Teaser list [Keystone - ENG 1]
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Teaser list
Personaggi visualizzati: 41
#30 - Saverio Francesco Vegezzi, The family lawyer (Character played by E. D.)
Motto: The doctor sees men's weaknesses; the lawyer sees their evil Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: This character will be assigned to a staff member.
Teaser: Fierce member of ancient Turinese lineage with a law degree from the city's Atheneum, his reputation as a formidable lawyer grew year by year making him one of the most illustrious jurists of the Turinese forum. Four time parliamentarian, court counsellor, director of noble estates: all testaments to his esteemed genius and deep soul. Colleagues, senators, friends and even some opponents say he's always been the personification of modesty, integrity and goodness. Of course, such a friend could not refuse the request of the esteemed Lord Oliver to arrange his many deals in Italy. He even managed to acquire for him the beautiful Villa Avogadro which now welcomes him often like a much anticipated guest.
Relations: He knows well senator Nigra, the Robilant ambassador's widow and Monsignor Mattei. At the Scarborough home he had pleasant discussions with Lady Violet and Mrs Elizabeth Rush. He hates Paolo Valera but promised Lord Scarborough refrain from quarreling with his guests.
#31 - Gabriel Wooster, Lord Scarborough's closest friend (Character played by D. C.)
Motto: Shake the bourgeoisie! Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Character with a complex personality, core of intrigues and mysteries. He will get some guidelines from the staff.
Teaser: Sometimes someone still dares to ask what Gabriel does for a living. The answer is a sweet yet embarassing gaze full of compassionate disapproval, an enigmatic smirk culminating in a whimsical laugh, then his laconic declaration: ''Oh God... Working is the last hope of those who have nothing better to do, don't you know? In life, I take care of myself and I suggest you do the same''. There is something ancient, mysterious and enigmatic about Mr Wooster. His affable con man way of talking, his elegant hands, his dancer-like moves... Though he clearly refuses to have any other duties aside from own personal affairs, he often takes long confidential travels lasting as long as his long extended stays as a guest at the Scarborough estate.
Relations: Good friend of Lord Scarborough, Lord Terence, Guy de Maupassant and mademoiselle Miriam Alexandrine Rotschild. They all met in salons and cafés through Europe.
#32 - Lord Oliver Maxwell Scarborough, The quirky lord of the manor (Character played by F. C.)
Motto: Destiny picks the music but we choose the dance Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: This character will be assigned to a staff member.
Teaser: Anyone in the upper class unfortunate enough to have never made eye contact, had a little talk or simply cross paths with Lord Oliver would be treated like a laughingstock. Lord Scarborough isn't just an acquaintance to be proud of but one who opens more doors than a passepartout. Eclectic and eccentric but still well-mannered, he is welcome in every salon, parlour or café. Rumour has it that he receives more invitations in a year than a man can attend in two lives. Philanthropist, book lover, collector and patron of artists, people wonder if his riches are broader than his knowledge. With his enigmatic and charming gaze, he often smiles but never jokes about that.
Relations: Brother of Lady Violet, uncle and tutor of his heir Lord Henry. He welcomed his loving pupil Margaret Alice Murray into his home. He has a list of trustworthy tenured servants like Derrick Gravehound and the housekeeper Elizabeth Rush, a close friend. He also cares for the most humble and unfortunate of the servants like Lily FIsher and Hector Schmitz. Doctor Warren-Hopkins often visits as a family friend.
#33 - Sir Charles Cowdery, The general (Character played by J. M.)
Motto: We become intesively alive when resurrecting the dead: elevating ourselves to such a level of wholeness we can exist at our best until we turn into dust as well - because nothing else had been left. What remains is minor or an illusion. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Character with a complex personality conflicted with inner opposite forces yet more multifaceted than he seems. Perfect for the player who wants to dig into ambition and psychic weakness. - HARDCORE - anyone who chooses the character must be open to playing intense and special scenes, which may be unpleasant or embarrassing for some
Teaser: A real man must be self-made and aim for the most complete perfection. With the spirit, with the body, with a trade, with social position. The world is not made for the feckless and cowardly. Only those brave enough to climb every mountain can reach for the highest throne and be part of the luminous society of the future. You are one of them: decorated general of the Army of Her Majesty, illustrious peer of the realm, devoted husband and loving father. Every environment is a base for your next ascension, an altar from which you tower above the masses. Your conquests derived from a divine light reflecting on you that illuminates others. Eevery step in your life traced a trail to this summit and what is not yours already is simply waiting to be claimed by your worthy hand. Your station will not blind you from recognizing the value of the people you hold dear. Like the most elegant dome is support by steady pillars, you stand high thanks to a pair of unwavering columns. Hanson is your trusted servant, a rentless spirit, support and assistant in every quest. Johanna is your beautiful unrivalled wife, patient everyday confort, strong and gentle, highest soul and championess of charity and elegance. Without them you would be nothing.
Relations: He always travels with his butler Alfred Hanson. Married with Lady Johanna McEwans. He often has lunch at the Gentlemen's Circle with Lord George Cadogan. During his life in the Army he met Captain Philip Lawrence. He finds the impertinent attentions of Cedric Constantine Crosby annoying. He met Msgr. Mattei during a grand tour in Rome and they got to meet in many occasions. At the high sociey parlours he got to talk with the courteous Katherine Douglas Scott quite often and some pleasant chats with Lindsay Brennan.
#34 - Alphonse Raimbaud Rubenstein, The banker (Character played by T. K.)
Motto: Nothing and no one is as noble as gold Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: French - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Character with a cumbersome controlling personality. For the player who loves to be the core of plots and scandals.
Teaser: Alphonse was born to one of the richest and most powerful families in Paris. His education included the subjects his father considered to be those that shaped a sage, successful man, like himself. He was painstakingly initiated to the arts of numbers: the ones about money and economy and the mysterious Qabbalah codes. Alphonse gained a voracious spirit and the blessing of being able to make up his own mind from his father. He grew up with one steady certainty: despite those revolutionary liberté egalité fraternité principles, all men are definitely not created equal. Money is the only thing that matters, the true source of power. He has seen ministers and cardinals happily bend over money and stain the knees of their pricy clothing to receive the golden blessings of his family. Even the powerful and blazoned masonic lodge of Paris wouldn't be so grand without the family assets. Managing all that money requires an extraordinary strength, not mercy, understanding or love. Logic and mathematics are the only possible friends. Sometimes Monsieur Rubenstein wonders whether this endless money hoarding really has meaning without someone to share it with... then the latest obsequious minister, cardinal or knight enters the studio door... how could he deny them their bruises on the knees?
Relations: Leo Vaughn is his loyal valet. He tried many times to get in touch with Volker Beckmann. He loves the company of Madame Poisson La Ferté and the wine offered during her parties. He knew the actress Mary Shaw. In the past few months he met Giovan Battista Borghese, young descendant of a noble family.
#35 - Christopher Pierce, The visionary philosopher (Character played by A. P.)
Motto: He who frequents only one social class is like a scholar who studies a single book Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A strong-willed character forced to face his social limitations. For a player who loves to speak in public and stand his ground.
Teaser: The lavish high society parties surely are not Christopher Pierce's cup of tea. As a shy and discreet person he feels like an outsider even in the circles he was born in: Pierce is the only heir of one of the most ancient and noble families of England. The family money allowed him to study in the best European universities, He sought out intellectuals, academics and common people during his many travels. These experiences, along with his natural impatience with the upper classes, led him to develop a very critical attitude towards the higher ranks. Eventually, he refused the honour of managing the family business and now dedicates his time to purely intellectual activities. Pierce knows well that fame is created and destroyed in the high society parlours. Spreading new ideas means talking to the people who count in this world. In spite of his natural shyness, he accepted the invitation of Lord Scarborough but it won't make life any easier. He can surely talk with fierce temper and confidence but the boring social rituals and the confusing feminine graces make him regress to an unprepared shy scholar. He trusts the party will be a perfect opportunity to prove the solid bases of his principles to this long cricticised decadent society.
Relations: He attended the famous Miriam Alexandrine Rothschild's salon where he also met Cesar Dyer. He likes talking wiht Jaques Palaches and he had a correspondence with Ashley Wetmore.
#36 - Contessa Luisa Gigli Cervi de Robilant, The Italian ambassador's widow (Character played by J. B.)
Motto: Corruption of the ones we love pushes us apart. Never touch the idols for the gold plate stains the hands Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Intimate character whose game is based on feelings and inner conflicts noy to mention investigations and politics. Perfect for a player who likes inner drama.
Teaser: Luisa had enough frivolous ideas about life to impress people, but she never knew what she really wanted from life. She had no real goals except to ingratiatie herself with others. Luisa never annoyed her husband; she was always at his beck and call. Luisa faked pleasure in bed grotesquely then waited in silence for her husband to finish in his selfish and beastly way. She felt happily submissive but always worried she was not beautiful or good enough. Luisa was sure that her suffering was all her fault. When her husband announced he was going to Ethiopia then London to pursue his career as an ambassador, she considered this a just payback for all her stupid mistakes. Lonely and caught up in the game of her own imagination, she found a new object of affection within the four walls of her home. Then came the letter certifying her widow status and her sense of guilt ballooned. She promised she would never besmirch her husband's reputation again but carry his name with her along with his ambitions and ambitious illusions.
