Giovanni was born in Naples and came from a poor background. His father was a foundry worker, and his mother a seamstress. Giovanni started out as a street singer. At 22 he made his stage debut in Naples, and lived for a few years the life of a starving artist, traveling around Italy and Portugal and earning very little. His voice grew in power and weight as he aged, and at the age of 29 in Milan he met an opera manager from London who, after hearing him sing, engaged him for a six season contract with the Royal Opera. In London, Giovanni suddenly finds himself very successful – for the first time in his life, he has money, fame and recognition. Whether or not he can survive the allures of success remains to be seen.
Joseph Warrens
Only the best of the best survive the harsh streets of Whitechapel, and Joseph Warrens has long since proven himself among those ranks. Born and raised in the poverty-stricken and dangerous streets he would later police, Joseph has a keen understanding of the woes and challenges that the people of his jurisdiction face. He spent his entire career in Whitechapel, and now has risen to the rather unenviable position of superintendent over Division H of the London Metropolitan Police. He is responsible for every success and failure of his men, and with the unique challenges Whitechapel offers, it’s often more failures than successes. While he is fiercely loyal to his men and fiercely protective of the streets that are his to protect, he has long since learned to play the bureaucratic games that his position requires. While his integrity (such as it is) has mostly remained intact, it has not made him the most popular of the Met’s superintendents, and the political aspects of his position also mean that he isn’t the most popular with his own constables, either. Still, Joseph puts the work and the people of his jurisdiction first, and will continue to do so until death takes him or he is relieved of his position.
Meredith Trevor
The son of a successful Welsh banker, Meredith’s poor behavior during the last decade has seen him cut off from his father’s financial support. In spite of his good education and gentry breeding, Meredith has little love for the world of business and money – save for the methods of spending it. It was spending it, and spending too much time in gambling parlors, that saw him indebted to Lord FitzMaurice and thus whored out at Maggie’s Place. While FitzMaurice keeps him on a short leash, Meredith’s affection for the man has long since waned. Instead, he finds his eye drawn more and more often to the enforcer, and now manager, of the brothel: Martin Love. Meredith is well aware of the dangerous game he plays, but he has never been one for caution… Or denying himself his worst desires.
Martin Love
One doesn’t dream of one day running a brothel full of homosexuals, and indeed this is not the life that Martin ever imagined for himself. After a career as a constable with the London Metropolitan Police was cut short by running afoul of a gang, he was introduced by a mutual associate to Lord Oscar FitzMaurice. With his knowledge of London policing and his connections at Scotland Yard, Martin seemed ideal to help protect the secrecy of Maggie’s Place. Over time, his role has expanded; after the Madame of the brothel abruptly quit some months ago, Martin was unceremoniously promoted. He’s done well enough in the role, but the stress of dealing with a large number of young, often catty, men and the nature of the clients the brothel attracts, on top of his normal duties of seeing to protecting the brothel from the attentions of the police force and gangs who think they’re owed protection money, has pushed Martin right to the edge.
Enzo Esposito
Enzo has always felt torn between two versions of himself. French and Italian; serious, dutiful son, and fun-loving artistic soul; normal, and deviant. Brought by his mother to London a few years ago, he does his best to portray himself in the way she expects and is proud of. To that end, he got a job as a telegram messenger, biking around the city to deliver telegrams to a wide variety of individuals. It was through that job that he was introduced to Martin Love, the proprietor of Maggie’s Place, who was quick to offer the handsome young man a place at the brothel. Though it is not the kind of work that Enzo ever imagined himself doing, there is a certain freedom to it that keeps him working there in spite of the danger and the distasteful aspects of it. (The money doesn’t hurt, either.)
Sir Angus Cruickshanks
Sir Angus has been the chief of the Special Irish Branch since its inauguration almost five years ago. Hand-picked for his unique skill set and dedication to the Metropolitan Police, he has faced an uphill battle to ensure his men have the resources and respect they need to do their jobs. Credited for the successful foiling of a Fenian plot during Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in the summer of 1887 (for which he was knighted), he has since had both more resources and more attention on him, and his men. Sharp of mind, wit, and tongue, Sir Angus leads by example, never asking his men to do anything that he wasn’t equally willing to do.
Hasan Lake
Inspector Hasan “Henry” Lake is the third son of Lord Nathaniel Lake, Viscount Lake. His father’s holdings in Delhi were also where his parents met. Henry has been afforded every privilege his father’s title confers, but in spite of private tutoring and a university education, he has nonetheless found his calling with the London Metropolitan Police. A neat, dutiful man, he has an excellent track record, and is generally well-liked and respected by his peers. However, he is fully aware that this is largely because of his family’s connections, and has always held himself somewhat apart from his coworkers. Since the recent clash with protestors during Bloody Sunday, Henry has found himself questioning more and more his role as a police officer.
Lord Oscar FitzMaurice
Having never actually been to his family’s lands but once, Oscar FitzMaurice has long enjoyed the benefits of his family’s name, title, and wealth, without ever having much concern of where any of it comes from. Oxford-educated, he styles himself as a poet and artist. As patron of the arts, he attends a great many parties and salons. He also is the (extremely secretive) owner of a gay brothel off of Cleveland Street, named Maggie’s Place, and he is a frequent attendee. Using his family’s resources, he ensures that the place is kept well off of the police’s radar, his identity is kept well-hidden, and his tastes are kept very quiet. Among the offerings of the brothel, his long-standing favorite is Meredith Trevor; he is possessive of the man, even as he whores him out to pay down a gambling debt Meredith accrued some years ago.
Cillian Conroy
A Dublin native with a fondness for drinking and betting on losing dogs, Cillian Conroy ended up deeply in debt to the Greenstreet Gang. To help pay off that debt, he has come along to aid Sean’s takeover of Whitechapel (and perhaps beyond). When drunk, he will also claim that he is present as a friend to Sean’s father, to keep an eye on the often-impulsive lad, but who can say if that’s the truth, or just the ramblings of a man in his cups? Either way, he has Sean’s trust, and under his watchful eyes the coffers of the Greenstreet Gang have grown deep.
Blair McGee
Known to be the calm eye of Sean Donoghue’s storm, Blair is an unassuming young man. If little is known about the head of the gang, less is known about Sean’s right-hand man. Seemingly bookish and reticent, Blair came along with Sean from Ireland, and immediately made a name for himself. He does not take prisoners, he does not grant mercy, and he will let absolutely nothing come between Sean and his ambitions. It is rumored that Blair is the Greenstreet member that killed the Black Powder that kicked off the rising tensions between the two gangs.