Player Characters

It is 1845. One hundred years before the end of the world. Central Asia has become a chessboard for the British and Russian empires – the dominant powers of the globe. A tabletop RPG campaign set in Afghanistan, where a cold war heats to boiling point. The Great Game (Ætheric Dreams)

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Player Characters

Post by Bigby »

This thread will contain information on the player characters and NPCs that warrant it.
Bigby
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Posts: 78
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Majeed Abdah (Gypsy)

Post by Bigby »

Attributes
Alertness d12
Determination d8
Force d4
Grace d10
Intelligence d6

Roles
Adventurer d6
Boffin d4
Persuader d8 (Cheeky Charmer d8)
Shadow d10 (Big Ears d8)
Warrior d6

Distinctions
1. Urchin Survivor
d8: Can find stuff, live off land, avoid trouble, hide, languages easy
d4: Urchins are not wanted, can be picked on/bullied, no childhood
2. Eager to Please
d8: Will always go that extra mile, enthusiastic
d4: Can be considered a nuisance, nosey, needy
3. Aether Prophet
d8: Often brings true visions of future
d4: Cannot control effects, side effects, not always whole story
Background
His mother, an Afghani woman (Tahira) who had travelled in 1832 to try to better herself and ended up in India working for an Indian family whose head (Gaja Khan) was an important man in Government and was a liaison to the British army. This is how she met her army Major, who was already married to an English woman back home. When the army moved into Afghanistan in 1939, she took the opportunity to follow them, mostly to keep contact with her Major and to return home with her son. Obviously their relationship and his connection to the child were kept secret.
He ended up getting in with the Army for three years (1839-42). They treated him a little like a mascot and he kept them supplied with whatever they wanted, finding good deals, bringing gossip, contacts etc. From having no father, suddenly he had many, or at least that is how he saw it.
His father was a Major in the British army who died in the exodus in 1842. Both Tahira and Majeed took part in that exodus but managed to escape an ambush by hiding, even though the others were slaughtered, including the Major. He wasn’t told the man was his father until after this.
They made their way back to Kabul but her respected family rejected them both as traitors and with a son out of wedlock too! His life suddenly shrunk in importance and worse, a number of his countrymen thought he need to learn lessons as to which side he belonged to.
So his mother raised him on her own and the only family he has known is his mother. She cleaned, sewed or did any work that would bring in enough to feed them both. Despite the poverty, he was happy until his mother died of typhus when he was eleven.
He provided for himself by begging, pilfering doing small jobs, anything really to feed himself. Quite likeable, generally happy with a propensity to get involved in anything and everything, he got by. He has the ability to make a series of multi trades to end up with the start and end of the chain getting what they want but with a lot of other deals in between.
He found himself a hidey hole on the edge of Kabul. There was a dried up well with climbable walls, squeezing through the dry waterway lead to a small cave which he has made his home. There is a small spring and another exit if you are small and don’t mind getting wet.
Again he was without family. He is looking for a new one.

Player Challenges
• Muslim expressions – Allah be praised, Allah is bountiful, Allah teaches us humility Allah sees all, etc
• Some Army slang, some of it colourful –
• Mannerisms – short bow, almost a nod,
• Accent – can’t promise how good this will be
• Slightly broken English
• Examines everything of interest by handling it

Distilled Character
• Urchin
• Survivor
• Very aware of surroundings
• Local Contacts
• Trader (multi deals)
• Eavesdropper
• Charmer
• Aether Prophet
• Eager to please
• Hide is first instinct
• Persuasive
• Cheeky
• Orphan
• Curious/Involved
• Outcast by some locally
• Half-caste
• Pro British
• Generally happy
Bigby
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Posts: 78
Joined: 01 Nov 2011, 21:19

Sajjan Kaur (Ross)

Post by Bigby »

