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[10:53am on the 16th |
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CHARACTER NAME |
OOC Info |
Name: Sionnan
Age: 21
AIM: khronoskept
E-mail: witchhare@gmail.com
Timezone: Eastern
Experience: I've played in a number of RPs before.
PB: Either John Malkovich from Mary Reilly, or Mark Strong.
Journal to be used: http://childermass.insanejournal.com/
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Basics |
Full Name: John Childermass
Nickname(s): He hasn't any that I'm aware of.
Age: Mid to late 40's
Birthday: We're never sure from the context of the book, but to fulfill the requirements of the application, I'm going to say November 20, 1771. (1771 if Childermass were roughly 45 at the end of the book.)
Location: England, York
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Family/Relationships |
Parents: Black Joan, and a father whose name we do not know
Siblings: He probably has some, but none that are named, nor none that he speaks of.
Sexuality: While we are not given a clue as to what Childermass prefers, I would say asexual, but probably with heterosexual leanings. He seems to enjoy doing his business to pursuing women.
Significant Other: None, unless you count Vinculus, to whom he would rather die than part from, but for reasons entirely other than personal liking.
Children: No legitimate ones, and given the lack of Childermass's interest in anything other than his work I would doubt that he has illegitimate ones either.
Friends: Jonathan Strange, (debatably) Vinculus, and probably a fair amount of acquaintances from his own social sector that were not examined in the book.
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Occupation |
Childermass is currently occupied in decoding John Uskglass's Book. In other words, he is trying to preserve some record of true English magic. He seems to be presiding over a small group of mostly theoretical magicians, whose talents he hopes to employ, perhaps even foster, as he goes about solving the riddle that is The Book.
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Appearance |
John Childermass is a long, thin, ragged figure. His look is such to go strongly against the initial inclination of a casual observer- or, at least to the sensibilities of the middle and upper class. The mark of his life is worn hard upon him- his face is long and thin, looking as if it were comprised of a twist of hedge roots. If someone were to get close enough, they would see that his eyes were gray. He habitually weas clothes that might well have belonged to someone several generations preceeding him, which are faded from age and use. He has a long, thin scar on his face, given to him by Henry Lascelles. He most likely has a scar on his arm that resemble one of the markings on Vinculus's body. |
Personality |
Likes: It is unclear just what Childermass truly enjoys. As a servant, he has fairly little free time to induldge in- so he takes pleasure in his business. He does seem to enjoy taking people down a few notches, if they are abusive or pompus individuals. He appreciates the lore of the North, and the stories of the Raven King. Through his business, one could say he enjoys reading and writing. But above all, Childermass likes putting the pieces together- he likes discovery, and linking those discoveries together to make sense of it all.
Dislikes: Again, as a servant, Childermass wasn't entirely free to elaborate on just what he didn't like. He doesn't enjoy being treated poorly because of his status, and he doesn't like ignorance, particularly willful ignorance, in others. He dislikes it when a potential discovery is thwarted.
Strengths: Childermass is perceptive and insightful, is well-read, and has much experience about the world He is methodical, and combining that with his insight makes him a good man to hunt things down. He is a good speaker, and knows what to say and when to say it. Perhaps one of Childermass's greatest strengths is that he notices things- he knows things of the world that many people have forgotten. As a member of the lower class, Childermass has no rosy illusions of the world, nor of himself. And interestingly enough, despite his life and status, he is a loyal man, though by whose definition of loyalty he adheres to is another matter. He has a good working knowledge of some magic.
Weaknesses: Childermass is just as likely to speak out against a ruffian as he is a gentlman of leisure or a man of affairs. That is to say, while Childermass knows perfectly where he is in life, and when he should hold his tongue, he often doesn't. His status as a member of the working/lower class chafes him greatly. To some extent, he is combattive against people, particularly those who try to 'put him in his place'. He is a man without sympathy for others, and often expresses as much when the opportunity arises.
Detailed Personality: John Childermass is a man perhaps too well-acquainted with the world. He knows what the hardships of life are, and has experienced most, if not all, of them Because of this, he is a rather unsympathetic man, and is just as likely to smirk at another's misfortune as most would be to cluck and console. He is an imminent realist, and is often the voice of reason amongst more fanciful types.
