name:Arden Leatham age:34 occupation:Reluctant reporter, former scholar.
personality:A quiet man unusued to his circumstances, Arden Leatham was raised to aspire to imitate the better manners of the upper crust. He speaks softly and politely and when he feels guilty about something, it's plainly written across his face. Luckily, since taking a job at The Spectacle after falling out of favour with academia, Arden feels guilty about almost everything, so it's difficult to discern when he is feeling guilt about something in the immediate vicinity. No matter what his work is or how he feels about it, Arden is a hardworking and diligent man with methodical processes. He is satisfied by a job well done, even if the nature of the job itself is somewhat questionable, and works for his own satisfaction rather than a desire for fame or attention. His independence is important to him, and despite having a moderately well-to-do family who would certainly give him an allowance, he would rather earn his own way and have a say in his own circumstances. Arden has an excellent memory for facts, quotes, and faces, and is both patient and observant, skills that lend well to both historical study and reporting. The one thing that he is not terribly good at is socializing: public speaking and even casual conversation exhausts and terrifies him. Still, as long as someone else is doing the talking, it is bearable for Arden, so he does everything within his power to encourage the other party to continue speaking both on jobs and at social functions.
Arden may be quiet and polite, but he does not refrain from casting judgement on anybody. Highly analytical and possessed of a somewhat incisive wit under all his layers of timidity, he's more than capable of rebuffing people who he thinks are mistaken or scolding a moral reprobate-- safe from behind the shield of the written page, that is. He's terrified of face to face confrontation, but, rather uncomfortably, finds that he relishes anonymous confrontations more than a well bred man should. For him they are a stress reliever and a way of asserting himself where it is otherwise difficult to make himself heard. He tends to blame himself for his personal failures and shortcomings, so to excoriate others on their own failures is somewhat vindicating to him, a way to distract himself from his own problems, which are multitudinous. He feels most alive while writing, but after the fact, he often feels guilty about what he's written. While in academia, the subjects he wrote upon were largely impersonal and historical, working for a newspaper makes most of his biting pieces part of the scandal column, which is full of personal peccadilloes. For this unsavoury work, he uses multiple pen names to hide his tracks and fend off his own conscience (not to mention libel suits). Unlike most reporters who cover such work, he consoles himself with the fact that he at least has never simply made a story up. All of his pieces are researched.
People Arden knows well will see more of the man behind the page and less of the timid man that crouches through his day to day life, but they are few and far between. Arden is far likelier to open up to someone he isn't impressed or intimidated by, however, and in the presence of friends who he considers his betters, will still behave rather stiffly.
history:Arden Leatham is the first son of a modestly well-to-do family who placed their hopes into better themselves socially through him. Arranging for the finest education that they could afford, they hoped that he could marry up, perhaps even to a financially struggling noble family's daughter, and that he could esteem himself in politics. Unfortunately for the Leathams, what ended up happening was quite different. His loving but suffocating family had made Arden a quiet, docile, and timid young man, and when sent away to school, he had become so sheltered that he was terrified of both public speaking and the prospect of meeting women.
At university, free from rigid course schedules and undue parental attention, he quickly set his feet on the path to becoming a scholar, a step up in the world, but hardly in the direction that his doting parents were praying for. History was his forte, as he had always enjoyed examining the minor spats and disputes of his parents and siblings, and it was a quiet field in which not much was expected of his presentation or demeanour. However, his scholarly writing was excellent and methodical, and while he had difficulty speaking face to face, in writing he could be incisive and witty. Soon he rose to prominence as a scholar and even gained some admirers and notable scholarly rivals. He gained further attention when during this time he became chosen by a guardian of the Wardwood, and despite his retiring nature, became well known around Queen's University for the awkward fawn following at his heels. The association caused him little grief, for as a historical scholar, Arden's knowledge of both Naturism and the Old Ways were well respected, and his naming the fawn after a medieval Vox Dei was seen as a compromise between those two worlds suitable for a scholar.