Attributes
  • Alertness d4 (distractible and oft preoccupied)
  • Determination d8 (she's wilful but still inexperienced)
  • Force d10 (there's not much of her, but she sure knows how to apply it)
  • Grace d12 (light on her feet, excellent coordination, dances beautifully even with a sword in hand)
  • Intelligence d6 (no lack of interest in the world, but not a natural academic)
Roles
  • Adventurer d4 ("I've read stories like this!" d8)
  • Boffin d6
  • Persuader d8
  • Shadow d6
  • Warrior d10 (Shastara Vidiya d8)
Distinctions
  1. Sikh Warrior Princess
    • d8: Being a terror on the battlefield, or graceful in a courtly dance.
    • d8: Awareness of many other cultures; Sikhs are still a minority in their own empire after all!
    • d8: She's a genuine princess - looks, regal bearing, etc; she makes an impression.
    • d4: She's a female infidel, improperly dressed, armed, and acting out.
    • d4: Even 'appropriately' dressed, making an impression is not always a good thing.
    • d4: She hasn't gotten out of the palace much.
  2. Wilful Idealism
    • d8: When you look for the best in people, you sometimes find it.
    • d8: Failing that, having strong principles of your own can keep you going.
    • d4: Adherence to a code of honour has its downsides.
    • d4: Sometimes misses nuances a more treacherous mind might not.
  3. ??
Background
Her name is Sajjan Kaur, and she grew up in the palace she now guards. Daughter of one of Ranjit Singh's many wives, growing up in a surprisingly multicultural and rich empire, she wasn't exactly short of opportunities. It may have taken a bit of determination, but she got herself at least as much weapons practice as poetry.

Things have taken a darker turn in recent years, the kingdom turning to infighting and treachery since her father's death, but she believes with Maharani Jind Kaur as regent that'll turn around - Ranjit's youngest wife is only a couple of years older than her, but wiser in the ways of the world, and they've always gotten along more like fond sisters.

She certainly can't understand her younger brother Peshaura Singh's armed rebellion this past year, and is greatly saddened by his recent incarceration; surely he understands that as father never officially recognised him, he cannot justly press a claim and nor should he given Rani Jindan's wisdom and her bringing of much-needed stability to the Empire.

Sajjan is something of an idealist; she's read a lot about the world but not seen much of it. Maybe she seems a little naive for someone who routinely carries half a dozen weapons, who's trained under Nihang masters famed for their ferocity in battle and implacable zeal. Maybe it makes her more dangerous in the long run, given that Rani Jindan's traitorous Dogra advisors and generals intend, essentially, to sell her beloved Sikh Empire to the British.

Not that she has anything against the British; she believes they ought to forge as firm a friendship as two neighbouring great empires can. Europeans have long had places of honour around the Sikh courts, heck some of the army's cavalry still drill to French commands, and she's always thought them quite exotic and fascinating.

So how do we meet such a well-armed ingenue?

Well, for starters, any expedition from India to Afghanistan will pass through the Punjab, and that means paying your respects in Lahore. It means an audience with Rani Jindan, and Sajjan is highly placed in her palace guard.

Such an expedition would customarily be lent an armed escort at least as far as the Afghan border; if perhaps said expedition contained an impressive lady scientist that had greatly caught the Rani's imagination, well, it would be improper to send only men to guard her.

No doubt the Dogras would be glad to see Sajjan gone; she's likely incapable of understanding the subtleties and necessities of what is to come, for her brother or her beloved Maharani and the empire at large.

And perhaps, contingent though it is on the whimsy of other players, she might have found herself a match among those exotic European visitors to the court?

For extra amusement and historican tie-ins, let's say she was betrothed to Jawahir Singh Nalwa (there's a lot of Hindu/Muslim influence around court, so no doubt arranged marriages are fairly normal) but refused the match despite him being the son of one of her heroes (Hari Singh Nalwa, who terrified the Afghans no end).

If she refused him for an Englishman, goodness me, people will talk! At least Jawahir can take it out on the British forces in years to come ;)

Player Challenges
• Female character, obviously.
• Playing a naive idealist, as opposed to say, Ryan or Chesca's moral ambiguities and general lack of faith in humanity.
• She may be extremely proficient at it, but violence is to be avoided and killing even moreso.
• No magic, no mystical weirdness, not being a beautiful and unique arcane snowflake.
• Married life, on the road, with another PC?
• I'm not sure I dare try the accent here, but I'll think about it.