Relations: After her butler Alfred Hanson found another workplace she hired Morgan Camden. The German ambassador Heinrich von Wissman is a family friend. She associated with senator Costantino Nigra. Monsignor Giulio Orazio Mattei was her husband's esteemed acquaintance during the years in Rome. She had the pleasure to meet the senator lawyer Vegezzi as well as Gaetano Osculati whose profession tickles her curiosity. Some months ago she went to one of the famous presentations of Guillaume Bellegard.
#37 - Lord Francis Wimsey, The English ambassador (Character played by J. C.)
Motto: Lord of the realm, victim of desire Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A complex character for anyone who loves inner dramas. HIs clarity might falter when facing intrigues and political question because of his personal turmoils.
Teaser: What a superb feeling to be a loyal subject of the British Empire! Being part of the greatest Empire ever seen on Earth gives a supreme calm, a wonderful emotional detachment, a profound pride. So seems Lord Francis, the first son of the Marquis of Wimsey, to the lucky people who have had the pleasure to meet him: an impeccable but genial gentleman blessed with a subtly mocking smirk. His brief but successful diplomatic career trained him well to show a detached countenance. His demeanour is an impeccable mirror of the gentleman's self-control. A Peer of England has nothing to show off and everything to demand. If only the eyes of his beholders could penetrate the bright armour shielding his heart, they would see a stormy sea wildly moved by desire, passion and remorse. They would see the giant waves of his ravenous hunger for life grow bigger and bigger then crash furiously against the fragile walls of reality. They would understand that Francis's true nature seeks relief in pleasure and oblivion in equal measure. Observing the wreckage lurking in the depths of his soul they would see the new threatening storm which could break at any moment.
Relations: He hired the lively and loyal maid Scarlett Owen. He knows Lord George Cadogan for political reasons. He has encountered the senator Costantino Nigra though sometimes not in a pleasant way. Despite their distant political and social ideas, he often meets with Emmeline Pankhurst. Lord Wimsey had a brief State meeting with Lord Evelyn Baring.
#38 - Annie Besant, The political activist (Character played by L. T.)
Motto: Christian leaders consider women to be a necessary evil. The ''greatest'' saints are the ones who despised women the most Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: A charismatic character for an active player who likes speaking in public. She will be involved with action plots that will make him think about her convictions. She has a romantic storyline.
Teaser: Many wise people speak of the ''maternal instinct'' as a woman's primary virtue. Annie Wood ticked that box when she was twenty and gave her husband , the anglican pastor Frank Besant two sons (an heir and a spare). Her duty done, she could distance herself from this authoritarian and violent husband but could never divorce and get her surname back. It would bring too much scandal to a man-of-the-cloth. The ''absolute right of a father'' trumped Anne's ''maternal instinct'' so she silently accepted separation from her children to save them pain. To fill the void, she adopted another cause: to become a mother to all the helpless children, a sort of universal charity giving assistance to orphans, the ill and poor people. Her social involvement introduced her to the circles of radical intellectuals, republican firebrands and masonic lodges. On July 1888, the female workers of a London match factory went on strike against low wages and the dangerous chemicals used to make matches. They called upon Annie Besant whose political fame was well established. She supported them and the strike ended in a week with some concessions. On that day she discovered another measure of her value: being a mother and a sister to all the oppressed women.
Relations: Eileen Walsh is her personal maid. She is close friends with Mary Shaw. She had a significant correspondence with Emmeline Pankhurst whose words remain inexplicably cold despite Annie's kindness. She knows that Lord Gordon Asherton hates her because she publicly supported the strike at his factories. She is a good acquaintance of the journalist Paolo Valera. She knows the fame of Cedric Constantine Crosby, but is suspicious of how he treats his workers. She wrote him several inquiring letters. During her trip to America she met the young Nellie Bly.
#39 - Lord / Lady Ashley Wetmore, The debutant heir(ess) (Character played by N. B.)
Motto: There is nothing more dangerous than a cat pretending to be a mouse Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Unisex - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A character with many secrets, strong ambitions and personal goals versed in building relationships. Good for an active and outgoing player.
Teaser: Every person must debut in proper society before living in magnificence. The pictures on the walls of the gilded home always bore witness to this unwritten rule. Ashley has been planning the Debut since a tender age. Other children played with dolls and swords but Ashley's favourite game was to stage the Cotillion: sneaking into the adults' room to wear their big clothes and make pompous conversation with the mirror's reflection, then carefully cleaning up every trace of the game like an assassin removing clues. The desire to count in this world beats in the heart of the ambitious. In Ashley's heart this desire became like an altar to a pagan deity where you could adore passionately and praise with sacrifices. This obsession grew year by year like an invisible hand catching every good opportunity. But isolation from daily life is finally over now: that hand is holding Lord Scarborough's invitation to the ultimate party. The day has come. Those adult clothes will finally fit perfectly, splendid as the day is long despite that tiny blood stain on the neck - a little misfortune from traveling without a faithful servant.
Relations: Ashley's family is in business with Lord Gordon Asherton. During childhood Ashley would play with Joseph Emmanuel Wedder but he has not been seen since. Ashley admired Mary Shaw at the theater and wants to meet her. There has been correspondence with Christopher Pierce about sociology and with Shelley Ruthven about arts.
#40 - Costantino Nigra, The Senator of the Kingdom of Italy (Character played by V. B.)
Motto: Renouncing the Grand Master position I give the Italian Masonry Lodge the honour it deserves. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Perfect for a player willing to deal mostly with intrigues, secrets and plots.
Teaser: This is a story from another time. If Dumas had written it, he would surely enflame the passions of his eager readers. It's the real story of a boy escaping the remote valley to advance to cosmopolitan Turin; hobnail boots on his feet, a cotton sack on his shoulder and the rustic slang of his father on his lips. All with the strong will to become a noble Knight of Italy. It remains a secret what changed that country boy from a soldier in the unlucky War of Independence to the trusted secretary of Cavour and then into the capable diplomat able to charm the courts of Kings and Czars. Only few a intimate friends might know what made that renowned poet-philologist the man who later would become Grand Master of the Italian Grand Orient, only to renounce that position in order to serve the Kingdom of Italy. Nigra had always been smart enough to veil his life with an aura of secrecy. In every romance he shows the manners of the olden days. He is a machiavellian, cynical, intriguing, and gentlemanly senator who came from nothing to change everything. The Grand Master who dared to decline great power. Who really is this person?
Relations: Marco Sartori is the young valet in his service. As Italian ambassador he interacted with the British ambassador Lord Francis Wimsey, the lawyer senator Vegezzi, and the German ambassador Heinrich von Wissman. He saw the Robilant widow Countess Cervi around. Emmeline Pankhurst clearly wishes to converse with him. He publicly praised Guillaume Bellegard's theater performances. He met Giovan Battista Borghese, in the past. They had nice talks about the Italian politics.
#41 - Cedric Constantine Crosby, The entrepreneur (character available)
Motto: If you want something you've never had you must do something you've never done. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A character with questionable morality and a rocky personality focused on achieving his goals.
Teaser: As a child, his father would tell him how the faithful man obtained everything he needed from God and that success did not depend on human labor at all. Evidently, he thought one day while he was plowing the fields with his father, God knows nothing of what I need. Ten years later nobody could have recognized that young farmer in the figure of Mr. Crosby, so refined in the role of seducer and gentleman, as a ruthless businessman among the wealthy, now his peers. For Mr. Crosby there are those who daydream and those who wake up and get what they want: the former are inevitably subjugated by the latter. In fact, he hardly tolerates anyone who does not have the strength to take charge of his life or worse, those who dismiss this shortcoming and boasting noble ends prefer to subvert the stability of the cruel world from which Mr. Crosby, with such difficulty, managed to emerge triumphant.
On the other hand, he appreciates the company of noblewomen, whom he courts wisely while prefering to listen more than to participate in the discussions of the luminaries he usually meets in receptions of high society: some believe it is to better understand the secrets of men of such stature; the gossips, on the other hand, do not consider the matter as simple as that. Precisely for this reason he avoids people of low rank with unmasked contempt : they remind him too vividly of his humble past, which he renounced many years ago in a sunny field along with his name .
Relations: He travels with his servant Nathan Goodwill. Considers Annie Besant a busybody considering the impertinent letters he got from her. He respects Sir Charles Cowdery. Rumors say he proposed to Miriam Alexandrine Rotschild but she rejected him. Arthur Conan Doyle was occasionally his doctor. Crosby has also for months been weaving a close business deal with American steel magnate Clayton William White.
#42 - Margaret Alice Murray, The brilliant bourgeoise (Character played by T. I.)
Motto: Many peole believe in noting and fear everything. I did the opposite. I've found out my enthusiasm is contagious Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: Good for an active player into hard themes. Margaret's game is focused on building relations, investigation and politics. She will get some guidance from the staff.
Teaser: All her dearest friends would say they had never met such a young lady: social and whimsical, courtly and bright, curious and open minded. Brilliant and resourceful in the appropriate ladylike ways, she was hardened in the hospitals of Calcutta where she became a nurse. She took care of cholera victims, pushed by the strong desire to do whatever appeared to be right and necessary despite rules and sometimes common sense. She still carries this stubborness with her. During the journey back to England she explored many ancient places of interest which steered her unbreakable mental machinery to the study of antique civilisations and mysteries, until she stepped into Lord Scarborough's marvellous library and he made a pupil of her. Those who believe he considers her as the daughter, student and spiritual heir such a master has never had is probably correct but those who suppose that the master only gives and the pupil only takes is completely wrong: they always have something to learn and share with each other.
