L a n d o n • 
Landon a donné un sourire gamely de sa position plus près du milieu du groupe comme il a répondu, "Croyez-moi, Elly, je ne veux pas avoir à être bandage plus que vous n'avez à, non plus!" Puis il a clin d'œil après avoir levé ses lunettes de ses yeux sur son front. "Bien que tu sois le bienvenu pour me mettre la main dessus quand tu veux!"
De son coin de l'œil, il pouvait voir Mirage sourire à sa remarque alors qu'elle finissait de réarranger son équipement. Bien, elle pense que c'est drôle et pas scuzzy, a pensé Landon à lui-même avec juste une touche de culpabilité. Au moins, elle a un bon sens de l'humour... et un excellent but. C'était grâce à la réaction rapide de Mirage aux archers de gobelins qui avaient sauvé Landon d'être plus blessé qu'il n'aurait pu le faire autrement; elle avait cloué un des archers avec un coup de feu tout comme il lâchait une flèche sur lui, et il a jeté la flèche assez pour qu'elle ne baisâtât son oreille au lieu de percer sa tête. C'était proche! Bien trop près pour le confort, et Landon avait en colère arraché un boulon explosif de son arbalète monté au poignet qui a frappé quelques-uns des archers de leurs pieds et les a jetés hors de l'équilibre assez longtemps pour que la partie se regroupe et se protège plus facilement des attaquants variés.
Landon s'est souvenu de la brève mais intense sensation de friction alors que la flèche avait dérapé devant son oreille, et la douleur avait apporté des larmes à ses yeux ainsi que lui a fait tomber la cigarette de ses lèvres par surprise. Ça fait mal! Il avait été dans certains groupes qui n'avaient pas été aussi bons, et a été endommagé beaucoup de toutes sortes d'attaques, mais c'était la première fois à Pariah qu'il pouvait se souvenir de la douleur se sentant si complètement réel. En fait, il se demandait s'il se réveillerait dans le monde réel avec une vraie marque de dérapage sur son oreille.
Mirage avait été le seul assez proche pour remarquer le saut surpris qu'il avait fait quand il avait été pâté, mais elle n'avait pas encore remarqué. Elle avait été terriblement calme, en fait, depuis l'incident précédent avec Graves; Landon devinait que l'archer se sentait encore conscient de ce qui s'était passé. Mais il aimait qu'elle la manipule gracieusement, ne la laissant pas interférer avec son travail dans le donjon, même si elle avait été gravement secouée par l'extrême surréaction de Graves.
D'une voix basse, il a dit d'un ton plus sérieux à Mirage, "Merci pour cette sauvegarde plus tôt." Et il lui sourit, et elle sourit, et cela envoya un peu de frisson dans sa colonne vertébrale. Beau sourire, il pensait qu'il se tournait vers son propre équipement, où il réarrangeait les boulons qu'il avait à portée de main dans son carquois. Il devrait être plus intelligent pour le prochain round, et il ne pouvait pas compter sur de jolies femmes pour sauver son dos pour toujours - peu importe comment motiver son arrière pourrait être!
W A T T S /// L A N D O N

"Hey, chum - gimme a light, wouldja? Stop whining, I smoke in my workshop all the time, and there's only been one explosion!"
 O V E R V I E W 
N A M EWatts Broker
A V A T A RLandon Longcross
A G E88 (visage appears much younger!)
G E N D E RMale
V I S A G EThough Watts is nearly ninety years old, he has always been more comfortable with younger people, for he is young at heart. This is why his avatar in Pariah is a representation of himself back during what he considered to be his prime, back when he was in the middle of establishing his fame and career.
His avatar, Landon Longcross, looks like a blonde-haired blue-eyed man in great shape. Though otherwise well-groomed, he leaves his hair a little spiky, and he has a thin omnipresent layer of rugged stubble around his jawline (he cannot seem to grow a mustache, which is a source of minor frustration). He stands about five foot ten, though he slouches a bit and this makes him look shorter than he is. He is rarely seen without something sticking out of his mouth - usually a cigarette, but sometimes a pen or tool. There is just a hint of tightness around his eyes that makes him appear severe at times.
He is usually dressed in a long brown coat of leather, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, over a simple white shirt with suspenders and a few buttons by the collar, sturdy multi-pocketed pants, a toolbelt with a few of his favorite tools, heavy steel-toed boots, fingerless brown leather gloves, and a pair of dark goggles worn around his neck or on his forehead. He often carries a light frame backpack for carrying extra gadgets and tools, or for carrying back supplies or treasure, and whenever combat is expected, he always has a quiver full of crossbow bolts of various types.
P E R S O N A L I T YWatts grew up with tinker toys and an interest in how things work, which has carried over from his youth into the rest of his life. Even before Pariah, he was always working on a project in his garage, whether it was a car or other vehicle, a new turbine for gathering wind power, or a lightbulb that absorbs sunlight and slowly releases it over time. He maintains a sense of wonder about the world that belies his age, and loves to share it with younger people around him. He tempers this with a streak of practicality, as he is interested in solutions and not dreams. Nevertheless, he is more than willing to combine the scientific knowledge of the real world with the unique magical resources of Pariah, and thus achieve results neither could accomplish alone. He glories in learning all he can about Pariah. Though immediately gruff and standoffish with strangers, he usually warms up once he gets to know someone, and those who know him quickly know that the prickly attitude is more bark than bite.