Distillation list
  • Khalsa
  • Devout
  • Optimistic
  • Tolerant
  • Romantic notions
  • Daydreamer
  • Idealist
  • Keeps her word
  • Has killed to do so
  • Stronger than she looks
  • Quick
  • Graceful
  • Beauty
  • Dance
  • Elegance
  • Poetry
  • Stories
  • The Five Ks
  • Militaristic culture
  • Never unarmed
Bigby
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Posts: 78
Joined: 01 Nov 2011, 21:19

Graham Clark Hunt (Steve)

Post by Bigby »

Attributes
Alertness d8
Determination d12
Force d4
Grace d6
Intelligence d10

Roles
Adventurer d6
Boffin d8
Persuader d10 (Every person has buttons! d8)
Shadow d4 (Purely Scientific Interest d8)
Warrior d6

Distinctions
  1. Natural Mystic
    Graham has always had a natural, instinctive way with the mystical has since spent many years seeking enlightenment throughout the ashrams of India.
    • d8: Mystical insights. Inner strength. Mind over matter.
    • d4: Incomplete insights. Mystical Distraction. Inner dialogue.
  2. Gone a bit native
    Graham's been wandering the wilds of India for several years and has gone somewhat native.
    • d8: Pass as a native positively. Good Contacts. Appropriate Knowledge.
    • d4: Pass as a native negatively. Bad 'Contacts'. Alienate Peers.
  3. ??
Background
Born in Bengal to Lieutenant Colonel Clark Hunt & Llewella Chasity Hunt whilst in India with the East India Company. His father was killed during the Gurkha War (1814-1816) and he and his mother were sent home.

In 1819, his mother caught cholera and died whilst trying to help family friends who returned from India (First Cholera Pandemic 1817-1824).
Graham was taken in by his Uncle on his mother’s side of the family. His mother’s family was wealthy but his uncle found looking after Graham difficult – a constant reminder of the loss of his dear sister. This pain was very evident to Graham and he did what he could to distance himself where possible.As such Graham found himself sent off to school and forced to develop independence. He proved an apt student and, due to losing his mother to disease, exhibited an interest in medicine.

Graham was able to fast talk his way into a medical apprenticeship at Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital, in London where he thrived. During his time at St. Bart’s, it became clear that Graham had a way with people – his influence was calming and he had a way of defusing situations that quickly made him popular with the staff. Many needing the hospital’s services where soldiers and civilians returning from India and other outposts of the Empire. Graham would often encourage his patients to tell stories, or tall tales, to distract them from whatever unpleasant medical treatment was required. Many of the stories fascinated him, sowing the seeds of wanderlust.

On the eve of his majority in 1836, Graham was summoned by his uncle and given the few remaining possessions of his father. This included several of the Lt. Colonels diaries, correspondence, military medals and a beautifully engraved and richly inlaid Khuhuri. Graham devoured these diaries with relish, and whilst incomplete, he found himself spell bound by both his first experience of his father’s voice and the land of which he spoke.

With his uncle’s permission, and influence, he acquired a commission with the East India Company as a military doctor and sets sail to India.

Graham’s time with the East India Company was tough but varied.

[Todo – Probably need more details of career.]

He travelled widely and soon discovered a new fascination – Indian Mysticism. Graham’s penchant for stories led him to it. The more unlikely and clearly exaggerated stories they couldn’t possibly be true – could they? Tales of inhuman strength, immunity to pain, heightened senses, unnatural control of the body even foresight and healing all uncovered by those seeking enlightenment.

He spent much of his free time researching these stories and the various Indian philosophical systems (Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta) visiting local ashrams and consulting the local gurus.

Before long Graham had seen enough to convince him that there were more to the tall stories – there was something to the power of mind over matter, something he wanted to pursue.

Using all his persuasive talents Graham lobbied for a sabbatical to study these things. To his surprise it was granted – on the condition that during his travels he kept the company informed of any important local news and, perhaps delivered a message or two here or there – that he would act as an unofficial company representative.

