BuckTootha

BuckTootha is primarily a Rathnir player who joined Stoneworks on March 20th, 2021. He is mainly a citizen of Montroig and lives in the aloft sky-island town of Viviparus. He portrays the in-universe character of Bukharin Turrin.

Bukharin “Buck” Turrin was a Montroigian economist, lawmaker, writer, politician, military general and mercenary, who has served as the Minister of Resources, Minister of Defense, Vice Guardian, Minister of Infrastructure, Speaker of the Congress and illegitimate Guardian of the Republic of Montroig, as well as a War Councilor of the Loyalists during the Uldarash Civil War.

This page is not presented in chronological order, but rather it tells three accounts of different aspects of Turrin's life and career, that all occurred simultaneously.

Early Life
Bukharin Turrin was born in Tlahatl, Huitca, to a minor landed noble family. The identity of his parents is unknown to the public, and he has refused to answer most questions about his biological family, his upbringing, and generally, the time he spent on Huitca.

Some things can be speculated on and pieced together based on what little he has disclosed during press conferences and interviews. For instance, he had this to say during a conference in New Baldia:

“I am often asked why someone of my complexion and my way of speaking bears the name ‘Bukharin’. Fair question. My birth parents considered themselves clever, and cultured, and they wanted their tea-party friends to know it. So they gave their son a Ryzani name and taught him to play the organ at their parties.” (ooc, it was named after the irl historical communist figure Nikolai Bukharin)

At the age of 14, he fled from his home and sneaked into a cargo ship destined to Terroja, Montroig. He began roaming the streets of the red city, begging, cleaning horseshoes, or performing music to earn a wretched living.

A poor carpenter by the name of Don Ramio Turrin adopted Bukharin as his son, raising and parenting him until his death at 67, when Bukharin was 18. Publicly, Bukharin has only referred to Don Turrin as “my father”.

Around the time after his adoptive father’s death, Turrin met Duchy Gooblegins, and they would later go on to marry. Through this relationship, Turrin met Madame Alphonsine Eleanor Gooblegins, Duchy’s cousin.

Viviparus
At the age of 25, Bukharin Turrin married Duchy Gooblegins. They quickly began searching for a home to start a family.

As fate would have it, mere months after their marriage, the floating island of Viviparus was discovered by the Montroigian government off the coast of Terroja, over the Baldic Sea, or Gulf of Wilusa. It is estimated that the sky-island had been obscured by clouds for 150 to 400 years; it is known that it originally came from the bottom of the ocean, and through some unknown magical means, possibly related to the Sanctuary islands, travelled up into the air.

Strangely, Montroigian media did not cash in on such an out-of-the-ordinary fantastical event. Stranger yet, the sale of the island to the Gooblegins estate was authorized by the Ministry of Resources, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the Mayor of Tiatua, Thomas Cornaro. A small-scale mining operation was initiated before handing off the property to the Gooblegins. A modest amount of gold and iron was found within the island before the Minister of Resources (Bukharin Turrin, at the time) called the project off, stating that they could not continue without de-stabilizing the core of Viviparus.

Years later, Turrin admitted:

“I saw an island in the air, I saw a home for my children. The statesmen saw a rock hiding gold, or a damn tourist attraction. So yes, I swindled them out of it.”

Turrin and Duchy constructed a two-story residence, which, for 26 years, remained the sole building in Viviparus.

Aftermath of the Civil War
It is speculated that Turrin neglected his family during the Uldarash Civil War period, prioritizing his duties as a general. During a press conference, held one day after the signing of the Treaty of Terroja, which brought with it the surrender of the Loyalist forces and the end of the war, Turrin was asked what he'd personally do after this:

"Rest, at last. Undeservedly, perhaps."

Four weeks after the signing of the Treaty, his wife Duchy Gooblegins passed away. It is believed this negatively affected his mental health to a point where it greatly influenced many of the actions he took in the period leading up to and immediately after the Collapse of Uldarash.

Five years after the death of his wife, Turrin became engaged to Legalia Cornaro, who he would marry six years later.

Three weeks after being illegitimately elected Guardian of the Republic, his daughter Marcelle Gooblegins died, mysteriously falling off the cliffside of Viviparus.

Death
Bukharin Turrin personally supported the dictatorial regime of Cynthia Gooblegins, coincidentally Marcelle's wife and Turrin's daughter in law. Therefore, opposing who was previously his closest ally and friend, Caterina.

On the day of Cynthia's arrest, Turrin appeared in front of the improvised jailhouse, and after a brief exchange with his old friend, Caterina, he attacked her, attempting to free Cynthia. The two dueled for an hour before Caterina was cut down and brutally wounded. Instead of killing her, Turrin is said to have seemingly suffered an episode of amnesia, or a vivid hallucination. The involved persons that witnessed this testify that he said the following things: "Caterina? Who did this to you? Where is he?"

