[Graham Moore]

- Player Info -

Name/nickname: Nyell

AIM/e-mail/whatnot: nyell@ymail.com

Substitute players: Lioe, Jennifer

- Character info -

Name: Graham Edwin Moore

Nickname/Alias: Graham to his friends, Edwin to those wanting to taunt him

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Rank/Occupation: Rank: Passed Midshipman, last occupation: first mate, applying for ship’s master

Appearance: Average sized with a firm, sort of wiry build, the slightly stocky frame revealing his Scottish background as does his auburn hair which he keeps rather short. The most remarkable features on him are his dark, contemplative eyes showing high intelligence and hiding deep emotions (and quite a few other secrets). The only other visible distinguishing feature is a very fine scar that runs from the middle of his cheekbone down to the side of his chin.

Though by no means elegant or graceful, Graham takes meticulous care in his clothing, almost to the point of being obsessive about it. You would never see him in just his shirt and trousers, and rarely in casual clothing. One of the reasons behind this odd trait is that he is doing everything possible to hide the numerous ragged scars on his body.

Personality: Graham always seems to be aloof to those around him. Though not a loner he tends to keep people at arm’s length and rarely lets anybody in. When in a good mood he can be quite charming and attentive. In fact, Graham is more content to remain silent and observe those around him than engage himself actively in conversation. Nevertheless, he responds eloquently and thoughtfully if addressed, giving his conversational partners his undivided attention.

His non sociable side is a different deal altogether. Graham can be hard as steel towards those under his command and does not tolerate any undisciplinary behavior whatsoever. His punishments for offenses can be harsh. Not surprisingly, he is respected and somewhat feared for this trait, but not loved by his inferiors. His natural authority and severity can, however, inspire loyalty in those who do not fear him.

Only few people know that these conflicting character traits are the results of a very sensitive personality having been forced to harden under circumstances not under his control. Graham’s emotional as well as physical scars run deep and his determined attempts to hide both from those around him stem from a grim resolution not to show any weaknesses.

Bio: Graham Moore was born the fourth surviving son of Dr. John Moore and his wife Jean. He grew up in Glasgow being well educated in all areas that were deemed indispensable for a young man of distinguished family background, but with a total of four brothers and a knack for running away when upset he also learned how to fend for himself.

It had been on one of those occasions, when he had fled from the family home that he found himself near the docks at Clydeside. Graham had always loved the river Clyde and he spent the rest of the day weaving around the docks and taking in as much of the smells and sounds as he could. It awakened in him the yearning for a far greater body of water, which Graham had only heard about: the sea. From that day on, he spent his entire free time either at the docks (which was frowned upon) or pestering his father about allowing him to enter the profession of a seaman (which was frowned upon even more).

When he was thirteen, his father finally gave in having realized that this thick-headed son of his was not to be deterred from his true love, the sea. He insisted, however, on Graham entering the Royal Navy and setting out for an officer’s career. After all, Graham’s eldest brother John was already pursuing a very promising career in the Army at that time and the family had to live up to reputation. The same year, Graham was admitted as midshipman in training on board the brigantine “Falls of Clyde”.

By the time he was 18, he had passed his lieutenant examination. However, as he did not have the social connections needed to be commissioned to an officer’s position early, but did not want to patiently await his turn, Graham applied for a position as master’s mate onboard the corvette “King’s Jester”. He thoroughly enjoyed the work and the sailing master of the “King’s Jester” who was teaching him everything he knew in navigation, edged him on to take the profession of Master of Sails rather than a commissioned position. There were several heated discussions with his father, but Graham was about to get his way once again, when disaster struck.

The “King’s Jester” was accompanying a merchant’s ship and just out of Port Mahon, a small naval base on the island of Minorca (Balearic Islands) when they were unexpectedly attacked by Barbary pirates. The “King’s Jester” suffered the full brunt of the canon attack by the pirates’ ships while the merchant’s ship luckily escaped back to the harbor. The pirates boarded the already stricken vessel and, enraged about the lost loot, killed most of the crew. Graham, along with a handful of survivors, was taken prisoner and whisked away to the pirates’ hideout while the “King’s Jester” sank to the bottom of the sea.

The pirates then demanded to know of the prisoners whether a person of rank was among them. Fearing the worst for his comrades and being, indeed, the one with the most senior rank Graham stepped forward. To his horror, the greedy pirates did not merely want to trade him for ransom, but planned to use his knowledge of the naval base defenses to sneak into Port Mahon and raid it, never mind that it was under British protection, their supposed allies against other nations. When he refused and would not give in even after they cruelly murdered two of the youngest prisoners, they took to torturing him. Graham lasted three days, then he broke. He told them everything they wanted to know and Port Mahon was raided.