Graham has since spent his time traveling throughout India seeking the wisdom of the Indian mystics whilst offering his medical skills to those in need.

Graham thinks of himself as an every-man, and can be quite self-deprecating, although he has crusader/altruist tendencies with a will of iron beneath a velvet glove.

He believes strongly in the Hippocratic oath and is driven to help people - directly if required, but ideally by helping further medicine and specifically psychology. He is fascinated with the human mind and it's ability to effect and control the body, and how people's spiritual and religious beliefs might effect that.

Certainly, his quest started as scientific curiosity but as he has travelled and experienced more perspectives that curiosity has become more and more spiritual and fundamental. He wants to understand himself and by reflection humanity - whether that's even possible isn't important, the quest for understanding itself is enough.

He practices a number of things that he has picked up, practising yoga and meditation daily, although he chooses and practices only those things that work for him - he follows no particular dogma.

Personally Graham can be extremely playful once he knows someone - his gift with people has tended to make folks take his humour in the manner it was intended rather than getting him into trouble. He's always happy to discus his discoveries and eager to hear new perspectives. His medical experiences and own history also give him empathy that some lack.

Distilled Character
  • Well educated
  • Gentleman Doctor
  • Light hearted
  • Self deprecating
  • Level headed
  • Altruist
  • Charming
  • Empathetic
  • Circumspect
  • Driven
  • Fascinated by Mysticism
  • Pilgrim
Bigby
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Posts: 78
Joined: 01 Nov 2011, 21:19

Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Anne Cecil (Pak)

Post by Bigby »

Attributes
Alertness d10
Determination d10
Force d4
Grace d4
Intelligence d12

Roles
Adventurer d8
Boffin d10 (Aether d8, Natural Philosophy d8)
Persuader d6
Shadow d6
Warrior d4

Distinctions
1. Believer in Gender Equality
Ellis believes that, physical differences apart, men and women are no different in their abilities. She is constantly frustrated by a world that believes otherwise, both the men who belittle the women, and the women who just accept “their place in the world”. She isn’t one of those women.
d8: Inspired/driven to greatness by being overlooked, ignored, and otherwise patronised by men for something she feels she is fundamentally equal, or better, than they are.
d4: Distracted by another woman’s plight that is brought on by a man, or by society's norms, and possibly fighting a lost cause as a result.
2. Science!
Ellis is a big believer in science as a way of explaining nature, and as a way of getting to know the mind of God. Like most scientists of this period, there is no conflict between the two.
d8: Her deep understanding of science grants insights into a situation.
d8: Rationality allows her to face situations that others might be scared by due to superstition.
d4: Rationality leads her into astray due to not realising that superstition is sometimes based on a real phenomenon.
d4: Impatient with, and scornful of, those who seek a supernatural explanation for something more readily explained by science.
3. Rapier-like Wit
Ellis has a large reservoir of biting putdowns and acerbic remarks, and will use them to put people back in their place if they annoy her.
d8: Takes down the pompous.
d4: Makes enemies.
Introduction
Ladies and gentlemen. May I present The Lady Elizabeth Cecil.
A female scientist trying to get recognition in an age where women did not do science and were not regarded as equal to men.
Ellis has always had to fight for her preferred position in life; to be able to accompany her beloved brother David in his education, to be able to live her own life, to survive being a failed débutante. She is not going to be deterred from her course of action, though she will change it if circumstances dictate. She is well-travelled, having embarked on the Grand Tour as well as travelling to consult with other experts in Aether, and speaks French, German and Italian.

Background
Lady Elizabeth “Ellis” Georgiana Anne Cecil, born in 1805, is the fourth daughter of the First Marquess of Salisbury, James Cecil and Lady Emily Mary. She is a rather plain and somewhat clumsy woman, generally with a serious expression, accompanied by a rapier-like wit.

She has a twin, David, to whom she is very close. David is the third son. Both were unexpected as their mother was thought to be too old to bear children at the time of their birth. The resulting oddity of the children, as far as the aristocracy were concerned, was regarded as being both the result of the age and temperament of their rather eccentric mother.

