Archae (Michael Arthur)--Vampire (clanless)

Basic Information


Birth Name: Aden Harrowson (forgotten and never used)
Aliases: Archae (most commonly used name, self appointed), Michael Arthur (human alias, chosen for Archangel Michael and King Arthur, both legendary warriors), Derek King (outdated human alias, no longer relevant), Edward (very outdated human alias, definitely no longer relevant)
Place of Birth: Norway
Age: 1180 (19; a general sense of world weariness causes most people to place him closer to his mid or late 20s) [Born 827 CE, turned 846 CE]
Gender: Male
Current Occupation: Private Detective.
Former Occupation: Viking, Slave, Soldier (mercenary), Sage, Magician and College Professor.


Appearance


Hair Color: Auburn Red, like rubies spun out into thread. This unusually vibrant color is one of the reasons he was chosen by his turner.
Length and Style: Well past his shoulders, straight, and generally un-styled. Bangs are kept long, and get in his eyes often, much as he tries to tuck them away.
Eye Color: Harsh, icy blue
Skin Color: Pale white
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 210
Nationality: Norseman
Race: Vampire
Body Type: Athletic and tall.

Description of Creator: Selena Keith, a sexual sadist, rapist, psychotic, serial killer, child molester, and over all very, very bad woman. She was turned by an Anantya, but had very little contact with the clan, living away from most other vampires and being left well enough alone, generally, because no one really wanted to deal with her. She built a castle on a secluded and treacherously situated island, sired a few vampire children and began luring passing merchant ships to the place and killing the crews. Archae was originally just another victim, made into a familiar and “pet.” She eventually made the mistake of turning him into a vampire, and he killed her. Killed her dead.

Personal Questions


1. Describe your character's personality (That’s not a question)
Cold, withdrawn, antisocial, sullen and bitter are all effective descriptors for those who have only met him casually. He is also blisteringly sarcastic, especially towards the stupid (“there just so easy”), impolite into the extreme and highly critical of authority. He is highly practical—even sociopathic—but at the same time holds onto his conscience and moral-system; which includes a refusal to lie in almost any circumstance and a desire to protect innocent life when possible.

2. Describe how your character would appear to a stranger (I.E. typical dress, way they carry themselves etc.) (Neither is that)
Archae can most always be found with a World War II era black trench-coat draped over his shoulders (or actually on, if its cold enough outside). A Beretta 10 mm High power is hidden somewhere on his body almost constantly, usually in a cross-draw shoulder holster hidden under the trench-coat. He appears distant and standoffish to people who don’t know him well and generally seems annoyed by social contact. He is somewhat self-conscious about his missing hand and takes steps to ensure the general public doesn’t know its missing.

3. What does your character like? (There we go)
Men (in a very, very non-platonic way), marksmanship, organized martial arts, disorganized martial arts (AKA, real life), good cigarettes, good whiskey, good ale, good beer (the list goes on), intellect, guns (the more customized the better), sarcasm, and his own independence. He’s very fond of that last one. The last two, matter of fact.

4. Dislike:
Authority (When it pertains to him, that is), rapists, child molesters, liars (good ‘ol Viking honor), homophobes (though he’s fond of tormenting them), Anantya (he hasn’t decided weather or not to dislike Evenhet yet, and has had almost no contact with Tacharan), enclosed spaces, the stupid and airplanes (it’s a small, enclosed, aluminum can with engines and wings glued on the sides, suspended thousands of meters above the ground; in short: bad).

6. What are your character’s fears? (Please choose and explain 3 minimum)

• A general fear of lasting relationships—especially with women. He has difficulty forming friendships because of a series of subconscious barriers erected around his emotional self. Though he has—in the course of his long life—formed such, it has always been slow in coming.


• Claustrophobia. He starts sweating when in a space smaller than an apartment’s bedroom (such as a subway, airplane, or car) but can usually keep in control for a few hours before loosing it. Closing his eyes helps, not logical but a phobia rarely is.


• Rape. Selena’s treatment left severe mental scaring, and Archae is willing to do almost anything not to repeat the experience. This fear is one which transmutes to anger and violence when he is faced with it, and rape occurring in his presence has a tendency to come to an abrupt end—usually after a gunshot. This is also a fear of being enslaved, controlled, or otherwise robbed of his ability to choose his own fate.

7. What are your character's strengths and weaknesses? (Please pick 3 minimum of each and explain in detail how and why this affects your character)
Strengths:

• Highly observant. He spots the minor details that others miss, and has 20-20 vision.


