• It's time once again to ferret out those murderous vampires in a new VAU - Vampires Amongst Us. A cross between Cluedo and a roleplay, sometimes gory and often hilarious! Find out more and sign-up! here.

Sanai

Stylish Deviant
True Blood
Oct 30, 2009
5,193
Behind Darvy
Okay, here is the character creation/sign-up thread for the "Shadows of the Undying King" roleplay.

First up, an introduction to the roleplay.
It is a time of chaos and dark portents. Madness and calamity has spread throughout the lands of the old world, as terrible forces of destruction and evil sense that their time of conquest draws nigh. In the north, hordes of barbarians, madmen and worse have gathered, and even now have begun to assail the Empire. In Bretonnia, a bastard son has slain the king and seeks to usurp his throne. In Tilea & Estalia, the verminous ratmen have swarmed and swept aside all resistance in a tide of filth, driven ever onwards by their terrible horned god. Within the Empire itself, the cursed province of Sylvania has seceded from the Empire, protected by a wall of bone.

Among all of this chaos and anarchy, you are a creature of the night, dwelling within the Border Princes. For years, or even centuries, you have hidden from the hateful glare of the sun, either preying on the petty kingdoms in that region, or sleeping in ancient crypts and barrows. Now you sense something dark and terrible rising, calling on all of the undead to awaken, to rise up.


Many of your dark kind have congregated in dread Sylvania, summoned by Mannfred von Carstein, but some among you are drawn to a closer dark will. You feel the pull of a less powerful member of that same benighted race, the immortal vampires. It draws you like moths to a dark flame, to gather in the smoldering ruins of a small kingdom, dominated by a ancient, crumbling fortress. The identity of this being, and what dark design he is calling the regions undead for, is unknown to you, but you come anyway, some unable to resist the allure of the dark beacon, others out of ennui, boredom or even lust for power and some out of simple curiosity.

Now, onto the character creation.

Character Template
Player Name:
Character Name:
Type of Undead/Bloodline:
Description:
Bio:
Motivation:
(What does your character want? What drives them? Power? Greed? Bloodlust? Boredom? Vengeance? Or are they simply bound to the will of other, more powerful beings?)
Failing/s: (What are your characters failings? No being is perfect, so everyone has some kind of failing. Whether it is pride, lack of self control, being an incorporeal ghost that cannot feel the touch of another, and uncontrollable lust for the heartblood of the living, petty vanity, etc, everyone has their failings)
Abilities: Everyone has special talents/skills, especially the undead. Whether it is being able to fly, being a powerful mage, being a talented smith or being able to shapeshift, it all goes here.
Magic Items (If Any):
Alternate Player:
(Nominate a player who will take over your character if you need to be absent/etc)

Example Character Template
Player Name:
Sanai
Character Name: Sanai Morden, the Dread Count of Callistaire
Type of Undead: Strigoi Vampire
Description: A tall, muscular figure, Sanai has dark black hair and soulless, black eyes. His once handsome form is marred by his bloodlines corruption, taking an effort of will to reshape his features enough to pass as human. When distracted or roused to anger, his fingers elongate into terrible claws, and his jaw distends revealing horrifying fangs. He goes to war clad in black armour, wearing a mask fashioned to look like a screaming, horned skull.
Bio: In his mortal life, Sanai Morden spent his early years as a disreputable Tilean Noble, gambling, drinking and whoring away most of the modest stipend paid him by his family. After years of being a constant embarrassment to his family, the final straw was when he was caught trying to steal from his noble father to pay his mounting debts. Disowned and with nothing but the clothes on his back and his sword, his life was forfeit to those he owed his debts too. When the mercenaries he had lost to in his most recent spate of gambling came to collect from him, his fierce resistance to their beating impressed them enough that they decided to take his service rather than his life.