Childhood
Both of them exhibited a deep curiosity about the world around them from a young age, and were indulged by their parents with private tutors. Both turned out to be able pupils, and their thirst for knowledge were barely slaked by their tutors, with each piece of information prompting further questions, to the exasperation of some of the tutors. This love for natural philosophy, and the wonders of the world, resulted in both being rather more focused on academics rather than on being nobility, though they both had to take the lessons in dancing, history, aristocracy (history and present structure of royalty and other noble families), militaria (military insignia, ranks, structure and regiments of the British Army, etc.), music, and other noble arts.

For David, this focus was rewarded at the tender age of 24 with a Chair in Natural Philosophy at Kings College, Cambridge. This was partially achieved through his own hard work, but truth be told, primarily by who his family is.

Ellis, on the other hand, was encouraged to take a more traditional route to success for a girl, with additional studies in the arts, music, history and languages. She tolerated this with ill grace, preferring her scientific studies, and at the relatively great age of 17, she debuted in society.

Adulthood
Her débutante year turned out to be a disaster, where her plain looks and clumsiness brought her little in the way of favourable attention. Her family’s wealth and position in society helped, as did her mother’s reputation as a great hostess, but she was acutely aware that the attention paid to her by men and women was purely on the basis of who her parents were–rather than on any intrinsic merits that she possessed–and she became quite adept at seeing through their motives, studying them as if they were interesting specimens. That habit, coupled with a sharp wit that was improved upon that which she inherited from her mother, did not help her in social gatherings where the intention was to attract the attention of a suitable match.

Over the course of that year, and for several years subsequently, young men have made their suit to her, but she has rejected each as being unsuitable, astutely appraising their primary motivations as social advancement and wealth. Her elderly parents, though admiring of the way their daughter could see through each one, wished that she had taken one of them and cemented her position in society. They died without seeing this wish fulfilled; her father of old age at home, and her mother in a fire at Hatfield House.

As it became obvious that she would not marry, she was granted a stipend of £500 a year by her parents, to allow her to live independently in a suitable style, and in the hope that this would help her gain a husband. She has, instead, spent her time and money immersed in academic studies, travelling extensively to do so.

In this matter, she is assisted by her brother David who has officially employed her as his research assistant for the sum of £100 a year. However, her research and his are not always on the same subject, and she is able to use the University library and gain access to other institutions using this title. This has been useful in attending lectures and accessing rare documents. Some of the joint research they have done had been published under David’s name, with Ellis being given secondary author status as his research assistant. Despite this, most (male) scientists who read the papers think that David is being too kind to his spinster sister who would otherwise have no reason to live (or so some of the more vicious rumours say).

As a result, Ellis has realised that the current arrangement, as cosy and comfortable as it is, will never get her a Fellowship at the Royal Society, her ultimate aim. Achieving this would prove that she was right in pursuing her path, and she is determined to formulate an all-encompassing theory about Aether as her magnum opus, and her election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. This had now become her life's work and having read up on all the literature available, she is determined to discover what she can in the field. To this end, she is travelling to the Hindu Kush with her trusty servant, Fiona Parling, and a manservant, recommended by her brother James, called George Alfreton to carry things, and Sergeant Geraint Williams, formerly of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, a retired and highly commended soldier of 42 that her eldest brother, James, had insisted on accompanying her on this perilous journey. Given who she is, and how much he will be paid for getting her back safely after she accomplishes her mission, Geraint is taking his assignment very seriously indeed.

Current situation
Ellis has made her way to the British East India Company’s capital of Calcutta with her retainers, baggage, equipment and some luxuries to present as gifts, having taken the “Overland Route” to India, courtesy of The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (“P&O”) and the Egyptian Transit Company. This journey, which involved a voyage to Alexandria, a boat down to Cairo, an overland desert ride to Suez, and a steamship to Calcutta, took 59 days, a considerable time saving on the 100 days or more the Cape route took, albeit at a higher price.

