[Beriadan] Commander Sam Vimes

Name
Samuel "Sam" Vimes
Aliases/Nicknames
Age
Late 40
Gender
Male
Fiction of Origin
The Discworld Saga [The City Watch]
Genre
Fantasy
Role
Cast
Faction(s)
The Library Watch
Historia
Samual "Sam" Vimes was born on Cockbill Street in Ankh-Morpork, the largest and grubbiest city on the Discworld. This particular area of Ankh-Morpork was one of the poorest, so poor that most people couldn't even afford to commit crime. In his youth, Sam was a member of the Cockbill Street Roaring Lads, who didn't so much cause trouble as they did loiter and make the place look untidy. He attended a dame school, where he found his first taste of authority as a Blackboard Monitor. Sam diligently monitored, chasing older and much larger boys away from defacing his charge. He was beaten up a lot, but always got back onto his feet, gripping the chalk eraser like a weapon of justice, eyes alive with a flame that made most of the other boys back off. His education ended shortly after, not from anything Sam had done, but because his family was too poor even to afford such a low-profile school. While Sam had picked up a lot from his learning, later in life he still felt like he suffered intellectually because of this. Sam's mum had to raise him on her own after that, after his father was run down by a cart (what Vimes suspects may have been a beer cart, and less being run down than drinking the whole thing dry).

Sam joined the city watch at sixteen after spending his youth helping out his mother and staying out of trouble (where he could, at least). He was shown the ropes by Sergeant Keel (who, confusingly, later turned out to be himself after a mishap with a magical library and a time travelling monk) and grew into a strong, capable member of the Night's Watch, rising through the ranks as he went. However the weight of Ankh-Morpork and the world in general pushed him into dark places. As Captain, Vimes became a drunk (not an alcoholic, a point he pushes vigorously, as alcoholics were usually rich knobs with enough money to throw around on expensive alcohol, and he couldn't afford the addiction) and the Watch dwindled in size, and vitality. That was until a dragon attacked his city, and Sam roused himself from the darkness that had kept him contained for so long.

Vimes soon took the Watch to greater strengths, employing new officers of different species and backgrounds. He was promoted to Commander (against his will) and then made a Duke (also against his will). Vimes had made the Watch strong and self-sufficient, but this meant that he had less to do when it came to policing, and more in the realms of nobility and the ruling class, which he loathed. So when he found himself transported into the world of the Great Library, a universe where it came to light that he was just a character written in a novel, Vimes felt a thrill he hadn't felt for a long time. Actually, for a solid week he just laughed at the whole ridiculousness of it all, that his existence had sprung from the over-imagination of someone else. Rather than despairing, it made him see how much things mattered, after all. 

Because habits are hard to break, Vimes found himself with a new opportunity in an old skill. He brought together other like-minded Denizens from other books who inhabited the Library, and founded the first Library Watch. Captain Carrot and Angua had followed him as well, helping him set up this functional guard and police force, and together they set up a band of Denizens who looked to keep the Guardian HQ and the Entrance Hall safe of crime and illegal activities. Vimes revels in his new role, though he does often step back into the Discworld to visit Sybil, his wife, and their son, Young Sam, as well as walk the familiar streets of his home. You can take the man out of Ankh-Morpork, but you can't take Ankh-Morpork out of the man. It's something about the smell.

Appearance

General Appearance
Vimes could be described as handsome, if you look at him from the other end of a street, cover one eye, and squint. He is rugged, cobbled, chiseled in a way that quarry rock is. Vimes keeps himself clean shaven, with short cropped hair, because there's nothing worse than some bastard grabbing a fistful and having control over your head. His eyes are a deep steel grey, always focused with mistrust and annoyance at most people before him. Vimes's clothes are rarely pristine, always looking rumpled and grubby as if he has worn them for several days solid, which is usually the case. He is a lanky man, tall and wirey with surprising muscle beneath his skin. His Watch uniform is what he is seen in most of the time, bronze breastplate that is heavily dented and the polar opposite of shiny, but durable and reliable. It also comes with a leather shirt, jerkim and a standard truncheon, as well as a secret pair of knuckledusters he keeps deep in his pocket.

