Honoré Thibault-Cléry

Full Name: Honoré Thibault-Cléry

Age/Date of Birth: Twenty-four years old / I Nonidi Ventôse 237 AU

Gender: Male

Race/Ethnicity: Ghalean

Citizenship: Honoré is a born and bred Ghalean. He has never once thought of moving permanently to another country.

Appearance: Honoré has feathery, dark brown hair—he usually only pays attention to it when his bangs grow long enough to fall in his eyes. His nose is blade-thin and straight, and his mouth thin and set. His cheekbones are very pronounced below his grayish-blue eyes, and lurking above them are a pair of dark, arched eyebrows. Honoré is not overly muscular, but his shoulders are solid and he looks quite good with his shirt off. He has elegant hands and slender fingers. He is above average in height, though not too slim for it. Generally, he likes to keep himself neat, with his hair slicked back and in control, though occasionally he will allow a small degree of stubble on his jaw.

Languages Spoken: As he belongs to an elite Ghalean family, Honoré has always had access to the best of tutors. This, coupled with his ear for languages and talented tongue, means that he is fluent in Durantian (both dialects), Godrite, Carmaghi, Old Murotian, and, of course, High Ghalean, the language of his country.

Occupation: For various reasons, Honoré became highly interested in the science of biological processes and genetics. He is highly respected in scientific circles for his research on genes and the mechanisms of the human body. Honoré is more or less self-employed in a laboratory of his own choosing, where he is free to experiment with chemicals and (possibly illegally obtained) corpses, and if anyone suspects… well, they’ve never told. He is also employed by Durant, part-time, to spy on people and report back to the government. He was thus occupied during the war years, when he could enter the conflict zones as a doctor and listen to people. He is even now occupied with this less-than-gentlemanly warfare, since all of the governments of Muralis are uneasy during this newfound peace.

Likes: Being secure, neatness, good food, interesting books, coming home

Dislikes: Insubordination, doubt, loneliness, terribly-written articles, snobs, hand-to-hand combat, lapdogs

Biography: Honoré is the only son and youngest child of the very old and (lately) sterile family Thibault, the last remaining branch of the magical dynasty Cléry. His father, Fabien, is a corpulent man with a short temper and a superiority complex. In fact, the man basically lives in a wheelchair, which one of the servants is forced to push around. His feet and hands are badly swollen. The other men of the Thibault-Cléry’s social station liked to talk behind his back about his lack of virility—that is, until Honoré was born. The social elites were speechless.

Rosamond is Fabien’s wife and Honoré’s mother. She is a good deal younger than her husband—by fifteen years, in fact—and terribly clever. She has very little magical talent, but makes up for it with prodigious brains. There is much speculation that Fabien is not actually Honoré’s biological father, and that Rosamond took advantage of her shapely body (in spite of her somewhat heavy eyelids and strong jaw) to make Honoré herself. He certainly takes after solely his mother.

Honoré was raised mostly in the company of nannies and tutors, especially once his father realized that, despite their magical purity, Honoré did not possess the smallest ounce of latent magical talent—in fact, Fabien was fond of shouting to the household (especially when drunk), he would not be surprised if Honoré were the most ordinary boy in all of Muralis. Nevertheless, since Rosamond never bore another child, Honoré was in the company of some of the best tutors that money could buy.

Often resentful of his father’s harsh treatment, Honoré applied himself to his studies to his fullest ability, determined to find something that he excelled at. Over the years, he liked to come up with ways to spy on his father’s friends when they came to visit, hiding in the drapes or carrying a plate of cookies. It was during these small escapades that he first started hearing the rumors of his mother’s infidelity, and he grew increasingly interested in the concept of genes and inheritance.

As soon as he was able, he applied to Murota University and began working towards a degree in biological systems and genetics, determined to understand. He learned quickly and easily, and sought to make his own discoveries within his chosen fields, often focusing on his research to the exclusion of friends, family, or happiness.

Honoré volunteered to help heal the soldiers on the front lines of the great war, and while in the tent hospitals, he played at the old game from his house—hiding in draperies or covering up his face with a surgical mask, just another prop. In doing so, he discovered a ring of Godrite spies hidden within the hospital system, smuggling out vital information to their superiors. He wrote down their names and descriptions and reported every last one to the Durtantian military command. The government decided to employ him as a spy of their own, and with his extensive knowledge of languages and trickery, Honoré snuck information about the Godrites back to the Durantian military.

With the war over (at least in name), Honoré’s spying duties have lessened, and he has turned his attention back to his research, still without any significant friends or attachments. He can only suppose that his duties as a master of ungentlemanly warfare will distract him from his empty house.

Quote: “Your attempts at subterfuge were truly commendable, good sir,” Honoré said, his hand quite steady, the gun barrel pressed into the man’s hair. “That is, if I were a toddler.”

