Name: Zander Marrick
Age: 30
Class: Pure Illustrian
Position: Benefactor, Training Facility Administrator
Character Visual: Ralph Fiennes
Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSmmM5NdW88

Appearance: About six feet in height, Zander sports a lean and healthy build befitting one of his upbringing. Unlike those who adhere to the immaculate Illustrian standard, Zander looks pretty unkempt by comparison... His thick, brown hair always seems to be perpetually wind-blown. Finely-trimmed sideburns tend to give way to an even amount of stubble. Despite this mussed visage, there's still a subtle air of style about it all. Much like his father, Zander also has bright grey eyes that often appear silver under the right light.

Zander's attire is usually made up of mix-matched suits and outfits ranging from high to fast fashion culminating in a highly controversial yet personal style that tends to blatantly run counter-point against the Illustrian norms. Fashion critics have argued amongst themselves for years over whether he has an ingeniously hidden sense of style or simply throws on the first things he grabs out of his wardrobe.  Renowned fashion designers have reputedly torn their hair out at his initial irreverence, yet never openly condemn his habits in case he happens to spur another vogue trend among the Illustrian youth wearing their products.

Distinguishing Features: Aside from his expressive facial features and piercing gaze, there isn't anything in particular that stands out.

Personality: Taught by the best, Zander knew how to maneuver the sociopolitical gauntlets and battlefields of the Illustrian elite with ease. He was the consummate social chameleon. After the first Trials, Zander began to openly and blatantly disregard societal protocols and decorum with such charisma and charm, he quickly developed into one of the more notable cults of personality among the class. Brazen, flamboyant, arrogant, abrasive, contemptuous, cynical, mercurial... Just a few adjectives openly used by the media to describe the man who has become one of the most recognized benefactors involved in the Trials. Zander treats his friends like enemies, his enemies like friends, love you one minute then hate you the next. It all depends on his mood and the time of day. To his fans and detractors, he is all but a living caricature of the social elite. What makes him all the more endearing to his supporters is how self-aware he is of the image and personality he presents.

This is even more evident outside of the limelight, where his savvy awareness belies his cunning and dramatic flair gives way to a colder edge of moral indifference and ethical ambiguity.

Occupation: Benefactor, primary investing contributor and administrator to the Training Facility used  for the Fruition Trials.

Special Talents:
- Zander is fully qualified and capable of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of head administrator of the Fruition Training Facility.

- Due to his family history, Zander has a very acute grasp of Valport's military, protocols and it's inner workings due to personal and familial connections. He is also exceptionally knowledgeable about military weapons, armor, systems and technology.

- It has been noted that he has a knack for avoiding spyderbots especially within the Training Facility. Ever since the Trials of 2214, very little media footage of him within the Training Facility exists and it is exceptionally rare to find archived footage of him at the Facility from prior Trials either.

- Information. If he isn't able to acquire it with his vast resources, he knows someone who can... whether they like it or not.

History:

Zander is the grandson of Donovan Marrick, a former Ignoble Vanguard who rose to the Illustrian class back in early days of the "Fruition Games". He was part of the first wave of contestants among the Ignobles and first in line when the Prominents were allowed entry. Donovan rose in rank, reputation and fame, eventually marrying a woman who came from a very wealthy Illustrian family whose forebears once served in the military but have since branched out into the industrial sector, eventually becoming one of the Valport's leading companies for researching and developing weapons, armor and system tech exclusively for the Vanguard.

Once he finished his tour, Donovan used his money, knowledge and connections to help others who wanted to better their lives by taking part in the Games and became one of the first Benefactors. Eventually, he retired and passed on the familial power to his son, Conrad. Though Conrad focused upon maintaining the family business passed down through his mother's side, he also continued in his father's footsteps as a Benefactor and took it one step further by helping develop training programs and equipment until the "Games" were transformed into the "Trials". Through clout and influence, Conrad became the leading investor in the construction of the government sanctioned training complex and ran the facility up through the Traitor Trials, after which it was passed on to his son, Zander.

Growing up, Zander was always a bit restless. Some have claimed that his behavior resulted from a certain type of ennui that was common among Illustrian youth heralding from powerful families, others would attribute his angst to being the only child in a family that may have planned out his future before he was even born. There were grains of truth in both of these lines of thought, since the Marrick family had reached the pinnacle of Illustrian society and he could spend his life living off the fortune and fame of his familial legacy. Unfortunately, Zander was energetic and ambitious. He had attended enough of his parents soiree's to regard the idea of becoming an idle socialite repulsive, pretentious and (worst of all) boring. Groomed to be the model son when he was a child, he was meant to be the potential suitor when he reached his teens and an the inheritor of the family legacy once reaching manhood. The social conventions, decorum, protocols... it was all quite stifling.  But as he grew, Zander's innocence melted away and he began to see through the veneer of Illustrian amiability to recognize the social politics that were in play at these events. The duplicitous games they played with one another, the quid pro quo's, the leverage, the power, the influence, the pecking order... all hidden behind a carefully crafted facade and upheld by the unspoken rules of the Illustrian elite.

