Thomas Tawney

[Thomas Tawney]

| ~ • ~ | Character Basics | ~ • ~ |

.:Name:. Thomas Anthony Paul Tawney
.:Nick Name:. Tommy
.:Rank:. Nobility, 5th Earl of Warrington,
.:Age:. Late 20s

| ~ • ~ | Appearance | ~ • ~ |

.:Physical Appearance:. He has fair skin and mid-brown hair with hazel eyes. Overall, Thomas is well-built with broad shoulders, a long torso, and pronounced leg muscles. He keeps his hair at a medium length with bangs that frequently fall into his face. It's naturally straight, but regular combing has given his hair a slight wave on the top and sides near his ears. He keeps himself mostly clean shaven and regularly sports the shadow of facial hair which would undoubtedly be thick and full if he bothered to grow it out. Thomas stands squarely on both feet, shoulders back, and chin up. He has the bearing of someone with privilege and confidence of his place in the world.

Thomas is always well dressed and looks wealthy. His current tailor is Henry Poole & Co, and he has a strong preference for darker colors ranging between greys, browns, black, and navy. He can often be spotted wearing a black top hat and leather gloves. Having been out of the fashion and courting game for some time, he still regularly wears breeches rather than trousers. At his tailor's insistence, he's steadily starting to take on a more fashionable and modern appearance rather than looking like the man who hasn't been in London for many years.

.:Height:. 6ft
.:Portrayed by:. Blake Ritson

| ~ • ~ | Personality | ~ • ~ |

.:Personality:. On first meeting, Thomas comes across as stiff, callous, but a gentleman. He's very reserved and treats those around him with the respect that owed due to etiquette. He naturally gravitates to the company of other men, military officers in particular, and it would be easy to assume that he's uninterested in women or marriage. In the army, he was known to be a demanding leader and prone to pushing his men to always be better. He puts on an appearance of unshakable strength, and there's confidence in his bearing.

The softer side of him is reserved for horses, dogs, and the few close friends he has. He's a romantic at heart and believes firmly in a love match over a political one. He's good with children and will indulge their fantasies and amusements within the privacy of an estate. He sees horses as intelligent and emotional creatures rather than beasts, and he believes in a firm but fair hand with horsemanship. He's loathe to use the whip to punish man or beast. However, his days in the army resulted in him seeing flogging as a necessary evil.

Though a self proclaimed political conservative, Thomas can be remarkably open minded. He's willing to listen to arguments he disagrees with with earnest and will change his stance when he finds it reasonable to do so. He questions changing the status quo until convinced otherwise, and he's really more of a moderate than he lets on. He's also a staunch believer in compromise and the middle road and will speak out against any form of extremism.

In his own way, he can be a rebel and will eschew good manners when they act against his principles. Whether that's joining the army rather than finding a wife as soon as possible or leaping into the fray and mud to aid a soldier rather than waiting at the back. He led his own scouting parties and sacrificed his comfort to ensure his men were taken care of first. His idea of a good leader relied on paternalism, though that didn't always make him the most popular officer among his peers.

Thomas is a sportsman through and through and lives for the hunt. He's an avid fox hunter and game shooter, and he'll take any excuse to be out of doors. He's a tolerable enough dancer, though his one artistic love is in drawing and painting. He's hopeless with music and would never choose to attend an opera or concert except for the sake of politeness. It all sounds like noise to him. Wine is another great passion, and he puts a lot of effort into growing his collection. His one involvement in the domestic sphere is picking out which wines to pair with what courses.

.:Skills:. Experienced rider and judge of horses, knowledgable about wine, artist, respected military leader
.:Weaknesses:. Tone deaf and unable to play any musical instrument, stubborn, prone to holding grudges, emotionally repressed, fears vulnerability, lacks any business sense

| ~ • ~ | History | ~ • ~ |

.:Birthplace:. Buckinghamshire, England
.:Family:. John Preston Tawney (father, deceased), Margaret Tawney née Manley (mother), Anna (older sister), Sophia (younger sister), Arthur Tawney (cousin)
.:Occupation:. Army Captain, Noble
.:History:. Thomas was born on a grand estate in southern Buckinghamshire. From the day of his birth, he was raised with the knowledge that he was the heir to the title and the estate. It was a fate that the boy both relished and resented. Pressure only mounted after the birth of his younger sister, and complications in childbirth meant that more children in the family were unlikely. Thomas took an immediate strong liking to Sophia, and the two were known to get up to mischief. They also shared a strong affinity for horses and spent hours with the family pony as they learned to ride and become competent horsemen in their own rights.

His grandfather was a source of understanding and stability in his early childhood. He was an avid art collector and taught Thomas the basics of drawing while encouraging him to copy and learn from the masterworks around the house. He was more involved in the boy's life than his father, and his death hit Thomas particular hard.

At the age of thirteen, his father decided that Thomas needed a proper education and sent him away to Harrow. He initially hated the idea, but by the end of the first term, he found himself wanting to go back. Still the troublemaker, Thomas fell in the bullies and tried to overcome his discomfort at growing up with being more aggressive and mocking others. He enjoyed boxing as a youth, though he lost interest later as an adult. He also learned how to hunt and how to train dogs and horses.

Once he came of age, the idea of marrying and settling down was loathesome. He pushed back hard, and the outbreak of war just before the end of the Season was the perfect excuse for why he wasn't going to be married. Thomas obtained a lieutenant's commission and was soon sent to Cape Town. He lived for the chance to be free of the restrictions of family responsibility and threw his heart into learning the trade as a military officer. Under the good tutelage of his superiors, he developed a strong sense of military strategy and also how to earn respect. He became a popular leader within his company for his fairness without becoming too friendly with the rank and file. He also took the time to learn Afrikaans so as to be able to communicate with the locals. After four years, he obtained a captain's commission and transferred regiments to one in India. There, the optimism of youth faded into that of a more experienced officer. He saw more action and losses under the command of an incompetent major.

There, he experienced his hardest loss when his horse was shot out from under him. He purchased another horse out of necessity, though he struggled to form a close connection to it. He also took on a mistress for a few years, and for a time, truly believed he was in love with her. However, when the time came to return to England, he left her behind with their infant daughter, his horse, fifty pounds, and a letter of recommendation. While far from adequate, the late earl's death placed Thomas in a position where he could neither marry his mistress or bring her with him to England.

It's been nearly a year since the late earl's death, and Thomas has just returned from his service in India to take up the mantle of Earl of Warrington. He's new to the Ton having spent most of his time since coming of age abroad in South Africa or India. As a bachelor, he's more than eligible with rank, wealth, and a decade of interesting experiences in the colonies.

| ~ • ~ | Member Info | ~ • ~ |

.:Name or Online Alias:. Alishahr
.:Your Pronouns:. she/her
.:Are you 18+:. Yes
.:How Did You Find Us:. Proboards ad link

[The Writer]