Edward, Lord Torrington

OOC Info
Username/Nickname: Marashar
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Character Info
Canon/Original: Original
First Name(s): Edward
Surname: Walham, Viscount Torrington
Nicknames: Wally (but only for his brother)
Age: 24
Sex: male
Place of Birth: Walham (near Gloucester), Gloucestershire, England (*19th Mai 1785)
Occupation: Captain in the Corps of Royal Engineers, attached to the 60th rifles

Family: Younger son of William Walham, the Earl of Gleve and Lady Maria, née Belmaine. His older twin William died of scarlett fever five years ago. Edward's older sister Eliza is married to the Earl of Thine; she has two young boys. His younger sister Isabella has just turned 17 and will be presented this year. All grandparents are dead, but there are several aunts and more distant relatives. Should he fall, a distant cousin will become heir presumptive.

Description: A slender man of medium hight, Edward has a clean-shaven, pleasant looking face. His green eyes usually have a slightly sad expression. Because of this he appears older than he is. When he laughes, he becomes very charming, but he seldom does so. He is dressed as neatly as possible, taking good care of his uniform. His hair is medium brown and worn longer than fashionable, but always tied back neatly. He holds himself very erect, sometimes bordering on stiff, but one can easily see that he is fit and agile. To best advantage he appears on horseback, galloping easily about.
If he is nervous or concentrates hard, he pulls on his sleeve cuffs, a habit he tries to break himself of. Edward has a dry sense of humor which occasionally gets the better of him.

Strengths and Weaknesses: - He can be an incredibly concentrated, efficent person who's high intelligence and quick grasp of the situation make him an addition to any party. However, he is still very unexperienced and prone to get shocked by the war.
- His breading and general behaviour are excellent. This and his strong sense of honour make him a safe, dependable and polite companion. However, he keeps himself always slightly apart and doesn't make friends easily. He rarely trusts people and can appear cold and aloof when he is trying to cover his insecurities. The few friends he has, however, he holds in very high regard and will go to great length to help them or make something simpler or more comfortable for them.
- His greatest weakness is certainly his somewhat explosive temper. He has learned to control it almost all of the time, but when it is provoked too much, it will quite suddenly and unexpectedly explode. When this happens, he can barely be held responsible for what he does. However, he has been forced since his youth to keep it in check. The resulting self-control is certainly one of his strong points. He is a proud man and the most certain way to get him to loose his temper are constant slights, aimed against his friends and family. Slights against his own honour he would answer swiftly and decisively, but usually they would not have quite the same devastating effect.

Background: Edward was no supposed to be his father's heir. His older twin William had been groomed for the title. Family tradition send younger sons into the army, but Edward managed to convince his father that he would make a far better engineer. After his education in Eton he began training with the Royal Engineers at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich (The Shop). Shortly after he gained his lieutenancy, however, his brother died of scarlett fever, leaving him the heir to his father's title. He actually misses William very much, as they were close. His father asked him to come home, but Edward didn't want to simply quit his post. He knows that he will have to go back eventually, but he still subconsciously feels that going home and taking on his brother's role would be presumptious.

After his training he was first stationed in England and Scotland. For his work there, he was promoted Captain (17th August 1808). Some slighting remarks made by other engineers going to the Penninsula made him apply for a transfer. His father first opposed it, but eventually he agreed: Firstly because he understood that these slights must be countered, secondly because he saw that his younger son still needed time to cope with his new status, and lastly because he realized that being an engineer meant a lot to Edward. The earl used his influence to secure a good posting for his son and will continue to support him. He hopes, though, that Edward will come home soon (and in one piece). His mother outwardly supports her husbands decision, but she is not happy with it, even though she tries to hide it from Edward. He knows that she would very much prefer to have him home and it sometimes troubles him that he does not fullfil her wish. He doesn't want to leave without having achived anything, though. Should Edward manage to get favourably mentioned, his family will be very proud indeed.

Anything Else:

Writing Sample/Past Roleplay: Edward stood on the deck of the sloop looking for the first time at the land that for the foreseeable future would be his place of residence. He had expected dry, dusty planes, only broken by steep and unpassable riverbeds and equally unpassable mountains. The descriptions the officers who had returned after Corunna had given had been not favourable at any account. But the costal region look lush and welcoming. He sighed; probably it wouldn't be so bad after all. Once again his temper and his pride had driven him to make a decision he now needed to stand to; but though he still had no doubt that he was doing the right thing, on the long journey he had often wondered whether he was really up to the task.
Perhaps it was the green coastline or perhaps simply the fact that soon he would be able to leave this crowded, constantly careening ship, but suddenly he found himself in good humor again, eagerly expecting his new duties. Nearly smiling, he crossed over to the hourglass, where Lt. Mitchell was surveying the same coast. They exchanged an easy salute and Mitchell grinned. "Well, Mylord, it seems your discomfort will be over soon. In less than an hour we'll put her into harbour. Captain will be up presently. He'll be more than pleased to see you up and about." Edward grinned ruefully. During the whole journey the weather had been inclement; only today the sea had calmed. He had been violently sea-sick and had it not been for Lt. Mitchell's never-ending cheerful encouragement, Edward wasn't sure whether he would have survived. "I'm in his debt for being this civil to such a troublesome passenger. I certainly deserved to be thrown overboard. But I believe your men actually rather enjoyed my attempts to become sea-proof, poor as they were." - "Well, certainly. We'd all be very happy to see you on board again: Your efforts did wonders for the moral and didn't cost the Admiralty a penny. And the gunroom dined royally on all the food your mother had send along. Please tell her the pastry was excellent." - "I will certainly do so. However, I think I will not tell her how it came about that you were permitted to eat the better part of it." Mitchell burst out laughing and even Edward grinned. He wondered at how easily he could laugh with the young lieutenant. He had been mortified when Mitchell had surprised him being violently sick, but from there on their relationship had steadily improved. Mitchell never had allowed him to feel himself indebted, declaring grandly that God had given naval men a better constructed stomach so that they might help less fortunat land-lubbers. Now they were nearly friends. "I really would like to see you on my voyage home", Edward said somewhat clumsily. He slightly coloured and quickly added: "It would be most inconvenient to share the berth of an officer who is ignorant of my peculiar habits at sea." - "And who's compliance can't be bought with choice pastry", Mitchell laughed.

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