Doctor Belasco

[Steampunk RP]When the Smoke Clears

Sicarius said
Also... anyone wanting to work together in making characters? Just curious.

On an unrelated change of topic, what have you got in mind?

[Steampunk RP]When the Smoke Clears

I'll still be submitting a doctor character but he's still evading me somewhat.

Emergence

Looks like we have an accord of sorts, then. We don't need to work out exactly how we'll play it before we do it. Exactly whether Sebastian will go the full manipulative dirtbag or not, I'm not quite sure. God knows, though, I'm not letting him have a moral epiphany when he realises he's come to love his adoptive son after all even though he thought he was only in it for the money and realises just in time to save him from his kidnappers [/ever_Disney_plot_ever] or anything like that.

Also, don't worry. Sebastian isn't telling anybody he thinks he might have been involved - it might be good motivation for supporting Matthew, so he can quietly contain the truth... I'm guessing it makes more logical sense for Matthew to issue a distress call (or have a witch-y NPC discover him and raise the alarm) than for Sebastian to initiate anything.

Emergence

For me, if we pursue this sub-plot, Sebastian's character arc is going to feature these main things;

- Suspecting that he is, then finding out whether he is responsible for the potion (let's say as OoC, probably indirectly)
- Internal conflict over responsibility for events and the ethics of his practices
- External conflict over covering his arse and not getting lynched by the witching community

As for his relationship with Matthew, there are quite a few possible avenues to take this down without really affecting what you'd already laid down. Sure Matthew might have inheritance and money, but he no longer has a family around him. If nobody sweeps in and helps him, there's a decent chance another family or a hunter will pick him off. Apart from anything else, there's three corpses, including that of a hunter, lying on the floor of where he lives. He's going to need some help shifting them because if the police or another hunter spots them, he's in for a bumpy ride. Besides, if he hasn't emerged until now, it stands to reason that he is unpractised in the magical arts and could probably do with some kind of tuition. Certainly as a sort-of member of the Anderson family and an individual, Sebastian can help with those two things - if not directly, he'll certainly have some favours he can pull in.

Of course, their relationship need not be entirely mutual. Matthew may reject help of any kind, or Sebastian may resent having to get so up-close-and-personal with one of his charges. I think it's likely that the Anderson family would put some external pressure on the two of them to establish some closer kind of relationship. Of course, Sebastian can definitely benefit from any arrangement they set up; allies is allies, and when they come with money and/or power and/or a malleable or submissive nature (though I can't find a personality field to speculate about in your character sheet, oddly), all the better. Besides, what can massage a guilty conscience like taking an orphan under your wing?

Emergence

Adjectives said
Hope it was k the witch hunter used a potion or two for his plan.

Your post was really interesting. There are already lots of similarities between Sebastian and Matthew, and now Matthew is orphaned and by somebody making use of potions no less. They're probably well acquainted through the university, too - Sebastian is the 'youth liaison officer' for young witches, to keep them all nicely-behaved. Slightly depends on whether Matthew attends the university or not.

• Is Sebastian the producer of said potion? Does he feel/admit responsibility?


• Would the Anderson Family/wider witching community fuel an impetus for Sebastian to take some guardianship (given his job) or more personalised responsibility for Matthew?

Emergence

Sebastian looked out of the window, and removed his glasses. He polished their lenses absently as he watched the little lights in this distance prick out the empty canvas of the night sky. It was a clear night. Wasn't it a clear night before, all those years ago? He supposed it always was. The stars would not come unannounced, after all, and it would be hardly sporting of them to visit behind a veil if they would only come a handful of times in one's lifetime. He had been lucky, being fifteen last time. Old enough to remember, and, crucially, just old enough to participate. He had known a couple of people back in Munich almost twenty years his senior but who were in the same magical generation as himself, all awaiting the same Emergence. Almost thirty-five, they hadn't realised their full magical potential. He had never found out if they had emerged the following year and so he had to blindly speculate whether, for them, the boat had sailed altogether. They didn't seem to have that problem around here. He used to believe it was a happy coincidence that the population densities among the bigger families were weighted so that the new generation would experience their first Emergence all in their youth, before realising it might probably have more to do with strategic breeding.

He was broken from his thoughts by his phone ringing in his pocket; in his mild surprise, he jolted a splash of coffee to jump up from his cup and splash against the side of the china; “Stamm,” he gave his own name, or, rather, a lazy pseudonym, as he took the call. While he was the only German guy that he knew of in town and could be identified without too much difficulty, he was still given to giving out false names, especially to do with business. If every client had him under a different name, it was easy to identify who had been talking about him – and to whom. Caller id recognition was a blessing; he was talking to Jason Clyde, and Jason Clyde would speak to Peter Stamm, the Swiss novelist.

“Hey, Stamm. Is it ready?”
“And how are you on this fine evening, Jason?” Sebastian returned the bridge of his glasses to his nose. He drifted over to the large desk in his office, and gently pushed his backside onto it. His feet, slightly off the ground, swung gently.
“If it's all the same to you, I'm a busy boy. I'll get on my way round to yours if you're ready. It is ready?”
“Round to mine?” asked Sebastian, suddenly sharp.
“To the usual place. Obviously.”
“Gut.”

Jason wasn't the only one. Sebastian did a steady trade the whole year round, but for the past few months he had been inundated with requests for produce with the upcoming Emergence in mind. Some were specifically supposed to guide the young witches into one particular path or other, while others were more generally designed to coax magic, in whatever form it might take, out of the drinker. That was just the kids. Lots of fully-grown witches wanted potions to augment their own magic as part of the festivities. Jason was after the most highly-sought creation, a design of Sebastian's very own.

