Investigator Profile
- Apparent Age: Mid-20s
- Height: 6'3"
- Aliases: Will Archer
- Education: St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College
- Occupation: Ship's Surgeon, Royal Navy
- Place of Origin: Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa
- Place of Residence: Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa
- Social Status: Upper Class (Landed Gentry)
- Credit Rating: Wealthy
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
William Archer is a man in his mid-twenties, although long exposure to sunny climates actually makes him appear older than he actually is. His hair is cropped short and practical with his sideburns hanging low as is common among many men of the era, though his face is otherwise shaved clean of beard and moustache, which he finds irritating. It is common to see him wearing reading spectacles whilst working. William prides himself as a "working genty" and dresses as appropriate for his situation. When serving in his role as a ship's surgeon he wears comfortable and durable clothing not dissimilar to that of most sailors, though usually more refined. When in an urban location it is more common for him to wear suits or jacket, shirt and trousers that are more refined and befitting of someone of his status - though it is rare to see him wearing anything ostentatious except for the most formal of occasions. It is common to see him with his leather surgeon's bag when he is not actively on a ship.
Background
William comes from a landed gentry family (the lowest form of British aristocracy) with plantations and diamond mines in South Africa that go back to the original colonisation of the continent by Britain. The Archer family has long prided itself in their family traditions of military service and/or occupational preferences in the medical sciences, for which their family wealth provides funding for education or the purchasing of an officer's rank.
William spent his formative years on the family's Cape Town plantation, receiving most of his education via private tutors and/or his parents, mostly in the "four Rs" (reading, writing, arithmetics and religion) with additional emphasis on sciences and classical history. As befitting someone of his status, he learnt classical languages such as Latin and Greek, in addition to the local tongues and English language. When he became older, he resided in London where he went to St Paul's School, a leading boarding school with a reputation for it's academia. Following this, he went to St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College (a teaching hospital under the Queen Mary University of London, itself a part of the University of London) to undergo medical training, after which he was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons of England and licensed to practice as a surgeon.
Although most Archers have traditionally done their military service in the army, growing up William used to enjoy the actual sea journeys from their family plantation in Cape Town to London, and so chose to join the Royal Navy as a ship's surgeon straight out of medical school - not a hard feat considering the erratic and poor standards for ship surgeons of the time, many of who had little to no medical training and just some limited experience or book reading. He initially served as an assistant surgeon on the frigate and hospital ship HMS Astraea for his first year but was made one of the ship's surgeons the following year. There he served until the ship was decommissioned in 1850, scheduled to be broken up in 1851.
Requiring reassignment to a new ship, William instead received permission to sign on the expedition to discover the location or fate of the Franklin Lost Expedition, namely the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, as he knew the surgeon on this ship from his University days. Although a privately-funded enterprise, his presence gave an official Royal Navy support for the expedition to find the lost ships, allowing William to be an official representative of the Royal Navy, at least in name.
Personality
William is a polite and well-educated man. He has a passion for knowledge and the sciences, especially botany and anatomy. He enjoys learning about new species, cultures and societies. Although technically an aristocrat, his family's military and working traditions makes his personality more akin to that of junior officers and upper class than England's famed aristocracy. He is aware that he is socially above most of those on the ships he serves on and, as a ship's surgeon, is considered equivalent to commissioned officers and a Warrant officer of Wardroom Rank like the ship's other senior officers - but he does not lord this over anyone. After all, his job is to ensure the health and well-being of everyone on the ship, and everyone has an important role to serve on a ship. His upbringing tends to reveal itself in the manner in which he speaks and his interests, which are more artistic and intellectual than your typical person of lower social status.
In addition to history, culture and the sciences, William is fond of music, especially the works of Beethoven, Bach and Strauss. He is a competent pianist and violinist and always takes his violin with him as reliably as he does his surgeon's bag. Whether long sea journeys with nothing but time, or to alleviate fear or stress caused by hardships, playing some classic pieces on his violin helps William find his calm. He is also fond of a practical aspect of music - dancing, and he says that nothing makes him happier than dancing the waltz with his wife Geraldine.
Seamen are a traditionally suspicious lot and so it is no surprise that William has been exposed to many of their tales and myths about the dangers of the sea, sea monsters and deities, and the likes - in addition to classical history involving elements of Greco-Roman mythology. Unsurprisingly, this feeds to William's love of the unknown and discovery of (and resolving) mysteries. He is a student of what many consider occult knowledge, and always keen to learn about new myths, legends and fables. "Here be dragons."
Mental Health
No apparent issues.
Mythos Tomes Read/Owned
None.
Other Notes
William employs the use of corrective lenses when reading.
Connections
- Geraldine Archer: Wife from London. A strong-spirited and intelligent woman, William and Geraldine met in London whilst he was undergoing medical training and he was smitten at first sight. They married in 1847 and had a child soon after. Not to be confused with William's future granddaughter, Geraldine Archer
- Archibald Archer: Will's son, born 1848. Named after Will's grandfather.
Combat Style
Although he has been trained in the rudimentary arts of fencing as part of his upbringing, and has gone hunting in South Africa enough times to be competent with rifles, William does not typically carry a sword or firearm with him. The closest he carries is his surgeon's scalpel, a high-quality cutting tool that can slice through skin and sinew with ease and vital for his job - which in a moment's notice can be a handy weapon.
Though fairly light on his feet, William is not powerfully built and so generally attempts to avoid combat. When pressed, he will rely on his knife - or other weapons available on hand - to defend himself and support allies as best he can, taking direction from more combat-experiences allies.
Social Style
William is generally easy to get along with, even (if not especially) by those of lower social status. He consciously makes an effort not to lord his social status over others and treats everyone with politeness and respect - but expects it in return. Those who show him respect, civility and friendship get it reciprocated. Those who are antagonistic to him or others quickly earn his disfavour - though this may not be obvious as he will usually act as decorum and status indicate - but it could make a difference in a key moment where he may have to make a decision over who to aid, and may subconsciously decide the person worth saving is the person who he feels has a better character.
Signature Possessions
- Leather coat
- Surgeon's knife
- Surgeon's medical bag
- Surgeon's journal
- Violin
- Bottle of Whiskey
Signature Quotes
- "No, that's just dried blood." [points elsewhere] "THOSE are his brains."
- "I'll rest easier when I know they've reached shore. So many wounded. And only that poor, unfortunate Higgins to tend to them. Still, he's better than no doctor at all."
- "That's the excuse of every tyrant in history, from Nero to Bonaparte. I, for one, am opposed to authority. It is an egg of misery and oppression."
- [after amputating a young officer's arm] "I've never seen a braver patient."
Gallery
Ship's Surgeon William Archer