The following is a character backstory for a Call of Cthulhu RPG that never made it past the second session. The character is a Boston cabbie, and occasional thief (second-story man).
Derek Smythe, known to his friends as “Smitty” is an Irish-American born in Boston (specifically Dorchester Neck or South Boston) to Irish immigrant parents. Derek was orphaned at a young age when both his parents were killed in the Roxbury fire of 1894. Having nowhere else to turn, Derek fell in with an Irish-American street gang known as the Gustin Gang.
Being small for his age, Derek had a rough time in the gang until it was discovered that he had a certain knack for breaking into places most people couldn't get into. As a member of the gang, Derek learned to fight, rob, steal, shoot, and even how to drive. His place in the gang was finally cemented when he was able to break into a prohibition agent's home and acquire the agent's badge. Shortly after his success, however, Derek was on a job with Jimmy Wallace, the younger brother of the Gustin's founders, Frank and Steve. Jimmy botched the job and later blamed his mistake on Derek. Though the rest of the gang knew Jimmy was to blame, Frank and Steve sided with their brother, and so kicked Derek out of the gang.
Derek spent the next few years making his way around the city breaking into buildings to steal food and clothes and find a bit of shelter during bad weather. Eventually, he found his way to the Boston University campus. On the campus, Derek was able to find a ready supply of food, clothes, and shelter. It was during the first winter on the campus that Derek broke into the library, looking for a warm room to spend the night. Here Derek found a forgotten storeroom, long walled off by shelves of books, but accessible by some loose boards in the floor leading to the basement. Derek took his few belongings and made this store-room his new home.
As Derek grew into his body a bit more and began to resemble more and more the student body of the college, he began to make forays into the campus public areas. It was here, posing as a student, that he met Winifred (Winnie) Simons. Derek was drawn to Winnie partially because she was a girl, but also because that simple fact also made her a minority in the college. It didn't take Winifred long (especially with her inquisitive nature) to deduce that Derek was no student and to pry his life story out of him. Winnie took pity on Derek's situation and, while keeping his secret, taught him to read and write. By slow measures over the next few years, Winnie helped Derek read his way through the BU library. Through the long winters, Derek developed an insatiable appetite for books, especially those dealing with War and Strategy.
Shortly after Winnie graduated, Derek decided it was time to move on. Using his knowledge of the city, he was able to land a job driving a cab for a local company. A job ideally suited to providing convenient alibis, anonymity perfect for casing places to rob, and intimate knowledge of people's daily routines and habits.
