Chandler Manning

[Chandler Manning]

Chandler Manning Appearance Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 38 Birthday: Season of Fall, Day 18, 477AV Birthplace: Syliras Appearance: Well fed and well dressed, as befitting a man of his stature. His nose is perpetually upturned and frown lines crease the corners of his mouth. Were it not for his disdainful visage, he might cut a handsome figure. His skin is pale and clear, his hands soft and neat and adorned tastefully with a single green-stoned ring. He is broad shouldered and looks capable, though it is certain he hasn’t lifted more than a pen in all his life. Short, dark hair rests in well-coiffed waves on his head. His eyes are blue, tending toward grey. An ornate looking rapier hangs on one hip. Character Concept Let it never be said that Chandler is all talk. For all his haughty airs and unpleasant humors, it is certain that this is an intelligent, capable man. His moods range from coolly indifferent to downright vicious, but his motives are calculated and he acts deliberately. Clearly, his mind - in addition to his bloodline - is what sets him apart from the common peasant. He has a weakness for fine clothing and gambling. Many a pretty penny has been “borrowed” from his father’s coffers to enable these habits. Character History The Manning family claims to be descendant of the founding Syliran Knights, though they must have been relatively far removed over the last two centuries, as they share a name with none in the Order at present. Chandler’s father, his father’s father, and so on, accumulated a small fortune working for the Miza Mint. The family trade had been fine metalsmithing when they first came to Syliras, though that has been methodically watered down to the more lucrative and less laborious title of middle-management over the course of the last few generations. With the death of his great-grandfather, the smithing trade was lost in the Manning line altogether. As the eldest of three brothers, Chandler stands at the ready to inherit his father’s position at the Mint, organizing the logistics of shipment across the continent. Until his father decides to retire (or dies) Chandler will keep himself busy leeching his father’s funds and looking down on the common folk. Generally, he does as little real work as possible, though he has been known to occasionally push papers and sign the odd bill of lading when it pleases him. He is also something of an entrepreneur; Chandler moonlights as a money-lender, to which his well respected father is either ignorant or is turning a blind eye. He keeps a pair of mercenaries on retainer to “protect” and “influence” his investments - mainly merchants. As the eldest son, he is receiving pressure from his family to produce heirs. Chandler is expected to be out on the days when he is not at the Mint negotiating himself a wife. Language Fluent Language: Common Basic Language: Poor Language: Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Negotiation 15RB, 5SP 20 Novice Writing 20SP 20 Novice Bookkeeping 15SP 15 Novice Fencing 5SP 5 Novice Riding: Horse 5SP 5 Novice Lores Lore of Sylirian trade routes Lore of money lending practices Possessions 1 Set of Clothing (Well Crafted) - Silk Shirt - Fine Wool Pants - Undergarments - Coat - Boots - Riding Boots - Leather Gloves - Fine Wool Doublet 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Wood) -Brush (Wood) -Soap -Razor -Balanced Rations (1 Week's worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel Heirloom: An old-looking rapier with an ornately crafted pommel, more ornamental than functional. It is one of the last remaining examples of the family’s metalsmithing roots. Housing Location: Syliras House: As a character, please note that your starting package does not include a cottage; instead, it includes a 20x20 apartment with the furniture listed in the Housing section. As it is the cheapest housing available, the apartment is situated deep within the interior of Stormhold Citadel and does not include any windows, only ventilation shaft to bring in fresh air. Each hallway is lined with torches which are kept lit at all hours of the day, allowing for light and giving residents free access to something to light their hearth from. A diagram is included below: Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 1000SM Upgrade to fine wool pants -56 SM 944SM Upgrade to silk shirt -24SM 920SM Fine Wool Doublet -24SM 896SM Leather Gloves -10SM 886SM Riding Boots -1GM 876SM Dice Set, Silver -4GM 836SM Silver Ring -3 GM 806SM Fine Desk -12 GM 686SM Fine Chair -5 GM 636SM Upgrade to Good Bed -10 GM 536SM Job: Clerk +3GM/day ---- Job: Money Lender +? GM/day ---- Housing: Good -5 GM/day ---- Thread List Manning Money Lending Business Plan

[Chandler Manning]

Character Development General Information : 1. What is your Name? Chandler Manning 2. Do you go by a nickname or pet name? Chandler, in the family. Manning elsewhere 3. How old are you? 38 4. What is your height? 5'7 5. What is your weight? 170lbs Aesthetics : 1. Describe yourself as you see yourself: Chandler sees himself as generally better than everyone. Better sense of style, better poise, better social standing, etc. 2. Describe yourself as others typically see you: Others would see Chandler for what he is, which is a well built, but fragile man. His skin has the pallor of someone who spends most of his time indoors. He meticulously keeps his hands and nails clean of the ink that is required for his profession; he likes to look like he does no work at all. He keeps his face shaven and his wavy, dark hair well-combed and neat. Frown lines are just starting to appear on his otherwise clear face. His eyes are a blueish grey and are usually shaded by a furrowed brow. 3. What is your favorite body feature? His hands. He's very proud of how soft and un-calloused they are 4. How physically fit are you? Chandler is built with the broad back and shoulders of the old Manning metalworkers, but hasn't used them for any sort of physical activity. He does fill out a waistcoat nicely, just don't ask him to lift anything heavier than a short stack of papers. 