After years of life as a mercenary, Sanai had climbed through the ranks to lead the company of cutthroats and sellswords. Seeking further fortune and glory, he led an ill-fated expedition into the Badlands, chasing rumours of a lost city full of ancient treasures and arcane lore. His company found that city, and were slaughtered to a man. Sanai was turned by a Vampiric Ghoul King, and now, many years later, is a powerful vampire lord, sitting upon his throne amidst the ruins of his own small kingdom.
Motivation: Sanai is a ruthless, ambitious individual. He cares about the acquisition of power above all else. He despises the rest of his bloodline, seeing them as weak for having succumbed fully to their bestial nature, but will make use of them when necessary. He also cares strongly about trying to overcome the effects of his cursed bloodline, always seeking new ways to control the changes wrought upon his body and mind.
Failings: Sanai is a very prideful individual, his pride and arrogance having occasionally lead him to acts of hubris. He is also somewhat of a gambler, even in undeath, this also having lead to him getting into some bad situations. Also, while being a capable wizard, he finds raising and controlling the dead to be his weakest point, generally preferring to have his necromancer lackeys take on that burden, leaving him to either magically empower his minions or blast the enemy with dark magics.
Abilities: Unlike most of his bloodline, Sanai is a capable wizard, leader, general and scholar. First and foremost however, he is a fighter. While he pretends to be an creature of honour, in reality he is an expert at fighting dirty, always seeking the most expedient route to victory. He is also a skilled swordsman, a holdover to his days as a mercenary and Tilean Noble, honed over his many years of unlife.
Magic Items

The Black Blade of Mourkain

This ancient blade was found in the ruins of old Mourkain, when Sanai returned to the place where he was first turned in search of another ancient artifact for his dark master. This long, blackened length of an unidentified alloy is razor sharp, and burns with terrible green flames when drawn. It is empowered with potent enchantments meant to sap the life from its victims and drain their very souls.

The Blighted Armour of Morr
Stolen from a Templar of Morr and reforged into a form more pleasing to Sanai's eye, this black armour has been corrupted by foul necromancy, yet still retains its protective properties, helping it to turn aside both blades and the touch of the ethereal undead.

The Screaming Skull
Recovered from an isolated tower in the chaos wastes, this potent artifact takes the form of a screaming, horned skull, worn as a helmet or mask. This artifact enables Sanai to scream in the same manner as a Banshee or Terrorgheist, giving him a potent edge in battle.

Alternate Player: Unknown at this point.


Types of Sentient Undead you might play:
Liches (Though fairly rare in the Warhammer setting)
Vampires
Necromancers (Though actually mortal in many cases)
Wraiths
Banshees
Wights
Tomb Kings/Princes/etc
etc
 

The Archivist

Archivist of the word The
True Blood
Player Name: The Archivist

Character Name: The Archivist, Holder of the Seven Tomes

Type of Undead: Wight, Barrow of the Rustling Corridors

Description: The Archivist is a shadowy individual, rarely glimpsed beneath his ancient, mold-encrusted robe. His skeletal face has a glass eye embedded in his left socket, which rotates as though it were real, and his teeth are kept immaculate despite the dust covering his skull. If he were to be disrobed, his skeleton would be clear to see: bones of metal replace his right leg, leading to a strange shuffling clank and clack as he walks or runs.

Bio: Once upon a time a librarian found himself with power beyond measure beside a barbarous king of the eastern steppe. His ability to pluck knowledge from ink and paper was marvelled at, and as the king's army swept westwards the librarian gathered every tome and scroll they passed. Within he discovered many secrets, including how to unlock his own magical abilities. He soon accompanied the king into battle, riding in his chariot to provide arcane warning and to dazzle enemies with illusions.
He lost an eye breaking in to a mage tower, surrendering it to the ravens for knowledge beyond anything he'd seen before: the Seven Tomes. His awe quickly turned to frustration as the books refused to open to him, and he stored them deep within his library. His next battle was his last, leg removed by a dwarven axe on a foolhardy attack on the peaks.
Lain to rest in a barrow along with his immense library, the librarian's name quickly faded from the annals of history. As was custom for the tribe, his lost leg was replaced with bones of metal.

A century ago, a foolhardy tomb robber entered the barrow. A spark of magic that had grown into the engraved shamanic protections woke the librarian, whose name was forgotten. The tomb robber never escaped.
The Seven Tomes now opened for the wight. He took on the name of The Archivist, for that was what the tomb robbers that followed their comrade named him as they fled his shuffling footsteps, and he himself added his title. Now he senses a chance to return to his power of old, and has taken off for his destination, leaving behind bone golems to guard his library.

