Bwutuzu the Panther
Bwutuzu the Panther
As a child, Bwutuzu was apprenticed to a wealthy trader in distant Senghor, on the edge of the Mwangi Expanse, but when pirates sank the merchant’s fleet (and the merchant himself) to the bottom of the Fever Sea, the boy found himself without a patron or a home. A decade of manual labor trying to survive on Senghor’s docks gave Bwutuzu a powerful physique to match his seven-foot height, but failed to provide the life of comfort and splendor that his early association with wealth had encouraged him to expect. He took advantage of his size and ventured into the port city’s deadly fighting pits, soon becoming a local champion and making a name for himself as Bwutuzu the Panther, an indomitable brawler whose wits were as fast as his fists. His early victories took him from Senghor to Azir, and from there to Absalom. In the Irorium, Bwutuzu swiftly attained his bronze sword pin, wisely investing all of the earnings he had brought with him in bets made in his own favor, reaping a huge profit on himself before most of Absalom had any idea who he was.
It didn’t take long for them to learn. Five years later, after attaining his silver sword pin, Bwutuzu retired from the arena, presumably to settle in for a life of fortune and celebrity. Instead, Bwutuzu remained firmly in the public eye when he took a commission as the personal guard of Revander Gussik, the keeper of the measures at Absalom’s Grand Bazaar. Gussik had managed the city’s largest market for his entire life, and as he grew older he needed Bwutuzu to back up his proclamations with the possibility of physical intimidation, but both he and his bodyguard always did so with smiles and infectious cheer in a way that resolved most market disputes in a friendly manner. Indeed, the presence of the Panther brought more and more customers to the market, and Bwutuzu increasingly found himself at the center of business affairs in Absalom, even as Revander Gussik grew more and more infirm. When Gussik died 14 years ago, it seemed all of Absalom stood behind the idea of his popular and friendly associate Bwutuzu the Panther taking over as both keeper of the measures and overseer of the Grand Bazaar, and so it has been now for more than a decade.
Bwutuzu can be found strolling through the Grand Bazaar every day, ensuring that merchants offer fair prices and that customers behave themselves. Sellers at the market call upon him constantly to mediate conflicts between merchants, between customers, and between merchants and customers. Minor issues and grievances are generally left to his officers and agents, with only the most significant or troublesome cases coming to Bwutuzu’s attention. But still, in a city as busy as Absalom, there is never a shortage of such events requiring the Panther to step in and handle. Bwutuzu himself values his free time (what little of it he can set aside these days), and when he has the chance he likes to escape the bustle and mayhem of the city to relax in the wild, either camping or exploring the wilderness or visiting friends and family back in Senghor. As these trips often need to be cut short, Bwutuzu usually travels with a spellcaster capable of transporting him via teleportation—certainly an extravagance to many, but as overseer of perhaps the largest market on the planet, little more than an occupational necessity.
It didn’t take long for them to learn. Five years later, after attaining his silver sword pin, Bwutuzu retired from the arena, presumably to settle in for a life of fortune and celebrity. Instead, Bwutuzu remained firmly in the public eye when he took a commission as the personal guard of Revander Gussik, the keeper of the measures at Absalom’s Grand Bazaar. Gussik had managed the city’s largest market for his entire life, and as he grew older he needed Bwutuzu to back up his proclamations with the possibility of physical intimidation, but both he and his bodyguard always did so with smiles and infectious cheer in a way that resolved most market disputes in a friendly manner. Indeed, the presence of the Panther brought more and more customers to the market, and Bwutuzu increasingly found himself at the center of business affairs in Absalom, even as Revander Gussik grew more and more infirm. When Gussik died 14 years ago, it seemed all of Absalom stood behind the idea of his popular and friendly associate Bwutuzu the Panther taking over as both keeper of the measures and overseer of the Grand Bazaar, and so it has been now for more than a decade.
Bwutuzu can be found strolling through the Grand Bazaar every day, ensuring that merchants offer fair prices and that customers behave themselves. Sellers at the market call upon him constantly to mediate conflicts between merchants, between customers, and between merchants and customers. Minor issues and grievances are generally left to his officers and agents, with only the most significant or troublesome cases coming to Bwutuzu’s attention. But still, in a city as busy as Absalom, there is never a shortage of such events requiring the Panther to step in and handle. Bwutuzu himself values his free time (what little of it he can set aside these days), and when he has the chance he likes to escape the bustle and mayhem of the city to relax in the wild, either camping or exploring the wilderness or visiting friends and family back in Senghor. As these trips often need to be cut short, Bwutuzu usually travels with a spellcaster capable of transporting him via teleportation—certainly an extravagance to many, but as overseer of perhaps the largest market on the planet, little more than an occupational necessity.
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