Gerard Sombre, Le Commandante

NAME:
Gerard Eric "Commandante" Sombre

AGE:
43

GENDER:
Male

NATIONALITY:
French

BIRTHPLACE:
Orleans, France

BIRTHDATE:
March 4th, 1969

PICTURE:

Spoiler:

DESCRIPTION:
When you grow up your whole youth in a military family followed by a life of military service it really starts to corrupt your sense of style and what clothes might be normal. At a certain point fatigues become as comfortable as a T-shirt and jeans, if not more comfortable. Wear a holster long enough and you stop feeling like you have clothes on when you don't have one. Gerard is exactly this kind of man. Gerard almost always finds himself in a loose fitting and olive drab BDU jacket covered with numerous patches from his years of service and some he's made for himself. This jacket is normally accompanied by a tight T-shirt of some kind or a loose T-shirt depending on temperature and mood. He normally wears the jacket open and has the sleeves rolled up so he doesn't over heat in the African heat. Drab pants with lots of large pockets, often filled with ammunition or other assorted junk, bloused into old leather combat boots are a staple for nearly every day attire. The only time this really changes is when he dresses up for some kind of event, which is rare to say the least. Perhaps the two most signature aspects of his outfit are his snap-side Aussie boonie hat with a large Militaires Sans Frontières or MSF emblem connected to the left side of his hat. This emblem is also proudly displayed by all of his soldiers and worn on the left breast of his jacket. The other noticeable part of his attire is the eye-patch over his left eye. He lost the use of his left eye during his first combat mission in Inferis and instead of opting for a glass eye he chose the eye patch to give him an extra layer of interesting to his visage.

Clothing aside, Gerard is a rather fit man. He has long lean limbs and muscles that  he manages to keep with continuous work and a devoted diet. He knows that his life may be in peril at any time and never neglects his health. He stands at a tall-ish six foot one inches and seems taller because of his posture and general prescience. Gerard replaced his once neat and trimmed hair cut with a massively long braid that has not been truly cut in over ten years. His hair is very long and he often wraps it around his neck to keep it out of the way. His hair is poker straight and a healthy auburn color. Luckily for him gray hair is something he's managed to avoid so far and that plus his healthy life style makes him look younger than he really is.

He is nearly always carrying a fire arm of some kind. Either being a small side arm or a large assault rifle slung over one shoulder. He has carried weapons nearly his entire life and honestly feels naked without them. They also help keep him safe in an ever dangerous world.

PERSONALITY:
The Man:
All men are truly just men. In the end what else can you be? In this role Gerard is rather normal. He likes to drink and enjoys the company of men and women who also like to have a good time and don't take things too seriously. If there is one thing that one might think of Gerard it would be that he doesn't take things seriously enough. However, this is not the case. Despite his cool head and quickness with a dismissive joke Gerard actually takes things very seriously. When things threaten him or his men he may joke abut it but he weighs the potential threat heavily and chooses accordingly. His nature to treat things as light or a joking manner is a defense mechanism to keep him and his soldiers level headed and making sure they don't panic.  After all, what is a charging demon if your commander is cracking jokes about it the whole time? It's all a front.

The Commandante:
Those under Gerard's command know him as a what he really is. A focused, calculating, kind heated commander of men. Gerard might be friendly with his men but it is all business when he gives an order. He always takes criticism well and looks for ways to better his battle plans and engagements, however, when it is final it is final. Questioning the Commandante during an operation is not tolerated and often punished with expulsion or suspension. The chain of command can not be compromised during times of peril, even if you did smoke a six foot bong with him last night.

The Philanthropist:
Gerard is always willing to lend a helping hand. Either it be to a poor man begging on the side of the road or dispatching a unit to help escort a group of refugees over the border free of charge. He knows nothing in this world is free and many people were dealt a shitty end of the shitty stick. He does what he can to help and always squares away any debts he incurs by asking his men to assist him in these endeavors. He often asks if any of his men wish to volunteer and normally he met with many hands raised. Gerard's kindness and willingness to help those less fortunate is inspiring and rubs off on his men easily after only a short time.