Motivation: Set in his ways by the magic of the barrows, The Archivist has two goals only: hoarding knowledge and becoming a right-hand man. He does not, cannot, look higher. Whilst his mind is sharp as ever any empathy he had in life is long gone, and he sees others as nothing more than words on a page, to be read and examined.

Failings: The Archivist may be powerful in some ways but being a wight comes with its own disadvantages. He is very apt to do things in the same way every time he is faced with a situation: casting a fireball then an illusion of a bear whenever he faces an orc is one example. These repetitious cycles range from the mundane, such as licking a non-existent finger to turn a page, to grand strategies. There is no telling which of his actions will repeat, or which are new additions to his repertoire.
The Archivist is also unable to argue. He is no yes man, but if someone disagrees he will merely repeat his last point at them until they either accept what he says or directly disprove it.

Abilities: The Archivist is a wight, and consequently has the ability to reassemble his bones provided they are not shattered. On top of this he is a powerful mage, capable of summoning illusions, predictions and magical missiles. Other more niche abilities include the ability to summon and unsummon books from his library and to create strange, rudimentary bone golems from the bones of the dead.

Magic Items: The Seven Tomes: Seven Tomes, each is written in an indecipherable language to any but The Archivist. Every time he scours their pages his glass eye glows, and the image of flesh shimmers over his skeleton. When he finishes, he will usually have either broken a cycle he was bound to repeat or will have learnt some new arcane secret. They are impervious to fire, water, tear and age.
Glass Eye: Imbued with the magic of the wight, he can now see with his glass eye through illusions and, on occasion, walls.

Alternate Player: None
 

Sanai

Stylish Deviant
True Blood
Oct 30, 2009
5,193
Behind Darvy
@Get of W'soran I would say with vampires there would be such a restriction yes, as say for an example, a powerful Von Carstein Lord sired by Vlad himself would probably have problems taking orders from an upstart Strigoi Tilean with pretensions towards lordship, and would instead be creating their own army/court of the undead.

@The Archivist I love it! Character approved.
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Sigmund von Müller - Templar of the Order of Drakenhof


Player Name:
Get of W'soran

Character Name: Sigmund von Müller

Type of Undead/Bloodline: von Carstein Vampire

Sire: Lisette von Carstein, get and former Hand-Maiden of Isabella.

Generation: 4th

Description
Sigmund appears to be in his mid-thirties, stands slightly above average height and has a fighter's build with broad powerful shoulders and a slim waist. The clean-shaven man is pale with yellow eyes and has his brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail to reveal a high hairline.
As a mortal he would have been considered handsome if not for a slightly too hooked nose and overly sharp features giving him hawk-like feature however the cold hard touch of death has granted him a handsome appearance.
These human features vanish completely when his vampiric nature is revealed, his eyes turn crimson red and his jaw elongated slightly to reveal long sharp fangs.
When at court he would wear antiquated nobleman's garb of black with a flowing cloak but he rarely bothers these days. Most of the time he is clad in black plate armour of the Drakenhof Templars except for the dark runes of power that slide along it's surface, he also wears a black cloak with his armour. No matter what garb he dons Sigmund is never seen without his hand-and-a-half longsword.

Biography
Sigmund was a knight of the Empire in life, born into the affluent von Müller family. In time he inherited an estate in Stirland on the borders of Sylvania after his perfectly healthy but wealthy brother died under "mysterious" circumstances. Quitting the Order Sigmund married a rich, pretty but dull woman and had two sons and a daughter. One day he was visited by a beautiful and lost noblewoman who was seeking refuge from the night, Sigmund felt compelled to comply both out of duty and no little obsession with the female. That night the noble lady revealed herself as Lisette von Carstein and slew the household, Sigmund managed to stave off death for a few moments revealing not only a surprising skill with the sword but also a rudimentary knowledge of forbidden dark magic. However his mere mortal abilities and pathetic cantrips where no match for the Vampire Lady and he was swiftly defeated, amused and intrigued by the man's spirit Lisette forcibly turned Sigmund into one of his gets.

