Lieutenant William Montgomery

Lieutenant William Montgomery - Wild Card Officer of the British Army of Mars - Patrick

Ag d8, Sm d8, Sp d10, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 6, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d10, Shooting d6, Notice d8, Stealth d6, Intimidate d6, Riding d4, Persuasion d8
Edges: Rank: Officer, Command
Hindrances: Loyal (To the Regiment and Crown) Obligation (Army, Mionr), code of Honour
Gear: Sabre (Str+d6), Pistol (Range: 5/10/20, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)
Languages: English, Koline, Parhooni, French

William Montgomery was born on February 10th, 1860 and is 29 in 1889. He was born in the booming borough of Manchester, England. His father is Thomas Montgomery, born March 12th, 1827 and is 62 in 1889. His mother, Elizabeth Montgomery nee Powell was born on April 7th, 1842 and is 47 in 1889. William was their fourth child but the first to survive past his second birthday.

In his childhood William was teased by other boys because his father could not afford the commission for the ranks that their fathers were. William knew that his father was as good of a soldier as their fathers but he never retaliated because he knew that it wouldn’t help him or his father.

William did not receive schooling other than Sunday school but he could read and write as well as the next person. His parents did not pay for him to attend a school because they were saving to buy him a commission; though even when they saved they would not be able to afford a rank of any prominence.

This made for a joyful day in the Montgomery household when they learned, in 1871, that the practice of paying for a commission had been abolished. This meant that rank was no longer based on how much money you had but how good of a soldier you were, and that William would have the opportunity to pursue higher ranks.

In 1872 William’s father Thomas volunteered to go to Mars and help establish a British colony. He has not been back to Earth since, but has had contact with Elizabeth and young William.

The money that had been saved for William’s commission was then used to pay for an enrolment at Sir Warren Picket’s Fencing School. William excelled under Sir Picket’s tutelage and in his fifth and final year of lessons, 1875, William placed second in Sabre fencing and fourth in both Epée and Foil fencing at national competitions. Even when William won a match by a great margin he would not gloat. This brought great honour to the Montgomery’s and gave William a reputation of being a gentleman. His foes respected him and he returned the favour. To this day he will give his opponent the option of surrender before fighting.

In 1876, the year after William’s success in fencing he started his military training. He attended the RMC and he graduated in 1878. William easily qualified for the free commission with some of the best marks in his class. In 1879 William and Elizabeth travelled to Mars to join Thomas. William managed to get a spot in The Parhoon Rifles, the same unit as his father.

Though Thomas had fought some minor skirmishes in the Gorovaangian War, neither father nor son fought in any major battles until the Second War of Parhoon Succession in 1880. Thomas was the Senior Officer in his unit at the time, the same one that William was the Junior Officer in. Their unit was assigned to capture and hold a small outpost outside of Syrtis Major. The task was a minor one but the garrison of Martians did not give up easily. The attack was going well but then Thomas, who was 53 at the time, was wounded. After checking to make sure his father was stable, William rallied the troops and they pushed onwards to reach their goal. Thomas retired from the because of his injuries. He retired on full pay because he had served for the required thirty years.

Thomas and Elizabeth are both very happy for and proud of William; they are now living in Parhoon.

After the dust settled in and around Syrtis Major, William was recognized for his resourcefulness and adaptability. He was personally assigned to protect the explorer Harrison Challenger by the Regent-Commissioner Sir Phillip Adelaide.
And so it begins….

Thurston Howell I

Thurston Howell I - Wild Card Nouveau-Riche Industrialist/Dilettante Traveller - Dave

Ag d4, Sm d8, Sp d10, St d6, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 6 (7), Toughness 6
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Intimidate d12, Throwing d6, Riding d6, Gambling d6
Edges: Filthy Rich, Strong Willed, Snob
Hindrances: Stubborn, Jingoistic, Overconfident
Gear: Sword Cane (Str+d4), Revolver (Range: 5/10/20, ROF 1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)
Languages: English!

Matthew Howell, our hero's father, was a classic Industrial Revolution success story, turning his back-breaking beginnings on a coal shovel into a vast enterprise in the emerging steamship business. As a nouveau-riche industrialist, Matthew was very proud of his wealth, and celebrated it at every opportunity. His desire for the best of everything won him the hand of the very lovely Lovelia, whom he married in 1847.

