Name: Ian Worthington

Nickname/Title: None.

Age: 28

Birthplace: Wigan, Lancashire, England.

Sexuality: Mostly straight

Play-By: Sam Heughan

Occupation: Thief and grifter

Physical Description: A tall, well-built man dressed in worn by well-kept clothes, he's got piercing green eyes, red hair, and most people would say he's good-looking.

Distinguishing Features: A few facial scars, rough hands, red hair.

Personality Description: He's got a quick temper and sharp tongue, and he's not opposed to throwing down if the situation requires it.  He doesn't hold grudges most of the time (unless they're high-born and haughty, in which case he'll care his anger to the grave), and most of the time he's generous and affable, preferring laughter to anger.  He has lately been teaching himself self-control, and learned that icy hate works better than a cutting remark or quick blow - but he prefers situations where he can "be himself."

Characters History: Ian was born to a carny family while wintering in Wigan, born to Irish Travelers.  His father was part of the athletics act - a sideshow where the audience was asked to wrestle the carnies.  There are three levels of skill, roughly speaking, the apprentice who was often also a strongman, a journeyman, and the "hooker" - who had mastered sudden, violent, bone-breaking techniques.  Ian's father, Willie, was the hooker, the person they called in when the local guy was tough enough to beat the strongman and journeyman.  Alongside this, Willie was also a bare-knuckles boxer, and the carny enforcer - the guy you called when things were getting out of hand, or had gotten out of hand.  It also involved being quick with a knife, particularly the sly blade.  He was a rough, hard man who taught his children that the world was a rough, hard place where violence was respected.

Ian didn't see it that way.  What he saw was that his father had to kiss a lot of ass.  Someone with authority rolled by and it was all, "yes, guvnor," and "as it pleases, your guvnor."  He learned the skills of his father, but the attitude was that of a bully and thug - lording his skill and strength over those who were weaker, but craven when confronted with people of superior status and social power.

Ian's mother, Meredith, was a fortune teller.  While she was friendly with the Travelers, her attitude towards authority was somewhat different.  She said what they wanted to hear... but only to get them to tell her things.  The most direct way this played out was that the people whose fortunes she told tended to get robbed as the circus moved out of town - there were always a sucker or two who would tell her everything, not even realizing they were doing it.  From an early age, Ian was involved in the thievery.  He would chat up people waiting to see Meredith, pass the information along to her, and later on, when the robbery started he was front-and-center with that, as well.  He gained particular status as a second-story man - the proverbial cat burglar.

As Ian grew up, he started to challenge his father physically... and, as they say, the old get older, and the young get stronger.  Eventually, it reached the pitch where Willie no longer wanted to risk himself against his gifted, fierce boy. Ultimately, though, something had to give... and Meredith convinced Ian that, perhaps, some time in London might do him some good.  There were Travelers who were settled (well, mostly settled) who could be his touchstone there, while he learned his own way.  It was her way of getting her son away from her husband before someone died.

That was nearly ten years past.  Since then, Ian has gathered himself a fierce reputation with the London underworld, quick with his hands, and a quick temper... but also an easy smile and generous nature.  He's not above prizefighting when the chips are down, and certainly, London gives a person plenty of opportunity for self-defense, but unknown to most his primary source of income is theft.  He doesn't rob the poor - because that would be stupid - but focuses mostly on the middle class — people with things worth stealing but lacking the social clout to chase down whoever robbed them.

However, he has some ambitions.  Three years ago, he started taking "acting lessons," primarily to learn to fake an aristocratic accent and mannerisms.  He wants to be able to move among the middle and upper class with natural grace.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's with the rich and powerful where real wealth lies, after all.  With the right connections, climbing through windows to steal a silver hairbrush and flatware will be irrelevant.  He wants to move beyond making scores into making money.  So, he set about building an identity....

Goals: To gain a stable, legal income... through trickery and deception (because those are the tools he has).

Likes: Girls, wine, the middle and upper classes, victory.

Dislikes: Cowards, being cold and hungry, the middle and upper classes, defeat.