Marley

Occupation: (He has several)

Youth
1950 - 1960s (ages 0-10)

Marley was born to Charles and Betty Marley on the 12th of January, 1955. He would remain the youngest family member until his sister Lily was born. Finally no longer the baby of the family, Marley became an extremely devoted older brother.

His relationship with his older siblings was never as close as it was with Lily. Even today, they only reach out to each other during the holidays. He and Lily, on the other hand, would remain in constant contact throughout the years.

Teen
1960 - 1970s (ages 11-19)

School became increasingly difficult for Marley as he grew older. Though he proved an adept hands-on learner, who excelled at Workshop and Home Ec, his poor grades in writing and math held him back two grades.

Increasingly frustrated at being compared to his “perfect” older siblings, Marley became the rebel of his family (complete with the jean jacket, big hair, and beater muscle car). He believed he would never amount to anything and eventually dropped out of school during his junior year.

Early Adulthood
1970s (ages 19-23)

Working at a fast-food restaurant for a few seasons, Marley managed to save up enough money to buy a van with 2 of his friends. That following summer, the trio hit the road. They would spend the next 3 years traveling all over North America.

This is where Marley came to truly love food. No longer limited by the scope of his small town, he could (and would) try anything and everything that presented itself.

Adulthood
1980s - 2000s // Ages 24-40

After returning from his road trip, Marley buckled, down and got his GED, and went to a culinary school out in California. Unlike his former educational experiences, Marley excelled. He would go on to get an Associates' Degree in both Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts.

After graduating Marley bounced around between internships before eventually getting hired by a high-end restaurant. It was hard work, long hours, and big egos, but he enjoyed every minute of it and learned to keep his head down and stay diligent.

The travel bug bit Marley again when he turned 30. This time he decided to travel the world with the express goal of experiencing different cooking styles and picking up new techniques. Over his five years of travel, he developed a particular fondness for Southeastern Asian and Moroccan cuisine.

Marley probably would have continued traveling until he retired. However, his brother, Charlie, suffered a stroke and had to be put into rehabilitative care. As the only one in his extended family with both the time and means on his hands, Marley came back to help support his brother and his two children. This resulted in Marley becoming quite close with his nephew and niece, Joshua and Ashley. Marley wound up working in another high-end restaurant. The new techniques he picked up in his travels proved invaluable and helped revamp the restaurant’s brand and food offerings.

Middle Years
2000s // Ages 40 - 45

After Joshua and Ashley were off at college, Marley decided to strike out on his own and open his own restaurant.

It was a small Thai fusion restaurant, with a roadhouse BBQ flair. Unfortunately, as Marley learned the hard way, just because you can cook, does not mean you can run a business. He made a good run of it for a few years, but despite his best efforts, he proved to have a poor head for business. After his restaurant nearly went bankrupt twice, Marley sold the restaurant to his right-hand woman Joanna, as she had been the main reason they didn’t go under fully.

Afterward, Marley hit the road again, traveling east.

Golden Years
2000s - 2010s // Ages 45-50

Marley spent the next few years traveling the world again and spending time with his family. It was during one of these trips that he unwittingly drank from the Seeker's Well while passing through a small village in Northern Europe. It would take a while for its effects to manifest, so he was unaware of the repercussions of his choice.

He eventually settled down in Oklahoma, to be near his sister and her family. He even had plans to buy a diner as a way to spend out the rest of his retirement.

Slumbering Way claimed Marley one rainy day while he was out doing errands. Manifesting as a road turn-off he had never noticed, the town drew the old man in, as he could never resist the call of a route not yet traveled.

There isn't a day when he doesn't regret this choice.

Slumbering Way
2010s - Present // 50-66

Marley has tried, many, MANY times to leave. After his multiple failed attempts he lapsed into a sullen depression for a few years. He shut himself off from the world and holed up in his cabin.

One day he decided enough was enough. Before coming to this town he had planned to build a diner. If he was going to be forced to live out the rest of his life trapped here, he might as well achieve that dream at least. And so he did just that, and thus the "Lost in the Pines Diner" was born.