As his reputation grew, so did his own confidence, but, never having been possessed of much confidence before, he soon became over-cocky and published a piece on the ancestors of Queen Anne which was considered libellous. He lost his position at the Queen's University and many of his friends and allies deserted him. Forced to return to his family home, he soon found that depending on his family for his income was intolerable, as living with them caused him to shrink back into himself just as if he was still a boy of thirteen. Worse, his family were decidedly less accepting of Palladius, seeing him as representative of their son's wayward past, and the deer was often unceremoniously tethered outside. Determined to regain a position and independence, Arden looked for positions at other univerisites, but none were to be found in Sunderland that would take him on with his lack of social influence and the black mark on his record.
Desperate, he ended up being approached by the editor of The Spectacle, a rather salacious newspaper with illustrations. The editor, Sir Thomas Marsh, known for being a somewhat dissolute man but nevertheless well-read and worldly, had found himself impressed by Arden's prose while perusing his historical writing. Sir Thomas required a reporter willing to collect and compile every sort of story for The Spectacle, on account of his other reporters having either been bribed away to larger newspapers, jailed for gambling debts or drunkenness or libel, or worse, married into respectable families. Faced with the prospect of either working for one of the most notorious men in newspapers or living with his doting parents, Arden opted for the former course as discreetly as possible. To the knowledge of the world, he is traveling around Sunderland and abroad in order to working on a last great history book, but in reality, his only research of late has been to fill the pages of Sunderland's most notorious scandal rag.
choosing:Arden found his totem in a research endeavour. One of his most popular and controversial treatises written on the Old Ways and the coming of Naturism required an excursion into the Wardwood in hopes of finding archaeological evidence of ritual offerings there. Encouraged by one of his peers who was enthusiastic about the newly developing field of archaeology, Arden nevertheless failed to find anything but the totem, which he removed and later discovered the real nature of.
relationship with guardian:As Palladius chose Arden when he was a very different man in a very different social situation, relations between the two have been understandably awkward. To Arden, Palladius has become almost a corporeal avatar of his failure and guilt, and he finds Palladius to be very difficult to speak to as he once did. He feels that Palladius no longer respects him, and it causes him great anxiety and frustration. At times he is even angry at Palladius, although he knows that the anger stems from his anger at himself. Arden wants to explain things to Palladius, to ask him for forgiveness, to ask him how to fix their situation, but cannot quite bring himself to do so.
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:42 pm
guardian
name:Palladius
personality:Sober and haughty, it almost seems as if his time spent with Arden in academia has made him as stuffy as the scholars he grew up amongst. Palladius makes his position in life very clear, and does not hesitate to sleep on Arden's bed instead of Arden when he feels like he deserves it. Despite Arden's decline in circumstances, he will not suffer any decline in his own quality of life, and refuses to eat food that he considers to be inferior to what he is used to, or to sleep outside if Arden is sleeping in the warm. He will not be treated like a pet, and does not shy from expressing his displeasure to Arden when he feels things are not as they ought to be, which is more and more frequently these days. Palladius is also more inclined to sleep late and waken at night, so now that Arden has a job with more irregular hours, Palladius has accompanied him more frequently, although Arden sometimes still feels his guardian's glowing stare while he is trying to sleep.
at awakened:
Diplomatic and elegant, Palladius is a statesman much like Arden's parents hoped for in their own son. A self-possessed guardian, Palladius believes in strategy and abhors chaos. The events surrounding the Wardwood as of late are particularly despicable to him, both the actions of Gwyn and even of some guardians and their wardens. He desires nothing better than to achieve an efficient solution to this crisis without resorting to radical nuisances and factious bickering, and finds the clumsy mystery surrounding the motives of the queen and Llyr to be equally distasteful. Due to the organized structure and rituals of Eternism, he actually prefers the cult of Eternism to the Old Ways as a system, although as a product of the Old Ways, it's clear which he favours in practice. He admires the university system as well, as an establishment which tries to make sense of the world, and enjoyed his time at Queen's University with Arden.
An opinionated buck, Palladius is nevertheless reasonable. He has no patience, however, for time-wasters. While he might tolerate their company, he refuses to collaborate with those who cannot keep up with him, and has little patience for teaching anything which he sees as simple. He tends to think of himself as quite sharply intelligent, and holds his own company in high regard.
