The Opium Lord
Age: 52
Eyes: In his early years, pale blue. Nowadays, tawny yellow.
Weight: 206 lbs
Height: 6' 12''
Predominant features: Deep scar on his upper lip, deep set wolfish eyes, dark steel gray hair that used to be copper.
Wears a lot of Victorian clothing that is just slightly out of fashion now in 1920.
Dorian Jain was born 1870 to wealthy Canadian parents who had earned a modest fortune in the real estate business.
His childhood was without incident and exceedingly normal. His parents had both been young and flamboyant children of the bourgeoisie.
They had met on an overseas cruise, married, settled down in Montreal, had a child, raised him, sent him to boarding school and then to college in England, retired, and died peacfully of old age, leaving their fortune to Dorian Jr., their only heir.
Dorian was a quiet youth at home. He was in the choir, learned piano, and was very neat.
Later, he won trophies for boxing, wrestling, and marksmanship. He had friends, got in tussles with his mates, courted girls, received high marks in Geography, French (his mother spoke French sometimes), Mathematics, Spelling, and Penmanship. He was good at accounting. He had been reprimanded for playing pranks on his teachers on occasion.
He was still in the choir. A delicious baritone. He was normal.
If I had a penny for every time you cried wolf... |
Once, Mrs.Jain had found her son in the garden with one of tabby's kittens. He was holding its head under water, in the rainbarrel. She was shocked.
"It was hurt, mum. I didn't want it to suffer. It's with God now."
She marveled at how brave her child was. Dorian had smiled.
Upon inheriting his family's fortune, Dorian dropped out of college (taking with him in addition not a small amount of money accquired from the lucrative sale of tobacco, pornography, and liquor to the senior class), moved to American east coast, where set himself up as a purveyor of opiums, narcotics, spirits, exotic goods, and other fine entertainments.
He began calling himself "Jourdain".
Jourdain was married to Miss Emma Claire for a year and eight months. His bride was sweet and quaint and proper and one day she went missing.
Tragically, she was discovered weeks later on the riverfront, identifiable by her dress.
"The Pierbank Ophelia" she was dubbed. Who knew? people said. Who knew the poor girl had it in her.
Mr. Jourdain now lives near the old Nonpariel Vaudeville Theater.
Mr. Jourdain has several plausible addresses.
Mr. Jourdain is known by the wealthy of La Fountaine district as an upstanding gentleman of good character. He is known to their pretty sons as a charmer.
He bought a small hotel on Dock street- "The Flenser Inn", which never seems to be open. He smokes fine cigars, dresses impeccably, enjoys music and idle conversation, and takes an interest in what just everyone is up to.
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