High Priest Alphonse Bordeaux

Jeremy Irons as Alphonse Bordeaux

CHARACTER BRIEF

Full Name:	Alphonse Bordeaux
Byname:	None
Age:	66
Date of Birth:	Fevrier 12, 1800 IE
Kingdom:	Sanctum
House:	The One Faith
Title/Profession:	High Priest
Position:	High Priest of the One Faith
Place of Birth:	Carsonne, Couviere (Later Pacitta)

FAMILY

Father:	Markus Bordeaux (d.)
Mother:	Lenora Bordeaux (d.)
Siblings:	Armando Bordeaux (d.), Sierna Bordeaux, Salina Bordeaux
Spouse:	None
Children:	None (that he recognizes, anyway)

Background

High Priest of Sanctum, and one of the most powerful men in Creation's Edge, Alphonse has forged a powerful legacy of savvy diplomacy and cunning political maneuvering, but his reputation for opulence coupled with his lack of compunctions about wielding the full power of his office has made him a controversial figure.

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Alphonse Bordeaux was born in the province of Demense in 1800 IE, in the far southwestern portion of Couviere. The Bordeaux family was a merchant family of modest wealth, and Alphonse was the second son of Markus and Lenora Bordeaux. With (eventually) four mouths to feed, it was decided that Alphonse would be given over to the Church for education. No one particularly expected that he would be anything other than a lay clergyman, but Alphonse was someone that would make quite a habit of outperforming peoples' expectations.

Alphonse took to the study of the Faith like a fish to water. Even more so, he proved to have an uncanny knack for understanding the actions and motivations of others and the consequences they incurred. He soon established for himself a reputation as both a bright pupil and a leader among his peers. He was swiftly taken to Sanctum where he began the formal education to become an ordained Priest. During this time, one of his early teachers was a young Priestess named Sirrah Lancella. The two would end up being longtime friends and allies within the Church. So great were Alphonse's talents that he was ordained as a Priest at the age of 19…a full two years younger than normal. Much to the surprise of many, Alphonse took his first assignment as an assistant to a member of the Holy Inquisition.

After a few years serving as assistant to an Inquisitor, Alphonse shifted away from the Inquisition and instead took up work within the diplomatic arm of the One Faith. Despite the shift, he was quickly promoted to Bishop at the age of 27. For the next several years he proved to be a most effective diplomat, not only with the other nations of the Edge, but also within the Church itself, often interceding in internal struggles and rivalries and bringing both sides to a reasonable accord. He took a young Priest named Lucien Ramius under his wing, who would become his great friend and protégé and a strong Cardinal in his own right. He won himself many allies and no small number of rivals and enemies along the way, but few could deny that he was a man that was destined for great work within the Church. Still, he did not confine himself to diplomacy. He would often spend a few months at a time studying and working within various segments of the Church. A winter with the healers. A spring with the financiers. Summer with the archivists. Indeed, he was elevated to Archbishop at the age of 34 despite this "diverse" education, continuing his work largely in the diplomatic realm, traveling across Creation's Edge building ties with the Church and the Kingdoms. At age 40, he was elevated to the position of Cardinal, and appointed as the head of Sanctum's diplomatic efforts.

When the High Priest passed on in 1844 IE, it was no small shock that the young Cardinal Bordeaux was submitted among the candidates to succeed him. He was surely a man of great talent, but many questioned whether he truly had the experience needed to be the Holy Father. For several weeks, the Council of Cardinals bickered and jockeyed, and throughout that time Alphonse sat back…and quietly undermined or disqualified every serious opponent while never once endorsing himself, nor publicly denouncing any other. Instead, Alphonse played up a (rather honest) image of a man incensed by the Church's lack of leadership over the course of the Thirty Years War. Coupled with that outward display of passion and focus, he slowly and surely managed to present himself as the "compromise candidate" between the various factions, and ultimately, despite a select few who were vehemently opposed to the idea, was elected as the new High Priest of Sanctum. He immediately set to making a huge mark for himself.

