Pre-Made Characters

All characters in this section have been pre-made specifically for people to pick up.

If you would like to play one of these characters, simply email me with your choice, however, on the rare occurance that there might be a popular character up for grabs, have a second choice or your own original character as a back-up.

NPC - Non-Playing Characters
These characters are all available to become PCs. Email me if you would like to develop a character bio for any of them. Any character listed with a link to their bio is a PC and cannot be taken.

{Please note that if you wish to play a maid, you can take one of the characters available here, or make up a character for any other house but the Withington family as they have filled their quota for maids. Thanks!}

Staff at the Withington Household:

Jamieson (Robert Jamieson) - personal vallet of Mr Withington, age 43

George (George Parkins) - the gardener, age 52

Mildred Baxter - the cook, age 41 (PC/Not Avbl.)

Lorrey (Simon Lorrey) - the coachman, age 27

Miss Sythe (Hillie Sythe) - housemaid, age 14

Miss Beecham (Elsbeth Beecham) - housemaid, age 19

Miss Lorrey (Eileen Lorrey) - housemaid, Simon Lorrey's sister, age 17

Patrick (Patrick McKenna) - stableman, age 22

Ronson (Gerald Ronson) - servant, age 29

Matthews (William Matthews) - servant, age 34

Crispin (Crispin Sythe) - the hallboy, Hillie Sythe's brother, age 15

Penny (Penny Skaten) - scullery maid, age 17

Sara (Sara Larson) - kitchen maid, age 19

Name: Mrs Laura Maude

Age: 47

Status: Widow

Appearance:
Mrs Maude is a very heavy-set, rounded woman who has aged gracefully into a grandmotherly-like figure. She is always in uniform and always very prim and proper with nary a thread or curl out of place.

Personality:
A kind but very firm woman who takes no nonsense when it comes to the running of her household. She can be quite strict with the servants and even manages to boss Jamieson, the vallet around. Regardless of status, she is respected by all from the head of the household, Mr Withington, to Penny Skaten, the scullery maid.

Family Relation: N/A

Occupation: Housekeeper.

Background:
Whilst not growing up in a well-to-do family, Mrs Maude did not want for the basics of life. Her mother was a maid who had left service to raise a family and then worked as a seamstress and her father was a worker in the grocery trade and ran a shop. She had two sisters who died of fever by the age of twelve.

Due to money being tight, she left home when she was fifteen, looking for work in service as a maid. Her quiet, no-nonsense manner seemed to appeal to her prospective employers and she stayed in service to one Lady Archer for a number of years, progressing through the ranks of scullery maid to lady's maid. Whilst she was in service she met a young solicitor by the name of Henry Maude and after a long courtship, she left the service to marry.

When Henry died at the age of 38 (having been hit and run down by a carriage one evening in the foggy London streets), Mrs Maude went on to once again look for work. Due to her excellent references given to her by Lady Archer, she was not in search of a job for long and happily took up the role of housekeeper for the Withington family and has been with them ever since, moving with them from the townhousein London to the manor in Hereford.

Peers' Opinion:
Sometimes considered an old fuddy-duddy, though she's generally well liked so long as one stayed on her good side.

Player: Ren

Name: Michael Withington

Age: 48

Status: Married.

Appearance:
A tall, slim man with brown hair just starting to grey at the temples (making him look just that little bit more distinguished). His nose is slightly crooked from a boxing fight during his youth. His eyes are brown and surrounded by laugh lines. By all appearances, he seems to be a happy fellow.

Personality:
Michael Withington has always been an amicable person, very approachable and generous almost to a fault. He is easily amused by his daughters and wife but expects much of his son. He likes the little luxuries afforded to him as a gentleman and likes to read the classics in his library

Family relation: Withington. Head of the household, father and husband.

Occupation: Gentleman, ex apprentice barrister.

Background:
Michael Withington was born a country boy and for all intentions, would have grown up to be more common however his parents insisted on sending him to Eton, London's best public school and there he progressed through the ranks and decided to study law and become a barrister. Without peerage and little more than the money earned by his country parents, he apprenticed himself to another barrister to learn the trade and earn some money as a solicitor.

When he was twenty-two, he met Marie LeFaucher, the daughter of a rich French nobleman who was in England to arrange the purchase of a townhouse for his daughter and her governess and lady's maid to stay in whilst she was out in the London season. Needless to say, Michael was enarmoured of the French beauty and he proved to be the only suitor that she received. They were married that same year and have been happily together ever since.

