Name: Roderich Edelstein.
Age: 24
Gender: Male.
Birthday: October 26th.
Hometown:Vienna, Austria


Appearance: A relatively neat head of dark chestnut hair (save for that one cowlick), sharply rectangular glasses and a mole on the left side of his chin are the defining physical characteristics of Roderich. Sporting an eye for the antique, Roddy prefers to dress in rather 'rustic' wear, gaining a fair amount of ridicule from others. He is never seen out of formal attire, not owning a single piece of clothing that could possibly be classified as casual. He nearly always wears a pair of black gloves.

He is light skinned, but not pale, and is of moderate build. In terms of muscle, he has some, but not that much. He isn't so weak that he has trouble opening jars or anything, but he certainly wouldn't be able to lift giant crates by himself.



Personality: Roderich is, in a word, uptight. He has an air of formality around him, which makes him quite easy to anger. He is a neat freak, as well as a bit of a germaphobe (for this, he keeps his gloves on as much as he can). He enjoys cleaning, and feels the need to keep things in mint condition. He really hates things that are unplanned, although he’s trying to work on that.

In trying to cope with surprises, he enjoys considering 'what ifs' in his spare time. Some call it paranoia, true, but Roderich calls it 'being cautious'. This causes him to doubt often.

Did I mention he's a hoarder? Roddy occasionally sorts through his neighbor's trash, finding and keeping items he deems 'still of good shape' or 'possibly useful'. He absolutely hates throwing things out, and will try to make everything last as long as possible. Roddy is quite reluctant to spend money, so he tries his best to fix things himself, though he sadly isn't that great at it.

He generally dislikes people, often choosing not to step out of his room unless he really Has to. He enjoys spending any free time he has either baking or composing music. He also adores reading, and other activities for the lonely individual. He prefers solitude over most else, and finds his inner peace in being completely alone.

Speaking of baking, he tends to do that a lot. Especially when he's agitated or upset. He claims it helps calm himself down. When it comes to baking, he's actually quite good at it, and is a perfectionist about decoration. You can help him bake, but when it comes to the overall decoration of the pastry, he'll take over.

Roderich is also obsessed with (good) music. He enjoys classical numbers and has mastered an array of instruments, his most preferred being the piano.

He is quite expressive, but hides it well, tending to smile or laugh only in solitude. He believes that showing emotion makes him vulnerable.

On the subject of the paranormal he is excited, it being one of his few passions. He isn’t afraid of ghosts (in fact he quite enjoys their company).



Strengths:

Organization: Roderich is a strong advocator of everything in it’s proper place. He’s an expert at knowing how to sift and sort, and always knows where everything is. At least, in places he’s organized.

Sense of Direction: Despite what people may think, Roderich actually has a strong sense of direction. This is largely based on the fact that he has photographic memory, and therefore remembers things upon first glance.

Musical Sense: From a young age he was taught to play an array of musical instruments, fueling a passion he still holds today. His favourites are the violin and the piano, but he finds joy in being able to fiddle with just about anything. He has a good ear for notes and tones, which helps him minimally in his work, but mostly comes in handy where leisure is concerned. If he is requested to, he will play for people. Otherwise he prefers to play alone, as it is a form of calm for him. He also has a bit of an eye for art.

Eccentric: Some call it obsessive, some call it odd, but whatever it is it has proved to be the driving force behind Roderich. When he is passionate about something he goes overboard in every aspect, absorbing it into his life until he very well needs it to live. He is enthralled by the world of the paranormal, and has in his possession countless books, studies and resources to fuel the hobby. He is an avid collector, and has various maps, charts and tools that he always keeps in working order.

Thrify: (This can be seen as both good and bad) This little Austrian hates spending money, but when he does, it’s usually in large amounts. His tastes are quite refined (and therefore quite expensive) and it’s obvious in the way he dresses and carries himself. However, he takes pride in the concept of frugality, and for that, is a hoarder. Roderich keeps absolutely everything, believing that it may come in use in some case or another. He is reluctant to throw things away, and has been known to use any means (duct tape, glue, you name it) to keep his items together and in working order. Since there is limited space in his quarters, you can imagine what it looks like.

Cartography: He maps, charts and locates, and loves every bit of it. Making maps brings him a thrill, and he’ll often be seen working on some detailed grid of one of the location’s they’ve been to. Mapmaking is his family’s trade, and though it is a dying one, he is determined to excel in it.

Weaknesses:

People Skills: He has none, really. This includes one-on-one and crowd scenarios. He’s learned to handle formal, business interactions as well as some general conversations, but these come off as stiff and over-rehearsed. He only says what is needed and nothing more. He has a very large personal space bubble, and doesn’t like to be touched (this doesn’t affect his work much, as ghost hunting has never really dealt with touch). He actually goes out of his way to avoid people, and doesn’t like stepping out of his room.

Messiness: Surprise! Roderich lives in what is referred to as ‘organized chaos’. His room and living space in general is an absolute mess. There isn't a speck of grime to be found, however books, maps, and charts of all kinds are piled haphazardly this way and that. The supplies and resources cover most of the surfaces (including the floor), making it almost impassable for those who are not familiar with the clutter. He himself has no difficulty navigating through the piles, and knows precisely where every single thing is. 

