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Miles Gregory Fortescue, MD; a Victorian physician with a
terrible secret
(c) copyright 2000 Volker Bach
Total Points: 10.5 Points
Age 66; 5'9"; 150 pounds; a white-haired, elderly gentleman
visibly subject to physical decay, but with remarkable
mental presence and personality - sometimes.
ST 9 [-10] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d-1
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 4.5, move 4,
dodge 4
IQ 13 [30]
HT 9 [-10]
WL 13 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Academic Rank 1 (medical doctor) [5];
Reputation +2 (a very good physician, medical community and
Edinburgh upper middle class) [5]; Status 1*
[-]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20].
*free from Wealth
DISADVANTAGES: Addiction (laudanum) [-15]; Bad Sight
(nearsighted, correctable) [10]; Code of Honor
(Gentleman's) [-10]; Secret (Murderer) [-20]
Sense of Duty (Patients) [-5].
QUIRKS: Wears silver glasses in public, but cheap steel
frames at home; Recites Tennyson to calm frightened
patients; Takes a constitutional at 4 o'clock every morning;
Takes notes in Greek, and occasionally slips into it when
writing other things; Philosophical pacifist.
[-5]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (Edinburgh)-13 [1]; Dancing-7
[.5]; Diagnosis-16* [4]; Fencing-7
[.5]; Guns (Shotgun)-11** [.5];
Literature-12 [1]; Physician-18 [14];
Physiology-15 [4]; Poisons-15* [-]; Riding
(Horse)-8 [1]; Savoir-Faire-15*** [-];
Surgery-15* [4]; Teamster (Two-Horse Buggy)-11
[.5]; Writing-13 [2].
*from Physician default
**skill is reduced to 8 when not wearing
glasses
***free from Status
LANGUAGES: English-13 [0]; French-11 [.5];
German-11 [.5]; Greek-12 [1]; Latin-12
[.5].
EQUIPMENT
Dr. Fortescue rarely leaves his beautiful London home except
to visit patients, so whenever he is about he will carry his
'black bag' with medical equipment. He is also likely to
carry a supply of laudanum, ostensibly for medical reasons.
Being wealthy, his purse will usually be well-stocked. Few
people have ever seen him go anywhere without a book. He
rarely goes armed except for a walking cane.
BIOGRAPHY
Miles Gregory Fortescue was born in 1821 as the second son
of Bath physician William Fortescue and his wife Guinevere.
He grew up in comfort, though his precocious intelligence
induced his doting father to put much pressure on the boy to
study hard. Young Miles did well in school, and went on to
get a medical degree at Edinburgh University. There he met
and fell in love with the daughter of a local banker and, in
order to marry her, set up a successful practice.
His happiness was not to last. After five years of blissful
marriage his young wife died of pneumonia, her husband
helplessly standing by. The heartbroken widower lavished his
love on his only son, Michael Fortescue, who went on to the
finest schools and universities to gain a medical degree and
join in his father's practice. However, the spoiled, selfish
young man proved unworthy, squandering his father's money on
high living and reckless debauchery. Miles Fortescue
resolved to bear this burden for his dead wife's sake,
limiting himself to private reproach until one fateful day
twelve years ago.
The case of a young female patient's suicide, at first
inexplicable, led him to the discovery that his son had
raped the young girl when she had visited the practice for a
consultation. Pregnant, she had despaired and taken her own
life. When he confronted Michael, the young man readily
confessed this and several more rapes, knowing his father
would never dare bring the case to the authorities.
Despondent, unwilling to bring shame upon his family and
colleagues, but resolved to bring the matter to a stop
whatever the cost, Miles Fortescue took the step that haunts
him to this day. He poisoned his own son.
Ever since his son's unexplained death Miles Fortescue has
lived a reclusive life, taking good care of his patients,
but otherwise removing himself from social events. He has
taken to medicating his recurring depressions and pangs of
conscience with laudanum, to which he has developed an
addiction. His reputation has, if anything, risen in the
estimation of his contemporaries as he has begun treating
indigent patients free of charge. His lifestyle, while not
poor by any standards, is modest for a man of his means, and
he is known to give more thought to the next life than
this.
