplies, nitrile gloves, pencil and notepad, tote bag)
Spending Cash: 3 ($900)
Gear Picks: 1 Gadget, 1 Security, 2 CHA, 4 common items, up to one reserve pick
Name three traits you'd like to see in your character: independent, resourceful, sophisticated
Name three traits your character doesn't like to see in others: boorishness, proselytising, submissiveness.
Where was your character born and when? In New York City in 1973.
What is your character's ideal speciality? Field work. Blending in, shadowing, conducting surveillance, lifting ID cards and breaking into places.
What does your character look like? Claudia Black. Athletic, attractive, and hardened. Tall, with black hair and grey eyes.
Does your character have any quirks? No, she's rigorously eliminated them, in order to avoid giving herself away when in the field.
What does your character love most? A challenge.
What are your character's favourite things? Mountaineering, painting, driving fast on the open road. Anything that challenges or tests her abilities.
What was the most important event in your character's life? The day she decided she wanted to be a spy. She'd been talking with her favourite uncle at a family get-together after he caught her eavesdropping on him and a visiting friend of the family, and he managed to gently suggest it as a potential career without actually coming out with it. She's almost certain he's in the business too.
What does your character think of espionage? She not only thinks it is essential for the security of her country, but for the most part, she enjoys the challenge and sense of achievement the work provides.
What is your character's motivation? To do something extraordinary with her life.
What is your character's family like? Wealthy, conservative, dignified, “old money”. Her father was a Senator, and prestigious social gatherings and dinners were a common occurrence when Charlotte was growing up. Her mother is still alive, but struggling to come to terms with her husband's death. And her younger sister Nicole now lives in Boston, where she works as a doctor and is married with children.
What are your character's personal views? She is an atheist, and a hawkish Democrat. Economically conservative and socially liberal.
What are your character's values? Self-respect, integrity, personal perfection, winning, political values, religious values, happiness, sex, love, friends, family, reputation, beauty, justice, career success, power, money, possessions, justice, fame.
What is your character's greatest fear? To reach the end of her life without ever achieving her full potential. Never doing anything important with her life.
How does your character feel about her nation? She's proud to be an American and loves her country. Charlotte is a firm patriot, who holds to the maxim “my country, right or wrong”. She may not agree with everything its government does, but that doesn't change the fact that she loves the country and what it represents. She's always taken JFK's famous words “ask not what your country...” to heart.
What would your character change about herself? A lot of things – she's a perfectionist, who sets herself impossibly high standards to live up to. At the moment, she wants to get fitter – she believes she's lost the edge.
Does your character have any dark secrets or hidden shame in her past? She slept with her sister's husband once, back when he was her fiancé. Her guilt over that, and her increasing contempt for the man has meant that she has largely cut herself off from her family, avoiding them except at Thanksgiving etc. She's knows he's cheated on her sister with other women since, but can't raise the topic without permanently harming her own relationship with her sister.
