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You must understand that many Lycene retirement plans are delivered by the tip of a blade. But that's not the beginning, is it? In fact, it's not the end, either, for Madrien Daupenne. Not yet anyway. His shrewd mind singled him out early for complex training and his extreme calm under pressure continued his slow rise over decades of service. Victories were admirably consolidated, and defeats suitably weathered, over those years, such that his insights in matters of coin and finance became valuable, then valued, then amply rewarded. It is known, on a personal note, that during these years he once had a wife... and a child? Children? The matter is unclear, but it is certain that his family would have been as comfortable materially as they must have been entirely bereft of his time, and presence, and care. It is also certain that they no longer are in Iriscal. Should they still exist anywhere at all, they must be better off for having been part of his family, as certainly as they must hold no warm thoughts for him, as a person, at all. In due time, Madrien was granted a position of some authority, as one of the Ministers of the County. All was well, until it wasn't. The Countess Lucrezia fell victim to an assassination and the winds of change blew under a new Countess. It became incumbent upon him, as with other non-family in high position, to offer his resignation and wait to have the offer rejected, or accepted, or accepted along with his life's blood. In his case, he lived and continued in service. It must be seen as a particular favor, and calls out for exceptional effort, to rebuild, and build further, and advance the House in its financial success.

Madrien Daupenne seldom commands attention in any particular room he happens to be in. That would seem a strange allocation of resources to his mind. In fact, his appearance in general is seldom up to the high standards of Lycene society at all, his thin frame draped in comparatively drab garments and his wiry silver hair and peppershot beard constantly verging on inadequacy in their grooming. This is because he is arrogant, not vain, and, so, believes that his other admirable qualities far outweigh his aesthetic impairment. It is a statement of both pride and indifference. Overall, his body and features give off an impression of elongation that can trick the eyes into registering his form as being taller than he actually is, and his expression almost never gives off any genuine cues as to his internal state. The words used to describe his resting facial expression mostly range from 'bemused' to 'hateful' with, typically, a large collection of votes for 'completely indifferent to all aspects of my very existence' slathered over top.

Madrien can actually be quite charming when he puts his mind to it. By all accounts, he seldom chooses to do so. Rather, his bouts of likeability are sudden and brief, tending to end abruptly with the clink of another person's coin in his pouch. And the requisite paperwork neatly ordered and signed in all the necessary places, of course, since his mind, belying his appearance, thrives in system and order. His is a keen and perceptive intellect, barrelling down a direct line between the present circumstance and his preferred outcome, and it would require all the force of a nearly inhuman will to redirect it. Fortunately, he is also possessed of just such a will, and can, when necessary, make those changes. Often, he will even undertake to slightly conceal the very real disdain he feels towards a person who requires of him such an effort. Things, objects, such as numbers, may present a challenge but they do not constitute a problem. Presentation of a real problem requires an active agent, a 'person' if you will, and that person is always the absolute worst. He also possesses a dry, quiet wit that can manifest as sardonically as the rest of his personality, but displays it seldom enough that it cannot either be expected of him or accidentally humanize him.