Vic van Barcht

Vic van Barcht, also known as vicdomen, is an Alfheimi politician, merchant and soldier. He moved to Alfheim in October 2021. Initially just trying to find a new home for his family, he quickly got involved in local politics. During the Uldarash Civil War, Vic joined the military and became a member of the Loyalist War Council.

Early life
Vic was born in the now defunct Hollenkreis Republic to Claude and Sanne van Barcht. Being a merchant and moneylender, Vic's father was often away for business reasons. When he was still too young to join his father, Vic helped his mother around the forge. Whilst learning to shape metal was interesting, other professions caught his attention, and soon Vic started to bounce around the town doing various jobs. During this time an accident with Dragon's Breath turned Vic's skin scaly and green. This would not deter him, however. When he was 16 his father took Vic with him on his first business trip and started to show him the world. These trips sowed the seed's for Vic later departure from Hollenkreis in search of greener and more exciting pastures.

Moving into Axel
Vic was quickly invited by SuperEone to come and live in Uldarash as a citizen of Alfheim. After a long time spent travelling, he joined a group of settlers led by Niftyzebra to found a new city, Axel, along the Ice Sea. Vic arrived among the first of the initial settlers and immediately began working on growing wood and crops for the new town. Whilst waiting for the trees and crops to grow, he discovered how to brew alcoholic beverages. For his efforts in helping set up the city, Vic was rewarded with the a position as Town Elder.

During the next weeks, Vic built the High Tower, founded the Grass Company and became one of the founding members of the Axel Underground market. Vic's need to travel never waned, and he often travelled to Market 55 to sell various goods. During these trips he would frequently make detours to see parts of East-Uldarash and Aldovir. At the same time, Vic managed to secure a contract to produce Kraken's Blood for the Alfheim government.

Uldarashi Civil War
Whilst the removal of Empress Caterina from power happened shortly after Vic's arrival in Uldarash, he did not pay much attention to it. Later on in the crisis, he began to read more into the court cases and the events surrounding the Empress. Vic quickly made up his mind and joined the Loyalist Uldarash and publicly denounced Nikephoros and her supporters as tyrants and traitors. In a moment of zeal, Vic joined the Loyalist army despite having never held a sword in his life.

In preparation for the upcoming conflict, Vic steered the Grass Company to become an active part of Alfheim's war economy, producing great quantities of potions and drinks to support what he called "a War of Liberation".

Personality
When first moving to Alfheim, Vic was a quiet and reserved person. Years of being pestered for his appearance made him shy and ruined his self-image. Doubts and anxieties about himself still linger in his mind, but Vic hides these behind a veneer of confidence and exuberant clothes. After arriving at Axel this began to change, he began to be more outspoken and confident in his actions and beliefs. Though still a somewhat reserved person, his recent successes have started to shift his previous doubts to feelings of pride and accomplishment.

Vic is a deeply ideological and moral person. Whilst initially being quiet about his views, he has since shifted more towards his view of a model citizen. Whilst becoming much more active in Alfheim's politics and administration, he has developed a tendency to act impetuously. He often calls his denouncement of Empress Nikephoros one of the proudest moments in his life. Vic's tendency to be blunt and somewhat harsh when speaking about those beliefs. This has got him into trouble before, he nearly lost the Kraken's Blood contract for his criticisms of the Ashley Administration's economic policies.