Murder, She Wrote

[Rae]

October 22, 1905
Dear Diary,
Master Tate has just returned from his rather long business trip. He seems out of sorts. I cannot quite place my finger on it, but I do believe something has troubled his mind quite profoundly. He locks himself in his study, ignoring his poor wife and two children altogether. I do hope he is alright. He does not even come down for his favorite meals. I wonder what worries him so.

November 14, 1905
Dear Diary,
Master Tate has fallen ill. His fever is so terribly high, and the doctors fear it may be tuberculosis. Such a wretched way to die. Mistress Tate is so nervous as it is. I can only imagine how she feels now. I do not know what she will do without him.

December 1, 1905
Dear Diary,
It is a true miracle! Master Tate is well again, and we all rejoice! Mistress Tate has not had a nervous tick in a whole six days! Such a joyous occasion, indeed! The master is once again eating his favorite meals and playing with the little ones. All is well at Tate Manor.

December 10, 1905
Dear Diary,
I do not know how to explain such a tragedy. At exactly 2:00 in the morning hours, Thomas found Master Tate dead in his study. It was not sickness nor mere accident that killed him. No, I fear he was far too stubborn a man for such a fate.
I daresay...it was murder.
And I fear it has only just begun. For with the terrible blizzard cutting off our electricity and transportation, there is no way to contact the authorities. We are all trapped here with a murderous devil. I do pray the Lord spares us more misery.

Tate Manor
Built in 1842, Tate Manor has been the epitome of luxury in England since it was first built. With nearly 25 bedrooms, about 30 bathrooms, a ballroom, and a kitchen that would make anyone jealous, many would dare to say it's much larger than it appears. Only the most qualified are given the honor to work for the Tate family, and it is a true honor indeed. Everyone knows how well the servants are treated. Truly, it is a servant's dream.

Or so one would think.

On December 10, 1905, Alexander Tate was found brutally murdered in his own study by the head butler--Thomas Williamson. With the abnormally harsh winter and most recent blizzard, electricity has long since gone out, and transportation is most certainly impossible. Mistress Tate, her two children, and the servants will have to wait for the snow and ice to melt enough for safe passage.

Until then, they all know what has yet to be said. Among them, a man (or woman) walks freely. A man or woman guilty of murder.

Major Points
1. One of our characters will be the murderer. Should your character be chosen, you must keep it a secret both IC and OOC. If you have multiple characters, your other characters are not allowed to discover the murderer--that's really just no fun for anyone.
2. You can play several different roles, which will be explained below.
3. It is ill advised to go outside due to the blizzard.
4. Certain decisions may result in your character's death. Should all your characters die, you will be allowed to create another a week later.
5. Be careful who you confide in. Should your character discover information linked to the murderer, you don't want to end up telling the murderer about it.
6. Your character can be of any sexuality or gender but do realize it's 1905. A homoromantic demisexual who prefer they/them pronouns is not realistic, as those terms weren't really anything back then.
7. PLEASE BE DETAILED. I want you to cover all the bases, and I will not accept your character until you have.

Roles
Available
Unavailable
~Mistress Tate~
Age: 35-45
~Children (2)~
Age: 8-16
BOTH ARE FEMALE
~Governess~
Age: 25-35
~Butler (Thomas Williamson)~
Age: 55-65
~Cook/Chef~
Age: 45-55
~Housekeeper~
Age: 50-60
~Head Groundskeeper~
Age: 40-50
~Lady's Maid/Valet~
Age: 20-30
Works directly with Mistress Tate
~First and Second Footman~
Age: 20-40
Work underneath Butler
~Footmen (5 available)~
Age: 20-30
Work underneath Butler and First/Second Footmen
~Undercook~
Age: 20-40
Apprentice to Cook
~Maids (13 available)~
Age: 16-35
Categories: Laundry, Scullery, House, Kitchen, Chamber, Parlour
Work underneath Housekeeper
~Groundskeepers (9 available)~
Age: 16-35
Work underneath Head Groundkeeper

