The Interesting Origins of Gervais St. Germain
by Chester S. Rothington
Gervais St. Germain was born and raised within the idyllic town of Tuscany in Italy. Born of a beautiful, passionate Italian mother and stoic, equally handsome Japanese samurai of old-blood stock (and one of the few Neo-Tokyo politicians allowed to live outside of Neo-Tokyo), he was raised in a manner that would be used more for a farmboy then a neophyte of old-world money.
Indeed, it all began with Makoto Ichiiden, known Ambassador for the Imperial Bloodline, came to Italy. There, he not only fell in love with the tranquil, rolling green hills and idyllic beauty Tuscany is known for, but for a beautiful, passionate young Italian woman named "La Doña de Tuscani," her real name being Donata St. Germain. A proud, fierce, and violently passionate young woman, she was the gem of Tuscany, the most beautiful and physically passionate of them all…and Makoto fell in love at first sight of her pounding two would-be molester-tourists to the ground.
Yeah, she's not "Oh Romeo, Oh Romeo" passionate, she was freakin' frying pans and butcher knives passionate.
Anyway, it took them a little while, but eventually the couple became acceptable to the community and her parents (both VERY important to her), especially after Makoto acquiesced to taking her last name as his own. "Certainly, I do not give up my family ties, but my family name in exchange for Donata's love? She will more than compensate for such a thing. So long as my honor is intact, I can love her this way."
Eventually they would have a child, "Gervais Tokisada St. Germain," who was both beautiful and bright. A precocious young boy, his parents raised in him a almost poetic blending of Japanese ideals and Italian joy for life: indeed, they let him roam the countryside as he saw fit, and raised him knowing the ways of both of his cultures. The community took to the small child immediately, and he was well known for being both a scamp and a tease.
So free was his childhood, his father did not consider it a dishonor when Gervais, upon taking up the sword for the first time, realized that his would be just as much a way of violence as his father's…but the sword was not for him. Makoto, sensing this, allowed him his swords anyway, and so long as he would never give up training in them, allowed him to take up another form of weaponry…eventually, finding boxing as his wonderful outlet of violence.
"The sword is a important part of the samurai's life, this is true. It is also true that not all samurai are for the sword. Keep your swords, and your honor intact, my son…but you MUST find what you are good at. For the defense of beloved Italy and Neo-Tokyo, you must always keep the tenets of Bushido intact, as well as your honor and values."
Gervais, allowed to blossom the way he had, was as intelligent as he was good at the things he took up. So much so that he was allowed to graduate from high school at the tender age of 13…whereupon he felt the need to learn more of the world than beautiful Tuscany could ever teach him. So it was that he bid his family farewell and took up a traveling circus for employment.
The circus itself was of a rare breed, staying completely clean and respectable despite their travels and choosing the right kind of places. They toured Europe and the Americas, traveling all over the world eventually. During this stay, Gervais St. Germain took to every aspect of the circus, becoming several kinds of a performer (never the star, always the student, always learning), and throughout their travels he made many contacts and business investments, straying away from the darker aspects of said investing opportunities and only working through official lines of business. Stocks, options, etc. Eventually he had mastered tumbling, juggling, animal training (he was quite good with animals, actually) and working with them as a tamer, knife throwing, and flame/blade swallowing. He abhorred the tightropes though, figuring it to be too glamorous for himself (though the ladies and gentlemen who worked as tightrope walkers would have been more than happy to show him the ropes), and instead left the "star positions" for long-time circus performers.
After learning every aspect of the circus, from carnie sideshows (which were notorious for actually NOT being rigged) to the big top entertainment, he decided to opt out and retire from circus life, much to the grief of his co-workers. It was here at the circus that he truly blossomed and, later on, he would never forget this: indeed, to this day he remains a business partner of the very same circus, who operates both shows in Vegas as well as a traveling show.
During this time he returned to Tuscany and gained his college credits, paying to pass exams directly and secretly gaining his degrees while looking over his family estates (his parents had by now both retired from their own exciting jobs and were away on vacation). During this time he made the fateful decision that would forever change his life: he knew of his mother's heritage by growing up amongst the soft, green rolling hills and vineyards of Tuscany…but what of his Japanese side?
