Introduction
Mortimer Blake
"Morituri Nolumus Mori -- We who are about to die don't want to"
Appearance
Notable Features
- wide and narrow mouth, upturned eyes, square jaw- a strong nose that looks like it was broken once
- exceedingly healthy appearance, good teeth
- looks younger than he is
- handsome in an uncomplicated way
- might have blood on his shoes
- carries a bag with surgical tools
Personal Style
Mortimer's style reflects his upbringing in an upper-middle-class household that emphasized education and propriety but strictly opposed frivolity. He dresses in understated pieces of high quality. They are tailor-made and well-cut but they lack any adornments that would distinguish a man of higher standing. He likes things to be practical and rather British, and he leaves it to his staff to mend and upkeep them and to his sister to update his wardrobe with any new fashions, if it really must be done.His time in military service led to an appreciation for a durable kit — he invested in sturdy leather gloves and aprons for his work and he carries some amount of surgical tools on him on any occasion. A suturing kit at the very least he must keep in his coat pocket, lest he is caught unprepared when his services are needed. It is a mindset that has paid dividends.
Circumstances
Currently
Surgeon Mortimer Blake runs a successful surgical clinic on Harley Street in Westminster. He is an industrious, money-minded sort who uses his connections from university and his time in the military to reach upwards and gain clients from wealthy social spheres, who fill his pockets with coins. They prefer Mr. Blake for his easy manners and his modern methods — his skillful lithotripsies are especially desirable, because he is well-versed and generous in the administration of ether and laughing gas, and any procedure involving sharp instruments to the nether regions is best tolerated if it is neither felt nor clearly remembered.He could have a comfortable living doing a few procedures a week, but he is not a man who is well suited to being idle — so it is well known that the doctor can be found dockside and in the East End, engaged in charitable work for the less fortunate and growing his network of contacts from all walks of life.
It is less well known that there is another side to his life that would not be fit for public discussion. He remains unmarried, and this regrettable circumstance may be related to moral faults of his character; his successful life lacks a proper foundation — his weakness is the manner in which he conducts his intimate relationships, and Mr. Blake ought to pray that his proclivities remain hidden from the public eye.
Health & Capabilities
All his life Mortimer Blake enjoyed the blessings of excessive, indestructible health. He rarely ever gets sick, although when he does, it is dire. He remained in good condition even under heat and starvation in Khartoum and there is little to oppress his physical body — and Mort, in the course of his life, has been beaten, shot at, almost drowned in the Nile, and fell off a galloping camel at least once. His strong, resilient body is a marvel, and one he is aware of.Socioeconomics
Mortimer occupies an uncommon position in London's social hierarchy. He is firmly upper-middle class by birth and profession, but his Harley Street practice and family connections place him in proximity to the upper classes, while his work in the East End and docklands connects him to London's working poor.His surgical practice provides substantial income - enough to maintain his professional premises, living quarters, and essential staff. His wealthy clients ensure a steady flow of funds, yet he doesn't live up to his earning potential Unlike many of his Harley Street colleagues, he hasn't yet leveraged his position to accumulate significant wealth, perhaps on account of having no family to provide for.
Skills & Talents
- Skilled in modern surgery and use of anesthetics- Underwent military training both at Cheltenham and later for service as a field surgeon
- Can sing pretty nicely
- Educated
Present Relationships
Vasiliy SorokaMort met the Russian physician in Paris on his European tour. They formed a close and complicated relationship and continue to write letters to each other.
Xiao, or Mr. Walker
His current obsession, elusive Mr. Walker can be found at the lantern market in Limehouse. Getting him into his bed is an ongoing pursuit—and one limited by obstacles, including but not limited to the Vice Suppression Society, communicative challenges, and Xiao's love for keeping secrets.
Cassius Boone
The American met the surgeon at a fighting ring. A spontaneous tryst with consequences -- Mortimer puts some blame on Mr. Boone for his newly acquired vice to follow all sort of men to dark places.
His parents and siblings
Mort regularly visits his family in Oxford. They hold a lot of influence over him, although not quite as much as they would like.
Identity
Hobbies
- Maintains a small but well-used collection of medical texts and anatomical exhibits- He frequents boxing matches—not in the fashionable gentleman's clubs, but in the grittier establishments near the docks, and he likes to bet and gamble.
- He has filled notebooks with work-related sketches. They are precise and lifelike, although he lacks the mindset of a classical artist.
- He participates in equestrian endeavors and rowing excursions, if his time permits it.
Habits & Routines
Mort rises early and goes across the street from his apartment to his clinic in Harley Street. He checks his schedule of patients. If he is not fully booked, or if his appointments for the day are done, he heads out to do work in the city. That means taking emergencies all over, especially at the docks, factories, and down in the East End. He works until exhaustion. Then he goes to his apartment to eat.In the evenings, he heads out for social calls or diversion. Depending on his mood, he might go to a tavern, the theater, visit a brothel or a lover, or attend lectures and talks at the university.
Personality
Mortimer is a glowing, larger-than-life character. He radiates warmth and is quick to laugh, to smile, and to jest. He likes to touch people and to bounce off their reactions to him. It is not always easy for him, amidst all this energy, to listen and to be sensitive to nuances. Nonetheless, he is deeply caring and bestows upon his patients and confidants much diligent attention.Mort tends to attract people who are looking for consistency and a feeling of security. His pragmatic and existential manner is given depth by the quiet undercurrent of his emotional highs and lows.
