Sam Vimes

Grew Up... underprivileged, raised by his mother in the poorest area of bustling Ankh-Morpork. When he was little, Vimes remembers desperately wanting a puppy, though not for the same reason as most other kids: "Mind you, they'd been starving – anything with meat on it would have done." Although his father dies early, Vimes carries on his legacy by joining the City Watch, his father's former employer.

Living... in Ankh-Morpork, where he hasn't risen much from the poverty in which he was born.

Profession... captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Not that it's much of a title these days, however. Thanks to the recent legalization of the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds, the city prefers to tax criminals rather than capture them. However, in a multi-species city full of long-standing grudges, trouble is sure to always to turn up—especially when a new recruit comes to town just as a dragon starts terrorizing Ankh-Morpork.

Interests... drinking, despising the rich, and generally despairing at the state of humanity. Once you've given up on humanity, there's not much else to do unless you want to go around giving your money to widows and orphans. Which Vimes does, too – it's just that the “despairing” part takes up more time.

Relationship Status… single, and too drunk to care. At first, anyway. However, when Vimes meets Sybil Ramkin, the dragon-loving aristocrat's boisterous charm may win him over despite his distrust of nobility.

Challenge... stopping crimes while battling his desire to take justice into his own hands. As a policeman as seasoned as Vimes would (or should) know, vigilante justice may sound appealing in theory, but it's a far different story in practice.

Personality... gruff and cynical, but doggedly determined to do the right thing. Despite his lack of faith in politicians, priests, vampires, revolutionaries, and the world in general, Vimes has a strong moral compass from which he refuses to deviate, "because if he did, then he wouldn't be Sam Vimes anymore."