Victor Valentine- Book 3

Name: Victor Valentine
Age: 29
Race: Human
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Red
Height: 6'
Weight: 220 lbs

Personality:

Victor was a bright boy who took very quickly to learning of all kinds. He learned to tend crops and work with animals. He learned basic carpentry and fixing things; things it took to keep a rickety house standing. Victor picked up what he read in books very easily. A cornucopia of odd facts and useful tricks fill his head.

On the outside Victor tells himself and others he's just a boy at heart and takes nothing seriously. In many ways, he is the plucky hero. He doesn't enjoy matters dealing with war (particularly the war he lost) and responds to them with a bitter irony when in a good mood and a cold morbidity when not. Victor is unpredictable, he fights when he should negotiate and runs when he should fight. Victor tries never to meet expectations, and tries to show mercy, although, there is a limit to his mercy. On the inside, Victor blames himself for losing his friends and carries the weight of their deaths with him. After the war, Victor closed himself off from others, trying hard to act in a way that was cold and indifferent, but his ideals and values shine through in difficult situations, like a dim light, attracting similar souls to him. Much to his voiced disdain.

Appearance:

Victor is a handsome man, with sad, perceptive and lazy eyes. His black hair is medium length and is generally disheveled. Victor usually keeps a clean shaven face, but sometimes he forgets or doesn't care. His everyday clothes are plain and simple, consisting of a linen dress shirt, beige leather pants and dark brown leather boots. One belt hangs from his waist, holding 'the Bastard,' the re-forged blade of his Commander in the Salvarian Civil War. Over everything Victor wears a dark brown coat the stretches down to his knees. He is not overly burdened with muscle nor is his body sculpted by a master artist. Victor used to take better care of himself but has since deemed it less than important. Many little (and big) scars riddle his body, but they are well hidden by clothes or accessories.

Skills:

Unrefined Swordsmanship: Victor was trained by many hands in the way of the sword. Because of his many tutors he does not have any traditional fighting style but can recognize many others. He uses his style of fighting recklessly and many times at a some cost to himself.

Military Tact: Victor spent years reading books on successful military strategies. While in the army, Victor was mentored by a masterful tactician and developed a keen sense for improvisation.

Alcoholic: Victor drink... A lot.

Weapon Knowledge: After learning about gunpowder based weaponry from his Commander in the Salvarian Civil War, Victor spent a lot of his free time in libraries, learning more about all the various weapons in Althanas. Very few weapons exist that Victor has not learned about and understands.

Weapon proficiency: Victor is comfortable using any weapon and able to apply his haphazard fighting style to any situation.

Social Instinct: Victor is proficient in the skill of deduction, in that it comes natural to him. He can quickly get to the heart of a problem in an almost instinctive way. Intuitively, Victor puts the pieces of a problem together and finds it's solution. Whether it's taking down a violent criminal, finding something long lost or getting someone a job, if properly motivated, Victor can solve problems easily.

Swift Learner: Victor is able to learn skills and trades faster than normal people. He understands the mechanics of a task very quickly and easily learns to apply those to his work.

Brilliant Dim Light: Victor has a indescribable knack to inspire sincere loyalty, trust and friendship in others. He draws people to himself without meaning to (and sometimes without wanting to).

Language Proficiency: Having been raised in an orphanage Victor has heard many of the languages spoken in Althanas. Given enough practice and exposure Victor will become near fluent.

Abilities:

Monster Strength: Years of carrying heavy lumber and metal has made Victor stronger than normal people. While his body may be unassuming he has enough strength to hit hard enough to send normal fighters flying with a swing of his sword. He can now perform feats of strength it would normally take five men to do, from lifting heavy objects to breaking down doors. This also affects the sheer force behind his attacks. Victor's body is five times more powerful than an average fighter.