However, Palladius generally enjoys the company of others. He strongly believes in the common man's right to express their grievances, so long as it's done through the proper channels in a peaceful and orderly manner, and will consider their grievances so long as they step aside and let him do the actual work. He enjoys listening to he considers to be equal to him, but more than that, he enjoys gossip, although he would probably call it information gathering. He feels that it's as important to know the people which you move amongst in order to operate. Palladius can be quite charming when he wants to be, and is much better at acting than Arden. He is capable of mustering the patience to pursue close relationships with those who he doesn't think much of at all if need be, and recognizes that though he's intelligent, knowing others with different skillsets will make his capabilities far greater than they could be on his own.
When it comes to himself, Palladius tends to be somewhat secretive. His private problems and emotions are tightly shut away, and while he's eager to hear of the personal victories and failings of others, his own hopes and dreams, if he has any, are obscure. He tells himself that his only purpose in choosing Arden was to find a useful avatar with which to endeavour to end the Wardwood's recent commotions, but Arden can't help but think there would have been better wardens with which to affect change.
relationship with chosen:Though Palladius used to be Arden's shadow, faithful, stately, and silent, since Arden lost his position at Queen's University and subjected both of them to rather embarrassing discomforts, it seems that Palladius has lost some degree of respect for his Chosen. The balance of power has shifted, and while Arden was able to adequately meet Palladius's needs, the buck was not demanding, it is now clear that the deficiency in his lifestyle must sometimes be met at Arden's expense. Palladius is more useful than before, his eyes guiding the way for nighttime reporting excursions, but he does not seem to be pleased with his new role as a mountable furry lantern, and often leads expeditions his own way without Arden's having asked.
Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 9:23 am
worldbuilding
the spectacle:Formally known as The Spectacle: A Monthly Review of Incidents and Articles of Interest to the Modern Gentleman, The Spectacle is exactly what it says, a magazine full of society gossip, bawdy articles, and some political coverage which is popular in a certain type of bachelor's correspondence. The editor, Sir Thomas Marsh, is that certain type of gentleman, in appearance, but is actually a well-read man of substance who enjoys women and drink occasionally and understands that to sell such a paper, it is better to overemphasize the latter. He publishes under the alias Good Tom Winkle, but everyone who knows the paper more than suspects him to be the proprietor. As he intends it to be.
His reporters all publish under slightly more secretive aliases, sometimes several. Working for the paper is far less respectable than owning it, even for a rag like The Spectacle so unabashedly is, and the reporters need to maintain a level of secrecy anyway. Sir Thomas hires reporters from all walks of life, and often approaches them before they approach him. He even hires women, although they usually publish under male aliases. Currently, however, The Spectacle is understaffed, as reporters often get arrested for libel or disorderliness or drunkenness or all three, or sometimes women are married off or removed by their parents. Sir Thomas is constantly on the lookout for new hires, including illustrators, to make the salacious images that the magazine is also known for.
The Spectacle distributes throughout Sunderland and into some parts of surrounding countries, like Airelund. Sir Thomas's current pet project is to expand readership to other countries. The publication itself prints one issue a month, and these issues are usually coveted by a certain sort of person and distributed very quietly throughout both Sunderland's elite and commoners who are entertained by the antics of the noble class.
queen's university: Referring not to Queen Anne, but rather to an ancestor some generations hence, Queen's University was established as a school to train Naturist priests and scholars once Naturism began to drift from Eternism as practiced on the Continent. Gradually the school became secularized, especially as Eternism as popularly practiced began to hold sway in Naturist reform movements and amongst the upper crust of the Sunderland elite. By the early 1700s, many of the fields its scholars study in today were more or less established, although many scholars were influenced by Naturism or Eternism, and a sort of rivalry emerged between scholars on each extreme end of the religious spectrum. Queen's University is located in Palisade, but it is not the only secular university in Sunderland, many smaller establishments having been formed throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries. It is, however, one of the most distinguished institutions of its kind, certainly in the country, and perhaps amongst the surrounding countries as well. Queen's University, despite its name, is largely male dominated, and mostly children of the well-born or wealthy. However, a few women bravely number amongst its ranks, though none who are not of good breeding.
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