(shifting a version of this thread over here since this category exists now, figured I'd break the ice) General Info Nicholas has recently come fully into the title of Earl, and the inheritance of his father's estates, after Edward Howard's death at the end of 1810. It's reasonably well-known that the relationship between Nicholas and his late father was strained at best, and for the past number of years Nicholas has avoided any event which Edward and his second wife, Helena, even so much as might have attended. Instead, he's kept to less prestigious gatherings or more private salons, where he still has his fair share of notoriety about his rather eccentric ways and substandard reputation. Having now come into the family estate and free from any worry of his father's influence, it seems Nicholas is almost determined to squander as much of his inherited wealth as possible, both on petty whims and on unrestrained generosity. In particular, he has a fascination with exotic animals, and has begun to build up his own menagerie, and also has a tendency to collect unusual hoax taxidermy ("mermaids" and the like) for his own amusement. As a person, Nicholas is outgoing and reasonably charming (if a bit loud and more than a little bit odd), with little mind for strict "propriety" or polite reserve. He is unabashedly friendly, and tends to treat others -- whether a duke or a servant -- with nearly the same congenial familiarity regardless of what would be considered appropriate, which often does little to endear him to others within his own social class. Being rather rash, reckless, and immature, he often tends not to think about what effect his words and actions might have on others, nor consider the consequences of such, especially in the long-term, although he is never malicious with it, and often even has good intentions (but as they say, the road to hell....) Details Pronouns: He/Him Title(s): (6th) Earl of Carlisle Age/Birthdate: January 7th, 1787 Height: 5'8" Build: average/slightly squishy Hair: dark brown/black - messy Eyes: gray Orientation: gay (but most PCs don't actually know that) Romance RP/Comfort Level: I'm fine with anything that follows the game rules -- Nicholas may or may not be receptive lol Forms of Address: Formal: My Lord/My Lord Carlisle Social: Lord Carlisle (if we've just met or don't like each other); Lord Howard (if we've known each other for a little while) Familiar: Howard (distant friends); Nicholas (closer friends, family) Homes/Estates: -- Naworth Castle; Brampton, Cumbria - main home/seat of the family -- Lanercost Priory - a disused priory & church slightly north of Naworth Castle -- Dunraven House; 4 Dunraven St., Mayfair - a London town house right next to Hyde Park - current residence -- Eilean Donan Castle; Scotland - disused, needs a lot of work, probably haunted -- Luton Hoo; Hyde, Bedfordshire - a country estate for entertaining -- Norton Priory; Norton, Cheshire - a recently-acquired estate somewhat in a state of disrepair; on a canal used for trade -- Orsdall Hall; Orsdall, Lancashire - the house & estate rented out to tenants and farmers -- Rievaulx Abbey; Helmsley, York - ruins of an abbey, once a site of substantial iron production. -- Easington Fell - a substantial tract of undeveloped land in Lancashire -- Billsmoor - a substantial tract of undeveloped land in Northumberland Connections Known Family: -- Lord Edward Howard (father -- deceased) -- noted to be a stern, strict, and practically emotionless man of business and duty. Spent much of his lifetime attempting to repair the somewhat damaged reputation of his family left by Cornelius and Ernest. Many were shocked with how quickly he remarried to Helena mere months after Adelaide's death. 5th Earl of Carlisle. -- Lady Adelaide Carteret (mother -- deceased) -- noted to be a kind woman, virtuous and well-respected by those who knew her, but also somewhat materialistic and could be somewhat aloof. Very close to most of her family and made attempts to facilitate a relationship between them and her son. -- Lord Cornelius Howard (grandfather -- deceased) -- known for his humor and kindness, but also for letting his opinions and emotions flow freely, leading to no shortage of enemies and scandal. 4th Earl of Carlisle. -- Lord Ernest Howard (uncle -- deceased) -- definitely somewhat of a wild child, a younger son with little responsibility and less reserve. A rake, gambler, and general rascal, but a generous giver and loyal friend as well. -- Lady Helena Blankeny-Lennox (step-mother -- alive) -- Lady Emmeline Petty-Fitzmaurice (PC, cousin on his mother's side) -- Lady Eleanor Savery (PC, step-sister) -- David, Arthur, Sophia, Graham, and Juliet Savery (other step-siblings) -- Lady Yvette Bellamy (PC, distant cousin) Other PC Ties: -- Duke James Richmond -- generally considered his best friend of many years; attended Cambridge together and got into no small share of trouble. -- Duchess Eudora St. Claire -- another troublemaker friend from around Nicholas' time at Cambridge. -- Lady Violet Blankeney-Coventry -- one of Nicholas' closest friends; there has been a pervasive rumor as of late that they are courting. -- Lady Sophrona Ramsbury -- their parents arranged a courtship between them hoping that it would lead to marriage; Nicholas ultimately called it off (before anything was official) for unknown reasons, damaging Sophrona's marriage prospects and both of their reputations (to which he is oblivious). Sophrona still holds a substantial grudge. -- Elder Armitage Sleeping Bear -- a childhood friend and long-time pen pal, and now business partner. Nicholas has gladly taken on part of the duty of showing them around England. -- Lord Abraham Griffen -- a business partner in the sense that Nicholas has roped Abraham into transporting exotic creatures for him from overseas. -- Lady Amelia Rutherford -- briefly engaged to his second cousin, Thomas Everly. Timeline -- Born in January of 1787 to Adelaide and Edward Howard, after 5 years of their marriage. They have no more children. -- Adelaide dies of an unknown condition in the early part of 1797. Near the end of the same year, Edward remarries surprisingly quickly to Lady Helena Blankeny-Lennox. -- Nicholas is routinely sent away to different boarding schools and far-away tutors, citing general