A Child of Two Lives

[maximiliennoelvier]

Maximilien Noel Lavier is as the title suggests a child that least two entirely different lives. Maxi is the son of a French Aristocrat by the name of Sir Henri De Lavier. They are a respected family with a big reputation in the Arms and Ammunition manufacturing business with the factory's they have. Maxi is the youngest child and with the goals of being a writer. However he leads a different life as well, he is also an informant for League of The Pimpernel going under the guise of someone poor most of the time due to his hunger for adventure

So What type of person is Maxi would you ask? Well he is a kind and thoughtful person that hates to see people suffering he does not shy away from helping those in need. He is also very sympathetic to the plight of ABC and would help them if they needed it. He Loves reading and writing, he agrees with the idea of a republic but has some loyalty to the aristocracy. This lad is terrible at Keeping on time and gets sidetracked often. He is very well known for getting into trouble as well he wont back down though easy to intimidate him, he just does not know when to shut up.

So i'm open to any plot ideas you have pitch them and we can go from there. Max calls himself Max as a Gamin and is not seen at his family estates very often any more, though he seems to have been accepted by Courf and is with him.


Friends:
Courfeyrac

Lovers:

Enemies:

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

y'know, it occurs to me that if the republican revolutionaries have anyone with even a modicum of military acumen leading/advising them, munitions factories are going to be one of their top targets to seize, right behind armories and gunpowder stores. In rl, the Bastille was stormed first not because it was a prison, but because gunpowder was kept there. Robespierre had zero military experience, but after the Napoleonic period France was chockablock with veterans, and I figure Robby was plenty smart enough to consult with experts.

I'm not sure yet how that might translate to plot opportunities, but figured I'd toss it out there and see what popped.

[maximiliennoelvier]

Hmm that sounds like a good idea for a plot of a kind

So Chauvelin and Maxi might be be able to get along in terms of though he's an aristocrat Maxi does not really like the life and attitudes of them, which is among one of his reasons for the double Life. So there could be that maybe. The Fact Maxi is in the League might put them at odds but if Chauv does not now that what I have planned bellow might come into that

I'm thinking that about what you said about the munitions factories maybe Maxi's father wants to destroy the factories he has in France so as not to let the republican revolutionaries though Maxi's more likely to let them in the front door. So what if Maxi and Chuav having met some how, does Chauv go to any events of sorts ? So I was thinking maybe that Maxi knowing there's value in the Revs getting into the factories may work with Chauv to both preserve them maybe Chauv has contacts who can stop his father and use them to the gain of the revs ? At the same time he could be getting information on Chauv to give to the League maybe Chauv does know hes an informant and is cherry picking the information given ?


Sorry if vie gone overboard or presumed something im was nto sure myself.

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

hmm. As far as the munitions factories go, Maxi's father might want to destroy them, but he wouldn't be able to. Charleville muskets, which were the main infantry weapon of the time, were made in at least four separate locations. He might send people out to all of them with orders to destroy them in the event of an attack, but they'd have to be willing to die for the cause, otherwise they'd just hand the factories over intact in exchange for their lives.

One thing I can think of -- I'm assuming Henri de Lavier is an AU version of Antoine Lavoisier. Lavoisier was upper class and a lawyer, but also a very smart man and an amateur scientist. In 1774, he was appointed by Louis XIV to increase France's production of gunpowder, and made the country was a major manufacturer of gunpowder by the end of the 1700s. Part of how he did so was by improving refining and manufacturing of the stuff, so de Lavier might have some expertise to bargain with. If, say, he wanted to save his youngest son being held hostage by those bloodthirsty republicans ...

Chauvelin doesn't normally go to events, but he might attend something like a masquerade, where he could go incognito.

As far as Maxi conning him, he might get away with it for a short time, but keep in mind Chauvelin's been doing this for 40 years (not to mention has a large network of informants to cross check with). A teenager's not going to fool him for long, and not about anything important. He might see some potential in Maxi and try to protect/steer him, though.

[maximiliennoelvier]

I might not be getting what your saying but I agve it a good go

Yeah I would Imagine he would not be able to but he's a bit arrogant in the fact he believes it will go well for him. Maxi's more likely to hand over the factories due to the fact he knows they would be helpful.