Character Sheet

General
Name:
Age: ~~~
Gender:
Sexuality:
Birthday:
Role:

Appearance
REAL PICTURE PREFERRED BUT NOT REQUIRED
Height:
Weight:
Hair Color:
Hair Style:
Eye Color:
Eye Shape:
Face Shape:
Distinguishing Marks:

Personality
REQUIRED PARAGRAPH OF DESCRIPTION; ANSWER BELOW WITH ONE SENTENCE
Philosophy:
Reason for Life:
Greatest Gift:
Worst Habit:

History
REQUIRED TWO PARAGRAPHS

Miscellaneous
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Education:
Family:

Questionnaire
PM ME THIS PORTION
Are you capable of murder?:
What is your greatest fear?:
What is your darkest secret?:
What angers you the most?:
Is there anything about your position in life that you hate?:
Would you, if given the opportunity, murder someone who had wronged you?:

~~~Age requirement varies with each role.~~~

​

 

[Rae]

Here I will keep an easy-access list of characters and links to their sheets.

Adelaide Tate : twin daughter : @Mippu
Annabelle Tate : twin daughter : @Boss Megu
Silas Crowley : cook : @Yun Lee
Thomas Williamson : butler : @Yang Lee
Dawn Marie Laurel : parlour maid : @Starrnico
Angelina Tate : Mistress Tate : @~Dark Disney~
Vincent Rook : first footman : @The Classy Mog
Louella Forge : house maid : @Zora18
Clara Lyle : lady's maid/valet : @kuukakulily
Georgina Smith : housekeeper : @kimsim12
Carlton Nelson : undercoook : @kimsim12
Jimmy Marius : head groundskeeper : @Ringmaster

​

 

[Dark_Psycho]

Mistress tate please

 

[Hufflepug]

I'd like the Lady's Maid/Valet if you please

 

[Rae]

Reserved for you both! Please try to have them up within the next 10 days :)

 

[Banana-senpai]

General

Name
Adelaide Tate
Age
16
Gender
Female
Sexuality
Undecided
Birthday
1 April 1889
Role
Daughter


Appearance

Height
165cm
Weight
45kg
Hair Color
Black
Hair Style
Gibson Girl whenever mother allows, red ribbon and braid most of the time
Eye Color
Blue
Eye Shape
Sharp oval
Face Shape
oval
Distinguishing Marks
beauty mark on chest (left) and neck (left)


Personality
Most of the time, Adelaide is vivacious and bold. She has to be told to mellow down and has been described as intense. She's witty and opinionated but still careful enough to draw the line between exchange and argument. While her habit is snooping around or bending conversations to make people talk more about themselves, it's a glimpse to her truly cynical core. With little to no trust in other people, she makes it a point to be involved with them to gauge what they can be capable of and whether or not she can see through their words. In truth, she longs to be understood and accepted but believes if people would do it for their own benefit.

Philosophy
Everyone's got a price they'd name in the right circumstances.

Reason for Life
To become a doctor. Not a nurse.

Greatest Gift
sneak skills and medical knowledge from books

Worst Habit
snooping about in other people's business/room/things


History
Adelaide's love for reading and learning was shaped by her mother who tutored the twins when they were little. Adelaide took to reading medical books when their cat got sick several years ago, although she wasn't aware of the difference between treating humans and animals at the time. The cat still died, but it piqued her interest, reading and asking around as much as she can about anatomy and diseases. She made up her mind to study medicine and practice it professionally in the future no matter what. She also looked into psychology books to understand how others think and thinks of herself as good with reading people although this is not often true.


Miscellaneous

Strengths
sneaking, first aid, debate

Weaknesses
Isolation, spiders

Education
Middle School

Family
Tates
The Tate Twins
​

 

[Boss Megu]

General

Name:
Annabelle Tate

Age:
16

Gender:
Female

Sexuality:
Heterosexual

Birthday:
April 1st of 1889

Role:
Daughter

Appearance

Height:
165 CM (5'4")

Weight:
46 KG

Hair Color:
Black

Hair Style:
The top part of her hair is braided in an orange ribbon but keeps the lower part loose.

Eye Color:
Blue

Eye Shape:
Sharp, Cat-like

Face Shape:
Oval

Distinguishing Marks:
Moles: Under her eye (right), under her ear (right)

Personality

Annabelle is known to be the "proper" twin, the "shy" twin, but that's a mask she shows in polite company, hiding away her intelligence with shy, bashful smiles and blushes. Alone with her twin (to an extent her parents), her tongue is sharper and confidence is apparent. She hides her vanity by wearing something simple and elegant, but something that flatters her figure and beauty. She's cunning and clever to a fault and uses nearly everything and anything to her advantage. She's not as cold as her sister, but she's more ruthless once she gets passed her emotions and morals.

