Piermont Final Training Report

The following is the final training report for Reverend Piermont prior to his full induction into the Bark River Peacekeepers.

Report
As you might expect of a sin buster, Sgt. Piermont’s loyalty to the good St. Trois in general and toward His Highest Lord Worthy specifically, is in abundance. As he has quoted to me from the good book he carries with him, “It is the One True God who, with wizened hand, has placed those in authority above us.” Based on my observations unless Lord Worthy would join the Cult of Nihil or declares his devotion to Old Scratch, I doubt there is much the Lord could do to break this soldier’s devotion to him.

The Reverend does carry an old blue passed down through his family line, but before his recruitment, it seems unlikely that he fired it more than a handful of times. He did always go heeled into a fight, but said he never found the irons as effective as his hands. On the tests for marksmanship, he could, with some effort, pass, but this is a clear weakness in his effectiveness as a soldier. It should go into consideration in both the assembly of his team and the command which that team would be given.

On the other hand, if some desperado is on the prod, there is no soldier I would rather have beside me. He’s a bulldozer of a man who I once saw hit a granger, who had made a cut against the Peacekeepers, so hard I thought he had left the man for buzzard food. For an individual called to the pulpit, he is strangely quick to fight and notoriously good at it.

As you might expect of a brawler, Sgt. Piermont is is very good physical condition. He is strong in both his ability move items of great weight, but he also has the endurance of a tested ox. He is not as big of a man as you might expect, but he is solid as bedrock. Rather than having the normal body of a gospel sharp, softened by years of study and home cooked meals, he looks as though he has spent his time rustling cattle and made a hobby of lifting millstones.

In the community of Bark River, Sgt. Piermont has deep relations, for both good and ill. Three years ago he was given charge of the gospel mill located there, but he was noted as not being a very good preacher. This led to him having some conflicts within the church, specifically critical response from the old timers who remained there after his appointment. Additionally, he has had somewhat of a short fuse, known to settle church disputes and abuse of his parishioners with a “Laying on of Hands,” as he puts it. This has given him both fierce friends of those he has defended and bitter enemies of those he has embarrassed and their kin.

There are couple other personal issues, which will need to be considered when suggesting an appointment for Rev. Piermont. First, it is known he is in financial debt to many people in the community. If not for the charity of others, he would be left to the gutter and the trough. It seems that he is poor at managing his own finances, giving away money he doesn’t have and ignoring his own obligations. Second, probably as a result of the first, the relationship he has with his wife is strained and cold. If not for the stigma worn by a grass widow, she certainly would have left him. It is clear he has love for her, but she is not receptive, fed up with his carelessness with money and with his pride, which keeps him from getting assistance. When in public together, which is not frequent, they rarely pass two words. It has been nearly six months ago she has graced a pew in his church, although out of respect the other parishioners have left the seat, she once sat in, open and make generous excuses for her absence. As a personal comment, I believe it to be fortunate that God has not blessed them with offspring.

In conclusion of this review of Sgt. Piermont, given these findings and the Peacekeeping service which he has already provided, if it pleases His Highness Lord Worthy, I make the following recommendation. First, given his loyalty and ability to make quick decisions, I recommend he keep the field promotion of Sergent and a standard team be placed under his command. Second, given his weakness with marksmanship, I would have this team assigned to patrol in the civilized area of Bark River, where incidents with firearms are reduced. Third, I would add to his team a man of letters, preferably someone who can round out his impulsive streak. Forth, I recommend adding to his team some who have a history with the Peacekeepers and skill with firearms. Last, while it is unusual, I would like to request new recruit Skinner be added to Piermont's team. He has some of skills listed above, but more importantly, Piermont seems to regard him as a sort of relative. This was evidenced by the fact that when Skinner has been present the new Sergent seems to temper his thought process in defense of the younger man.