Major Philip Rook

Philip Jeffrey Rook is not much of a man to look at. He was born in 1856 to a distinguished family. His father was a government bureaucrat, efficient and wealthy, who kept a proper and normal household.

Philip was the third son -- his eldest brother Robert (8 years older than he) became a leading barrister, while his other brother Joshua (5 years older) became an eccentric librarian. He had a third brother, Michael, who died as a toddler of unexplained disease.

Early on, Philip showed militaristic leanings. He excelled at sports while attending Eaton and Oxford, as well as having some skill in languages. He had a brief stint as an actor, performing minor roles in some Shakespeare plays, but mostly helped his friends on the technical side of production. Upon graduating, he was soon recruited for the Foreign Office. He had been hand-picked for a covert school they were setting up known only as ``The Laboratory''. That was when he first met Ariel Hawksquill.

He did not know her name at the time, but he quickly learned to respect her teachings. He began to learn the Art of Memory, with a particular eye towards work in espionage. By the end of his training, Rook could memorize documents fairly quickly, instantly recall details of his cover story, and had an early understanding of schemes of disguise and tailing.

He had several assignments in the Middle East, starting as a contact person for the Suez affair in 1875. Left on his own for long spans, he quickly practiced and set up several partial identities for himself. Successful, he was given several one-shot jobs.

His long assignment came in 1881, where he was set up to become a member of a criminal group in Cairo with some sort of political backing. They were extremely hard to crack, however, and he ended up doing a lot of straight criminal acts for them -- threatening, extortion, robberies, etc. Finally, he began to get some breaks as he seduced the wife of the leader. Through her he began to get details which he fed back to the Office.

Then one day he returned to his flat, he found her there waiting. He knew by the look in her eyes that his cover was blown -- the drawer where he kept his coded messages was disturbed. She was going to tell her husband. They fought, and in the struggle Rook stabbed and killed her.

Thinking quickly, he dumped her body in the Nile and disappeared -- leaving a mess in his flat with clues implicating the husband. Shortly thereafter, the body of the wife was identified and another body was identified as him. Thus the leader was soon convicted of a double homicide.

After that he returned to London in 1887 -- where he was assigned back to Hawksquill.

Identities

In a professional capacity, Rook maintains several cover identities which he uses for various purposes. He is a master of disguise and acting, and each identity has very well developed mannerisms and background information.

Major Philip Rook: is a respected if somewhat mild-mannered member of the Foreign Office. He was assigned to Egypt for several years, but eventually his health waned and he returned to England. Since getting back, the top has mostly seen fit to give him paperwork (although often important papers). While rarely seen in social circles, he maintains private contacts and friends who mostly consider him a bore.
He is 5'11'' tall and 175 pounds, age 37. His short brown hair is neatly trimmed, and he is generally rather pale from staying inside and reading a lot.
David Knightly: is a foppish dilettante, brash and arrogant. His wealthy parents are now dead, but they had many connections in the Home Office. He announced he was packing up for California five years ago, but he has since reappeared in London. Rumor has it that he selling information to the Home Office, and perhaps being sent on occaisional assignments.
He is wiry at 6' and 170 pounds, with slicked black hair, a sporty tan, and a taste for the ostentatious in dress. He has a habit of smelly cigars but doesn't drink much.
Achmed Ismael: is an Egyptian who owns a curio shop in Limehouse, ``Sedgewick and Sons''. He spends most of his time wandering about, picking up odd items. He often goes abroad, but also haunts out-of-the-way spots in the East End in search of bargains or accidentally-discarded antiques.
He is
Michael O'Neill: is an East-Ender devoted to simple means and pleasures. He is a good talker, but without means and prone to drink. Thus, he regularly gets himself hired for odd jobs with anyone he can get a hand to support himself.
He is burly at 5'10'' and 200 pounds or so. His mop of brown hair is usually covered in a cap, while cheap bulky clothes try to hide his gut.
David Boswell: is a shadowy figure on the criminal scene, who has hired a good deal of `lamplighters' for unclear purposes. Rumors vary over whether he is an anarchist leader up to some grand scheme, or a conspiracy crackpot with money to burn. Those who investigate generally conclude the latter.
He is very secretive about his identity, wearing coats and broad hats to cover his features. His hands have bad burn scars on them which he usually covers with gloves.
NOTE: This is the closest identity to Rook, and a critical one. This identity mixes truth and falsehood a lot -- if Boswell is followed successfully to Rook, they should be hard to distinguish. Boswell's secret agenda is a conspiracy which mixes most of the true figures. Edwards, Violet, and Stringham are suspects who he tries to keep tabs on. Also, Boswell's flat is near Rook's with a secret exit -- Rook generally stops there before going home.

Real Personality

Philip (when not playing one of his roles) is on the surface a typical professional or military man -- a bit rough with the fellows and dead serious about his work. What doesn't show is that at his heart he is a romantic, drawn to intelligence work for the allure of the exotic. While as Rook he is very practical-minded and even dismissive of philosophy, his identities and his work are the acting out of this drive in him.

STATS

STR 12   DEX 13   INT 18 (+1 !!)
CON 13   APP 10   POW 16
SIZ 13            EDU 19

Hit Points: 13
Dmg Bonus: 1d4

Accounting(10)          History(20) 55          Persuade(15) 74
Acting(10) 50/90        Jump(25)                Pick Pockets(5)
Bargain(5)              Law(5) 20               Psychology(5) 10
Camouflage(25)          Library Use(25) 40      Ride(5)
Climb(40)               Listen(25) 35           Sing(5)
Credit(15) 80           Make Maps(10)           Sneak(5) 58/95
Debate(10)              Mechanics(20)           Spot Hidden(25) 55/95
Fast Talk(5) 45         Navigation(20)          Swim(25)
First Aid(30)           Occult(5) 40            Throw(25)
Hide(10) 30             Oratory(5) 10           Track(10)

Punch(50)                                       Read/Write Latin 20
Head Butt(10)                                   Read/Write Greek 15
Kick(25)                                        Read/Write Arabic 20
Grapple(25)                                     Speak Arabic 30
Dagger:A(25) 45                                 Speak Coptic 20
       P(25)
Thrown Dagger(25): 40                           Mnemotechnics 30
Dodge(26) 46

Split Skills:
 Acting: (Disguise,accents,spotting acts) / (Prepared identities)
 Sneak: (Move Silently) / (Shadowing)
 Spot Hidden: (Random observations) / (Systematic Search)