She spent 4 days in Calcutta, where she hired 2 mounted Hindoo sepoys, 4 riding horses (for the sepoys, Sergeant Williams and herself), 2 carthourses and a covered wagon for the baggage. Mr Alfreton will drive the wagon, and Fiona will sit in it. Ellis will alternate between riding and riding in the wagon, as her whim takes her. Having acquired a letter of passage from James, she’s also managed to procure some maps to guide her to Firozpur in the North-West frontier, on the border with the Sikh Empire.
  • This is a possible location to have met Majeed, Mr. Graham Hunt or Major John Hare. In the case of the first two, she might have hired them on; in the case of the Major, she might have offered to travel together; she would not do Sergeant Williams a disservice by hiring someone who outranks him.
Before setting off, Ellis wrote two letters to her brothers; one to James, and one to David. She will continue to write one letter for each during the journey, as well as keeping a personal diary (she’ll encourage Fiona to keep one as well), and a scientific journal. She’ll also make sketches and paintings of scenery, geology and animals of interest of her; she’ll never be a professional artist, but she is passable.

The journey from Calcutta took six weeks via Benares, Agra, Delhi and finally to Firozpur, with Ellis presenting herself at each city to the local East India Company agent or office to make contact, flatter them as necessary, assure them that she is quite capable of making this journey and that she’s in safe hands, enquire about any local knowledge or expertise in Aether, and ask about the road and other local conditions ahead. She was invited to dinner at each such stop, and she accepted each time. Dinner was always spent praising the food and host, followed by her regaling them with news from England and in return, they would regale her with news about India or anecdotes about life in India. In Delhi and Firozpur, she’ll also send further letters to her brothers.

At Firozpur, Major George Broadfoot (the British political agent for the North-West Frontier) failed to dissuade her from proceeding to the Hindoo Kush, despite warnings that political instability within the Sikh Empire, arising from the death of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh 6 years earlier, was making the situation dangerous for foreigners. He asked that, at the very least, her party should not to linger in the Sikh Empire. She asked about the obvious military build-up at Firozpur, to which he replied that the instability in the Sikh Empire might spill over into British India, and they were strengthening the border as a result.

Spending a week at Firozpur, she swapped horses for camels, and acclimated to riding camels instead of horses. She acquired a local guide to take her to Lahore.

She arrived in Lahore the afternoon of 2nd September 1845, and made her presence officially known to the government by requesting an audience with the Maharani Jind Kaur in order to gain permission to cross the empire into the Hindoo Kush. While she waits, she is gathering supplies, guides, maps, and any local knowledge, evidence and expertise about Aether that she doesn't not already possess. (If she is not permitted to take her Hindoo sepoys with her, she'll release them from her service, pay them off and send them back to India, replacing them with local warriors.)
  • During this time, she might have met an interesting young Sikh princess called Sajjan Kaur, with a temperament that matched her own albeit with a very unconventional martial focus. She might also have met the others during the time she is waiting for her audience.
Normal life
Her normal week would involve going to church on Sundays and having Sunday lunch with David and his family. (The lunch would, of course, be made by their servants.) She would often spend time with them afterwards, before going back to her own smaller house. Ellis has a house servant as well, a hard-working young woman of 19 called Fiona Parling that she had employed to look after her house and her wardrobe, and has found, to her surprise, that Fiona is rather intelligent, though not well educated. Consequently, Ellis had paid for Fiona to receive tutoring in general education for 2 hours a day and had found that she is someone to whom she can discuss matters of science. Fiona has little understanding what her mistress is talking about (though this is slowly changing due to immersion), but occasionally makes an insightful comment on how to deal with difficult colleagues and alternative approaches to matters that hadn't occurred to Ellis.

Mondays to Saturdays are normally spent either in the library, researching some topic or other, or in the lab performing all manner of experiments on aether (or helping David in his experiments). Occasionally, she will take the stagecoach across to Oxford or down to London to do research or attend a lecture. On the occasion of the latter, David would often accompany her if the matter was of mutual interest. Sometimes, they would visit their brother, James, at his London townhouse if he was in residence there.

Both Ellis and David's family would also visit James and his family at Hatfield House on occasions, especially over the Christmas period, when the family would gather together to celebrate it. David would, of course, also visit his in-laws on such occasions when time permits.