Though trained as a soldier, Watts doesn't strictly enjoy fighting - it always feels like an interruption to more productive, important things. And, truth be told, he is a bit of a coward. Nevertheless, he recognizes the need for combat even - and perhaps especially - in the world of Pariah, so he has built his own wrist-mounted crossbow to give him the tool he needs to end a fight quickly. He much prefers to fight in a party, where he can support the team from a distance with direct attacks, crowd control and debuffs for the enemy, or healing and strengthening his team with infusions in his crossbow bolts.
Watts came to Pariah to stave off his approaching death by stretching out the time he has left. But as he has stayed in the game, he is wondering if, just maybe, there might be a way to make a discovery in age reversal that could translate into a solution he could use outside of Pariah. He revels in the freedom and vitality he feels in Pariah, and is constantly motivated in his quest for immortality every time he is forced to return to his arthritis-ridden body after a gaming session. He has even considered the idea of attempting to upload himself into Pariah permanently, but as desperate as he is in his quest to defy death, he is cautious of any action that might have consequences worse than his present circumstances.
Watts regrets some things he missed out on during his busy life. One of these is that he never found the time to have a relationship with a member of the opposite sex. It wasn't because of a lack of interest, but because of a lack of time. Now that he has essentially gotten a "second life," Watts as Landon has become flirtatious. He tries to remain classy about it, but an eagerness to make up for lost time sometimes comes out in a pickup line or two. He has also picked up a smoking habit that he never would have started outside of Pariah, using it more for the extra edge to his image he presents than any other reason.
Oh, and he's a decent cook, too.
B A C K G R O U N DWatts Broker is dying.
He had been a creative young man who had served in his country's military as a combat engineer, where he had to put his talents for on-the-spot solutions to the test as he disarmed mines and bombs. He then turned his talents to more productive ends with some inventions that harnessed the powers of alternative energy sources, eventually leading into a company that produced many of the world's most energy efficient technologies and left him wealthy. He was free to spend time with the young people of his community during his golden years, where he enjoyed their youthful exuberance...
...until Watts fell sick and became homebound. All the money in the world could not find a doctor or specialist who could help him. After all, even in the twenty-second century, humans had not achieved the technology to reverse the aging process.
Watts grew desperate. The truth is that, despite a long and fulfilled life, he was afraid to die. He felt there was too much he still could offer to the world - and he had regrets, things he meant to do left untried. He invested much of his remaining wealth into every possible solution to extend his lifespan and restore his vitality. Nothing worked. He could probably keep living for a few more years, but his health had deteriorated to the point he was bedridden. He was trapped in his own body.
This led to a dabbling in technologies to at least let him interact with the world electronically, and he heard about Pariah. His interest was piqued by Pariah's claim to allow players to experience time subjectively - he could literally extend his dwindling life and act for himself once again! He did not hesitate to spend the money on the system and its installation in his room for his convenience. The game exceeded his expectations, and has rekindled his hope.
Watts Broker is dying. But through Pariah, he may have the time he needs to discover the secret of immortality...and save himself.
 A T T R I B U T E S 
R O L ESupport
A F F I L A T I O NQueon
P R O F E S S I O NGadgeteer
E L E M E N T A L D O M A I NWater
A R C A N E D O M A I NAlchemy
W E A P O N O F C H O I C EWrist-mounted Crossbow
R O U G H V I R T U A L H I S T O R YLandon Longcross is an accomplished member of the Queon pathos, having readily contributed several time-saving inventions that utilize magical power sources. Many of these inventions are now standard magic laboratory equipment. He is most known for these and for his eccentric habit of spending time with younger people from all the pathos groups - this is tolerated since he is usually sharing his inventions and insight with them, but there is a sizable contingent among the echelons of Queon that disdain entertaining children when the time could be better used for more science. Landon disregards these stuffy labcoat types entirely, except for the cuter women among them, who he makes passes at. In fact, he is regarded with a fond exasperation among women in general, and he has gotten used to getting turned down, just as nearly every female around has gotten used to his flirtatious advances.
And his talent for magical infusion and potion making has not gone unnoticed, either. There is a constant need for magical arrows or other projectiles for adventurers, not to mention the healing and curing potions so essential to a life of danger. Despite his contributions, however, he has managed to fade into the background of life in his pathos, which suits him fine since it lets him continue his studies in relative peace. And he earns enough from providing a steady supply of potions, magical ammo and the odd clockwork gadget that he lives comfortably enough, when he isn't acquiring loot more directly in field expeditions.
It is only those who know him best that can see past his kind and helpful persona to connect the dots of his desperate research into all things restorative. In every moment of time away from others, he is going through the collected libraries of his fellow pathos members, particularly the herbalists and magicians who specialize wholly in the discipline of healing and resurrection. He has even gone so far as to try to obtain ingredients and potions from the black market of Pariah, though he draws the line at knowingly purchasing or using anything derived from harming other human beings. Though how long he will continue to hold that standard depends on how long it takes for him to find what he is looking for...