A Bit About You
Your Name ∙ Mary
Contact Information ∙ dark_space_wolf@hotmail.com
Time Zone ∙ GMT + 10 hours
Introductions
Character’s Name ∙ Hugh Fitzroy
Age ∙ 24
Gender ∙ Male
Residing ∙ Lower City
Character Class ∙ Dog
Occupation ∙ Dog
Watch ∙ Evening Watch
Partner ∙ Laura Veivers (to be played by one of my friends, hopefully)
Mindset
Sexual Orientation ∙ Heterosexual
Overall Personality ∙
Dogs are sometimes seen as serious and boring people, never smiling or laughing at jokes. In truth, only a few are, but Hugh is very different. Hugh was always a bouncy lad, smiling and laughing at anything he thought funny. Over the years he grew to be a little more serious, or perhaps, he began to realise when being happy was inappropriate. When with family, friends or simply in a situation that he feels content in, he wears a wide smile.
Hugh was and is very content with the world, and is happy to lead a team or be part of it. This allows him to work well with others Dogs, as he isn’t, to put it plainly, territorial. Being so content, he rarely gets jealous. As such, he cares little for his social position. In his eyes, nobles are nobles, Dogs are Dogs, cooks are cooks, and if one can’t make their life a good one, that’s their own problem. He views nobility as people who have complicated lives, with lots of money, and plenty of time to waste. He prefers his simple, happy life, really.
Hugh loves children, too, and dogs. His idea of relaxation is playing fetch with Rory and the kids, or sitting by the fire telling stories of catching rats to wide-eyed youngsters, or running along the street teaching Connor, George and Ron about basic Dog skills, just in case they ever decide to get themselves into trouble (which, so Bronwyn and Maria believe, is very likely).
His strength is perhaps his biggest weakness. He’s not quiet, but not overly noisy, yet some people find offence in his happy nature. Hugh can also appear immature at times, which is, of course, not an invalid assumption. He is responsible and sometimes even a little serious when he needs to be (like when he’s on Duty), but as soon as his Watch is over, he’s back to his happy self.
Hugh is not especially religious, but out of habit, he visits the temples every month to say prayers for his friends and family. He doesn’t believe the gods care much about the mortals, but he doesn’t want to annoy them either, just in case.
Reflection
Height ∙ 6’ 2”
Weight ∙ 166 lbs
Overall Appearance ∙ Hugh has short, brown hair. At least, he prefers to keep it short so his mother doesn’t insist that he washes all the time. He has always been content with his body, but once he became a Dog, he wished his hair would turn a little darker, not because he thought it more attractive, but because he was constantly getting mud in his hair.
He has blue eyes, probably from his father’s side, but his mother’s rounded cheeks and chin. His is not plump, rather, he has large bones, and doesn’t seem to grow any thinner, even when times are lean, which Maria considers good. Hugh’s muscles are not bulky, but not wiry, being somewhere in between. His hands are heavily calloused and peppered with small scars. He runs well, although he likes to leave the chases up to his partner, Laura, as his height doesn’t allow for an easy hunt. He prefers to sit in the corner and wait for his rats to come along, then give them the nap-tap and hobble them.
Hugh's skin does not tan easily, no matter how long he spends in the sun- or doesn't. He still has a few freckles on his nose, which, although it's been broken several times, is not noticably crooked. Fortunately for Hugh, his nose doesn't bleed easily, and he seems to heal quickly enough.
If you were trying to find Hugh, you would look for a tall, relaxed lad with tunic, trousers and hose which had been mended several times, and probably taken down several times over the years. He outgrew his father's clothes several years before, so Bronwyn sews him new clothes, then patches them up when needed. Hugh likes to wear darker colours, mostly browns and blacks, so no-one notices if he's dirty, plus the fabric is much cheaper.
Backstory
Family History ∙ There’s not much to say about the Fitzroys. As far as the family knows, they’ve been in Corus since before the Immortals were banished. As a result, Fitzroy is one of the more common names for the lower classes.
Family ∙
Maria (mother), 37: Healer. Her earnings support her whole family. A motherly figure, very protective, iron will.
Henry (father), 38: Senior Dog in Upmarket, works on the Night Watch.
Henrietta (sister), 22: A little dull in the brain, although Maria believes she was born that way. She helps her mother around the house and prepares simple potions.
Louisa (sister), 16: Soon to be married to her childhood friend, Mark, who the son of a blacksmith. A pedantic, picky girl.
George (brother), 15: A lively young man, apprenticing to Mark’s father.
