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 Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:27 am
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:30 am
---- hedge witch
name andrus kinross.
age 25 [born 1773].
age bonded n/a.
gender male.
occupation heir to vast fortune.
hometown darrowdown, palisade.
height 6'1".
weight 165 lb.
physical attributes
got lazy; just look at this and this to see his beautiful face | gray eyes
clothing
as close to this outfit as possible. he might have the hat, but would probably take it off at the first given opportunity. color schemes would likely look something like this. he is not given to flamboyant dress.
secondary ref: this too; outfit only, no hat or wig.
parents oban kinross, earl of ranlesey, baron of cedgren [father] x laurine kinross (nee regent) [mother].
siblings jordun kinross [brother].
extended sebastien jolivet [cousin], severin jolivet [cousin], alphonse jolivet [uncle] x laurel jolivet [aunt].
spouse n/a.
Andrus’ mother, Laurina Regent, was the eldest of three daughters born to an old, old line of nobility stretching back to Sunderland’s infant years. As the name suggested, the Regents were once a powerful family that came close to ruling the nation, but had since faded into near obscurity. Members of other equally established families would undoubtedly have known the Regents’ name, but outside of the esoteric upper class, they were far from famous. As the generations passed, the Regents became rich in history and little else, until Laurina’s father began to struggle just to maintain the family’s extravagant lifestyle and the vast properties littered throughout Sunderland’s countryside. He refused to find work, believing that members of his stature ought not stoop so low, and the family’s meager fortune dwindled even further until he was forced to sell all but four of his properties: one for each of his daughters’ dowries and one for himself.
Oban Kinross hailed from a family that was much less storied. His grandfather was born a common worker in Aireland and had worked his way up from there. Several lucky turns and a big investment gone very, very right landed him with enough money to move to Sunderland and there join the ranks of the nouveau-riche bourgeoisie. Though they did not have titles as the old and established nobility did, the Kinrosses were possessed of financial cunning and ambition that made them many times richer than many Sunderland nobles by the time Oban took over as the head of the family.
What drew Oban and Laurina together was ultimately what Laurina’s father had deemed the lesser of two evils. The elder Regent was leery of the bourgeoisie, their new money and their lack of proper titles, but eventually, even he had to come to grips with the fact that his family was sorely in need of an income. Laurina was 16 when she married Oban, then nearing 40 and known for his stern and joyless demeanor. In exchange for his financial support, Oban won the Regents’ title and rose fully into the ranks of nobility.
Their relationship was a loveless one, though both managed to stay loyal out of duty to one another. Laurina bore two sons for her husband: Andrus, when she was 20, and Jordun two years later. After that, the already limited physical contact in their relationship dwindled.
Because Oban had taken over the Regents’ household, Andrus and his brother grew up in his mother’s ancestral home in Palisade. The same butlers, chefs and tutors that had served the family in his mother’s childhood watched the two boys grow and molded them into the roles their family stature demanded them to fill. Under their father’s firm and authoritarian hand, the brothers found in each other kindred spirits and got along exceptionally well. They grew up to look quite alike, though Jordun rarely excelled in his lessons like his brother did. Most of his performances were simply mediocre, and he spoke with a mild stutter that no tutor could break.
At 17 and upholding the Regent family tradition of military service, Andrus enlisted in the Queen’s army, serving two years in a cavalry battalion and eventually finding his way into a captaincy that his father had no doubt purchased for him. There, Andrus learned the finer points of wielding sword and gun that his tutors at home had never been able to teach him, and learned the meaning of the word honor as it applied to upper class men like himself.
Meanwhile at home, no amount of tutoring could have prepared Jordun for military service. By the time Oban’s father passed away (Andrus was 19), the elder Kinross was desperate to conceal the less successful son from the eye of the public. Under the guise of wanting to lay claim on his family’s home, Oban took Jordun and moved back to his old home, leaving Laurina and Andrus to maintain the family’s reputation in Palisade.
Now that Andrus has come of age, his mother rarely leaves the mansion, preferring to leave any and all social activities and networking to her son. Having been trained from youth to fit the expectations of the upper class, Andrus knows the social paths like the back of his hand, and is rarely missing from balls and parties thrown by fellow noblemen. He devotes his time to cultivating and maintaining the relationships that birth and wealth have automatically bought him, and has a crystal clear understanding of the who’s who of society, especially within Palisade.
Five years after his father and brother moved away, Andrus still maintains the dialogue between himself and Jordun, writing and receiving letters regularly as part of their communication. Although the opportunities to meet face to face are few and far between, the two still share a deep bond, and when they do get to see each other, it often seems as if no time at all has passed since they were both young boys living under the same roof.
The first impression Andrus tends to give is that of a properly charming young gentleman who has a penchant for smiling (and a perfectly charming smile at that, one that brightens his face and makes his eyes dance with beguilement) and for finding just the right words to flatter. He is a loyal soul, dedicated to his family and his duty, and protective of those who have earned his undying respect and love. Here is a fine young man who understands his place in society and willingly upholds it, casting a gilded reputation on his household name and bringing pride to his well-deserving parents.