For a time Sigmund served at his sire's beck and call, usually on some self-absorbed quest of the Dark Lady. Sigmund also became a long-standing member of the Drakenhof Templars, Sylvania's largest and most infamous vampiric knightly order, like the majority of it's members he was considered unworthy of the von Carstein name. In short Order Lisette offered Sigmund induction into the inner circle and the von Carstein name but to her surprise her get refused her, not out of spite or ill-will, rather Sigmund thought it unwise to rise above others without claiming the power himself and he was not ready for the challenge that bearing the infamous family name would bring upon him. Feeling spurned by her childe Lisette found another, a more pliable soul, and made him her new protégé. She and her new get left the Templars and Sylvania, at least for now, deciding to travel abroad. Eventually Sigmund tired of the politics of his brethren and so the knight left Sylvania.
In those precious, too short, years Sigmund felt what it was to be the master of his own fate for the first time since his mortal life had ended. He travelled far in search of wisdom from other Aristocrats of Undeath and whilst he learnt much he found no wisdom, just old men and women who personified the greatest weaknesses of their kind, people unable to accept the changes of the world and surrounded themselves with the decorations and customs of long dead civilisations.

In more recent times Sigmund was summoned by Lisette to service once more, for no matter how far he went Sigmund could always fell his mistress's presence. The vampire fought alongside his Templar order once again and years later he was brought before Mannfred himself who ordered the younger immortal to travel to the Borderlands in search of potential allies who might serve him.

Free again from his sire's direct control Sigmund now travels to the power that he has sensed in the Border Princes and hopes to use who or whatever it is to become more powerful himself.

Motivation
Sigmund is cut from the same cloth as the von Carstein court of old, unlike the majority of the present day gets of his line Sigmund is ambitious but masks this with aristocratic grace and manners. He wishes a greater level of freedom and recognition, as such he needs power to achieve it. Sigmund also wishes to complete his assignment to recruit the dark powers in the area to the Count's cause. Ultimately he wishes to become Grandmaster of the Drakenhof Templars and be powerful enough to defend his right to the von Carstein name.

Failing/s:
Sigmund is unfailingly arrogant believing in the superiority of vampirekind, especially his line, and his own personal talents. He even sees Liches like Akharan or Arch Necromancers as a lesser beings although he recognises their obvious power.
Unlike some other vampires of his age Sigmund actively avoids the Sun being greatly weakened by it as well as common vampiric weaknesses (Silver, Holy Symbols, running water etc).
Also to his eternal fury he is unable to use any of the shapeshifting abilities that come naturally to the von Carstein line.
Another weakness, which Sigmund takes to heart, is his magical skill, the von Carstein's arcane ability is limited to controlling and raising the dead and is quite minor compared to others of his bloodline.

Abilities
Sigmund's foremost skill is his swordsmanship, other knightly weapons to a lesser degree and a mind for tactics. He is also a relatively competent necromancer being able to raise and command the dead as well as binding spirits to his will. The vampire has the standard von Carsteins powers excepting shapeshifting although his powers over them are erratic.
Sigmund also lacks the usual predatorial laziness of his kind, constantly seeking to improve his skill, primarily with a blade but also other abilities.

Magic Items:

The Blade of Hate

The hand and a half longsword was taken from the destroyed remains of Blood Dragon who Sigmund was sent to steal an artefact from by his sire. The blade is enchanted to cut through even the toughest armour and grows stronger the more blood that it feeds upon.
The original pommel, grip and guard have been replaced by Sigmund, the new pommel has a red bat engraved on it.


Armour of the Twisted
The Drakenhof Templars where once a revered and respected Order of the Empire but with the coming of the von Carsteins it was perverted to the vampire count's dark cause like so many other things. Sigmund wears the standard black serrated armour of the Order except he has had his enchanted by protective spells by an ally. It increases the strength of the steel and provides some basic defense against magic. The armour's enchantments are naturally stronger in areas where Necromancy is stronger.


Alternate Player: The Dread King (assuming he joins!)
 
