Geraldine Archer (Cthulhu)

Investigator Profile

Apparent Age: Mid-30s
Height: 5'8"
Aliases: Gerry Archer, Dr Archer
Education: Various PH.D's and Postgraduate studies
Occupation: Doctor of Medicine (Epidemiology)
Place of Origin: Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa
Place of Residence: Shadow Pond, Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Social Status: Upper Class (Landed Gentry)
Credit Rating: Wealthy
Player/Type: NPC

Appearance

Dr Geraldine Archer is an attractive woman with dark blonde hair and clear grey eyes. She keeps her hair medium-length and loose, although it is naturally fairly wavy. The fact that it happens to match popular ladies' hair styles (discounting the new "flapper" hair-style growing in popularity amongst the lower classes and rebellious females) is pure coincidence - Gerry doesn't care much for fashion but finds long hair an inconvenience, so her hair alternates between her most recent "trim" and when it gets long enough to annoy her.

Geraldine is often described (negatively) as "thinks she's a man" and prefers to wear men's clothing. She claims this is because men's clothing is "eminently functional" and was raised in South Africa, where women's clothing was inconvenient for riding horses and being out in the wilderness. She is also quite tall for a woman, standing average male height, which she says adds to making male clothing easier for her than corsets and dresses. As such, it is rare to see her wearing a dress or skirt unless the occasion calls for it - she pays lip service to societal norms and will wear a dress or skirt to appropriate social situations, but will constantly complain about it and does so out of a desire to "prevent unwanted and unnecessary hassle about my clothing" rather than an actual desire to follow social etiquette or blend in.

This is all rather ironic considering that Geraldine comes from a renown British aristocracy and thus is one of the most upper-class persons in Chicago. She often describes Chicago's well-to-do as "pretending to be what I choose NOT to be." The sole exception is when Gerry is attending a ball, in which case she admits to quite enjoying wearing a (expensive) ball gown. She admits that this is because "even I enjoy feeling like a glamorous lady sometimes."

Most of the times she is fond of wearing men's trousers (usually khaki or other "earth" colours, sometimes black) matched with a shirt or blouse (usually white or near-white). It is rare to see her in bright colours, except when in a dress, in which she favours white, silver or gold. She rarely wears much jewellery, but when she does they are invariably diamonds and usually just ear-rings and perhaps (rarely) a necklace.

Her main concession to being lady-like is light use of make-up, usually on her lips and eyes. When out in the field, it is typical to see her lacking any make-up at all. Whilst generally quite hygienic, Gerry has been known to obsess over some recently-acquired tome and "forget" to bathe, change clothing or even sleep for several days in a row.

Background

Geraldine was born and raised on her family's plantation in South Africa and named after her grandmother. Her family were British "landed gentry" - the lowest form of British aristocracy title. This meant that they owned land and were extremely wealthy due to the land containing various profitable diamond mines, but were not considered proper aristocracy. This is something Geraldine has always found amusing, that her family have greater wealth but less status than higher aristocrats that frequently rely on her family for loans.

The Archer family, although wealthy, had always held a strong work ethos and interest in the medicinal sciences. She was the latest in a long line of doctors and science professors. Her father was a reputed surgeon and Colonel in the British army. Like Colonel Archer (her father), Geraldine took advantage of her family's wealth to get the best education their considerable money could buy. When she was just twelve, however, her mother died of liver cancer - an occurrence that would influence Geraldine into following her father into the medical field, although taking the more scholarly route of Epidemiology, rather than becoming a physician like her father and grandfather William Archer.

When not studying - as the desire to expand her knowledge had always been strong in her - she would frequently accompany her father into the Bush on adventures and hunting expeditions. Geraldine's closeness with her father was interrupted barely a couple of years after the death of her mother when her father took a lover in New Orleans. Although the fact that her father's lover was low-class didn't remotely bother her, the young Geraldine saw this as a betrayal to her mother's memory and it created a rift between them, ultimately causing Colonel Archer to leave his lover to appease Geraldine. Geraldine has since voiced regret over her behaviour at the time, stating she was "too young to understand my father's feelings and need for companionship at the time - I simply was not mature enough to see past my own grief at my mother's passing to realise how much pain my father himself was in."

