Full Name: Silas Clarence Whitmore
Nicknames/Aliases: Si, Holy Vessel of the Naga
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Species: Human (host to deity)
SCION Team/Rank: Harvest Moon (applying for team leader)
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Species: Human (host to deity)
SCION Team/Rank: Harvest Moon (applying for team leader)
Description:
A tall, lanky man with bifocals figuratively thicker than his biceps. He's got a mop of disheveled brown hair and quick blue eyes which are magnified by his glasses to nearly owl-like proportions. His skin is pale from lack of sun exposure, but a dusting of freckles dots his cheekbones. Silas has gangly arms and a tendency to swing them about when he speaks. His outfits typically consist of button up shirts and sweaters, often accented by a stray gecko or two hiding under her collar or the roll of his sleeve.
Personality:
Silas is a proponent of the "knowledge is power" philosophy, and embodies this ideal with his actions: He is quick and exuberant, with an insatiable thirst for information. He enjoys the company of others, but tends to trail off on tangents mid-conversation. His curiosity is excitable at best and uncontrollable at worst, as he is prone to sudden ideas and will often lock himself in the study for hours on end when he is confronted by a question he has yet to explore. That being said, he has come to accept that some phenomenon have no answer, and embraces the mantra of, "I can't know that which I don't know."
Silas is empathetic, despite being fairly socially inept, and is always willing to lend a listening ear. He is slow to hold a grudge, but strong in his convictions. He believes the answer to most problems lies in communication, and the rest are simply reached through persistence.
Silas is empathetic, despite being fairly socially inept, and is always willing to lend a listening ear. He is slow to hold a grudge, but strong in his convictions. He believes the answer to most problems lies in communication, and the rest are simply reached through persistence.
Skills:
Photographic memory, MENSA genius, and esteemed supernatural lore expert, fluent in Latin, ancient Greek, Old English, Hindi, and Gaelic, with multiple degrees (Bachelors in History with a focus on European tribes and a minor in mythology, Masters in archaeology, Masters in ancient history, Masters in linguistics with a speciality in dead languages, Doctorate in linguistics, Doctorate in in ancient history with a focus in mythology and ancient lore).
Also capable of understanding a large number of reptilian tongues, and gets along quite well with most scaly critters.
Also capable of understanding a large number of reptilian tongues, and gets along quite well with most scaly critters.
Weaknesses:
Silas is poor in combat, boasting no more ability than a mortal human. He's also curious to a fault, and is easily coerced into doing otherwise foolish things in the hunt for new information. He also serves as the host for an ancient reptilian deity, commonly referred to as a Naga, that spews a constant stream of useless ideas into his consciousness.
Brief History:
Since a young age, Silas was always a bit "different:" He preferred books over video games and documentaries over action films. He started college at age 15, and went on to study with several universities, acquiring three Masters and two Doctoral degrees by the tender age of 26.
Silas published multiple papers, but was best known for his work in ancient history and the mythologies of ancient peoples. At 27, he lead an archaeological expedition of students and peers in India to investigate a recently discovered temple to a previously undocumented local deity. While inside, Silas happened upon a patch of unstable ground, lost his footing, and tumbled into a subterranean tunnel below the temple's main floor.
He toppled into a secret chamber and broke his leg, and more importantly, unleashed a curse upon himself in the chamber.
The spirit of the temple deity, a powerful Naga, manifested in the young Doctor Whitmore, cursing him to be forever surrounded by, and able to understand the whispering of, reptiles.
Which, as far as curses went, didn't seem the worst possibility.
Unfortunately, the deity also took up host residence in the young academic. Silas was rescued by an excavation team within two days of his incident, being pulled from the tomb hungry, dehydrated, and with several geckos in his pockets, but physically intact.
The curse, however, had shaken him to the core and served to confirm a suspicion he had held for many years: The subjects and myths of his research were more than fairy stories. Between his new possession and this realization, he took to incoherent babbling. That which did make sense seemed nonsensical, leading him to voluntarily commit himself for mental treatment.
Hearing this story, SCION moved in to adopt the doctor and introduced to the reality of a supernatural world. With this new understanding, and after he had adequately geeked out at the actual existence of cryptids, Dr. Whitmore managed to learn to live with his new state. He was offered a position as the chief historical and lore expert, and has been cheerfully researching away in the rare archives ever since. He doubles as an adjunct professor at a local university, teaching multiple anthropology courses online (as the last time he set foot on campus, the snakes from the biology lab had a sudden and violent escape.)
Silas published multiple papers, but was best known for his work in ancient history and the mythologies of ancient peoples. At 27, he lead an archaeological expedition of students and peers in India to investigate a recently discovered temple to a previously undocumented local deity. While inside, Silas happened upon a patch of unstable ground, lost his footing, and tumbled into a subterranean tunnel below the temple's main floor.
He toppled into a secret chamber and broke his leg, and more importantly, unleashed a curse upon himself in the chamber.
The spirit of the temple deity, a powerful Naga, manifested in the young Doctor Whitmore, cursing him to be forever surrounded by, and able to understand the whispering of, reptiles.
Which, as far as curses went, didn't seem the worst possibility.
Unfortunately, the deity also took up host residence in the young academic. Silas was rescued by an excavation team within two days of his incident, being pulled from the tomb hungry, dehydrated, and with several geckos in his pockets, but physically intact.
The curse, however, had shaken him to the core and served to confirm a suspicion he had held for many years: The subjects and myths of his research were more than fairy stories. Between his new possession and this realization, he took to incoherent babbling. That which did make sense seemed nonsensical, leading him to voluntarily commit himself for mental treatment.
Hearing this story, SCION moved in to adopt the doctor and introduced to the reality of a supernatural world. With this new understanding, and after he had adequately geeked out at the actual existence of cryptids, Dr. Whitmore managed to learn to live with his new state. He was offered a position as the chief historical and lore expert, and has been cheerfully researching away in the rare archives ever since. He doubles as an adjunct professor at a local university, teaching multiple anthropology courses online (as the last time he set foot on campus, the snakes from the biology lab had a sudden and violent escape.)