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Count Vashra

Lord of Shadows
True Blood
Sep 29, 2013
1,717
New Zealand
Here I come! This character is, as usual, along the lines of dark/shadowy mastermind.

Player Name: Count Vashra
Character Name: Johann
Type of Undead/Bloodline: von Carstein Vampire\

Description: Johann is pale, and wears dark blue - von Carstein blue - clothes. His eyes are red and his hair is black.

Bio: Johann was a devout Priest of Morr, the kind of person who went the extra mile even when unasked, and called following orders to the letter laziness. His intelligence and ability to go the extra step quickly earned him a high position.
One day his town was invaded by a von Carstein Vampire. Skilled in fighting, Johann fought the Vampire in the heart of the temple. Of course, he was beaten, but the Vampire admired his tenacity and fearlessness, and minor technological skills, and sired him. Johann quickly rose to prominence within his master's court, reaching the rank of heir apparent.

Johann assisted his master in many battles, using a mixture of shadowy magic, technology and the von Carstein affinity with wolves and bats. One day he was summoned to his master's court, and given a special, and secret, task. Johann was to forge a crown, powered by blood, to control their enemies, and a special sacrificial knife to assist in the task.
Johann went to work, and after long hours produced what he had been ordered to make. He experimented on Vampires in the castle, and his master was sufficiently impressed to let him travel the world to find the best wearer for the Crown of Blood.

To this day Johann wanders, searching for high-ranking Vampires to manipulate, along the way honing his dark magic. He was given a specific brief, told the blood sacrifice needed would be best from a 20-35 year old (counting Vampires sired at that age) noble.

Motivation: Johann seeks to find the best wearer for the Crown of Blood, experimenting with many young nobles, none of whom have been in a sufficient position of power for his ends. But he may not be entirely loyal to his sire, and a flicker of loyalty to Morr may remain...

Failings: Like many von Carsteins, Johann is arrogant, sometimes arrogant enough to leave loose ends untied, and miss obvious things. Sometimes he even make a major mistake by deliberately being dramatic. He has an extreme vulnerability to sunlight and silver, the former covered by his ability to turn day to night, the second major if his enemies have silver.

Abilities: Johann has Necromancy and Shadow magic. Further abilities may be unlocked later...

Magic items:

Crown of Blood:
A red crown Johann carries or wears, it has special powers of magic and mind control. With a blood sacrifice from the Black Knife has mind control abilities over the wearer (except Johann), and increases his own magic powers and defence whilst he is wearing it, also increased by blood sacrifice.

The Black Knife: A short knife wielded by Johann, it has magic embedded in it, and cuts through armour easily. Very good at cutting through armour, and required for the blood sacrifice to the Crown of Blood.

Alternate Player: Get of W'Soran.

Hopefully this isn't over the top!
 
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Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
If all goes well, I'll be uploading my bio tonight. :)

Wohooo! Looking forward to it :)


@Sanai Just a heads up! I edited my post slightly. Added the fact that he has von Carstein powers (except shapeshifting), common vampiric weaknesses and changed the physical appearance of of the sword to make it more in line with the swords of the Drakenhof Templars.
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
This bio is not quire finished. I will edit in moe content as soon as I am able to do so.

Character Template
Player Name: The Dread King
Character Name: Hallsteinn Arachnius Locke
Type of Undead/Bloodline: Liche
Description:
Hallsteinn is a cadaverous, rather tall skeleton (a murky green robe that has a perpetual faint white glow around its edges is wrapped around his upper body). His skeleton does not have the structure of a normal human's, though - its top, humanoid half has been fused to an undamaged set of arachnid bones. Its neck juts out from its body in a strange manner - as if it is going forwards from the main frame, like a hunchback. However, at the liche's command, bones within the neck can rapidly unfold and thereby extend the structure. The teeth within the skull are bestial. It has two sets of arms - the upper set consists of two bony limbs which hold a long, withered, staff, and the lower set are comprised of a two much thicker limbs with claw-like appendages at their ends. Clearly, this being is not afraid to experiment upon itself.