On March 14, 1849, Matthew and Lovelia welcomed young Thurston Howell into the world at their estate outside London. The regrettably shallow Lovey showered little Thursty Kins with unconditional affection and praise. His messiest scribble was the greatest art; his shortest recitation was the noblest poetry; the simplest toss of a ball was the greatest athletic achievement. The proud Matthew showered little Thurston with whatever his heart desired, for no son of Matthew Howell would ever know want. This was not to be true for Matthew though, as little Thursty Kins became the center of Lovey's world, and she no longer had time or interest for Matthew. Needless to say, it got a little weird, and Thurston would remain an only child.

Thurston grew accustomed to getting his way, at home, at school, at everything he put his mind to. Thurston always seemed to end up on top - academically, athletically, and socially. He was actually quite smart and capable, but where that left off, blustering and bullying always seemed to get results. Little did he know that, at Lovelia's urging, daddy's very significant "donations" were an ever-present force, paving a very smooth path for little Thursty to tread. But, whatever the reasons, Thurston experienced unbelievable success in everything he put his mind to.

International travel on daddy's steamships exposed Thurston to many adventures, with Lovelia praising his every move, and well-paid servants working in the background to assure little Thursty Kins' success. Despite Lovelia's constant attention, an increasing series of uncomfortable incidents with strangers led to some slivers of self-doubt in young Thursty Kins minds, but Lovelia always wrote it off to "unreasonable and disrespectful foreigners" and Thurston quickly grew completely intolerant and unforgiving of anyone not of pure British stock.

In 1868, on a trip to America, Matthew's business connections found the family spending a few days outside Boston, as witnesses to Thomas Edison's launch of a prototype ether flyer. When the device's inaugural trip to the moon proved a success, Matthew Howell saw the opportunity and immediately made arrangements to finance further development. He also positioned his firm as the supplier of choice for the design and manufacture of the ether ships and for the complicated solar steam boilers that would be required.
The vast steamship enterprise of Matthew Howell would now extend into the conquest of space, adding millions of pounds to the Thurston family's already considerable wealth.

In 1882, the explosion of an experimental boiler tragically took the life of Matthew Howell, leaving Thurston the heir to the vast industrial empire. Lovelia scarcely seemed to notice her husband's death, and continued to dote on young (thirty-three year old) Thurston, who still lived at home. He had never had much luck with the ladies, and had not yet found a girl that Lovelia felt was a "suitable candidate."

In running the family's industrial empire, Thurston's bold and confident approach to business proved surprisingly effective, and he found that he could always get his way in the business world as well. (It seems that vast wealth, combined with stubborn, unwavering confidence, is surprisingly effective at convincing people to do what you want!)

In 1885, after three years at the helm, he decided one day to sell it all. Within a month, he had liquidated all the family business assets and tidied his affairs.

So, as we start our adventure, in 1889, forty-year old Thursty Kins has left his mother Lovelia at home, and has set out, full of unwavering confidence, to sample the mysteries of the world, the mysteries of women, and the mysteries of outer space. Surely nothing can stop him!

Daffyd "y Gordd" Thomas

The first of our new characters for a Space:1889 Campaign (which we we be playing occasionally -interspersed between Cthulhu and occasional East Front Adventures)


Daffyd "y Gordd" Thomas - Wild Card Pugilist - Chris

Ag d10, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 7, Toughness 7
Skills: Fighting d10, Shooting d4, Notice d4, Stealth d6, Intimidate d6, Throwing d4, Repair d6, Streetwise d4, Climbing d6, Survival d4, Piloting d4, Boating d4
Edges: Brawny, Martial Arts, Pugilist,
Hindrances: Arrogant, Vengeful and Minor Enemy (the Farrellys)
Gear: Clothes, Knife (Range: 3/6/12, ROF1, Damage:Str+d4), Satchel, Bedroll, Sundry Items…
Languages: Welsh, English

Daffyd "y Gordd" Thomas is a deceptively thin, wiry man of average size, but he possesses unusual agility, strength, and stamina. Now working as a steam engine mechanic, Dafydd has a colourful past as a bare-knuckles boxer, and has never been truly defeated in the ring, due to his speed, heavy punches, and sheer unwillingness to admit defeat. He is very prideful, has a great belief in his own toughness and ability to overcome, and is quick to take offense to any perceived slight. If the situation permits, this will be redressed immediately by a barrage of punches, but Dafydd is willing to wait if heavily outnumbered, or if trouble with the police would be in the offing.