Philosophy:
What's one more, on top of everything else I've already done?

Reason for Life:
To marry well
(to a man she can subtly control)

Greatest Gift:
Subterfuge - her masks and persona's come easy to her as breathing
Eidetic Memory - something she uses all the time

Worst Habit:
Cataloguing someone she's just met or already know for their use

History
Annabelle's childhood was shaped by her mother's devotion. Her and her sister's love for knowledge and books became their passion, but it became soon apparent that her sister's love for them became more pronounced. She wasn't threatened or insecure when her vibrant sister took the stage by wanting to be a doctor. She was secured with her dream. She's always wanted to be like her mother, to be married to a well-to do man like her father and to have gorgeous children like herself and her sister. It was her dream. But reality has a way of interrupting dreams, a trip outside their manor made Annabelle realise that not all families were like hers and men were all not as kind as her father. Now, though with the knowledge of reality, she kept to her dream of marrying well and her "perfect" family, but no longer for love, like the fairy tales she's read. No, she wanted to marry well, have her perfect family, but to a man she knew she could secretly control.

Miscellaneous

Strengths:
Recalling information from books read, Pretending, Strategy

Weaknesses:
Isolation, Insects, Being dirty

Education:
Middle School

Family:
Tates
The Tate Twins

 

[Yun Lee]

Could I reserve the chef, please? I should have my sheet up tonight or tomorrow morning ^^

 

[Yang Lee]

Omfggggggg this is sooooo cooooooool!

Uhhhhhhh...put me down for Butler yo!

 

[Starrnico]

I would be interested in playing the parlour maid.

 

[Yun Lee]

Spoiler

General
Name: Silas Crowley
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Aroace (though of course considered heterosexual by himself and everyone else)
Birthday: 1/16/1858
Role: Chef

Appearance

Spoiler

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 267 lbs.
Hair Color: light brown/grey
Hair Style: see photo
Eye Color: green
Eye Shape: see photo
Face Shape: round
Distinguishing Marks: A tattoo of his family coat of arms on his upper left arm, always hidden by clothes

Spoiler

Personality
It's rare you'll find a more jovial and agreeable man than Silas. He very rarely is seen without a smile on his face, and singing can usually be heard from the kitchen as he works. An optimist even in hard times, Silas starts out seeing the good in everyone-until they give him a reason to dislike him. Then he makes his dislike known, becoming cold and aloof around them, as if trying to spend as little time humoring them as possible.
Philosophy: "As long as it's for you, I'll do anything."
Reason for Life: His reason for living is making sure that the one he's most loyal to has their goals achieved.
Greatest Gift: Silas is an incredibly loyal man, and whoever he has pledged loyalty to he will go to the ends of the Earth for.
Worst Habit: He can't seem to shut up about how much he loves his home country of Ireland.

History
Silas was born to parents who worked as butler and housekeeper for an English lord overseeing a portion of Ireland. Like Silas, his parents were known for their loyalty, and served their lord to the upmost. When Silas was seven, both parents died of pneumonia within a month of each other, and to repay them for their loyalty, the lord paid for school for both Silas and his younger brother, James.

At the age of twenty, Silas showed an interest in culinary arts, and the lord had him trained to make "cultured" dishes. For ten years Silas worked for his lord and remained loyal, until tragedy struck. As he travelled to England to visit an old friend the ship his lord was on sank with no survivors. Silas was grief stricken, especially when the man who replaced his lord was a cruel one. Hating the Irish by default, this new lord was never close to Silas, and found him nothing more than a fat servant, referring to him as "The Boar." As a result, Silas turned to drink, and ended up making friends at his local pub. They managed to keep him from becoming an alcoholic, and even turned the nickname his new lord gave him into one he wore with pride, as it was the animal on the Crowley coat of arms, after all.