Relations: Lord Scarborough's pupil. She maintains a fiesty correspondence with Arthur Edward Waite. She doesn't pay any attenion to any of the home servants but Hector Schmitz who is a regular at the Lord's library. She often has intense discussions with Doctor Hopkins. There is a polite silence between er and Lady Violet Scarborough, rumors say it hides a sort of rivalry. She often corresponded with Lord Evelyn Barin when he lived in his Aegyptian mansion.
#43 - Gaetano Osculati, The explorer who surived a tragedy (Character played by G. P.)
Motto: Thank Heaven I am still alive, a curse upon He who spared me Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: This character's convictions were damaged but he must still find the strength to react. He has a complex personality to explore. One of the villa's rooms is his in game.
Teaser: What lies beyond those trees? What wonders are hidden over that ridge? Where do those swift birds soar to, high above our heads? It is with simple questions such as these that the lifelong adventure of Gaetano Osculati had begun. An inextinguishable curiosity characterized his existence, first in his studies, forcing him to engross himself in medical lore, theological knowledge, the natural sciences, without ever being able to become attached to one or the other. Later in his work it pushed him to pursue a career as a long-voyage sea captain and embark on direct explorations to every corner of the globe. Captain Osculati, despite the economic difficulties with which he had to struggle several times in life, marched in the jungles of the Amazon, crossed the delta of the great Mekong river in the Far East, lived in rough huts on stilts and exchanged gifts with naked wildlings, never worried or feeling the slightest fear for his life. For years he believed he had to test his courage, naively cradled in an illusion of immortality ... Then black Africa launched its call and the explorer responded, embarking on the mysterious Ethiopian lands to which Italy looks with longing and greed. There, beyond the horn of Africa, in the forbidden cradle of dark Christianity he found the Horror. Marred in both soul and spirit the Captain returned empty-handed for the first time, burdened with a story that he does not dare or is unable to tell, perhaps convinced that he had completed his final journey.
Relations: He has Jacques Palanche at his disposal. He is acquainted with Nathan Goodwill. Maupassant is intrigued by his story. Recommended for the expedition to Ethiopia by the Italian ambassador Robilant before his death, he had the pleasure of meeting his wife Countess Luisa Gigli Cervi de Robilant. Because of his naval journeys he has met William Monck when he worked as a sailor and became his friend. In Africa he worked side by side with Friedrich Gunter Kroyer and met Heinrich von Wissman
#44 - Lord Gordon Asherton, The captain of industry fascinated by the future (Character played by w. m.)
Motto: Many conservatives are agoraphobic. They fear open minds. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A charismatic character for an active player who loves to be at the center of attention. He will be involved with action plots that will make him think about his convictions. He has some romantic storylines and will recieve guidance from the staff.
Teaser: Little Lord Gordon was born to a noble English family, a pre-established life in front of him: a law degree in Cambridge, a good marriage with a maiden of English nobility and a life spent in vacuous ease, dedicated to producing heirs for the Asherton line and to maintaining the family heritage. But young Gordon was never the little lord his parents had so long imagined and planned for, inspired as he was by a mathematician mother, raised in a family of liberal ideas who even allowed the butler's daughter to study with him and his brothers. As a child he showed a fascination for science, a brilliant and curious mind. During the long nights spent reading books on physics and botany young Gordon was able to make extraordinary trips aboard the Nautilus with Captain Nemo or in company with Phineas Fogg around the world on trains and hot air balloons. He understood that the human mind is a special and complex thing, able to imagine the future, and that it is up to man himself to bring it about. Consequently, Gordon had decided to abandon the established path and become a champion of the future, a bulwark of technological innovation, a person for whose endeavours future generations would be grateful. He would lend his support to technology, medicine and any other innovation that would make science able to realize what imagination could envision. Every bizarre alchemist or renowned scientist has passed at least once through the study of Lord Gordon Asherton, industrial magnate, always at the forefront, always accompanied by the most beautiful woman, always at the center of conversation. The destiny his father had established for him has changed and the future is now free to be written ...
Relations: His trusted maid is Judith Price. He had previously done business with Lord / Lady Ashley Wetmore. Has been acquainted with Mary Shaw for some time during her time in London. He has had a heated epistolary discussion with Emmeline Punkhurst on women's rights, and it is well known that there is no love lost between the two over certain events in his lordship's factories. These facts incurred a strong resentment towards Annie Besant who was encouraging the strike of his workers. He recently met Dominique Lemaire who introduced him to the Masonic circles.
#45 - César Dyer, The writer à la garçonne (Character played by M. F.)
Motto: To enter high society one must know how to feed people, entertain, or scandalize them. Nothing else is needed. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: A strong willed character fond of causing astonishment. Perfect for breezy and audacious players.
Teaser: As life progressed from childhood to maidenhood, everyone has their own diversions and amusements to pass the time. César's sole entertainment has always been words, and like an infant who has one favourite among many rag dolls or toy soldiers, the word that inspired her most of all has and always will be one : Passion. How can one not be fascinated by a word so full of meaning, of strength and poetry; a word that rolls on the tongue to fill the lips with its sound. If she had chosen another word, perhaps her life would have turned out differently? And while she walks through parlors mingling with other gentlemen, between a glass of cordial and a cigar, she knows that words and gossip always accompany her every step. The curious glances of ladies emphasize her immodest lifestyle, served on a silver platter to the public's scrutiny. After all, is this not why she wears men's clothes and associates with men, to proclaim her indifference to public morals? A talented artist with a fervent creative vein, she is what she is. Yet others see only an outrageous and ostentatious behaviour, an exotic animal, a woman dressed as a man with an outrageous divorce behind her: a living scandal. But what is life without a pinch of scandal if not an endless and boring chronicle that does not deserve to be remembered? Duels, stories of lost love and decadence: this is what a life worthy of being experienced must contain.
Relations: She attended the famous literary salon of the wealthy Miriam Alexandrine de Rotschild who admires her, there she has spoken with Christopher Pierce about philosophy and literature. Has maintained correspondence with Paolo Valera. Mary Shaw had the pleasure to ask her about her past.
Her ex-husband's name is John Dyer and she is said to have had a scandalous divorce.
#46 - Paolo Valera, The disheveled journalist (Character played by J. H.)
Motto: How lovely were the evenings we spent together! I stepped into your pale cerise parlor, my cheeks blushing with shyness, my heart pounding, brushing against the rich carpets to the sudden thought of a flurry of kisses. You, illuminated by a twilight glow, your flashing eyes in the pale, sweet face, gave off a sigh that was all promise ... Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A character focused on the exploration of their own contradictions as well as others', which will push him to deal with difficult choices.He may experience both the aesthetic experience of the game and devote himself to plots and intrigues.
Teaser: Originally from Como and later choosing to become Milanese, son of a street vendor and a seamstress, Paolo Valera never achieved academic qualifications and though he professed himself sympathetic to the proletariat, the poor and the socialists with both pen and speech, had the good fortune to not labour a day in his life, instead earning a living thanks to his scathing and disrespectful journalistic prose. Always dedicated to the defense of the most miserable and to the regular and even titillating exposition of malfeasance and malpractice, he is known to maintain a contemptuous and riotous attitude towards the authorities and for being indicted for offenses to modesty, for incitement to hatred among the social classes , for affronts and defamation in brochures and articles. Prison, some say, is a place for martyrs and the poor, and Valera is not one to pretend to be either. And so, when a few years ago the police arrived to arrest him, he fled from Milan for the rigid but welcoming English shores. It is said of certain flavours that once acquired the palate can not go back, so has Paolo Valera acquired the taste for the beautiful Milanese salons, the parties and the graceful maidens of high society. He has never shown a hint of repentance or denied his many anarchist connections. He has created a double for himself, a curious, voracious, passionate and combative spirit whose detractors stigmatize with the pseudonym that he chose for himself when he published in the pages of ''Il Caricaturista'': Judas Iscariot.
Relations: Years ago he was acquainted with Hector Schmitz, but he was a very different man at the time. He has maintained correspondence with Guy de Maupassant and César Dyer. They say he has had a love affair with Charlotte Cotillard, Annie Besant and Miriam Alexandrine de Rotschild, and certainly has met with these ladies. He wrote an article on the so-called accomplishments of Eusapia Palladino, but she did not take kindly to the truth. It is also known that he has criticized the performance of Guillaume Bellegard harshly, calling it arid and boring before many members of Italian society.
#47 - Shelley Ruthven, The decadent dandy (Character played by D. R.)
Motto: Death and profanity are the only things the XIX century failed explain Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: Other - Gender: Unisex - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A very charismatic character, will have to be able to manage attentions of all kinds and be at ease with strong themes, romantic developments and sentimental attention from both sexes. You will receive some guidelines from the staff.
