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Bold Escape

In the early days, as Volpes and Azurium were establishing their operations, it was important to build up a reputation by pulling off bold, daring acts of rebellion against Oplentian authority. Azurium still had to work to maintain his cover as captain of the guard, leaving Volpes to handle the finer details. Whether it was breaking political prisoners free, raiding military storehouses to redistribute their supplies, or robbing wealthy aristocrats blind, Volpes lead and coordinated many operations across the city, often taking them on himself when no other was capable of the task. And when the city watch started to close in, despite his bulky physique, he had an uncanny ability to slip away before anyone could catch him in the act, giving him the air of plausible deniability he needed so that his man-on-the-inside could justify letting him go.

In truth, this was no magic trick. Volpes had already won the loyalty of the poor and homeless of Oplentis through his work establishing a free clinic in the city slums, where few of the nobility dare tread. People who are otherwise easily ignored, left to fester on the fringes of Oplentian society, were more than happy to share idle gossip and rumor regarding their “betters”. When combined with the information fed to him by his newly installed double agent, it was easy to keep one step ahead of the ruling class.

So their organization would grow. These dregs of society would either become titans themselves or choose to forego the enhancement in order to act as spies in the social circles that would openly frown on their true origins. In high society, the leader of this new criminal element, and his co-conspirators, would become a mystery. To the poor, it was an open secret.

Another raid, another jailbreak, and somewhere out of sight of the guards, a foxkin, much larger than his species should allow, was effortlessly vaulting away, through an escape route settled on after careful planning and deliberation. And as his momentum carried him over to safety, he smiled at yet another job well done.

This YCH from Marsel-Defender from November of 2022, was perfect for Volpes. He is, ultimately, a criminal who undermines the authority of the corrupt city he calls home. And as a result, he is often evading those same authority figures.

The tricky part writing Volpes during this period of his life is towing the line between his dual personas as a ruthless crimelord and local hero/pillar of his community. Both are strong aspects of his character, and inform the way he operates in his world. In this description, he can see how his status as a community leader makes his illegal activity easy, especially since most of his allies know that said activities will benefit the poor and impoverished they mostly hail from.

Though he started out as just fetish fuel for me, Volpes grew into a complex character that I’m proud to have realized.