Weapons & Equipment
The Guiding Dark
The Guiding Dark is a lantern that holds the dark at bay. It takes the form of a sword, a battered and rusting old thing, yet as sharp as any blade. In the presence of an evil mind or dark thoughts, the blade glows like a lantern, and when swung it concentrates all of Vimes's anger, hatred and malice into it. Yet it is not a sword that can ever be used to kill. As powerful as it is, The Guiding Dark is a tool to bring criminals and villains to justice, not to their end. It is not for Vimes to decide the final moments of any person or being, but rather to put them in a place where he can drag them to justice.
The Badge
Vimes's Badge sits proud and polished on his breastplate. Most police badges don't protect their owner, merely proclaim to the world who he is and what he stands for. The Badge is one of the few that breaks this rule, if not for a moment. Once a day, The Badge can protect Vimes against any attack, no matter how powerful, lethal or otherwise overwhelming. It covers him and up to four others in a dome of brilliant light which absorbs and negates anything that tries to harm him. Vimes can't conjur this defense himself. The Badge decides when he needs protection. It is what watches the Watchman.
Vimes's boots are frayed and worn, so thin he can feel the ground beneath his feet through cardboard soles. The Ten Dollar Boots manifested as his first pair of shoes, and many pairs thereafter, that Vimes wore while on the beat in Ankh-Morpork. They grant him the ability to mentally map out the area around him, just by closing his eyes. They show him the layout, also highlighting any traps or dangers around. The Ten Dollar Boots also tell him who has passed by the area recently, as well as any details about them, regarding size, how long since they passed, how many there were and even if their intentions were good or criminal. Vimes can read the streets, or in this case the aisles, through the soles of his boots.
Personality

Vimes is, inherently, a cynical and distrustful soul. He runs on the idea that nobody can be trusted, and then works up from there. He has few good opinions on people in general, and even less on those in positions of nobility and power, something that comes into conflict when he looks into the mirror and a man in a position of nobility stares back. The possibility that anyone he meets is innocent of any crime is pretty much zero, and Vimes runs with this philosophy with every single being he encounters. That way, he thinks, he can't be surprised when that turns out to be true.

Vimes holds a lot of anger within him. His sheer, incandescent rage is only just overshadowed by him wanting to be Lawful and administer proper justice. He knows that, as soon as he swings his sword with passion rather than justice, he will go down a dark path, one that would echo that of his ancestor, the Kingslayer Old Stoneface Vimes. His sense of justice is strong, however, and can overwhelm powers that try to manipulate him to kill for one reason or another.

Vimes is, or was, a chronic drunk, but this stopped when he married Lady Sybil Ramkin. This revealed that Vimes was actually a Knurd, the total opposite of a drunk, someone who is so extremely sober due to the fact their mind cannot produce its own "alcohol", unlike most other people who do so to deal with the horrors of the world. Vimes takes these head on, and for the sake of others shoulders the burden himself. This is especially true for his wife, and son, but also for everyone else that he finds a soft spot for.

Vimes is a firm believer in the institute of law, and holds a special place in his heart for the poor and downtrodden in society. He views the law as the great equaliser, regardless of race, background or creed, something he brings with him into the Library.

Vimes is far from perfect, and has his own prejudices. He is disdainful of non-human species, but also hates humans too, so perhaps it is more accurate to say he hates everyone regardless of race. However, he dislikes vampires more than anyone, and is extremely biased towards them. Vimes hates dishonest policemen, and won't tolerate anyone taking bribes to look the other way. In his view, no matter who it is, the law must apply to everyone.

Vimes is intensely anti-authority, and the fact he can be like this while being in a position of authority himself has been described as "practically zen". He hates being called His Excellency or His Grace, but accepts Sir or Commander.

Relationships

Friends/Allies
The Library Watch
Vimes has many close allies in the Library Watch, none so much as his fellow Discworld inhabitants who followed him there, but also a few of the other Senizens who joined his group of like-minded policemen and detectives. Vimes commands them with mutual respect.

Enemies/Rivals
The Fractured
Vimes finds himself constantly at odds with the Fractured. To him, they are just another breed of criminal, and one that he aims to bring to justice. No being can escape the Law, even those who think their stories are above everyone else's.

Abilities & Skills
Police work
Vimes is an excellent policeman, detective and Watchman. He has decades of experience, as an officer and a commander, and thrives in both leadership roles as well as having his feet directly on the ground. Not many criminals can get away from Vimes the Terrier when he latches on to a trail of clues.
Intimidation
Roleplay Sample