EMPIRE, Bernard Goldsmith

BERNARD HENRY GOLDSMITH

I USED TO TRUST THE MEDIA TO TELL ME THE TRUTH

The Goldsmiths have been here as long as the current empire has existed. The first Goldsmith was, naturally, a goldsmith; the currency of the land and the fine things of nobility were his to attend to. In time, his lineage became nobility and no one was trusted higher with the keeping of economic bits and coins. When banks gave rise, it was they who regulated them. Eventually, they branched out into the pearling business.

It is this family that Bernard was born into, eldest son of the current head of the clan at the time of his birth. One of the few families in Loros to practice polygamy—who would argue, when they could buy the best lawyers?—Bernard had the double advantage in winning his father’s favor of being born of his father’s favorite wife. In childhood, Bernard had many siblings. Eventually, the numbers dwindled to two half-brothers, a sister, and three half-sisters, all living in Loros and most helping him manage the family’s oyster and pearl farm.

But, that’s the future. Bernard spent most of his childhood in his father’s shadow when he was not being intensely trained and groomed for his career as a soldier and future captain. After all, the late Lord Goldsmith would only accept the most honorable of his children to replace him as the ruler of Whitecoast.

This is the beginning of the story of the man who’s insignia is one of the many marking legal tender within the country.

At age five, he got a sableye. The creature was bred to help at the banks, and with it Bernard also gained what would be his father’s first test: five golden coins. Unlike some of his siblings (who spent the money on frivolous things and were thus swindled, or who blindly hid the coins for a rainy day), Bernard approached his father and asked what would be best to gain more. The man suggested Bernard give two to his sableye for safe keeping, two should go towards a bank for the accumulation of wealth, and the final he could spend as he pleased. This marked the beginning of his money savvy nature.

Bernard soon matured into a youth. When he was in Whitecoast, he helped his father manage the treasury.

During his teen years, he often got into vicious fights with his brothers, establishing a private sort of dominance within the family and brutalizing their faces so that he would be the most handsome of the bunch and thus the most socially acceptable.

As soon as he turned sixteen, he was shipped out to Southwall and underwent his training. He was given a krabby during his training, and upon graduation his parents gifted him with a battle bred eevee.

By age eighteen, it was argued no one could outpace Bernard in the water. Rumors cropped up that he was actually part mermaid, fitting in with the beauty of his mother. He let the rumors continue. In fact, he made sure his eevee evolved into a vaporeon to further the image of him as an otherworldly creature, beautiful and dangerous.

At age twenty, Bernard went on his first intense tour. After his success in which, he became a captain and was given a meowth—now a persian—for his successes. He was hard on his troops—he insisted the select pokemon that would give them an advantage in Whitecoast, little patience for impractical creatures.

After this, it became obvious who the true heir to Lord Goldsmith was. At that time, there were four brothers. Bernard, ever generous and familial, offered them a deal: don’t get in his way and he would keep them as captains of his future army, or challenge him and he would see that they died in a duel.

One of the two scars hidden on his body is from that fateful duel. In it, he killed his own brother. (The other is from a particularly feisty soldier he still hates to this day).

Another one of the brothers died by drowning; some say it is suicide, but Bernard will not allow such dishonor on the family and viciously contests such claims.

Soon, Bernard’s father died in a drowning as well. This one was obviously an accidental death as he man had gotten on in years. What happened next would begin a bit of a power squabble. The entire Goldsmith clan backed Bernard’s claim, though his peer captains also tried to claim the title of Lord of Whitecoast and even a few noble children from outside the city entered the fray. It went on for approximately three years, ending just before the Newhaven riots. It was then that Bernard was given the title officially, though he was slowly regaining full authority from local leaders who had commanded the city temporarily during the power struggle.

With only two of his brothers left alive, Bernard went on what would be his final tour: it was a bit of a witch hunt that took place after the Newhaven riots, a purging of outspoken potential traitors in other cities and towns. That was a little under a year ago.

That is what leads us to our current Bernard. Only two years into his full, unchallenged command of Whitecoast, he rules it strictly and with a keen sense of style. He insists that Whitecoast should be a beautiful city and has no issues taking out less desirable people. That said, he does have a certainy portion of the town devoted to touristy and therefore less refined tastes. It is the blacklight district.

Between this and a less intense but still highly involved military career (he has the entire city’s protection to mind now), he has turned his mind to the fact he is unmarried and needs heirs. Though primarily a soldier and businessman, he is very much so ready to be a husband and father.



Name Crown Jewels at Auction (“CJ”)
Species sableye (business grade)
Gender male
Ability keen eye
Moveset mean look | detect | punishment | confuse ray
Origin Given to Bernard when he turned five along with five gold coins.
Personality Due to being a pokemon, at twenty-five-years-old, he’s beginning to show his age. He is generally quite benign and calm, though the scent of old or laundered money will put him into a frenzy. Like Bernie, he would enjoy having a few offspring, if only to continue the legacy of the sableyes who manage the treasury.

Name Tsunami at Noon (“Tan”)
Species vaporeon (battle grade; absol father)
Gender male
Ability water absorb
Moveset bite | acid armor | aqua ring | aqua tail
Origin Given to Bernard at the age of ten to encourage his military might.
Personality When not in battle, Tan is incredibly, painfully lazy. He enjoys lazing in water, just floating around. However, once a battle is on, the bulky vaporeon shows his true might. He’s in his prime right now and it shows. He enjoys fighting with the persian. He enjoys eating oysters, as well.

Name Angel’s Share of Whiskey
Species persian (battle grade; pyroar father)
Gender female
Ability limber
Moveset slash | power gem | nasty plot | fake out
Origin Gifted to Bernard after a particularly good campaign.
Personality A huntress by nature, her greatest pleasure is the end of the battle—the kill. She’s surprisingly gentle with children (well, kittens and human infants), but is ready to fight just about anyone. In fact, even Bernard had to win her respect when she was a meowth.

Name Godspeed (original trainer’s choice; Bernard simply calls him by his species)
Species kingdra (working/battle grade)
Gender male
Ability sniper
Moveset muddy water | dragon dance | dragon pulse | focus energy
Origin Gained through the trade of a clamperl legally obtained when found wondering the oyster farm along with a reasonable sum of money from a Loros sea-pokemon harvester.
Personality While a strong battler, the kingdra is wigged out by Loros. He doesn’t run his mouth much after being attacked by Tan for his mouth. He has become much more docile since Bernard became the Lord of Whitecoast.

[b]SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN, erwin smith[/b] as [i]bernard goldsmith[/i]