Idwal Rees is a British agent for the Firm.
He is under the direction of the man known as the Gaffer. Strictly speaking, he is a freelancer, taking jobs when the work interests him. The fact that most jobs do have interest does not rob him of the pleasure of the semblance of independence.
Like his fellow agent, James Wainwright, Rees was born in the Shanghai region of China. The son of a Soviet sleeper agent placed there right after the First World War and a lovely White Russian, Rees was around ten when he learned that his father had refused to serve the Soviet state any longer, a defiance that cost his mother her life. The father and son took to traveling to earn a living. Rees learned several dialects of Chinese before they left for India at the start of WWII.
In India, Rees became a native speaker of several more languages as well as an expert in the northern region of the subcontinent. This ability to move about with such skill makes him a very valuable card in the Gaffer's deck.
As a contractor, Rees often has spare time on his hand between assignments and bills to pay. He makes a good, steady living from his apartment in Bombay taking investigation work. He is not a private investigator and chuckles when he is considered one. He is a finder, much like he is for the Gaffer, but in his civilian job it is finding stolen property from a company or sniffing out who is the likely one to take graft to look the wrong way. He is not licensed for it but he is good and often on call.
But his main work, the area he is best at but which is by far the most dangerous, is for the Gaffer.