It is fair to say that there have been two major influences on the life of Dafydd Thomas. The first was his father, and the second the coal mine.

Dafydd was born in the northeastern Welsh coal mining village of Rhosllannerchrugog (Rhos) in on Jan 15 1863, the fourth child of Caradoc and Meredith Thomas. There were eight children, but only four survived past the age of three, all brothers. Like all the men in his family, Caradoc Thomas was and is a miner, and the older boys, Gareth (b. 1860), and Hywel (b. 1862), along with Dafydd, went to work in the mine when they were five, first working opening and closing ventilation doors 12 hours a day, then graduating to moving tubs of coal back from the coalface to collection points, then eventually to working the face itself with pick, shovel, and hammer. Caradoc was always a harsh father, ever quick with the fists whenever his wife or children fell out of line, to the point that relatives at several points attempted to remove Meredith and the children, to no avail. There was also muttered talk about the deaths of the other four Thomas children, but nothing was ever proven, and the rest of the immediate family never breathed a word.

The poor treatment at the hands of Caradoc intensified in 1870, when Hywel, Dafydd and the youngest brother, William (b.1865), were forced to attend school, which had became mandatory for children aged five to ten in that year. The loss of three wages in the family placed great stress on Caradoc, who responded by becoming even more of a drunk, and beating the children even more for trying to become "craff", or clever. This influenced Dafydd in several ways. First, he got good at taking a beating, even trying to fight back on occasion. Second, he spent as little time at home as possible, and thus spent a lot of time in the village getting into trouble and fighting with other youth. As well, watching his mother take repeated beatings has given him a low tolerance for those who threaten or strike a woman - Dafydd will always take such behaviour as an insult, and seek redress, although, paradoxically, he will deal swiftly and brutally with any woman who threatens or attacks him personally.

After only a year at school, Dafydd, now 10, went back to the mine, spending two years pushing coal tubs before moving to working the face. This has made him very strong for his size, although people often underestimate his strength and toughness due to his build and stature. One would think that his treatment at the hands of his father would have improved, but Dafydd's extracurricular activities (fighting, small scale theft, etc.) convinced Caradoc that his sons were sinners who would only be saved by having the devil beaten out of them. This all changed in 1880, when William, having left school in 1875, was killed in a mining accident. Daffydd was 17, and his brother's death convinced him that he had to escape the mine, his father, and Rhos itself. Already a feared local scrapper, Dafydd's opportunity came when a traveling fair visited the town. The fair included a boxing challenge, and Dafydd, egged on by his cronies, was unsurprised when he was able to defeat the professional pugilist. Taking his meager winnings, Dafydd decided to strike out for the big city (in this case Cardiff) and become a prize fighter. He enjoyed some success, developing his skills, and moved to London, where the boxing world is controlled by the criminal elements, but his unwillingness to cooperate and take a dive meant that he was never able to move up in the sport, nor make much money doing it.

In 1884 he decided to try and apprentice as a mechanic, which despite his age he was able to do for a year before he got in enough trouble to have to give it up and go back to the world of boxing, although he displayed a talent for it that was surprising given his lack of education and extremely limited upbringing. But he had had to call in a few favours in order to get the apprenticeship, and his return to boxing was with the understanding that he would cooperate with the 'fixers' when told to do so. Dafydd found himself under the thumb of John and Terence Farrelly, gangsters who controlled a tidy slice of South London and its criminal trade. He spent some time winning as the Farrellys groomed him as an "up and comer", but in early 1887 he was told he had to throw a match. He did it, but swore to himself afterward that he would never do so again. Saving his money, he had a friend bet on him in his next big match, which he was supposed to throw. He won, and, making a quick escape from the Farrellys and their enforcers, he decided to use the winnings to get out of London for a while - where better than a whole planet away?

Since then, he has been working as a screw boat mechanic in Syrtis Major, although this is starting to pale, and his quick temper and even quicker fists get him in increasing trouble. As well, he could have sworn that he saw a man by the name of William Davis outside the pub the other day. This is troubling, because the last time Dafydd saw William Davis, he was having a rather hurried conversation ringside with a certain Terence Farrelly. In short, he is looking for a change of pace and of scenery.