The Philosopher:
All men have a philosophy. Many think about the world on their terms and most use that perspective to try and understand what the world is. Gerard does this in a strange way. His Militaires Sans Frontières, or Soldiers Without Borders is his expression of perfect world. His men are fighters by trade yet do not swear themselves to any banner or ideology. Instead they fight for who needs them and for the pay that comes with it. Gerard never hires out to any cause he does not believe needs their help and often provides discounts to those in need, sometimes working for free. This has given him the odd reputation as a mercenary commander with a heart of gold. His men may not ascribe to any other ideas but all of them are blood bound to the banner of MSF. They bleed for the freedom and power that comes from having no bounds but those of your brothers in arms.

HISTORY:
Military Brat:
In all times, be they in peace or at war, there will be a military. Even in a country that is not known for their military prowess(at east in modern times) like France. France has always had soldiers and has always had need of them in combat. These soldier were made up of men devoted to their country or at least to some vague idea of patriotism. The Sombre family were no different. Gerard's father served his country and his father before him and his before him and so on. The Sombre's could trace their family line back to knights and other powerhouses of French military strength and renown. In the end it seemed like fate Gerard would end up in the world of soldiers and fighting. He was raised by a proud soldier and then eventually became one himself. He was no common rabble though. His family was rich and prestigious. He was sent to a fine officer's school and they made a commander out of him. It was in that school that Gerard really began to develop who he was. He found it was easy to get people riled up and then get them to do what he waned. It was a quality that made him useful in the Airborne Division. His command skills plus his seemingly inate competence behind a control stick granted him a seat behind the pilot's stick of a gunship. Soon enough he was flying formations around the country side and laughing it up with his fellows. Life seemed grand. However, Gerard was not satisfied. He'd never seen combat nor did it look like he would. He decided to do something that would place him at odds with his family forever.

The Mercenary:
Gerard transcended the idea of patriotism and took to the world of private security. he found a whole world of opportunity waiting for him. Rich investors that would pay him to fly missions to shoot up camps in a gunship or fl men to point B from A or even extract them. It was during this time of his life that he became acquainted with the chaos that was Africa. He found that he was flying missions for diamond companies and slaughtering civilians or scaring them away. It was horrible. The money was great and the contacts he made were invaluable but he could not stomach the evil that he was bringing to these poor people. He fought for these heartless people for seven years, before he was noticed by a different kind of organization.

The Templar:
Gerard was recruited out of reputation and prowess. He was a fantastic pilot and seemed to have a knack for keeping his men calm and focused during the mission. His success rate was perfection and his heart was in the right place for an organization looking for heroes. Gerard was taken by surprise and at first didn't believe the men who came to head hunt him. He was like any normal person, he thought tales of demons and ghouls were just that, tales. He was eventually led into their ranks and never looked back to his old life. Not only was he fighting for the betterment of all man kind but they paid him well and let him help design new flight equipment. His first mission ended in horror when his gun ship went down and he suffered extensive injuries, including losing his left eye. This was the last time Gerard ever lost a ship though. He wised up quick and became an effective Crusader in both worlds for a strong six years. It was after those six years that his ideology began to form. His service as a mercenary taught him that people would pay for soldiers and there was always an enemy to fight. His service to the Templar Order taught him that no country or nation was needed to keep this world safe. No, one needed only to have the ability to fight evil and to be willing to do so. So the next chapter of Gerard's life began.

The Commandante:
MSF was born. An army without borders, soldiers without a country. At first it was only a small private security group that Gerard worked on in his s[are time. It however began to gather steam. Over the course of ten years his once small idealistic band grew to a standing army with no one to answer to but themselves and Gerard. It was like a dream. He dispatched his men to fight against evils and collected money from it. He protected politicians and got paid for it. He fought and helped people at every turn, both in his service as a mercenary leader and a Templar. Not only that but his banner drew many skilled soldiers to it. Those soldiers could then be head hunted by the Templar Order if they proved effective enough. His army grew to over a thousand strong and the money from the Order funding their operations as a puppet organizations and from the missions they took rolled in. Soon enough they were the best outfitted army in Africa, even better than most national armies. The dream had become an army.

