Eli Shackley-Skidd

Lura Ruth Parlow-Shackley-Skidd [Daughter]

Anders Parlow-Shackley-Skidd [Adopted Child]

Slumgullion [Cat]

Gideon Fletcher [Friends]

Eleanor Buress [Confidants ?]

Ira Morgan [Former Mentor/Guardian]

Rosalie Morgan [Former Guardian]

Malcolm Nealy [Exes]

Lucian Fullmore [Exes]

The Once-Dashing Smuggler [?]

Jonnie Hunniford [Former Friend]

Adrian Mahony [Former Friend]

Madge McLean [Former Friend]

Elwin McLean [Former Friend]

Josiah Galway [Childhood Acquaintance]

Aline Galway [Childhood Acquaintance]

Various Urchin Gangs

**Eli Shackley-Skidd** is a pickpocket and guard for hire in the Neath. They're also a former member of the Morgan Company, and the ex-fiancé of Ollie Morgan.

## **History**

### **Background Information [c. 1868 - c. 1877]**

Little is known about Eli's life prior to being taken in by the Morgan family. Born to Albert Skidd and Cordelia Shackley in 1868, Eli remembers their family fondly, though not well. They remember their parents being deeply in love with each other, and their mother's pet name for them, 'dove'. They also remember their father falling into a deep depression following the death of their second child, who was possibly stillborn, in 1877, and the concurrent death of Cordelia. They quickly had to become self-sufficient as their father began neglecting to care for both Eli and himself up until his own passing the same year. Eli ended up on the streets for the next two years, and began pick-pocketing in order to get by.

### **Time with the Morgan Family [c. 1879 - c. 1894]**

In 1879, Eli attempted to pick-pocket Ira Morgan and was caught. Rather than punishing them, Ira took Eli home to his child Ollie to be his companion, despite his wife's objections. Eli continuously found themself feeling out of place in the home, often fueled by Rosalie's seeming resentment towards them. As the years passed she attempted to connect with them, usually by attempting to teach them her various hobbies. Eli spent most their time with Ollie however, and the two spent much of their time down by the lake near their house, though this came to an end after Ollie pushed Eli in in an attempt to teach them to swim.

In 1884, Eli overheard an argument between Ira and Rosalie over an unresponsive Ollie while hiding in a cabinet in Ira's study. After the argument culminated in Rosalie slapping Ira, and the two left the room, Eli had a disjointed conversation with Ollie, before being kicked out of the study by Ira. They're approached by Ollie a few days later and asked to start joining them on their business trips, to which Eli agrees. Ira begins training Eli in self defense, and Eli agrees to take on more in order to keep Ollie from needing to have lessons.

Sometime prior to November 1885, Eli began smoking after Ira forced them and Ollie to smoke an entire pack each as punishment for stealing.

A few years later in 1889, Eli witnesses a fight between Ira and Ollie, which ends in Ira hitting Ollie, who falls and sustains a concussion. They never admit what happened to Ollie. Following the injury, Ira begins putting more responsibility on Eli while Ollie recovers. They begin joining Ira on business trips, and dealing with those Ira doesn't want to, until Ira finally approached them with the suggestion that he plans to make Eli his successor rather than Ollie, going so far as to suggest he's planning to have Ollie poisoned by a colleague. Eli attempts to warn Ollie of this, but the latter is too out of it to understand. Eli gets drunk to spite Ira, taking the blame for stealing from his liquor cabinet.

## **Notable Relationships**

### **Maxie Parlow**

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> Originally meeting at New Newgate after being placed as cellmates, Eli takes a quick disliking to Maxie but chooses to work with them anyway. They find they work rather well together despite their clashing personalities and continue to work together after they’ve escaped. Maxie moves in with Eli without Eli’s consent using the excuse they’d not had time to find another place before getting sent to New Newgate. Despite this, the two grow closer and Eli finds they’ve begun feeling attached. They attempt an actual relationship, but Maxie seemingly changes their mind and disappears for several months
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> Maxie eventually returns and attempts to pick up where they left off, but Eli gives them a cold reception, though they allow Maxie to sleep on their couch. The two have a fight that culminates in Maxie leaving before morning. Eli later receives an invitation to the House of Chimes from Maxie, and they accept against their better judgment. They attempt to be intimate, but Eli calls Maxie by the wrong name and breaks it off. After another argument, Eli leaves seemingly for the final time.
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> Nearly a full year passes before they meet again, Maxie showing up uninvited again. In the morning, they admit they’d died the night before after making a deal with the boatman. They also admit the reason they chose to go with Eli was they were the only person they could think of that wouldn’t turn them away for their vulnerability or expect to receive anything in return. For the first time since they meet the two have an honest conversation, and they try to have a relationship again.
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> Later, the two have a child named Lura Ruth, though she’s not planned.
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### **Ollie Morgan**

> Eli and Ollie met as children after Ira took them home following a failed pickpocketing attempt. Despite their relationship initially forming because Ira wants Eli to act as Ollie’s bodyguard, the two quickly become friends and eventually enter a romantic relationship. They’re rarely seen apart outside of Ollie’s trips with his father. Following one of these trips, Eli finds Ollie distraught and nearly unresponsive. Ira refuses to allow Eli to stay with Ollie while he’s like that, but is allowed to go with Ollie and Ira on their trips after that. Eli makes a deal with Ira to start training with him if he promises not to put Ollie in whatever situation made him like that. As Ollie’s mental state deteriorates, their relationship grows more and more codependent, with Ollie often needing Eli to even function.
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> Eli is often left to clean up after Ollie as the latter grows more impulsive and self-destructive, both while on the job and off. After Ollie is left unable to join Eli and Ira on any trips for some time, Eli learns that Ira plans to name Eli as their heir, and that Ollie might subsequently be in danger. In an attempt to protect him, Eli tries to tell Ollie what’s happening, but when that fails instead joins him in drinking themselves into a stupor as a message to Ira. The following day Ira makes it clear to Eli all they’ve done is put themself in danger as well.
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> After Eli admits to Robert that they aren’t certain they can lead and that they fear Ollie dying, Robert gives this information to Ira, leading to him forcing the two into an engagement in order to bring Eli fully into the family, and as a promise that they’ll keep Ollie alive so long as Eli remains loyal to the family. The wedding never comes to fruition.
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> During a fairly routine job, Ollie kills the target despite their direction from Ira being just to take him back with them. Eli takes them both into hiding in fear of what Ira’s going to do, but Ollie runs on the 6th night and gets drunk at a bar, loudly announcing what he’d done. They’re dragged back home by one of Ira’s men, and while waiting for Ira Eli admits they’ve been considering leaving. Ollie panics, and despite Eli’s insistence that they aren’t going to leave, fatally wounds them.
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> Ira attempts to get Eli to track down Ollie after they’ve recovered, but they refuse and are removed from the Morgan family’s employ.
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> They meet again by accident over a decade later and despite initial reservations, they manage to reconnect, though they are never as close as they once were.
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