In 1898, as a demonstration for Home Rule for Ireland, the radical group known as Fenians threw a bomb into the new lord's chambers, killing him, his wife, and his son. After losing two lords by tragic circumstances, Silas moved to England to look for better opportunities. Eventually he found work for Master Tate, as he was a very good chef, and has been loyal to his new master ever since. Surely, this master couldn't die on him...right?

Miscellaneous
Strengths: His loyalty, his excellent skill in cooking, his optimism, his genuinity, above average physical strength, and he can't be swayed to work for someone if their intentions are less than good.
Weaknesses: Has a hard time hiding his dislike for people, can be a bit too emotional and empathatic, can sometimes blur lines of morality if the one he's loyal to needs it, gullible, tends to see things more from an emotional standpoint than a logical one.
Education: Went to a decent boarding school until the age of 18, then received culinary training from age 20-23.
Family: Deceased parents, and a younger brother James, aged 43, who lives in Ireland still with wife Nancy and three children.

 

[Yang Lee]

Question: What does "Reason for Life" mean?

Ah, nevermind lmao

 

[Yang Lee]

Character Sheet

General
Name: Thomas Williamson
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Bisexual
Birthday: February 22, 1850
Role: Butler

Appearance
REAL PICTURE PREFERRED BUT NOT REQUIRED

(Also named Thomas in the Downton Abby series. This will not be a recreation of him, but his physical features will be used as a pallet. And yes he's in his 30's, so please imagine him around 20 years older but aging well? That sounds so awkward to ask lmao.)
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: Around 130 lbs
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Short and cut back to his hairline, but still greased and looking fancy as ever.
Eye Color: Grey
Eye Shape: Oval
Face Shape: Pentagon-like
Distinguishing Marks: N/A

Personality
Thomas in an obedient man-how else would be allowed to work at Tate Manor? He believes firmly in the phrase "loose lips sink ships" and despite his tendencies of commanding the other workers in the place of Master Tate, he is not one to divulge in his personal life or history. Even though he is nowhere near wealthy himself, he still inwardly judges those that are of a poorer class and look the part. He also has a strong sense of perfectionism, where he wants every job he, and all the other servants complete, is finished to perfection. Even though yelling never happens, per say, he as been know to get on people's cases if they do not misbehave by being both direct and passive aggressive. When he is not busy serving others, he enjoys nice and quiet times to himself in the Library reading books, really any would do for him.
Philosophy: The best way to get to the top is through loyalty and smart work. That being said, everything must be done for the greater good.
Reason for Life: As a butler, especially to that of the Tate family, one comes across a lot of interesting secrets...obviously nothing that he can share, though.
Greatest Gift: His father's pocket watch, who was a butler himself. Thomas plans to give it to his child one day when they grow up.
Worst Habit: Listening to other's conversations as he works.

History
Born into a family of servants with his mother being a maid and his father the senior butler of the manor, Thomas has always have been given the opportunity to look at luxury from the outside in. Never questioning anything, he quickly learned from his father what it means to be a true servant. When he turned twenty years of age, he moved to a different manor for a chance of somewhere greater to serve. After a few years of working, he was soon let go thanks to a risky gambling deal that cost his former employer most of his money and forcing Thomas to relocate-where he found the Tates and became loyal to them ever since.

He has been with Master Tate for over thirty-five years at this point-longer than anyone else who works here. Not taken kindly to those who don't do their jobs, the other servants have given him polarizing reception as some see his drive for perfection as remarkable while others feel it's a bit over the top. Regardless, the only people's opinion he cares about is Master Tate and his family.

