Now that we've made our names...

[James_Sinclair]

Artistic School: The Nocturnals. It’s a new world down here, with its own rules (or lack of rules, as the case may be). Deathlessness, devils, the wide dark zee…all of this demands new artistic forms, unlike anything seen or conceived of on the Surface.

Philosophy: The Unconfined. My newspaper, The London News and Disturber, prints the truth, no matter how Outlandish it might seem at first. I’ve also been known to give public lectures on the Correspondence over in the Forgotten Quarter, and was once thrown out of the University for daring to bring a murderer to justice.

Newspaper: A Humble Servant of the Truth. Some call the Disturber ‘The Only Source of Truth’, although I am sure other newspapers share that distinction. I originally intended my newspaper to be simply a tool for my Ambition, but at some point (I believe around the time I was investigating a certain Affair involving a certain Box), it became something more.

Martial Tradition: Your own amalgamation. A bizarre mixture of fencing, soldiering, Eastern martial arts, tomb-colonist dueling lessons, boxing, and the Savage, Elusive, and Baroque forms of Knife and Candle. Along with the occasional bullet.

Scar: Body. I’ve had more than one Knife-and-Candle loss, and more than one run in with Frank and Jasper. Although I do meet them for drinks occasionally at the Medusa’s Head. In a deathless world, it’s important not to hold grudges. Can you imagine holding a grudge for centuries over in the Tomb-Colonies? Frankly, I can think of better things to do.

Toast: Myself. I probably should have sided with the Gracious Widow, whom I’ve worked with a number of times to our mutual benefit, but I loathe the thought of being under anyone’s thumb. Besides, this one time, I brought news for her entrusted to me by a pale woman on a boat in the land of the dead, and the Widow had the temerity to have me beaten and tossed in the stolen river without explanation. How uncouth!

Closest To: Urchins. I was originally closest to the spies of the Great Game (which came in quite handy when dealing with the Numismatrix), but when I finally located the entrance to [CENSORED BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC DECENCY]…I knew that the Urchins needed it the most. And I must say, the little scamps have proven themselves much more useful than I’d anticipated. Even if their prices for Neath-snow are beyond the level of extortion.

Patron Gift: Mirror Polished Shoes, perfect for unobtrusive observation of intricate Enigmas. Such as the Searing variety. And even that other variety.


Penny Dreadful: The Devils’ Courage. Many a time I’ve dashed across the Flit one step ahead of constables, criminals, devils, neddies, and even the enraged cats of the Duchess. Or barely made it out of [THIS TEXT REMOVED UNDER THREAT OF LAWSUIT FROM BASEBORN & FOWLINGPIECE, ESQ.] using a last-ditch escape route. Good times.

Lodgings: A Suite at the Royal Beth. The view may not be as good as from the spires of the Bazaar, but I like to keep the Neddies at an arms’ length. Besides, the room service is much, much better.

Specialization: A Legendary Charisma. Or so it says in Slowcake’s Exceptionals. I just believe that you can catch more Lamplighter Bees with prisoner’s honey than you can with absinthe…

Destiny: The Revelation, and choosing to share the power of the Garden. All Shall Be Well, and All Manner of Thing Shall Be Well. Whether the Masters truly believe it or not, I hope to make it so, one day.

Chimes: A Player of Games. I once defeated the Boatman himself in a game of chess. Although come to think of it, I think he was going easy on me. Perhaps I should challenge him to a rematch the next time I die.

Sign of the Chiropteromantic Zodiac: The Cat. Wait, you don’t really believe in Neathy astrology, do you?

Profession: Currently, Monster Hunter. Came to the Neath searching for revenge, so my first real job was as a Watcher. The Revolting Disguise served me well while searching London and Venderbight for clues to my Nemesis. I somehow stumbled into being a Midnighter; as they say, fake it 'till you make it, right? I grew tired of not remembering exactly what I did for a living, so switched to Correspondent, and eventually discovered the secrets of the Courier’s Footprint. After the Wars of Illusion, I became a Glassman, and learned some of the secrets of Parabola.

But now, I’ve found out who my real Nemesis is, the fiend who arranged for my loved one to be murdered so long ago, on the surface. What was that I was saying about grudges earlier? Forget what I said. And so, I’ve taken up the Bone Harpoon of the Monster Hunter. Is it powerful enough to slay a [THIS TEXT CENSORED BY THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC DECENCY]? Perhaps…or perhaps I’ll also need some Cantigaster venom, a wagon-load of dynamite, a medium-sized army, and an Eschaton-class dreadnought.

