#13. Count Lucien Degas

Lore

The Highwayman

"That fop Lucien Degas is the dreaded Highwayman? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Get out of my office."

– Last words of Capitaine Eduard Lamont


"I rob from the rich because they have all the money.""

– Lucien

As the story goes...

In dark violence of the French Revolution, Count Lucien Degas lived in Paris in decadent splendor. But by night, the mysterious Highwayman stalked the roads with his gang, preying on travelers without mercy. That is, until the price on his gang's head grew to a hundred thousand francs. Then Lucien promoted his second-in-command and turned them all in for the reward. He had always despised dividing his loot with inferiors, anyway.

And indeed it was as a solo artist that The Highwayman became a figure of legendary dread. Relying on his own preternatural quickness and ruthless determination, he tried his hand at every sort of crime to bankroll his lavish living. Kidnapping, bank robbing, race fixing, art forgery, horse assassination, nothing was beneath Lucien. He wreaked havoc until his name became synonymous with avarice and violence.

In Valhalla, Lucien continues to scheme for gold and power. he knows the tournament is the surest way to gain influence here, and he'll resort to any means necessary to win.

Connections

• Moved to incoherent rage at the sight of Orion
• Goaded Brynn when she brought Asuri to Valhalla 

Context

"The Highwayman" is actually a good way to describe the general character of Lucien. Simply put, a highwayman was a robber who stole from travelers, a person or group who would stalk the travelling roads and raid people, carriages, and caravans. Think Wild West bandits and put them in 18th–19th century Europe, and you've got highwaymen. You may have heard of the Alfred Noyes' 1906 poem, "The Highwayman," which was set in 18th century rural England.

In my research, I found a list of highwaymen that included four from France: Gaspard Bouis, Louis Dominique Garthausen, Louis Mandrin, and Nicolas Jacques Pelletier. There was also Claude Duval (who was French, but lived in England). There were plenty of highwaymen in England and in other parts of the world, but BMG probably chose France because they already had a couple of legends who hailed from England (Sir Roland, Scarlet).

Comparing all this information about highwaymen to the Lucien's lore, however, we see that Lucien wasn't just a highwayman. He was involved in "every sort of crime to bankroll his lavish living." It is likely that his highwayman trips were among his first criminal endeavors before he branched out to everything else.

The French Revolution took place from May 5, 1789 to November 9, 1799. Before then, France, like most other European nations at the time, was ruled by a monarchy and had an enormous gap between rich and poor. The exact causes of the French Revolution is still in debate, but one contributing factor was the fact that after the American Revolution (and other conflicts), France found themselves in debt, having invested a lot to aid the colonies. The big turning point at the start of the revolution was the storming of Bastille on July 14, 1789 (now celebrated annually as Bastille Day). A few years later, the revolution had become so radical that there came a "Reign of Terror," which included taking many of the rich and powerful (including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette) to be beheaded by the guillotine. Thousands of people "stood trial" and were executed in this manner.

Given how bloody the French Revolution was, if the wealthy Lucien survived it, that would be a testament to his sneaky skills. The end of the French Revolution saw the rise of Napoleon, and history continued from there. Perhaps the most popular depiction of France in this post-revolutionary period is the novel and musical, Les Miserables, which takes place between 1815 and 1832.

Blasters and katars are good weapons for a self-serving thief and assassin. Similar to Thatch, Lucien comes from a time in which muskets and pistols were the personal firearms of choice, especially the smaller, more lightweight pistols. There may have not been katars in Lucien's time and place, but they are very similar to daggers, which Lucien would have certainly used as a nefarious highwayman.