Name: Count Iosif Sashenka Kristov II
Aliases: Joseph (Anglicised), Sasha (to friends), Count (Formal title amongst other nobility), Vladimir Kerechenko (false identity used during Russian Revolution), Junior (by relatives & family friends, most of whom are deceased or missing)
Age: 51
Birthday: September 17th, 1873
Ethnicity: Russian
Birth Place: Tsaritsyn, Saratov Governorate, Russian Empire
Residence: TBA
How Long In Cairo: Only a few months
Gender: Male
Major/Minor: Masters - Continental Philosophy; Bachelors - Major in Continental Philosophy, Minor in Languages (English)
Occupation: Former member of the Russian Imperial Court & Occasional Advisor to Tsar Nicholas II; Former Financier for the White Russian forces during the Russian Civil War; Current self-employed ancient artefact collector & dealer
Languages: Fluent in both Russian (Native)* and English (Second)*
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 98kg
Build: Portly and not particularly muscular
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Mostly grey with thin streaks of black
Skin Tone: Very fair - burns easily
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: None
Personal Style: Iosif is a creature of habit, preferring to wear the rich and elaborate garb of the Russian Aristocracy wherever possible. He bears many elaborate rings on his fingers and a large, ornate silver cross around his neck.
Eloquent * Prideful * Scholarly * Wasteful * Fair tempered * Prejudiced
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship Status: Forever single, constantly avoiding getting tied down
Personality: Iosif yearns for the days of old; where he would cavort with the Lords and Ladies of the Russian Imperial Court; where the wine would flow freely; where he dined upon the finest dishes served upon silver platters carried by a small Army of loyal servants; and where there was no shortage of beautiful women to whisper sweet nothings in his ear.
A life of such decadence and excess amongst the upper echelons of society has left him deeply prejudiced of those he considers 'beneath' him (typically the poor or those from other cultural backgrounds, especially colonial ones), not to mention completely oblivious to the virtues of living a frugal life.
Despite these deep-seated and problematic attitudes, Iosif is a rather dependable and loyal man to those he befriends. Most find him friendly and typically agreeable (if perhaps quite pompous). He often buys lavish gifts for those he favours, and likes nothing more than to spend time in fine company with fine pleasures.
Habits: - Iosif is a deeply religious man, praying or giving thanks to God at any available opportunity.
- Iosif is extremely stubborn and unwilling to let go of the past. Part of this manifests in his refusal to wear anything but the finery he once wore while part of the Imperial Court - an odd habit considering Cairo's arid climate and Iosif's aversion to hot weather.
Hobbies: - Iosif enjoys reading in his spare time, mostly historical or philosophical texts; especially in Russian, but those are frequently in short supply.
Fears: - A fear of bankruptcy - Wealth to Iosif is the basis of self-worth, and without a sense of literal self-worth one is no better than the pitiful degenerates who roam the streets, begging for scraps.
- A fear of change - Coming from a place where the ruling social class did do for over 400 years, Iosif struggles and in fact dreads the onset of change. This is one of the reasons he squandered most of his fortune on the pro-Tsarist forces during the Civil War.
- A fear of omens - Despite his Hedonistic and wasteful nature, Iosif is a very superstitious and God-fearing man, easily spooked by the unexplained.
Likes:- Wealth
- Fine food & drink
- Fine clothes
- High society
- Those who come from an educated or wealthy background
- Literature
Dislikes: 6 minimal
- The poor
- Communists
- 'Savages' (Iosif is somewhat of a racist)
- Those 'rising above their station' (Iosif yearns for a time when the rich were rich, the poor were poor, and neither dared to speak to the other).
- Hot climates
- Physical labour
General World Skills:- Keen eye for detail - As a former member of the Russian Aristocracy, Iosif has spent much of his life taking in the intricacies and complexities of fine art. As a result, he is often able to spot minute details others may miss or gloss over.
- Eloquent - Iosif has a stunning mastery of English and Russian, and is able to communicate clearly and fluently to a wide variety of speakers.
- Scholarly - Iosif's time spent reading has made him incredibly intelligent from a scholarly point of view; he knows much about world history and philosophy. That being said, his practical wisdom and street smarts leave a lot to be desired.
