Post by Luke Rourke on Feb 12, 2008 2:15:02 GMT -5
Player
[/u][/center]Alias: Roy
Gender: Female
Contact: (optional)
Location/Time Zone: CST
Character
[/u][/center]Name: Joseph "Luke" Rourke
Gender: Male
Age: 27
City: Corus
Status: Rogue Member
Personality
Gruff and crude upon first impression, Luke seems to be the typical Lower Corusian with his heavy, simple Common. His appearance doesn't lend him either wisdom or debonair, and instead likens him instead to the thick-headed louts so often roaming about that part of the city. Aside from seeming dumb and uncultured, Luke seems like the type that'd sooner punch you and run off with your baby sister; too big for a pickpocket but too small to be a brute, Luke dances along the line of simply 'untrustworthy bastard'.
The ironic truth is, is that Luke is as loyal as any dog. He may sock you hard if you insult his buddy and he may flirt with your baby sister, but he's not all that bad. Despite his appearance, Luke is quite smart and quick-minded––after all, it was that sort of aptitude that's kept him alive and thriving in the Rogue for these few years. While with most things Luke is trustworthy about, being in the Rogue means Luke can't be honest about everything; being in the Rogue also means that lies and trickery also are also qualities Luke possesses, though it would be a knife to the heart if he were forced to use it against one of his close friends.
Luke is a jovial man, he enjoys his drink and sport and a pretty face. When his jobs allow, Luke frequents the pubs and taverns for good company as well as information. He can hold his liquor to a degree and won't drink more than he can handle unless he has Tom to cover his back for him. What with being in the Rogue, if anything valuable were to slip out, Luke would be in deep with Judge. While boisterous when in the company of many especially with drink running through his veins, in smaller numbers Luke can sway between talkative or close-lipped, depending on who he is with; the times he has to be close-lipped is when he's speaking with superiors or when a situation requires "delicate" handling.
-Personality Flaw: For all his good nature, it would seem conflicting for Luke to be able to carry out jobs where he and Tom have to take a person 'out'. Perhaps his rearing as a butcher's son made him immune to it early on, or perhaps he puts up a shield against his work. If there is one thing Luke truly despises, it's emotional and moral conflict: his way of dealing with either is to lock it away deep inside himself and forget about it. Some days, all this emotional and moral toil Luke endures gets the better of him, and even the company of a good lass or old Tom can cheer him out of it. In a few days Luke snaps out of it, but during those spells of low spirits and guilt, he often considers seeking out a temple–– but alas, the Rourkes were not raised as a religious lot, and to go stumbling into a temple calling on the gods for aid to Luke seemed like an act of desperation quite beneath his character.
In that sense, and many others, Luke is a proud fellow. His knees bend for hardly anyone unless he willingly serves, befriends or loves them. He takes pride in not only his reputation, but also in his appearance and charisma. With pride generally comes stubbornness, although being in the Rogue has taught Luke to let go of his obstinance; when a plan goes astray in the Rogue, you're a fool if you won't consent to a new plan.
Appearance
As far as height goes, Luke is as the shorter end of average with a stocky build to boot. It is not so much that he appears heavy set or bulky, but rather compact and solid. His gait falls comfortably into a swagger, which at times can be either intimidating or inviting; meanwhile, it's the sort of swagger that belies a small bit of arrogance: Luke never hunches his shoulders and carries his head proudly.
His face, meanwhile, is somewhat narrow and his cheekbones pronounced. While his lips are thin, they have a more sly quality than a grim one. His nose is straight, but not prominent, and his brows are dark but not heavy. The most striking feature in his face are his startlingly green eyes, certainly not something common among the swarthy folk of Lower Corus. As far as complexion goes, Luke himself could be counted among the darker Lower Corusians with his dark head of hair, but unlike most his skin is fairer and more likely to freckle and burn than to brown evenly.
-Appearance Flaw:
If there's ever one thing Luke could never forgive his little brother Ben for, it's the embarrassing, puckered scar that splits his lower lip and a good deal of his chin in a ragged, angry curve. At least, he consents, that the surgeon had read enough books to know how to sew his face back together... elsewise Ben may not have survived to see the end of that week. The scar usually causes people to avert their eyes and become nervous when first seeing it, but it's something that an acquaintance easily grows accustomed to; even Luke himself hardly pays it any mind, except some days when it's more red against his skin than pink or silver.
When he was born, Luke had a slight deformity in his ribs. The last few ribs on the left side of his rib cage curled outward instead of arching inward––leaving him with an awkward, misshapen bulge in his lower chest. One thing Luke has found over the years is that it's hard to impress a lady upstairs with that, making his ugly scar pale in comparison.
