Carthian Blake

Born: 872, <address>[Newton's World/Rydell (City)]</address>
Current Location: Frequent traveller, though mostly sticking to the posh part of whichever town he's in.

The grandson of noted artist, makeshifter and designer Corinthian Blake, Carthian grew up in an environment of decadent luxury.

After the death of his father in 856, he had mile-wide strip of flower gardens planted on the previously unsettled moon Ideon, with the paths spelling out a poem in honour of the old man. This extravagant gesture captured the attention of the local media, securing Carthian's popularity among Newton's social elite.

Carthian's fame was now assured, but he quickly discovered that with nothing more tha a reputation for extravagance and over-the-top gestures, his popularity quickly started to wane as immitators made grander and more spectacular demonstrations of their wealth and vision. And with only his inheritance from his grandfather, he knew he would not be able to keep up with the escalating demonstrations for long.

High Fashion

Seeking a new claim to fame, and the popularity it could generate, Carthian decided to become an artist. According to his autobiography, it was after a drunken conversation with childhood friend Gerschwin Tanner in a seedy bar on an overcrowded world that he first saw a parallel between cruiser bodywork and high-fashion clothing.

Carthian's first major show was on Wordishall in 849. The event took the traditional layout and style of a catwalk show, but the models in this case were 12 Osterman Neucleons. These vessels were made unique by changes to the bodywork - vividly painted panels from which streamers and sails of mylar were hung. These were carefully created to match the outfits of the drivers, all taken from Corinthian Blake's seminal Liquid Iron collection.

Secret Life

Carthian Blake's designs are famous throughout the civilised worlds, and highly acclaimed by collectors and critics. However, financial success still eludes him. His first few collections sold to notable eccentrics for substantial sums, but after the cost of putting on the shows he was still only earning enough to support a middle-class lifestyle. Paying off the debts from his youthful extravagance would never be possible, and by 845 the banks were already making threatening noises.

Blake solved this problem in a manner which is still not publically known - he became a professional killer. The many fads of his youth had included practice in duelling, a sport in which he had shown considerable natural talent. As his fashions grew more eccentric, he carefully cultivated the image of a celebrity constantly hounded by the press, an image further enhanced by a gem-studded mask covering half his face, and a spun silver hood which he always wore in public. These affectations both gave him a degree of privacy from the press, and attracted their attention by making him instantly recognisable.

Many times now, Carthian Blake has executed people who were simply in the way of a client who could afford to pay. His custom-made holofabric suits make it quite easy for him to get past guards, while the presence of the famous artist (or at least, an android facsimilie) refusing to speak to the press in his mask and hood gave him a perfect alibi.

Among those who know of the artist's double life, there is considerable speculation about how long he will be able to keep up this charade.