Bramble Jean
The Gilded Gnome. The Politician Father. The Smile Behind the Knife.
Bramble Jean
The Gilded Gnome. The Politician Father. The Smile Behind the Knife.
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Bard (College of Eloquence) – Level 5 (or adjust as needed)
Background: Guild Artisan (reflavored as Politician)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (with shades of Neutral Evil)
Affiliation: The Gothika Committee
Backstory:
The younger son of legendary community leader Willa Jean, Bramble grew up constantly overshadowed by both his mother’s moral legacy and his older sister Shorsi’s natural kindness and compassion. Bramble, however, craved more—more respect, more influence, more recognition. His life became a carefully crafted ladder climb through the political machinery of Gothika.
Marrying Mimsy Goldwick, daughter of a famous socialite, elevated his standing. Adopting Kaladin Jean—the mysterious dark elf child found in dire circumstances—became another strategic move, a way to present himself as compassionate and progressive. Kaladin was raised in the public eye as a symbol, a pawn in Bramble’s endless pursuit of power.
Bramble’s relationship with his sister Shorsi is strained; he views her idealism and humility as naive, even embarrassing. Now, as darkness encroaches on Gothika, Bramble’s carefully balanced house of cards teeters on the edge of collapse.
Current Role:
Bramble now sits on the powerful Gothika Committee, one of the key figures shaping the city’s future. Publicly, he is beloved: a symbol of family values, gnomish integrity, and tireless service. Behind closed doors, however, Bramble is calculating, self-serving, and increasingly willing to blur ethical lines to maintain his position.
As Gothika falls deeper into chaos, Bramble’s mask begins to slip. And those closest to him—especially Kaladin—are beginning to see the man behind the performance.
Personality:
Bramble is charm personified. He speaks with warmth, listens attentively, and always knows the right thing to say. But underneath the surface lies an unquenchable hunger: for power, for recognition, for more. He is deeply insecure about his legacy and obsessed with outshining his mother’s name.
He sees people as pieces on a board—useful, expendable, or dangerous. His affection is performative, his generosity transactional. Yet somewhere buried beneath the ambition may still flicker a trace of the boy who once just wanted to matter.
Appearance:
Bramble is a meticulously groomed gnome with neatly combed silver-streaked hair, expensive tailored suits, and a constant, polished smile. His eyes, once warm, now carry a glassy sharpness—always calculating the next move, the next angle, the next headline.
He wears a signature pocket watch, a gift from Willa that he rarely mentions but never parts with.
Quirks and Traits:
- Political Chessmaster: Every gesture, every word is deliberate—he plays long games few can see.
- Image Obsessed: Maintains a carefully curated “family man” persona for the press.
- Manipulator: Uses charm, guilt, and subtle coercion to control those around him, including his own family.
- Secret Envy: Quietly resents that Kaladin has real magic and mystery—things Bramble could never possess.
Notable Relationships:
- Mimsy Jean: His wife. Theirs is a marriage of political convenience as much as love, though Mimsy is sharper than she appears and may have her own quiet power plays.
- Shorsi Jean: His elder sister, who Bramble views with cold disappointment after her involvement with The Institute. She is the family failure he rarely speaks of.
- Kaladin Jean: His “adopted son”—paraded as a political trophy but never truly loved. Bramble uses Kaladin’s story as a pillar of his public image, but now that Kaladin is growing into his own power, their relationship is fraying at the seams.
- Willa Jean: His mother. The great disappointment of his life is that he has never surpassed her in the public’s heart.
Role in the Story:
Bramble is a wolf in diplomat’s clothing—a man who may be an ally, an obstacle, or a dangerous enemy depending on how the players interact with him. His control over public narrative and legal systems makes him uniquely powerful in non-combat situations.
For Kaladin, Bramble is the embodiment of manipulation disguised as love—a father who never truly saw him as a person, only as a means to an end.
Whether he stays on the political stage or falls into disgrace will depend on the choices the party makes—and the lies Bramble can no longer hold together.
Mimsy Jean
The Velvet Smile. The Perfect Hostess. The Power Behind the Curtain.
