Wolfgang Ritter

[Laraqua]

Three goals for the journey:

Link up with the Russian spy:,[i]You know there have been rumors of a Soviet spy leaving Paris on the same day, likely a Russian, though not necessarily. This might only be a rumor but it's best to see if you can make any connections with them if this turns out to be the case.[/i]

The Battle of Segovia:,[i]Debrief and receive further mission briefing: You will receive your specific orders and peculiarities for your next deep cover mission on board the Orient Express. Your handle will be identified through the following conversation: Handler: So you fought in the Spanish War? You: Yes, I was at Segovia after they blew the bridge. Handler: Really? Wasn't it terrifying? You: For me it was a farewell to arms. Handler: Well, no man is an island.[/i]

Be profoundly touched:,[i]Something of deeply emotional value will happen to you aboard the Orient Express. This will shake your beliefs and view of the world. An unknown compulsion urges you on to make new acquaintances and to subconsciously seek out this significant event.[/i]

Inventory:

On person: Travel papers and train ticket to Istanbul, a fair amount of French francs, a well-thumbed copy of Goethe's Faust, silver pocket watch on a chain, crumpled photo of a young woman holding a small boy, a notebook and a pencil, small pocketknife. Unaussprechlichen Kulten.

In compartment: Worn leather suitcase with changes of clothes, a semi-automatic pistol, a German-Russian dictionary, a German-Spanish dictionary with a few torn and bloodstained pages, a German-French dictionary, a cypher booklet hidden in the lining of the suitcase, a sewing kit.

Character History:

Prior to the Spanish Civil war, Wolfgang Ritter was a German Literature lecturer at the University of Munich. Because of his socialist sympathies he was denied his tenure in favour of someone supported by the NSDAP. Disappointed in the path that Germany had taken, Wolfgang opted to join the International Brigades and help fight against the Spanish nationalist, hoping that the Republican side would be victorious and that the spirit of the International would spread across Europe and free Germany from Nazi reign.

Due to his background in academia and his left ideals, Wolfgang quickly rose up to become a junior lieutenant in the Brigades. His erudition in the field of literature and his knowledge of Marxist dogma made him a much liked dinner guest of some of the Russian brass, including Corporal Alexej Kropotkin and Captain Yuri Chekov (not related). Due to his close ties with Soviet command, Ritter was 'asked' to help in the disappearance of José Robles, a task he set to with grim determination and which earned him some esteem in the eyes of Mikhail Koltsov, Comintern liaison in Madrid.

On the eve of being invited to Moscow to be further inducted in Soviet doctrine, the Republic lost and the Nationalists took over Spain.
After heavy fighting, Wolfgang fled into France and slowly made his way up the country towards Paris, hoping to catch the Orient Express east to enter the Soviet Union through Istanbul and join the Comintern.



Secrets:

Not-so-secret secret:,Wolfgang Ritter was one of the participants in the assassination of Soviet critical academic José Robles.

TOP SECRET:,Wolfgang Ritter is a German spy. Although he has a background in academia, he has never had much sympathy for the Socialist movement and, on the contrary, has been a member of the NSDAP for all his life. Records of this no longer exist and the Gestapo have made sure that any background checks into Wolfgang Ritter's past lead to his cover story. Sent to spy on the Republic's manoeuvres in the Civil War, his deeper lying mission was to ingratiate himself with the Soviets, so he could be inserted into USSR as a deep cover spy. In Paris, Wolfgang received orders to board the Orient Express to await debriefing and further orders there.

Connections:

People with a history in or knowledge of the Civil War may recognise him, as he keeps his Popular Front pin in his lapel.

[Laraqua]

Appearance:



Wolfgang Ritter is a neatly dressed middle aged gentleman. He wears dark green tweeds with leather elbow patches and decent shoes. There's a red, star-like badge pinned to his lapel.

KNOW-check:,The red star symbolises the Popular Front, a broad coalition of leftist and center-left groups. The star was also borne in the flag of the International Brigades fighting against Franco.