He is set in his ways and not likely to easily change his mind about something.
The man — conscious personality
⚕ Companionship -- Mort is ruled by the impulse that seeks intimacy. He is a breaker of personal boundaries who wants closeness — with his friends, with the community around him, and with his sexual partners. He can be pushy but does not tend to stay around one single person. Seeking dispersion, he quickly moves between different people who arouse his attention and bring out different aspects of him. Mort is ultimately alive to explore his desires, to forge meaningful connections, and to leave something behind. He has, indeed, fathered at least one child in a far away part of the world. He frequently feels in conflict with the pious moral standards ingrained by his upbringing.
⚕ Abundance -- Mort has a lot of energy to burn, an abundance of health, and a knack for acquiring material resources. He is so driven by energy that he neglects his own emotional well-being, pushing himself to work too hard in a traumatic line of work, ignoring his need for rest.
⚕ The Now — Like a Buddhist monk, but without having ever contemplated the concept of meditation, Mort has mastered the art of staying in the present moment, adapting and growing as he burns away. He remains calm and confident under extreme pressure.
What moves below — unconscious traits
⚕ Power — Perhaps because of his excess of energy and his propensity to become very bored, Mort is attracted to circumstances that allow him to wield power; be that as a surgeon who holds life and death apart, or as a soldier, or as a pursuing, sometimes predatory lover.
⚕ Competition — He tends to subconsciously compare himself with others' achievements, careers, and personal lives, keeping score of victories and failures. It can upset him greatly to feel like he is falling behind or not measuring up.
⚕ Desensitization — There is no amount of sensation that would count as enough for Mortimer. His need for novelty and stimulation is immense and, combined with an already intense life, his search for new thrills is bound to give him trouble.
Background
History
Early life (1854 - 1872)Mortimer was born to a respected Oxford family — his father Barnabas Blake is a Professor of Natural Philosophy at Oxford University, his mother is the daughter of an Anglican priest. The Blake household valued intellectual rigor and self-discipline above all else and set high expectations for young Mortimer and his three younger siblings. His early years were split between the family's comfortable townhouse near the Radcliffe Camera and long terms at boarding school.
At age eight, he was sent off to Cheltenham College, a boarding school for boys that was renowned for its linguistic and military tradition. Upon the advice of his uncle, an officer with the British Navy, he joined the military side — Captain Henry Blake saw it as a good way to get some manly bearing and seriousness into the exuberant, good-natured boy. Mort distinguished himself not through academic brilliance but through a steady, methodical approach to his studies. The school's strong emphasis on sports and physical education suited him well, but military discipline did not quite agree with him. His housemaster noted him as "dependable, though prone to excessive restlessness. A headstrong boy that responds best to beatings administered with a cane as method of correction."
Medical Education (1872–1879)
Mortimer Blake left Cheltenham College with the conclusion that life in the military was a drag, that he was tired of getting beaten over the head, and that he very much did not want to become an officer. What he had liked about his training was the sense of action and adventure. Looking for a way to apply himself both physically and intellectually, he happened to witness a surgeon at work at the site of a tavern brawl in London. The month after, he entered St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School in London with a clear sense of where his life was to be headed.
The clinical exposure at "Barts" suited his practical nature, and he showed particular aptitude in anatomy and surgery. His clinical rotations revealed his talents as a surgeon — steady-handed, quick to make decisions, equipped with a sense of bravado and a can-do attitude, and lacking sensitivity to gruesome sights and smells.
Military Service (1882–1886)
After Mortimer Blake graduated from medical school and finished his first two years of working in hospitals all over London, his parents summoned him to Oxford and informed him that it was time for him to establish his own practice to increase his earnings, and also time to marry. Regarding the latter, they had already selected the perfect bride for him, his second maternal cousin Mary-Beth. Mortified by this parental ambush, Mr. Mortimer Blake suffered a bout of patriotism and enlisted for the Army Medical service, to be shipped out to Africa as soon as possible.
Following qualification, he traveled to Egypt to join the Anglo-Egyptian war but saw little action until the campaign in Sudan picked up speed. Mort was present at many of the major battles between 1882 and 1885. Due to his military schooling, he was a skilled equestrian and got assigned as field surgeon to the 19th Hussars, whose path he trailed from the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir in 1882 to the Battle of Abu Klea in 1885, during which he got reassigned to the Light Camel Corps to tend to the various upper-class volunteers that joined this regiment.
Despite his initial aversion to military life, Mort thrived under wartime conditions — not because he particularly enjoyed war, but because he is wired to withstand extreme pressure. His service record notes several commendations for bravery under fire, particularly for retrieving wounded men from exposed positions.
The race up the Nile ultimately failed to achieve its objective. Mortimer reached Khartoum, and he remembers his time in the starved-out city as the worst days of his military career. With the sense of adventure all but dissipated, Mort returned to Britain and to civilian life.
Establishment in London (1886–Present)
Upon returning to London, he leveraged both his military reputation and family connections to establish his Harley Street practice. His parents, perhaps afraid to prompt him to throw himself into new military endeavors by threatening him with another marriage prospect, begrudgingly tolerate his ascent to confirmed bachelorhood. The transition from field surgery to civilian practice was somewhat difficult, and Mort has never really become settled and steady again. He works more than he needs to and is given to certain vices moreso than he was before.