250

Geraldine spent most of her life split between the top Academic institutions in England where she studied, and in South Africa where she lived. After graduating, she moved into her father's house in Cape Town especially as Colonel Archer was rarely there anymore - almost constantly out on travels with Fitzherbert Lockhart and eventually settled in Shadow Pond manor in Chicago. She would reside there until her father's death in 1928, after which she would travel to Chicago and take residence in Shadow Pond herself after resolving the mystery of his sudden illness and death. There she would reside with Cassandra Jones, her half-sister who was born from her father's New Orleans affair years earlier, that she would meet after the death of her father, and become a Mythos investigator until her mysterious disappearance [and presumed death] in 1929, leaving her sister CJ as sole inheritor of the Archer estate.

Cthulhu Case Files

Personality

Depending on who you ask Geraldine is either a lively, friendly and loyal person with a singular wit, or dismissive, rude and obsessive. Geraldine is very open about what she thinks and feels, brutally so.

She has little patience and can be dismissive and unintentionally rude (to most people's standards - to the aristocracy her mannerism is quite normal, as manners and politeness are often reserved for the gentry but unrequired when dealing with lower classes and servants) if she is uninterested in what is occurring. She is headstrong and admits to being "rhino-headed" when her mind is set on things, pursuing things obsessively with little thought for other facts. When she likes someone she is usually generous to them and friendly, and whilst she may not be outwardly very warm it is obvious that she cares for her friends and close acquaintances and looks out for their well-being. Everyone else, however, appears to be simply resources. A notable example is the polarised relationship with Guilderoy Lockhart and his wife, Lady Caroline. Whilst Geraldine is visibly friendly with Guilderoy and often jokes with him, she is visibly cold with his Lady Caroline; rarely acknowledges her British aristocracy title(s) and most commonly refers to Lady Caroline as "her", "that woman" or (to Guilderoy) "your wife." The feeling of antipathy appears to be mutual. If this is brought to Geraldine's attention, she merely states "I am being civil to her - if she expects any more than common civility which any person deserves then she needs to climb down from her ivory tower and have a good look at reality."

Her friends have also become concerned at her recent behaviour. Since becoming a Mythos researcher she has become obsessive about studying it, and they have noticed an increasing hardness in her attitude and decreasing respect for life. On a recent excursion to a location she expected to uncover Mythos lore her party was attacked by native tribes with poison darts. Geraldine was visibly more upset about not gaining the lore she was after than the loss of two of her men.

Mental Health

Despite researching heavily various Mythos tomes, which must have had an effect on her sanity, Geraldine has no apparent issues - although friends claim her attitude has become colder and even a little morbid and jaded.

Mythos Tomes Read/Owned

Liber Ivonis (Latin) - Translated by Caius Phillipus Faber; Published: 9th Century AD
Magic and the Black Arts (English) - Kane; Published: 1896
R'Lyeh Text (German) - Translated by Hans von Gerber; Published: 300 BC (original)
The Book of Enoch (English) - Unknown author or translator; Published: 100 AD (original)
The Book of Revelation (Greek) - St. John the Divine; Published: 95 AD
Compendium Maleficarum (3rd Ed.) (Latin) - Translated by Rev. Montague Summers; Published: 1929 (translation)
Gebri Regis Arabum Philosophi Perspicacissimi (Latin) - Abou Moussah Djabir al Sophie (aka Geber); Published: 1682
Les Prophéties de M.Michel Nostradamus (Expanded Ed.) (Latin) - Michel de Nostradame; Published: 1558
Le Musée des Sorcièrs, Mages et Alchimistes (English) - Translated by J.Courtnay Locke; Published: 1929

Connections

Miss Cassandra Jones: Half-sister from New Orleans. Singer for a Chicago Blues band that performs at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.
Toby: Geraldine's overly-energetic, overly-friendly, 6-year-old Boerboel ("Boer dog")
Lord Guilderoy Lockhart: Her best friend
Miss Marilyn Fox - Chicago correspondent for the New York Tribune. Whilst Geraldine wouldn't consider her a proper friend, Geraldine respects Marilyn's strength of character and thus favours her.
Mr James "Jimmy the Jint" Slade - Private Investigator. Geraldine respects his skills and ability to do his job well, an employs him regularly.