However, two Navy vessels, warned by the merchant’s report, had escaped the onslaught and immediately gave chase, in the end capturing the ship on which the prisoners were held. Although being more dead than alive from the ordeal, Graham was immediately shipped back to England where he was put to trial as soon as he had recovered enough on charges of treason. However, due to the circumstances, his young age (21) and the pleading of his former fellow prisoners, the charges were soon dropped to that of shameful misconduct. It was generally considered that he had got away lightly when he was not even dishonorably discharged from the Navy. Instead, they ordered him to stay ashore until they saw him trustworthy enough to put him back into service.

For Graham, it was hell. His sentence meant that he was not allowed to work in any other position but was forced to sit around for what felt like eternity. During the third year of his confinement, however, he met and fell deeply in love with a young woman, Eleanor Harlington by name. His feelings were matched by hers but the relationship was not to be as she was already betrothed to the son of the Earl of Winchester. They nevertheless met secretly for over a year until the illegitimate relationship was discovered by her fiancé. He immediately demanded satisfaction and Graham was forced to duel him. Never to good or experienced with the rapier, Graham was struck by his opponent across the face, resulting in a slight scar. Luckily for him, the seconds declared the matter satisfied at the first draw of blood and Graham had to agree to never see Eleanor again.

Devastated, he turned back to his first love, the sea. One of the acquaintances of his father was a naval captain, Sir Benjamin Furlough and Graham literally begged him to give him any post whatsoever on board his ship, the “HMS Enterprise”. The captain rather liked the lad and when Graham’s father died, he honored his late friends request to yet make a naval officer out of his son and made him, yet again, a master’s mate on board his frigate with the permission of the admiralty. Graham has served for three years onboard the ”HMS Enterprise” before he was finally allowed to take his sailing master’s examination at the age of 28. However, the “Enterprise” already had a sailing master, so he was forced to continue working as first mate for two more years. Thus, when Captain Furlough heard of a free position onboard the “HMS Steadfast” upon their arrival in the West Indies, he immediately suggested his protégé.

Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Family:

Parents: Father: Dr. John Moore, physician, deceased, mother: Jean Moore, still living in Glasgow

Elder brothers: John Moore, jun., currently Major in the Army, Thomas Moore, deceased, died in infancy, Dr. James Carrick Moore, physician

Younger brothers: Malcolm John Moore, ship surgeon, Thomas Moore, apprentice

Skills: Graham has an undying love for the sea and for sailing and matches these passions with good navigational skills. Though somewhat inexperienced he is determined to prove his worth. He can handle his pistols just fine and isn’t too bad off with a blade, but the finer weaponry skills elude him. He does, however, throw a mean punch and used to wrestle in his youth. He stays level-headed in dangerous situations and can bring even the most notorious troublemaker to stand at attention – as long as he wants him to. Rarely showing any outward weaknesses, most of his inferiors bend to his natural authority. Well-educated and intelligent, he can be a surprisingly charming fellow to talk to, once he has opened up.

Weaknesses: Despite his outward appearances, quite a few. Graham is a very sensitive man with deep and often violent emotions which he mostly keeps contained within himself. His experiences with the pirates have left deep emotional scars and a shattered pride. He suffers frequently from nightmares about the ordeal and hates pirates with a vengeance. He is also heartbroken over the loss of his love, Eleanor, and ashamed of his failures and of the treatment by the Navy. All of these injuries have left him somewhat bitter and cynical and he is determined not to let anything or anyone get to him anymore. He also holds deep disdain towards the nobility in general and a certain Earl’s son in particular.

Theme Song: Since I am crazy about Sade right now: Soldier in love.

Anything Else: When deeply in thought, he absentmindedly strokes his brow with two fingers. He dislikes being compared with his eldest brother John, currently Major in the Army and on to a steep and flawless career.

Notes: The picture does actually present Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Moore (1764-1843). I borrowed it along with a little bit of his family background – well, aside from his name, quite obviously. Presumably, the picture was commissioned to celebrate his promotion to Master and Commander by the age of 28! Quite obviously, his career had a lot less twists than that of my Graham Moore. He wrote a journal about daily naval live which was later turned into the book “Frigate commander” (and is available at Amazon) and had his memoirs printed after his death by a friend, an excerpt (44 pages) of which is available here: http://books.google.com/books?id=e9MBAAAAM...page&q=&f=false

[The Seven Seas]

I'm just gonna go ahead and give this one the stamp of approval. Welcome aboard!