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.~~~

​

 

[Ringmaster]

Character Sheet

General
Name: Jimmy 'Little Coyote' Marius.
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Hereto
Birthday: April 14th, 1865
Role: Head Groundskeeper

Appearance

Height: 6'2
Weight: 189
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Short
Eye Color: Grey
Eye Shape: Regular
Face Shape: Rugged
Distinguishing Marks: A tattoo located on his right shoulder of a black rose in bloom.

Personality

Despite his looks, Jimmy is actually older then he looks and has seen history change before his eyes. The day he was born, President Lincoln was shot in a theater and in a way, its warped his sense of the world. He's American, warm in tone and perhaps a little ornery when it comes to his accent, a distinct rustic twang he adopts when talking to folks. He's always there with a flask on his hip and an anecdote for anyone seeking advice. Is fatherly to those under him, protective to his own people.

Philosophy: "Life is a good whiskey. Sometimes you choke on it, but when you down the whole thing, you start craving more."
Reason for Life: "The harvest and the flight of birds."
Greatest Gift: He's a retired prizefighter. Bare-fist fighting in the legal and illegal circles.
Worst Habit: He has a very savage temper.

History

Not much is known about the American who works as Head Groundskeeper on the Tate Estate. The rumors and stories that do exist are contradicting and strange. The reality of it is simple enough. Born in the days of the American West, Jimmy grew up in a time of conflict and chaos. But also an era of progress and creation- In his teen years, Edison and Tesla were working on their projects and when he was older, the flight of the Wright Brothers was a tale he'd always recall. Still, he kept much to himself. His first real job was as a ranch hand. Then when that was no longer feasible, he left to New York City and did a number of odd-jobs from Bouncer to Boxer. But he always read and in particular enjoyed the stories of Mark Twain, which struck a chord in him in particular.

And then he found work in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, as an extra and understudy for certain acts. It brought him to London where some time in between, he met Alexander Tate under quiet circumstances and ended up getting hired as a Groundskeeper. A few years later, he became the head groundskeeper.

Miscellaneous
Strengths: He's a voracious reader. Specializes in marksmanship, woodcraft and fist-fighting from his old backgrounds, can speak Iroquois and loves flower language.
Weaknesses: Low education, can be riled into a fight if you press the right buttons.
Education: Low.
Family: He has a brother in the states.​

 

[Rae]

Could I take the role of the Governess please?

Yes, of course!

**

ALL characters posted so far are accepted. Sorry for the wait. I'll be finishing my two main characters tonight, and then we'll get started within the next couple days to give @derelict_lilyflower time to get her character up!

 

[Rae]

Well, I apologize for the wait! I kind of lost track of this o.o

ANYWHO, I will be starting tonight hopefully, if not tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience! I'll be sure to tag everyone to the IC when it's up.

 

[Rae]

Well, I apologize for the wait! I kind of lost track of this o.o

ANYWHO, I will be starting tonight hopefully, if not tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience! I'll be sure to tag everyone to the IC when it's up.

Well let's just say I got mauled by a bear named Insomnia and Work. I promise I'm working on the IC, and it will be up as soon as I can manage. Monday at the absolute latest, as I'm off work that day. :)

 

[Banana-senpai]

Well let's just say I got mauled by a bear named Insomnia and Work. I promise I'm working on the IC, and it will be up as soon as I can manage. Monday at the absolute latest, as I'm off work that day. :)

Oh my goodness, you're the Revenant!
Anyway, thanks for your hard work! We'll be waiting~

 

[Rae]

Ah, again my apologies! I'm NEARLY finished, so it WILL be up tonight. :D

 

[Rae]

HELLO, ALL!
I am terribly sorry for the wait. I decided to make it less complicated and just go with something more simple, so sorry if the simplicity is a bit disappointing. Thank you for your patience.

Without further ado, HERE IS THE IC!

If you are unsure where to begin, feel free to ask. I'll have my characters' posts up as soon as possible. I was planning on just including them now, but I decided I didn't want to make you all wait any longer.​

 

[Banana-senpai]

Willing to wait till your characters are up. I wanna follow your lead.

 

[Banana-senpai]

[warning=red]Boss Megu is never coming back. I'll handle her character.[/warning]

 

[Rae]

[warning=red]Boss Megu is never coming back. I'll handle her character.[/warning]

Ah I'm sorry to hear that! I'm also sorry for the wait (again). I just got swamped with the start of the school year. I'll hopefully have my first post up on Monday.

 

[Banana-senpai]

Hey it's okay! School first! And thank you, I'll take full responsibility.

 

[Zora18]

Hey everyone, I posted in the IC to help get this started. :) I hope you like it. Let me know if I need to change anything.

 

[Banana-senpai]

Hey everyone, I posted in the IC to help get this started. :) I hope you like it. Let me know if I need to change anything.

Super helpful. I'll post soon.

 

[sivilia]

I apologise sincerely for the delay! I completely forgot to watch the thread and I'd lost it for ages and came across it last night and noticed that the rp hadn't got so far as to mean I couldn't join still, so I hope it's still okay for me to finally post my cs :L

Mrs Roscoe, the Governess

• Name: Bianca Roscoe
  Age: 27
  Gender: Female
  Sexuality: Bisexual
  Birthday: 21 December 1877
  Role: The Governess
  
  Appearance:
  
  
  
  Height: 5'10"
  Weight: 141 lbs
  Hair Color: Brunette
  Hair Style: Long, wavy
  Eye Color: Blue
  Distinguishing Marks: Crescent-shaped birthmark on her left buttock
  
  Personality
  As one might expect of a governess, Bianca Roscoe can be very stern and disciplined and yet is also very excitable and a fun person to be around. A hopeless romantic, although she falls in love quickly and seemingly randomly, the love she feels is deep and pure, even if not reciprocated. She finds it incredibly difficult to stay in one place, and her charismatic nature allows her to befriend people very quickly, particularly children. However, one could also argue that her emotional attachment to partners makes her a difficult and needy person at times.
  