Mimsy Jean
The Velvet Smile. The Perfect Hostess. The Power Behind the Curtain.
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Bard (College of Glamour, reflavored for social manipulation) – Level 3 (optional for encounters)
Background: Noble / Socialite
Alignment: Neutral (with flashes of Chaotic Neutral)
Affiliation: High Society of Gothika / The Committee (by marriage)
Backstory:
Born to the illustrious Goldwick family, Mimsy has always been the darling of Gothika’s upper class—flawless, charming, and effortlessly poised. Her marriage to Bramble Jean was not built on love, but on the promise of mutual political gain: his ambition and her pedigree made them unstoppable on the social stage.
While Mimsy plays the doting wife in public, she is the hidden architect of many of Bramble’s political maneuvers. She views the adoption of Kaladin as yet another ornament in their curated life, though she has always treated him with polite, distant warmth.
Her relationship with Shorsi, Bramble’s older sister, is one of veiled distaste. Mimsy sees Shorsi’s choices—her humble work, her fall from grace—as stains on the Jean name. Beneath her pearls and smiles, Mimsy’s true loyalty lies only with her own survival and status.
Current Role:
Mimsy serves as Bramble Jean’s greatest asset and sharpest weapon. She runs their social calendar with precision, curates every public appearance, and ensures that Bramble remains beloved by Gothika’s elite no matter what political storms brew beneath the surface.
Behind the scenes, she is also a master manipulator of social power—leveraging favors, blackmail, and family name to keep herself (and by extension, Bramble) indispensable to the city’s highest circles.
While she plays the role of doting wife and hostess flawlessly, Mimsy is no fool. She knows Bramble’s ambition and his willingness to use their adopted son Kaladin as a political pawn. She chooses to look the other way—because in her world, every family is a performance.
Personality:
Mimsy is the very embodiment of graceful artifice. She is always impeccably dressed, her words are honeyed, and her laughter perfectly timed. She is polite to friends and enemies alike, but beneath her polished veneer lies a mind as sharp as any blade.
Though not cruel by nature, Mimsy is deeply pragmatic. She believes the world runs on influence and image, not idealism or brute force. She is capable of genuine affection in her own way to Kaladin—but those emotions are often secondary to survival and status.
Appearance:
A petite gnome with flawless porcelain skin, warm hazel eyes, and perfectly styled auburn hair set in vintage-inspired curls. Mimsy is never seen without her signature pearls, brooches, and gowns in rich neutral tones. She wears her wealth and class like armor.
Her voice is soft but commanding, her movements always deliberate—every gesture tells a story.
Quirks and Traits:
- Social Butterfly: Mimsy knows everyone worth knowing in Gothika. She can gain access to almost any room.
- Manipulator in Lace: She subtly steers conversations, relationships, and outcomes without ever seeming to try.
- Power Without Office: Though she holds no official title, her word behind closed doors often carries more weight than Bramble’s speeches.
- Unflappable: No matter the chaos, she never loses her composure. Scandal rolls off her like water.
Notable Relationships:
- Bramble Jean: Her husband. They are a political power couple more than romantic partners. She is keenly aware of his ambitions and lets him play his game, so long as he doesn’t damage the family’s image.
- Shorsi Jean: Her siser-in-law. Their relationship is strained—Shorsi’s choices are an embarrassment Mimsy tries to downplay at every opportunity.
- Kaladin Jean: The adopted son. Mimsy has always treated Kaladin with outward warmth, but she has never seen him as truly hers. His role has always been ornamental, a heart-tugging tale for the voters. She is, however, quietly unsettled by his recent independence.
Role in the Story:
Mimsy can serve as a powerful but subtle antagonist, an informant, or an unexpected ally depending on how the party engages with the political elite. She is the sort who can ruin reputations with a whisper or open doors that even magic cannot—but she will always do so for a price.
For Kaladin, she represents the cold, performative side of his upbringing—a reminder that not every family that smiles at you means it.
Shorsi Jean
The Healer. The Lost Daughter. The One Who Strayed.