Mechanically Challenged: Roderich is a little like a child; he loves taking things apart, but in most cases he can never figure out how to put them back together. He’s absolutely horrid at fixing things, but thankfully doesn’t try to. He is an inventor, not a maintainer, and apart from the basic equipment used in work, doesn’t know how most electronics and tools operate. He enjoys trying to create new tools, however, although it only works sometimes.

OCD: Roderich has minor OCD, meaning that if his personal belongings are touched or moved in any way out of their placed positions, he’ll freak out. He hates it when other’s handle his belongings. He doesn’t go so far as to have an issue with how many rows things are in or the number of items, but he doesn’t like foreign fingerprints on his stuff.

Easy to Anger/Frustrate: Because of the OCD and eccentricity, you can make him angry fairly easily. It’s not hard, and an enraged Roderich means that you’ve just cut your ties off with him for at least a few days. He has trouble calming himself down, and that’s why he relies on music. He hates being ridiculed.



Specialty: Maps and locations are his thing. He possesses countless maps of Hannover, many of which he’s made himself, and is exceptional at scouting out places and creating layouts of them.



History: Roderich was born into a wealthy family of cartographers. As a child he was quite the intellect, earning tons of praise from both his family and the public. As the only child of the family, he was expected to take over the business, which he would've done had it not been for his obsession with all things paranormal. The business his family owned and operated was the main supplier of maps to the Austrian government at the time. You wanted a map? They had it. They didn't have it? They went out and mapped it.

His father was especially keen on teaching him the biz, and encouraged him to watch him work. This quickly became a tradition, and as his father worked they would often discuss the issues of the universe.

The nature of the maps his family made are what brought the company so much success. Apart from the standard things, such as roads and cities and whatnot, the maps also charted out the land structure, what it was made of, and how it behaved. They even had the specific locations of military bases, residential houses (some even had who lived there) and important shops. The maps would vary, as different customers wanted different things, but the main elements were always the same.

Upon questioning some of the customers his parents worked with, he was told that 'Business is business' and no matter what, they never turned down a customer.

Roderich's parents, formal as they were, never failed to answer the call of exploration, frequently leaving him in the care of a nanny while they went to map some new piece of space or land for a customer. It was the nanny who taught him to play the piano, giving birth to his love of music.

When he was older, and almost of age to take over the company, Roderich was introduced to the world of ghosts and strange occurrences through word of mouth; a town a few miles away seemed to be haunted, and stories of the horrors spread like wildfire. He was intrigued, and since his parents were on another exploration, he decided to see the town for himself. With his nanny (now caretaker, really) he spent a few days in the town, collecting information from the residents of exactly what was going on. He was rather skeptical at first, thinking it all to be some sort of prank pulled by the local kids, but that soon changed with his first encounter. Chills were sent down his spine as he was inspecting a room in a nearby house, and he could have sworn he’d felt someone bump into him. It wasn’t the end of it though, as furniture clanked by itself and the radio mounted in the mantle turned on and off.

After this he believed, and practically threw himself into knowing as much as he could. He began to eat, breathe and live nothing but ghosts and music and maps, and he knew that with his newfound obsession he could never be reduced to a simple businessman. He needed excitement, and purpose, and that did not come with his idea of his pre-destined job.

His parents were somewhat appalled, to say the least. While they only wanted Roderich to feel comfortable in whatever he did, he had no siblings, and therefore there was no alternative heir to the family biz. To this day they are cautiously accepting his decisions, hoping that he’ll find a way to inherit while still being able to be himself.

He decided, one night, to leave home, and upon packing his bags and grabbing as many of his parent’s maps as he could, wished them farewell and set off for nowhere in particular. Roderich was never the type to be doing things without planning, but he was so filled with the itching prospect of discovery that he couldn’t help himself. The rush he received from being spontaneous put him on a level that he’d never felt before.

For the next few months, Roddy became quite the nomad. He drifted from city to city, advertising himself as a freelance musician and paranormal inquirer, often getting jobs playing at parties and socials. He never liked to stay in one place too long, and found himself always on the move.

Through his odd jobs and wanderlust, he met many connections to various suppliers and informants. It was through these people that he was able stay in the loop with rumors of ghosts and odd occurrences, and it influenced which direction he would wander to next.

He began writing a journal of all the information he gathered, as well as the topography of all the places he travelled to. The cartographer in him held fast and he soon found himself making maps of almost every place he went to, including the haunted ones.

He heard about Hannover through some of his new connections, and without hesitation, bought himself a ticket. He was somewhat familiar with its layout, his parents having made several maps of the area prior. He was incredibly excited - almost giddy, even - and rushed into the entire event without much thinking involved.





Player Info
Name/nickname: Bento, Apollo Pompano, Frynge.
Timezone: GMT -5 (Canadian Eastern)
MSN/AIM: apollo_palm_tree@hotmail.com (for both)
You read the rules, right?: Anything not made with milk--ohwait. Everything is made with milk. BT (sorbet and gelato)
Any last words?: I hope this is okay, as I know it’s rather different. I can totally change stuff if it’s not okay vkjbkjskjefv

Congratulations, you are accepted! Your app was absolutely wonderful and full of description, and your history was very original! Please change your name to Roderich Edelstein and feel free to start posting!