Upon his parents' return, he announced that he was going to liquidate his assets and go to Neo-Tokyo on his own dime. His parents, happy for him and proud of his decision to live without their help, gave him their blessing and he quickly bought a plane ticket to The Crater, and arranged for his own citizenship lapel-pin.
Once in Neo-Tokyo, without either a dime or a copper to his name, he quickly arranged with his previous contacts (from when he was in the circus) gainful employment as an apprentice to an accountant…then, within a manner of several years, quickly rose to the top of the financial heap.
Along the way, he had run across something he had never done before. Italy was a town of Catholics, and his father was of Shinto beliefs (which, strangely enough, wasn't the reason why the community and the St. Germains were against his initial relationship with Donata), yet he himself remained Agnostic…
That is, until he came to Neo-Tokyo, the world where Gods walk amongst men.
Eventually though, he came across a god that he could not shake, indeed one whose name would crop up again and again within the world of business and accounting.
Keagro Magefang.
Eventually, the very same Keagro would schedule a luncheon with him at the Bistro du Riche, the place that would later on become the Marina at the Lake. There he wined and dined with the dark god of business and law, discussing Gervais' background and the story of his life thus far.
It was Keagro who suggested that Gervais would be nothing if it wasn't for his background, his inheritance to come and the confidence of his youth did not come to him naturally like youths in poorer areas, but rather from old-world money. Gervais St. Germain, never rising to the bait, simply lit a cigar and let it slide around him like he did any inane or uncalled for emotion, and replied that nothing would have made a difference…and that he, Gervais St. Germain, cared not for fate, or background, or whatever. He was who he was, and not even background or environment controlled his actions.
Thus it was that he accepted Keagro's challenge: upon being audited (and, through several loopholes, having his entire account drained), within one day Gervais St. Germain would awaken the next day poor, penniless, and even his fine clothes, accouterments, and immaculately silverback hairstyle (he had turned silver upon the age of 9) completely in disarray, homeless, and completely wrecked.
Gervais St. Germain, at the age of 25, found a situation that SHOULD have destroyed his outlook on life. Instead, he merely looked from one end of the alleyway to the other, found a rock, cleaned it off, glued crystals to it with his own semen, and sold it to a shopowner as a "modern-day pet rock." After selling it to a passerby within two minutes of showing it to the shopowner who had, at first, shook him off the owner immediately asked if he could get more.
Gervais St. Germain and the shopowner entered into a partnership that immediately granted Gervais St. Germain cashflow, a better change of clothes, a place to style and cut his hair (which he did himself, by the way), all the things he needed to build up his empire once again. After only two months Gervais St. Germain found himself with a bank account that was twice as large as his previous, with businesses owned in areas that he had never figured to be very profitable (toys, hobbies, and otaku centers and arcade game production), and twice as powerful as before. Keagro, more than satisfied that the terms of victory had been met, conceded that Gervais St. Germain had won his challenge and returned to him his initial businesses and the entire proceeds of his old account.
On one condition: Gervais St. Germain would receive these and never be harassed by Keagro or anyone else outside of the Imperials again…so long as he also accepted the position of His high priest.
GSG: ::inhales deeply of his cigar, once again acquired after much haggling with the creators, then lets it out slow and luxuriously:: "But…of course."
So it was that at the tender age of 25 the relationship of "Job" (as he would be called by his chosen God) and Keagro began.
Well…the rest, as you guys know, is history. Gervais St. Germain would eventually invest quite heavily into the Marina at the Lake, as well as several other high-level government contracts. From then on he became so deliriously rich that only an act of government could unseat him…and even if it did, perhaps he'd have to start over again, here or elsewhere in the world. It's not as if he's done it before though! One thing is for certain though:
"No matter what comes, no matter what happens, one thing in this world is certain…and that is the uncertainty of it. When you're Gervais St. Germain though, come what may, life is going to throw you for a loop. I guess the moral of the story is that…well…I'm Gervais St. Germain, son of La Doña de Tuscani and the Ambassador of Neo-Tokyo. Of course I'm going to come out of it smelling of roses and Honduran-rolled Cuban cigars. It's all about, how would you say…simply your outlook."