Shorsi Jean
The Healer. The Lost Daughter. The One Who Strayed.
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Cleric (Life Domain) – Level 5 (or adjusted to your game balance)
Background: Acolyte / Medical Worker
Alignment: Neutral Good
Affiliation: Formerly The Institute / Estranged from the Jean Family
Backstory:
The firstborn of the Jean family, Shorsi Jean was once the pride of her mother Willa’s heart—a gentle, compassionate soul who believed in service over status. While her younger brother Bramble chased titles and influence, Shorsi chose a quieter path, becoming a healer and caregiver.
Her decision to work at Dreadmoor Institute was born from that desire to help, but instead, she became ensnared in its horrors—her mind subtly manipulated, her actions not entirely her own. She was complicit in the Institute’s darkest deeds before the party’s intervention helped her escape.
Shorsi shares a deep maternal bond with her nephew, Kaladin Jean, whom she helped care for as a child and whom she sees as the only innocent left in the Jean family legacy. Her relationship with Bramble is now fractured beyond repair—she sees the man he has become, and it terrifies her.
Current Role:
She remains estranged from Bramble and Mimsy, unable to reconcile the people they are with the person she’s become. Her only real connection to her old life is through her adoptive brother, Kaladin, whom she adores and protects fiercely.
Personality:
Shorsi is soft-spoken, empathetic, and deeply burdened by guilt. She carries herself with a quiet humility and often struggles to see her own worth. Despite this, she possesses a quiet strength that emerges in moments of crisis—a refusal to back down when lives are at stake.
She is fiercely protective of the vulnerable and has no tolerance for cruelty, no matter the source.
Appearance:
A petite gnome with curly dark hair, expressive brown eyes, and perpetually rosy cheeks. Shorsi favors soft colors and simple clothing—cardigans, cotton dresses, and comfortable shoes. She always wears a small charm around her neck: a gift from her grandmother Willa, which she clutches when anxious.
Though still young, there is something old in her eyes—something that has seen too much.
Quirks and Traits:
- Gentle Touch: Shorsi’s healing magic is unusually potent for her level, a side effect of her time at the Institute.
- Nervous Habits: Twists the hem of her sleeves or clutches her charm when uncomfortable.
- Quiet Courage: Will step between danger and the defenseless without hesitation, even at risk to herself.
- Haunted Dreams: Suffers from nightmares of the Institute and sometimes “sees” flashes of it in her waking life.
Notable Relationships:
- Bramble Jean (Younger Brother): Once her beloved baby brother, now a source of deep disappointment and quiet heartbreak. Shorsi sees the calculating, power-hungry man Bramble has become and grieves for the boy he used to be. Their relationship is tense, fractured, and strained, with occasional forced civility for appearances but no true warmth remaining.
- Mimsy Jean (Sister-in-Law): Shorsi has never trusted Mimsy’s perfectly polished exterior. She recognizes the cold ambition that lurks beneath her sister-in-law’s social grace and has long resented the way Mimsy encourages Bramble’s worst instincts. The two are polite when required but deeply dislike one another.
- Kaladin Jean (Nephew): Shorsi’s one true family bond. She adores Kaladin and has always viewed him not as a pawn or symbol, but as a child who deserved love and protection. Even when she was trapped inside the machinery of the Institute, thoughts of Kaladin helped tether her to herself. She would do anything to protect him and is one of the few people who sees who he really is beneath the surface.
- Willa Jean (Mother): The fierce matriarch of the family and Shorsi’s moral compass. Though their relationship has been tested by years of personal failures and political divides, Shorsi still holds her mother’s teachings close to her heart and measures her own worth against Willa’s unyielding standards.
Role in the Story:
Shorsi is a potential healer, moral guide, or emotional anchor for the players, particularly for Kaladin. She represents the cost of corruption and the challenge of rebuilding after trauma. Players may seek her out for healing, knowledge of the Institute, or even as a voice of compassion in a world that too often rewards cruelty.
Should Bramble’s ambitions escalate, Shorsi could become a key figure in exposing the truth—or in helping bring down the Jean legacy once and for all.
