For your edification or just for your entertainment, a great historical example of a familiar would be the Spanish sorcerer Torralba and his familiar Zequiel.
Name: Atlas (Corporal to his WWI buddies) Age: Looks 21(148 years, but who's counting?)
Gender: Male
Species:Vampire
Appearance: About 6'0", with messy blonde hair and muddy red eyes. Pale skin, Caucasian, and longer nails. Average facial features, excluding a small scar below his right eye that causes pain. Doesn't care to hide his fangs, as his hygiene is one of his few redeeming traits. Easily blends into crowds. Wears some tattered Victorian clothes to keep the memory of his past life behind(maroon sports jacket, white shirt, green dress pants, loafers). Whenever he goes out, he wears cracked sunglasses to disguise his red eyes.
Background: Was transformed into a vampire in the year 1889. A college student, working at Oxford University, London, he had a promising life ahead of him. His name at birth was Adam, and he lived a happy life. Coming from a fairly wealthy family at the very end of the Industrial Revolution, Adam imagined his life as going smoothly, figuring he would create a medicine company with his expertise, and grow even more wealthy. He had no idea of the horrors he would witness
One late afternoon, Adam was walking in the 'shady' part of town when he came across a caravan advertising rare ingredients at low prices. Figuring this could help him with studies, he stumbled into the smoky room. An old man sat at the end, looking through some papers. He approached the old man, and inquired about the ingredients. The old man went on and on about his stock, but Adam immediately dismissed almost each and every one as a fraudulent version of some existing chemical. After inquiring about anything worthwhile, the old man pulled out a small wooden chest with a lock on it. After fumbling around to open it, a stench filled the room. 3 hunks of rock sat in the chest, which Adam would later identify as brimstone, meteorite, and solid hellfire. He immediately purchased all 3, and ran back into the lab to begin work on his new pet project.
After a few days of fiddling with the stones, Adam unwittingly created a new gas that not even he knew about: one that attracted paranormal beings. He had been working late, and a small lab fire, mixing with the brimstone, obsidian, and chlorine Adam had been working with, created a smell extremely attractive to beings such as vampires and demons. It was no surprise Adam was cornered by a vampire the very next evening. Working late yet again, Adam had spilled blood while cleaning some equipment. This sealed his fate, and as he stumbled home he was attacked by a member of the undead. Adam was well read, and so knew of these creatures. He ran into the countryside, feeding on the occasional sheep. He lived in fear of society, as the urges to feast on human flesh grew.
33 years after he was turned, World War One started. He had been lurking around a small village when the news hit, and figured he could use it as an opportunity to get some food. He hid under tarps, hiding under cars until he arrived at the training camp, taking the place of a recruit looking quite similar to him: one Atlas Johnson. Somehow hiding his terrible secret, he made it to the trenches. The horrors of the gas warfare, along with the monstrous Panzer units, scared Atlas for life. He fought until the war ended, hiding in rural Siberia until the second World War broke out, taking the distracted U.S.S.R as an opportunity to escape.
The moniker Atlas stuck, and so he jumped from country to country, war to war until eventually settling in Brooklyn. He began researching the occult once again, and ran into the mysterious Seph Kane. Due to Atlas' experience, and knowledge in alchemy, he was recruited. Atlas chose Belfast due to isolation, and the abundance of wild game to feed off of.
Current Life: Due to sunlight aversion, set up in a rickety mine filled with bones and gold, both of which are useful for alchemy. Has a lab set up there for testing. He only goes out at night to drink at whatever local bar is open, usually keeping to himself in a corner. Visits local penitentiary on nights when he needs to feed. Has been in Belfast for two weeks and already loves the weather.
Personality: After all these years has become very apathetic. Due to the horrors witnessed during war has a distaste for blood, which causes some turmoil when it comes time to feed. No longer believes in any higher power, and just wishes for the sweet release of death that will never come naturally. Has become an introvert due to aversion to sunlight. W
Schools of Study: Alchemy, Botany
Specialization: When it comes to alchemy, he is very knowledgeable in poison brewing and the science behind 'holy water', but has failed at that aspect. Wishes to find a cure to vampirism
Spells: Ice Burst: The only spell Atlas bothered to learn, it allows him to freeze objects, create hunks of ice, and lower body temperature, the last of which was never a problem for a vampire. He is very used to it by now, though using it too often will tire him out, leaving him incapacitated. This makes him wish to avoid using said spell, out of paranoia.