When the Traitor Trials were announced and the facility was complete, Zander had virtual free reign to explore the complex and observe all that took place. It wasn't until he began to interact with the contestants that he truly realized how naive he still was. It was a akin to a social awakening the likes of which he wasn't expecting. Zander always heard his parents and their friends talking about the participants, especially during the planning stages of the Trials, but it was a whole different world interacting with them face to face. It was the first time he had any direct exposure to members of the lower classes. How they acted, talked, expressed themselves. It was such a refreshing change of pace and he took great satisfaction interacting with them.. even the ones that openly disliked him. At least until they realized he was the son of one of the most powerful benefactors to date. Then things quickly changed and it felt like they were trying to play the Illustrian game without having the slightest inkling of the rules. Zander grew resentful of their clumsy attempts to ply him for his favor in hopes that it would gain his father's sponsorship, yet the lengths they were willing to go in order to gain that edge was quite intriguing. How much were they willing to sacrifice to better their chances at a better life? What was the ultimate price they were willing to pay? Was the prize worth the price of the personal integrity that made them who they are?

It was when the Trials had begun and he watched with piqued interest that he was struck by an epiphany... a realization. The Illustrians had grown so complacent in their wealth and power, they had lost their edge for the games they thought they were playing. It was like suddenly realizing that all this time, he hadn't been watching masters playing chess, but fools haphazardly playing checkers with chess pieces. They were merely going through the motions. The art of the game itself had been lost since there was no longer any real endgame to motivate the players nor was there any worthwhile prize to incentivize any sence of growth.

Since the Traitor Trials, Zander's perception of the the classes began to shift as did his behavior. He galvanized years of Illustrian social grooming with the "uncouth" attitudes exhibited by the lower classes. He also tested the boundaries of social acceptance with newfound fervor. Given his involvement with the Trials, this caused him to become a celebrity in the public eye whether he liked it or not and it only served to embolden him in his other endeavors. Off camera, Zander began to create his own personal network with a level of ruthlessness his peers weren't prepared for. After all, money meant nothing to a man with access to more than he could spend in his lifetime. Morals, ethics, integrity, dignity, reputation, pride, fame... These were his preferred currencies. If someone wanted something badly enough, there was always a price they were willing to pay. It was only a matter of finding it.

Having become fascinated by the Trials and what they represent, Zander has since taken on his father's title and responsibilities as Benefactor. Over the years, he has continued to expand upon the Facility and the training programs offered therein, which would continue to breed a new caliber of contestants that would, in turn, present new opportunities for the Devisors to improve the Trials themselves. It wasn't until the Trials of 2214 that he began to take a far more personal interest in what he considered to be his facility. The ensuing bloodbath that took place began to raise oddly specific questions in his mind concerning the Devisors and their methodology. It wasn't for the sake of fairness or concern for the contestants well being that motivated him, it was a matter of principle. Zander considered the complex to be his house and he made damn sure that nothing happened within those halls without his knowledge or permission.

Then controversy arose three years later with the 2217 Trials. While there were no solid leads or evidence to support them, there are theories to this day among many Trial enthusiasts and pundits that imply that Zander might have had some sort of influence on the unprecedented survival rate. It was no secret that Sauvage's office kept in regular contact with Zander, though many couldn't figure out why he would want to spite the Devisors in such a way. Then again, if there was any real evidence that implicated him in tampering with the event in any way, surely a formal investigation would have commenced and a federal inquiry would have been made.

As it stands, the Devisors were content to stew in what they considered to be their greatest failure to date while Zander was free to go on about his business. The years have passed and now that the season is upon Valport once more, Zander descends from his family estate to take his place in the Training Complex.


Family:
Grandparents - Donovan & Rosalind Marrick
Parents - Conrad & Alicia Marrick
Siblings - None

Likes and Dislikes (non-sexual): It's well known that he is a a bit of a hedonist and tends to pursue hobbies and activities that can hold his interest long enough to entertain or amuse him. Conversely he abhors anything he finds dull or boring. These attitudes also extend especially towards the people around him. He also enjoys making deals of Faustian proportions just to see what would drive a person to accept them. On the flip-side, he's not entirely too fond of welchers, though he greatly enjoys orchestrating their comeuppance.

Worst Fears: While losing his control over the Training Complex is a close second, his biggest fear would be losing his driving force, his motivation to do what he does and become just another stagnantly impotent aristocrat going through the motions of life with a thumb up his ass instead of actually living it... basically becoming that for which he holds the greatest amount of utterly unadulterated contempt.