Just a month later, Alphonse scored what has been noted as one of the greatest diplomatic coups of recorded history when he convinced Couviere to effectively "sell" the Duchy of Carsonne to the Church. Coupled with smaller grants from Rivana, Venderos and Sanctum itself, the nation of Pacitta was born as a "neutral ground" where commerce and diplomacy could occur even between factions that were otherwise hostile towards one another. The new City-state grew rapidly in wealth and influence, and if a High Priest's siblings ended up being significantly enriched in the process, well…surely it was The One's blessings upon them, no? After all, it would look awfully bad if the High Priest's family was impoverished.

For many, the creation of a new nation would have been enough of an accomplishment to secure a grand legacy, but Alphonse was far from finished. A few short years later, tired of the seemingly endless war between Rivana and Couviere, Alphonse figuratively grabbed both nations by the ear and forced them to the negotiating table with the threat of excommunication. Under his stern guidance, over thirty years' worth of war came to a screeching halt in only 12 hours. Alphonse was hailed by many as the man that had saved Creation's Edge from itself.

Alphonse's talents proved ill-suited to halting the Succession War in Rivana, however. While officially the church decreed it an "internal matter" for Rivana, they quietly lent support to House Gerrell in its' neutral position, not only giving it the strength to maintain that neutrality, but building favor with that house when it emerged strong and intact at the end of the war. Alphonse also worked with Cardinal Lucien Ramius to keep Couviere from attempting to take advantage of the struggle by invading. A position that did not endear either man to some elements in Couviere (though King Maris was of the same mind), but ultimately kept an already-bad situation from becoming much worse. Meanwhile, the distraction of Queen Kyrena in the north meant that Alphonse was forced to funnel many of the Holy Knights northward, joining with more secular defenders of Couviere at the Siege of Valetta.

The revelation of the true forces behind the Succession War in Rivana was greatly disturbing to Alphonse, and so he tasked Archbishop Sirrah Lancella with bolstering certain "special" defenses within that nation to try to prevent such a thing from occurring again. Sadly, when the war finally concluded, Diplomatic matters in Pacitta prevented Alphonse from seeing to the coronation of the Rose Queen, something which he was deeply regretful for. Still he worked tirelessly to continue expanding the reach of the Faith, bolstering the nations against the heathens at their borders and strengthening their souls against even darker forces where he could. Unfortunately one is rarely easily able to see the faults in their closest friends, and so Alphonse was largely blind to the depths of Lucien Ramius' ambition. While certainly he was left furious when the revelations of Lucien's treachery came to light, it was largely an impotent rage, for he knew that his onetime friend had made a fool of both him and the Church, and perhaps seriously damaged the reputation of both in the process.

Nevertheless, for all his triumphs (and his failures), Alphonse's tenure has not been without controversy. He lives as richly as any King (perhaps even more so) and has no compunctions about wielding the massive wealth and influence of the Church however he sees fit. Some see him as a meddler, others as a hypocrite who indulges in the perks of his office too freely. Some wonder if he worships anyone more fervently than himself…but none can deny that he is one of the most powerful men in Creation's Edge, and even as the twilight of his life approaches, his will be a name that is long remembered.

On the Grid

Heavy is the head that wears the ENORMOUS HAT

Personality

Alphonse is a man of many contradictions. He is ambitious and cunning, but genuinely believes that he is glorifying the One Faith and not himself with his actions. He indulges in excess and lives in opulence, but regards his work as vastly more important than his play. He can be a ruthless man who will agree to the slaughter of heretics and heathens in great numbers, but who genuinely cares for the plight of the poor and downtrodden and seeks to see them cared for. He believes in the principles of the faith he represents…and yet comes dangerously close to skirting those same principles (some would say he violates them altogether) with many of his more politically-minded actions. He wishes fervently for peace between the nations of the Edge, but only so that they can better make war upon the enemies of the Faith.

The High Priest is a fastidious man who brooks no nonsense and even less incompetence from those who serve him, but he will listen to the counsel offered by his subordinates and carefully consider whether it will provide opportunities to further his plans and preserve the prestige and power of the Church of the One. He is unquestionably a political genius with keen insight into the minds and hearts of others…but fails to see in himself that he has become more worshipful of the Church than the God it was created to venerate.

