- 1 a : a protective interest : care – has no regard for her health
- 1 b: attention, consideration – due regard should be given to all facets of the question
- 2 a(1) : a feeling of respect and affection : esteem – she soon won the regard of her colleagues (2) regards plural : friendly greetings implying such feeling – give him my regards
- 2 b: the worth or estimation in which something or someone is held – a man of small regard
Shattered Expanse
Varek Talan
Torani Quartermaster, Pact Logistics Service
Among the Torani, regard is more than respect. It is an acknowledgement of relationship – of obligations given and received, loyalties remembered, and the place another person has earned in one’s life. Torani society itself is built upon such connections. Noble Packs rise through alliances, favors, obligations, and carefully cultivated relationships, even while intrigue and betrayal lurk beneath the surface. Quartermaster Varek Talan understands this better than most, though he practices it in a way few Torani nobles would recognize.
Varek is an older Torani who has spent nearly four decades in the Pact Logistics Service. He has served aboard warships, diplomatic stations, frontier depots, relief vessels, and military installations throughout Torani space and beyond. He has never commanded a ship, won a great battle, or sat before the High Council. His Noble Pack is respectable but politically unremarkable, and Varek himself has shown little interest in advancing beyond the middle ranks of the Pact bureaucracy. Yet throughout the Pact there are admirals, diplomats, soldiers, merchants, dockworkers, engineers, and cooks who recognize his name.
At some point, Varek helped them.
Perhaps he found cold-weather equipment for a frightened recruit arriving at his first posting. Perhaps he discovered an empty berth for a wounded soldier desperate to return home. Perhaps a maintenance crew finishing thirty hours of emergency repairs discovered hot food waiting for them despite the galley having officially closed hours earlier. None of these things appear particularly important to Varek. They are simply what one does when another person has been placed within one’s care.
This attitude extends even to those outside Torani society. During his career, Varek has worked alongside humans, Creshians, K’Dasi, S’saran, Tor’Drani, and dozens of other peoples. He may privately complain about their customs, appetites, manners, or incomprehensible requisition procedures, but he remembers them just the same. Rank matters when protocol requires it. Otherwise, Varek gives a visiting ambassador and the technician repairing the ambassador’s shuttle much the same attention.
Varek’s most prized possession is an enormous personal database universally known as the Ledger. Officially, it began as a collection of manifests, requisitions, supply schedules, transportation records, and useful contacts accumulated over decades of service. Gradually, something else found its way into it. People. Thousands of them.
Varek records names, postings, relationships, favors, preferences, and small acts that everyone else forgets. He remembers that a particular officer’s daughter was applying to the navigation academy, that an engineer once surrendered his thermal gear to four freezing recruits, that a diplomat’s mate died during a particular campaign and that another officer becomes uncomfortable aboard enclosed transports. Some entries concern substantial debts or favors. Others amount to little more than likes human coffee.
Young Torani sometimes joke that if Quartermaster Talan doesn’t know you, you haven’t served long enough. Older Torani understand the greater compliment: If Talan remembers you, you mattered. Varek insists that the Ledger is merely good logistics. Few believe him.
Varek is not an overtly affectionate Torani. He can be gruff, judgmental, stubborn, and astonishingly creative with profanity when confronted with an improperly completed requisition. He loves his mate, children, grandchildren, and Pack fiercely, but decades of service have gradually expanded his concept of belonging. His colleagues sometimes joke that Varek has assembled the largest unofficial Pack in Torani space. He always rejects the suggestion. “Absolutely not. Half those people irritate me.” Then he spends the afternoon arranging medical transport for one of them.
Varek’s generosity rarely involves grand gestures. What he gives most freely is consideration. He gives his time. He makes introductions. He offers advice. He finds supplies. He listens. He remembers. Occasionally he bends a regulation exactly as far as it will bend without breaking. Most importantly, he notices when someone needs something before pride forces them to ask.
That giving has been returned many times over.
Over forty years, Varek’s associates have become an extraordinary informal network stretching across the Torani Pact and well beyond it. They send him rumors, warnings, recommendations, introductions, information, and occasional bottles of alcohol whose origins are best left undocumented. Consequently, the aging quartermaster possesses an intelligence network that would make some Torani nobles envious. They are not spies. They are associates. Varek considers the distinction important.
There is another side to Varek’s philosophy. The Torani instinct for obligation has never entirely left him. Varek remembers kindness, but he remembers cruelty as well. He has little regard for those who abuse subordinates, betray associates, casually break promises, or accept generosity repeatedly while refusing to offer it when someone else is in need.
Varek will never deny such a person something to which they are entitled. Duty is duty. Their requisitions will be processed. Their quarters will be assigned. Their transport will arrive. Everything will be exactly correct. Nothing more. Those familiar with Varek know how ominous that is.
Everyone else receives the thousand tiny considerations that never appear in regulations—the better berth, the difficult-to-find replacement component, an introduction to someone useful, a warning about an inspection, or an extra meal waiting after a long shift. Varek never demands repayment for these things. He simply remembers who treats others as though they matter.