Mrs Conchita Sanchez: Geraldine's Mexican-American maid and cook. Conchita was actually employed by Geraldine's father to care for Shadow Pond manor, and continues to fulfill this role with Geraldine.
Mr Ivan "Crazy Ivan" Kerensky: A Russian exile who works as Geraldine's personal pilot. Has a pet rat called Lenin.
Mr Jonathan Coleman: Chicago lawyer for Kirkland & Ellis LLP, sent after Leonard Young's death, who handles Geraldine's legal affairs.
Mr Samuel Hallowend: Geraldine's latest bodyguard/manservant/driver.

Captain James Malone: Captain of the Lakeview area Police Department. Geraldine helped him prove the corruption of the previous Captain, which ultimately led to his arrest and Malone becoming the new Captain.
Alderman William Hale Thompson: Notoriously corrupt Mayor of Chicago. The right "donations" to him grant Geraldine access to information, favours, and other benefits that suit her purpose which may be ethically dubious and often downright illegal.

Social Style

Geraldine is a no-nonsense person and has little patience for fools and time-wasters. The best way to approach her is directly. If it's something "of intellectual interest" she will gladly converse on the topic - but otherwise it is usually best to give her the key information fast, and then let her ask for further clarification about things that interest her. She hates it and gets visibly irate when people "beat around the bush" and usually leads to her interrupting and asking the person to hurry up.

Whilst she snubs high-society ettiquette (unless it is advantageous to do otherwise) she believes firmly in respect. Even when being abrasive or dismissive she is respectful (if curt) to others and expects similar civility in return. Note that civility/respect does not necessarily mean politeness. She often feels people are too soft-skinned and should learn to thicken their skin and not get upset over trivial wordplay.

Signature Posessions

Firearm: Webley-Fosberry Revolver in .455 Webley
Vehicle: Chevrolet Superior (automobile)
Vehicle: Sikorsky S-38B "Mishka 2" (Propeller Seaplane)
Property: Shadow Pond Manor
Property: Cape Town Plantation and family diamond mines

Signature Quotes

"We lost those two men because they fired at the pygmies before letting me talk. Idiots. But more importantly, the tome I came in search of wasn't here! Such a waste of time!"
"I didn't want to say anything... until I was sure. Until I was really sure. Despite the things I saw out the porthole as we travelled through time, I hoped I was wrong. Dear God I PRAYED I was wrong. But I was not. This... isn't our time. This isn't even our world, anymore. We didn't travel back in time as we believed and were promised - we travelled FORWARD. The world we knew moved on. It grew old, and our world died - even past that terrible future we came from. Even the universe itself ceased to exist. We travelled past the end of the universe - and then the universe was reborn anew. The universe was reborn, and a new cycle began; almost identical to the old. Everything looks much the same, but it isn't the same. This isn't our time, or our world. These aren't our families. Our families, are dead. Everyone we knew, and loved, are dead. They grew old, and died, billions of years ago. They lived their lives without us, knowing only that we left on this damn mission... and never came home. This is a new cycle, and the universe has created new versions of us and our families for whatever reason I cannot possibly fathom. The next in a cycle of death and rebirth of the universe, each likely identical but different in some ways, that has likely occurred an unknowable number of times. We do not belong here. We are pariahs outside of time, outside the very cycle of existence we were destined to be born and die in. And there is no way back. No way to undo this. My hubris led to this... To all of you following me on this fool's venture. And I have cost you everything you had, loved, and held dear. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!"

Gallery

Dr Geraldine Archer
Miss Cassandra Jones

Codex 3.2