rumor of "difficulty with the family" or being a "troubled child". He is just as frequently kicked out (or withdrawn) due to behavior -- disinterest in learning, general misbehavior & pranks, or occasionally fighting. -- In 1803 a courtship is arranged between Nicholas and Sophrona. Nicholas ultimately abandoned the engagement very suddenly and with no further explanation. -- In 1804 Nicholas returns home only to visit his dying grandfather, at which point some argument between him and Edward which summarily results in Nicholas leaving the estate and never returning - not even for his grandfather's funeral days later. -- In 1805, enrolls in the University of Cambridge, where he gets into another share of trouble (often with the help of James). Drops out in 1806 and is largely cut off from the family estate for being a "general disappointment." From that point forward, Edward rarely even acknowledges Nicholas, and never without being directly prompted. -- Nicholas spends the next several years around London without any permanent residence, subsisting on what was left to him by his mother and grandfather & gambling and a little of secretive assistance from Emmeline. -- 1806 Eleanor is makes her formal debut. Nicholas was slated to debut at the same time (being that they are the same in age to a matter of months), but Nicholas refused to be in the same room as his father and thus didn't follow through. -- Nicholas debuts in 1807, with the help of Eleanor (ensuring that their parents would not be present) and James, Eudora, and James' sister, Anne, to have a small reception for him separate from the official debut ball. -- Edward finally dies in November of 1810. Nicholas does not return home to formally take over the title and estate until December, well after Edward is laid to rest. Other Notable Pets: -- Bartholomew -- a vervet monkey that accompanies Nicholas most places. wears clothing. a well-behaved and proper gentleman. probably more popular than Nicholas is. -- Sir Nicholas II -- a Chinese crested hairless dog, Knight of the Bork. also frequently accompanies Nicholas places (but can't really sit on his shoulder like Bartholomew can). -- Captain -- an African grey parrot once belonging to his grandfather (and subsequently his father), which Nicholas occasionally brings to social events. can talk a little, makes a great deal of use of it. -- Horace -- a well-bred Welsh springer spaniel that served as his father's primary hunting dog, and companion animal. -- Beasley -- a fine English setter that formerly belonged to his late second cousin, Thomas Everly. A hunting dog and companion. -- Mira -- a valuable English setter, currently in use with Primrose Hazelton's breeding program. Primarily a hunting dog. -- Ivory Dune, Atlantic Storm, Ivory Storm - three valuable Arabian racehorses - Ivory Dune is an older horse nearly ready for retirement, but still extremely noteworthy as a stud horn. Atlantic Storm is a broodmare with a notably volatile temper. Ivory Storm is their offspring, a younger, very fast - but slightly unruly - white stallion. Ivory Dune placed first in his race at the Newmarket races; Ivory Storm placed second. -- Ramili -- a dromedary camel said to be the first in England - has been seen around London, including his initial delivery at the docks and running amok in St. James Park in early April. known to spit. -- unnamed -- a zebra mare, known to be a bit irritable. -- Cleopatra -- a golden eagle used for falconry. Conversation Starters/Rumors/Possible Connections: -- Maybe you saw him (or thought you saw him) somewhere/doing something vaguely scandalous, embarrassing, or just confusing. Maybe under a different name, but you're certain it was him.... -- Maybe you heard some of his questionable poetry and want a written copy, or just to shame him. -- Anything concerning his father -- maybe you knew the bastard, maybe condolences on his passing (although it's been a solid like 6 months now), maybe you had business with him and want to follow up with the new Lord Carlisle. -- Maybe I owe you money or a favor, probably from gambling. -- You are in need of high-quality animals, either to purchase or potentially as breeding stock: horses, dogs, carrier pigeons, cattle/sheep, fowl, etc. -- You saw/met Bartholomew, Sir Nicholas II, or Captain out and about or at a salon or something. -- You want to shame him for the number of "innocent, proper young ladies" he's been seen around/rumored to be courting. -- You've heard about any of his exotic animals and have questions -- especially the camel or zebra. -- You want to verify [whatever outlandish rumor you might have heard about him]. -- Write me as one of your servants writing to one of my servants with some wild gossip; the more speculative/out of context the better.

Not that this is anything particularly vital to the gameplay, but I'm sure we all like to have a good idea what our characters look like (and give a good reference to others). This is something I've shared with a couple of my chats but I figure others might find some use in it as well, for those of us who don't feel comfortable showing our faces, don't have the costuming, or just look nothing like our characters. https://www.artbreeder.com/browse - AI generated images, good for painting style portraits or pretty realistic portraits, although it takes a little bit of practice, patience, and the right "parents" to get something that's not too uncanny valley (especially with the painting creator), and it can be admittedly difficult to control specific facial features. (generated with the painting creator and portrait creator respectively) https://www.portraitai.app/ - upload a picture and the AI will make it painting/portrait style. The caveat is that it definitely tends to round out the face a lot and is not good for characters with dark skin or light hair, or older characters, but if you have any skill with editing this might be a minor problem for you. (I actually used Artbreeder first and then ran one through PortraitAI for this) Anyways, hopefully this helps some people get a more personal feel for/more control of what their character looks like rather than having to dig through stock images to find something that seems mostly appropriate. Feel free to add more resources/tools if you have them!