Mark Vorkosigan
From Milieux
| Mark Vorkosigan | |
|---|---|
| Vorkosigan Saga | |
| markvorkosigan.livejournal.com | |
 Mark posing for a headshot | |
| Full Name: | Lord Mark Pierre Vorkosigan |
| Type: | Townsperson |
| Age: | Appears to be in his late 20's |
| Birthday: | Unknown |
| Year of origin: | Unknown, but several hundred years in the future |
| Residence: | Storefront Apartments |
| Room: | Third floor |
| Occupation: | Owner of Ambrosia |
| Status: | Alive |
| Other: | Mark raises butter bugs |
Contents |
Background
Mark is the clone Miles Vorkosigan, created in a plot to throw Miles' home planet Barrayar into chaos by replacing Miles with Mark. Mark was to assassinate both the Emperor of Barrayar and Miles's father, and then assume the throne himself. This feckless plan was foiled when Miles became aware of it and of Mark's existence. Being raised abusively by a fanatical terrorist as an assassin to wipe out the hated Vorkosigans, Mark was surprised by Mile's insistence that they were under the law, brothers and that Mark had parents on Barrayar who would be concerned about his fate if they should ever learn of his existence. This eventually lead to Mark's integration into the family he never knew he had.
Mark was created and raised on Jackson's Whole, a virtually lawless planet ruled by gangster robber barons. Mark has a strong sense of outrage to injustice but his habits and outlook are colored by his upbringing. As a result he expects to be able to buy or bargain his way out of most trouble and has difficulty understanding the difference between a bribe, a fee and a tax.
Mark's obsession is ending a Jackson's Whole practice of raising clones as replacement bodies for rich old men and women, as the practice murders the teenage clone. Having tried spectacularly unsuccessfully to effect this by military force, he has turned to applying his considerable money making talents to the problem, amassing wealth that he spends on life extending research, in the hopes of driving the brain swappers out of business by providing cheaper alternatives.
During an earlier attempt to end the practice more directly he was captured by a minor Baron who spent several months torturing him physically and mentally for his own sadistic pleasure. Mark survived this by developing multiple personalities, eventually lulling his tormentor into a one on one encounter in a soundproofed room. Despite being tied naked to a chair, Mark's "killer" personality was able to kick the Baron to death.
Mark has since spent a considerable amount of time in therapy at his mother's home planet Beta Colony and has managed to mostly integrate his multiple personalities back into himself.
He has a girlfriend named Kareen that he is mad about. They are not currently engaged, but the does have a two year exclusivity contract with her with an option to renew.
Through the love and support of his family and girlfriend (plus lots of Betan therapy) Mark has managed to put much of his past behind him. He is driven by his long term goals but is happy and content enough to not fret about them in the short term.
Appearance
Mark's brother Miles Vorkosigan was poisoned in the womb by a failed assassination attempt on his mother. The resulting damage to the fetus lead Miles to being born misshapen and stunted with brittle bones. As he grew up he was subjected to a number of surgeries and corrective procedures. After he had finished growing as much as he was likely to, his brittle bones were replaced, as they broke, with synthetics.
Being raised in secret as Mile's replacement, Mark's growth had to be forced to match Mile's. So although genetically Mark should be 6 feet tall and normally proportioned, he has been surgically altered to match Mile's appearance. As each of Mile's bones were replaced the same procedure would be done to Mark and any scars Miles obtained was also duplicated on Mark.
Mark still has the metabolism of a much larger man, so his weight was also adjusted by starvation and lots of drugs.
When he first came to live on his brother's home planet of Barrayar, it became important to Mark to not be mistaken for his clone brother. He accomplished this by deliberately gaining a lot of weight.
He has since slimmed down some, but still maintains himself heavier.
As a result of all of the above Mark is short (4 foot 9 inches), a bit overweight and with a head too big for his body. He has a very slight limp and a minor curvature of the spine with a small hint of a hunched back.
Where Canon and Character go separate ways
Mark always has a number of different financial enterprises going on. One of them involved a new more efficient form of jumpdrive technology that didn't work as planned and sent him and part of the lab back in time. The only thing he was able to salvage from the bits of lab that came back with him was a colony of the base butter bug stock from his bug butter business.
Mark is hoping to build up his financial empire again to finance research into time travel to allow him to be reunited with his Kareen.
RP notes
Comment from Mark's player:
I recently went back and re-read all three books in which Mark had a major role. As I was reading the first one I became concerned that I was playing him completely wrong. Mark is depicted as surly, paranoid and with no personal identity at all. He is defined mostly by his trust issues and his obsession with his brother. The second book (which has more Mark than any of the others) begins with him the same way but over the course of the book, covers a number of personal transformations and a lot of growth. By the end he has found out a way to step out of his brother's shadow, acquired an interesting new psychosis, and is well on his way to being a (paradoxically) sane and happy individual. In the third book he struggles to continue to define himself as "Mark" instead of "Miles' brother" and come to grips with socializing with others (family, girlfriend and business partners). Again, by the end he show signs of maturing into a happier and saner individual.
So my version of Mark just continues that trend because he is slightly older.
In Milieux
Living Arrangements
Mark lives by himself on the third floor of the Storefront Apartments
Relationships
Mark is in business with Pippi Longstocking as co-owner of Ambrosia