A reckoning will not be postponed indefinitely. I’m coming for you, C[CENSORED]. Soon.

[theblack-shirtedradi]

Artistic school- The Celestials. God reigns, He has reigned and He shall reign forever. The Radical may be many things but his faith was only redoubled by the discovery of Hell. His work is intensely moral, screaming virtues at the reader like a drunk whose toes have been bruised. The art of the surface reminds people to not dwell in the deep too long.
Philosophy- Legacy of the Anchoress. While a militant figure clinging to the drapes of the political scene, The Radical enjoys the ideas professed by the Anchoress- they fix the world’s morality much like the eponymous anchor.
Toasts- Himself. After God, the thing the Radical loves and trusts most is himself. His own mighty will and unrelenting passion are his foundations, that which his whole world stands upon. He shall win out, no matter the cost and all who face him down shall not live to boast of it
.
Fighting Style- Hard Knocks. While his bodyguards and loyal claymen retainers do the majority of the fighting for him, the Radical has learned how to smash heads, as learned both from his ambiguously military background and his climb from impoverished nobility in Veilgarden all the way to the house of Parliament.
Profession- Mystic. His speeches are interminably long, ranting in style and yet transfix those who listen. He is a prophet of the strangest kind, half lunatic and half priest. His followers would follow him unto death- and many do. At times, he cannot even remember having given speeches, although his crowds certainly do. When he fixes you in the focus of his bright blue eyes and his rhetoric unrolls like God’s own thunder, you believe.
Closest to- Revolutionaries. His party often engage in vicious street brawls with the anarchists, despite sharing many similar viewpoints. His movement is that which he is closest to- his child, his dearest possession.
Destiny- Gloom. In keeping with his ideal of heroism, he is almost sure he shall fail. However, this only encourages him- to place an iron-shod boot on the throat of destiny.
Penny Dreadful- An Angel among Thieves. Toeing the line between legitimate party and terrorist movement, the National Populists frequently shake down corrupt business men, attack warehouses owned by the Masters and stage plunder Devil brass when they can, distributing it to the poor.
Lodgings- The Radical owns a number of dwellings- his private Townhouse is respectable, if heavily fortified. A large bookshop functions as Party HQ, both deep in his area of support- the old East End. There are also a number of smaller, discrete safehouses.
edited by The Black-Shirted Radical on 12/19/2015

[saevitia]

Artistic School: The Nocturnals. Saevitia has a thing about traditions, namely that she doesn’t care about them in the slightest. If you’re going to force her to attempt &quotart&quot, it’s going to be whatever she thinks of as art. It is… not usually worthy of note, and she’s not the sort to bother with it by choice.

Philosophy: The Unconfined. Thinking is a thing Vitya does either far too often or far too rarely, depending on one’s perspective. She has somewhat unusual ideas, and her morality is guided not by scripture or philosophical arguments over what is &quotjust&quot but her own ideas on what should be frowned upon. Carousing and brawling, for instance, are perfectly reasonable, and the occasional bit of temporary &quotdeath&quot, while inconvenient, is not exactly a Big Deal. As for Hell, she hears it’s lovely this time of year if you can stand the heat.

Toasts: Herself. What’s the point of being someone else’s lackey? If there is anything Vitya lacks, confidence in herself is definitively not it. She’s not necessarily trying to start an empire of organized crime – she’s a dilettante when it comes to that sort of thing – but if she did, it would be hers from top to bottom, not someone else’s that she took over. In fact, such an organisation may well look like a school of engineering for the Rattus faber population, paid for by her voyages on the Unterzee, that would allow her an exceptional pool of talent to recruit from for… whatever purpose, really.

Fighting Style: The Adventuress’ Correspondence Course. When she fights, it’s for fun. When she’s defending herself, it’s because she’s exploring something the wise would have avoided. Surviving is the ultimate goal, and anything that helps her do that, Vitya’s willing to try. Why worry about the rules of fencing when any real fight will ignore them? It doesn’t matter whether you had &quotright of way&quot in the match if you kill your opponent!

Scars: Body. She has plenty of scars, really, but the most exciting ones are hidden beneath her clothes. Plenty have seen them, given her cavalier approach to physical intimacy, but only one or two know the stories behind them. Those are reserved for only the dearest friends.

