Player Characters
Neville (Clockwork) Allegra (Cohesion) Hu (Exploration)
Silas (Futility) Nikita (Influence) Desirée (Lust)Neville Cogsworth, Viscount of Clockwork (Lanse Tryon)
He is known to have anchors in various places, including the Statistician to a certain Doctor N, as well as Anna, Princess of Wales, Daughter of Her Majesty The Queen. There's also this clockwork mouse he keeps in his short pocket, all of which would tend to imply fairly high Spirit. He is undisputedly the most powerful of the family in the Chancel, which he defends with an army of multi-limbed, fearsomly intelligent clockwork beasties. out of the chancel, his miracles tend to be subtle, with great effects; an added gear here, a weakened spring there, Mr. Davenport being able to make a machine work that logically should not, that sort of thing. He appears human, though we all know what appearances are worth.
For an undisclosed service to the Queen some years before his ennoblement 20 years ago, he was knighted, and retains the title in everyday use. He and the queen are no longer on speaking terms, but not before he and her youngest daughter formed a working relationship of unspecified details. Since ennoblement, he has worked ceaselessly to fortify his chancel and further Britain's interests abroad.
Most people, upon first meeting him, find him anal-retentive, callous, and cynical. After knowing him for a while, they still think he is anal-retentive, callous, and cynical. He is not above using mortals for his own ends, even if it sends them to their death. On the other hand, his creations are works of dynamic beauty, precision, and art, and he will not stop work on a creation until it is absolutely perfect. He does not suffer fools easily, and does not tolerate waste, according to his own peculiar definition.
He regards the Dominus of Steam-power to be unsubtle, boorish, and ham-fisted. The two of them have a bit of a rivalry going.
Neville is tall, gaunt, and wears a pair of tiny pince-nez spectacles. He appears to be about 40 years old, and walks with a black ironshod cane, which he needs not at all. Among his anchors for sure are the aforementioned Mr. Davenport and the Princess of Wales.
Hobbies are creating more clockwork beasties for the defense of the chancel, playing international politics from behind the scenes, and playing with Nibbles, a clockwork mouse that rides around in his pocket.
At times, he sits, just watching Big Ben wind through the hours.
He appears to be affiliated with the Dark. He never says anything about it, but his actions seem to indicate the eventual self-destruction of Humanity.
Allegra Ward, Noble of Cohesion (Kelley Byrd)
Allegra is a well known soft touch, taking in abandoned animals and handing out much needed items from her bottomless hand bag to absolute strangers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Driving that 'soft' spot is an unquenchable thirst for mayhem and thrilling situations, perhaps this is why she insists on planting herself in the realm of news reporting for The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News via an Anchor she refers to as 'The Mole'. After all, if a great event occurs, she wants to be there to witness it, experience it, enjoy it, then save the day by 'making it all better', sipping a nice sherry after. She is shrewd, has an eye for detail, and a second sense for impending phenomena/occurrences. She is also quite good at negotiating difficult situations, encouraging team work, and can concoct a splendid souffl? without it falling at the last moment.
Allegra was a corphye? at the Drury Lane Theatre, a member of the fabled 'skirt dancers' who dazzled the public at Christmas Pantomimes and in Burlesques. Her own specialty was as a 'flying' dancer', taking on the roles of fairies and other mythical creatures as needed for each performance. Unfortunately, she was flown too close to a gas jet during a performance where her flammable skirt was ignited. At that moment, as she was being devoured by flames, her call to someone to save her was heard and answered in a most unusual way - she was ennobled for her constancy in working for the good of the show, her willingness to sacrifice personal gain to better the corps, and her endless passion for order. She also was no mean seamstress, often times saving a button on the loose, lending out a replacement shoestring, and having an endless supply of safety pins.
As a Noble, Allegra travels about large, metropolitan areas in search of news worthy items, not for the news itself, but for the event. She tends to gravitate to disasters before they happen, observes the spectacle, and, after relishing the moment, repairs the damage and restores some semblance of normalcy (albeit never permitting the lives of those involved to go unchanged). She is generally a happy individual, but has been known to have a good sulk when the occasion merits it. Her outward appearance reflects the moment of her death as a Human with her dark hair now a flaming golden red, her complexion rosy, and her apparel always seemingly touched by a gentle breeze though the air is still as a tomb. She dislikes disorder, strife in the name of personal gain, and poor baked goods.
Allegra maintains her close ties with the theatre, one her most cherished anchors being the producer Richard D'Olyly Carte of the Savoy. Through Carte, she feels she can better serve her Estate of Cohesion, using the famed operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan to hold in jest contradictions, juxtaposition, and confusion for public edification. She firmly believes what is laughed at will not be accepted as proper behavior. She also is anchored with Lady Clause ("That is with an 'aus", dear."), a brindle cat of no particular pedigree, who is perfect at getting into places she herself might not be able to go without question. Lady C. has a winsome personality when the need arises, but is distinctly surly when not on her best behavior.
When not rushing about to social events or meeting a press deadline, Allegra enjoys sitting in the park with the 'pigeon ladies' and comparing notes on hand bag contents. She tolerates the typical Victorian past times for ladies such as painting teacups, fine needle work, and sketching. These things bore her silly, but the gossip is usually good.
As the Noble of Cohesion, Allegra has a great interest in preservation and restoration. She was instrumental in the Cleopatra's Needle Project, bringing the priceless artifact to London where conservationist would be able to guard it for posterity. She spends time securing important art pieces for museums, and is committed to saving monuments from desecration by the ravages of time and 'progress'.