Family
Other members of the family are:-
Father: Lord James Cecil, First Marquess of Salisbury KG PC (4 September 1753 – 13 June 1823). Married 2 December 1776.
Mother: Lady Emily Mary (née Hill), Marchioness of Salisbury (16 August 1755 – 12 November 1835). Famously unconventional (Irish) society hostess and societal rival to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Died in a fire at the family estate of Hatfield House.
Eldest sister: Lady Georgiana Charlotte Augusta Cecil (20 March 1786 –), married Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley.
Second sister: Lady Emily Anne Bennet Elizabeth Cecil (13 July 1789 –), married George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath.
Eldest brother: James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil (17 April 1791 –), 2nd Marquess of Salisbury KG PC. Married to Frances Mary Gascoyne (2 Feb 1821). Widowed (1839) with 5 surviving children (one died at the age of one).
Third sister: Caroline Cecil (13 August 1793 – 23 May 1797)
Second brother: Henry Thomas Allen Cecil (22 January 1796 –)
Third brother (twin): David Horace James Cecil (16 May 1801 –)

David is also a rather plain gentleman, but as one with a degree of wealth and with the inequalities of life, he is married to Lady Louise Charlotte, the daughter of a local landowner in Hertfordshire. All three have known each other for most of their lives, and though Louise doesn't understand much about science–and less so about Ellis’s fascination with it, regarding it as a rather strange pursuit for a woman–she realises that it is important to her husband and her sister-in-law. Louise knows Ellis well enough to defuse potential social incidents where some unfortunate man might end up triggering some biting remark from Ellis, and helps to smooth over any awkwardness that arises as a result. David and Louise have four children, and it is for their sake that David is not accompanying his sister on this journey.

Retainers
Fiona Parling - her trusted servant and confidante
George Alfreton - a manservant to carry things and generally do things that require physical effort
Sergeant Geraint Williams - a military escort that her eldest brother, James, insisted on accompanying her. Formerly of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, a retired and highly commended soldier of 42 that James has hired independently, with the promise of a substantial (£500) reward upon returning his sister successfully and unharmed back home after she accomplishes her mission.

Distilled Character
  • Aristocrat from a notable family
  • Very intelligent
  • Science!
  • Believer in equality of the sexes
  • Fiesty and headstrong
  • Independent
  • Plain
  • Well-presented
  • Serious
  • Sharp-tongued
  • Clumsy
  • Well-travelled
  • Regarded as eccentric
  • Somewhat undiplomatic at times
Bigby
New Face
Posts: 78
Joined: 01 Nov 2011, 21:19

Major John Hare (Neil)

Post by Bigby »

Attributes
  • Alertness d6
  • Determination d8
  • Force d12
  • Grace d6
  • Intelligence d8
Roles
  • Adventurer d10 (Hunter d8)
  • Boffin d6
  • Persuader d6
  • Shadow d4
  • Warrior d8 (Sound and Fury d8)
Distinctions
Lion of a Man
  • d8. Six-three and seventeen stone of brawn.
  • d8. You are brave-hearted.
  • d8. You are even more dangerous when wounded.
  • d8. Manliness is next to Godliness.
  • d4. You're not good with children.
  • d4. You're beastly company.
  • d4. You always stand out in a crowd.
Marine Major
  • d8. You affect the airs and graces of an English gentleman.
  • d8. You are a field officer.
  • d8. A man in uniform.
  • d4. When duty calls.
  • d4. Redcoats are feared and loathed by many.
  • d4. Your commission in the Bootnecks is unfashionable in Society.
Outlander
  • d8. You hail from Upper Canada.
  • d8. Untamed wilderness was your playground.
  • d8. And natives were your play-mates.
  • d4. Rough around the edges.
  • d4. Your wealth is tied up in the family ranch.
  • d4. Social climber
Background
Hare is a not quite the English gentleman that he strives to be.

His grandfather was a loyalist during the Revolutionary War, serving in Butler's Rangers. John has inherited his grandfather's penchant for soldiering, the British, and rather stubborn refusal to do what everyone else thinks he should do.

