Biography
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NEWS: After a considerable absence, the Earl has returned to Guildereim. It is clear by his baggage alone that he has planned a stay of some length; to that end, he is currently seeking servants for the maintenance of his household. (4.6.2022)
NAME: Clyde Louis FitzJames Rosby
TITLE: The Earl of Rosby (1st creation, 3rd holder)
SPECIES: Human (H. sapiens)
SEX: Male
AGE: Thirty-four years, and they're beginning to show.
EYES: The dim green of mangrove swamps or unpolished agate.
HAIR: Chestnut brown, worn long and "stylishly" unkempt.
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 178 lbs.
HANDEDNESS: Right (Dexter)
ETHNICITY: English (Anglo-Norman)
DATE OF BIRTH: May 10th.
PLACE OF BIRTH: Yorkshire, England.
MARITAL: Widower.
INCOME: As inconstant as his affections; what assets he does control have been cobbled together from inheritance, gambling, unpaid loans and diverse business ventures.
CLASS: Ancestral nobility, with an old and impossibly convoluted family tree. More of a family forest, really.
RESIDENCE: Currently installed in one of the Golden Moon's luxurious apartments. His manor remains in a state of ruin on Guildereim's eastern shore.
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good.
OCCUPATION: A peripatetic exile, adventurer and fortune-hunter, though his primary skill has always been intrigue. His past vocations have included courtier, cavalry captain and de facto corsair.
PHYSICAL: Fine-featured, with a discerning gaze and a mouth that tends towards cruelty. He is broad-shouldered and narrow at the waist—the sort of build complimented by a uniform, though years of hard living have left him a shade less than strapping.
HERALDRY: A pair of stallions, black and counterpoised on a golden field, rearing over the motto Tu ne cede malis: "Yield not to misfortune." The Earl's personal escutcheon is slashed with a bend sinister, which signifies disgrace. The formal blazon: Or, overall a bend sinister gules, in the chief two stallions sable combatant.
AFFILIATIONS: Religiously he's a stolid Anglican, and politically a Royalist—that would make him High Church, Old Money and a reflexive backer of Monarchy.
TROPES: AWESOME EGO — BLUE BLOOD — BYRONIC HERO — GENTLEMAN SNARKER — GUILE HERO — MAGNIFICENT BASTARD — MASTER SWORDSMAN — OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN — ROYAL RAPIER — SCREW THE RULES, I HAVE MONEY — SHARP DRESSED MAN — SWASHBUCKLER — THE CAVALIER YEARS — UPPER CLASS TWIT
HOUSE:The Noble House of Rosby.
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KNOWLEDGES: All the benefits of an aristocratic education, meant to sculpt him into a noteworthy courtier: arithmetic, philosophy, history, literature and law. He is a more than capable equestrian, having served his military tour with a cavalry regiment. Rhetoric is among his most accomplished skills, and while he has a flair for the long-winded and theatrical, he has it in him to be eloquent and persuasive. He can speak English, understand French and read Latin.
VIRTUES: Libertine in his philosophy, confident to the point of arrogance, intelligent, witty, and charming when he tries to be. The Earl is a quintessential Restoration rake, charismatic and irreverent, and capable of cunning manipulation. Though he goes to great lengths to hide it, he possesses an unflappable sense of loyalty, and a code of honour thoroughly ingrained.
FLAWS: A life of excess has rendered him a dependent alcoholic, and going more than a day without a drink can have severe ramifications. He is reckless, a profligate and a bounder, with varying (and often conflicting) prejudices. Above all else he is vain; nary a thought is given to any proposal unless it benefits him directly.
DEFENSES: While not an overt coward, Rosby does have a powerful sense of self-preservation, and will often let others do his fighting (and dying) for him. However, he is still a nobleman of the cavalier era, and thus well-versed in the art of defensing. Academy-training laid the bedrock for what would become a lifelong pursuit, and despite his lack of a belligerent nature, he is nonetheless considered perilous with a sword. The Earl's curiculum vitae includes the fencing-school techniques of François Dancie, Joseph Swetnam, Camillo Agrippa, Salvator Fabris and Ridolfo Capo Ferro.
PREFERENCES The Earl's diet is sparse, consisting more of wine and coffee than of any staple foodstuff, though he does prefer a lavish spread. He smokes tobacco with a pipe or in cigars, and he enjoys philosophy, poetry and music; riding, chess and slander were his chief passions at court. Foremost in his contempt are tea, Papists, Puritans, taxes, the peasantry, most nobility and, often times, himself.
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The Earl's attire tends to eschew bright colors in favor of black, grey, burgundy and navy blue; despite a muted palette, the outfits catch the eye via the Baroque embroidery worked into the fabric's accents, often in gold or silver thread. He maintains the style of coat, waistcoat and trousers, worn over a shirt and lace cravat; the cut of his clothing is consistently immaculate, but the material tends to vary between silk, satin, brocade and heavy wool.
Carried on his person are the following affects:
- A coin purse, generally laden with gold;
- An assortment of folded bills-of-sale and contracts sequestered in his waistcoat;
- A golden signet ring, with the arms of Rosby picked out in jet;
- A pair of fine leather cavalry boots, rising to the knee and fixed with spurs;
- A swept-hilt rapier in the broad, outmoded Italian style of the 1660s. The guard is a swirl of sterling-chased quillons, and the scabbard is tooled black leather with silver trappings.