At this point, Cynthia, who stood behind him apprehended, called out.

Turrin looked at her, "Marcelle? Marcelle, how have you been? I left some building supplies for you, they're by the airship dock. You said you needed moss tiling."

Cynthia responded: "What? Marcelle is dead. Get me out of these handcuffs!"

Turrin looked back at Caterina, "I think I've made a mistake", he said before collapsing.

Fourteen hours later, Bukharin Turrin was pronounced dead in an FTA hospital.

Socialist Montroigian Party
[March 2021] At the age of 26, Turrin joined the Socialist Montroigian Party, founded by his adoptive brother Badeu, as it was beginning to form, and contributed greatly to its party platform and structure. [April 2021] It was during this time that he met Caterina, before she was elected Guardian of the Republic, and eventually, Empress of Uldarash. Caterina was elected general secretary of the party, and she appointed Turrin as a vice general secretary. They became close personal friends and trusted associates, though they reportedly had many arguments over the role of a transitory state in the establishment of equalism, as well as the nature and role of nationalism.

[April 2021] During his early political career, Turrin was involved in the first Jacobin Conspiracy, which resulted in the Independence of Paloro from the Uldarash Empire, the election of Caterina as Empress of Uldarash after the abdication of Tequila Knight, which is all considered part of the same inciting incident which began the historical process which culminated in the Uldarashi Schism.

[May 2021] Turrin made a name for himself in the Montroigian political scene by leading the drafting of the deeply unpopular “Free Labor Bill” which outlawed traditional capitalist enterprises and mandated a collective ownership model among every worker in a given enterprise, including democratic organization, essentially making every company a worker co-op.

[May 2021] He also authored the highly controversial “Socialist Trajectory Act” meant to move Montroig’s public image towards socialism. He later expressed regret at the decision of proposing this act, and has said he now feels it was “Rushed and amateur in execution and ill-conceived from the start”.

[May 2021] At the age of 34, Turrin decided to run for and was successfully elected Minister of Resources under the promise he would begin a large-scale mining project utilizing the power of magical beacons to expand the treasury of the nation.

He was elected on 3 consecutive terms in the Ministry, only finishing the project during his 3rd term [June 2021].

Guardian Campaigning
[August 2021] Turrin ran for Guardian of the Republic on three consecutive occasions, all unsuccessfully. He lost by a record-breakingly small margin the first two times [August and October], losing both Guardianships to [Miningboy_12], and by a much larger margin against [ Ics_de] [November]. Each time, he ran as an independent, and was backed by multiple parties, especially the Socialist Montroigian Party and the Montroigian Rationalist Party. The first time, he ran with Alfred Laurier as his running mate, and each time after that, with Legalia Cornaro.

The manner in which he conducted the later part of his second bid for Guardian was the subject of some controversy, as it was widely considered a smear campaign against [Miningboy_12]. On this, Turrin has stated:

“About the scandal, I can tell you what it was not: it was not an attempt at accruing power for myself, and it was not the correct decision either.”

Other Political Parties
Bukharin Turrin was offered the position of vice chairman of the Syndicalist Party of Montroig (later renamed to the Montroigian Syndicalist Federation) by Henry Finch. He accepted, but reported he hasn’t had as much time as he’d hoped to contribute to the party since the outbreak of the Uldarash Civil War.

Turrin managed to climb up to a leadership role in the People's Action Party, of the People's Reform Coalition.

Gooblegins Administration
[December 2021] Alphonsine E. Gooblegins ran for and was successfully elected the ninth Guardian of Montroig. Her running mate and Vice Guardian was Bukharin Turrin.

Guardianship
After the end of Argon Retter's term [March 2022], which was characterized by the ratifying of the Uldarashi Codex, the reconstruction of Montroigian diplomatic relations with fellow Uldarashi states, and the alcohol prohibition policy, Bukharin Turrin ran for Guardian of the Republic under an independent ticket, winning the election by a wide margin. He ran as both a Guardian and a Vice Guardian thus making his victory illegitimate according the the Constitution of Montroig.

Turrin's illegitimate guardianship represented a period of stagnation and negligence from the Federal Government's part, which is generally attributed to Turrin's own unwillingness to coordinate and organize his cabinet, instead opting to spend his time tending to the affairs of the Uldarash High Council. Some historians look at correspondence sent by Turrin and argue that the death of his daughter, Marcelle, had begun to distort his worldview, and that his deteriorating mental health exhibited symptoms of severe PTSD and early signs of dementia.