Quirks

Personality Quirks
Ambitious: Alphonse has always been an ambitious man, and even though he has attained the highest station he could possibly hope for, that ambition now extends to increasing the power and influence of the Faith throughout the Edge. He is constantly pursuing a multitude of designs towards that end, and tirelessly works towards achieving his goals.

Hedonist: Alphonse very much enjoys the finer things in life. Good food, better wine, and beautiful women. He is not ashamed to indulge in a little recreation when it is available, though he is careful to insure that such activities are limited in terms of public exposure, and is doubly certain to make sure that they do not interfere with the important work he does. Still, tales -have- gotten out, and more than a few wonder if the High Priest may have lost sight of the true path of the Faith.

Shrewd - Alphonse has always been a clever and pragmatic fellow, and that clarity of thought has helped make him one of the most powerful men in the world. He tends to see to the heart of matters rather easily and cuts through dithering and obfuscation (when directed against him) rather ruthlessly.

Skill Quirks
Persuasive - Alphonse knows every trick in the book when it comes to getting other people to see his point of view. He managed to convince nations to give him huge swaths of territory and brought a thirty year war to an end. He's balanced the various political factions of Sanctum and made it look easy. Suffice to say, Alphonse is quite good at getting what he wants.

Schemer - Alphonse has a tremendous natural talent for understanding and navigating the currents of power and influence that make up the realm of politics. There are no small number of people who account him as the most powerful man in the Edge because of how he has developed and utilized that talent. He could easily have been a great king of any nation…but why would he ever have wanted a demotion like that?

Social Quirks
Friends in Dark Places: While Alphonse was quite careful not to enmesh himself too deeply or directly with such individuals, he well knew that the formation and subsequent success of Pacitta would rely on the "great merchant" families that many of which just happened to be Syndicate families as well. As such, the Syndicates played a covert role in both helping to form Pacitta, and helping to make it as successful as it's been (if in a deeply divided and corrupt way). The High Priest knows more about the Syndicates than many would hope a High Priest would, and speaking bluntly, most of the Syndicate families are favorably inclined towards him because of the bounty he's helped bring them. At the very least, they tend to leave the Church alone unless they directly interfere with their operations.

Renowned Alphonse has humbled Kings, forged a nation by his own will, and brought to a close one of the longest and most vicious wars since the Forging. Being High Priest of the One Faith would be enough to make him famous, but his accomplishments since attaining that office make him a man that is nigh-universally respected and even feared. While he can be charming and warm when it suits his purposes, he is far better known as an utterly ruthless and savvy negotiator who brooks no excuses and even less foolishness. Still, this reputation and fame is not without controversy. Alphonse makes no excuses for using the power of his office to shape the destiny of the Edge. He also does not believe that his displays of wealth and power are excessive, but rather that they befit the One's most powerful Earthly servant. After all, should he not sit above Kings and Queens that they may see their own proper place? His undisguised desire to broaden the power and influence of the One Faith by whatever means he deems necessary has made him a sharply divisive figure for many across the Edge…and even within the Faith itself. Many feel he should be more humble, and that his guiding hand should be a more subtle one. Others feel he is precisely in the right, and look upon his efforts to strengthen the Church with great favor. Tensions grow both within the Church and without, but Alphonse stays the course….

Spy Network - While it is in large part passive, the Church itself could be seen as one massive information gathering network. Reports on local happenings regularly filter in to Sanctum from clergy, Paladins, and Templars all across the Edge, and the potentially important bits are summarized and presented to Alphonse on a daily basis. It is, most likely the most overt spy network in the world, but it still very much serves an equivalent purpose. And to top it all off, Sanctum does have genuine, clandestine spies, as well, and while they may fall under the direct control of another, it is the High Priest they are designed to support and serve. Suffice to say he is one of the best-informed men on the Edge. Likely only Prince Lucius Callidus of Venderos and James l'Saigner of Couviere could hope to compete.