For a Torani, discovering that Varek Talan no longer regards you is considerably more disturbing than being openly insulted by him.
Varek has spent his life around people far more powerful than himself, and in doing so has reached a conclusion that many members of the Noble Packs never do. Power does not come merely from knowing powerful people. Power comes from knowing people. The admiral may command the fleet, but Varek knows the admiral’s adjutant, pilot, physician, chief engineer, steward, former academy companion, and the dockmaster responsible for keeping the admiral’s vessel supplied.
And when Varek occasionally says, “I need a favor,” there are people scattered across the Expanse willing to answer—not because they owe Quartermaster Talan a debt recorded in some Torani political ledger, but because they remember all the occasions when Varek helped them without needing to be asked.
If questioned about the philosophy behind his remarkable network of associates, Varek dismisses the matter with typical practicality: “Supplies are easy. You count them. People are harder. You have to remember them.” For Varek Talan, that is Regard.
Varek Talan (in RD6)
Torani Quartermaster, Pact Logistics Service
Profession: Leader
Role: Quartermaster / Logistician / Fixer
Experience: Veteran
Species Package: Torani (6 BP)
Attributes
| Attribute | Die Code |
|---|---|
| Agility | 2D+2 |
| Stamina | 2D |
| Strength | 3D+2 |
| Intellect | 2D |
| Perception | 2D+2 |
| Will Power | 3D |
Skills
| Skill | Attribute | Rank | Full Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persuasion | Will Power | 3* | 5D |
| Persuasion (Command) | Will Power | +2 | 5D +2 |
| Investigation | Intellect | 3 | 5D |
| Search | Perception | 3 | 5D+2 |
| Scholar: Logistics | Intellect | 2 | 4D |
| Scholar: Torani Politics | Intellect | 2 | 4D |
| Scholar: Bureaucracy | Intellect | 2 | 4D |
| Devices: Computers | Intellect | 2 | 4D |
| Navigation | Intellect | 2 | 4D |
| Ranged Weapons | Agility | 2 | 4D+2 |
| Fighting | Strength | 1 | 3D |
Profession Leader (Will Power). Leader is tied to Perception or Will Power (non-Extranormal) and allows associated skills to exceed their normal attribute limit. Varek isn’t a charismatic commander in the conventional sense; his leadership comes from understanding relationships and quietly making organizations function.
The Torani package grants Professional Affinity: Persuasion, so Varek begins with Persuasion Rank 1 before normal advancement. Torani also receive +2 to Persuasion involving negotiation, bargaining, social leverage, politics, hierarchy, or coalition-building, as well as +2 when using social interaction to Support another character.
Thus, under the right circumstances Varek’s effective Persuasion is 5D+2, +2 to the final total. That feels appropriate for someone who can make a requisition officer reconsider what “absolutely impossible” actually means.
Short-Range Telepathy: Varek may communicate telepathically with willing intelligent beings within 6 Spaces. It conveys simple concepts, intent, and emotion without requiring a shared language, but does not permit thought-reading.
Claws: Natural melee weapons; Strength Damage +1D.
Fur Armor: +1 Armor and +2 to Tests resisting cold-based environmental effects.
Pack Manipulator: Professional Affinity: Persuasion, plus +2 to Persuasion for negotiation, bargaining, political leverage, hierarchy, and coalition-building. He also gains +2 to socially based Support Tests.
Pack Interest: Once per session, Varek may reroll a failed Persuasion Test when the action clearly protects or benefits his recognized pack, crew, family, group, or political faction. The second result must stand.
Heightened Scent: +1D to Notice, Search, Investigation, or Survival when scent is the primary means of detection. He can track by scent, normally at −2 when relying exclusively on it.
Torani Drawbacks
Intrigue Conditioning: When presented with an obvious opportunity to gain leverage, manipulate a relationship, improve pack standing, or exploit a political weakness, Varek must make a Will Power Test simply to ignore it.
With Varek, I would interpret this differently from the stereotypical Torani schemer. He still notices leverage compulsively; four decades of practicing Regard have changed what he does with it. He is just as likely to think, That lieutenant needs an introduction to Captain Sarr, as I can use this against him.
Distrusted Outsider: Outside Torani society, he suffers −1 to first-impression, trust, and informal-cooperation social Tests among people familiar with the Torani reputation. This does not apply under recognized contracts or with people who already trust him.
For Varek, that last exception is important. An enormous number of people already trust him.
Contacts 5 — The Ledger: This is the defining Talent. Contacts 5 describes an exceptional network spanning numerous organizations and regions, where the character almost always knows someone with useful information, access, or influence. Major favors can still incur obligations. For Varek, this network is represented by the Ledger.
It includes military personnel, transport officers, dockmasters, administrators, engineers, merchants, diplomats, nobles, cooks, medics, retired service members, and hundreds of people who do not ordinarily appear in anyone else’s intelligence reports.