Nonetheless, Turrin later claimed in multiple interviews that his efforts in the lobbying campaign at the highest echelons of Uldarashi politics, sometimes called the "Neo-loyalist" movement, were instrumental in the Collapse of the Empire. Whether this is accurate has not been disputed by other figures known to be involved, but is considered unreliable.

Cynthia's Dictatorship
[April 2022] Cynthia Gooblegins reformed Montroig's political system faster than any Guardian before or since, effectively turning it from a directly democratic congressional republic into an autocratic presidential dictatorship. Though at this point, Turrin was not involved in politics, he personally supported the regime, and is known to have pledged to personally fight for Cynthia in the event of a violent insurgency.

Turrin's behavior during this period has been the object of extensive psychoanalysis, primarily because of the great incongruency represented in his opposing Caterina, who had been his most loyal ally and personal friend, as she led the insurgency against Cynthia. Some historians criticize and reject this approach, stating the necessity to explain his actions as some result of delusion or mental trauma absolve him of blame and ignore his material interests, thus being fundamentally a-historic.

Nonetheless, it is considered important to mention that on three personal letters sent by Turrin, as well as one interview, he mistakenly referred to Cynthia as his "daughter", which he only seemed to notice and corrected on one of the four occasions.

Early Military Career in Uldarash
[July 2021] Turrin decided against running for a 4th term as Minister of Resources, later citing this was due to him aiming to become Guardian. In the meantime, he decided to join the Grand Army of the Republic and the Imperial Sword of Uldarash.

This was shortly after the battle of New Dorrasterrock. Turrin has publicly expressed he wished he had fought in New Dorrasterrock.

Turrin fought in the Uldarashi expedition sent to crack down on the bandit group known as “The Watchers”. He also volunteered to fight with the UBSR Red Army against a monarchist rebel insurrection.

Civil War
[Late November 2021] Bukharin Turrin was personally appointed to the War Council and made a general and field marshall of Loyalist Uldarash by Empress Caterina.

As a commander, Turrin was known for personally fighting alongside his men, giving orders out from the battlefields. He was frequently spotted on the frontlines and had many brushes with death.

During the Skirmish of Canine, he was knocked unconscious by falling debris and was incapacitated for a portion of the fight. Upon waking up, he donned a fallen ally’s gear and continued fighting until the Loyalist force was routed from the isle.

During the Battle of Terroja, Turrin was chased into a cave by a small platoon of enemy soldiers. He only managed to narrowly escape with his life.

During the Battle of New Coolio City, his personal communications line to the other squads was cut down, forcing him and Caterina, whom was also personally leading troops, to improvise. They barely managed to enter the city and escape while saving as many lives of their own soldiers as they could.

Turrin personally took on the blame for the defeat of New Coolio, citing the fact he was responsible for the general organization of the army, or lack thereof.

Military Advisory
[Late december 2021] During the Viodoxan Civil War, Bukharin Turrin volunteered to serve as an attache to the Archonate of Viodoxa and spectated the Siege of Viodoxa City. On this, he has only publicly commented:

“Sometimes I think the only reason we lost the civil war is because our enemy was Aurora, and I am terrified for the people of this world.”

Some journalists have criticised Turrin for not taking the matter seriously enough. Reportedly, during a high command meeting, Turrin invited his son Arcadian Retter, dressed in a Viodoxan military uniform and sat beside his father. While Arcadian was an enlisted soldier of the Archonate, and unlike Turrin, fought in the battle, he did not have a rank with clearance to high command meetings and was not authorized to sit in that room or to receive the sensitive information being shared there.

Arcadian was never expulsed, and left with the rest of the high command; the reason why is currently unknown. Some have alleged that the Archonate’s leadership either didn’t notice Arcadian’s presence or didn’t recognize he hadn’t the rank to sit alongside them.

Early Mercenary Work
[January 2022] Shortly after the end of the Uldarash Civil War, Bukharin Turrin joined the Crimson Blades mercenary group after the failure of the previous mercenary group he led. The Crimson Blades were hired by Rohel to aid in the defense of Moonburg against Kartek and its allies. Bukharin told the press:

“We were a band of 80 or 10,000, I’m not sure. Anyhow, there must have been something like 20,000 Rohelians huddled together inside the great tower in the middle of the city. There may have been 1,000 more of them scattered along the city, divided into small groups, each perched up in its own archer tower, and maybe 500 on the ground. From the moment we walked in, Ren and I knew two things: one, this is not how you conduct war, this is not how you treat the lives of men. And two, we had to be prepared to do the Rohelian’s work for them, or bail. We were correct on both counts.”

Rohel’s forces were routed out of the city or forced to surrender. Most of the Crimson Blades managed to escape safely and collected a hefty sum for their aid.