- Connected - Iosif knows many families from the European aristocracy, and is able to call in favours. Whether or not those he calls upon will pull through, especially given his behaviour these past few years, is yet to be seen.
- Value appraisal - By looking at and studying precious objects such as ancient relics, jewelry, clothing, etc. Iosif is able to work out the rough value of an item.
Combat Skills:- Riding - Horse
- Combat - Edged Weapons - short swords
- Marksmanship - rifles/shotguns
What Is On Your Person:- Clothing - Grubby & Worn Russian Aristocratic clothing
- Purse/Wallet - £50
- Pre-Revolution Identity Papers with Kristov family seal
- Ornate hand-made cane
- Glasses
- Numerous rings
- Large silver Orthodox Cross
- A room key
- Ivory pipe
- Canteen
Residence:- Money - £850, the remainder of his family fortune converted to British Pounds
- Ornate Cavalry Sabre
- Small Faberge Egg, bought on the Black Market as a memento
- Personal Journal & writing tools
- Ivory pipe
- Tobacco
- A worn group photo of the Romanovs and members of the Russian Imperial Court, taken 1912
What Brings You To Cairo: Several months ago, Iosif began to experience a series of reoccurring dreams, each featuring the image of the Eye of Horus. Down on his luck and believing the dreams to be messages from God, Iosif left the care of his associates in London and sold off his last remaining assets to secure passage to Cairo. There, Iosif believed, God would give him the key to restoring the family fortune and prestige he had squandered away.
Life Before You Moved To Cairo: Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Iosif was no stranger to the aristocratic life - and all that came with it. The only son of Count Iosif Drazhenko Kristov and Countess Yvonne Kristov, little Iosif was exposed from an early age to all the exuberance and splendour that the Romanov Imperial Court had to offer - endless feasts, expensive gifts, long trips abroad and an Oxford education that would make event the most seasoned of scholars green with envy.
This decadence continued well into his adulthood, the almost insatiable need for consumption - food, drink, literature, money, women - driving his every waking moment. He, like so many others in the employ of Tsar Nicholas II, remained blissfully unaware (or perhaps wilfully ignorant) of the lit powder keg upon which they sat.
When the revolution of March 1917 swept through St. Petersburg, Iosif was one of the first to flee, returning to his ancestral home in Tsaritsyn in the hope that the spectre of Communism would not reach that far. By October however it became apparent that there was nothing that could be done to quell the restless masses, and once more Iosif ran; this time to London to live with several Tsarist sympathisers and fellow members of the Imperial Court.
Unwilling to give up his old ways, Iosif became obsessed with recapturing the essence of the life he left behind in Russia. When word spread about the White Russian push against the Bolshevik menace, Iosif was one of the first to fund their Army - funnelling thousands upon thousands of Roubles into the war effort in the hope that they could restore what was left of the Monarchy (and therefore his old life).
By the time the Pro-Tsarist forces conceded defeat however, Iosif had wasted much of his fortune and alienated many of his friends and colleagues with his incessant fixation on 'rebuilding' Russia - as if it were required of him by some divine providence. Those that remained by his side continued to support him at least for a time, but when it became apparent how unwilling Iosif was to let go of old habits, even those closest to him refused to continue propping up his lifestyle.
It was at this point that the dreams started. At first he didn't understand them, only that each prominently featured the image of the Eye of Horus. But as both their frequency and vividness increased, Iosif began to believe that the sweeping ancient vistas, luscious oases, shifting sands and untold riches beneath them were nothing short of a sign from God; Pointing him towards the ancient and terrible place where the Israelites were once enslaved beneath the yoke of the Pharaohs. There, he believed, would be the key to his restoration.
Life Since You Moved To Cairo: Cairo has been... challenging, to say the least. Although Iosif has managed to find and sell several artefacts at the numerous digsites dotting the Saharan landscape, they have done little to sustain Iosif's excessive lifestyle. Although he still holds out hope that God will once more show him a sign and make good on his word, if he doesn't change his lifestyle or find a big break soon he'll wind up exactly where he has been frantically trying to avoid - in the gutter, destitute.
Character Quote: 'For God and Country'
Theme Song: The Tsarist Army MarchesAnything Else: I would have said Anubis, but Ammit is pretty hardcore for a deity/demon. Also,
Obligatory self-protection link (sorry, not sorry :P)*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.
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