The Future Paladin?
Gerard had moved beyond just the role of a Crusader. He was organizing operations in both the Templar MO and in his own real world manner. His work flow moved from crushing to well distributed to subordinates and proxies. He supplied the main security force for nearly every dignitary that meant anything in the continent. He was invited to great parties and had personally recruited over a hundred new Templars in the past four years. His influence may not have been official but it was astounding. Regimes would fall if he ordered them to, wars changed when he dispatched soldiers. Would he ever have an official title? Or would work on in awe of his own works with no recognition?


SKILLS:
Fixed Wing Aircraft: Gerard is a pilot. He has been his entire military career. While he is not a great fixed wing pilot he is more than qualified to fly almost any sub-sonic fixed wing craft around and fly it well enough for combat missions. However, he has never took the stick of a super-sonic jet and wouldn't know what to do if he did. He might be able to fly one and reduced speed but he is not qualified to go super-sonic.

Rotorcraft: This is more like it. Gerard's specialty. He is a phenomenal helicopter pilot and has qualified in nearly every rotor craft in the world. He can do things in a chopper that most sane men would vomit at the mere idea of. Behind a heli-stick Gerard is a mad man and has no fear. For good reason. He is one of the best if not the best combat pilot in this world or the next.

Military Training: Gerard is a soldier. He can fire an small arms that exists in the world. He is a decent enough marksman. He was never renowned for his fire arms skills but he is more than competent when a gun is in his hands. Aside from fire arms Gerard has been trained in Close Quarters Hand to Hand combat and can hold his own in a fight if need be. Gerard is a well rounded soldier over all.

Inspiring: Gerard's most useful skill has he sees it is how people respond to him. He seems to bleed and aura of positive energy and lightens any situation just by entering it. He keeps a cool head and makes sure his men know that they are going to make it out even if he has to come get them by hand. Gerard is always quick to cut tension with a joke and keep men's spirits up and lead by example. This is what really makes him a cut above the rest.

WEAKNESSES:
Pilot: In a chopper Gerard is a force of nature outside of one he is a soldier. While many Templars have extensive ground fighting experience Gerard does not. His skills are decent but he is no commando on the ground. Just like another normal soldier. Better to keep him in the sky and on the radio.

Philanthropic: Gerard is a giver and a sucker for people in need. He has been known to go out of his way and outside of mission perimeters to help people in need. This can be an exploited weakness for someone who knows him and sometimes needlessly endangers himself or his men.

Just a Man: Gerard is a man, a French one at that. Show up with a bottle of wine and short cut dress and soon enough you might have him eating out of your hand. Gerard is self aware and knows he is easily led astray by a woman but self awareness only helps so much in the face of seduction.

Vices: Gerard has been through a great deal and everyone has a coping mechanism. His happens to be the demon drink, tobacco, and marijuana. He is not an invalid by any means but it would be hard to find him without a cigarette  in his mouth or a night where he  wasn't drunk, stoned, or both. When it's mission time he puts the booze and weed down but never leaves it alone for too long.

Nightmares: Gerard is plagued by nightmares. This is the main reason why he dulls his senses at night, trying to stop the nightmares. Gerard relives his combat missions in Inferis every night and never enjoys them. This makes him a conic insomniac and often tired during the day.

COLOURS:
French, Blue  English, Cyan  Swahili, Red  Spanish, Yellow other than that he can understand key military phrases in Russian, German, and Demonic

TRIVIA:

- Prefers a fine red wine to any other drink.
- Smokes hand rolled cigarettes and cigars made of his own personally grown tobacco.
- Doesn't hate demons, just sees them s an obvious threat to world safety.
- Has never been to America
- Prefers dark skinned women.
- Left handed.
- Shoots right handed though.
- Has a crush on Tatyana.
- Is an avid reader of classic literature.
- Has published a romance novel
- The only competition for Seishin's hair
- Call sign "Big Bird" (Just for you Ross)




ALIAS:
Dread, you know it, you love it..

OTHER CHARACTERS:
Mr. Black, She, Sister Vetrov, Ramiel, Hattori Kazuya.

ROLEPLAY HISTORY:
Ever since Coyote dropped the Shoshone people in the Great Basin.

FACECLAIM:

Code:

[b]Hellsing[/b] :: [b]Pip Bernadete[/b]

CUSTOM RANK:
Philanthropic Militarist