Penny Dreadful: The Devil’s Courage. Brashness, arrogance, and a straightforward approach. Her successes are mostly attributble to luck and the simple fact that nobody thought someone would be so foolish as to attempt such a thing. Since Vitya pretty much assumes everything will turn out fine, she’s rarely surprised that it does even when she really should be.

Profession: Crooked-Cross turned Glassman. As far as Saevitia’s concerned, she’s both. The Glassman profession reflects her research interests and other such serious business. The Crooked-Cross life is something she does as a casual indulgence. It’s how she relaxes, sows a little chaos, and has fun. It also gets her fair credit from the Brass Embassy, a good thing indeed since her main residence is there.

Closest To: The Great Game. It used to be the devils, but then she sold some information to a spymaster and, well, one thing led to another. It’s certainly likely Vitya will find herself closest to the devils again in the near future, but not until they’re willing to make her a good offer for the information she has. You don’t just give that sort of thing to Hell! You make them pay through the nose for it, get yourself some proper securities.

Lodgings: A Room at the Royal Bethlehem. After a recent visit to the Elder Continent, Vitya has found herself undergoing an unusual amount of introspective thought. As such, she has taken temporary leave of her residence in the Brass Embassy, instead living it up at the Royal Beth while she works things out. She knows she’ll go back to the Embassy – there are a lot of personal reasons for that – but it’s extremely difficult to think when you have to spend your day dealing with devils. The mad and hedonistic are much more conducive to rational thought.

[catherineraymond]

Let’s see. For my main character, cathyr19355:

Philosophy: The Implacable Method. She believes that persistence and planning will succeed where ability and strength often fail.
School: The Mycologenes. Though she doesn’t personally care much for poetry of any type, she didn’t want to see the mushroom poets continue to be oppressed and struggle to engage in their art, so she joined them to support their right to publish their poems.
Tradition: The Adventuress’s Correspondence Course. My character taught herself to fight the hard way; though Feducci’s series of rings and the Black Ribbon Society. The result is that she is prepared to fight anyone with any type of weapon, or no weapon, at any time at all; and that’s the way she prefers it. It’s one reason that, though somewhat distinguished at K&C (she has an Apple of Discord knocking about somewhere), she has not been more successful at stabbery of late. She does best when the stakes include the potential for permanent death.
Toast: To Herself. She has few or no heroes of any kind, in the Underworld or otherwise.

For my alt, Catherine Raymond:

Philosophy: Her Own Genius. She’s pretty conceited, despite having only a little justification for her inflated self esteem.
School: None. She doesn’t believe in schools, of poetry or of other kinds. (Or possibly she’d too selfish and lazy to keep track; that’s always been unclear.)
Tradition: The Forms of the Tomb Colonies. She adores graceful, classic styles of martial arts. If only she were better at using them.
Toast: To the Topsy King. She seems genuinely to admire him, possibly because she thinks he is a free spirit, following his own rules, and she admires and envies such people.
edited by cathyr19355 on 8/17/2016

[knguy]

Artistic School: Bazaarine - Is it actually possible to acquire an alarming amount of money and then buy all the fashionable possessions you need before you ever set foot into the realm of influence and intrigue? Yes. Yes it is, my friends. Clearly, the Bazaar is not yet ready for me.

Investigative Philosophy: Implacable Method - If you ever need to get away with a serious crime or bail an acquaintance out, the ideal way to do it is to clean the scene flawlessly before anyone else gets a good look at it. Act as intelligent as possible while you implicate another person in the process. Preferably someone unimportant. Play it smart and act confident, and no one will dare ask questions. Perhaps the one true test of one’s investigative instincts is their ability to draw attention away from the real culprit.

&quotCombat&quot Tradition: The Forms of the Tomb-Colonies - If you aren’t exactly the most awe-inspiring fighter around, you’ll need to start changing people’s perceptions of you. Put on a fine act of elegant swordplay and you’ll be able to impress any Society lady you want. Warning: not guaranteed to work in actual combat. Throw in a slew of underhand tricks to ensure success.

Thief’s Toast: The Cheery Man - Sometimes, one is required to do undesirable things to get the job done. But it does show everyone that you take larceny seriously. Also, it is never in my benefit to lie to or betray an acquaintance or fellow thief. Treat them as friends and help them whenever you can. And if you promise to steal some First City Coins for someone, see that promise through to the end.