He has medium length blond hair and rugged, sun worn feature. He moves and talks with the casual self-confidence of someone who has seen much of the world and who has great confidence in his abilities.
Although Wolfgang is quick to smile and befriend people, he never completely loses his reserve.

Psychology:,Despite his apparent charm, there is something cold and calculating about this man. His behaviour is akin to that of a predator stalking its prey and you get the uncomfortable feeling that his easy smile would not vanish from his face while he squeezed the last breath from your lips.

Accent:

Wolfgang speaks impeccable High German.

German skill check:,Although his German is perfect, the structure of certain sentences reveal his origins to be Bavarian.

His Russian has traces of a Muscovite accent, but his grammar still shows too much German influences to pass as a native speaker.

His other languages are heavily tainted by obvious German grammar and/or accent.


Age: 48
Height: 178cm


Stats:

Dice rolls,http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4169678 I took the second set.

Strength 8
Dexterity 9
Size 12
Constitution 12
Appearance 13
Intelligence 18
Power 15
Education 15 (+3 from age)


HP: 12
Magic Points: 15
Sanity: 74

SKILLS:,(Important: Non-default skills BOLD, Professional Skills ITALICS, Hobbies preceded by a DOT) [b].Accounting (10%): 40%[/b] Anthropology (01%): Archaeology (01%): Art (05%): Astronomy (01%): Bargain (05%): Biology (01%): Chemistry (01%): Climb (40%): Conceal (15%): Craft (05%): [b].Credit Rating (15%): 45%[/b] Cthulhu Mythos (00%): 1% Disguise (01%): Dodge (DEX×2): 18% Drive Auto (20%): Electr. Repair (10%): Fast Talk (05%): 25% First Aid (30%): Geology (01%): Hide (10%): [i][b]History (20%): 50%[/b][/i] Jump (25%): Law (05%): [i][b]Library Use (25%): 50%[/b][/i] Listen (25%): [i][b]Literature (15%): +50%[/b][/i] [color=#FF0000](if the beginning percentile is 01%, then I'll add the indicated 49 points, if it's higher, I'd like to shift 10 or 15 to psychology, as long as it keeps my literature at at least 50.)[/color] (+) [b].Locksmith (01%): 40%[/b] Martial Arts (01%): Mech. Repair (20%): Medicine (05%): Natural History (10%): Navigate (10%): Occult (05%): Opr. Hvy. Mch. (01%): [b].Own language (EDU×5%): 90%[/b] Other Language: [b][i]Russian (01%): 51%[/i][/b] [i][b]Spanish (01%): 26%[/b][/i] [b][i]French (01%): 25%[/i][/b] [b][i]English (01%): 25%[/i][/b] Latin (01%): [i][b]Persuade (15%): 70%[/b][/i] Pharmacy (01%): Photography (10%): Physics (01%): Pilot (01%): Psychoanalysis (01%): [b].Psychology (05%): 60%[/b] Ride (05%): [i][b]Sneak (10%): 20%[/b][/i] (+)Spot Hidden (25%): Swim (25%): Throw (25%): Track (10%): Hand-to-Hand: Fist/Punch (50%): Head Butt (10%): Kick (25%): Grapple (25%): Firearms: [i][b]Handgun (20%): 49%[/b][/i] Machine Gun (15%): Rifle (25%): Shotgun (30%): SMG (15%)

[Laraqua]

Perk
+20% Fast Talk. As a Deep Cover spy who has spent so much time among Communists, he can pull off Communist beliefs so impeccably that one could never use Psychology or even Hypnosis to uncover the truth. He is the only one who can choose to reveal himself. Even if he goes insane, it will be as a Communist (possibly even coming to believe it himself briefly). The flipside of this is that he's also good at detecting faux Communist or Fascist sympathies and makes Psychology rolls to detect faux Communist or Fascist sympathies as though his skill were 30% higher.