I Like that idea you have for his father Henri de Lavier it makes a lot of sense ore than just him owning a few really though i should see what slayer thinks about it but yeah him being like that does seem right to me.

The Only thing is that Maxi is going to be on he side of the republicans in most aspects apart from the fact he would rather his father not get harmed. He does still have some loyalty to the aristocracy its just really minuscule.

Maybe though depending on if we do go for Maxi working a ltille with Chauvelin, maybe at say a masquerade they start talking about things for some reason (i usually make things up on the fly so i'm sure I can find away for it to make sense ) in the beginning and as you said conning him so he can give information to Percy, though I totally agree that at 15 year old would not be able to con and keep things secret from someone like him for very long that would be an epic Gary Stu to pull off that. Anyway back on topic lets say Chauvelin mainly (as I see him coming up with most of it) and Maxi as things get worse come up with a plan to pretend Maxi has been taken hostage, it would be a way for Maxi to do what we wants and get his father somewhat protected, their plan would be away to get access to the factories ? or is this about too much and something Chauvelin would not do

So the seeing some potential protect steer maxi angle would that be a steer him away from Percy type thing Which btw he would only do if he felt it the right thing so Chauv would have to spin it that way

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

Musing out loud (so to speak) here ...

Chauv sees which way the tide is running, and is repositioning himself over to the republican side. To that end (and since he leans republican himself), he'd be inclined to do things that help the rebels, as long as they're things that don't give away what he's really up to to the aristos. He'd also like to toss a wrench into the Pimpernel's plans (that that would further endear him to the republicans is just icing on the cake).

What about this? If Chauv figured out that Maxi was working for the Pimpernel, he'd use the young man to feed Percy disinformation. Instead of confronting Maxi, he'd pretend to be fooled and 'tricked' into giving away secrets, when in reality those secrets would just be whatever he wanted Percy to think. The Br'er Rabbit School of Counter-Espionage! In a similar vein, he could (with oh so much concern) warn Maxi to be careful, as those bloodthirsty republicans might take him hostage to force his father to make them gunpowder. Then he'd just stand back and let Maxi come up with the idea 'all on his own.' And so forth.

[maximiliennoelvier]

So planting the idea into Maxi's mind and Max coming up with the how and when himself. Yeah that sounds like the perfect idea and that way Chauv is able to do stuff without being anywhere near the spotlight I could though see even though Max trying to get information he likes Chauv somewhat so he could sue that to his advantage

Just so you know Max is not entirely stupid either while he does think he might be able tog et away with it Im sure he would end up finding out about the disinformation in the end just not straight away enough to get a plot going Im sure Max might stumble into things or find things that are actually true that Chuav did not "accidentily" give him

I was thinking though what would Chuav do with the factories ?

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

Yeah, I figure Chauv wouldn't get away with it indefinitely. After one or two things go wrong, Maxi's plenty smart enough to figure out he's being played. At which point the young man would have to decide whether to cut his losses and bail, try to trick Chauv by pretending to still be oblivious, come (at least semi-) clean and try to strike a deal, etc. Maxi might also want to consult with Percy, since the Pimp-man's not just his leader, but has crossed swords (literally) with Chauv before.

As far as the weapon factories, Chauv personally probably isn't going to do anything with them, beyond recommending to his bosses that the guard on them be increased -- which is pretty much dog-bites-man. The gunpowder factory/mill at Essonne is close enough to Paris to be useful to him, though. I've got a post up in somebody's plotter (I've lost track whose, might even be my own) with the idea that the message Chauv is couriering is (seemingly) a royal warrant giving the bearer access to the heavily-guarded gunpowder making place. But he actually intended for it to fall into the SH's hands and it's bait in a trap -- the government forces know they're coming and have laid an ambush, much as happened in Cholet in the show.

[maximiliennoelvier]

yeah I read about that post I'm okay with it maybe being his fathers factory if we go with that. Max in general really does not care what happens to the factories in the end as long as they fall in to revolutionary hands.

Yeah I think Max finding out about Chauv knowing would be interesting I would have no idea what he would do until I get to that moment but pretending to still be oblivious or try cut a deal might be one of things he does but yeah we could see where it goes. In general Max would be a lot more careful though if making a deal as it would be obvious Chuav is devious enough to manipulate at situation to his advantage.