• Quick reflexes combined with excellent dexterity, both of which contribute to making him an excellent shot. Combine this with his excellent eyesight and naturally calculating mind and we have a professional marksman.


• Neigh Sociopathic in his practicality. It takes something traumatic indeed to shake his calculating, methodical, logical calm. Though he would prefer not to have to kill you, if you pull a gun on him, he’ll splatter your brains on the wall and feel nothing for it.


• Highly logical, intelligent, and quick thinking. He comes to conclusions quickly, and is usually right. His intuition is excellent, and his reasoning is neigh flawless.

Weakness:

• He is missing his left hand, and about five inches from that fore arm. This means that—while he has learned to compensate for most things by using a combination of the other hand and precise telekinesis—he cannot operate anything that absolutely requires that two manipulating organs be present.


• Prideful. He finds it difficult to accept charity, is quite stubborn and hates lying. This also makes him rather easy to insult. Though he’ll more often respond with a clipped snipe back at you (rather than a physical blow) he will beat you silly if you don’t get message.


• Uncontrollably sarcastic. Archae is often (very, very often; let’s call it always) sardonic and sarcastic towards most everyone. He just can’t seem to bite his tongue. In short: diplomacy and politeness are not his strong suit.


• Severe claustrophobia. He starts sweating when confined to a space smaller than a bedroom, and breaks down if he can’t move around freely. Darkness doesn’t help either, though he’s not afraid of the absence of light in of itself. He is able to hold back the terror for a few hours before totally losing it.

Abilities (Listed here)

• Telekinesis (it should be noted that he relies heavily on telekinesis to make up for his missing hand—in everything from reloading a gun to lighting a cigarette.)


• Agility


• Blending


• Tracking

Flaws (Listed here)

• Heavy Sleeper: If you do manage to get him awake, his first emotion is generally anger. He likes napping when he can get away with it, too.


• Nervous Twitch: You know when his famous bad temper is kicking in, his mouth spasms, almost like he’s smiling… His eyes flicker during bad claustrophobic attacks.


• Bitchy: He’s bad tempered, cynical, sarcastic, slightly arrogant and almost perpetually grumpy. This may have something to do with the fact that he is awake whenever he is not asleep…

Note: He is also missing his left hand and part of that arm. I couldn’t use missing limbs as a flaw, however, because that one is Anantya specific.

Hobbies & Skills (for more information, read here)
Apart from the talents that go along with his profession (such as research ability, investigative intuition, shadowing, lock picking and marksmanship skill) Archae also knows how to fight effectively with a sword, or no weapon at all. He practices a customized form of Kickboxing and spars regularly to keep himself in shape. It should be noted that he has been shooting about since guns were invented, and is very, very good at it.

In his spare time, Archae enjoys reading anthropological texts, most specifically ones detailing ancient religions. In addition to his degree in criminal investigation, he has masters in anthropology; relic of a time when he still believed that he could lead a relatively normal life in our modern world. He even occasionally writes for a local magazine on the subject.

He’s good with magic tricks, and knows more than a few.

The vampire is fluent in English (Old, middle, and modern), Norse (of course), Transylvanian, Latin, and Greek. He learned several other languages in his long life, but they faded from prominence and he no longer speaks or understands them effectively.

Cosmetic Traits (Distinct, character defining physical attributes, these should be minor and offer no real power other than to make your character appear more interesting.)
He is missing an arm. Didn’t I mention that? His back is also a patchwork of whip-scars, and his left ear is pierced.

Quirks and Habits worthy of mention
Archae does not bluff. Once the Beretta comes out he intends to shoot you, or at the very least shoot you if you don’t do what he says. On a related point, he doesn’t like to lie and avoids it unless it’s necessary.

He also likes to lead other vampires to believe that he is much younger than he is. This is more an act of prudent semi-paranoia. A potential enemy is much easier to kill if they overestimate their chances.

He chain smokes and drinks heavily, but almost never gets drunk.

Personal History3rd person (1st is acceptable) but please be as detailed as possible, this can/will affect your rp with other players.

