Mr Horatio Fairbourne Draft
Background
Mr. Horatio Fairborn is a tall, gaunt antiquarian with thinning grey hair and a penchant for velvet waistcoats in faded jewel tones. He lives at No. 7 Gough Square, London — a tall, narrow, ivy-clad townhouse off Fleet Street, near the old printing district. His days are spent amongst old books, cracked scrolls, and forgotten maps.
He is second cousin once removed to Emma_Wentworth and Georgiana_Wentworth on their mother’s side. Unmarried. Of modest but respectable means, tolerated among scholars and collectors, though few regard him as fashionable or particularly esteemed.
He speaks in slow, deliberate tones and has the unsettling habit of trailing off mid-thought, only to resume it hours later as though no time had passed. He carries himself with the distracted air of a man more familiar with the dead than the living.
He is not attached to the Order_of_St_Aelfric in any way. He is unaware of the supernatural — though he has in his collection a few volumes whose contents hint at truths better left unread.
Household
- Mrs. Bryer — Housekeeper. Her oat biscuits are endured rather than enjoyed.
- Tom — Errand boy, about twelve. Nervous.
Residence: No. 7 Gough Square
A tall, narrow townhouse cluttered with books, curios, and old artefacts. The wallpaper has faded to sepia. Books and parcels litter the side tables. The study — floor to ceiling with mismatched shelves — contains volumes annotated in Latin, Greek, or worse. Glass cases display objects that might be fossils… or bones. Maps pinned with surgical precision.
The hallway smells of dust, beeswax, and lavender — some half-hearted attempt at civility. The drawing room hearth is kept lit.
Character Notes
- Bookish & Reclusive: Rarely leaves home unless a particular curiosity calls him to an estate sale, auction, or private collection
- Collector of Oddities: Not an occultist, but his collection skirts the edges of dangerous knowledge
- Family Obligation: Agreed to host the sisters largely out of duty — and perhaps because he finds their presence a welcome disruption to his otherwise silent days
- Unaware of the Supernatural: Has no idea of the horrors lurking beneath polite society, though he may have stumbled across them unwittingly
Campaign History
- Winter 1813: The Wentworth sisters arrived at Gough Square during the training period. Horatio received them with bemused hospitality: “Your mother, rest her soul, once said I had all the charm of a misfiled tax return. Let us hope I have improved.”
Connections
- Location: No. 7 Gough Square, London (off Fleet Street)
- Family: Second cousin once removed to Emma_Wentworth and Georgiana_Wentworth on their mother’s side
Relationships
- Knows Emma Wentworth — Distant relative — second cousin once removed on their mother's side
- Knows Georgiana Wentworth — Distant relative — second cousin once removed on their mother's side