Editing Col. Hiram Merriwether

Name : Col. Hiram Merriwether
Age :45
Nationality (place of birth) : London, 1830
Physical appearance : Merriwether is about 5' 7" tall, and weighs 160 pounds. He has a scar, similar to a Heidelberg dueling scar on his left cheek, this being a souvenir of the Second Afghan War. His hair is straight and black, with touches of grey at the temples. He does not favour a beard or moustache, but has a modest set of sidewhiskers. When seen at his clubs in Upper London, he has the dress and demeanor of a well-to-do gentleman. When in Lower London, he prefers a black frock coat and bowler. 
Profession / job title:  Colonel, British Army, retired.
Biography :  Merriwether was educated at Eton College and the University of Oxford before embarking upon a military career. Formerly of the 1st Bangalore Pioneers, he served in the Jowaki Expedition and in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, seeing action (and being wounded) at the Battle of Charasiab, (for which he was mentioned in dispatches), the Battle of Sherpur and at Kabul. A devoted sportsman and highly skilled shot, he was author of the books Dangerous Game of the Western Himalayas and Life and Hunts in the Jungle, and reportedly once crawled down a drain after a wounded man-eating tiger. However, he soon turned to the bad , and although there was no open scandal he was obliged to retire from the army and return to London. 
It is rumoured that his wealth was amassed through the exploitation of the Indian lower classes, and by looting of temples while on campaign.
Outwardly quite respectable, with an address in Conduit Street, Mayfair and membership of the  Anglo-Indian Club, the Tankerville Club and The Bagatelle Card Club, he nevertheless continued in his evil ways, venturing into the seedy underworld of London, gaining more wealth and experience in the doing.
  
 He soon gained the eye of the master criminal Professor Moriarty, and rose quickly to become Moriarty's right hand man, and operational chief.
After Moriarty's death at the Reichenbach Falls, Merriwether took over the Professor's empire, with a brutal and bloody purge of those who did not believe he was the true successor. Merriwether has access to all the secrets and tools that Moriarty left behind, and has dark plans for expanding his empire of evil.
It is rumored that he has recruited by various means, a cadre of scientists and engineers, well aware that technology and science are the new tools to power. There are rumours that he is in contact with foreign arch-villains of a like mind.


Hiram's currect activites can be found in [[Steam London]]