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Thread: The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God [M - OOC Hannelorian & DuchessLivilla]

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    Default The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God [M - OOC Hannelorian & DuchessLivilla]

    Our story begins in what is classically regarded as Victorian England (1837-1901). However, in a departure from history, our Victorian age instead sees the rule of King {{insert name here}}. The isles of England are largely isolated, self sufficient. For our cast of characters, little is known or cared for of the world beyond their borders. King, Country and above all God are the pillars of society. His Majesty rules absolutely with divine right of Kings as given by God above. Religion dominates each and every household in the realm, a radical form of Christianity asserts traditional values. Every member of every class must know their station within the society and strive not to step where they have no business being.

    We endeavor to explore the lives of those at every echelon of society through the lens of the household of the Duke of Suffolk. Below stairs the servants scurry about, completing their tasks while endeavoring to be paragons of the faith to those they serve. While they lead their lives with no excess, those above stairs lead their lives with every excess. The Duke himself sits on the council that advises and reports to the King directly, giving all those on the estate an air of absolute privilege.

    Hannelorian's Characters

    Above Stairs

    Name: Arabella, Duchess of Suffolk
    Styling: Your/Her Grace
    Age: 25
    Appearance: Arabella is best described as hauntingly beautiful. She is above average height and exceedingly thin, a trait best attributed to religious fast. With delicate and soft facial features, and pale skin she has been remarked upon as the belle of the proverbial ball. She is a fair haired blonde with piercing green eyes.
    Personality: It seems likely that Arabella missed the biblical instruction regarding kindness. She is well known for her icy personality and exceptional manners. She runs the home with an iron fist and generally believes that those who work below stairs are to be seldom seen and never heard. The Duchess has been known to snap at servants who overstep their bounds or err in their duty, for example when a chamber maid awoke the lady of the house while tending the early morning fires, the chamber maid found herself without employment or recommendation. Her patience for her family, particularly her sister decreases by the day as the girl continues to question authority, and act out against the faith. It should be noted that Arabella shows an exceeding degree of kindness and compassion for her husband, the Duke of Suffolk.
    Other notable information: Owing to the untimely death of her parents, she has taken responsibility for her younger sister until such time as a suitable marriage can be arranged. Her greatest failure in life is her continued inability to produce an heir.

    Name: Christian III of the United Kingdom
    Title: King
    Stylings: Your/His Majesty
    Age: 47

    Appearance: His Majesty is quite tall for a man of his time standing at just over 6 feet. He is of an average weight for a man of his height, if not slightly on the thinner side. A handsome man in his youth, his skin is scarred and serves as a painful reminder of small pox during his youth after a failed attempt at variolation. He has pale skin, dark eyes and greying hair. He is always dressed in the latest finery.

    Personality: The King is gregarious, outwardly friendly, and at times can be considered boisterous. His seemingly jovial nature keeps him in the good graces of the general citizenry. However his good humour is cover for a dark personality known only to his family and several of his councilors. The King is demanding and a perfectionist. His identifies himself as the paragon of piety whose will shall remain unchallenged. God has anointed the King as his divine representative on Earth, and as such his will is akin to the will of God. The King demands absolute obedience and absolute reverence for the Church. He is often quick to temper and will act first (perhaps rashly) and ask questions later. The one area where his faith trembles is in adultery, he is quite well known for his infidelity to the Queen by those in his inner circle.

    Other Information: The King's Grandfather, King Edward VII (later taking the regnal name of Christian I) is responsible for the religious revolution that transformed England into a theocratic monarchy, and imposed largely isolationist policies. He admires his grandfather greatly and looks up at him as something of a heroic figure. Comparatively he viewed the short reign of his father (Christian II) as an abject failure, feeling that he was not nearly as committed to the faith and demonstrated to great a degree of lenience.

    Below Stairs

    Name: Alice Sutton
    Styling: None, she's a peasant, a commoner, a woman without a title.
    Age: 22
    Position: Ladies Maid to Duchess Suffolk
    Appearance: Conventionally attractive brunette, slim with distinctive blue eyes.
    Personality: Alice is kind yet unassuming in the presence of the Duchess. Below stairs she is equally kind, but rather vivacious and generally gets on well with the other servants. Alice is an active member of the Church and outwardly appears to be the devotee required, however personally she is quite the non-believer, with no one knowing of her true feelings...yet.

