Hale, Mary
full of grace
the Lord is with thee.
Name: Sister Mary Ignatia Hale, Dame of the Holy Order of St. Sylvester
Social Class: Clergy (Upper Middle Class)
Age: 22
Birthday: August 17, 1800 - Leo (Starting day of the RP is March 21st, 1823)
Nationality: Scottish
Birth Place: Stirling, Scotland, U.K.
Residence: Rooms in the Ely House, St. Etheldreda's Chapel, Westminster London
Gender: Female
Education: Divinity & Swiss Guard training in Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Income Source: Catholic Church, annual salary of £225 Sterling (or equivalent for country), plus expenses related to occupation.
Native Language: English
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 148
Build: Solidly athletic
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red, wavy, past shoulder length
Skin Tone: Pale, some freckling
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Rough hands and feet from labor and physical training, knees and elbows show similar marking
Personal Style: When not on the job, Mary prefers to dress in hooded white robes with patterned red trim, reminiscent of older Celtic styling (think White Mage). It also serves to accent her complexion and hair color, as well as conceal weapons easily.
She prefers otherwise to attire herself in a professional manner, in accordance with her Order: Long, fitting, black cassock with gilt laurel edges along the cuffs and high collar, double-breasted, but without the white collar insert. It is utilitarian and militaristic in nature, but still easily points her out as a dedicated member of the Church.
Always carries a particularly sturdy rosary. Plus a spare.
Disciplined * Strong-Willed * Kind * Formal * Seraphic * Brutal
Sexuality: Hetero
Relationship Status: Bride of Christ (How’s THAT for an NPC spouse?)
Personality: Dame Mary Hale (or Sister, as the Anglicans don’t recognize her position) is an extremely professional warrior for God and the Vatican (That's God first, Rome second). But she is also an inquisitive and healthy young lady with keen sense for detail. Sometimes, these two things fight with one another. This has led to a series of particularly interesting sessions at Confession for those Monsignors unfamiliar with Mary.
She truly wants to make lasting friendships, but her upbringing in the Vatican and transient nature of her occupation make that extremely difficult. She takes her vows seriously, and tends to speak with humble but blunt honesty; not because she likes shocking reactions from others, but because it was how she was brought up. Mary considers it polite and respectful, often not understanding why others take offense. Keeping one foot on Earthly and one on Heavenly matters has made her seem a little aloof, but in fact she’s just a little awkward. Even literal. Turns of phrase can sometimes confuse the headstrong papist. But sometimes,
just sometimes, Mary would prefer to merely be one of the girls.
Then she goes to work. When taking direct action in pursuance of her assignment, Dame Hale becomes an unrelenting Agent of Our Lord’s Church, employing every resource at her disposal to root out and obliterate the Soulless. Oftentimes, if the concept of stealth has been abandoned, Mary will acquire a beautiful but terrible aspect to her eyes, then begin hacking and stabbing and perforating her enemies in a dervish-like manner, screaming and hissing biblical verses in ways that make pious mens’ feet sweat.
Generosity is a saintly virtue. Young Mary has gifts, and she means to share.
Habits: Mumbling in Latin when annoyed, rubbing her rosary
Hobbies: Hobby? She trains. Horrible, punishing exercise. Knuckle pushups. Fingertip pushups. Pullups in cathedral archways with buckets of water tethered to her belt. Unending series of forms in the catacombs in pitch darkness. Running in weights. Leaping through obstacle courses and abandoned architecture at a dead sprint. Her hobby is hammering herself into the tip of God’s sword here on Earth. And singing.
Fears: - Expulsion from the Church
- Losing her Faith
- Humanity’s extinction
Likes:- Music
- Architecture
- The countryside
- Good wine (always in moderation)
- Fresh bread
- A clean kill
Dislikes:- Anti-Papists
- Hot weather
- Being unclean (cause it’s next to…)
- Poor craftsmanship
- Blasphemy
- People who refuse to recognize her station
Mary's early days training with the Swiss Guard were oft met with little setbacks.
