Emory Gottlieb

Scar, sitting on the bridge of his nose.

When fully possessed by his two weapons, Emory's powers will physically manifest:

• Darkened hair with blond ends
• Gold eyes
• Raised gold veins on the face, particularly in the eye socket
• Blackened skin on the forearms, ending in the merging of the two daggers and his own hands.

As a Scourge, Emory has access to a variety of melee abilities that are rooted in blood magic.

Emory carries two unnamed daggers. At the peak of their power, they manifest as two spirits able to directly possess their master's body. As "ensouled" weapons, they have something of a will of their own, characterized by and reflecting Emory's own feelings of fear and anger about his discipline of Scourgery.

Before the Beta Test

Emory grew up with a younger sister and his parents in the middle of suburbia. He was a latchkey kid, but excelled in sports, which kept him busy all through high school and college. He was never overly interested in video games considering how busy he was with sports and studying. He doubled majored in sociology and business, before moving onto graduate school to earn his MBA. He met his future wife, Carolina, at school while she was studying medicine. They were married for two hectic years, and their conflicting schedules soon made it obvious their marriage wouldn't last despite having a daughter, Charlotte. They separated and while their relationship was amiable, it's clear that neither had the time to dedicate to their marriage.

During the Beta Test

He received a call from his younger sister the day after the Beta test was initially announced. She confided in him that she had agreed to take part in the test, but was worried she would have to stay in Tregaron until it was over. Both he and his parents were concerned for her safety, and he flew to Tregaron to try and convince her to come home, though it didn't go as planned. While staying with his sister in Tregaron he opened a Speed Riot account, curious as to why Delphi Innovation's games seemed so popular. His sister was furious, urging him to go home and close his account immediately, citing the risk and danger of the Beta test for Iliad Rising. He agreed but eventually forgot to delete the account.   On the day of his sister's death, a message from a GM popped up on the long-dormant account: his sister could somehow be saved in exchange for Emory taking her place in the Beta test. Emory agreed, and found himself in Dianera, without much explanation for how and why he was there.

In Dianera

While in Dianera, he resolved to find his sister, convinced she was somewhere in the world, and along the way met the Scourge Khaluun. After training with her for some time, Emory found his way to Beacon Hill. He, along with several others, agreed to help the Coalition's leader, Aevis, with some conditions—the Coalition help him find his sister.   Emory witnessed his sister sacrifice herself to the Well of All Souls during the Raid of Tregaron, and disappeared shortly afterwards. He felt disillusioned by the Coalition's abject failure, and turned back to his primary goal of getting home. This was interrupted, however, when he was told he had fathered a child with his Scourge mentor and he felt a deeper obligation to stay for the sake of the unborn child.   After witnessing the fallout of the Gates' manifestation, and after spending more time with his new family, Emory has turned more introspective. However, he still holds onto his belief in altruism and the importance of morality. As the Champions travel to shut down each Gate, he's come closer to understanding what kind of trauma has been inflicted on the group while they've been in Dianera at large.

Emory, while on Earth, earned an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Business as well as an MBA.

Before the Beta Test and Dianera, Emory was employed as a Consultant at one of the "Big Three" consulting firms in the country.   In Dianera, he currently works in tandem with the Champions (though he doesn't personally consider himself one).

While he won't admit it, Emory has deep issues with repressed emotions. Having been in the position of a caretaker for almost all of his life, his first instinct is to bury unpleasant emotions that would otherwise hinder him. His reflexive reply of being "fine" is one surface-level clue about these issues. He feels deeply conflicted about becoming a Scourge, witnessing his sister's apparent suicide, and has feelings of extreme guilt for "abandoning" his oldest daughter, Charlotte. These feelings have continued to stay under the surface for the time being.

Emory tries to diffuse situations where and when he can without fighting. He believes that at least trying to have a conversation and sharing viewpoints to find common ground is the best way to try and ease tensions. This comes from his both his upbringing and his experience as a parent.

Emory is an altruist at his core, believing people should do the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do. When met with morally dubious choices or tough decisions, he usually will opt for the choice that will have the most morally "correct" or best outcome. He's a pacifist, at times outright refusing to fight someone even if it means bodily harm to himself. He doesn't believe in there being any kind of "preventative" violence. Because of his outlook on conflict, he has deep-seated and repressed negative feelings about his discipline as a Scourge.

Emory's primary motivation is always to look after the wellbeing of his loved ones and family. Secondarily, he's motivated by wanting to help others if he ever has the opportunity to do so.

Emory usually has a keen eye for observation and reading between the lines of a situation. He's emotionally intelligent, though he has a blind spot for his own issues. He's also knowledgeable about basic survival skills and outdoorsmanship, having first picked up a liking for it in Boy Scouts that stayed with him as an adult.

Likes:

• Dogs
• The beach
• Napping and sleeping in general
• Dark-roast coffee
• The outdoors and camping

  Dislikes:

• Violence
• Loud noises
• Getting interrupted

Emory, like his sister, was raised in the Reform Jewish community with the rest of his family. While being in Dianera has introduced him to other faiths, Emory still identifies with Judaism.