Among other things, Luke has poor skin. During the winters when it becomes especially irritated, rashes and irritations tend to develop on his skin. Most often affected are his arms, thighs and neck, but from time to time patches appear in other places as well––even on his scalp. For the most part, though, as long as the air is not too dry or too cold, Luke's barely affected at all.
History
Born in Lower Corus, Luke is the son of a common butcher and his lady. Once Luke was old enough and sensible enough to handle a knife and an axe, his parents set him to work in the butcher's shop. One of the first jobs he was given was simply being an errand boy; lopping the heads off of chickens came next, and it's easy to surmise what other tasks were soon to follow. Death was so early a fact of life for Luke, that he hardly understood what it was until his childhood mutt was kicked in the brains and killed by some nasty old nag––and Luke never did like horses after that.
Followed by two younger brothers, Luke's job was not only to get them started in the butcher's trade but to look after them and protect their sorry arses. Harry was thickheaded and set for butcherhood, but little Ben was sentimental as a little girl and cried whenever he had to wring the neck of a chicken. Ben was also a fool with knives and fretted about accidentally taking off one of his fingers––and nearly split his brother's face in two on one occasion instead. Eventually though, fists and cussing and brotherly nurturing guided Ben to the butchering ways until the Rourkes found a way to send him off to be a baker's apprentice instead.
Although Luke did well at the work he had grown up doing and knowing all his life, he soon realized he was much cleverer than either his father or Harry. Spending his days in the butcher's shop soon seemed to drag on and on and the stench of blood, guts and meat seemed to become intolerably suffocating. Luke's earliest escape was heading out to Lower Corus pubs and passing the time drinking, brawling and gambling––earning a reputation of his own. And while this was all good and jolly, Luke still felt as if he were still wasting away an untapped source of talent.
So one night Luke decided to pay a visit to the fellow who hunkered down every night in the shady corner of the pub. The man tried his best to get Luke to buzz off, but after a while the two got to talking and before he knew it, Luke was told to go talk with some Grim Flint chap at the Dancing Dove. The next day, Luke scrubbed himself twice and did himself up real nice and headed on to the Dancing Dove. Feeling more than a little out of place, he went to the bar and asked for "Grim Flint", already beginning to think that the man in the pub the night before was just playing a mean joke on him. The lady at the bar asked for his name, he gave it, she disappeared and came back and handed him a sweet pie to take home. Perplexed, Luke accepted the pie and at the woman's bidding, left the Dove for the street. Rounding the corner, he broke open the pie and to his surprise found a piece of parchment tucked inside the crust. Curious, Luke unravelled it and read, little knowing how that little strip would seal his fate: "Wildfell Square. Eleven o' clock. Samuel Willoughs. Nightingale."
That night, at eleven o' clock in Wildfell Square, Luke met Sam Willoughs and found out about the Nightingale... and was initiated into the Rogue. For his first year Luke did a lot of grunt and dirty work, building trust and merit in the twisted system that the Rogues operated under. He attracted the notice of Mack Clyde, who then got him a position working under a boss in the Merchant Network––a man Luke and his comrades know as either simply 'Boss' or 'Judge'. Nobody of Luke's rank, slightly higher and all below, really know Judge's real name or identity yet they serve him as faithfully as dogs. They all know what will happen to them if they don't, and it sure ain't pretty.
The Merchant Network has its connections with Port Caynn. Luke and his best pal Tom often find themselves back and forth on missions between the two cities. When it's not a case of who owes who or recruiting new pups to the pack, it's usually some service interconnected with the Palace Network. Tom and Luke met in the Rogue under Mack Clyde; the two hit off extremely well and Mack made a point to promote them as a team: Luke was the brains, Tom was the details. Judge wouldn't accept either one of them in his network unless they operated as a duo––so a duo they became, and a duo they remain.
Family
Joseph Luke Rourke, Senior - Father
Peggy Louise Tailor-Rourke - Mother
Harry Tailor Rourke - Younger Brother
Benjamin Walter Rourke - Younger Brother
Other
Tom Feversham - Friend, Rogue member
Ennis Baker - Rogue recruiter at the pub
Grim Flint - Rogue recruiter at the Dove
Kaeldra Flint - Rogue recruiter at the Dove
Samuel Willoughs - Rogue member
Mack Clyde - Rogue member
"Judge" - Luke's "Boss", Boss Rogue of the Merchant Network