The old man has begrudgingly settled into his new life in Slumbering Way.

Eye of Truth
(Imparted by the Seeker's Well)

If he chooses to LOOK at something he can attempt to see the “truth” of said object or entity. This ability typically allows him to see through illusions and observe magical features (such as curses, possession, true forms, etc.).

If he makes eye contact with someone (and is lucky... IE. if the other player allows it), he can also see the "truth" of who they are and views a metaphorical image of who they are within.

Omniglot
(Imparted by the Seeker's Well)

He can understand any languages spoken to/around him and can reply back in the same language. If he concentrates he can attempt to speak a language from memory (with varying success). He can also read all written languages.

This does not extend to fictional and made-up languages or codes.

Ambient learning
(Imparted by the Seeker's Well)

When Marley encounters an object he doesn't know anything about or know how to use, he is able to supernaturally learn about the said object and how it is used. The longer Marley spends with the object, the more he learns. After he leaves the presence of the said object, he forgets all he learned. To learn the very basics takes 1-5 minutes, gaining expertise takes much longer.

This does not apply to people and places.

For example Marley, by default, doesn't know how to fly a plane, but if he sits in the cockpit of a plane he will gradually learn how to do so (without teaching or manuals). If he sits for a few minutes, he will know what all the dials mean, if he sits for a couple of hours, he will know how to fly. The longer he sits, the better pilot he will become. When he leaves the plane, he will forget everything he learned.

Warding Magics

Marley is a human, and as a human, he is very tasty to some of the town's denizens. In response, he has learned how to set up defensive warding magic against all manner of beasties. However, the wards are not instantaneous and require materials and set-up time to go into effect. His magic is designed to keep things away or discouraged and never harmful, as he recognizes that not all creatures within the town can help their behavior at times.

Though he specializes in the warding of places and properties, he can create carriable items for temporary personal use.

Magic Item : Staff of deflection

Also known as the "Yeet stick" Marley acquired this is a dark wooden staff, during his time spent in Slummberig Way. When pointed at a physical object or entity (up to the size of a van), the staff will launch the target 30 feet (9 m) in a straight line in a direction of the user's choosing.

Professional chef

Cooking is Marley's life. He has an Associates' Degree in both Culinary Arts and Baking/Pastry Arts and 30 years of experiance working as a chef. He has been the proud owner of two dining establishments and knows how to run a kitchen effectively. He aims to please and tries his best to offers 4-star food in a small hometown atmosphere.

He doesn't like to brag, but he has received 2 Michelin stars.

Horseback RIding

Since coming to Slumbering Way, and the consequent loss of his car due to its need for gas, Marley has learned how to ride horses. He is a fairly good trail raider and uses his horse to help him.

Non-lethal self-defense (Aikido)

One of the many things Marley picked when he was traveling was Aikido. Appreciating this martial art's emphasis on redirection and reducing harm his assailants Marley took to it eagerly and still practices today. He currently a 2nd kyu practitioner (or brown belt).

When that fails, he has werewolf-grade pepper spray and a taser.

Hobbies

Woodworking, Card games; Gardening; Tai Chi; Bird-watching; Crochet; Travel; Crosswords; Mah Jong; Knife collecting; Kite making; Tea drinking;

Menu

The cuisine at The Pines is highly variable and dependant on Marley's mood and what is available. Standard American diner fare is always offered as is breakfast. However, the daily specials are always drawn from Marley's many years of traveling. Some days you will find him serving up Tex-Mex other days it will be dal makhani and even some times Sushi.

He tries to be accommodating of special dietary needs and is typically open to customer requests (if he has the means and time). He recognizes that most of the townfolks have been brought here against their will, and if he can offer them some comfort in the form of familiar food he will try to do what he can.

Wards

The Pines is also very heavily warded. Most of these wards are inactive during the day, due to Marley not wanting to, literally, turn away clients. However, there is a strong area of effect starting in the parking lot that discourages and dissuades any who comes to The Pines with poor or violent intentions.

Employees