(5x strength)

Unshakable Determination: He is able to dig deep, finding the strength within to overcome physical/mental pain and exhaustion. With two times to pain tolerance of a normal person: If Victor gets his fingers cut off he's still going to feel it, just half as much as an average person. Basically it'll take twice the beating to make him give up due to pain. Having actually died from torture and brought back, there is little that can get under Victor's skin. It would take much more than for a normal person to break Victor's will.

(3x Will power)

A Demon's Endurance: His willpower moves him when his muscles can't. Victor can keep running, fighting, swimming, and moving in general for five times longer than a normal person, making it five times harder for him to give in to fatigue and exhaustion.

(5x Endurance)

Equipment:

Steel armor left over from the war against the Church of the Ethereal Sway.

The Bastard; dull steel in a black scabbard. Made from the blade of Commander Edward Valerian, after it had been broken in battle. A long blade, sharp on the edge and dull on the back. The shoulder of the sword had a diamond-like shape, thick around the middle and thinning out towards the handle and the blade, but its hilt was unorthodox. With no cross guard, there was only a long thin grip, with enough room for two hands to hold it and a pommel with a dull silver gem imbedded in it.

Standard survival pack given to those in the war against the Church of the Ethereal Sway.

A long, blackened, brown coat.

Map of Salvar.

History:

Victor was born in war-torn Salvar. His parents joined the war effort when he was a baby and never returned. The child, barely a year old, was left in the hands of a community who could hardly look after itself. Not long after the boy could walk he left and wandered the land. Barely able to survive or look after himself, he could only scavenge what was left behind by the dead.

Rumors began to spread of a corpse eating monster. The young boy spent his days fearing everyone who he saw and protecting himself with any weapons he could find. One day, a young woman made her way onto the battlefield the boy called home. Hearing the rumors she made her way out to see the monster herself.

Rosalind Butler was an orphan herself. She spent her life caring for anyone left alone or abandoned that she could find. But instead of a monster, all she found was a small child eating a half rotten apple. Suspicious of the woman, the boy drew a nearby weapon, but Rosalind understood the helpless child was merely striping corpses to protect himself. Impressed by the child's will to survive and moved by the despair of his situation the woman approached the boy. With a tender hand she moved the blade away. Her disarming smile unsettled the boy and she put a fresh apple in his hand.

"A sword swung in defense, while fearing others should just be thrown away," was the first lesson she gave him. She offered to teach the boy the proper way of using the sword and give him a place to live.

"Do you have a name?" she asked.

"No one gave me one..." the boy whispered.

"Then you'll be Victor!" the lady exclaimed, as she started to giggle, "I've always liked that name. Victor Valentine!"

"Can you carry me?" the boy asked sheepishly.

"Sure," Rosalind said, bending down to give Victor a piggy-back ride. "I'm Rosalind by the way. But you can just call me Rose."

"Ok..." said the boy, falling asleep while being carried. For the first time since he was held by his own mother did he fall asleep with a smile on his face.

Such was the birth of Victor Valentine. The boy grew well under the tutelage of Rosalind and the other 20 orphans. There was no shortage of care and love in the old broken house. Victor learned a lot from the many older orphans. He helped out in any way he could, learning skills that could make him of use. There were dwarves, half-elves, dark elves and other races beside humans in the orphanage. Over many years the children grew and new ones entered their ranks. The large family stayed together keeping happy and safe. Victor learned quickly from the other fighters in the group. They worked hard to defend the small house from any threat. But to everyone, Rose was mother and teacher. She had saved all of them from the brink of death and united them all under the banner of family.

In the week that Victor turned 21, a raiding party from the church of the Ethereal Sway, bearing the mark of Saint Denebriel, demanded shelter and provisions. The orphans had little choice, though many wanted to fight. After a short stay the leader of the zealots, Damian Gorgos, watched the many young men spar. He wondered if they would fit the profile of the people he was to exterminate under the 'purge,' he and his radical sect began.