Miscellaneous
Strengths: Loyalty, Secrecy
Weaknesses: Isolating himself on a lot of occasions
Education: Butlering and what he reads from the library
Family: A father and mother working for a different house


Sending Questionair soon~

 

[Starrnico]

WIP

Character Sheet

General
Name: Dawn Marie Laurel
Age: 17
Gender: female
Sexuality: heterosexual
Birthday: June 11
Role: Parlour maid

Appearance

(FC Sophie McShera)
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 120 lbs
Hair Color: brown
Hair Style: usually in a bun at the nape of her neck
Eye Color: grey/blue
Eye Shape: almond shape
Face Shape: oval
Distinguishing Marks: a dimple when she smiles

Personality
She is loving and kind, especially to small children, though she is often shy. She doesn't speak much beyond what her duties entail. No matter the job she tries to do her best while staying out of the way of the others in the house. She does like things to be done a certain way, getting flustered when too many changes happen in too short a time, though she usually finds a way to pull through. She doesn't like that and tries to learn from these episodes to make her life and others easier.
Philosophy: Treat others the way that you want to be treated.
Reason for Life: {Still searching for that}
Greatest Gift: Patience is her greatest gift, she can take a lot before anger shows.
Worst Habit: Her worst habit is being a little OCD about how things are placed in a room.

History
Much about her early life is not known, she simply doesn't talk about it or really any of her life much. She will have let them know that she is an orphan, though old enough to work for herself, single, without a boyfriend or family to fall back on. This is the extent of what she has told anyone about her life before Tate Manor. The truth she tries hard to forget and move past.

Since entering the manor on the day she turned 16, she has been a quiet learner. Watching far more than she spoke and not letting herself get too ruffled though some days have been trying. After a year here, it is obvious that while efficient and a fast learner, she isn't much of a talker, not getting as caught up in gossip, though she will sit and listen when she has time to.One could almost say she hides behind her work, using it as an excuse when people try to draw answers from her.

Miscellaneous
Strengths: learns fast, keeps things neat and orderly, kind, gentle, quiet
Weaknesses: finds it hard to say no to people, easily frightened,
Education: basic elementary
Family: all dead

 

[harleygore]

I would like to reserve a maid please!! I should be able to work on the character sheet tonight!!

 

[Dark_Psycho]

General
Name:
Angelina Tate or Mrs.Tate
Age:
45
Gender:
Female
Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Birthday:
October 31st
Role:
Mrs. Tate

Appearance

Height:
5'8
Weight:
115
Hair Color:
Raven black
Hair Style:
Curly past her shoulders
Eye Color:
Crystal Blue
Eye Shape:
oval shaped
Face Shape:
sharp features
Distinguishing Marks:
beauty mark above her lip

Personality
Angelina was a mother of two beautiful twin daughters they are her pride and joys. She is very Protective of them, also let's them do what they want as well. She is a smart, sharp and charming woman. Her witt and sarcasm can get her every where and no where at once. It just depended on working she was dealing with. She could also be cold and unfeeling when it came to others including her husband. She however could never be cold or heartless to her precious bundles. They were definitely the spitting Image of her and a little of her husband.

Philosophy: Things happen How you handle them is what makes you
Reason for Life: Her children are her reason to live
Greatest Gift: Her twins
Worst Habit: bites her lip when annoyed or thinking

History
Angelina was a young happy go lucky girl that was till she had been forced to marry a man she did not Love. All just so her family could get money status and a name. She found it was easy to control the spineless man she called a husband. With just a look he would give into her every whim. She had no care in the world for a man like him. He was a cruel man to her, but she could also manipulate him to do as she pleased. She was not sleeping with him but, he had forced himself upon her. This is when she became pregnant with her beautiful twins.