The Ledger does not mean Varek can summon whatever he wants. Rather, when the characters need something reasonable, the GM can assume Varek probably knows:
- who to ask,
- who actually controls it,
- who owes whom,
- which procedure applies,
- and what small kindness might make the whole problem considerably easier.
This is much better than inventing a custom “Regard” mechanic because RD6 already has exactly the Talent Varek needs.
Authority 2 — Pact Quartermaster: Varek possesses legitimate authority within the Pact Logistics Service. RD6 Authority represents recognized institutional standing, access, and the ability to issue lawful orders within one’s jurisdiction. He is respected and experienced, but he is not an admiral or senior political official. His unofficial influence greatly exceeds his actual rank.
Noble Lineage 1: Varek belongs to a legitimate but politically minor Noble Pack. His family name gets recognized in the appropriate Torani circles, but it grants little actual political power. This reinforces the idea that Varek’s influence is something he built, not something inherited.
Natural Leader: +2 to Persuasion (Command), Persuasion (Diplomacy), or Persuasion (Intimidation) – choose one when taken. For Varek I would choose: Natural Leader: Persuasion (Command) +2. He doesn’t dominate subordinates; people tend to do what he asks because they know he will not waste their effort.
Silver Tongue: Varek has Persuasion 2+, satisfying the prerequisite. Once per scene, after successfully using Persuasion for diplomacy or negotiation, he may improve a target’s attitude by one step or remove Stymied from an ally who can hear him. He is good at making people feel that they have actually been heard.
Trademark Specialization [Persuasion (Calling in Favors)]: +2, his usual social leverage can become formidable without turning him into a universally irresistible diplomat. He is at h is best when the conversation begins: “I need something, and I believe you may remember me…”
He is often more useful helping someone else succeed than making the decisive roll himself. Varek knows the engineer who can explain the unfamiliar reactor. He tells the ambassador which subject not to mention. He gives the pilot the name of the dock controller. He quietly points out which clerk really handles the paperwork.
And RD6’s Result Point system already lets exceptional rolls create bonuses for allies—for example, spending Result Points to Set Up an ally’s related Test. So Varek naturally plays as an NPC who turns his own expertise into other people’s opportunities.
Equipment
Varek isn’t equipped like the warrior Torani in the reference art. His gear should reflect a career officer who happens to have served in dangerous places.
Pact Quartermaster Uniform: Formal service uniform with modest protective reinforcement; his rank and logistics insignia are obvious to Torani personnel.
Pact Service Sidearm: A well-maintained but older model. Varek qualifies with it because regulations say he must. He would rather solve the situation before anyone draws a weapon.
Encrypted Personal Datapad: Contains the active, searchable version of the Ledger. The complete Ledger is backed up securely elsewhere.
Quartermaster Credentials: High-level Pact logistics authentication, requisition access, transport authorization, and inventory systems appropriate to his posting.
Old Service Commlink: He refuses to replace it because, according to Varek, “This one still works.”
The Ledger as a GM Tool: I would avoid treating the Ledger as a magical source of answers. Instead, whenever Varek’s Contacts 5 is relevant, use it to introduce another person into the setting. The PCs need transport? Varek knows a freighter captain. They need classified supply records? He knows the clerk who filed them. They need entrance to a Noble Pack’s estate? He doesn’t know the noble particularly well—but he knows the estate’s head steward. They need a rare component? Varek remembers an engineer who requisitioned three of them twelve years ago. That makes his ability generate associates, which keeps reinforcing the theme every time he appears.
And if the GM wants to embody Regard mechanically, I would give Varek one small NPC-only narrative rule rather than another full Talent:
I Remember You
Once per scene, when Varek encounters someone he has plausibly dealt with during his long career, the GM may declare that person an entry in the Ledger. Varek remembers one meaningful detail about them—a past favor, family member, preference, posting, accomplishment, or difficulty. This grants no automatic obedience or free favor. It simply establishes a relationship.
From there, Contacts, Persuasion, Torani Pack Manipulator, and roleplaying do the work.
That feels much more like Varek than giving him a flat +2 for being nice.
Quick NPC Block
Varek Talan — Veteran Torani Quartermaster
AGI 2D+2, STA 2D, STR 3D+2, INT 2D, PER 2D+2, WIL 3D
Key Skills: Persuasion 5D, Persuasion (Command) 5D+2, Investigation 5D, Search 5D+2, Scholar: Logistics 4D, Scholar: Torani Politics 4D, Scholar: Bureaucracy 4D, Devices: Computers 4D, Navigation 4D, Ranged Weapons 4D+2, Fighting 3D
Talents: Torani Package; Leader Profession (Willl Power); Contacts 5 (The Ledger); Authority 2; Noble Lineage 1; Natural Leader Persasions (Command); Silver Tongue; Trademark Specialization—Persuasion (Calling in Favors).
Racial Abilities: Short-Range Telepathy 6 Spaces; Claws (STR Damage +1D); +1 Armor; +2 Cold Resistance; Pack Manipulator; Pack Interest; Heightened Scent +1D.
Drawbacks: Intrigue Conditioning; Distrusted Outsider.