Christopher Marlowe

Appearance
5' 10'', slender verging on skinny, Kit has shoulder-length dark blond hair, blue-grey eyes and London-pale skin. Long-fingered, expressive hands are frequently ink-stained. Ink remains a theme in the tattoos covering his chest and scattered down his arms - all black, including a solid stylised heart with a butterfly perched on the top, and a broken skull.

He favours dark clothing - black, closely fitting hose and black boots, his doublets made of the richest fabrics he can afford, often embellished with beads or embroidery.

Talents
Writing poetry and plays. Espionage. Deception, seduction, improvisation, surviving.

Interests
Anything and everything that he might be able to put to use either in his writing or in his spycraft. He has a particular interest in the supernatural, and  a deep skepticism of religion, or anything demanding faith without proof.

History
Born the son of a shoemaker in 1564 in Canterbury, Kit attended the local school and went on to study at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. During his studies, his skills were noted and reported to the Queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, and began his work as a spy for her Majesty. His assignments included tutoring the Queen's cousin while reporting back on whether Arbella was plotting with Mary Queen of Scots to unseat Elizabeth from the throne of England (she wasn't) and investigating whether counterfeiting in the Low Countries was related to funding a Catholic plot to unseat Elizabeth from the throne of England (possibly, Kit got arrested).

While in London, Kit established himself with a career following his real passion : theatre. His plays have been an immense success, instrumental in establishing the Theatre and James Burbage and Will Kemp, but recently, a true rival has arrived in London. William Shakespeare is an under-educated provincial, but his works show raw talent, potential for genius, and he's irritatingly attractive. It's entirely Will's fault that Kit's involvement in attempting to locate and arrest a Catholic priest has ended in the priest escaping on a ship with Burbage's daughter, and at least partly Will's fault that Kit went to even more extreme lengths in researching his latest play, searching for proof of the existence of both God and the Devil (both proving failures).

The recent death of Kit's first lover, the artist Barrett Emerson, sent Kit into a spiral of despair and fierce search for meaning. His self-destructive quest didn't end until he finished writing his play, and could return to his current lover, Thomas Walsingham (nephew to Sir Francis) with an open heart. Although Will may have beaten Kit to the portrayal of a metaphorical devil on stage, with the political weight of Thomas and Sir Francis's support, Kit has had his own play, portraying the literal devil on stage, passed by the censor. Doctor Faustus is in rehearsal at the Rose, Robert Southall is out of the country, Thomas is back in Kit's bed and Kit's life is finally steady. And in danger of getting boring.