Teaser: These young dandies who infest the streets of London take such pains to look original and unique but in essence they are nothing more than a mask worn by a mediocre actor. One does not concern oneself with about appearing, one simply is. One does not intend to make one's life a work of art, it is art that yearns to be inspired by one's life. One makes no effort to seduce, it is others who flock foroward, not as senseless moths attracted by the flame but by the ambiguous mystery that permits a gradual reveal, a morsel at a time.
The true hunter is the one who prowls in the shadows. The one who appears coy and elusive becomes the object of the most uncontrollable desire. Your outlandish excesses and eccentric ways are not cloying deceptiveness. The parasols with which you walk around the city, the dark glasses constantly worn, your clothes impeccable but eclectic and démodé, as if careless of fleeting fashions but live in a chronology all your own: all this turns you into the unwilling primary subject of discussion in society which admires you in whispers, dazzled by your charm but irreverent to your back. You are dazed by an almost obsessive reserve, yet there are invitation cards for every party, every parlour. You do not need to ask: there is always someone to offer you his favour. Everyone wants a teste of that mysterious nectar that you emanate with your mere presence. There is no subject that exceeds your experience. You talk of literature and fashion, of news and art, of history and fantasy. It is no coincidence that writers compete to have you for dinner and converse with you and painters to be inspired by your charm. Secretly you presume to believe that no mortal hand could capture and portray your true self.
Relations: You crossed paths with Arthur Edward Waite at the British Museum and, after an impulsive invitation to take a tea together, a spontaneous friendship was born. During your travels at sea you met William Monck toward whom you felt curiosity and sympathy. Mary Morstan is a dear friend of yours. You had a correspondence with Ashley Wetmore.
#48 - Mary Shaw, The charming actress (Character played by A. K.)
Motto: The heroic fidelity of Antigone, the fateful fury of Cassandra, the devouring fever of Phaedra, the ferocity of Medea, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Mirra before her father, Polissena and Alceste before her death, Cleopatra as fickle as the wind and the blaze of the firmament , Lady Macbeth prophesising the executioner with small hands, the great lilies of dew and tears, Imogene, Juliet, Miranda, and Rosalind, Jessica and Perdita, the sweetest souls, the most terrible and the most magnificent were all in her. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: Other - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: A very open character with personal goals which she may achieve though many personal and political choices.
Teaser: 'A woman's head only serves to hold a pretty hairstyle,'' says Mary, laughing, to her friend Annie when she reminds her to use her brain. Dear, dear Annie, and all those obtuse suffragettes, convinced that women should have the authority of a man! This madness of feminism will pass, of course, like all bizarre fashions. And finally women will return to doing what is most congenial and enjoyable: seduction, flaunting their charms, seeking excellence in art. The exertion of the mind, brute force and all other men's weapons, better to leave those to the menfolk ...
After all, why should Miss Shaw want to disguise her own character with masculine airs? Wearing different clothes, multiform and passionate, she bears her soul on the stage, in that place that is every place, where the story of an evening contains all stories, all suffering and every love. She's talented, Mary, although she knows that many of those who praise her do it just to get her between the sheets. But the art that is in her is true, honest and candidly pure. If her talents are able to lead her to a successful marriage and admittance into the golden circle of the powerful, Mary will not spurn the opportunity.
Relations: She is a close friend of Annie Besant, and has a good relationship with her maid Eileen Walsh. She met Cesar Dyer and would like to discover the details of her so very romantic life . She had a brief relationship with Lord Gordon Asherton. Respects Charlotte Cotillard: her career is now waning but she was once a beacon of the arts. Alphonse Raimbaud Rubenstein was extremely gallant with her when they met in Paris. At the thermal baths she met Guy de Maupassant and his servant Candide Artoise: curiously, he seems equally interested in conversation with both of them. During the time she lived in America she was accompanied by the tycoon Clayton William White a rich and prominent man in American society.
#49 - Miriam Alexandrine de Rotschild, The rich heiress (Character played by A. R.)
Motto: Live to blaze and never get burned. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: French - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A passionate and charming character for an active outgoing player who is not afraid of an amusingand unhinibited game focused on building and maintaining relations.
Teaser: The perfection of the Rose is found in its different parts: in the grace of the form, in the velvety softness of the petals, in the sweetness of the perfume and finally in its own thorns that wound before yielding. Proud Lady Miriam is the same, a rose among women, a flower that illuminates the entire garden of High Society. The enormous wealth of her family, one of the most influential, certainly contributes to her remarkable attractions. A well-bred woman with a rich family, the best of a lineage destined to influence the economy and European politics thanks to her capital. She is her father's favourite, for although she is the youngest among his children, her acumen and her resourcefulness surpass his elder sons, whom he ungraciously ignores. Around her figure wise philosophers and artists meet, populating one of the most gracious and coveted European salons, adorned with gold-and-velvet framed masterpieces selected by Miriam Alexandrine's original taste. She likes to surround herself with beauty and ingenuity, art, philosophy, letters, history, folklore and science crowd the shelves of her library and on the sofas in her richly appointed rooms. he prefers not to speakHer surname that brings proud and the fortunes of which are under the eyes of all. It is not a secret that many hopefuls scramble to ask for her hand, but she seems more interested in numerous family ventures than in getting properly married. Whether it is because of prudent ??caution or intimate reluctance, a self-respecting rose has sharp thorns to keep it safe.
Relations: She hosts a well known intellectual salon attended by Cesar Dyer, Christopher Pierce, Charlotte Cotillard and sometimes Paolo Valera. Dominique Lemaire was once a frequent guest, then stopped receiving invitations. Well acquainted with Gabriel Wooster, who she must have crossed paths with in some parlor around Europe. She amiably connected with Dr. Hopkins who proved to be an interesting proffessional. Courts Guy de Maupassant to enter his circle. The gossips say she received offers from Cedric Constantine Crosby and Lord Henry Scarborough but refused them. In her youth she met the famous French actor Guillaume Bellegard when he took part in an opulent party at the Rotshild home.
#50 - Arthur Conan Doyle, The doctor with literary aspirations (Character played by G. C.)
Motto: That which is unknown appears to be extraordinary Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: A tormented character for players who want to deal with crippling self doubt and investigate themselves first and then the world around them.
Teaser: 'Doctor, writer, occultist, mason and, in your free time, budding detective. I can hardly recognize this man in you, Dr. Doyle. ''
''Leave me alone, I beg you. I'll have nothing more to do with you ''.
''Look at you, lying in the midst of these bedraggled smokers of opium, when if you only wanted you could do great things. It disgusts me. Get cleaned up, it's time to go ''.
''I do not wish to do it, Hellfire and Damnation. I will not answer the invitation! ''.
''Oh, but you will, Mr. Doyle. You will do it, you have no choice; the new story will not write itself and you, you must admit, are lacking everything, starting from the inspiration and concluding with your dignity. A bath in a high class establishment may perhaps help you recover a measure of at least one of the two ''.
''This will be the last time. Then I will take Louisa to Switzerland, they say that the Reichenbach Falls are a lovely place: it will give her some relief from her illness ''.
''Conceal yourself as much as you want, my dear doctor, you will never get rid of me. And do not even try to don the mask of the good husband: I know who you are impatient to meet at the reception. And it is not Lord Scarborough. ''
''Be quiet! When I am dressed, I will not find you here again to torment me: you are nothing but smoke and illusion ''.
''You know you're wrong, Mr. Doyle, you'll find me waiting for you in your mind and in your books, maybe playing the violin, at 221B Baker Street.''
Relations: Recently he was seen in the company of Captain Philip Lawrence in London. Leonard Warren-Hopkins ridicules his literary amusement. During a past visit to Lord Scarborough he was intrigued by Tracy Conner. In the past he has occasionally treated Cedric Constantine Crosby.
Last year, he met Lindsay Brennan in various clubs and meetings and they had some pleasant conversations.
#51 - Dominique Lemaire, The artist who lost his muse (Character played by J. J.)
Motto: All works of art do not know their worthwhile they are created Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: French - Gender: Unisex - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: An intimate character very focused on its personal drama through which Dominique filters everything that happens around him. He is however involved in action plots. Dominique's aim is to solve his personal problems rather than the rest of the world's. Almost certainly will be assigned to an artist in both replicas.
Teaser: In the fast and cruel carousel of success, Dominique had a moment of fame and was an internationally renowned artist; French by birth and pride Lemaire always aspired to incarnate all the virtues of purity a true art lover must possess. It is said that in the past Dominique was a pupil under several painters, and within fine parlors in Paris they gossip about Lemaire's getaway to Aix en Provence, at an eccentric artist's, who claimed to be Lemaire's Master. But Dominique's first real teacher was Mother, a rich bourgeois woman from Paris who glimpsed her child's talent and nurtured it with classical studies, daydreaming about having given birth to a new Eugène Delacroix. A capricious and demanding muse led Dominique down a very different path, embracing a total break with the past, where the figurative faded to leave the painter free to express an inner world. Eventually the artist began to attend impressionist salons. Art is pureness of spirit, and in order to remain its herald one must be pure of heart, otherwise art itself is going to disdain you and desert you. Dominique Lemaire was caught by this misfortune. The canvas suddenly appeared pale and dull, the vivid hues of the past discolored, light itself as if shrouded by clouds. Could the talented artist who had been a proud and original mirror of truth really have vanished into nothingness?
