S. Wilson Rosepere
S. Wilson Rosepere is a grim old man. His face is leathery with age and years of weather, his mouth is like a slash cut into his face and his hair is a short and stony slate grey. He has a tight-clipped goatee and a black patch over his right eye. His knuckles are knobby and red, but he hasn't lost any of the strength in his grip. In an age when almost all men wear suits, Rosepere sticks to a rugged military field shirt, canvas pants and boots.
This a man whose life has been defined by war. The son of a British naval officer, he was born in Hong Kong on October 6, 1860, the very day that British troops burned the Chinese Emperor's Summer Palace to close out the Second Opium War. He traveled with his family to stations in China and India over the next several years and when he enlisted on turning 18 the only surprise was that he joined the marines rather than the Royal Navy proper.
Rosepere recieved a captain's commission and saw action almost immediately in the Second Anglo-Afghan War at the Battle of Kandahar where he lead a rear-guard action that allowed the irregular column to reach the city and some measure of safety and, from there, fight on to victory.
Following this success, Rosepere fought in almost every British military action to round out the 19th century. This included tours in the Boer War (1880-1881), the Third Burmese War (1885-1887), the Anglo-Zanzibar War (which lasted from 9 to 9:45 in the morning on August 27, 1896, making it the shortest war in recorded history), the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1900) and the Anglo-Aro War (1901-1902). By the time his 42nd birthday had rolled around, Rosepere had fought his way across two and a half continents, mastered the use of every weapon and fighting style he'd been exposed to, earned the rank of Colonel, lost the use of his right eye to a bit of shrapnel and felt that he'd earned every minute of the next ten years of relative peace. He had also gained the attentions of The Lazarus Trust.
Though still a capable killer, Rosepere turned his talents towards possibly nobler pursuits and traveled the world looking into oddities on the Trust's behalf, working his way up a new set of ranks from field agent to regional office head (in Hong Kong, Nairobi and Sydney) and finally to head of the main office in Paris. This position makes Rosepere one of the most respected and influential agents of the Lazarus Trust, probably second only to The Quiet Man himself.