Death in the Post

I’ve been a bit remiss in updating this. It’s been busy… Since the new year (when I haven't had to cancel due sickness or other stuff) we’ve been playing an adventure called Death in the Post from Green and Pleasant Land; a Call of Cthulhu source book for Britain in the 1920s and 30s, published by Games Workshop, strangely enough, back in 1987 when they still did stuff for… y’know… other games…

It’s a great sourcebook and a fun adventure. You can read the players entries (scroll down or check archives for Jan/Feb2001) to get a sense of their perspective of what went down.

Unfortunately it ended with Shivansu Malaker being torn asunder in the streets of London by a Hunting Horror – while a Scotland Yard C.I.D. inspector, three heavily armed police constables, a crowd of drunk and/or stoned bright young party-goers, and the rest of the PCs stood and looked on in utter terror!

Shivansu will be missed…

I’m trying to stay on track and continue with the Realms of Cthulhu campaign, with occasional visits back to the East Front … but I’ve been exceedingly tempted by Space 1889: Red Sands… and then Kapitan Mors BRILLIANT post about Lord Chelmsford’s Expedition, a clever blending VSF and Star Trek, over at Tea and Tiffin just about put me over the edge – ready to drop everything and start painting spare ancients with blue skin!

Stay on target… STAY ON TARGET!!!

From the Journal of François Serrurier

7th of April 1922 half-past eight P.M.

I am very happy that I ended up with this group of quite varied backgrounds. Even on the days where we seem to accomplish nothing I do something I haven’t done before. The best thing yet was just the other day. Shivanshu and I went into Briggs old house, to wait see if he would return there to make the next papyrus. We went in through the back door and once again I broke my record for an 1879 pin tumbler, this time I got it down to 1 minute and 9 seconds! Anyways once we were in we looked around. The place didn’t look like it had been lived in for a while; there was nothing much in the pantry and there were other similar clues. Then we went upstairs and I took a spot by a window that had a view of anyone coming up to the front door, Shivanshu did the same except he was watching the back. The night was uneventful so I spent my time disassembling and studying locks made by the new Master Lock Company, I didn’t learn much.

In the morning, around ten, someone showed up. I recognized Inspector Carlton and Constable O’Malley, the two officers looking into the murders in and around London. There was a third man which I learned later was the owner and landlord of the estate. I didn’t know this at the time and it isn’t usually a good thing to be found uninvited in a suspected murderers house. So Shivanshu and I left through the back window, sealed with just a simple latch, and then we scarpered.

It seems that we are getting closer and closer to finding Briggs, and I most certainly hope we do. He has already succeeded in killing two of his targets with the papyrus’ and twice as well the papyrus has been passed on to an innocent, who in turn died. It is said that all things come in threes and for the sake of the possible victims I hope that that is just a saying.

Francois Serrurier

From the Journal of Robert Weizz

April 6, 1922, London

I find myself filled with a sense of unspeakable dread, and fear that I have entered into something that I should not have come anywhere near.

Whereas, after my time in the orphanage, I have grown up under the wing of my father Hardeen and my uncle Harry Houdini, I find their teachings of debunking of the supernatural more and more distant. This dream of mine to return to Europe and follow my Hungarian ancestry, while earning a living as a magician, to be turning into something of a nightmare.

My life here in London started well enough. With my father and uncle's letters of introduction, the task of landing my first job at the well know Adelphi Theatre was not difficult. Until now, I have achieved modest success as the introductory magic act for a number of more well known performers. I fear that all that has now changed after falling in with the Baron and Professor Wraight.

Our initial investigations seemed innocent enough - tracking down the source of the recent death of one Professor Masters, obviously by an escaped zoo animal. The descriptions of the "facts" associated with the event were all events easily replicated by techniques taught to me by my father and uncle (or so I thought). But as we progressed further into the investigation, I started to feel more and more uneasy.

After interviews with the suspected next target, Doctor Winterton, the Baron convinced us that keeping the purported victim under bright lights last night would help avert the tragedy expected to unfold. I seized upon this as the perfect opportunity to set us up for the evening on the stage of the Adelphi, where under the bright lights I would have all my props at hand to more easily debunk the supposed upcoming attack. What a fine opportunity to show my father and uncle of what stuff I was made.

This was a mistake. I cannot bring myself to put down to paper all the details. Suffice it to say, last night was filled with horror beyond words. Bright stage lights or no, an immense winged beast terrifying beyond words burst in upon us and proceeded to tear the theatre to pieces - and make mockery of any attempt by us to resist. It made short work of dispatching the unfortunate Doctor Winterton.