General Skills: - The Sacrament - Knowledge of and permission to carry out duties of the recognized Catholic Sacraments, including blessings, purification, consecration, etc., as needed to carry out her duties. The higher ones (I.e. Exorcisms) or Sacraments of Service requires the petitioning of a Bishop (or higher), or the head of her Order for permission.
- Athletics - Intensive body conditioning has made for a very physically adept, graceful woman, often not as apparent under her vestments until it is too late.
- Blindfighting - Mary has taught herself the painful art of fighting in low or no-light settings. This was accomplished by years of late night training and forms practice, often in the Vatican catacombs.
- Stealth - Hiding/Trailing/Intrusion/Knife in the back; The wonderful art of not being noticed when you don’t want to be.
- Horseback Riding - She rides. On the back of horses. Seriously, does this need explanation?
- Church Etiquette - Knowledge of the Bible, Cannon Law, the Church, its structure and practices. She knows where to go, who to speak to, and the best ways to cut through bureaucracy.
- Pistols - Firearms of the one-handed variety, be they flint or the rarer percussion models.
- Singing - Her cover of "Ave Maria" will totally blow you away. She's that good.
- Short Blades - if it's sharp and shorter than a long blade, she's your girl.
- Ambidexterity - Right handed, left handed... Who has time to decide? Great for coordinating two items in either hand, as well.
- Language (Italian) - Spent a few of her formatives in Rome.
- Language (French) - Quite the cunning linguist, isn't she?
Trained Skills (Rome):- Latin - The Language of the Catholic Church; reading/writing as well as Roman Numerals and Symbols.
- Tanter - Focusing of nearly a sixth sense to detect the presence of a change Soulless that has been able to pass as a Soulled
- Timyne - Ability to heal through faith to a certain point; can reverse the chances of becoming a Soulless from time to time.
- Cibera - A martial art style that encompasses the use of a rosary as a weapon
- Audist - An art of wielding a Halberd.
- Obriss - The ability to bless items for other followers of the faith; a faithless gains nothing from a blessed item; blessed items wielded by those of faith carry additional damage to the Soulless.
What Is On Your Person:- Clothing - Black cassock with laurel gilding (cuffs & collar) and wide cloth wraparound belt (described in “Personal Style”, above) covering black breeches, black knee-high riding boots, buttoned black shirt, white undershirt, and light corset. Wraps her forearms with long rolls of black cloth. Regularly wears a white, hooded robe trimmed with red geometric shapes. Wears a chain rosary around her neck.
- Paired Shortsword, (Blessed)
- Leather scabbard, modular
- Paired Shortsword (Blessed)
- Leather scabbard, modular
- Swiss Guard Halberd, antiqued metal (Blessed)
- Chain Rosary (Blessed) - Keeps on belt
- Holland & Holland Magnum Double Barreled Howdah Pistol
- Hip holster for Howdah Pistol, American style
- Sporran bag (contains small coinpurse with several shillings, extra cartridges, flask of holy water, dried mint)
Residence:- Swiss Guard Halberd, antiqued metal (Blessed)
- Holland & Holland Magnum Double Barreled Howdah Pistol (hip holster)
- Bible
- Chest of situationally appropriate clothing
- Case of magnum cartridges, .54
- Bullet molding kit
- Several bottles of holy water
- Scribing tools (pen, ink, paper, wax, seal, etc.)
- Writings on cases; terminated, ongoing, and suspected Soulless
- "Bug Out Bag" - Knapsack containing modest nonperishable food, canteen, knife, change of clothes, and some money
- Dapple Grey stallion, "Cassius".
Family History: The Hale family had a long and prosperous history, led by a line of renowned Knights of the British Empire. In recent years, they have come under some decline, both in numbers and finance. It was hoped that the two male heirs would marry favorably and assist in this endeavor, possibly even bringing up the status of their people. In fact, such an arrangement was underway with a poorer family in the Peerage, landowners without the means to fully take advantage of their land's production.
Such a mutually beneficial set of pairings was not to occur, as a good amount of both families were laid to waste by a rush attack of Ryne in the small hours of the morning. It was during one of her brother's engagement parties. Very sad. She was still a child at the time. The Knightly Hale line was cut short, people that had served the with distinction now found their assets impounded indefinitely by the Crown.