Relations: The artist recently met Lord Gordon Asherton who introduced Lemaire into the Masonic circles. Doominique does not hide a dislike towards Pau Torregrosa. Was once a regular guest at Miriam Alexandrine de Rotshild but lately they say Lemaire prefers the company of Madame Poisson La Ferté. In European cultural clubs and in Madame's parlor, rumor has it that Joseph Emmanuel Wedder does not wish to come across the artist's person, not even by chance.
#52 - Guy de Maupassant, The successful author (Character played by A. M.)
Motto: The spoken word dazzles and deceives because it is expressed by the face, because it is seen coming out of the lips, and lips are attractive and eyes seduce. But black words on white paper are like a soul laid bare. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: French - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Dramatic and at the center of attention as a renowned figure, involved in aesthetic and hedonistic aspects, but also in plots concerning power.
Teaser: When he turned fourteen years old, his mother proposedto gift to Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant, Marquis Gustave Albert's eldest son, a ball party that marked his entry into society. Young Guy, who had nothing but a scornful lack of interest for Society, begged her to give him a boat instead. His mother consented, and he spent the summer rowing in solitude on the waters of the Seine and composing verses.
Since then twenty-four years have passed. Guy now owns a much larger boat he named ''Bel Ami'' in honor of his most famous novel, which has already reached the thirty-seventh reprint. Only partly has he changed his mind about society, yet he cynically takes advantage of it for his own success. He fiercely despises banal conformist bourgeoisie. He admires artists of considerable merit, the audacious, and indeed all who stand at the far ends of the social chain: the lowest wretches and pleasure-seeking nobles. And most of all he loves beautiful women, for whom he writes: ''Pleasure to women! This is the desire burning almost in everyone. To be with all the might of his talent a man of exception, admired, adulated, loved, able to pick almost at his pleasure those fruits of living flesh we are hungry for.''
Relations: He associates with Candide Artoise, whose loyalty in serving, as well as company, he appreciates. He has maintained correspondence with Paolo Valera. Miriam Alexandrine de Rothschild invited him several times to her literary salon, but for now the offer has not had a follow up. He met Mary Shaw at the thermal baths and would not disdain to deepen the acquaintance. Leonard Warren-Hopkins agreed to treat the migraines Maupassant terribly suffers under. A good acquaintance with Gabriel Wooster, whom he must have come across in some parlor around Europe. He is fascinated by curious stories, and immediately identified as such Gaetano Osculati's, whom he knows by reputation through common friends. He has seen Madame Poisson La Ferté in the circles of the Parisian aristocracy.
#53 - Charlotte Cotillard, The famous opera singer (Character played by N. R.)
Motto: How can a star shine without someone who admires her? Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: French - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: A character focused on her personal dramas and on subjects such as decline and loss of fame, without leaving out involvement in mysteries and political intrigues.
Teaser: The eyes you see in the mirror are getting sadder and sadder, wearier and wearier, cries of admiration of your devotees grow dim. Audiences of Europe at your feet, flowers thrown onto the stage, rows of powerful lords standing in line only to have the honour of admiring you - everything fades, everything is about to vanish. The cruel orchestra of time has already begun its final movement, you hate it, you hate the sad adagio of time and old age - ah! that word, sombre and obscene, unbecoming of a star, indecorous of a goddess with an angelic voice and a mystical grace. Away! Begone! Sweep away the shadows hardening under the first wrinkles, trace the rouge above an unsteady smile, sing again for your admirers and finally claim the throne that only belongs to you: the stage, the first name on the billboard, the desparate dream of those who only dare to hope to hear you sing.
You are alone in your room, which is stifling with letters and gifts that come rarer by the day. In the silence you only hear the clamour of stage masters who hasten to set up the stage for the new star. ''Adore me, adore me one last time'' you scream to the shadows that surround you, before they are dispersed, before they blithely swarm the graces of a new star to adore, ungrateful and already oblivious of who was the only, supreme, heavenly queen. But you won't surrender your throne so quickly. They must not forget. They cannot abandon you. You will demonstrate, until the last drop of blood that colours your face that only you are the star able to illuminate their sky.''
Relations: She's travelling with her new maid Abigail, has attended rich Miriam Alexandrine de Rotschild's parlor. She is a good acquaintance of journalist Paolo Valera. Several months ago she collapsed from a heatstroke and Leo Vaughan assisted her, and though he was a servant, he was very courteous to her. She is intolerant to the attentions Mary Shaw lavishes upon her. A long time ago, in the environments of the Parisian theater, she met Guillaume Bellegard, to whom she can call herself a friend.
#54 - Heinrich von Wissman, The German ambassador (Character played by B. D.)
Motto: We are but poor mortals! The world judges our conduct not by our motives, but by our success. What is left to do but to be successful? Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: German - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: A character with a complex personality, suitable for a player who does not fear hard themes. He will be involved both in difficult personal relationships and in politics, as well as intrigues.
Teaser: Coldness, efficiency and planning are the words that, day after day, dominated your life as a young descendant of ancient Prussian lineage, related to no less than Kaiser Wilhelm I. Your destiny was written before you were born, when your father planned a diplomatic career at least as brilliant as his own for his heir, striving in every way to plant in your rigid childhood the seeds of success that was due rather than hoped for. The mirror now shows you the effigy of your old parent's pride, the man who promoted the Berlin Conference to become the face of Imperial Germany in Europe and especially in East Africa. These unbearable colonial territories are a mess of sand, negroes and underdevelopment, but they are also fundamental bricks for Prussian supremacy in the world. Stakes are so high that the game does not allow for such distractions as pity, remorse or morality. Winning is all that matters, thus the means used are a secondary and meaningless issue... On the other hand, only losers and failures must justify themselves.
Some call this attitude of yours ''obsession with control'', but the opinions of the weak do not interest you and you know that what moves you is nothing but a sharp and unshakable determination. No one can have the right to make you turn from your destiny of greatness, as no one has the right to threaten what you possess. The climb up to the top cannot be stopped and does not allow compromises.
Relations: He's travelling with his maid Katrina, knows Countess Luisa Gigli Cervi de Robilant and has gotten close to her after the death of her husband, the Italian ambassador, to whom he was a friend. He is acquainted with English ambassador Lord Francis Winsely. He had close relations, not always friendly, with Senator Costantino Nigra. Thanks to him Friedrich Gunter Kroyer was appointed as archaeologist in Ethiopia.
He has often had government meetings with Lord Evelyn Baring who is currently Governor of the Suez Canal.
#55 - Lord Henry Scarborough - Talbot, The young scion (Character played by S. D.)
Motto: Even in Hell, reigning is a worthy ambition; Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: Suitable for an extroverted and sociable player, it is a character who explores hard themes and who will find himself at the center of intrigues and machinations against his own will.
Teaser: Lord Henry Scarbrough-Talbot, Marquis of Salisbury, was born blessed by fortune. Heir to not one but two extraordinary estates, he is indeed a gentleman whose good fortune has allowed him not to worry about his own future. Such a promising standing could not have been without any effect on Lord Salisbury's nature and, in fact, it was... The uncontrollable and capricious brat of early childhood has inexorably turned into a young man whose charm, strong and sharp wit, and attention to the most refined entertainments are accompanied by a tempestuous and cruel disposition, as well as the consummate habit of taking whatever His Lordship wishes without any care for consequences. It often happens that gentlemen accustomed to their desires being constantly complied with would calm down, lingering in the pleasures they are accustomed to and losing taste for conquest. But young Scarbrough-Talbot is not a man of thiskind. The habit of authority has but intensified what for inferiors is undoubtedly the most pernicious feeling: ambition.
Relations: Violet Scarborough's son, to whom he does not seem very attached. He is often cruel towards Lily Fisher. He admires the talent of Pau Torregrosa very much. Elizabeth Rush is like a second mother to him. It is no secret that young Scarborough has occasionally frequented Mary Morstan's house of pleasure. Rumors say that he courted Miriam Rotshild though without any success, while at home the servants saw him strolling in the garden with Lena Reinhart, a German maid.
Quite a long time ago, he met John Dyer: a bourgeois who knows how to enjoy life. They spent an interesting evening together drinking a few glasses of wine and having some chats.
#56 - Lady Violet Scarborough, The landlord's sister (character available)
Motto: A silent woman is God's gift, there is no reward for a polite woman. A discrete woman is grace upon grace, one cannot evaluate the weight of a modest soul. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: A strong female character, active, and with a coordination role between nobles and servants. Suitable for a woman player who wants to empathize with female mentality of that time and who's not afraid to play the cunning woman, though not appearing such to others.
Teaser: The role of a good society woman is that of a pillar of house and family. She must always have everything under control: servants, accounts, supplies, arrangements for parties the landlord might decide to plan, she must know how to carry herself gracefully, entertain interesting conversations, though not speaking out of turn. For instance, she would never express ideas about politics, religion or economics in public and would never contradict a man who expresses his ideas on a matter. Perhaps many women find this role demeaning and limiting, but not Lady Violet Scarborough, who dedicated her whole life to house and family. As befits a true lady, she sacrificed love in favor of a marriage of interest, she had been serving and honoring her husband her whole life up to his deathbed, and she had raised a son who could become one of the most important Peers of England. When she became a widow, she could have accepted a life that was finally free of men, but decided instead to dedicate herself to her brother. Here is a woman who has always been defined by being a daughter, then a wife, a mother and finally a sister, but this does not mean that in the privacy of her rooms, Lady Violet never allowed herself to have thoughts, elaborate theories and build plans. The public image of a woman of good English society is very different from her private one, and after all everyone keeps some small secrets for themselves.