Childermass is the type of person, through his past and his upbringing, to use any means necessary when accomplishing a goal, which could range from pickpocketing, to the threat of violence, to mild seduction. Which isn't to say Childermass is without morals- he just doesn't subscribe to the lofty, if sheltered, idea of nobility harbored by the middle and upper classes. He is an intense man, particularly when it comes to an area of interest to him, and he can pursue something for weeks on end.
Even with his rather questionable view on life and way of going about things, Childermass is a loyal man. He would rather endure a physical assault than betray himself. (Although he performs deeds in service of his master that he may not fully agree with.) He would risk his life for his employer of nearly 20 years. He would rather infringe on his master's trust than allow him to use his magic for petty or wrong purposes. Childermass is a man with a strong sense of right and wrong, although he similarly understands that life rarely falls into either category.
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History |
There is fairly little explaining Childermass's past. He was born to the criminal Black Joan, and grew up impoverished in England, probably in or around the area of East Riding. He was a gifted pick pocket, a skill that he carries to his adulthood. What he did after his childhood is not fully known, but he was a sailor at some point, where he probably learned how to speak French. He learned how to read and write during this time, too, considering it would be doubtful that he would be hired by Norrell without those skills.
About ten years before the start of the book, Childermass somehow made contact with Gilbert Norrell, and was employed as Norrell's man of business. During these years, Norrell taught Childermass some amount of magic for use while he pursued Norrell's business. At the beginning of the book, we find Childermass (not without some amusement) disbanding a group of theoretical magicians at the behest of his employer. After he arranged for one of the men to write an article detailing the feat of magic performed by Norrell, the Hurtfew household moved to London. During this time, he advised Norrell on how to approach modern city life, and upon Norrell's inclusion in the state of affairs of the country, aided Norrell in his work as a magician employed by the country.
He was dismissed from Norrell's service after a conflict between himself and Lascelles left him scarred and unimpressed with Norrell's appreciation for his years of serivce. He came upon the hung Vinculus by chance, and is now attempting to read the new prophesy.
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Samples |
Journal Entry: It has not been an easy winter, though few in my experience have ever been. My wages by way of Norrell's service have proven their worth, as they have kept a roof over my head and food in my belly. There has been no news of Norrell and Strange, though gossip has been plentiful, ranging from the banal to the absurd. A wild Strange, terrorizing the North Umbrian countryside and kidnapping sheep- really? At any rate, there has been little doubt in my mind they have not truly resurfaced. Though some of the stories, like that of Strange's house in London must be true; they correlate prettily with many other accounts of previous magicians.
This groups of magicians is tugging somewhere between hopeless and hopeful. When they are not bickering amongst themselves about which of their two 'masters' are greater, they seem hesitant to practice magic. I cannot tell whether this is respect to Norrell and Strange, or just plain fear. In either case, it needs to be deal with before it proves problematic.
Vinculus complains the air stinks of magic. I wonder just how magic might stink, though I suspect this is another example of how magic affects a body differently than another. That, or Vinculus is aiming insults at the group's direction. Otherwise, he is fed and warm, and above all bored. I am not certain how long I may keep Vinculus's attention and presence here. I wonder just how much victuals, money, and a bed appeals to him, when he has gone without for most of his life.
RP Sample: John Childermass sat at the small table he had dragged by the window to provide more light, sharpening a quill. His mind had taken his attention elsewhere, as he worked over remembered sigils in his mind, trying to correllate them with other sigils. The knife slipped, and carved a neat slit on one of his long, brown fingers. Jerked back to his more mundane task, he cursed lightly and frowned, bringing the offended appendage to his mouth.
He glanced to the window out of habit, and caught a pale echo of his reflection on the glass. The long, thin scar etching down his face drew his attention, and fixed his attention. When he remembered it, it stirred an unhappy sensation in his mind- one that whispered to him that something wasn't quite right-
Before the creeping feeling would vanish entirely, and leave him idly wondering what he had ben doing to start with. He glanced back down to the paper, and noted a small smear of blood that he must have left. It had taken an abstract form, a scrabbling sense of recognition dawning in his mind.
He thought he might have remembered it as a sigil or sign of forgetfulness, before the though escaped him. He stood, remembering his new memorandum book, and an account of interest he had been meaning to pursue, leaving the forgotten paper behind.
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