    [more edits coming, TBD]
    Last edited by Hannelorian; 11-22-2021 at 03:58 PM.
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

  2. #2
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    Above Stairs

    Name: The Lady Alexandra

    Styling: My Lady/Her/Your Ladyship

    Age: 21

    Appearance: In any other house Alexandra would have been thought quite beautiful but when compared with her sister most people find her lacking, or so Arabella tells her constantly. Where her sister is pale, she is dark; her hair is raven black and lightly curled, falling in soft ringlets when not pinned up. Her eyes, thought her best feature, are cornflower blue and sparkle in a delightfully mischievous way. Her skin is not as pale as her sister's, often earning her the taunt that she 'looks like a farmer's daughter' rather than a great Lord's. Another point for her sister to taunt her with is her weight; in reality she is a perfectly healthy weight for her height...but when compared with her sister's painfully thin figure, Alexandra's healthy appearance stands out.

    Personality: Alexandra is naturally kind and not one of the servants can recall a time when she raised her voice or threatened them. In another time she would have been a girl who laughed much and delighted guests with her wit...Now she must keep such things to herself. She often looks gloomy and depressed, finding little in the world to cheer her. Outwardly as pious as she needs to be in order to survive, there are hints that she is far from a true zealot, unlike her sister. She often questions why the poor cannot be helped, and surely charity is in God's plan, is it not? Something that sets alarm bells ringing in most heads.

    Other Info: Though she currently has no use for it, Alexandra has a photographic memory and, for reasons she doesn't know, she has taken to gathering whatever information she can about all manner of things. Her brother-in-law being on the council, she makes sure to pay close attention to anything that is said.

    -----

    Name: Anthony Lennox

    Occupation: Ordained Priest (religious rather than secular- meaning he owns nothing of his own, has taken strict vows, has no income and relies totally upon his religious order to provide for him)

    Age: 29

    Styling: Father Lennox

    Appearance: Anthony, being an ordained priest, has limited options for his own personal looks and even less for his clothing; as such he sports neat, short brown hair, left side parted, and a close cropped, neat beard and moustache which gives him a look of intelligence. His honey-brown eyes are kind and welcoming, which is rather unusual, given the coldness of many of his ilk...real or affected. When not performing his public duties, such as Mass, ceremonies and such, he, like his brothers in the Abbey, sports the plain black cassock of his order, long to the floor almost, over a white shirt and black trousers, with the traditional white, heavy starched collar of the priesthood.

    Personality:

    History: Like many of his brothers and sisters in Christ, Anthony was raised at the Foundling Hospital in London, and then, when he reached twelve years old, was set before three paths...The Priesthood, the Army or a life of service. Not that this was a choice any of the boys actually made themselves -or the girls, who had the Nunnery, an arranged marriage, or a life of service before them- and the council of directors of the hospital made his choice for him.

    The lad, quiet, docile and given to piety, was naturally selected to become a priest, and sent with several other boys of the same age, to various seminaries around the city to be trained. At least he was a true believer, as it were, and took to his profession happily, taking his vows at the earliest age he could, dedicating his young life to God.



    Spoiler: NOW BOTH DEAD 
    Last edited by DuchessLivilla; 05-11-2023 at 12:39 PM.

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    Spoiler: Society Rules for Upper Ladies and Lower Women 


    Spoiler: Crime and Punishment 


    Spoiler: Side Characters for Use By Either of Us 
    Last edited by Hannelorian; 03-04-2024 at 07:44 PM.

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    Below Stairs;

    Mercy Little (16), blonde hair, blue eyed. Ex-foundling girl, now maid to her Majesty Queen Arabella.
    "Ye mustn't be afraid to ask for help. Pride is a good thing, my girl, but it will kill you in time." - Granny Weatherwax

  5. #5
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    Additional mentions -

    Harlow, 28 - a member of the Royal guards, bares a scar on his left cheek, personal guard of HM the Queen, Arabella. Loyal to King Christian.

    Graves, 28 - a member of the Royal guards, personal guard of HM the Queen, Arabella. Loyal to Arabella.

    Dr. Thomas, 58 (not to be confused with the Duke) - royal physician whose wife was murdered at the hands at King Christian, ally of Alexandra and Arabella, assisted in falsifying the death of Beatrix, Arabella's daughter.
    Last edited by Hannelorian; 12-09-2023 at 04:56 PM.
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

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    Dowager Duchess of Montrose (51) - Long-time Widow, loves gossip.
    Mr Michael Morozov (47) - Alexandra's Russian tutor
    Lord Henry North (31) - Member of House of Lords, Secret Traitor to the King.
    Last edited by DuchessLivilla; 02-16-2024 at 11:21 PM.
    "Ye mustn't be afraid to ask for help. Pride is a good thing, my girl, but it will kill you in time." - Granny Weatherwax

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    Elizabeth "Kitty" - mid 40s, Duchess of Cornwall
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

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