5. How do you typically dress and what is your style? Chandler's clothing is the fashion of one of understated class. He does not favor the gaudy look of the supremely wealthy, though he likes to think of himself on their peer level. Instead he wears muted naturals with the occasional article of dark green or blue in high quality fabrics. He favors long, loose trousers, high-collared shirts, waistcoats, and an ascot when the weather is cooler. Family : 1. Who are your parents and what are they like? Avendry and Elias Manning are the quintessential upper class parents. Elias works, Avendry hosts parties and wears big hats, and the nanny cares for the little ones. Chandler absolutely idolizes his father and, as the eldest son, is preparing to step into the other man's shoes. Elias, for his part, is not terribly enthusiastic about the prospect of Chandler succeeding him and is currently encouraging Chandler to pursue other business ventures while he primes his second son, Wallace, to take over the family business. Chandler is very much aware of this and is determined to earn his father's respect and prove that he is the rightful heir to the family's estate. 2. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Chandler is the eldest of three brothers. Wallace, the prize of the family, is 36 and the handsome young playboy, Henry, is 28. Though the eldest, Chandler finds himself constantly upstaged by his middle brother, who is handsome, married, has two children of his own, and has become an accomplished businessman in his own right working for their father. Henry shows no signs of settling down and seems to be content living off of the family's money and making promises to young women that he has no intentions of keeping. He has a bastard daughter named Olivia whom the family has taken in as a scullery maid to try to squirrel her away. 3. What is your extended family like? The three Manning sons were raised by an in-house nanny - a rotund, beastly looking woman named Maverette Rhodes. The family knows her as Mav. She is essentially the boys' mother as she reared them, fed them, taught them, and kept them out of trouble (for the most part) for their entire young lives. She is currently helping to raise Wallace's daughters, though his wife takes a much more active role in the care of her children than Avendry did, possibly due to Mav's advanced age. Wallace's wife and Chandler's sister-in-law, Elandra, is a young, beautiful woman from another well-off family who dotes unwaveringly on Wallace. Avendry adores her and the two host many a brunch together. His two nieces, Charlotte and Camilla, are two and three, respectively. Elandra is currently pregnant with her third child. The whole family is rooting for a boy. His brother Henry has only Olivia, his daughter born out of wedlock. Her mother, a serving girl at a seedy eatery in town, willingly gave the girl up in exchange for a well-padded chest of hush-money. Chandler has little to do with Olivia - almost as little as Henry. Mav will sneak away on occasion to teach her to read and write, but generally, the family does not acknowledge the blood relation. On his paternal side, Chandler's father has two half sisters. His mother died when he was just a boy and his father, Anderson, remarried a woman named Eloise very soon after. Eloise is the woman Chandler identifies as his grandmother. Auntie Sherin, her husband Peit Goodsmith and their brood of six children - five girls and one boy - still live in the city. All of them are much younger than Chandler. He sees them occasionally at family dinners, but otherwise they are quite distant. Auntie Alice moved with her husband Thomas Palrey to the outpost to accommodate his job there. Since she "left for the country," as Elias describes it, she does not often return to see the rest of the family. She has one child named Quinn - a man similar in age to Chandler, though they have never met. Avandry was given to the Manning family as a show of goodwill for generations of business partnership with the Daverson family. The Daversons are in a different city. She doesn't speak much of them and Chandler hasn't been interested enough enough to ask. He only knows she has two sisters named Dorothy and Edith, a brother named Eric, and a smattering of cousins between the two. None of them have visited. 4. Do you consider close friends as important or more/less important than family? Family. Chandler doesn't have the chops for friend-making. 5. Do you treat animals like family? Absolutely not. They're animals. Location : 1. Where were you born? Right here in Syliras. 2. Where do you live now? Still in Syliras! 3. If you could live anywhere in Mizahar where would that be? Syliras. Where else? 4. Do you have a favorite place to vacation or spend leisure time? The Spinning Coin. 5. Where do you fear to be? A proper man has nothing to fear. But in private, he definitely fears being out on his own if Wallace takes his place as the preferred heir. Traits : 1. Do you have any physical weaknesses (disease, scars, and missing limbs?) Chandler is generally weak and unsuited to physical activity of any sort. He also has the crippling affliction of looking like he ate a lemon most of the time. 2. Are you right handed or left handed? Right handed. 