Silver Bayonet

The white cross belts and the Napoleon N on his pouch helps tie him to the era. I am confident that a fez was popular and he looks cool. The transfer on the book and the sword are from a 40K decals sheet.

The backstory

In 1799 Jean-Michel Dubreton was a young French private, abandoned by Napoleon after his failure to seize Acre from the British and local forces. Dubreton’s hero was his resolute General Jean-Baptiste Kléber who was left to fight on with no hope of success. When a peace was agreed with the locals and British (Sir Sydney Smith at least) Dubreton was deflated in defeat but had the sense to see that no good would come of fighting on. When Lord Keith of the British refused to honour the peace struck Dubreton marvelled at how Sir Sydney chose honour over patriotism and got a message, that Dubreton delivered himself, to Kléber warning him that the peace was no longer sealed.

Then the sudden assassination of Kléber started Dubreton on his Occultist path. The annals of history would rule the culprit to be an Arab student, but Dubreton knew that it had been a demon. He saw it happen with his own eyes, but no one would believe him. Assuming him traumatized and driven by grief to temporary madness they pursued their own flawed investigation.

Dubreton told some of the locals what he had seen and he found someone who believed him. An Occultist by the name of Nizam-i Pasha. Dubreton deserted his unit, set on a path of honour over patriotism, to see the supernatural killer of his General put to death. He did eventually see that quest to it’s bloody conclusion, but returning to the French army after his desertion seemed fool hardy at best. The things he had seen, the adventures he was having gave his life fresh meaning and he followed his mentor Pasha on a crusade against the occult.

Though he had a nagging dislike for Napoleon, after his betrayal of the army he left behind in the middle East, he felt that his nation needed him. After years of hunting Jinns  and demons and vampires in Egypt, Syria, Morocco and Spain, the French recruited him. His endeavours against the dark forces preceded him and had made him an obvious choice when looking for Occultists. The Silver Bayonet were on the French radar and the Huntsmen were acknowledged as a real threat. Both these elite British supernatural fighters and the mysterious huntsmen would need to be countered and Dubreton is willing to do his part.