(Lack of) Scar: Notable Absence - There are no honorable duels in the Neath. And if there are, always find a way to bend the rules in your favor. Who says you’re actually required to fight properly, or even fight at all? On a side note, my charming face will keep any party alight.

Penny Dreadful: The Thief with neither Face nor Name - The point of thievery is to get in and out without a trace, is it not? You can’t get anywhere in the world if you’re not careful - or at least skilled enough to circumvent such a need. Although failing a robbery seems to only get you dirty looks from the Constables. Funny, that.

Closest To: Urchins - They’re everywhere. They roam around the Flit more frequently than anyone else. And they work in the company of the Topsy King. If you think Society or the Bohemians are capable of providing useful information, you’ve not been in the marvelous company of kids. Such an intricate network of information rivals that of the spies, minus all the seriousness.

Patron Gift: Mirror Polished Shoes - Wait, who was my patron again? I’m fairly certain I don’t have any patrons. Anyway, I quite enjoy being able to observe unsuspecting people with these. Also quite useful when changing suits.

Profession: Crooked-Cross - Did the urchins expect me to pull off such a fantastic feat? I doubt it. But I have certainly figured out how to coax the ideals out of an honest man. I suspect even the Masters can be persuaded, given enough effort. Well, I don’t give the matter too much thought, seeing as I’m not the most religious person around.

Destinies and superstitious signs do not guide me.

[theabsurdrogue]

Eli Lowe

Artistic Preference : The Nocturnals. He believes that freedom of ideas is the truest freedom of all.

Martial Tradition : The Tomb-Colonist style. Formerly of the rough and tumble style of the back alleys, as his body diminished in size he was forced to use something that relied less on muscle and more on not dying.

Philosophical : The Implacable Method. No method has ever captured him more than this one. He was one of the first to be convicted based on fingerprint evidence.

Toasts to : Himself. Although he is sympathetic to the Gracious Widow, polite to the Topsy King and wary of the Smiling Man, he knows that none of them truly care about those that work under them. He is different.

Scar : He is a scar. He is a wound in the environment. He is not who he was.

[shadowcthuhlu]

School: You reject all labels and associations! You are your own creature – Dirae Erinyes is known to be rather mercurial in their artistic temperament: one moment longing for the surface, the next describing the wonders of the neath. A few have speculated that Dirae Erinyes’s parents plundered more then one brain for their creation and had attempted to create a better one. This may be the cause of some cognitive dissonance in Dirae Erinyes’ behavior.

Philosophy: Your own genius – Dirae Erinyes seeks to learn from all of the schools, calling upon all of them in their work as a correspondent. Also, their own brain doesn’t always agree on a philosophy at any given time.

Tradition: Your own amalgam of a thousand different traditions – Dirae Erinyes has approached their dangerous training very practically. To become strong enough to fight their ultimate foe, they should learn well from the best; whoever they may be.

Toast: Their own self, Dirae Erinyes respect the other figures in the underworld but will not let loyalty get in the way of their plans.

Dirae Erinyes scars are a brooding aura of pain, due to physical scarring being difficult due their unique biology and the reflection the grudge that drove them on the dangerous path. Their occasionally benevolent criminal activities inspired “An Angel Among Thieves.”

[professorstrix]

School: Celestials - London is great and all, but her surviving family is up there, and no amount of false stars in the Neath roof will take the place of the real deal. The Professor used to stargaze with her father, which was an astronomer. He had a deep love for all things celestial. Every time she remembers that there isn’t a real sky up there, se gets melancholic, and poetry happens.

Philosophy: The Implacable Method - She was already a scientist and she already used that method in research. She just needed to watch some lectures from the Implacable Detective to know how to apply that to detection effectively.

Tradition: Adventuress’ Correspondence Course - If there’s a way to learn something by reading, you can bet that this nerdy bookworm will take it.

Toast: The Gracious Widow - I mean, Professor Strix herself doesn’t toast to any criminal. She toasts to put them all in New Newgate. But she does have an alias which she uses to gather information in the Flit without being bothered, and this alias publicly toasts to the Widow and her subtle schemes.

Profession: Watcher - None of the professions really appeal to her, but as a Watcher, she gets to help the Constables to solve crimes.

Closest to: the Church - The good Professor was raised in a catholic family, and she studied in a catholic school and in a very religious university. She knows how to deal with people from the Church. She is patient with the more radical and preachy, and feels at home in bible study groups that are more worried to understand the secrets of Love from Christ’s words than the ones that insist in looking for thological matters, such as miracles and matters of heaven and hell. In the Neath, she has found a small group like this among the churchgoers in the CVR.