Your personal life: With no male heirs to inherit the family's estate, and women forbidden by British law of taking the title of Knight (Dame), Mary was sent to live with cousins. They were a merchant family that spent half of their time in northern France and looked upon their relative-by-marriage as something of a dutiful burden. Her higher placed heritage wasn't exactly a selling point for them, either. She was treated as something of a second class citizen in this family, looked after but otherwise largely ignored. A fierce anger grew in Mary, one which had no outlet. Relations were strained further.
They did do her one massive favor, though, even if they weren't aware. When she was barely a teenager, Mary was sent off to Rome for training. (read: To get her out of their hair) It was unusual for someone as young as she to take up the same kind of training as Priests and the Swiss Guard, but no sacrifice was too much for her new adoptive family (sarcasm font required here). The joke was on them, though - two days before the entourage reached Rome, a small band of Hraew ate her chaperones while she hid in the nearby woods. She stumbled into the Vatican days later, hungry and exhausted, papers of intent in hand.
As the years passed, Mary was raised under the tutelage of Papal scholars and Captains of the Swiss Guard. She learned anything that anyone was willing to teach her, even some of the ne'er-do-wells of Rome's underclass in her free time. Her long years there, much longer than the vast majority of English Gentry and/or casual trainees of foreign Clergy, afforded her the time to pursue dedicated training in a variety of disciplines. It also allowed her to apprentice under a series of Priests and Papal Knights, during which time she engaged in envious travel opportunities, learning even more and slowly forging her into a professional Hunter.
When she came of age, Mary Ignatia Hale was given an opportunity to return home to seek her fortune there, or to remain in the service of the Church. Her long standing history with the Vatican and unusual circumstances, not to mention the many people she had met and impressed gave her a further opportunity, if she so grasped it. If she became an official member of the Church, she was offered a position unheard of for someone of her age and lack of exterior plumbing. And she jumped on it, hard.
Mary took simple vows, making her a Nun in the service of the Vatican directly. A council of Bishops, with Papal nod, granted her permission to administer Sacramental duties, almost on par with that of a Priest. Immediately afterward (one would think it was planned), an offer was extended to Sister Mary Hale from the Holy Order of St. Sylvester, giving her further title of Dame within the Church. The Knights of St. Sylvester, in recent decades, had developed another, more provocative title among the general populous:
"Soulless Hunters".
Now the equal of a Holy Knight of the Papacy, she was introduced to the Grand Cross of her Order (guy in charge), who gave her assignment in London at the Bishop Ely House, a manor in the Westminster district and one of fewer Catholic holdings left in Great Britain. A bedroom and study are at her disposal. She plies her trade there, sometimes openly and sometimes not, locating and hunting Soulless as directed or as she finds them. If cover is required, she is obstinately the Nun caretaker of St. Etheldreda Church, a chapel located on premises.
What you want for your life: Mary wants what anyone else does: A sense of self determination and respect. She has climbed higher toward that goal than many women could ever hope for in that time and place. People who understand who she is and what she does know to listen when she talks business, despite her pretty face and reputably whimsical gender. Getting her family's holdings back would be nice, too, but she is unaware of how that can be done legally, if at all since her family is either dead or absorbed into other prominent lineages at this time.
Mostly, Mary wants to uphold her duties to her Order. One could say that they've given her another chance at a productive life. One could also say that the Church provided an opportunity, and she dug that opportunity out of rock with blood and her bare hands. Mary can feel a war coming between the living and the dead, and believes that it is soon. She intends to be ready.
Character Quote(s): "Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins. Now, it's your turn."
"Aim for the face. It's their weak spot."
"Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight."
"Don't you blaspheme!"
"May you be struck down by his almighty swift sword!"
"I will have to spend some time in contemplation about this. Vigorously."
"
The Power of Christ impales you!"
"In nomine Patris et fillii et Spiritus Sancti."
"Here endeth the lesson."
"...and I shall strike down upon thee great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
"And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skillful to destroy."
"Amen."
Theme Song: Anything Else: Ryne. Might as well.
roleplayerguild.com/posts/3214659*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.