Aliases (if any): Dr. Sterling Godwin

Sexual Orientation: Honoré is a homosexual, much to his confusion and chagrin. His only relationships have generally been one-night stands with other curious students at university, though he is never quite sure how to handle romantic interest. When he works up the courage to think about it (which is rarely), he worries that he is too distant and focused on science to make a good lover.

Clothing Style: While he has enough money to spend on terribly fashionable outfits, Honoré dislikes worry about clothing. His father, despite his corpulent body, is a dandy, and so Honoré rejects lace cuffs and flouncy coats out of principle. Outside of the house, he wears suits and long coats, since he is, after all, a scientist, and sometimes he has to be a doctor. His one concession to his loose opinions outside of his home is a series of soft, plain scarves. When he goes home, however, he abandons suits and ties in favor of a multitude of baggy pants and thick sweaters. He likes to bury his nose in turtlenecks, but doesn’t want anybody to know because that’s a childish thing to do.

Religion: Honoré is disinterested in religion. As part of his studies, he learned about the major beliefs of Muralis, but sees them as little more than pieces of information to be gathered. His singular focus on whatever happens to interest him at the moment means that he has little time for the complexities of belief.

Political Affiliation: Though he works for the Durantian government, Honoré prefers to keep himself above politics. He doesn’t have much preference as far as governments and rulers go—if there is suitable incentive for him to work with politicians or with corporations, he is quite willing to do so. He has found little in politics interesting enough to care much about it.

Education: Honoré went through a series of tutors when he was younger, and stocked up all the knowledge he could so he could escape to university as soon as possible. He attended Murota University when he was sixteen and applied all of his spare time to his studies, earning a doctorate in Biological Systems and Genetics.

Weapons (if any): Honoré does not focus on any one weapon, but simply uses whatever is handiest for the situation. At home, he carries no weapons, though he is proficient with chemicals and poisons, and tends to employ a pistol or two whilst spying on people, since it is safer and can be employed from a greater distance.

Special Abilities/Skills: Honoré’s only special skill is having not a drop of latent magical talent in his veins. Not one of his billions of cells can react to magic in the environment. So while he cannot perform any magic, his absolute lack of reaction means that he makes no impact on the magical environment, and is quite difficult to detect using magical means. This is perfect for a spy, as he can proceed undetected in most circumstances.

Organizations: Honoré is intimately involved with the Security Office of the Durantian government, since he takes orders directly from them. However, he just sees it as a job and does not personally care about the politics and policies of these secret police. He is interested in the mechanics of spying, but not necessarily the motivations. Aside from that, he stays aloof from politics and organizations, preferring to work on his own.

Mannerisms: Usually, Honoré is the type of person who will become absolutely fascinated with a subject, book, or concept, think about it endlessly for a few weeks, and then lose interest. He is similar with food—he will find a particular dish that he likes, eat it for a month, and then move on to something else. His focus is like a laser, but he can usually only pick one thing at a time to throw all of his energies into. Honoré likes to sit by himself when he’s at home and read books or write papers—he is quite content to never venture outside. He dislikes making new friends and often feels alienated and distant from other people, which can make him snappish, cold, and difficult. He is never quite sure what makes him happy; this worries him, when he dares to think on it.

Relationship(s): Honoré has never had a stable, long-running relationship. His absolute attention to his goals and lack of interest in new people means that interactions with romance are few and far between. Like most adolescents, he experimented in university, and had several one-night stands with fellow students, though he never became interested in women. He would then promptly avoid his brief lover with every effort he could muster. Honoré likes to imagine, sometimes, what it would be like to be in a relationship, but is too terrified to start trying.

Interests/Hobbies: Though he is mostly occupied with science, Honoré quite enjoys reading fictional tales. He has a small library of his favorites at home, which he reads over and over again if he’s in need of cheering up. He likes funny books—though he is picky enough about humor that so-called comedy rarely pleases him. Occasionally he will attend plays or musicals, but only if he’s read enough reviews first to know that he would enjoy it.

Family: Fabien Thibault-Cléry is Honoré’s father. He is obese and cannot walk, so instead a servant pushes him around in an ornate wheelchair. He is arrogant and a drunk, and is highly disappointed that his son came to be so little. There is a great deal of evidence that he is impotent. Rosamond Thibault-Cléry is Honoré’s mother. She has dark, wavy hair and a heavy jaw, but she has kept up her body’s shape throughout the years. She is extremely clever, though she also has very little latent magical ability. It is highly likely that she conceived Honoré through an extramarital affair. She has had no other children.

Honoré tries his best to never speak to his father, though he keeps up with his mother via letters. He has not been back to his home since he left for college, and intends for it to stay that way. When he was young, he used to try and appeal to his father, but was quickly disillusioned. His mother was rather distant and he learned many of his mannerisms from her.