All of that, however, just goes to show how well his upbringing has straitjacketed him into the norms of high society. Underneath all that propriety rests a more fiery character, one that made itself evident in Andrus’ earlier years but that has since been subdued by a higher sense of decorum. For once, he had been an impulsive and adventurous child, ever eager to push the limits of a household bound tight by rules and procedure. A younger Andrus might have been seen scaling trees and running amuck along the manor rooftop to satisfy his innate desire for a thrill, but though that same sense of adventure has yet to die, the impulsiveness has been beaten back and the older Andrus might direct it instead into activities that promote honor and glory for the house of Kinross.
It all points to a willing but subconscious restraint of everything he might have been as a child. He always sought the approval of his parents, and it seemed the only way to do so was to fit the role he had been born into. Andrus had always been possessed of a strong and indomitable will that, when put to work, could usually overcome any mental or physical weakness that might obstruct his path to glory. Along with that, he had been blessed with the ability to control himself, to beat back temptations and focus instead on the goal, the end result, no matter how difficult the end game. Failure was simply never an option in his mind, and he drove himself to become what both he and his parents deemed proper for him to be. In this as with everything else, the finish and the prize he perceived to be there fueled everything he did and turned the process into nothing more than a means to an end.
Now that he has become who society expects him to be, Andrus is a confident young man, fully aware of who and what he is and completely comfortable in that knowledge. He is capable and is quite a hands-on person, enjoying sports and being able to work with his body to expel some of the extra energy that he tends to pretend does not exist. He thrives on competition, and usually excels in it thanks to his ability to make decisions and stick with them without doubting himself for a second. Although not an outwardly arrogant person, Andrus thoroughly enjoys besting others and welcomes the ego boost.
In all, he is a very controlled person and not prone to extravagant displays of his thoughts or reactions. He speaks with care and refinement, reflecting his education and the vast repertoire of books he was given to read as a child, and filters the thoughts that come into his head to pick the most suitable to share. His face can also be a mask, reacting outwardly in the way that he is expected to do so, and his words and actions are always meant to charm, to flatter and to prove to the upper class just how fine a gentleman he is.
Though a somewhat unexplored skill, Andrus’ magic consists large of loosening people’s tongues and occasionally their inhibitions. Andrus has long since learned that information is key to surviving and thriving within the upper echelons of society. In such a close-knit group, knowing secrets automatically becomes a strength and having secrets a weakness. Andrus’ skill allows him to make others more willing to spill those secrets – or any secrets, really – by making them less aware of the consequences that might follow. A smile here, a charmed word there, and voila!
magic status unmastered; tends to occur at random, and Andrus himself is not always aware when his magic has come into play.
*art by kyatia
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:31 am
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:32 am
---- familiar
 [ uncert ]
[ basics ]
name feather.
gender female.
[ appearance ]
weight 18 lbs
physical attributes
based on a feather
[ family ]
parents n/a.
siblings n/a.
[ history ]
Feather simply appeared on day at Darrowdown, having either squeezed past the wrought iron gate or scaled the stone wall to get onto the property. She spent several days visiting around the house, sniffing through the gardens and digging through the fields, until she became a regular sight. When Andrus returned that week from his trip out of the city, the usually distant grimalkin made her way closer, following the young lord about all day, and after that, she simply stayed.
[ personality ]
Feather is a premier escape artist and a master at getting into places she shouldn't be in. Her hiding spots seem to have no end and are generally located where they would least be expected, resulting in her appearing at times in the most inconvenient places.
Luckily, she seems to know how to counter uncomfortable situations with a blank stare, unblinking until the human sheepishly turns around and leaves her in peace. Because of this, she comes across as a rather aloof animal: no, she does not understand what you are doing and would not care to, thank you very much. As a rule, she generally minds her own business and leaves people to theirs.
Named for her feather-like tendency to drift here and there, this grimalkin is very much an outdoors animal. She is possessed of sharp hunting instincts, and can often be spotted stalking birds and rodents on the property. If no small prey is available, she will happily climb trees (all the way to the very top, mind you, regardless of how difficult it will be to come down) and even go for an occasional swim. Fishing is a favorite pastime of hers, and she spends more time in the water than most felines would.
She likes to range far and wide, often covering the entire property multiple times in a week, and sometimes even venturing beyond the edges of Darrowdown. Feather is an independent and capable creature for the most part, and does not require much taking care of. Her food inside the house is often left untouched in favor of fresh game outside, and she could survive without human affection, meaning she stays simply because she wants to, though nobody really understands why.
[ dreaming ]
Regarded as something of a Houdini figure by Dardanos' herd, Feather is like a silent shadow, showing up when she wants and disappearing when she prefers not to be found. She drifts along with the others, who seem to appreciate the enigma she presents to the group's dynamic.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:43 am
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