Martin Hanford

Gender: male

Age: probably mid-50s or so

Race: Southern European

Likes: quality food and drink, exciting/entertaining stories of foreign lands, making money (he's not greedy, just very proud of his business and the savings he has built up for his family)

Dislikes: people who zealously preach their religious ideas, being condescended to by arrogant wealthy young people with no experience of the world. Whatever's currently the most fashionable style of music.

Occupation: runs an inn/tavern in a small village about a half a day's ride from the capital city

Appearance: Slightly overweight, very tanned, greying moustache and beard

Hobbies: Listening to and telling jokes and stories, gossiping, arguing about politics. Used to play a lot of sport and still enjoys passionately discussing it. On quiet afternoons he likes to set up sporting competitions between customers and reward winners with free drinks.

Quirks: He is unusually courteous to young women, despite his rough manner with other customers, because he sees in them a resemblance to his own daughters.

General Personality: cheerful, hospitable, which comes with the job. He is compassionate, but reluctant to take risks to help anyone other than his family, and is nervous of the authorities who have the power to take away his livelihood.

Special Abilities: has a superpower - the ability to detect whether any other given person has a superpower themself. He can't actually identify what that power is, though.

Ordinary Talents: He has surprising physical strength for his appearance. He is a shrewd businessman.

Family: Three teenage daughters of whom he is quite protective. He was devoted to his recently deceased wife. He had hoped for a son, but would never consider marrying again.

Prized Possession: A rare fruit tree from a foreign land, that wouldn't normally grow in these conditions and has to be constantly cosseted to keep it alive. He is paranoid about people, birds or animals touching it or going near it. Also, some things that once belonged to his wife.

Other Notes:


 * During the time period in which this story takes place, the Kingdom of Dorland has a level of technology roughly equal to that of Europe during the Napoleanic Wars. They have different social mores and customs, however.


 * He has several people who work for him - one of them, Caribeth Winderville, has a superpower. He considers it impolite to ask her what it is (although I know), he just knows she has it.


 * He will end up using his talent to help my protagonists recruit allies for what becomes their superhero team.