Intro[]
Josef Underwood is currently the Bureau Chief of the Lux Gravare bureau for The Coeus Group. Previously the Sheriff of Hillgrove Plain, he was forced to resign following the dissolution of the Church of Humanity, Repentant and the rise of the League of Frontier Towns.
Traits and Appearance[]
A laid back and genial man, Josef has a simple rustic charisma that makes it easy for people to like him. He's just as comfortable and charming chatting over drinks around a frontier town poker table as he is making the rounds at a high society ball. And no matter who you are or how much money you might have, he makes sure that when you are talking with him you are the center of his attention.
Josef has a weathered and well worn face with brown eyes and a thick grey mustache. His greying hair, when it’s not covered by his favorite wide brimmed leather hat, is slicked back and trimmed neatly at the back of his neck. And when he looks in your direction, his ever present smile compliments the deep warmth and empathy coming from his eyes.
Forced to give up his uniform following his resignation, Josef can now be found wearing a formal dress vest and slacks when at work along with a well worn pair of polished frontier boots.
Early Life[]
Josef was born on February 22, 3149 to Mykal and Sveta Underwood in the frontier town of Hillgrove Plain. He gravitated toward the idea of being an officer of the law as a child, and his knack for finding trouble led his parents to approach Jackson Reeves, the Sheriff of Hillgrove Plain, about the possibility of an apprenticeship. Sheriff Reeves, an elderly man with a reputation for training exceptional officers, gladly took on the young Josef, naming him a Deputy on his sixteenth birthday.
Josef quickly gained a reputation as a fair hand and astute judge of character, making him the natural choice when Hillgrove Plain voted for a new Sheriff following the retirement of Sheriff Reeves. But it was his heroics in tracking down and capturing the Starfield Killer that caused him to come to the attention of House Crux and powerful members of the Church in Lux Gravare.
Josef’s increase in profile led to increased responsibilities in the capitol. It was not long before Josef found himself shuttling between Lux Gravare and Hillgrove Plain, spending as much time dealing with nobles, government bureaucrats, and religious leaders as he did with members of the community. It was during this time that Josef began to build relationships with some of the most powerful and influential people on Cabina.
Rise of SERAPH[]
Like many on Cabina, Josef was deeply uncomfortable with the Church’s decision to join the Sector Trade Organization and take part in the Corporate War, but as the conflict seemed so far from his everyday life he never let it affect his day to day work in keeping the peace.
Which may be why he was caught so flat footed when the STO lost the war. In normal circumstances Josef was highly adept at navigating the politics of the capitol, but he failed to recognize just how important the Church was to keeping the people of Cabina united.
Vicious infighting between the corporations and charitable organizations for control of Cabina began almost immediately following the fall of the Church, and led to friends and communities being forced to choose sides. People who were previously focused on working together instead started to do whatever it took to make sure that their “side” won.
It wasn’t until he was called before the newly formed League of Frontier Towns and asked to declare his loyalty to the Ankhayat Coffee Company that Josef understood just how quickly things on Cabina had changed. He resigned as Sheriff shortly thereafter and began looking for new opportunities that wouldn’t compromise his integrity.
Joining the Coeus Group[]
Josef and future CEO of The Coeus Group, Aristotle Seide, met during Aristotle’s brief time on Cabina working for PRISM News. They formed a quick friendship, and when Aristotle heard that Josef had resigned as Sheriff he moved quickly to offer Josef a position in his newly formed company.
Josef agreed to join under the condition that he could use his position to work towards undoing some of the damage the fall of the Church had done to Cabina. He now uses the information trade towards his own personal ends -- trading information and favors with the agenda of helping the poor, the lost, and the powerless.