Serge Maillard

Basic Info:

RobertThibault_19400102.jpg
Serge (at right) with a friend, France, 1940.

Player: TeslaTornado

Position: Tracker

Demeanor: Outwardly, Serge is very calm and reserved in his nature, well-spoken when he sees fit to open his mouth. He is personable and polite, with a subtle sense of humor. He has been described as friendly, but not sociable, and is not known to openly engage in social activities unless invited first, preferring to spend time by himself. He is good-natured and trusting, and tries to be trustworthy in return.

Nature: Serge cares about the people he serves with, but he is at heart a self-preservationist. He's even-tempered and quick to forgive but will stay angry for a long time if provoked. Despite being a large man he doesn't like fighting with people, especially those on his team. This leads to his frequently attempting to avoid or circumvent interpersonal conflict between his fellow agents. This can sometimes lead to awkward conversations. He isn't a risk taker, and prefers to stay within his comfort zone in terms of skills and conversations. Despite his inherent fear of death, though, he has been observed going to extraordinary lengths to preserve the lives of his teammates, up to and including placing himself in situations that would otherwise mean his death.

Description: Serge is about 5'10" and has a stocky, broad build, weighing in at around 225-230 pounds, with his wide stance and large torso making him appear taller than he is at first glance. He has bristly, short-cropped dark brown hair and a chevron mustache (which he refuses to shave off, in spite of much jeering and suggestion). He is fair-skinned and has dark, brownish eyes.

Note: After The Final Frontier, he acquired burn scarring on the left side of his face.

Note 2: After Sabertooths and Chameleons, Serge was severely burned in a large explosion, and then attacked. This resulted in several large patches of burn scarring across his back, arms, legs, and neck, and a series of jagged scars on his face.

Stats:

Health
  • Physical Health: 7
  • Mental Health: 7
Basic Skills
  • Physical Defense: 4
  • Mental Defense: 3
  • Perception: 4
  • Agility: 3
  • Strength: 5
  • Persuasion: 2
  • Intimidation: 0
  • Bluff: 0
Pseudo-Specialty Skills
  • Melee: 2 (0 + 2 from STR 5)
  • Ranged: 5
  • Survival: 5
  • Sneak: 3
  • Academics: 0
  • Science: 0
  • Engineering: 0
  • Medical: 3
Specialty Skills:

You have twelve points to distribute among as many or as few specialty skills as you see fit (but at least three is almost always warranted). Remember to explain what each specialty entails.

  • Psychic Detection (3) (Anomalous): Serge is a low-level psionic, who is capable of detecting the psychic fields projected by humans/animals/objects with psychic properties. He is somewhat capable of manipulating the ability to focus on a single target or group of targets, with a limited range. When intensely focused on a single person this can also serve as a form of telepathy or mind-reading, although resistance to entry will lead to Serge being physically harmed.
  • Wilderness Expert (5): Serge's nature as a tracker and wilderness guide means that he has spent a great deal of time in the woods. He is knowledgeable in tracking and identifying animals and plants, and other wilderness survival skills.
  • Vive la Resistance (4): Having aided the Maquis in World War II, Serge became very good at concealing himself and moving undetected by people around him.

Possessions:

List everything your character carries on their person here. Be reasonable.

  • A series of checked shirts of homespun fabric and double-fronted jeans, along with a heavy pair of leather boots
  • Gun belt with MAS 1873 revolver and holster (Loaned to Emily Van Der Linde)
  • Hunting knife
  • Bifold wallet
  • Identification card
  • Three (3) matchbooks containing eight (8) matches each
  • Gold band (pinky finger)

And everything that they keep in their room at Site 19. Anything that's not listed here or in the section above will be difficult for the character to retrieve.

  • One (1) Lebel Model 1886 rifle w/ sling and APX Mle 1921 3x telescopic sight, oilcloth gun sleeve
  • One (1) gunnycloth satchel, crudely patched in several places
  • One (1) pair of binoculars (in satchel)
  • One (1) pup tent, sealed in weatherproof bag (in satchel)
  • One (1) military grade wool blanket, OD green (in satchel) (Ruined after "Psi-7 Hits the Playground", converted into a poncho, then further damaged after Sabretooths and Chameleons)
  • One (1) military grade bedroll (tied to satchel) (Ruined after"Psi-7 Hits the Playground")
  • Ten (10) feet of braided rope (attached to satchel)
  • One (1) hatchet (secured to side of satchel)
  • One (1) pair rawhide gloves; lined
  • Three (3) one hundred round boxes of 8x50mmR Lebel and 11mm Mle 1873 ammunition
  • One (1) oilcloth overcoat
  • One (1) knit wool hat
  • One (1) umbrella
  • Various topographical maps
  • Various wildlife guides
  • A destroyed electroshock machine, from Doctor Monday
  • A recurve bow from Banganash, along with a few dozen arrows
  • Banganashi hatchet
  • Several dozen yards of oilcloth
  • Two coils of rope from Banganash, with climbing gear and tent poles/spikes