Willa Jean
The Iron Heart. The Voice of the People. The Matriarch of Grit and Grace.
Willa Jean
The Iron Heart. The Voice of the People. The Matriarch of Grit and Grace.
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Cleric (Peace Domain) / Retired Activist – Level 8
Background: Folk Hero / Community Leader
Alignment: Lawful Good (with unshakable stubbornness)
Affiliation: Respected Elder of Gothika’s Working-Class Districts
Backstory:
Willa Jean is a name spoken with reverence in the working-class corners of Gothika—a living legend known for her fierce defense of the downtrodden, her tireless charity work, and her ability to cut corrupt politicians down with little more than a carefully chosen word.
Born into poverty herself, Willa clawed her way into influence not through wealth or magic, but through sheer willpower, integrity, and endless service to those without a voice. She became the city’s moral compass during times of political upheaval, leading protests, healing the wounded, and holding those in power to account no matter the cost to herself.
Her personal life, however, has always been more complicated. She raised two very different children:
Her eldest, Shorsi Jean, inherited her heart—kind, compassionate, and selfless.
Her youngest, Bramble Jean, inherited her ambition but none of her principles.
The quiet heartbreak of watching Bramble’s rise into political manipulation has weighed on her in her old age, though she rarely speaks of it. Instead, she pours her remaining energy into her community—and into her beloved grandson Kaladin Jean, whom she quietly adores.
Current Role:
Though long retired from activism, Willa Jean remains an influential figure in Gothika’s grassroots circles. People still come to her for advice, comfort, and guidance. She is the unspoken conscience of her family—one that Bramble tries to distance himself from while Shorsi clings to.
Her home has become a sanctuary for the lost, the broken, and the weary. While she may no longer march in the streets, her words still carry weight—and those in power know better than to underestimate the Iron Heart of Gloomrak.
Personality:
Willa is sharp-tongued, fiercely protective, and quietly wise. She has no patience for pretense or cruelty and cuts through lies with disarming bluntness. Despite her age, her mind is as sharp as ever, and she can silence a room with a single look.
Her love is tough but real—she expects much from those around her because she believes they are capable of greatness. She never asks for recognition and often hides her own struggles behind a warm, crinkled smile.
Appearance:
A petite, silver-haired gnome with deep-set, piercing blue eyes that seem to see straight through people. Her long braid is often tied with scraps of colorful cloth, and she dresses in layers of mismatched shawls, beads, and bright fabrics—a nod to her humble beginnings and free spirit.
Her hands are calloused from decades of labor and healing, and her voice carries the weight of every soul she’s ever fought for.
Quirks and Traits:
- Relentless Moral Compass: Willa cannot be bribed, threatened, or swayed from what is right.
- Natural Healer: Though retired, her hands still glow with the soft magic of restoration and peace.
- Community Network: Knows every street, every family, and every secret worth knowing in the poorer districts.
- Silent Disappointment: Rarely speaks of Bramble’s choices, but the pain is visible to those who know her well.
Notable Relationships:
- Shorsi Jean (Daughter): Willa’s pride and quiet sorrow. She sees the scars Shorsi carries from the Institute and wishes she could take the pain away. Their bond is deep and unbreakable.
- Bramble Jean (Son): Willa’s greatest disappointment. Though she still loves him, she despises what he has become and mourns the boy he was.
- Mimsy Jean (Daughter-in-Law): Tolerates Mimsy with polite coldness, viewing her as complicit in Bramble’s corruption.
- Kaladin Jean (Grandson): A rare spark of joy in her life. Willa loves Kaladin deeply and sees in him the possibility of breaking the cycle of ambition and harm that has cursed her family.
Role in the Story:
Willa Jean can serve as a moral anchor, an ally for the party’s working-class connections, or a guiding hand for characters lost in moral grey areas. She may also be the key to swaying public opinion in the battle between the Committee’s corruption and the players’ rebellion.
But more than anything, she is the heart of the Jean family—the one thread of genuine goodness left in a legacy on the brink of ruin.