Abilities: -Knows the chemical makeup of most plants and animals.
-Can make 'quick fix' potions such as healing and poison.
-Also, some generic vampire abilities.
-Has some botany skills to help him grow ingredients, and can identify many plants.
-Takes pride in his brewing skills, but lacks knowledge in many other subjects.
-Due to living for 148 years, can fluently speak English, Italian, French, and Soviet-era Russian
Equipment: -Poison Bottle: Filled with a nightshade-venom mix that he has been working towards perfecting for centuries
-Erlenmeyer Flask(4): Used to make potions
-Bag of Ingredients: Small ingredients used in Alchemy -Raven:Pet
-Gas Mask: A gag item
-Heavy Gloves: Used when handling acidic/destructive materials. Prevents the need for restoration, which takes up energy.
Other: Pretty good at the mandolin and bartending.
I revised him a bit. @jasonwolf I would like to discuss in PM's things such as weaknesses and abilities, as the list can get long. Thanks.
the worst type of vampire is the paparazzi. I rank at number 3 for poor writing tropes
Hey, at least you don't study demonology. ~🌟~You're special~🌟~! You're weak, and will not survive the winter, or the onslaught of foes. But you're ~🌟~You're special~🌟~ none the less!
Hey, at least you don't study demonology. ~�~You're special~�~! You're weak, and will not survive the winter, or the onslaught of foes. But you're ~�~You're special~�~ none the less!
the jokes on you. i can't freeze to death if i'm burning to death in the sunlight. checkmate.
Guys there is no rush there are still plenty of people who haven't even mentioned if they are still interested. im taking my time and trying very hard to enjoy the fallout 4 update :P god I miss when that series was RPGs.
@jasonwolf Do you have an idea of how many people you want to join before we start? Got a time limit? Or are you waiting for a moment that feels right?
@Witch Catgreater than 4. 4 and above makes good groups in and out of character. Its only been 1 1/2 days. I'm not rushing this info IC. Irs time will come sooner rather than later, but its not now. Just stay calm and mingle. You may end up spending a lot of time with these people.
Lenya is a tall Germanic woman with straw blond hair. She is pretty, although her high cheekbones and angular features seem to conspire to rob her of true beauty. She has a hiker’s lean trim build which bespeak many years of alpine life in her native Austria. Although her eyes are a piercing blue, they are usually kept behind the half moon glasses she wears to aid her with her reading.
Lenya dresses conservatively in stylish but expensive clothing with a particular affection for tailored suits. She is frequently seen carrying a small leather briefcase in which she keeps her research notes and ritual tools.
Despite having lived in the United States for several years, and her best efforts, Lenya has been unable to eradicate her crisp Austrian accent.
Background: Lenya grew up in wealth and privilege in southern Austria with her sisters, mother and grandmother. It is no accident that her family was one of the few to avoid destruction and ruin in the turbulent years following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire. At some point in the dimly imagined past Lenya’s ancestors gained magical powers through a bargain of some sort. Ever since that day the women of the family have been blessed with certain occult powers. Over the centuries they have grown in power and sophistication through careful training and research.
The female members of the clan stick together in order to create an effective coven for protection and the use of rituals. Men in the form of husbands and lovers are occasionally associated with the coven but rarely remain in the picture for long. Each member is taught the lore of the clan from birth and encouraged to experiment and add to the knowledge of the group.
After receiving an excellent education by the traditional means of expensive private tutors. Lenya attended the University of Innsbruk and earned first a bachelor's and eventually a PhD in Anthropology. During this time she traveled the world, particularly to the old German Colonies in Papua New Guinea and Micronesia to conduct field work. This field work provided an excellent opportunity to gather lore about ritual traditions in far flung corners of the world to add to her family’s impressive collection of grimoires.
After a scandal involving the disappearance of certain valuable cultural artefacts, Lenya left her post at the University of Innsbruck to conduct field work amongst the tribes of the Penobscot in Northern Maine and Southeastern Canada. During this research she first encountered Wells and Raich.