Upon the death of Marie's father, Michael, as Marie's husband and carer, inherited the property situated in England that was owned by the Frenchman - that being the townhouse in London and a large manor house in Hereford. This extra wealth ensured the family's establishment in the ton and provided a means to extend the family.

Michael now lives with his wife, two daughters and son in Hereford, though moves to the townhouse in London during the season.

Peers' Opinion:
There are some that frown on the Withingtons' presence in the gentry as they do not believe Michael is anything more than a common man. His acquired wealth does not sit well with a handful of people who would rather see him ousted from good society. Occasionally this ill will rubs off onto his wife and children and they are occasionally snubbed for balls, teas and parties.

Player: Mike (mostly inactive though)

Name: Marie Withington

Age: 45

Status: Married.

Appearance:
Marie is a pleasantly plump woman (though not fat), not too tall, she barely reaches the height of her husbands shoulders. She had long dark hair isn't exactly natural, as she dyes it to hide the grey.

Personality:
Marie's greatest achievements in life (she thinks) was her marriage and the birth of her children. She is both fiercely proud and protective of her family and rarely stands for any "talk" or scandal that may involve her children. She carries the wisdom of a woman who has "been there and done that", though she is a little more discerning with the family wealth than her husband. She is also quite a sticky-beak, though good-naturedly, and pries into the lives of her daughters and sons quite often. Marie is alo quite vain, and it shows in the way she dresses and her constant want to stay youthful by purchasing creams and potions for her face and hands, following silly "youth preserving" diets and dying her hair - it is the only thing she will freely spend money on.

Family relation: Withington. Mother, Lady of the house.

Occupation: Lady

Background:
Marie Withington, formerly LeFaucher, was born, bred and educated as a noble french woman. Her mother was a renowned Lady of France, talented piano player and singer, whilst her father was a stout businessman who made his fortune in the wineries on his properties around the French provinces.

In a bid to help get his daughter married into polite society, and to ease his way into the purchase of more land in England, Marie's father took her to London - where she happened to meet Michael Withington.

The rest, as they say, was history. He wooed her and convinced her father to let him marry her, regardless of the fact that he was so far below Marie's social status. This endeared the then young Michael to Marie's father and as such was allowed to inherit all of the property that was purchased on English land at the death of LeFaucher. Marie's mother still lives in the French provinces and is known to her grand daughters as "grand-mère LeFaucher". As a point of interest, there has always been bad blood between Michael and Marie's mother.

Peers' Opinion:
Most people are generally accepting of Marie for it's common knowledge that she is from "old money" stock, with her family wealth going back several generations. There are some who would snub her for her association and marriage to Michael as he is considered beneath them.

Player: Open!

Name: Anabelle "Belle" Withington

Age: 17

Status: Single - Out

Appearance:
Anabelle has her mothers fashionable curves with her father's unfashionable height. Whilst not a giant, she is taller than her mother would have desired and certainly not the fashionable petite size of women of the period. She has long dark, naturally curly hair and brown eyes and is no great beauty like her sister, Vivienne, but is by no means ugly.

Personality:
Out of both of the Withington sisters, Anabelle is the most approachable. She has a cautious way of looking at things, forever wary until she feels completely comfortable with the given situation, however once her trust and faith is earnt, it very rarely wavers. She can become fast friends with the right sort of people. Anabelle is also very intelligent and loves to read, write and paint and is also an accomplished horsewoman and takes great pride in being able to "horse whisper".

Family Relation: Withington. Younger sister.

Background:
Like most young ladies, Anabelle was educated at home by way of a tutor and her mother and father's gentle guidance. There is no favouritism for either Vivienne or Anabelle, with both girls being taught the same lessons in life - though each have taken their education down very different paths. Anabelle has chosen to nurture her talents and finds great joy in study and learning and as such she has become quite proficient in not only French (which her mother insisted she learn properly) but also Latin (insisted by her father), German, Italian and Spanish and is almost fluent in all (especially French and Latin). She has only just come out on her seventeenth birthday and whilst isn't gaining the same attention her sister has, there are a few suitors in the wings.

Peers' Opinion:
Most people love Anabelles company and come to her for guidance, even though she is only seventeen years old. Her level-headedness and sensibility attracts people to her like moths to a flame. However, because of her parentage, the more uppity members of society will not associate with her, nor allow their daughters to associate with her.

Player: Crystal

Name: Vivienne Withington

Age: 18

Status: Single - Out

Appearance:
Vivienne is considered a true beauty. She has amber-coloured eyes and brown hair. She is short, like her mother, and exquisitely formed. She has been the subject of many painters in the region.