Ron (brother), 8: Very intelligent boy who wants more than anything to study at the university. Always has his nose in books.
George (uncle, Maria’s brother), 35: Dog in Upmarket. Has a wife but no children.
Those living with the Fitzroy family-
Ray (uncle by marriage, 4 months deceased, aged 26): Was a carpenter
Bronwyn (auntie, Maria’s youngest sister), 26: Recovering from her husband’s sudden death. She looks after all the children while Maria is busy and is the local washing lady, earning a few coins to contribute towards costs. Is very strong of will, like Maria.
Connor (cousin), 7: Bronwyn’s eldest. Wants to be a Dog when he’s old enough. Hasn’t quite understood how and why his father died.
Martin (cousin), 4: Extremely attached to his mother and gets terribly upset when she leaves to clean clothes. Is slowly adjusting to life without his father but constantly asks after him.
Regina (cousin), 3: Like Martin, she is very attached to her mother. Maria believes she’ll be a very strong healer.
Merric (cousin), 5 months: A very quiet little boy, content with whatever comes.
Birthplace ∙ Lower City, Corus
Background ∙ There’s not much to say about how Maria and Henry met, only that it was an arranged marriage. Henry was a nice lad, but he had no love for his wife, only his work as a clerk. He would enjoy writing wills for elderly citizens and signing off on orders- and no-one ever saw how he could enjoy that.
Henrietta was born a year after Maria and Henry married, and much to Maria’s sadness, never seemed to be able to talk properly. However, the young girl was everyone’s favourite, running after butterflies, talking to the birds and harbouring any feral cat in the neighbourhood.
When Hugh was born, Maria was a little unsure of how Henry would react. Henry rarely saved coin for the family, and the little work Maria was allowed to do only just paid for all her meals. She refused to sell the child, and Henry eventually gave in. He agreed that if Maria wanted to keep the boy, she would have to live off her own coin, which she did.
Eventually Henry spent most of his time in the Mantle or the Dove, Maria could start to work more. She helped the local mothers when their children fell and broke bones, or got ill, but instead of charging for money, she asked that they make her a meal. This suited everyone rather well, including Henry.
Hugh grew up in a mixed family of girls and boys. He spent his childhood playing with his younger siblings, fighting with the local boys and following the Dogs around. He loved to play with his younger siblings. Hugh would chase butterflies with Henrietta, tease gixies with George and Ron, and would hide from the bossy Louisa. He would always wear a smile, even when times were rough and his parents argued over coin.
It was a tradition of Maria’s family that the eldest boy train to be a Dog. Hugh, when he was old enough to understand that, began to suspect it was more because of the pay than ‘serving the Crown’. Maria’s younger brother, George, had also been a Dog in the Lower City, and said the pay (and especially the Happy Bag) was usually more than enough to keep a family going.
The day Hugh turned fifteen, he joined the Dogs, more out of interest than pressure from the family. He trained for a year, and did rather well, no doubt because of his uncle’s guidance in the years before. He was assigned as a Puppy under two rather gruff men who certainly knew their job. A year later, and he graduated to a Dog and was partnered with Laura Veivers, an older Dog, who he got along well with.
When Hugh was 17, his auntie, Bronwyn, and his uncle, Ray, were hit by the rumours of war and were forced out of their home so extra barracks could be built. Maria encouraged the young couple to join her and Henry in their home. The four would share the rent money and chores, which would be to everyone’s advantage. So, they moved in, and started their own family.
Hugh was not at all upset by this development- he preferred it, actually. He had more children to play with when he wanted to, and when he was too tired, he could simply distract the children with the antics of the family dog, Rory (or, as known to the children, Warwy). Rory was a stray dog that George had found when he was almost five, and the family had quickly taken to the growing puppy. (for note, Rory is a German Shephard)
Unfortunately for the family, they didn’t escape from one of the several waves of illness that had struck the city months before. Just as they had all thought they’d escaped illness, Ray had an accident while carving a chair, and managed to cut himself. The wound never really healed, and after several days, infection set in, then the disease. He died a week later.
Bronwyn was distraught, but seemed to refuse to fall apart. Hugh was shaken by the event, and didn’t even smile for a few days after Ray’s death. But, like the rest of the family, he tried his best not to let it interfere with his life and work.
Now, whenever he comes back from his Watch, he would sleep for several hours, then be woken up by the cry of Merric or the sound of children laughing and shouting. He tends to doze over lunch, when most of the family does, then helps with chores and babysitting. He prefers the latter- children always make him smile.
Contract
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--Mary