Relations: Lord Henry's mother. Lord Oliver Maxwell Scaroborough's sister. She knows lawyer and Senator Vegezzi well. Between her and Miss Murray, exists a demure silence, which, according to some, hides a certain rivalry. Word has it that when Lady Violet discovered that her brother had invited Cedric Constantine Crosby to the villa, a furious fight broke out. When she can, she loves spending some time with Tracy Conner and shows great affection for the impeccable Fanny Andrews. She is grateful to Morgan Camden for having found her a jewel she had lost.
#57 - Lady Johanna McEwan, The rich philanthropist (Character played by M. B.)
Motto: Innocence is far from finding as much protection as it attracts crime. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: An exuberant, psychologically complex and contradictory character, focused on subjects such as ambition and control. Suitable for a player who is comfortable with hard themes. Her public profile and her intimate nature are very different.
Teaser: Our world is at the peak of its path, yet half of us seem to be left behind. At the threshold of the new century and at the dawn of a new order, women are still forgotten, and the poor are neglected. But whoever among us holds power and prestige has a moral duty to God himself to help the weakest up again. My cause - nay, my destiny! - always seemed obvious to me: dedicate myself to young desperate girls, used and abused by men, rejected by families, banned because of shame or a sin. I believe in the mercy of God and men, and in human dignity: to assert this principle I have established a house where no need or sin is indelible. Thanks to the support of my beloved husband and of my invaluable friends, I have promoted rehabilitation for unfortunate young women. With the benevolent support of the holy Church I created a bulwark of salvation and hope for the ones the world has thrown aside.
There are some who see a metaphor in a laundress' job and in the moral exercise these young women take on. But let's leave these moralistic meditations to boors of the printed paper. What matters are the faces of these girls from which the brand of shame others have placed is washed away day after day.
My name is by now the very symbol of mercy, and everybody comes to me to boast of their help, their support, with gifts and privileges. My humility would impose upon me an honorable discretion, nevertheless salvation is not built only with prayers, but with lime and bricks that some would call by other names but are the same: money and favors, and a wise architect who is willing to make the great endevour!
When you rest between clean and tidy sheets and dance in your pure white linens, do not think about the money it cost you; think about the young women who have made their own souls clean, tidy and candid through their honest work.
Relations: Her personal maid is Christabel Goulden. Her husband is General Sir Charles Cowdery. She has often invited Arthur Edward Waite to receptions and soirées. Between her and Madame Poisson La Ferté there is a bizarre friendship based on mutual respect and studded by poisonous jokes and elegant bickering over who is best dressed. Her hatred for Mary Morstan is not a secret, but she tries to contain it because of Mary's popularity. She met Monsignor Mattei during a Grand Tour in Rome, and since then they have seen each other on several occasions.
#58 - Captain Philip Lawrence, The regular soldier (Character played by A. K.)
Motto: My slumbers - if I slumber - are not sleep, but a continuance of enduring, irresistable thought: in my heart there is a vigil, and these eyes but close to look within. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Mysterious Guests - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Lawrence is a complex character, with a heavy burden and a goal to achieve at any cost. He will receive some *binding* guidelines from the staff.
Teaser: The confident gait, the dignified manner and the austere look, barely veiled by a feverish melancholy that creeps like a worm in his interlocution, as a dissenting and unknown note cracking the rigid and repetitive rhythm of an arranged military march, this is Captain Lawrence.
The years of distinguished service in India bestowed upon him a reputation for being a loyal soldier, lucid and ready to impart and execute every order, bloody though it was. Once in his homeland every parlor and club opened up to him, the greedy and lazy Britons hung from the soldier's severe lips to hear the gruesome details of the Sepoy Revolt. ''India changes you'' was the laconic comment they got. Along with the mystery, fame of the one and greed of the others grew. Many officers seem emptied of every nerve and purpose once left their service, but Lawrence does not. The captain is a man of a completely different temperament, though unfathomable and perhaps obscure.
Relations: In India he met the spoiled Lord Terence with whom he shared his long journey back to England. Captain Lawrence, while serving in His Majesty's army, had the opportunity to meet men he would later come across again, including: General Sir Charles Cowdery, and soldiers Nathan Goodwill and Alfred Hanson (15 ). Recently, in London, he has been seen associating with Arthur Conan Doyle.
#59 - Leonard Warren-Hopkins, The renowned physician and scientist (Character played by M. R.)
Motto: I swear by Apollo the Physician and Aesculepius and Hygeia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman be they free or enslaved whilst they are living. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Relatives and Servants of the House - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: He is a character focused on exploring his own shadows, who will have to deal with difficult choices. He will receive some guidelines from the staff.
Teaser: Leonard Warren-Hopkins, upon introducing himself to a stranger, scarcely cares about their name and circumstantial compliments. But when he shakes hand with those who stand before him, first he notices their eyes, then their skin. He inspects them just like the ancient soothsayers searched the stars. What Leonard senses are the fibrous muscles underneath the epidermis, stretching and relaxing at the hand's grip. He feels the pulse and envisages how blood vessels pump life into that hand. In his mind he weaves the tangle of nerves connecting the fingers to the palm. Like an architect, Leonard traces the scaffolding of bones with his eyes. Only then does his attention rest on the person's name. He has a scientific passion out of the ordinary, as well as an innate and brilliant intelligence, and that rare gift that is the pernicious habit of never taking anything for granted nor leaving anything untried. An enthusiastic pioneer of new techniques, for him medical art ought to have no boundaries that morality or even God are used to impose. Where does the soul hide? Where does the principle of pain lie? These, and many other questions, crowd together like clouds around the sun of his intellect, while he puts on his white coat - that others take pains making pristine again, after his experiments - absorbed in sectioning bodies with the same care he devotes to leafing through ancient books. Yet the answer he dredges up is always the same: every discovery is never innocent.
Relations: He often and animatedly argues with Miss Margaret Alice Murray. Miriam Alexandrine de Rothschild surprised him amiably chatting with him about modern medicine, odd knowledge for a woman. He visited William Monck and is very interested in the ailments he suffers from. He despises Arthur Conan Doyle's literary ambitions. He has often asked for Fanny Andrews' services for his own experiments.
Leonard met Katharine Douglas Scott while examining her father, who is seriously ill: he remembers her as a rich and refined noblewoman.
#60 - Joseph Emmanuel Wedder, The accomplished philosopher (character available)
Motto: Never talking about oneself is a very distinguished hypocrisy Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: German - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: He is a character of questionable morals. Suitable for players who love to speak in public, being the center of attention and of power issues
Teaser: A stern and, most of the time, haughty man, Joseph Emmanuel was nevertheless always susceptible to the flattery of those who crowded avidly to listen to his long discussions, or rather monologues regarding ethics and politics. Few know him intimately: it is known that in his youth a professor at the University of Heidenberg had a strong influence on him; some proclaimed this relationship as unseemly in the academic environment, but before public modesty could express indignation, the professor tragically perished falling from one of the highest windows of the lecture hall. The tragic event left a profound mark in young Wedder, but the event also coincided with his cultural flowering: a few months later his most appreciated essay was issued, read, criticized, and finally published again and translated throughout Europe.
Following the success of his works, he received a prestigious chair at the University of Friborg and the reputation of a distinguished and highly esteemed gentleman, guest of Lord Scarborough and of other men of genius and power. Today he enjoys the esteem of several politicians, who feel flattered by his words when he calls them men who are not afraid to do what is necessary for the good of the nation. Yet not only praises are uttered towards him, and though the dignified Wedder appears to be indifferent to criticism as an umbrella is to the tedious autumn rain, there is something elusive in his eyes, a tension that does not leave him. His malicious detractors claim he cultivates a morbid fascination to judgments pronounced about himself, his infatuated admirers reply with faithful simplicity that the professor's genius is like a perpetual motion machine that could not stop even if he wanted to. Neither the former nor the latter, however, have an idea of who he is when he is in company only of himself, an inkwell and an clean sheet of paper.
Relations: He's travelling with his only servant, Lena Reinhart, whom he is very fond of. As a child he played with Ashley Wetmore and they have not met again ever since. He had a close correspondence with Arthur Edward Waite. He was associating with Friedrich Gunter Kroyer during his university studies, before Kroyer left on his travels.
#61 - Arthur Edward Waite, The scholar of the occult (Character played by L. F.)
Motto: Under the vast ocean of human history flow the subterranean currents of secret sects. In these depths, changes that occur on the surface are often determined. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Mysterious Guests - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Arthur is a character with strong ambitions and personal goals and oriented to the investigation of mysteries. Suitable for an active and extroverted player who does not have problems with hard themes, including of a sexual nature. - Those who choose the character must be available to offer themselves for intense and particular scenes, which for some may be unpleasant or embarrassing
Teaser: If there is living proof that it is not necessary at all to be educated by the most outstanding teachers or to be born to a noble family in order to achieve extraordinary heights of knowledge, Arthur Edward Waite is certainly such proof. Even his closest friends are ignorant both of his origins and of what encouraged him to devote every second of his time to the study of Eliphas Levi and of every written work that could cast light upon alchemy, astrology, magic, mysticism and divination, both famous and obscure... It was the latter art that made him well loved in many High Society circles. Whether it be a studied mask or an innate nature, his bearing impresses the majority: his sardonic smile, the witty answers always swiftly given, while his eye lingers on every little detail. However, it must be quite common to feel susceptible to the not infrequently sarcastic and pungent judgment of a gentleman renowned for being able to grasp in men and time the symbols of a powerful past or of a future that is still developing.
