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=== Exohumans | NPC ===

====== SAGAN BELMONT ======

{{ :102_npc_saganbelmont.png?direct&200|}}
===== Race and Faction =====

  * **Species:** [[the_humans|ExoHuman]]
  * **Born:** 2598, aboard the spaceship [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]]
  * **Affiliation:** Independent Citizen of the [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]]
  * **Official Occupation ([[beta_age|Beta Age]]):** Former owner of Belmont Timber & Haulage
  * **Current Occupation:** Unemployed laborer
  * **Place of Residence:** [[morningstar|Morningstar]]
  * **Family:** None known

===== Background =====

Sagan Belmont was born aboard the [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]] in Bay 07. From early childhood he struggled with a severe reading and writing disability. Although the Last Frontier possessed highly advanced medical and educational technologies, neither was able to overcome his condition. Among teachers and technicians a saying slowly emerged: //"The boy can understand anything but he can't read it."//

Because literacy remained a prerequisite for nearly every profession aboard the ship, from engineering to security service, Sagan never qualified for higher education at [[last_frontier_university|Last Frontier University]]. Instead he received official disability status and spent much of his youth performing supervised maintenance work.

Everything changed on [[day_zero|Day Zero]]. The crash of the Last Frontier transformed practical craftsmanship from an overlooked skill into one of the colony's most valuable assets. With robots destroyed and automation largely gone, settlers suddenly needed people who could fell trees, repair machinery and build infrastructure by hand.

Sagan moved to [[morningstar|Morningstar]], where he found work as a logger at the [[fogwood_sawmill_inc|Fogwood Sawmill]]. During the settlement's first difficult years he worked alongside another young laborer named [[rogan_sokolov|Rogan Sokolov]]. Long nights beneath the floodlights of Fogwood forged a quiet friendship based on hard work rather than words.

In early 2627 Sagan founded "Belmont Timber & Haulage", a small logging and transport company operating one [[manual_labor_bots|Manual Labor Bot]], two freight wagons, several [[hoos|Hoos]] and two employees. His reputation quickly grew. Throughout Morningstar he became known as a dependable contractor whose word could be trusted.

For the first time in his life, Sagan felt that he truly belonged. That changed when the mysterious entrepreneur known only as "J.W. ([[jareth_wyrick|Jareth Wyrick]]) approached him with what appeared to be the largest timber contract Morningstar had ever seen. Belmont Timber & Haulage supplied enormous quantities of hardwood for the construction of J.W.'s isolated forest compound. Sagan invested nearly everything he owned into fulfilling the contract, hiring additional workers and expanding his operations.

When the final shipment had been delivered, J.W. refused payment. Communicating exclusively through handwritten notes delivered by intermediaries, he claimed the timber failed to meet contractual specifications and demanded substantial price reductions. Sagan refused.

The payment never came. Unable to repay loans, wages and suppliers, Belmont Timber & Haulage collapsed within months. His wagons, manual labor bot and equipment were repossessed. His employees were forced to seek work elsewhere. Soon afterwards, nobody in Morningstar would hire him anymore. Whether through fear, influence or quiet pressure, J.W. had made sure Sagan's name disappeared from every list of potential contractors.

Overwhelmed by debt, humiliation and alcoholism, Sagan slowly withdrew from society, convinced that the compound built from his timber had become a monument to everything J.W. had stolen from him.

===== Roles by Age =====

==== Beta Age (2626–2631) ====

  * **Logger & Lumberjack:** Worker at [[fogwood_sawmill_inc|Fogwood Sawmill]] during the first expansion of Morningstar.
  * **Founder of Belmont Timber & Haulage:** Independent timber supplier and freight contractor serving Morningstar's construction industry.
  * **Bankrupt Entrepreneur:** Lost his company after J.W. refused payment for the largest timber contract in settlement history.

===== Personality =====

  * **Traits:** Quiet, diligent, humble, deeply loyal
  * **Behavior:** Rarely makes promises he cannot keep; avoids reading in front of strangers; drinks heavily when alone.
  * **Values:** Honest work, fair payment, keeping one's word.

===== Physical Attributes =====

  * **Height:** 1.84 m
  * **Build:** Broad-shouldered from years of logging; weathered hands covered with old splinters and scars.
  * **Appearance:** Dark blond hair, tired eyes, unshaven face, worn work clothes.
  * **Tells:** Looks away whenever asked to read something aloud; unconsciously rubs the calluses on his palms while thinking.

===== Combat Statistics =====

  * **Armor Class (AC):** 11 (heavy work clothes)
  * **Hit Points (HP):** 18
  * **Speed:** 9 m
  * **Proficiencies:** Athletics, Survival, Animal Handling, Carpentry Tools, Timber Tools, Freight Handling
  * **Weapons:** Heavy industrial pneumatic spike-driver

==== Actions ====

  * **Pneumatic Spike-Driver (Ranged, 8 m):** +4 to hit; 2d10 piercing; requires compressed air cartridge; devastating at close range.
  * **Logger's Axe (Melee):** +4 to hit; 1d10 slashing.
  * **Freightman's Grip:** Advantage on Strength checks involving timber, ropes, wagons and cargo.

===== Special Abilities =====

  * **Frontier Craftsman:** Advantage on identifying timber quality, logging routes and structural weaknesses in wooden constructions.
  * **Hoo Handler:** Can calm frightened [[hoos|Hoos]] unless they are already under attack.
  * **Builder's Eye:** Instantly recognizes load-bearing beams, weak supports and recently repaired wooden structures.
  * **Work Until It's Done:** Once per encounter, ignore one level of exhaustion while performing physical labor.

**Flaws**

  * **Reading Disability:** Automatically fails any attempt to decipher unfamiliar written documents without assistance.
  * **Alcohol Dependency:** Suffers disadvantage on concentration-based checks if deprived of alcohol for extended periods.
  * **Broken Trust:** Instinctively distrusts written contracts and anonymous messages.

===== Motivations and Goals =====

Sagan no longer dreams of rebuilding Belmont Timber & Haulage.

His only remaining goal is to see [[j_w|J.W.]] arrested and brought before the courts of the [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]], ensuring that nobody else loses everything to him as he did.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

Sagan works best as a tragic witness rather than a combat companion. Use his knowledge of timber logistics, freight routes and construction practices to reveal hidden information about J.W.'s compound. His practical experience often solves problems that educated characters overlook. His declining mental state should be visible throughout the adventure, allowing observant players to recognize the depth of his despair long before his final sacrifice.

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[rogan_sokolov|Rogan Sokolov]]
  * [[j_w|J.W.]]
  * [[fogwood_sawmill_inc|Fogwood Sawmill Inc.]]
  * [[morningstar|Morningstar]]
  * [[belmont_timber_and_haulage|Belmont Timber & Haulage]]
  * [[day_zero|Day Zero]]
  * [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]]
  * [[pen_and_paper_adventures|102 Pen and Paper Adventures]]