Aden Harrowson was born 827 CE, in what we now call Norway. His home was, for much of his early life, a small village on the northern coast, whose primary form of sustenance was raiding the neighboring municipalities. The child Viking learned to sail, fish, trade, fight and kill from an early age. By the age of 16, he was accompanying his father and the other raiders of his home into the fray of combat, and proved to be quite an effective an honorable fighter. The halls of Odin’s Valhalla seemed his assured resting place.
Life declared that it was not to be.
A far-reaching raiding expedition across the sea which Aden was apart of (at this point 17), was forced by a storm to make port on a small, secluded Island off the English coast. As the waves were thrown against the rocks by the tumultuous current and the Norse warriors constructed shelters against the fierce wind, they felt something watching. Something nagged at their subconscious, but they had nowhere else to go.
Night came, and the monsters came along with it. They snuck into the camp and slit the throats of the strongest among them—a cowards ploy—before the rest awoke to defend their limited holdings. The monsters won. Though they looked human, they had the teeth of animals, strength far beyond what even the greatest among them could achieve, and dark magics to subvert and kill from afar. Warriors forgot themselves and their friends, turning their blades on their brothers and themselves. The monsters hacked into their lines, and killed more than two thirds of their number. Only Archae and two other warriors (both his age) survived.
The monsters, with their twisted human facades and evil eyes, took the frightened and beaten Vikings to a stone fortress built into the rock of a cliffside on the island; their personal hell for the next several years. The first was to die immediately, at the hands of a witch woman, who bit his neck and tore his body to ribbons; drinking his blood like mead.
The details of Archae’s incarceration and torture at the hands of the mad vampire are a bit gruesome and mentally staggering. An example is a particularly bad night, in which Selena cut of the boy’s hand and sodomized him with the dead fingers. Rape and beatings were very common, and it wasn’t long until the Viking learned to hide his true emotions from her to keep the damage to his body to a minimum.
But he aged, and as he did so he moved away from the youngness that Selena found so very appealing. She wanted to stop his ageing, so she did the easiest thing she could think of: she turned him. Though the sadist assumed that her treatment had more that subdued him, in truth it had only taught him to repress his anger and hatred, pushing down to a dark place of his psyche, where it could stew. She gave him the tools with which to kill her, to excise that anger, and he waited only long enough to learn before using them.
856, the day he took revenge for himself, his fallen brethren, and everyone else wronged by the madness of Selena. He tortured her unto death, using knives, needles, teeth and anything else he needed to cause as much pain as he could, before he severed her head from her body and left that island for eternity.
After that, he was a social self-outcast. He avoided civilized lands, people and anything else sentient; feeding off animals and the occasional traveler. He dropped off the radar totally, and wasn’t seen for over a century by anyone who ever mentioned him.
In 977 he resurfaced as a mercenary soldier in the northern Ottoman Empire, setting his considerable martial talents to use for money, sex, and the blood he needed to survive. His travels took him across most of Europe and western Asia, and he has several amusing, terrifying and odd anecdotes from that time.
In 1124 he stopped his mercenary life, settling down in a small province in Transylvania. To fund his existence he traveled from town to town, doing magic (blending slight of hand with his Telekinetic abilities) and other amusing tricks in taverns and Inns for small amounts of coin. His antics attracted the attention of a local lord, who eventually hired him on as a personal court magician, entertainer, mystic, and—later—minor advisor, in exchange for room and board.
In this environment, Archae studied the theories of Aristotle and Plato, the mathematical theorems of Pythagoras, and the thoughts and ideas of several other ancient thinkers. He eventually left to pursue his studies on his own, much to the chagrin of his ‘lord.’
He moved from place to place once more, scraping together scraps of true knowledge from the ignorance of the Dark ages, becoming one of the rare educated.
This took up much of his time and energy for years on end, until the end of the medieval age and the start of the Renaissance. As information became easier and easier to come by, the challenge of seeking it became less interesting to Archae. He continued to keep abreast of most intellectual achievements, but stopped actively seeking out new theories. By 1522 he had returned to his old mercenary ways.
For several more decades, he fought for whoever could pay him most. When Columbus re-discovered America, and thought turned to it as a place of new beginnings and new freedoms, it seemed only natural that he would travel there. When the colonies rebelled, he fought the British. When Lincoln was elected, he joined the union army and fought to re-unify. He stayed out of the First World War, but joined the fight against Hitler’s Germany in the second.
1955 saw Archae’s first attempt to integrate into the modern world. He enrolled in a university (after pulling some strings with acquaintances and paying quite a few bribes), and completed a masters degree in Anthropology. The vampire attempted life as a professor, but quit the job and dropped back off radar when a run-in with another mongrel vampire caused the death of three of his students. He went back to a different school—under a different name—and attained a degree in criminal investigation.
For most of his time in Northern America Archae has avoided Nachaton for fear of the power the clans hold there. However, in recent times his eyes have turned to the night-city. He has arranged rent for a condo, and now the great vampires of the great clans are gonna have to start dealing with him...