Name: Sam Munro

Avatar:

Occupation: Constable

Age: Twenty-eight

Gender: Male

Appearance: Sam stands an inch or two taller than the average man, with a lean but sturdy build. A wide, open face, prominent nose, and well-defined cheekbones lend him the appearance of an aristocrat, but his shockingly blue-green eyes, thick brown hair, sun-browned skin, and calloused hands suggest a life spent at labour rather than leisure. Sam's proud, upright carriage often cause others to think him a noble. This impression is quickly disproved when he speaks, for his voice - although a mellow bass - bears the distinctive Scottish lilt.

Personality: The constable leaves no doubt of his presence when he is around. It is something he cannot help. With his fair features comes the natural ability to project an air of dominance. Sam has done his best to overcome this, while maintaining his Highlander pride. Although his is not an ostentatious nature, he is not above causing a stir when necessary. Employment on the docks in Edinburgh taught him to back up his pride with actions and not let lesser men get the better of him. They were lessons he learned well. His acquired belligerency and stubborn Scottish pride make him both endearing and difficult.

History: It was an unusual circumstance that resulted in Sam's birth. His parents had worked in the household of an English lord in Yorkshire for many years, his mother as a lady's maid and his father as a footman. It was a gossip-worthy matter for the nobleman to employ two Scots in such notable positions and he relished the notoriety he gained from it. The nobleman was also known for his wandering eye and fondness for pretty faces, and Sam's mother had the sort of graceful features the Englishman found appealing. He went about the business of seducing the Scotswoman until he had finally lured her unwillingly into his bedchamber. The next morning, his parents were turned out onto the street with a small bag of coins and what little belongings they had. Bitterly, the pair left England, returning to Michael's old home in the Scottish Highlands. Sam was born there.

He grew up in the village with the Munro name, learning the rough-and-tumble ways of young Scottish boys. He never questioned the unusual lack of resemblance to Michael and no one spoke of it to him. His youth was spent free until he turned seven, when he was deemed old enough to earn his keep. Sam was used as a jack-of-all-trades until he was twelve, when he wandered down to the river, following several men hauling carts to the riverbank. Fascinated by the sight of the single-masted boats, he began spending more and more time at the river until he was pressed into service unloading goods from them. It was the spark that ingited a fire within him. He sailed downriver with the boats, helping move goods on and off the boats and learning the unique trade of a riverman.

Eventually, he grew bored with the restricted life on the river and rode with the men who bought the cargoes of the boats and took them to Edinburgh. There he was awestruck by the tall-masted, multi-decked sailing ships lying at anchor in the harbour. His questions were many and the men laughed at his boyish fascination. Upon returning to the village, Sam found the memory of the ships teasing its way into his dreams. He grew restless up in the hills and on the river, although the loved the rugged land. His longing to learn more about those majestic vessels finally became too strong and he sailed with the rivermen to their port and did not return.

In Edinburgh, the objects of his fascination rolled on the tide, beckoning him. Sam found work in the dockyards, handling cargoes just unloaded from the ships. The work served to pacify him for awhile, until he was able to secure a job as an apprentice sailor on a ship bound for London. He put what he had learned on the river to good use, proving himself quick and capable. The ship's captain was well-pleased with the young man's ability and boasted of him to his fellow captains once in London. They insisted on seeing Sam for themselves and were impressed as well. One of the captains, finding the fifteen year old's face remarkably familiar, asked the lad's name. Word of the young sailor who looked like him soon reached Lord James Edgerton, who was in London on business. The nobleman sent a servant to the harbour to verify the rumour and was stunned when the man told him that the boy did indeed resemble him. It was a scandal in the making and Edgerton could ill afford one. The wild indescretions of his younger son were tainting his reputation. Edgerton sent a man to the captain of one of the Navy ships anchored in London harbour. Sam and two other merchant sailors were returning to their ship one night after visiting the taverns when a gang of Navy sailors surrounded them. Despite fighting against the press-gang, the three men were clubbed down and dragged to a waiting jolly-boat.

Sam served as a pressed sailor for two years on several ships, making himself a nuisance on each one until he was finally sent to a frigate in the Channel fleet. It was there that he learned the ugly truth of his lineage, from the smirking captain who delighted in the young man's furious disbelief. That he could be the bastard son of an Englishman was the ultimate insult. Sam refused to acknowledge the fact until the captain showed him a small portrait of Edgerton as proof. Dispirited and angry, the Scotsman slashed the painting with the dagger he kept on his belt and earned two dozen lashes for the act. He was later considered unfit for naval service.

Turned out on the streets of London with barely a months' pay to ease his way, Sam pursued whatever work he could. A freshly-pasted poster outside one of the taverns he frequented drew his notice, as it offered a small bounty for any able-bodied man interested in joining the police force. Eager for the chance to gain steady employment, Sam volunteered. He worked in the various London districts for four years before asking to be sent to a quieter district in the north of the country. His request was granted reluctantly, although he discovered he had been assigned to a post not very different from London. Resentful, but determined not to lose his post, Sam sought a tolerable balance between his resentment and his sense of duty. He grew to accept the town as his own as time passed and his was a familiar face on the streets. By the time he turned twenty-eight, he had served nearly nine years as a contsable.


Strengths:
Linguistics - His mother taught him Scots Gaelic, in addition to what little she knew of French. Enjoying these lessons, Sam found himself eagerly pursuing mastery of those languages. He learned them well and became fluent in them. As a result, he acts as a translator for nobles and common men alike, many times receiving a coin or two in return.

Work - Sam grew up in a Scottish village, where hard work was expected from everyone. He was put to work at an early age, performing a myriad of tasks that continually tested his strength. He showed the most interest in river work, spending much time on the small boats that navigated up and down the river near the village. Loading and unloading these boats, as well as crewing them, was demanding work, but Sam thrived on it. He applied this strong work ethic to his position of constable and proved able at his job.

Duty - The one thing he took to heart during his brief service in the Navy. A firm sense of right and wrong, and an proven tendency to hold his ground in the face of wrong made him a good sailor and are what make him a good constable.


Weaknesses:
Pride - He holds his Highland birth to be a rough sort of nobility of its own and is immensely proud to call himself Scottish. This does not endear him well with the Englishmen of the town, leading to occasional difficulties when he is on his rounds and attempting to maintain order.

Temper - Samuel's fiery temper was not passed to him from his mother, nor from the man he calls Father. This temper, coupled with his pride, have made him unpopular with those men who have provoked him to anger. He is particularly touchy about the strange, handsome finery of his features.

Gambling - Like many men, Sam is an avid gambler. He rarely passes up a chance to lay down a coin or two in a card game, on the toss of dice, or even on the outcome of a brawl. He has won and lost a good portion of his pay in such fashion, as well as caused more than a few taverns to erupt into hearty brawls over the claim of cheating.


Picture:

I liiiiikey him! Approved! :mjinga:

:banana: Approved.