Personality:
Vivienne is beautiful and she knows it, though is careful not to laude the fact over other members of her family, namely her sister and her mother - the person whom she got her sense of vanity from. Vivienne tends to throw herself into things heart and soul but without very little thought to her welfare or the consequenses of her actions, this has meant that she has gotten into a fair bit of mischief. Vivienne is a tease and has been moreso ever since she had the fortune to debute at St James, overall though, she is a good hearted girl but quite silly.

Family Relation: Withington. Older sister.

Background:
Unlike her younger sister, Vivienne never really took to any particular study and as such only learnt the basics. Her tutor, taking this into account, gave her lessons which would prepare her for being a wife - deportment, stitching, embroidery (which she excels at) and basic book-keeping. She debuted on her seventeenth birthday and has been out in her first season from which she has been a favourite amongst the young gentlemen. There are several callers for Vivienne (including female callers as many would want her popularity to rub off on them through association with the social butterfly) none of whom, as yet, have captured her eye - though the young Miss Withington tends to lend her affections to the more roguish type of character.

Peers' Opinion:
Vivienne suffers from her parent's reputation just as her sister does, however being the more popular of the family, she is more socially accepted. The ton can always look to Vivienne for a good scandal or gossip.

Player: Carol

Name:Marcus Withington

Age: 22

Status: Single, eligible.

Appearance:
Marcus is seen as the typical rake. He cuts a dashing figure and is quite tall like his father but has inherited his mother's good goods. He's got a mop of brown hair which is usually not terribly neat (those most couldn't fault him on that as it just adds to the dashing factor) and dark chocolate eyes much like his mother.

Personality:
Marcus is nearly always charming and very gentlemanly. There are few times where he forgets his manners however his charms allow him to get away with almost anything seen as impropper. He has a way with words that make him almost impossible to stay angry with, though this mainly works more on the older women folk who are somewhat more gullible than the rest and are ever ready to receive a compliment or two from a handsome man. All that said and done, he is an intense individual, very passionate about some things in life which unfortunately lead him into trouble on regular occasions. In this he is much like his sister, Vivienne.

Family Relation: Withington. Older brother.

Background:
Unlike a lot of young lads in the region, Marcus was actually sent off to school in London rather than being taught at home by a tutor. As such, he's grown up with a strict understanding of manners and rules and regulations, however he has tended to rebel against his betters. His school days were spent keeping his nose to the books by day and being somewhat of a hooligan at night. As he's grown older, he has met up and associated with various shady characters which could eventually see him in all manner of strife. Whilst his relationship with his mother is a doting, loving one, that with his father is not so good. They are almost always at loggerheads over something, whether it be Marcus's friends or what Marcus chooses to invest his money in.

Peers' Opinion:
Among the women, Marcus is seen as a lovable rogue. Among the men, he is either seen as a friend or a threat. Once again, his parents reputation precedes him which may make it difficult for him to play suitor to any eligible ladies.

Player: Debbie

Name: Nicolette Deveroux

Age: 20

Status: Single, however not strictly eligible (as she works for the Withingtons).

Appearance:
Nicolette is a classic beauty - or at least what is considered to be a classic beauty. She has a peaches and cream complexion with an abundance of naturally curly hair. She is always stylish and always seems to be in the height of the city fashion, even when she is residing with the Withingtons in Hereford. She is not terribly tall and is quite thin by the standards of the time, but her style makes up for her lack of stature.

Personality:
Nicolette is quite demure and well mannered. She has been brought up and trained to be a lady's maid by her own mother who was also once a lady's maid before she married and as such, is quite knowledgeble in the ways of proper behaviour that befits a lady of social standing (such as the Misses Withington). She is quietly intelligent and cheeky at times.

Family relation: N/A - Lady's maid.

History:
Nicolette was brought up in France alongside her younger sister, Lettice, however it was up to Nicolette to carry on the tradition of becoming a lady's maid - something she took to with ease as she had been trained to do so since she was old enough to read. She is an accomplished painter and seamstress and can sing quite well and it was these traits that Mrs Withington noticed most of all when she first met Nicolette when she was visiting grand-mère LeFaucher. Marie Withington made an offer to Nicolette's mother to take her back to England and much to Nicolette's delight, her mother allowed it. She has since been a loyal servant to the Withington females and is invaluable company to Mrs Withington an and Vivienne.

Peers' Opinion:
Nicolette is seen as the one socially acceptable aspect of the Withington family, as French lady's maids were highly regarded as being the best one could have if one could afford a lady's maid. She is always treated with respect and dignity, however she will always be a maid in the eyes of the ton. A very fine, elegant maid - but a maid all the same.

Player: Open!