And something else happened..... This beast did something to me that has placed me in a different state of mind. Gone are my foolish ideas of debunking. This horror is terrifyingly real - and I fear myself close to losing my mind.

I expect that my (likely former) employer will be ending my brief career at the Adelphi. But this is of minor importance to me now. All that I can think of now is this - How can I rid the world (and my inner mind) of this unspeakable horror????????

Ivan Jozevich Trotsky

Ivan Jozevich Trotsky (Dave)
Ag d6, Sm d8, Sp d10, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d8, Stealth d6, Knowledge (Antiquities) d10, Persuasion d10, Streetwise d8, Driving d6, Boating d6
Edges: Luck, Alertness, hard to Kill, Connections (Russian Mob)
Hindrances: hard of Hearing, Caution, Greedy (Major)
Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, English, Arabic
Gear:Pistol (Range: 6/12/24, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP:1), Sawed off Shotgun (Range: 5/10/20, ROF1-2, Damage: 1-3d6, AP: 0)

Ivan was born on August 20, 1890 to Jozef and Paraskevia Trotsky. Third oldest of an eventual brood of six surviving children, Ivan was the first boy-child and became Jozef's pride and joy. After considerable financial struggle, Jozef finally got a good position as a prison guard Odessa prison when Ivan was three. As Ivan grew, Jozef would take him to see the prisoners and to show his son how important a man his father was. Jozef openly enjoyed the power of being a guard, and enjoyed extracting bribes and information from the criminals in his charge. The information proved more valuable than the bribes and he developed extensive connections to the Russian underworld that helped pad the family income. Ivan would sit with his father and hear the secrets the prisoners would whisper in exchange for a little extra food, or a little easier work detail. He would often be enlisted to help turn those secrets into money and food for the family, learning how to work the locals for information, whether through calculated banter or deliberate intimidation. Always armed, and always alert, Ivan thrived in the underworld of crime and political intrigue.

The most notorious prisoner in Odessa over the years was Lev Davidovich Bronstein who was a political prisoner at the jail in 1898. Eight-year-old Ivan loved to hear Bronstein talk; he stirred the spirit of the other men in the prison, at least until he was sentenced to Siberia in 1900. When Bronstein escaped from Siberia in 1902, he evidently took the Trotsky name for his own, becoming Leon Trotsky, a leader of the Russian Revolution and second only to Lenin in the Bolshevik army. Ivan grew up and married Katerina in the spring of 1912, and after many miscarriages, Katerina finally gave birth to a healthy boy, Boris Ivanovich Trotsky on July 15, 1918 during the height of the Russian Civil War.

Complications during childbirth prevented Katerina from having further children, so Boris ended up as Ivan's only child. Though proud of his son, Ivan has had little to do with him, and enjoyed the challenge and intrigue of business much more than family life. Katerina raised Boris on her own. Ivan leveraged his father's connections to develop a most-satisfactory career as an international smuggler/black marketer. He traveled extensively, both overland and by ship from the busy port city of Odessa, and gained a reputation as a man who could get what you needed. Ivan dealt with both sides during the Russian Civil War, securing suppliers and even personnel as needed. One unfortunate accident with a shipment of explosives in early 1919 burst his eardrums and permanently damaged his hearing. Travelling extensively, Ivan developed a lucrative knowledge of antiquities. There were always buyers for fantastic artifacts both archaic and arcane and this line of work proved satisfyingly profitable. A singular collection of otherworldly grotesques from the African sub-continent led him to a lasting friendship, both professional and conspiratorial, with the Russian Occultist Alexsey Borsokovski. Soon after Alexsey emigrated to England to escape some awkward troubles, Ivan soon followed and from then on he spent most of his time abroad.

Ivan established quarters at the Ormonde House Hotel, in close proximity to the recently completed King George V docks in East London. Ivan corresponded regularly with his wife Katerina and his father Jozef, who both remained actively involved with the business. While Ivan was abroad, Katerina received many visitors, mostly men, some with coloured skin and exotic accents.

Through his regular contact with Alexsey, Ivan became drawn into the activities of an eclectic group of self-proclaimed cultist-hunters. His knowledge of antiquities impressed them, of course, and he was sure to prove himself most effective and useful in their adventures. Though skeptical of the otherworldly stories, caution dictated an assumption of grave danger, even if only half of what they said was true. Though very confident in his discretion and certain that the group had little knowledge of his driving motivations, Ivan's primary interest was to secure obscure and valuable articles for sale to his international clientele.