Allegra has chosen the Star of Bethlehem and the Canterbury Bell in her floral design. The background is an image of a still pool of water, clear with a multi-hued base. Upon the water surface float the two flowers, the pointed tips of the white Star contrasting with the globes of pink Bells. There is a shimmering movement to the blossoms although they are affixed to the design proper.
Hu Jackson, Noble of Exploration (Colin Nichols)
Hu seems to have kept much of his mortal self after commencement. He has trouble expressing his power through his physical self, and is probably Metahuman in Aspect. He could be Legendary, but, if that's the case, he must be avoiding using Guises for some reason. His Spirit, too, is fairly weak, burning with only the strength of a Hearthflame. He is a mere Citizen of the Chancel, for why should Exploration have power over the home? His power over his Domain is impressive; he tosses around miracles of preservation and creation with little to no effort. He also claims to be a Worldwalker, and has volunteered to spy on other Chancels should the need arise.
At various times he has claimed to have been a Shaolin monk, pirate, lawman, gunslinger, and an astronaut before becoming a Noble.
Hu is struggling to deal with his new existance. As a mortal, he was a man of action, but force is less useful that social manipulation in this new world he's found himself in. He still carries his six-shooter with him, but it is much less useful now. As the Sovereign of Exploration, he finds that he often has to deal with the upper classes of Europe - something he is still not confortable with. Hu Jackson is fairly quiet and serious, but takes pleasure from the simple things of life. He fears almost nothing, and acts quickly and decisively. Once he makes up his mind, it is difficult to change it. He enjoys jokes and stories, and the beauty of the untamed wilderness. He freely admits to following the Code of the Wild.
He almost always appears as a tall caucasian with long black hair and a goatee. He wears a dusty yellow/tan long coat, heavy boots, a leather cowboy hat, blue denim pants, wool shirt, and round tinted glasses. His left arm ends at the wrist, the stump covered by a hankerchief. He also carries a large revolver with him - how he reloads it is a mystery. I suspect that many of you with a more genteel upbringing might regard his apperance as "american." The people of the Chancel seem to love him. They tell outrageous stories about him, as if he was a local hero and a legend at the same time. They also whisper tales about his severed left hand, which has a will of its own and roams the Chancel, furthering its own, mysterious agenda. He can also be summoned, and has taught each of you the ritual needed to do so in case of emergencies. The ritual is quite short: one needs to hold a symbol of Exploration (such as a compass or a new mathematical theory scribbled on a napkin) and invoke three short words. The summoning is painful for him, and he would prefer you did not use if friviously. He has two Anchors you know about. The first is a huge man of dangerous temper called Grim. Grim burns with barely controlled violence, but acts calmly and surely. He will take what he wants, regardless of who tries to stop him. He is obviously some criminal that Hu has dredged from some dark ally in America. The other Anchor is supposedly a scholar of some sort, a gentleman and knight of England. You've never met him. Hu does not spend much time in the Chancel, but when he does, he either spends his time holed up in the mountain cabin he calls home, or wandering around seeing what's new. His cabin is no small thing. It would be better to call it a castle made of wood. It has winding hallways and secret passages that seem to shift locations. It captures the cozy warmth of a frontier home while maintaining the dignity and grandeur that befits a Noble. The view out over the Chancel is spectacular, and rivals many of the Views that Hu has collected during his time as a Noble. The paths up the mountain continually shift, forcing one to find a new way up each time. Out in the mortal world, where he spends a great deal of his time, he focuses on creating situations that are ripe for exploration. Stable economies, rivalries between nations, meagar resources - all these help promote his estate. He also works to keep the wild areas in the world from being developed, prolonging the exploration of them. He has a large mystery cult devoted to him. They have no real understanding of the deeper magics of the world, but they can work in other ways. He also has been seen working with the Power of Mysterious Old Men to open meditation centers and further spiritual exploration. He likes seafood, particularily sushi, and french pastries. And, of course, he enjoys seeing new places and trying new things.
Silas Powder, Duke of Futility (Chris Idemmelli)
Before his enNobling, Silas ran an American publishing firm. He has brought some of his personal staff over to the chancel, where he works at the center of its ubiquitous bureaucracy. Silas is a believer in hard work, and maintains an absurd level of micromanagement in a variety of areas. He spends most of his day in his office, where his paperwork comes in as fast as he can process it.
The Duke of Futility is a middle-aged (45-50) New England man. His brown hair is graying at the temples and receding at the forehead. He is average height, on the thin side, and dresses in formal work clothes of the period (suit w/o jacket, vest, pocketwatch, nice shoes, etc.). There are few external signs of his estate in his appearance, though he does always seem to have a task at hand. When he doesn't, he'll often be seen repeatedly straightening his tie or fixing a cowlick or tying his shoe, only to have the work undone within the minute. He tends to pace when thinking or not otherwise occupied. He has a bit of Aspect and Spirit, and has some Chancel authority (Realm's Heart).
As the Noble of Futility, he fulfills expectations by pointing out the pointlessness of any course of action. He only pays lip service to this pessimism, however, and his actions are often at odds with his words. He is usually the first to take up an impossible task and last to give up a lost cause. Probability of success and failure seem to play small part in his decision making process.
A proclaimed teetotaller, Silas is not a man given to vice (though he and his wife do play at cards occasionaly). He is a follower of the Code of the Angels and advocate of Traditional American Values. He is much too busy to be very judgemental, however, and can get along fairly well with most types of people. When not buried in his work, he is fairly friendly with the other Nobles and Chancel residents (of similar station). His office is open to visitors, though one must climb an endless staircase to reach it.
Some random people/things associated with Silas: An energetic lawyer, a crank scientist, a surly secretary, a black dog who chases his tail, and a vagabond anchor he doesn't like to talk about.