Personal History:

Gcma_commando_french_indochina_japanese.jpg
Serge at the front, just before the Fall of Paris.

Being born in a small town in Alsace in 1918 is not the best set of circumstances to have been born in. Nevertheless, Serge insists on the fact that he had a fairly good childhood, having been raised in the woods of Alsace just after its re-annexation into France, Serge had very few dealings with people from the outside world. He lived with his family, which consisted of his father, his mother, two sisters (one younger, one older), and his older brother.

In 1923, Serge's family was forced to relocate due to hunters driving away the majority of the local deer population. They moved to a small village where Serge and his siblings received basic primary education. While not causing trouble in school, Serge was not particularly intelligent and displayed some difficulty in learning to read and write. In later years this led to issues regarding truancy though, he eventually did complete a basic education.

In 1938, Serge followed his nation's call and decided to serve in the French Army, where he was trained as a forward scout and artillery spotter. In 1940, his unit was assigned to defend Sedan just before the arrival of German forces, and in the ensuing defeat withdrew further into the country. After the fall of Paris, Serge escaped from a decisive battle that resulted in 80% casualties in his former unit and retreated into the mountains, wandering for several days before coming across what was believed to be a very well-concealed SAS outpost.

When questioned by the operatives, who were connected with resistance movements in the area, Serge stated that he had "just felt that someone was around here". Further questioning revealed that Serge had felt this multiple times throughout his past, and was flagged as "anomalous". Serge spent the rest of the war helping to coordinate guerrilla raids on German supply depots in occupied France. When the country was liberated, Serge was "transferred" to the United Kingdom for study in regards to his ability, where the Foundation caught wind of him. He was brought to the United States in late 1953, and cleared for service in 1954, taking up a position in the Foundation as part of MTF Psi-7.

Later Additions:

  • In December of 1942 he was nearly captured by German patrols while running messages between resistance cells and SAS operatives in the area. He escaped but lost his messages, which alerted the Germans to the coming raid. When the attack happened, it resulted in a complete failure and the death of 36 men, which Serge blames himself for.
  • Serge hasn't seen his family since 1940, when he enlisted, and he has never gone to look for them. He doesn't know how they're doing or where they ended up, but he continues to write letters to his mother in the hopes that some day, she might respond.
  • Serge went and talked to the forest the evening of 18 March, and it turns out that the forest has a fondness for him! While he wanders Site-19's grounds, he will not get lost.

Relationships:

  • Ivan Zakharov: Serge has a stable working relationship with Professor Zakharov and frequently defers to his judgment. Although he finds the man's excessive emotional detachment mildly disconcerting, Serge recognizes his obvious intelligence and field training, and trusts him to a fault.
  • Reed Wambles: Serge doesn't understand a great deal of what Wambles says, due in equal parts to his accent and legal position, but understands the situation that Reed is in and does his best not to get in the way of that.
  • Pauline Wisniewski: Complicated. Serge has a great deal of respect for Pauline, being a woman in the Foundation and also an engineer and sometime field operative. Also, she helped save him from dying in a crevasse on another planet. But he has some romantic feelings towards her, at the same time being too awkward to properly articulate them. As such, the two move in an odd orbit around each-other.
    • Serge accidentally finally said they're in a relationship of sorts.
    • They're in a relationship. Serge also accidentally went to second base with her.
    • She is dead. Serge never even got to say goodbye. This has potentially led to a great deal of psychological trauma for Mr. Maillard, which he has yet to reconcile.
  • Harley Newclear: Serge has some small degree of disdain for Harley. While he's obviously a very talented and capable field agent with valuable experience, his personality is too abrasive and antagonistic for the two to get along properly.
  • Luvi Harkess: War vets who fought each-other from opposite sides of France. Serge has a grudging respect for Luvi despite his obvious psychological damage, and considers him a good acquaintance, if not a friend.
  • Alexander Hilbert: Serge finds Hill's unflagging optimism and happiness strangely infectious. He thinks Hill is an odd egg, but enjoys his presence nevertheless.
  • A. Monday: Serge has an immense degree of respect for Monday after hearing some of his stories. He doesn't understand everything about the man and doesn't try to, either. He just listens and nods and attempts to take care where he can.
    • Serge was deeply saddened by Monday's passing, but nevertheless is glad to have known him and carries on, trying to live in a way that would make the scientist proud.
  • Laura Moodie: Laura has been kind and friendly to Serge since her arrival on base and Serge has returned every gesture in kind. He appreciates Laura's being around, mostly because she seems to be one of the most well-adjusted and "normal" (read: for Foundation personnel) people on base.
    • Since Serge accidentally fumbled into Laura's head one slow February night, he feels a lot more closely tied to Laura. That kind of encounter isn't something that happens every day, after all.
    • Laura's death affected Serge greatly. He feels sad that she is gone, but cherishes the memories he has of her while she was alive, despite the pain associated with them.
  • Katie Moodie: Katie is a child, and as such Serge is rather awkward around her. But it is difficult for Serge to not get along with her when she's so damn adorable.
  • Serge is confused by the New Katie's having aged several years since their last meeting. But he's adapting. Slowly.
  • Albert Van Der Linde: Serge has respects Albert a lot, due partially to his surrogate-fatherhood of the Moodies and his actual fatherhood of Emily. He's an old man who has done a great deal of wrong in his life, but he's trying to make up for it—and that alone makes up for the atrocities he may have committed, in Serge's book.
  • Zoe Aleron: If there's one person in the Foundation that Serge can find it in himself to hate, it's Zoe. She has caused more trouble for him than everyone else on site combined. He finds Zoe unpleasant, rude, impulsive, irrational and very, very annoying and questions her competence at every possible turn.
  • Gus Enriquez: Serge likes Gus, but would rather he not talk quite as much as he does.
  • Emily Van Der Linde: Emily bears a striking resemblance to Serge's own younger sister, whom he has been estranged from for fifteen years. She's young, and scared, and scarred as well, and Serge is hell-bent to keep her from getting hurt again.
  • Matt Harrison: The boy who's dating Emily. He hasn't really spoken with Matt and as such doesn't have a good read on him, but all Serge knows is that if this boy turns out like the last one, he'll break this 'Matt' in half.
  • Olga Sapkowski: To say that Serge doesn't have nerves around Olga would be a lie. Miss Sapkowski is scary, primarily due to the fact that she is so diametrically opposed to Serge in so many ways that it's not even funny. However, Serge respects Olga and, at least partially, understands the suffering she has endured. Serge would consider her a friend, although Olga wouldn't reciprocate it, even at gunpoint.
  • Lisabet Tande: Lis and Serge are like peas in a pod. They've saved each-other from death an utterly ridiculous number of times at this point and Serge basically considers Lis a younger (older?) sister. The two of them coordinate well in field operations due to the amount of time they've spent serving with each-other.

Miscellaneous:

Serge is an accomplished marksman with a recurve bow in addition to rifle and pistol marksmanship.

He is fluent in French and conversant in German and English.

He maintains regular contact with his family, and misses them greatly. They believe he is gainfully employed as a hunting guide in the Adirondack foothills.

Serge plays accordion at an amateur level and refers to it as "his favorite instrument".

Serge has trouble grasping higher concepts of math and science, and he is not an exceptional reader, sometimes having to resort to reading out loud. He displays no shame in this.

(For others) Since everyone is so interested in Serge's facial hair, this is a chevron mustache.

Monday's final letter to Serge:

Dear Serge, My French is a bit rusty, so forgive me if any word is out of place. When we first met, I attached some electrodes to your head and shorted out the site. Since then, you've become one of my closest friends and trusted colleage. Most people would've looked at me, a german, and thought the worst, but you aren't like most people (Most French people anyway). You've got a kindness, an innocence that I think most people have forgotton exists. With everything that's happened with Anna and Bowe, you're one I know I could trust. Be good Serge, and have a good life -A. Monday

Serge was the recipient of the Tarot card "Innocence", which (presently) depicts a small blonde girl and a boy who looks like Serge playing in a forest.

XP: 18

21 Total

(12 Feb 2014: Spent 8 XP on 1 rank ranged)

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License