ENCOUNTERED
Dr. Fortescue is a well-dressed, well-spoken, quiet man with
somber dress habits and a tight control over his external
emotions. He rarely speaks of anything other than medical
matters except where conversational small-talk is called
for. In most matters he is happy to defer to others, but on
matters of treatment his decisions are firm and his resolve
to see them through is near legendary.
Few people meet Dr. Fortescue as anything but a physician.
He does not go out to any social functions, gives no parties
or dinners, and does not visit the theatre, music hall or
opera. He occasionally publishes research papers and
corresponds with colleagues, but other than this he keeps
his social contacts to a minimum. Once a week he travels to
the Old City, where he treats poor people for free. He
rarely goes to church, but is generally reckoned a
god-fearing man.
Should the PCs get to meet Dr. Fortescue on friendly terms,
they will find him a genial, comfortable host with a wry
sense of humour, very outspoken and with quite
nontraditional opinions about poverty, welfare and social
politics. Occasionally the ghosts of his past will show
through - his conscience haunts him - but he protects his
secrets well. Any investigation into his private life will
be met with anger and indignation.
CANONICALITY
Dr. Fortescue adheres to all standard GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
Dr. Fortescue - a quiet recluse haunted by a dark secret- is
almost painfully Victorian. He could be translated into a
modern setting by changing his Fencing and Shotgun to more
common modern hobbies, reducing his languages, giving him
Computer Operation and exchanging Teamster for Driving
(Automobile). His addiction becomes worth -20 points, as
laudanum is illegal in the 20th century. The problem is that
his moral dilemma is specific to his society and translates
badly into any other time. Geographical displacement is
easier - he could live in almost any city in Victorian
Britain or the contemporary United States between 1840 and
1920.
The bigger question, of course, is whether his pangs of
conscience are all that there is to Dr. Fortescue. This man
has killed his own son! In any but the most prosaically
realistic worlds this deed screams out for supernatural
retribution. Perhaps he is a haunted man in more senses than
the metaphorical.
Also, it is just possible that this quiet, thoughtful
gentleman has more skeletons in his closet than his son.
They say murder gets easier after the first time, and he has
certainly seen enough suffering during his work in the slums
to want to dish out some justice. Abusive husbands, cruel
factory overseers, sadistic policemen - there are enough
people the world would arguably be better off without. And
they all come to his practice.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Dr. Fortescue is certainly a highly ambiguous character. PCs
who share his moral outlook may find a close friend and
confidant in him, and he could certainly serve as a very
useful Contact (with access to controlled chemicals). Given
that he treats poor people for free, PCs might come to him
with their medical problems. Almost any party occasionally
needs someone to patch them up, no questions asked, and Dr.
Fortescue is happy not asking questions. However, not all
PCs may tolerate him. Nice as he is, and justifiable as the
deed may seem to some, he did commit murder. The ensuing
dilemma might become interesting.
Discreet Enquiry: An old friend of Dr. Fortescue has become
convinced that he is being targeted by blackmailers. To
directly approach him on so sensitive a subject would be
impossible, of course, but discreet enquiries might turn up
something that could help the situation. Or not - after all,
nobody else knows what there is to find.
A Rash of Bad Health: The moral bug seems to be going
around. Throughout Edinburgh, a number of unpleasant people
have died of diseases that, at first, seemed harmless
enough. Perhaps some relative got suspicious, or a clerk of
the registry of deaths noticed the unusual mortality spike.
An investigation by the PCs will turn up a number of
similarities. Everyone who died was an ethically
questionable character. They all were given to exploit the
poor and mistreat their dependents, secure in the knowledge
that their social position would protect them. And all their
death certificates bear the signature of Dr. Miles
Fortescue...
- written by Volker Bach
(volker_bach@public.uni-hamburg.de)
- formatted & editted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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