The Fate Broker

CONNECTION: None; relies on associates

DIGITAL APPEARANCE: No avatar The Fate Broker—once known as David Archambault—is a whisper that has haunted UbiquiCity since its creation. The rumor mill always buzzes, and his legacy has lived for nearly half a century. Those who have his favor refer to him as Kingmaker—for his ability to replace leaders and positions of power with a whim—and those who are out of his favor call him the Kingbreaker. He rarely contacts anyone directly, and rumors paint him in every size and shape. Those who have gained the greatest favor know that he is an ailing, balding man who walks with a cane. Though he’s more than a hundred years old, medicine has kept him seemingly on the brink of his fifties. Those who have heard his unmodulated voice describe it as highly educated Southern. This drawl comes from his time living in Louisiana, and David incorporated it into this character to distract from his native Massachusetts accent.

TFB controls large scale complex events throughout the city. If something big happens, it's likely his fingers are on it. He runs three major operations; each of these oversees eleven major cells, and each major cell monitors and relays information on an unknown number of smaller cells utilizing an unfathomable number of agents known as The Whisperers. Many people who work for him don't even know it, instead believing they work for any other organization—from charity to organized crime.

TFP will kill adults, preferably men, and only rarely will he kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it. But his moral code is very formal and innocent bystanders, children, and animals are strictly off limits. His anger flares when he deals with human trafficking, slaves, abuse, or any other form of major human rights violation. For each tiny piece of his plan, he might be seen as both an angel and a devil, heroic vigilante or dangerous criminal psychopath. But from a more remote perspective, each cell of his operation forms part of a much bigger pattern. For him, this is a means of benevolence. His plans often prevent large scale catastrophes, putting a stop to everything from invading forces to out of control madmen. While he uses everyone from the homeless and street gangs to multinational corporations as pawns, TFB is always concerned with “the bigger picture”. Each part of his plan is like a puzzle piece, and he trades primarily in information. The right information can save or kill millions. Vital data can change the course of humanity for better or worse. But when simply words or numbers aren’t enough, he can provide everything from new identities to undoing complicated red tape. TFB insists everyone has a price; it’s just not always counted in money.

The Fate Broker brings families together, proves the innocence of the wrongly convicted, helps the righteous and punishes the wicked. He’s Robin Hood, the Punisher, and Batman, all rolled into one, and he never has to lift a finger. The Fate Broker works the city like a complex machine, tirelessly and often without thanks. He’s saved the world more times than he can count and has the blood of a million deaths on his hands. His plans operate like dominoes, with contingencies based on his intuitive mastery of human psychology. His drives are the protection of society and the fate of the world.

Personally, he is still David. He likes the finer things: expensive alcohol, culinary delicacies, luxury cars, elegantly tailored suits, classical music. But he’s just as comfortable dressed in rags and eating at a cheap food stall in a squatter town.

The Fate Broker has two rules in game: (1) there is always a contingency, and (2) the Fate Broker always wins, even when he apparently loses.

Book 1: “Rat Queen to Black King” (S L Koch)