Relations: He came across Shelley Ruthven at the British Museum and, as reported by those who were present, fascinated by her figure, he immediately insisted on having a cup of tea together. He had a close correspondence with Margaret Alice Murray, Joseph Emmanuel Wedder and Monsignor Giulio Orazio Mattei. He is often invited to receptions at Lord Cadogan's and Lady Johanna McEwan's abode. It seems that he is not too keen to meet Dominique Lamaire in company.
Waite has often conversed with Katharine Douglas Scott, a Scottish Earl's daughter who assiduously attends the gatherings of English high society about occultism and tradition.
#62 - Mary ''Mayavati'' Morstan, The high-class prostitute (character available)
Motto: She had only her body. Therefore she had everything. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Mysterious Guests - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: A character with a strong sensuality, will be at the center of erotic and sentimental plots, and will have to be able to show seductive and sensual qualities, which also lead to duplicity
Teaser: The day you were born, a curse was cast on you, when the midwife announced ''it's a girl!''. Because from an early age you've known what women are worth to the world: nothing but servants, nothing but prostitutes, nothing but prisoners.
But you, like few others, understood that your body means power. That what men subjugate and chastise is indeed the thing they most lust for and fear. In a world that makes trading its only sinister driving force, you've been able to transmute your curse into a gift, and by trading yourself you have turned into the most splendid and desired successful woman.
Your story is not a tale for schoolgirls nor a parable of virtue, but from this stage the impatient public demands action and results. What matters is success. Humiliation, tears and blood are a price sobbed into a pillow many years ago; your shining rise is instead a masterpiece that has no equal. Trained in the most sensual and exquisite techniques, educated in the most precious and exotic aesthetics, you are a work of art worthy of the highest bidder only. For artists you are a divinity to be taken as a model. For every man you are a treasure to be conquered, even if the price is commiting follies, squandering money, destroying families and committing crimes.
You are rich, even though you do not own anything. She never worked, men say. She's worthless, say the ladies. But the latter envy you, while the former crave you. You move in the world with the lightness of fire and the glow of a star, while everybody put their hands over their eyes so as not to be dazzled. Few can understand the origin of your power. There are women devoted to the struggle of making this power triumph. It is the power of being a woman, of being free, of belonging only to oneself. It is with nothing but yourself that you've built your fortune.
Relations: She loathes Lady Johanna: she considers her a rich hypocrite. She is a friend of Shelley Ruthven's. She spent a lot of time in the Orient, where she met Arjuna and started a relationship with Lord Terence, who gave her a certain amount of wealth and with whom she got back to the Occident.
#63 - Friedrich Gunter Kroyer, The explorer archaeologist (Character played by D. B.)
Motto: In resurrecting the dead to life we become more intensely alive, and elevating ourselves to this fullness we can exist in the best way before we too become earth, for nothing else is given to us. The rest is secondary, or illusion. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Mysterious Guests - Nationality: German - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Character suitable for a player who does not like being too close to the spotlight, but who keeps interesting information and is therefore involved in plots linked to mystical and esoteric themes. Suitable for players who want to experience a certain degree of madness.
Teaser: If museums and private collections all over the world may boast ancient remarkable artifacts to study history of peoples now buried by the dust of centuries, we mainly owe them to men like Friedrich Gunter Kroyer. The entierty of humankind must feel the desire to know its origins. Following this law at the beginning of his career, Friedrich dug, craving for knowledge, to unearth priceless pieces from the past for the benefit of posterity. Over time he began to dig with the ambition of a valiant, dauntless and visionary man. The deeper he went, the more he craved to occupy the highest position intended for great and famous archaeologists. A belief that his name deserved to be written in gold letters, engraved on stone in perpetual memory of his work and actions Sprouted up in him, as were the names of the kings and pharaohs he had studied for so long. Finally, Friedrich dug obsessively, mingling with African indigenous tribes that still retain ancient traditions and rituals in order to experience them and capture their ineffable beauty and depth. He sought those meanings that would justify the existence of artifacts, languages and rituals whose function had been lost in time. But no compass is capable of directing a scholar among ancestral mysteries when there are no reference points to cling to, and the risk of losing the path of wisdom and the light of reason is always lurking.
Relations: At a reception at the British Embassy he met the ambassador's servant, Scarlett Owen, because of an amusing incident of a few drops of champagne dripped on his jacket. He is friend to Heinrich von Wissman, since he was appointed as archaeologist in Ethiopia thanks to him. In that capacity he worked side by side with Gaetano Osculati. In his youth, he met Joseph Emmanuel Wedder, when they were both very different men.
#64 - Pau Torregrosa, The wandering artist (Character played by D. H.)
Motto: Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as plain as doves. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Artists and intellectuals - Nationality: Other - Gender: Unisex - Player's Age: Any age - Advices: Suitable for players who love being astounded by their own character. The artist has a game mainly based on investigation and research.
Teaser: When Pau, modest countenance and shabby appearance, approached Scarborough House's door asking for the possibility to liven up the master's parties in return for a bed and some food, there was a certain embarrassment among the servants of Villa Agogadro. But when the artist requested and obtained permission to show a brief display of his art, those present were left breathless, such were the beauty and harmony that ensued. Young Lord Henry was ecstatic, and hospitality was granted.
Born in Catalonia, Pau self identifies with a vague smile as a ''traveling artist'': Pau goes from town to town asking for asylum in noble residences, where the artist entertains guests at receptions and social occasions. In this odd way, Pau travelled through Spain, France and has now been in Italy for the past few weeks. Nevertheless Pau recounts little about these trips and self alike; Pau looks around both with curiosity and modesty, big childlike eyes open wide and leaving superb art to speak for itself. It strikes the shrewd eye of lords and servants, accustomed to the world of high society and to intemperance of eclectic and original artists as they are, how rare it is to maintain a humble attitude like Pau's, an innocence even, which by itself is as sought after as rare talents.
Relations: Lord Henry Scarborough-Talbot loves Pau's art. On the other hand, Dominique Lemaire does not hide a certain disdain. Pau showed a spontaneous fondness for Leo Vaughan. Volker Beckmann keeps repeating that it would have been better not to house Pau, while Giovanni De Simone defends the artist. Morgan Camden discreetly showed her admiration. In the past, the artist performed in front of Giovan Battista Borghese.
#65 - Eusapia Palladino, The Medium (Character played by s. p.)
Motto: Naturally, the supernatural haunts us Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: Mysterious Guests - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Very active character, included in many plots. Suitable for a player who loves intrigues and is talented at social relationships. It is advisable for the player who wishes to choose her to prepare herself to be the center of attention and to participate in agreed upon scenes. She will receive directions from staff.
Teaser: A dark room, a round table at the centre of it and just the feeble light of a candle to brighten the scene. Men and women of good European society seated holding hands, forming a circle where she is the alpha and the omega. A peasant girl from the Murge, polished in manners and properly educated, who guides them in the mazes of the kingdom of spirits. Suddenly a mysterious sound, and breath chokes in the throat, the air becomes stifling. Everyone will be able to testify that at that exact moment her chair began to levitate as raised by the very hands of God or Satan, who can say? A deep voice which does not correspond to her true timbre flows from her lips and utters sinister phrases, incomprehensible to most. A channel between the mortal and the immortal world, a medium endowed with powers never before observed in any human being, transformed as clay by the hands of a skilled potter: from the little shepherdess from southern Italy to a symbol of mediumistic lore. Praised in the European courts, studied by contemporary luminaries, challenged, accused of fraud, manipulated by the powerful, that's what it means being a Medium: a life serving a higher purpose, where there is no room left for anything else. And indeed this is the century when every marvel seems possible, Eusapia Palladino is a living testimony of it.
Relations: Paolo Valera slandered her name in a newspaper article, Arthur Edoward Waite strenuously defended her, claiming that never has the mortal realm been graced by a more powerful medium than her. Word has it there is bad blood between Eusapia and Margaret Murray. She met Lord Scarborough several times during her mediumistic sessions, on these same occasions she met Volker Beckmann who seems to be an interesting man. Giovan Battista Borghese attended one of her sessions in the past during his journey to Rome.
#66 - Madame Poisson La Ferté, The patron marchioness (Character played by M. W.)
Motto: I want to be a living work of art Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: French - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: Character with an abusive personality. Suitable for an active, extrovert and easily confident player who does not fear an uninhibited and fun game. Her game is focused on building relationships and maintaining them.
