Shaun Gilmore

Appearance
Bold, flamboyant, and glorious. Gilmore is a good-looking fellow with medium-dark skin and thick, curly black hair, including a goatee he keeps neatly braided. He has a softer physique and a bit of a tummy, and enjoys wearing loose-fitting purple robes decorated with plenty of sparkles and jewelry. In person, he always seems a little bigger and brighter, owing to his grandiose mannerisms and rich, booming voice. For customers, Gilmore has a bright-white smile, and for friends, a powerful hug. At times, when he employs his magic, a faint glowing rune might appear on his forehead.

Powers
Gilmore is a powerful sorcerer and enchanter. Magic runs in his blood, quite literally -- when he casts powerful magic the energies flow through glowing runes on his skin, and can be stored and released as needed. Gilmore can cast a wide variety of spells, though he prefers to use his magic to either make his life easier (like creating teleportation circles) or fashion remarkable magical objects for sale or personal use.

Talents
In addition to his innate magic, Gilmore is a natural tinkerer and creator, skilled in alchemy and enchantment, and quite good at various handcrafts such as woodworking and jewelry. Where he absolutely shines above all else, however, is his ability to turn anything into gold. Not literally -- though he's tried -- but through his sharp business sense and keen trading tactics. He is an exemplary businessman, and invests his profits in the local community, reaping both the monetary and social benefits of doing so.

Interests
Running Gilmore's Glorious Goods takes up most of Gilmore's time, but for as hard as he works, Gilmore takes great pains to live his best life. He loves parties, wine, and food, being with friends, art, music, and theater. Gilmore is a very glittery purple social butterfly and is very rarely, if ever, found alone.

History
Shaun Geddmore was born into a simple life in a small village on the desert continent of Marquet, near the seashore. He grew up comfortable, with loving parents, but the village of Shamal was too small to contain the bold ambition of young Shaun. He wanted to see more of the world and run his fingers through every golden opportunity waiting for him. In short, Shaun Geddmore wanted to be rich.

Around his twentieth birthday, Shaun left Marquet for Tal'Dorei, a continent across the sea ripe with the kinds of big cities where a talented enchanter like Shaun could make his fortune. He changed his surname to something "a little less... Marquesian" to fit in with Tal'Dorei culture, and opened Gilmore's Glorious Goods in the capital city of Emon. Shaun's particular cocktail of talent and determination saw him through the ups and downs of a new business, and established him as one of the finest suppliers of magical curiosities, potions, and other goods for "the discerning adventurer."

A decade into establishing himself as a pillar of the Emon community, Shaun chanced to meet a group of adventurers who called themselves Vox Machina. The odd little band charmed him (especially one very pretty half-elf fellow), and he agreed to sponsor the group in exchange for advertisement. It wasn't long, though, before he started to consider Vox Machina something more like friends. When dragons attacked Emon, Shaun was gravely injured trying to help others escape, and Vox Machina saved his life in the ruins of his own shop. After that day, Vax, Vex, Keyleth, Percy, Grog, Scanan, and Pike were cemented in Shaun's heart as family.

The nation of Tal'Dorei, and indeed the entire world of Exandria, faced world-shaking dangers, but Shaun Gilmore weathered them through with his open charm, big heart, and considerable magical talents. When Vox Machina faced Vecna, an evil entity that aspired to ascend to godhood, Gilmore was kidnapped and placed at the center of a trap: he was enchanted and disguised in the armor of Vecna's followers, and placed in Vox Machina's path as they raced to stop the ascension ritual. Somehow, his dear friend Vax recognized him beneath the armor, and the enchantment was broken when Vax lifted the black metal helmet away from his face.

That was the last time Shaun saw Vax'ildan alive.

Days later, while trying to comfort refugees and gather his own life together after the near-apocalypse of Vecna, Vox Machina found him with the news that Vax hadn't survived the battle. He held them all close, and knew in his heart that it was time to leave Tal'Dorei. There was more world to discover, new lives to lead. He gathered his assets and set off into lands unknown.

Quite unknown, as it turned out. Shaun was never exactly sure how he came to Wall, but he found the town very much to his liking, and in need of someone of his particular talents. Gilmore's Glorious Goods was flourishing again within just a few months, and Shaun made new customers and new friends -- but found it more difficult than he imagined to forget Exandria, and Vox Machina, and Vax.