Penny Dreadful: The Thief of No Face and No Name - She writes mystery penny dreadfuls. Of course she made one featuring her alias, as a way to build her a reputation.

Scar: Torso - The Professor has just one scar, in her back, over her heart. She will not tell you how she got that. Asking is rude. (But you can read it in the comic, because I, as an author, am bad at keeping my characters’ secrets.)

Sign: The Bat - Professor Strix is pretty sure that Madame Shostana chose that sign for her less by any connection with the Neath-stars and more because of the dense cloud of trained Sulky Bats that were following her the day she visited the Carnival.

Admitted to the House of Chimes: Not to be crossed - She have lots of talents and all, but Mr Chimes, apparently, found it immensely entertaining that such a small intellectual woman beats people bloody when she is angry.

Adressed as: Professor - Well, duh. She was addressed as &quotDoctor&quot before the stuffy ones in University finally recongnized her as a peer (in respect of her science doctorates, not because she had any MDs).
edited by Professor Strix on 6/13/2016

[vavakxnonexus]

Artistic School: The Bazaarines. The Game-Carver sees the world through the lens of trade. Often, trade of non-corporeal goods, often forgotten, and almost always wasted. The greatest investor and the greatest businessbeing in the Neath is the Bazaar, so, naturally, their works center around the grandiose creature.

Philosophy: The Implacable Method. Another trait of the world that is shown to them is structure. Everything obeys rules and laws, often shaped by the very same people that follow them. There is knowledge to be found in the moss and the bat-horoscope, even if the occasional theory proves false.

Toasts: The Gracious Widow. Why attempt to run headlong, when all eyes are on you, and risk failure, if you can keep in the shadows and own power without a title. Toasting yourself would only reveal your intentions, and the matter only concerns one thing: Who? Before, they went under the wing of the Widow, for they did not find anything admirable in following still stricter laws enforced unto oneself, as did the Cheery Man, and the insane ramblings of the Topsy King seemed indecipherable. Now, they have come to regret this choice of theirs, hoping for a possibility to fall back into the Topsy King’s favour, but, alas, such reputation is not an easy thing to get rid of.

Fighting Style: The Forms of the Tomb-Colonies. Often, opponents can be bested in any style, and the matter of form, too, becomes a matter of reputation. The Colonist Forms could be used in any location, and not looked down upon as ‘Criminal tricks’. The style is swift and gracious, and that is what matters.

Scars: Soul. By the time the question was asked, the Game-Carver’s soul resided in another’s hands, traded away tens of times per day. Despite that, or possibly because of it, they decided to spin a tale of Theosophical Scarring, and were the talk of the rings for a fair few days. Some still remember the tales, and tremble at the implications.

Penny Dreadful: The Thief With Neither Face Nor Name. There weren’t many attempts at describing the subject, most of which proved to be inaccurate tales spun on assumptions. Evidently, only one appealed to the Game-Carver to anonymously support. The only work that embraced the utter lack of facts. This is that very same book.

Profession: Author, soon to become Correspondent. Again, relating to the rules unseen, the possibility of understanding, writing, and, someday, speaking the language of Xanadu strongly appeals to them. The very possibility of changing the order of things in their favour in the most subtle of ways is enough to bear the bad wages, dangerous working conditions and depressing reviews.

Closest To: The Great Game. Another matter that the Game-Carver takes a passing interest in is the constant trade of information and myth between the lawful Surface, and the less order-inclined Neath. The constant swarms of bat-couriers swing past their house, left open for interception. Interception does not occur, but info is stolen, and, therefore, devalued in the eyes of a Londoner. Not a price worth paying if it isn’t the only way not to drown in the everchanging tides of the Game.

Patron Gift: Mirror Polished Shoes. They like shiny shoes. What else is there to say?

Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion: The Glass. The Fingerkings are extremely interesting to them, especially the possible deals between the Game-Carver and the serpents.

Chimes: An Artist in Ivory. Have I mentioned that they make detailed statuettes of people? Well, they do. And those are made from Ivory (or Ravenglass, but no one asks for the black pieces).

Lodgings: Premises at the Bazaar. They own a shop. It’s in the Bazaar sidestreets. They live there. That’s the fancy backstory for this.