Hallsteinn can cast spells from the Lore of Death and the Lore of Undeath. He has only basic knowledge of and ability to use the lore of beasts, although this is more developed in regards to his spellwork in critters. He almost always uses it in tandem with spells from the Lore of Undeath. Locke has some control over the magicks of pure Dhar as well, and commonly uses original spells and arcane battle manoeuvres created by him. Most of these spells relate to his field of expertise - spiders, insefts and other invertebrates.

Bio: Hallsteinn is 500 years old, and was born near Sylvania in Stirland. As a young, yet ruthless, scholar obsessed with toxicology, death and virulent, deadly diseases, he recognised that he had no hope of delving into the deepest secrets of his field, and subsequently using this knowledge to create commercially successful chemical weapons, without exposing his test subjects to deadly phenomena. His experiments with spiders and venomous critters particularly intersted him and temporarily sated his thirst for knowledge of poisons, but, when he was 25 years old, the death rates of his test subjects shot up after he used them to analyse the effect of a certain poison he had produced from a concotion of different blends of gigantic spider venom. This deterred applicants to the role from signing up to the job. It was then that his scheming abilities came to use. He twisted truths, manipulated statistics, and entrapped workers in binding contracts so as to maintain the supply of test subjects for his increasingly insane and diabolical experiments. He drew a figurative spider's web around the good people of the Empire for 5 years, before one of his test subjects escaped his laboratory, badly burnt and partially digested by synthetic webbing, and reported him to the authorities.

The alchemist was duly arrested. During his trial, it was discovered that prolonged exposure to specific chemical substances had driven him mad permanently, and destroyed his humanity. They sent the young scientist to a mental hospital out of pity for the man, whose ire was roused at the treatment at the hands of the government that he recognised as unfair. They planned to keep him there for life.

Little did they know that the man, who had dubbed himself 'arachnius' because of his research on spiders, had deliberately exposed himself to the maddening toxins to give him the callousness required to carry out the most horrific of toxicology experiments. So intent was he on producing weaponised poisons that could be manufactured en masse and sold to whichever customer was prepared to pay a hefty price that he used these chemicals to eliminate the voice of doubt and conscience within his mind permanently.

A raid by a group of three Von Carsteins near Sylvania's border with Stirland dispersed the escort taking Hallsteinn to hospital. The vampires leading the assault spared the alchemist in the hope that a freed prisoner could cause problems for the empire that they were warring with.

Intrigued by the power of the undead, who were not held to account for doing what they wished with the living in Sylvania, and desiring the freedom to enslave his fellow humans (so that he could text on them without restrictions on his authority over them), Hallsteinn requested to serve the vampires as an alchemist. After observing his talents in their castle in Sylvania, the trio decided to accept him and teach him necromancy so that the castle would not lose his talents quickly. They did not sire him, knowing that as a mere necromancer, he would not be able to challenge the vampires. He had a talent for the dark arts and worked and researched under the vampires for 200 years, creating many vile plagues which they used against the empire and its citizens during that time. This ability was to be their downfall, however, when he decided that he had ambitions beyond serving unrelenting masters in a small laboratory, and made a chemical that could (temporarily) rot the vampiric form. Daubing the insides of his masters' coffins with a seemingly inconspicuous liquid, Hallsteinn left them for a day before the vampires returned from a long night's struggle to rest. They were not aware of the danger that lurked in their coffins when they went to sleep, for the deadly toxins only starred to aggravate their forms one hour after coming into contact with them. When they became aware of their rapid decay, they burst out of their coffins and started to heal themselves, intent on killing Hallsteinn for his obvious murder attempt. While they were sleeping, however, he had blasted a hole through to the sky above their coffins. The sunlight was something that they were able to withstand, but the effect of its heat and light on the poisons that were still running through their bodies was to cause a violent boiling and explosion that killed the vampires almost instantly.

After observing the results of his plotting and planning, Hallsteinn calmly took all the posessions of arcane and alchemical worth in the tower and left for Nagashizzar. Offering his ill-gotten gains to the servants of the Great Necromancer as a tribute, he pledged to serve them in excuange for more knowledge and research of poisons and diseases. He studied and worked for the next 200 years under Virion the Grim, the wraith-lord who had worked with skaven to create the plague that wiped out the living population of Nehekhara. After 200 years serving Virion, he ascended to lichehood, and his mastery of the dark arts increased dramatically.

