"Those who sit on the fence make their own choice, in their own way."
Rank: Brigadier General
Affiliation: The First Order
Age: 32
Height: 5'10
Weight: 182 lbs
Hair: Brown, shaved
Eyes: Green
Skin: Fair
Homeworld: Ession
Force Sensitive: No
Voice:
Theme: Wo alle Straßen enden
Traits
Heart of Iron: A veteran of several wars, both regional and intergalactic, Gotz has little by way of sympathy for his enemies or those that would support them. He's long abandoned the idea of a 'gentleman's war' and is known for his ruthlessness. He will fight like a cornered dog until the enemy is at his gates, and expects the same of those that oppose him. Prisoners are rarely taken, and when they are, they usually live a short and unpleasant life until their use to him and whatever state he serves expire.
Way of The Warrior: Gotz has a twisted sense of honor. In war, all paths are valid, and all methods are both expected and encouraged. He has immense respect for both allies and opponents that fight as he does, with tooth and claw and mind, and looks down upon those that do not commit to the ideals of Total War in a conflict. Likewise, Gotz views cowards and half-hearted soldiers as little more than vermin.
Eternal Struggle: In Gotz's mind, life is simply a conflagration of wars, ranging from conflicts of nations, to battles for food waged by beasts. Existence is the great test to prove the supremacy of oneself over all others. The resourceful thrive, and the content perish, that is the natural order of things. To struggle is to live, and to submit is to die.
Egomania: Gotz is obsessed with legacy and what will be said of him after his death. As a youth, he always considered himself as the other, viewing life as if he was simply an outsider observing through a sheet of glass. This has followed him into adulthood, and forged an intense desire to be valued by those around him. When he is admired and respected, Gotz is a happy man. When he is forgotten and ignored, he spirals, and only the reclamation of that lost sense of respect can ever bring him any sense of true happiness.
Fading Compassion: When he was young, Gotz was known for his desire to protect and care for those around him. It's why he lied about his age and joined the military of his homeworld at the age of fifteen. Years of conflict have eroded the sense of duty and obligation to his fellow man that led him into the service, but the fire has not died completely. There are times when the boy that Gotz once was can win out over his domineering personality, but those times are rare, and Gotz views them as moments of weakness that he'd be better off not having.
Fallen Star: The military of his homeworld was short on officers during the last days of its intergalactic hegemony. Gotz was elected to serve in a crash course education for fledgling officers, and quickly rose through the ranks as senior staff died off or deserted during the final days of the war. He was given command of the entirety of the armed forces, and was viewed as a heroic figure by his people: reveling in his purpose. Unfortunately for Gotz, his enemy was far too great, and the homeworld burned as the very heavens came crashing down upon it. By sheer luck, Gotz survived the fall, but his reputation was ruined by the failed defense. He seeks to right that wrong, and prove his worth to the galaxy itself before the grave comes calling.
Tactical Genius: There are many traits that mark the greatest generals of history, and for Gotz it is his empathy. It served him well as a protector in his youth, and as a predator in adulthood. He has a keen understanding of the mortal psyche and the innate fears and traumas that come with simply existing. Two thirds of war are psychological conflict and logistics, and Gotz has mastered both.
Man of War: Gotz prides himself on his ability to understand the soldier. By his own admission, he does not understand 'normal people', the civilians, the cattle, the proles. He does not understand what drives a man to live without battle, to raise a family and live in peace, but he understands conflict. He understands the miasma of emotion that drives a man to give his life for his country. He understands the brotherhood born of shared struggle with his comrades. He understands the ecstasy of total victory, and the devastation of failure. Gotz lives a life of extremes, and those that live as such understand him as he does them, but those that do not will see naught but a monster in man's flesh.
Charismatic Leader: Whether it is genuine affection or simply a play for public appeal, Gotz is generally beloved by the men he leads. He treats them well, eats with them in their shoddy tents, and lives as a soldier of the line even when better circumstances are afforded to him. Harsh to his enemies, but fatherly to his allies, Gotz treats the men under his command as if they were his very own sons, and will offer counsel as such, whether it is wanted or not. Known for his gallows humor, Gotz can get along with just about anyone that is not easily offended, and makes fast friends of those that share in his grim view of existence.
Oathkeeper: Gotz is a firm believer in the sanctity of oaths and promises. He will keep his word if it is given, even if it means betraying whatever forces he serves. To betray trust is to betray himself and besmirch his very name, both of which are cardinal sins to the disgraced field marshal.
The Strill: Gotz has little love for those around him, but he does have one singular tether. A Strill, whom he has affectionately named Bear, raised from a cub at the man's side. Bear gives Gotz something to hold onto in the mortal realm, something to come home to. He will quit a battle if all is lost if only for the fact that if he did not, Bear would starve. Without Bear, Gotz would be unhinged at the very best: a man with nothing to lose. So long as he has his Strill at his side to provide for and love, Gotz would live rather than die. Without the beast, there would be nothing left to tether him to his mortal coil, and the relief that oblivion offers would be impossible to deny.
Appearance
Standing at 5'10, Gotz is not a large man. His frame is fairly average, and his features have followed suit. He keeps his brown hair shaven to the scalp to hide the early onset of baldness, and his face clean of anything beyond stubble. His features might be patrician, were they not marred by large bags from routine sleepless nights, and a peasant bloodline. He generally wears the officer's uniform of his homeworld despite the dissolution of its military, and wears a cloak of terentatek leather and Nerf wool to keep himself from freezing on winter campaigns. His skin is pale and marred with imperfections from the many conflicts he has taken part in, from the warping of the flesh on his face from plasma, to the deep scars from a vibroblade on his gut. The only thing that marks Gotz aside from his officer's uniform are his sharp emerald eyes, green as the algae laden seas of his homeworld. He takes pride in them, viewing the rest of his body as ugly and unworthy of any adulation aside from the accolades he has earned in combat.
History
At the age of fifteen, Gotz enlisted in the army. He was a good soldier, followed orders, did as his betters bid him. It was structure, and structure was what the youth craved. He served in several campaigns as a simple infantryman, fighting wars for his leaders as was expected of him.
Born to a family of peasants, there were no ancestral ties or oaths that wound Gotz into a life of greatness. It was one that he chose for himself, with action and sacrifice rather than nepotism. His ability to lead was noted by his sergeant, and when officers became a rarity, he was recommended for a crash course to fill the ranks. Gotz did as he was told, served as he was bidden, but it was only when he'd become a 2nd Lieutenant and achieved some level of notoriety that he discovered his love for glory.
The war continued, and officers fell. With too few to fill the ranks of the general staff, Gotz found himself jettisoned to leading positions within the army. As before, he served with due diligence, though now he ate up the love of the public: they saw him as the last bulwark between themselves and oppression.
Unfortunately for the youth, inexperience and an overwhelming hostile military spelled his eventual defeat. His army was routed, his planet glassed, and all that was left of the young hero of the homeworld took to Zeltros, where a life of debauchery awaited.
Four years of gambling, whoring, and bloodlust followed. Gotz's life was akin to that of a modern gangster, and he reveled in the attention it brought him. It was only the words of one of the leading Hutts on Zeltros that stirred him from a life of depravity: that such a life was aimless and left little, and that a life of glory and legacy was the true path.
Stirred by the old beast's words, Gotz gathered what little men remained, and formed a warband to serve the highest bidder. His ambitions range far beyond his local scope, to the stars beyond, and now he seeks to align himself with one of the major galactic powers in search of acclaim and, in his mind, some sense of redemption.
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