The usual place would, to the casual onlooker, seem too overt to be true. Sebastian, a part-time employee of The Anderson University, simply used their premises for his own personal business dealings. It was all kosher, though. Well, among those that mattered, anyway, and it was the perfect place – there was plenty of storage space for produce and he knew every possible entrance and escape from the building. The usual place was a perfectly normal seminar room in Block B, not even ten minutes' walk from his office. He sat where he supposed the tutor might sit, standing up when Jason knocked on the door and entered. They shook hands; Sebastian coolly; Jason sweatily. Evidently Jason was finding the Emergence a stressful experience. How old was his kid again? About seventeen? That'd be why.

“Can I see it?”

No small-talk, apparently. Accordingly, Sebastian nodded, and pointed to a small flask on the table, not dissimilar to a cocktail shaker. He picked it up, gently unscrewed the cap, and tipped the contents onto the desk in front of Jason's ashen face. Quite what Jason was expecting, Sebastian could only imagine, but what happened next was certain to surprise him. Upon hitting the table, the thin, clear stream liquid appeared to bounce, merging for an impossible moment that crossed all three dimensions. In a split-second, a perfectly liquid liquid had become a perplexingly solid solid. A completely black three-pointed pyramid sat inertly on the table. It gently glistened, as though sweating. The strip lights that filled the room with an intense brightness appeared to dim slightly.

“There you go.”
“How does it work?”
“Just let it drink the starlight for an hour or so and have Susan hold it after spilling blood. You'll know if it worked.”
“And if it doesn't?”
Sebastian shrugged. It hadn't occurred to him for a moment his creations might not work, “Then it's... how do you say it... it's on me.”
Jason apparently didn't appreciate the cheeky wink Sebastian shot him, but chose to ignore it, “The money will be in your account the moment it works.”
“Wunderbar.”
Just before leaving, Jason turned, frowning slightly, “How do you know my daughter's name is Susan?”
“Please close the door on your way out, Mr Clyde.”

Delete a post for me pretty please?

http://198.58.124.212:3000/topics/18445/posts/ic

It's pretty clear what needs deleting. :P

But just in case, it's the only post in the IC section atm.

Thank you!

[Steampunk RP]When the Smoke Clears

Leoleo

Name: Leopold van Steinwald, or Leoleo (Lay-oh-polled van Shtine-valt, Lay-oh-lay-oh)
Age: 26
Profession/vocation: Inquisitor Exempt – his primary function is to find internal enemies, particularly those with political power and 'fix their thinking' with Subvocalurgy
Affiliation: The Inquisition, Emperor of Kiezland, Himself
Skills:

• Subvocalurgy


• Loads and loads of cash (not a skill per se, but it's a string to his bow)


• Broadly spoken, speaking most languages spoken in the Union and Eronia


• Classical education

Traits:

• Capricious


• Unsubtle


• Spoilt


• Charming


• Fun-loving

Personality: Leopold would not be most people's first guess as an Inquisitor Exempt – he is walking carefree aristocratic decadence. Nobody is quite sure what he does with his time, but one suspects it is spent largely with beautiful young women (and, in some corners, men) behind closed doors, amid the fug of cigarette smoke and wine-induced laughter. While these accusations aren't strictly untrue, they do not take into account the amount of time he spends working – while hardly around the clock, he is never switched 'off' or relaxed. Though nobody in his social circles knows of his true identity as Inquisitor, if they did, they would suggest his ostentatious caprice was an act, a mere guise for a cold and calculating underside. His whimsical behaviour is no deception, and is, in many ways, his best defence; nobody would suspect him, and, as such, he has the standard aristocratic access to those environment where he does his best work; infecting the rich and powerful. Leoleo is enthralled by his work, wielding a great power almost unheard of for somebody his age and, crucially, none of the responsibility, acting directly under the mandate of the Arch Inquisitor. Selfish Leoleo is built for ballrooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, not the House of Questions or Punishment Factories. While he certainly isn't stupid, and has been known to be pointlessly cruel or vindictive while in a sour mood, he keeps himself in high society. Exposure to the grubbier hinterworld of physical violence, oppression and poverty will turn his stomach. He chooses ignorance.
Biography: Leopold van Steinwald is the great nephew of the Emperor of Kiezland. Of course, in such incestuous, mass-bred circles, this makes him a potential heir, but perhaps fifty-fourth in line to the throne. It is unlikely the world will ever see a Kaiser Leopold. Nevertheless, he hardly had a difficult time growing up. It took him a few years to become accustomed to the backbiting and intrigue of the aistocracy, but quickly found himself adept at this. Aged seventeen, he performed his token national service (technically, he is Captain van Steinwald) and attended university. It was here that his uncanny ability for Thaumaturgy, specifically Subvocalurgy, revealed itself to the professor of thaumaturgy and his personal tutor. Whatever nothing it was that he wasn't bothering to properly study was immediately benched; Leoleo's new goal in life was to lean to control people.
Of course, during this time, his exposure to the high society was no less diminished, including to agents from the Union. They had presumably been seeking allies in Kiezland for a while, but Leoleo was the first suitable candidate they came across. He was not an informant per se, but he definitely did some informing in his time, and, as time passed, he also did a little influencing, though he never found out exactly what the organisation was that he came to be involved with. Shortly following his father's death, and his further separation from the throne, he received an invitation from an emissary of the Arch Inquisitor – come to the Union. Be what he was, a foreign, exciting noble, la crème de la crème of the aristocracy – and use the opportunities that presented themselves to influence the great and the good to make them greater and better.