3. What languages do you speak? What do you sound like? Do you have an accent? Chandler speaks with a bit of a nasally whine. His accent is the affected lilt of the upper-class. 4. Do you have any odd mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics? Most of Chandler's habits are odd and annoying. He perpetually holds his nose up so he can quite literally look down on whomever his is speaking to. He is also supremely protective of his hands and is constantly wiping them, wringing them, or otherwise caring for them. 5. Do you have (or want to get) any tattoos or piercing? Why do you have them (or will get them) ? Nope. Tattoos and piercings are for the poor. Occupations : 1. What is your occupation? Money Lender 2. Do you like/dislike your work? Why? Chandler loves his work. It allows him to earn money with his money, which is the laziest way to earn money possible. It also allows him to flaunt his family's wealth, which is a point of pride for him. 3. If you could be anything you wanted to, what would you be? A husband and father. Or so his family tells him. 4. What occupation do you admire the most? Why? Chandler has a good amount of respect for quality craftsmen. Those who create furniture, jewelry, and high end clothing are of particular interest. 5. What occupation do you lest like? Why? Any other blue collar position. They're filthy and poor and Chandler simply doesn't like looking at them. Childhood : 1. What sort of child were you? Overall, one that tried too hard and amounted to very little. He was a tattle tale and a brown noser and was not terribly well liked by the estate staff for how poorly he treated them and the fact that he'd run and tell his father if he saw any of them doing anything that was against the house rules. Eating in the kitchen, for instance. 2. What is your favorite memory from childhood? The day he beat Wallace in a horse race, although he nearly killed his horse. His father commended him on his tenacity. 3. What is your worst memory from childhood? The day when he turned sixteen that his father recommended he seek his own job prospects because Wallace was most likely going to inherit the family's shipping business. 4. What sort of relationship did you have with your parents? Chandler was constantly vying for approval from his very absent parents, but was always in the shadow of his younger, more naturally gifted brother. 5. Who was your most influential rolemodel? His father. Education : 1. What sort of education do you have? Chandler was home schooled by several tutors and began learning the family trade at sixteen, though he has been away from the business for most of the last five years. 2. Do you like/dislike learning? Chandler loves to learn. Knowledge is power, and one can never be powerful enough. 3. Where or how did you learn most of your skills/abilities? Fencing, horseback riding, and his usual math and Common skills were taught by tutors at the family estate. His bookkeeping was taught to him by his father, which he has since applied to his money lending business. 4. How do you learn best? Chandler, for all his flaws, is very sharp. It doesn't take long for him to learn anything. Learning to accomplish physical feats, like fencing, does not come as easily to him as learning more cerebral topics. 5. What are your educational goals for the future? Chandler intends to absorb as much knowledge about the city and its inhabitants as possible, particularly the noble and upper-middle class families. He wants to know their businesses, their children (most importantly their women), and what kinds of wine they enjoy with supper. No detail is too small. Relationships : 1. Do you form close bonds with people? Why? Why not? Chandler does not exactly have the most winning personality. His patronizing behavior tends to push people away. Unless he pays them, Chandler doesn't really have friends. Mostly, he just has business partners, and even they don't particularly enjoy working with him. 2. Do you trust people easily? If not, why not? In Chandler's line of work, trust loses money. He is naturally suspicious and prepares for the worst outcome in his dealings with other people. 3. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? Straight. But really, he isn't interested in anyone. He's only looking for a woman because he's behind the curve and Wallace is soundly in the lead. 4. Have you ever been kissed? If so, describe the first time. Other than chaste kisses with family, Chandler has never been kissed. 5. Have you ever had sex? If so, describe the first time. Never. Chandler is a virgin and intends to remain that way until he is married. Drugs and Alcohol : 1. Have you ever been drunk? If so, describe your first time: He has been drunk before, but he doesn't particularly enjoy it. Mostly his drunk occasions were accidental. He doesn't like feeling that he isn't in control of his mental faculties. It's a very uncomfortable experience for him. 2. Do you like to drink on a regular basis? In moderation never hurt anyone. 3. What sort of alcohol do you prefer? Wine! Expensive wine. 4. Have you ever tried drugs (mood altering substances)? If so, which kinds and what did you think of them? No. He's just imbibed in alcohol. 5. What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Be specific. Chandler believes that a spot of wine here and there is perfectly acceptable, but those who drink to excess or drug themselves practically to a catatonic state disgust him. Addiction and excess are signs of a weak will and, probably, a poor upbringing. Chandler wants nothing to do with those people. Likes and Dislikes : 1. What are your hobbies? Gambling. Chandler has... a bit of a problem. 