when the twins were born Angelina would not let him near her beautiful children. She kept an over protective eye on them. When they got older. She let them learn and taught them herself to read and write and arithmetic. She wanted her daughters smart not dumb. She let's them do as they please only steps in bow and then. with her husbands death she becomes very protective of her girls.

Miscellaneous
Strengths: Family, smarts, witt, charm and mysterious air about her
Weaknesses: Her twins, her secrets, spiders, dirt, and dirty house
Education: Knows how to read and write is very well educated and has taught her daughters
Family:
Her twin daughters​

 

[Banana-senpai]

@kimsim12 if you post and we don't come around, we probably didn't get alerts. It's happening all over the site. ^^;

 

[The Dapper Mog]

I find this concept fascinating. I would like to request the role of first footman. I will be working on the sheet shortly.

 

[The Dapper Mog]

I do hope this is okay. If not, please tell me what's wrong and I'll happily make changes. I'll be sending the final part soon. ^_^

General

Name:

Vincent Rook

Age:

22

Gender:

Male

Sexuality:

Heterosexual

Birthday:

8th of May, 1883

Role:

First Footman

Appearance:

Height:

5' 11"

Weight:

164 lbs.

Hair Color:

Dark Brown

Hair Style:

Cut short, typically parted to the left.

Eye Color:

Light Blue

Eye Shape:

Oval

Face Shape:

Oval

Distinguishing Marks:

None

Personality:

Vincent enjoys conversation, believing in being polite as often as possible. He is dutiful and values wit, ambition, honesty, and kindness above nearly all else. Vincent strives for personal perfection, and strongly believes that lying to people is beneath him. While he may present an air of superiority to some, it is more accurate to say that he simply sees himself as a sophisticate who refuses to talk down to peeple. He is loyal to his family and those he respects. Vincent had also been known to be a flirt, and has a keen sense of time. Finally, Vincent's greatest goal in life is to become Prime Minister, and earn a legitimate position of power.

Philosophy:

"A man who lacks ambition is either a coward, or dead."

Reason for Life:

"To further my station, achieve my goals, and grow as an indiviual."

Worst Habit:

Something of a skirt chaser.

History:

Vincent was born the first son of a fairly wealthy business man. Edward Rook was a soldier turned watchmaker who made his fortune creating intricate time pieces and clocks for the more wealthy men and women of England. Helena Shelley, his mother, is a well known play-wright and composer. The two of them had married well into their adult lives and decided to begin having children. When Vincent was born, his mother was overjoyed. They raised him from a young age to seek knowlege and self improvement, as well as to have a strong appreciation for science and the arts. Of course, Helena firmly believed that scholastic ventures and leisure time could only grant so much growth.

So, almost immediately after he graduated, Vincent's mother decided that a lesson needed to be learned, deciding that the best way to teach him perspective was to have him serve under someone. Edward disagreed with her strange plot for life lessons, but conceded when Vincent finally agreed to do it, on the grounds that he inheret a portion of their wealth upon completing his time in his serving position. The deal was struck, and Vincent left for the Tate Manor. He was hired on to serve under the butler, a position of no power at all. The young man could only hope his time in this bottom rung position would allow for him to develop as a person. In that regard, he had never imagined himself involved in family politics, or murder investigations.

Miscellaneous

Strengths:

Polite
Honest
Intelligent
Educated
Charming

Weaknesses:

Flirtacious
Little sense for deception
Trusting
Ambitious
Vengeful

Education:

High School Graduate

Family:

Edward Rook - Father - Alive
Helena Shelley-Rook - Alive
Samuel Rook - Brother - Alive
Olivia Rook - Alive​

 

[Rae]

@Mippu @Boss Megu @The Classy Mog @~Dark Disney~ @harleygore @Starrnico @Yang Lee @Yun Lee @kuukakulily

I love all the characters so far! Also, your questionnaire responses are making it quite difficult for me to choose a possible perp. xD My plan is to start sometime next week, though possibly later that. If you guys know of anyone that might be interested, feel free to tag them!

ALSO, please feel free to create multiple characters!