Damian was quick and methodical in his cruelty. He began to force the children and young men into bondage, as prisoners of war and candidates for indoctrination. Rosalind, however was to be taken as a prize for the leader, his "personal toy," as Gorgos called her. The eldest and biggest were immobilized but Victor's rage was overpowering. The red-eyed demon blasted through the few men who tried to capture him and attacked Damian. He did not fail to break a few bones, take the twisted empowered priest's blade and split the bastards lower lip and chin in half before being restrained. Every limb of his body was roped and four guards stood around him, blades at his throat. Damian stepped forward to execute him before Rose cried out.

She begged Damian to take her life for Victor's as he knew not what he did. The thought of making the young man suffer tickled the insane priest, and he agreed. He took Rosalind as a conspirator and a traitor against their 'holy' cause.

"This backwater woman is forming a faction," he announced, blood pooling in his bandaged face, to both his men and the rest of the family, "it is my command, and the command of the Saint Denebriel that she be punished for sowing the seeds of rebellion. For creating insolent insects like these."

All of the children and young men were taken inside, out of view. But Victor was made to watch as the fanatic murdered the woman who as a mother, mentor and savior to him. Her hands restrained she was led towards Victor, just close enough that she was within his reach.

"Victor..." Rose whispered, "I'm leaving things in your care. But hey, there's no need to worry. I'll always be look out for you guys, I'll always be thinking about you and loving all of you with everything in my heart. So, till a day when you can all stand proud, in a time of peace and happiness... Our comrades... Everyone... Please protect them for me, okay? Let's... make it a promise..."

And through bonded wrists she lifted only her pinky. "You know what they say, pinky promises aren't something to take lightly..." Unable to move, the red-eyed man just stared, with all the love he had, into her eyes. As the blade came down and severed her head from her body, Victor roared. He screamed. He cried and fought. Gorgos planted his boot in the red-eyed demons stomach with all his might, then kicked his limp body mercilessly. The boy could only look at the severed head of the woman who loved him unconditionally. When Damian looked into the boy's eyes, they were half closed: like a dead fish's eyes, the eyes of someone broken, who cared for nothing. He spat at them.

The glue that held his family together was taken away and the men and women who were able, joined the war effort against the church. Horrified by the death of Rosalind, Victor stayed in the house for 3 years as the war raged on. Then one day, to the shock of everyone who remained he was just standing on the front steps, picking his nose. The man left a few people to look after the younger children and joined the war effort himself. His only goal was to look after his friends, not wanting to lose anything else precious to him.

Victor spent 4 years on the fronts, rising through the ranks to Lieutenant under the command of Edward Valerian. He grew closer with those friends of his who lived. Victor met Elizabeth Day, a 14 year old, retired, assassin, who's spirit was a kindred to the man himself. Their bond grew strong and the two truly became a team. But this was not to last as the betrayal of Alder Whiteman, Victor's long time friend and adoptive brother, joining the man who killed Rose ended the young life of Eliza Day. During a ritual to summon an ally of Denebriel, ancient evil of Salvar, Eliza's life had been sacrificed and Alder was used as a vessel. The ritual did not seem to work, to Damian's surprise, and Victor unleashed his rage. The battle ended with Eliza dead, everyone badly injured and Alder unconscious. It was not until later that it was discovered that Alder was possessed by the vampire demon, Diadeus.

Victor spent a year wandering, eventually making his way to the Citadel, where he met Artemis Eburi. After being trapped in a false tournament, the two found out that the truth of their plight was far worse than they could have imagined. They had been trapped in the prison of Diadeus, set up centuries ago, by a group of adventurers and a monk of the Citadel. In a pocket dimension, the vampire demon lured in souls with the help of an agent imbued with a fraction of the demon's soul. After guidance from the spirits of the fallen warriors and unlocking their weapons, the two faced and defeated Diadeus. But during the battle a shocking truth had been discovered. Eliza had been there, in the realm of the beast, tortured over and over again for over a year. The spirits of the monk and his group agreed that they should right at least one wrong committed after their failure to defeat Diadeus. By sacrificing their essence, they brought Eliza back to life; restoring her body and putting her soul back into it.