2. Do you like to read? He will read on occasion. It's not a love of his, though. 3. What annoys you more than anything else? Oh gosh, that's a hard one to pick. The poor, I suppose. 4. What do you find the most relaxing activity to do? Judge people. 5. What kinds of things embarrass you? Why? Being dirty is embarrassing. Chandler likes to keep himself clean to put off the impression that he's of a higher class than he really is. Members of the upper elite of the city don't walk around the muddy streets - they have a carriage. He tries to look very much like he's got a carriage. Maybe even two carriages. Favorites : 1. What is your favorite color or colors? Green is his favorite color. 2. What is your favorite time of day? Night. That's when he can go throw his dice. 3. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Clean white sheets on his bed, with the morning sun pouring in his window at his father's estate. 4. What do you like to eat? What do you hate to eat? Chandler isn't terribly picky. A good hearty, filling meal is good enough for him. Bread and cheese to go with his wine would be lovely. He wouldn't be caught dead eating gruel or some other peasant food, though. 5. What is your favorite type of weather? Does any kind scare you? Being afraid of weather is for children. He doesn't prefer any particular weather, but since he is so fond of his shoes, he would prefer it didn't rain. Snow is fine. That doesn't create as much muck. Outlook : 1. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Realistic, morelike. He does tend toward pessimism, though. 2. What are your religious views? His family isn't particularly religious, and so he never learned very much about the gods. Only that he shouldn't swear by them or Mav will cuff him on the ear. 3. Would you be able to kill? Never. Too wimpy. 4. What are your views on sex? Well, it's how men make sons, so it's got to be worth something. 5. What, in your opinion, makes a successful life? Making so much money that your children's children don't have to work. Emotions : 1. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with others? Chandler is nothing if not honest. He's honest to a fault - what he thinks is generally unpleasant. 2. Do you have any biases or prejudices? Chandler is very biased toward the poor. More money = better person. Less money = lesser person. 3. What makes you happy? Money. The approval of his father makes a close second. 4. Who or what, if anything, would you die for? Nothing. There is literally nothing Chandler deems more important than his own life. 5. What makes you angry? Being inconvenienced, being dirty, stupidity... lots of things, actually. Relationships : 1. In general, how do you treat others? Like they exist to better serve Chandler Manning. 2. Who is the most important person in your life, and why? Chandler's father. He's the patriarch, the maker of the money, and he's the man Chandler needs to impress to secure his future. 3. Who is the person you respect the most, and why? Also his father, for the same reason. 4. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If not, describe an ideal lover. The ideal woman for Chandler is a comely deaf mute with a history of her ancestors bearing sons two at a time 5. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why? He trusts people he pays, so long as he keeps the money flowing. He prefers one particular mercenary over the rest simply because they've worked very well together in the past, though he's recently begun employing the man's brother instead. He's cheaper. Group Situations : 1. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict? Why argue when you're always right? 2. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations? No. Chandler is a wall-flower in social gatherings and generally spends his time scowling at all the other people having a lovely evening. 3. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not? No way. If Chandler could be alone for the rest of his life, he'd be perfectly content with that. 4. Do you care what others think of you? Oh yes, though he'd never admit it. He works very hard to create the image he wishes people to see. 5. What do you think of others, in general? Generally they're smellier and not as refined or as intelligent as he is... and he generally dislikes them. Self Image : 1. What is your greatest strength as a person? His drive. If Chandler wants something, you can be sure he's going to get it, or at least find a way for someone else to lose it to even the playing field. 2. What is your greatest weakness? Chandler would never admit this himself, but his greatest weakness is his hubris. He'd probably do well to stumble upon a little humility, but he'd have to admit the fault before that could happen. 3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? He would get himself a wife, for one. 4. Are you generally introverted or extroverted? Chandler is a consummate introvert. 5. Are you generally organized or messy? Supremely organized. Life & Death : 1. What do you absolutely live for? Success. 2. What is the best part of life? Winning. His sole purpose, so far as Chandler sees it, is to be the best, or at least be better than most. He'll settle for better than his brother. 3. What is the best part of death? There is none, unless you are leaving behind a spectacular legacy. 4. If you could choose, how would you want to die? Very very very very old age. 5. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death? Beating out his little brother and becoming the patriarch of the Manning family