taken by Sue Peel at the World Steam Expo 2010
| Lillian O. Rosenburg Unintentional Zepherus Ballast | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name: | Lillian Ophelia Rosenburg | |
| Also known as | Miss Rosenburg | |
| also known as | Lilly | |
| Age: | 22 | |
| Birth Date: | July 1st, 1851 | |
| Place of Birth: | St. Albans, England | |
| Nationality: | British | |
| Allegiance: | God Save the Queen! | |
| Ship: | SMS Zepherus (when occasion requires) | |
| Rank: | Passenger | |
| Occupation: | Registered Anachropologist | |
Lillian Rosenburg is a registered anachropologist for Her Majesty's Special Services, an obscure branch of the British government consisting of fields that no one really knows what to do with. After the Office of Anachropology suffered a rather embarrassing scandal two years ago, Lillian's work has been mostly commission jobs and paperwork, however she has done enough expeditions within the last year to keep herself sharp and lively. This is a very good thing, as she needs her wits about her every second that she is around the Imperial Anti-Piracy Squadron
Physical Appearance[]
Despite her habit of being indoors more than out these days, Lillian is still more curvy and sturdy than waifish (a good thing too, considering the scrapes she has gotten herself into in the past). She dresses plainly and sensibly with shortish skirts that button up or down, allowing a greater freedom of movement. She favors a straw, wide-brimmed pith helmet and keeps the tools that she may need on expeditions fastened around her waist on a long belt. Her Tempus Apparatus, of course, is always fastened to her person. All in all, she prefers to keep herself clean and ladylike, however if the situation calls for it, she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty.
Family and Relationships[]
The only surviving member of her immediate family is her older brother, Paul. As both of their parents died in a tragic, boiler accident when Lillian was quite young, the children were brought up by their mother's sister and her husband, in London. As much as her aunt would have preferred for her to settle down and get married, Lillian's uncle supported her decision to pursue an education and funded such an endeavor. He also generously funded Paul's commission with the Royal Air Navy. The siblings may not see much of each other anymore, but Lillian still receives regular letters from Paul telling her of his most recent adventures and she, in turn, returns the favor.
Weapons[]
As Lillian is a civilian, and considers herself a Lady, she tends to oppose the presence of weapons in her day to day life. She is, however, quite dangerous with the steel tipped umbrella that she carries. Also, she has been known to strap a pistol beneath her skirts... in case of emergencies.
Backstory[]
Lillian was picked up by the Office of Anachropology shortly after beginning her first year at Cambridge. She showed a propensity towards historical thought that intrigued her professor, a retired Anachropologist himself. For the next year, she underwent rigorous departmental training and received a Tempus Apparatus of her own a week after her nineteenth birthday (she often wishes that her registration exam had been something tamer than the battle of Waterloo, as she does not care for the photograph that they took for her registration papers because of it). Her diligence and dedication earned her the recognition of her superiors and the notice of her peers... especially the notice of one Louis Baldwin. The rumors were that they were making plans to be wed... before the poor man went and got blown to bits by a cannon at Waterloo (which Lillian accidentally had a hand in, given that she distracted him at a crucial moment. It doesn't affect her much, but after her two traumatic incidents associated with the battle, she has been known to go into hysterics at the mere mention of Waterloo). After the loss of her partner, she has predominantly worked alone for the past few years (it doesn't help that she's considered unlucky by the other anachropologists in HMSS).
In early 1873, Lillian was called upon to work a case for a Prussian Baron. When the work required in Prussia had concluded, she found her transportation back to England to be more complicated than she had planned. On wiring the Office of Anachropology for the funds needed to hire a berth on one of the Airships traveling to England, Lillian was informed that they would only approve enough money for her passage on the S.M.S. Zepherus, which was patrolling the shipping routes between Hamburg and Leeds to deter pirate activity. Apparently transport on a military vessel, in which she was more likely than not to get killed, cost Her Majesty's Government less than a bed on a passenger ship. It was in this way that Lillian became acquainted with the homicidal Kapitan von Grelle and her rather... enthusiastic crew. Her method of survival was to stay out of the way for the most part (not asking the Kapitan about her eye was another good one). Shortly before Lillian's voyage on the Zepherus ended, however, the ship was beset upon by pirates who were better armed, and lacking in more sense, than other pirates in the area. In the heat of battle, Lillian delivered an impressive blow with the business end of her umbrella to one of the pirate gunners, incapacitating the man and sending him over the side of the ship. The Kapitan and crew, obviously impressed by such a show of bloodthirst from a passenger that they had previously thought of as rather dull, made Lillian an honorary crew member, with full welcome to return to and aide the Zepherus... if Lillian was ever crazy enough to consider such a generous offer.