  Philosophy: "I would rather betray the world than allow the world to betray me."
  Reason for Life: Bianca wants to find a perfect husband and start a family.
  Greatest Gift: Her singing voice.
  Worst Habit: Her erratic and unpredictable behaviour, and frequent jealousy.
  
  History
  Bianca was born Agatha Bianca Merryweather on 21 December 1877 in London, England, as the third daughter of Lord Charles Merryweather, a lord and successful business tycoon in the US, and his second wife Emily. After Emily died in January 1889, Bianca was sent away to a private boarding school in Edinburgh to study mathematics and the sciences, but in May 1894, she ran away with her chemistry tutor John Oregon after engaging in an affair which had started eighteen months prior. Bianca and John's relationship was tumultuous, with John wedding her in August 1984 despite him being a married man and Bianca being a teenager, but their relationship came to end in December 1895 after he discovered she had faked a pregnancy to keep him from returning to his wife Sarah. Soon after this in March 1896, Bianca met a man named Harry Stokes, who worked as a labourer for her father. Harry had just been widowed after his wife Edith died of an illness, and Bianca quickly fell in love with him. When her father threatened to disinherit her if she wedded Harry, Bianca went ahead with the marriage anyway in April 1897, but Bianca fell in love with Thomas Roscoe, Harry's former brother-in-law. Thomas and Bianca decided to elope in October 1898, but as she was unable to get a divorce from her first husband, they couldn't marry. In December 1899, Harry fell to his death while working as a labourer on a night shift on a new skyscraper in New York owned by Charles Merryweather. Bianca married Thomas in January 1900, and was employed to work at the Tate Manor as the governess and tutor to his twin daughters, Adelaide and Annabelle. Bianca often comes to blows with Angelina Tate, as they differ on the ways that the Tate twins should be taught.
  
  In October 1904, Thomas shot himself in his mansion, with the doctors believing he suffered from a severe mental disorder. Soon after her second husband's death, Bianca fell in love with Alexander Tate, her employer, although she kept the secret hidden for several months. When she finally confessed her feelings towards him in August 1905, Alexander rejected her. Bianca's feelings towards Alexander, and her rejection, are unknown to all else in the Tate Manor.
  
  
  Strengths: Her intelligence, her 'beauty' and her wealth have all assisted her in the past.
  Weaknesses: Her jealous, erratic, unpredictable nature, and her tendency to become obsessive.
  Education: She attended a private school in Edinburgh, but gave up a chance to study early at Cambridge University in order to elope with her tutor John Oregon.
  ​
  Father
  Charles Merryweather - 67
  Mother
  Emily Merryweather - d. 45
  Husbands
  John Oregon [m. 1894-95] - 51
  Harry Stokes [m. 1897-99] - d. 34
  Thomas Roscoe [m. 1900-04] - d. 32
  
  
  Siblings
  Harriet Langley - 32
  Judith Merryweather - 29
  John Merryweather - 22
  Half-siblings
  Charles Merryweather, Jr. - 41
  Edmund Merryweather - 36
  Thomas Merryweather - 34
  Nicholas Merryweather - d. 25
  Christine Merryweather - 13
  Joseph Merryweather - 13
  
  Her father Charles Merryweather (1838-) wedded Carol Stanhope (1840-73) in 1859, and she bore him four sons; Charles Jr (1863-), Edmund (1869-), Thomas (1871-) and Nicholas (1872-97). In 1873, Carol died of complications caused by the birth of her fourth son Nicholas. Charles had kept a mistress, Emily Hobbles (1843-89), who had fell pregnant with his child while Carol was still pregnant with Nicholas. Charles and Emily married in April 1873, and she bore him four children; Harriet (1873-), Judith (1876-), Bianca (1877-) and John (1883-). Charles kept another mistress, a woman named Jacqueline Dubrais, who bore him twins; Christine (1892-) and Joseph (1892-). As of the present day, none of Charles' family are aware of Jacqueline or her children's existence. She has married three times, to bigamist teacher John Oregon (1854-), labourer Harry Stokes (1865-99) and policeman Thomas Roscoe (1872-1904), although she has borne no children.​
  ​
  ​

​

 

[Rae]

I apologize everyone, but I'm simply not going to be able to commit to GMing this roleplay. If anyone wants to snatch the concept, feel free. You can PM me if you'd like any of the info I had in store for IC reveal. I really wanted to do this, and I might try it again at a later time when I'm not so busy. Thanks for your understanding!

~Kim

 

[Banana-senpai]

I apologize everyone, but I'm simply not going to be able to commit to GMing this roleplay. If anyone wants to snatch the concept, feel free. You can PM me if you'd like any of the info I had in store for IC reveal. I really wanted to do this, and I might try it again at a later time when I'm not so busy. Thanks for your understanding!

~Kim

If you do it, I'll come back. At the moment, I can't do anything, either. Thank you for sharing this though~