Working under Virion allowed him to have access to an even grearer variety of test subjects than the one available under the three Von Carsteins he had previously worked for in Sylvania. He has also collected many arachnids and other invertebrates both great and small over the last few centuries, and has created constructs using the bodies of these creatures. His half-human, half-invertebrate skeletal constructs are undoubtedly amongst the greatest contributions to necromantic artificing and the Nagashi armies that he has ever made. He has learned how to command such creatures in the field and how to use them as spies, and so has built an extensive web of intrigue in certain parts of the empire that cannot be easily quashed: in many cases, Hallsteinn finds out about nobles' conversations and plans due to their private rooms being, quite literally, bugged. He has fed information back to the Nagashi authorities from his spies on a regular basis. Despite the great number and diversity of test subjects available to him, Hallsteinn has experimented upon his own form to an extent. Being able to assemble animate extensions to his own skeletal form helped him to develop his skills in necromantic artificing. It also allows him to travel through tunnels and crypts far more easily.

For the last 100 years, he has been working on a top-secret project under Virion, and has now, after the observation by his undead critters of a certain strigoi piqued his interest, gone out into Sylvania to see what this Tilean vampire lord can offer him regarding his hidden objectives.

Motivation: Hallsteinn wants to bring about a world ruled by the restless dead, so that he can conduct his research unfettered by laws concerning human rights. He also bitterly wants revenge on the empire for his planned imprisonment in a hospital for the clinically insane. A short-term goal of his is to complete his confidential work for Nagash, and he thinks that he will be within reach of doing so very soon.
Failing/s: as a semi-arachind, jumping quickly is somewhat difficult for Hallsteinn without the aid of magic.
Although sunlight will not harm him, the lore of light has an adverse effect on all undead creatures, including liches. He will suffer when this lore of magic and lores derivative from it are used against him.
Hallsteinn does not wear armour, so does not have much physical protection.
He is not as physically able in conventional combat as many experienced vampires are - he gained undeath through necromantic talent; he did not receive the physical benefits of vampirism.
He is also an extremely insane individual, which means that he does not always make the best of decisions.
Abilities: brilliant toxicologist, experienced alchemist, expert in insect biology and putting insects (and other invertebrates) to tactical use.
Intelligent, magically proficient, expert manipulator and formidable tactician.
Has a network of spies, has a web of intrigue and can travel through tunnels and small spaces more easily than many other undead beings.
Magic Items:

The Staff of Malice-
a long staff made out of the bark of a twisted tree that was barren even in life. Virion gave this to him upon his ascendancy to lichehood. Its tip is covered with poison that burns if touched, and can cause severe sickness should much of it get into the bloodstream at in a short space of time. This ever-renewing poison is really a small aura around the tip of the staff that is venomous and acidic because it is infused with the dark magics of runes written by Virion himself.
Crystal Spider Phylactery - Hallsteinn's phylactery is an exquisite blue crystal cut with intricate detail into the shape of a spider, the eyes of which are two tiny, glistening rubies. Before its use by Hallsteinn it was nothing more than a valuable Nehekharan ornament in the possession of the Nagashi, but now it serves to protect the liche's life should he fall in battle. he The phylactery, if it is not destroyed, can be used by Hallsteinn from beyond the grave to slowly regenerate his body. When he chose to use the crystal spider as a phylactery, the Nagashi wrote runes of power into it, so that it is far sturdier than it looks, and can only be destroyed through intense magical assault. It contains the tiniest portion of his soul, and does not decrease his power in any way whatsoever. It serves Hallsteinn Locke's purpose nonetheless.
Alchemical resources - these are not all magical items, but Locke has a decent variety of them. Most are his experiments, some are his failed experiments which he puts to use in the field, and others are potions put to military or manipulatory use by Hallsteinn and produced, used and possessed in large quantities. The liche keeps a few vials and tomes of research in his robes, but his other belongings are transported and stored by his minions. The most commonly used chemical weapons for the battlefield are potions that detonate upon impact (after being thrown by Hallsteinn Locke) and produce gases that irritate and damage the internal organs of those in their immediate vicinity, before completely disseminating within minutes of use. Others are venoms that can paralyse and poison victims, as well as acidic solutions that eat away at the flesh of those that they come into direct contact with.
The Fang - a venomous shortsword fashioned from an arachnarok spider'sfang fused to the top of a blade enchanted by Hallsteinn Locke himself. It is razor-sharp and curved at its tip. Its enchantment preserved part of the effect of the arachnarok venom that had been on the fang and extended this effect to the entire blade. This weapon is kept in a sheath attached to Locke's robes and is not his primary weapon of choice, but if he is in a close encounter and is desperate, he may draw and use it. Should it draw blood, it will introduce a certain toxin into the body of its victim. This is excruciatingly painful and has a small chance of paralysing the victim's body for a few minutes at most. However, as this effect is caused by an enchantment and not a natural substance, it can be dispelled by wizards. It can also be resisted by beings with formidable willpower, which will decrease the length of time they are paralysed for. Particularly resolute entities may even be able to fully overcome the effects of the toxin before they can even have an impact on the being in question.

