Samuel Whitley

Samuel Whitley (a.k.a. Sam)

Adopting parent of Tom Fuller. Automaton engineer and retired Steward, now in his mid-fifties. Samuel is a quiet intellectual who curbs his son's more dubious meanderings. His measured, perspicacious nature and years of anti-eldritch experience have earned him the respect of the Malbury Eldritch Anomalies Department. After years of eldritch exposure, Sam monitors himself very carefully in conjunction with the local EAD.

Samuel’s career as a Steward was both highly commended and rife with controversy; his views on the nature of eldritch corruption, his use of augury and automatons, and his immigrant status led to his quiet retirement just two years shy of serving the full (and rarely achieved) length allotted to actively serving Stewards.

Early Life

Samuel was born in Eastcairn to a large family living in poverty. At age eight, his parents apprenticed him out to an automaton engineer to add to the family's income and have one less mouth to feed. Samuel lived above the engineer's shop in a border town near Malgrave, where they profited from work in both countries. He became a skilled engineer in his own right.
Nine years later, at the request of another engineer, Samuel traveled with his mentor to make maintenance repairs to an augury-powered manor deeper within Eastcairn. During his work, Samuel noticed several discrepancies with the protective wards. Realizing it was due to concealed corruption, he quarantined the manor and helped stop a sudden eldritch breakout, which garnered him attention from a visiting royal from Malgrave and his accompanying Stewards of the Swords. The Stewards recognized the usefulness of Samuel's automaton creations, despite the controversies over such technology in Malgrave. They offered Samuel training and potential apprenticeship as a royal bodyguard, along with a substantial sum of money. Despite knowing the dangerous reputation of the Stewards, Samuel accepted. He sent the money he earned to his parents.

Career as a Steward

Training for a new job, learning to associate with those in power, and comprehending the cultural norms of a new country all provided challenges to Samuel. His poor writing skills put him behind higher-born apprentices, though he was by no means the farthest behind in education. He received significant help from others, including royal educator Jeannette Shepherd, who nurtured his natural curiosity. Within six years, Samuel was appointed as a full Steward of the King's Swords.
Samuel was also allowed time to build more automatons, though the Stewards' use of them was kept as quiet as possible. Animals in particular fascinated Samuel. He created a small force of automaton animals to help ferry messages and create a stronger intelligence network within the organization. He also furthered his automaton skills by training guard dogs and attempting to recreate their movements in his automaton creations. Harvey, a sparrow automaton, was his greatest success in engineering.
Samuel continued to send money home to support his parents as he progressed in his career; their illiteracy and lack of funds meant that Samuel’s letters went largely unanswered. His siblings slowly made inroads into their own careers. After his appointment as an apprentice and then full Steward, Samuel’s rare visits home were largely uncomfortable, if affectionate on the part of the siblings. Samuel still keeps up correspondence with a couple of them.
Samuel's views on eldritch corruption were influenced both by his previous work as an engineer and by his career as a Steward. His theories differed sharply from prevailing views in Malgrave and even some common views of other Stewards. Like his home country, he believed that corruption was an illness, not a choice, though he agreed with his fellow Stewards that the illness did not transmit itself from person to person. Samuel's opinions paid off in the quiet rehabilitation of a Sword, a feat that challenged all conventional knowledge of corruption and continues to be challenged.
Toward the end of his career, Samuel helped contain a significant eldritch event caused by cultists of M'laadrigh. The deaths of two cultists left behind an orphaned son, Tom Fuller, who Samuel then adopted. Samuel retired four years later to Belleview.

Life in Belleview

Samuel lives in a modest house defended by his own personally installed and maintained protective wards. He maintains a distance from the area's eldritch activity problems, but is happy to consult with the local EAD when requested. He reached out to Marcus Compton when an incident at the Lambert Estate wiped out much of the EAD's forces and Compton was instated as head of the department. The two have formed a respectful friendship.
Samuel builds and sells automatons powered by augury. Due to the rare nature of his business, he supplies to several counties and also has installed protective ward systems for houses and other buildings. His work caught the interest of Lady Sylvia Warison and he taught her some basics that motivated her to pursue studies in augury and wards.
Due to being raised in a community-focused country, Samuel makes an effort to support various local businesses and organizations, including Belleview Library and the Friends of Belleview Library Society. He also frequents a local bakery run by Pilar Soldado-López and has maintained a warm friendship with her for years.

Year of Birth

1855 55 Years old

Children

• Tom Fuller

Aligned Organization

Malbury Forge and Augury

Other Affiliations

• Stewards of the Swords