Teaser: Born into a family of industrial cotton-makers from Paris, Madame Poisson La Ferté devoted her life to becoming similar to a great heroine sprung from the imagination of some decadent author. Elegance, culture, charm and scandal are like rose petals scattered around her. While many noblewomen's eyes regard her kindly, their lips, hidden behind fans, spread scandalous gossip. Some of them proclaim that she wears live pythons round her neck. Others swear they saw her leading cheetahs with rubie studded collars. There's no doubt about the fact that her ostentatious receptions organized in the pursuit of excess and opulence attract - like bees to the flower - industrialists, intellectuals and politicians of a certain type. Among Madame's favorite guests are artists, for whom she longs to be an inspiring muse, a patron and an intimate confidant. One would be mistaken in thinking everything is aimed at satisfying her vanity. Madame Poisson knows that power has many shades, just as iridescent silk does, and what should not to be disregarded as elegance itself are good society's acquaintances. She loves to get on their right sides in order to obtain secrets and important information that may slip through while being drunk on wine if not muffled by Venus' impulses. What then she does with those details it is a mystery, just like her husband's brilliant career in politics. But then again, it is known that if chess is male, the chessboard is female.
Relations: Married for many years to Lord George Cadogan, V Earl Cadogan, she employed Bernard Russell in a position that common people call servant. She is not indifferent to the company of Dominique Lamaire for whom she is a muse. In one of her countless parties she met Alphonse Raimbaud Rubenstein, she likes conversing with him while sipping French wine. She had requested Jean-Pierre Guillot Savarin's culinary art for her ostentatious receptions several times. He accepted only once, then proceeded to decline every subsequent invitation, thus incurring her displeasure. There is a bizarre friendship between her and Lady Johanna McEwan based on mutual respect and studded by poisonous jokes and elegant bickering over who is best dressed. She was seeing Guy de Maupassant in Paris.
Madame La Fertè avoided speaking to Lindsay Brennan when she was introduced to her at a public event, creating a bit of confusion, but Madame is used to causing upset. When Guillaume Bellegard still acted in Parisian theaters, she often saw him and talked with him about theater and acting, amusing him with her stories.
#67 - Monsignor Giulio Orazio Mattei, The bishop of ancient nobility (Character played by P. K.)
Motto: All of this I shall give you, if you will bow down and worship me. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: Italian - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: A character of poise, involved in aesthetic and hedonistic, even extreme aspects as well as in plots concerning power .
Teaser: How many colours does power have? The sheen of gold, of material wealth, are only its most banal nuances. For Monsignor Mattei, the silver and blue of his honorable family's coat of arms are more substancial. His is an ancient family tracing its roots to Roman patrician aristocracy of more than ten centuries ago. Likewise important is the now certain report that the purple of his episcopal vestments will soon become garish cardinal red: the shadow of influence thrown by a scarlet cape may be rather wide.
Still other colors compose the picture Monsignor prefers: the almost corporeal black of darkness disturbed by candle flames, in meetings concerning which it is better to keep silent around plebeian, unworthy ears. And then, beloved white: at the same time virginal veil and shroud of death.
Sadly, white seems to have been a bad omen for the Holy Roman Church's fate, since only a few decades after its appearance next to the yellow on the banner of the Papal States, replacing the ancient amaranth, the glorious signs had to be lowered on the Eternal City, replaced by a prosaic tricolor.
Relations: He's travelling accompanied by his secretary Edmond Roncourt. He held a close correspondence with Arthur Edward Waite. He knew Countess Luisa Gigli Cervi de Robilant's husband and was willingly seeing him when he was in Italy. He knows lawyer and Senator Vegezzi well. He would like to have chef Guillot Savarin at his service. Some years ago Sir Charles Cowdery and his wife Johanna McEwans visited Rome during a Grand Tour of art and pleasure, on that occasion they met Monsignor Mattei and a friendship that they did not stop nurturing has developed between them. He has met Giovan Battista Borghese, part of the young Roman nobility, in the past.
#68 - Lord Terence Hamilton-Blackwood, The noble scion (Character played by S. K.)
Motto: Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Young - 36 years or less - Advices: Complex character and recommended to a dramatic player who does not fear hard themes. He is driven by a strong purpose that will influence his game and will receive some *binding* and specific guidelines from the staff.
Teaser: Scent is the essence of things, whether it is full-bodied and voluptuous or fresh and full of vigour. Lord Terence still remembers the smell of the lands where he grew up as a child: the cold and pungent scent of snow in Canada, then the suffocating and spicy scent of Calcutta. Always traveling to follow his father's political career before settling in a land full of contrasts like India and becoming, for the rest of the world, the spoiled son of the Viceroy. Nature is made to exalt men's senses and certainly Blackwood's young scion aims to enjoy everything he can get from life It is known in fact that he does not miss any opportunity to take advantage of the privileges given to him by the rank of Marquis of Dufferin and Ava and by paternal money. Young, rich and vain, no one can deny his power and yet the wisest among men consider him loose, reckless and a libertine. Scents of expensive colognes and cigars mingle with the denser onse of opium and absinthe while the young man fascinates little children with his tales of distant lands, filling their ears with stories and arrogance. Lord Terence's glance turns suddenly attentive like that of a hawk when he tells of hunting tigers or taming elephants with rope and whip; while as an expert hunter he observes the audience attentively following him, and then disappears with his ''prey'', woman or man, for the rest of the night. Some of the more mature Ladies and Gentlemen are quick to opine, behind handkerchiefs and fans, that the young man's father should soon assign him to a military career in order to subject his inconstant and changeable character to Army discipline.
Relations: He has an exotic servant by the name of Arjuna working for him. It seems that in India he got to know Captain Philip Lawrence with whom he shared his long journey back to England. At the latest parties held in London he was introduced to Lord George Cadogan and Arthur Conan Doyle with whom he had a pleasant conversation. Well acquainted with Gabriel Wooster, with whom he must have crossed paths in some parlor around Europe. He had a lengthy (and expensive) relationship with Mary Morstan.
#69 - Lord George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan, The Conservative Politician (Character played by F. S.)
Motto: For a man of class nothing is more unsuitable than to laugh; it is such a vulgar expression of passion! Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Male - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: This character has a strongly social and political game, but has to deal with a complex personality and cumbersome relationships. His power is public and evident, counterbalanced by other hidden bonds and powers which he is subject to.
Teaser: In order to better examine and define the nature of a man, there are three fundamental features to evaluate. The first characteristic that attracts the eye and describes the care devoted to one's own person is most certainly represented by the shoes. A Lord will have well-made shoes and boots, perfectly polished and suitable for every occasion, to adorn himself; a decent commoner instead will always show clean shoes, albeit worn, while a man with mean intentions and occupation will always have muddy shoes. The second characteristic is none other than blood: undoubtedly blood is thicker thanwater and nothing else matters except one's family name; nobleness is what stands to defend traditions and represents the backbone of every civilization. Last but not least to be evaluated in a man, is his standing: external symbol of his abilities and his ambition. According to these features, Lord Cadogan is nothing more than perfection: a man with an always impeccable toilette, offspring of noble Earls, and Lord of the private Seal of Her Imperial Highness Queen Victoria. What more can a man of such standing long for, who seems to have everything the human soul may desire?
Relations: He has been married to Madame La Ferté for many years. He often invited Arthur Edward Waite to receptions and soirées. He knows Lord Francis Winsey because of matters of state and often has lunch with Sir Charles Cowdery at Gentlemen's Circle. His good valet Bernard is in his service. At a party in London he was introduced to Lord Terence, a young and witty nobleman.
Lord George Cadogan has had a friendship with Lord Evelyn Baring since they were children, and it seems that he is going to be a guest at the fancy-dress ball only thanks to Baring's express invitation.
#70 - Emmeline Pankhurst, The suffragette (Character played by N. K.)
Motto: We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half. Upstairs or Downstairs: Upstairs - Group: High Society - Nationality: British - Gender: Female - Player's Age: Adult - 28 years or more - Advices: An active character, at the center of attention, involved in political and social issues but with a strong and complicated personal relationship.
Teaser: 'If only you were a boy ...'', her father quietly whispered that evening, believing she was already asleep. Emmeline was then just a little girl, and yet everything became very clear to her. Her intelligence, her accomplishments, her determination would have earned her a fortune ... if only she had not been a woman. However, that was what she was, and her ambition could drive her on to become the wife of a great man; no further, nothing more, only the reflection of someone else's value.
Emmeline had decided she would not bow her head to this subdued fate and ever since then she could feel the call to arms that would mark her existence, devoting herself to this fierce and merciless struggle to dismantle at least some part of the damaging and disgraceful male chauvinist model of society that has been standing for centuries.
Indeed, her whirlwind struck true and continues the barrage on conformist fin-de-siècle England. Together with her husband, elderly attorney Richard Pankhurst, Emmeline is firmly standing out on the political and social scene thanks to her battles for the female vote and for their rights in matters of divorce and estate inheritance. But how far will she go for her ideals ... Or her ambition?
Relations: She's travelling with a personal butler, William Monck, towards whom she shows a certain coldness. She had a close correspondence with Annie Besant, whom she can finally get to know tête à tête. Two servants, Katrina Schneider and Claretta Benvenuti, showed great admiration for her. She is intrigued by Costantino Nigra's personal story. She held an epistolary conversation with Lord Gordon Asherton, the two repeatedly discussed about treatment reserved for women and workers in the factories of enlightened Lord Gordon. Despite their distance of political and social convictions, on several occasions she has meet with Lord Francis Wimsey. At a ball, she was introduced to Katharine Douglas Scott and although she tried to talk to her, she never got the chance.