Alternate Player: @Get of W'soran

Edit: that's my bio for this RP finished. xD Thanks for being so patient, guys!
 
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Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Awesome bio Dready! :D

Just an update for everyone, Siggy has been updated and is now a 4th generation vampire rather than 3rd coming from the line of Isabella (sired by one of her Handmaidens) rather than Mannfred.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
Player Name: Malochai

Character Name: Volker Moritz

Type of Undead/Bloodline: Wraith

Description: Not much remains of the man that Volker was before he died and became the creature he is today. He reaches nearly six foot one, but whether that is his height or because he floats over the ground is unknown, because he is swathed from neck downwards in a vast black cloak which trails the floor and seems to devour light - it’s so dark, it could be a void. His head is simply a skull, fixed in a leering grin which many find disconcerting, and seems to gleam a brilliant white, as do the fleshless hands which grip a tall scythe

Bio: Volker was once a mighty man in his small realm, a swathe of land in what is now Sylvania, but before it was ever known as such. Not through blood-right or military strength did he rule, but through the power of his magicks, and such foul magics they were, sorcerous horrors which appalled many of his subjects, but terrified them even more. Some whispered he was a liche, others a vampire, but those were merely desires, the end to which he was working. Powerful in the arts of magic, he wasn’t aware of the dangers he meddled with, the corruption which had begun to seep into his spirit and make him both more and less than normal men.

He ruled for decades, and then a century, and then his neighbours began to warily eye his lands, inhabited by dark creatures and daemons, the dead and the merely cruel. They gathered their armies and set about purging the land of these monstrosities. Despite is power, Volker couldn’t defend himself from so many threats and he found himself fleeing, his lands torn down and salted. The corruption in his soul had already started to relieve him of his sanity, and he became obsessed with ways to become even more powerful so he could reclaim what he saw as being rightfully his. However, despite managing to maintain his mortal body for longer than any could ever have expected, it was rotting away before his neighbours attacked; by the time he had gathered enough power to retake what was his, he was a spirit, a mere façade of the man he once was. His mind fracturing, his grip on the mortal world slipping, he found himself wandering places of death, graveyards and battlefields, searching for something, anything, although he couldn’t quite remember what.

Thus did he exist for over a thousand years, pressed into the service of lesser beings several times before being cast back into the void of grey nothingness.

This changed when Mannfred separated Sylvania from the rest of the Empire, truly creating a land of the dead. Something happened - something returned Volker’s mind, his sanity, his desires. Maybe the sheer power of the vampire somehow had an unanticipated, secondary effect, maybe it was simply his time. All that Volker knows is he’s ready to take back that which he still wants

Motivation: Power and greed

Failing/s: Anger against the living, incorporeal/ethereal

Abilities: Chill grasp (as in Vampire Counts book), incorporeal/ethereal

Magic Items (If Any): N/A

Alternate Player: Get of W’Soran
 
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Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
I can still be all polite like!

Or maybe it's my nice way of saying


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