None of this has stood him in good stead. Although he has the airs and graces of an English gentleman, he hails from the territory of Ontario. Eager to see the Empire, he couldn't afford a commission in the British Army, or the education for one in the Navy, Engineers or Artillery. Damned if he was going to enlist, he finally gained a lieutenancy in the Royal Marines--- the officer's equivalent of social suicide.

Hare proved himself a troublesome officer in the eyes of his superiors. He often favoured his own judgement over his orders, was brusque in tendering his opinion, unasked for or not, and could even be quarrelsome. However, no-one doubted his dedication to Queen and Country, or his daring in battle. For this reasons, he rose in rank to Major, even though he was the kind of officer most men would want to respect and admire from afar, not have to follow on some foolhardy escapade.

Now, with the Marine Forces undergoing an awkward reorganisation into light infantry brigades, Hare has gained large tranches of leave. His current whereabouts are thought to be the Hindoo-Kush, where his compatriots report he is searching for the Golden Markhor, with the intention of shooting it.

In his mid-thirties, Hare is a lion of a man, some 6 feet 3 inches tall, and built like a 17-stone anchor cable, with neatly groomed blonde hair and a ruff of side whisters grown into friendly mutton chops.

He knows his way around a tall ship, including the tops, and is an expert climber and marksman. Not a rich man or a priveleged one, he seeks to become both.

Player's Notes
  • His father had nine siblings, so Hare's family back in Ontario is likely a large one.
  • He doesn't yet have a wife. Key objective: Trophy wife. It would have to be the right woman, i.e., English rose, good social standing, and she'd have stay at home and not bother him unduly.
  • Markhor still are one of the world's most challenging game. The Golden Markhor would be a key objective.
  • Hare isn't one of the fashionable Victorian hunter/explorers who could publish his memoirs. Hare tries to write, keeping a diary, but it reads like the febrile rantings of a primitive screwhead. He's more someone another writer would profit from after he's gotten himself gloriously killed? Finding a biographer or publisher could be an objective.
  • He is a terrible diplomat and poor choice for a government agent. The East India Company are unlikely to require his aid in a delicate situation, for example, unless it was as cover for someone more discreet... and tactful.
  • [An era before gun porn!? Not quite.]A Purdey double-barrelled howdah pistol in .65 calibre, essential. By the mid-1800s, James Purdey was an accepted London gunsmith but still considered nouveau. A bona fide gentleman would carry Henry Tatham or Joseph Manton. The British Sea Service Pistol was an excellent flintlock, issued to Navy and Marines up to the 1840s, but given the blackpowder propellant .54 calibre would be too light-hitting for dangerous game. Double-barrelled sporting rifles were made in the 1840s, but large bore, single-shot smoothbore muskets seem to have been preferred by hunters of the day, as they were quicker to reload and less prone to incident. Interestingly, the infamous Afghan jezail followed this pattern. A sports hunter like Hare might opt for a Hollis & Son, 6-bore, 17-pound double-barrelled musket, then purchase a jezail in-country.
  • 1804 Pattern Boarding Cutlass would hang on his belt. Rough and ready.
  • Inspirations: Sir Samuel Baker largely, with some Colonel Fred Burnaby.


Lady Blackbird Version
http://leanerminds.com/forums/viewtopic ... 5f61e#p435
Bigby
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Posts: 78
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William Deforest

Post by Bigby »

A British engineer. Inventor and builder of the "Fading Sun" (a new class of airship lifted by Aether and powered by coal fired engines - patent pending) and founder of the "Superior Aetheric Ship" company. Recently rescued by the party after an unpleasant run in with the Boar Headed Men.
Bigby
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Posts: 78
Joined: 01 Nov 2011, 21:19

Lakhpreet Kaur Kohli

Post by Bigby »

One of the members of Sajjan Kaur's new all female palace guard. Recently rescued by the party after an unpleasant run in with the Boar Headed Men. Shot, by accident, by Major John Hare (Nem)[/list] and brought back from the brink of death by Doctor Graham Clark Hunt (Steve).
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