Teaser list [Keystone - ENG 1]
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Teaser list
Personaggi visualizzati: 22
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.