The firm sought out the Penobscot regarding a troubling Wendigo which had been transgressing cultural taboos. Intrigued, Lenya joined the investigation and helped to lay the beast to rest. Since then Wells and Raich has frequently employed the Austrian both for her ritual skill and her knowledge of far flung magical traditions Current Life: Lenya had been a guest of the Penobscot for over a year before she began to work for Wells and Raich. After this association became more formalized she purchased a property on nearby Islesboro. She has spent an enormous amount of money, wire transferred in euros with no questions asked, to rebuild the ancient stone cottage into a modern dwelling. Many of her particular requirements, including floors inlaid with strange silver designs, windows at precise spacing and angles, vast skylights and oddly but precisely carved doorways, have set tongues wagging in the small island community.
Lenya spends a good deal of time socializing with other Wells and Raich employees and is always eager to add more to the voluminous notebooks she keeps in neatly handwritten German.
Personality: Lenya is a driven and professional woman and approaches every situation as an opportunity to learn. This occasionally backfires when people get the impression that she is looking at them like a disector looking at a specimen.
She has a natural caution and tends to underrate the ability of others while overrating her own. She is friendly and personable and willing to help other people out, particularly if this leads to them falling into her debt. The coven mentality means that she is willing to do what is required to help the team succeed and tends to view morality as a luxury to be consumed after survival is assured.
Lenya is almost obsessed by the development of arcane knowledge and power. Her goals usually line up with Wells and Raisch but there is little doubt in her mind that she and her sisters take precedence over any other allegiance.
Lenya has a close relationship with her sisters and frequently calls on them for advice and support in her enterprises.
Following a childhood accident in a hayloft Lenya has a fear of fire and of being burned. She is also somewhat uncomfortable in the presence of men, having spent most of her life among women and then in an adversarial academic environment where her gender counted against her.
Spells: Most of Lenya’s arsenal is ritual based and cannot be produced on the spot.
Fortune’s Favorite: Lenya has access to certain hexes which can be quickly produced. These twist probability and chance in her favor or against others. This temporary alteration in probability has to be balanced out later, either by careful ritual dispersal or by a catastrophic equalization of bad luck.
Upon a Starry Mountain - Lenya can cause localized intense wind and storms, particularly if the weather is already bad.
Abilities:
Swiss Army Witch - Lenya has a truly impressive mastery of ritual magic, particularly Thaumaturgy. All of these rituals take time however and thus are not always useful in a crisis.
Arcane Artificer: Ritual craft requires the creation of ritual tools, as such Lenya is well aquainted with the construction of certain classes of enchanted items. She is also able to use these to ‘macro’ rituals for later use. She is reluctant to share these items with team mates without great need.
Coven: Lenya is one of five sisters and can draw on their knowledge and occasionally their assistance in her endeavours. This works both ways of course which occasionally causes problems for her teammates. Only one of her sisters is currently in the US however and they have their own projects to attend to.
Old Money: It is probably better people didn’t ask where it comes from, but Lenya has substantial private means.
Academic Alchemist: Lenya has an interest in alchemy and maintains an extensive lab at her property on Isleboro. Her interest is in understanding her rituals in this new medium. As a result these potions are a little unreliable and have an unhealthy experimental dimension which is not always appreciated.
Trust Me: Lenya is naturally engaging and can augment this by the use of simple rituals and glamors.
Total Recall: Lenya can use her ritual skills to achieve a near eidetic memory of past events.
Combat Virgin: Lenya has no particular interest in or aptitude for physical combat, and much prefers to boil someone's blood from the comfort of a ritual circle. She views guns with a europeans suspicion and will require significant instruction from her teammate to become proficient in any kind of face to face combat.
The Lure of Knowledge: Lenya is fundamentally motivated by a quest to gather arcane knowledge for herself and her coven. This has in the part led to some questionable tactical decisions.
Equipment:
Little Briefcase of Horrors - Lenya carries a briefcase with a variety of ritual implements including knives, blood, incense and other equipment.
There Aren’t Many Like it but This One is Mine: Lenya carries an athamae which was custom made for her on the day of her birth. It’s exact origin is a carefully guarded secret of her coven and she keeps it concealed within an expensive fountain pen. Rings on Her Fingers and Bells on her Toes: Lenya wears hand crafted jewelry of silver and polished copper. She uses these as vehicles for rituals performed earlier. The materials are expensive and time consuming to prepare.
Point and Shoot: Lenya has recently purchased a glock 9mm because the internet suggested that this was the best choice. It is currently considerably more dangerous to her than to the enemy.
Make a Note of It: Lenya is never seen without a notebook and pencil. She keeps notes obsessively.