Name: Edwin Cartwrighte
Age: Turned at the age of 27, actual age is 62. Or, 72, maybe? No, probably 67...He may have forgotten.
Gender: Male
Species: Vampire
Occupation/Reason for coming to the Grove: Does one have to have a reason to come stay at such a charming neck of the woods? Plus, you know, it's a bit, uh...safer. Oh, and as for occupation...scavenger, maybe? Preferably at night, it's a bit toasty during the day. Or cobbler, if you really need one.
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Character Theme Song: Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons


ABILITIY SCORES

Combat - 2
Skill - 2
Stealth - 4
Communication - -1
Luck - 0
Health- 1
HP: 17


Description

Edwin stands at 5’ 9” tall, weighing around 155 lbs in a frame that shows little of muscular definition, but also little in the way of excess body fat. Not that he's keenly aware of that fact. He has little reason to worry over it now; it isn't going to change. His hair is a purposeful mess of red, wavy locks, and he maintains a rather youthful appearance, save for his dull green eyes that flicker with the weight of the years he has seen. That, and, of course, the lack of color in his cheeks. The makings of a light beard adorn his face, and though he knows it will never grow into the full beard he had once intended, he still can't rationalize shaving it off, an otherwise simple decision made permanent by his undead body.

He carries himself in a carefully constructed manner, easily blending into the background if given the opportunity. When noticed, though, he will gladly share a smile. Though, not too wide of one, lest his fangs make their presence known. He wears simple clothing, shirts and pants not overly ornate in design, and occasionally a hooded cloak.

Though unseen in his typical apparel, Edwin has a few scars. On his right shoulder, he bears what looks like teeth marks, nestled above a large patch of scar tissue where it looks like a large portion of skin might have once been torn off. He also has two slim, straight scars, one on his back and one on his stomach, that line up perfectly.

Personality

Edwin, from what he has been told, is rather friendly as far as vampires go. Or, at least, when you get to know him. He is a rather careful individual (most of the time), and he can often be caught watching events take place from the sidelines, a pointedly safe distance away, until he knows exactly what role he could play.

With everyone and everything, Edwin does his best to be a patient individual. He mostly succeeds, though patience is a virtue that has started to wane within him slightly over the years. Peculiar, that. Immortality meant he had all the time in the world, and yet he has found himself less willing to let it tick by at its own pace.

He has a rather gentle soul, or, at least, he did when he was entirely certain he still had one, and he has worked at maintaining it. He can still see the beauty in the world and of the people living in it. With those he trusts, he is protective and kind, and even with those he doesn't, he rarely wishes them harm. This has, of course, made it rather difficult at times to satiate his hunger, but, then, there are always those deserving, and on the rare occasion, willing.

Skills and Hobbies

Though rarely one who seeks out combat, Edwin was trained in the use of daggers at an early age so that he might protect himself. Despite his own wishes, he was raised to be a tactician for the Church in their war against supernatural beings, and, as such, is well educated and trained to maintain a keen, logical eye.

Though a practice he rarely finds use of now, he took up work as a cobbler for a number of years after being turned in a failed attempt at a normal life, one of the few positions that afforded him ample time to work after darkness fell. It was far from a suitable endeavor, but, nonetheless, with the help of the kind, elderly man who trained him, it is a skill he possesses. After that attempt at normalcy, though, he found himself in a brood of vampires that shared other such knowledge, the most distinct of which came in the form of thievery, picking pockets and helping himself to wares that were not his own.

Edwin found a penchant for wood carving as a child. Having little time for entertainment in his youth, he would collect bits of fallen branches on his supervised walks through the nearby woods, intended to become part of his collection of whittled treasures. He has continued this practice to the present day, though he has but a few he still keeps with him.

Beyond that, of course, he does have his other hobbies. Games of chance and drinking in excess, most prominent among the two, though he isn't sure how much effect liquor has on his undead body anymore. Regardless, though, he recalls the sensation and can mimic the effects, and that's enough. He finds great joy in the sounds of music, though will never be found dancing along with it. He knows how to play the flageolet, but it's been at least a solid decade since the instrument has met his lips.

Weaknesses & Fears

Edwin has always held a slight stutter in his speech. It isn't ever-present, but it presents itself frequently enough that conversation has never been his strong suit, despite his best efforts. His struggle with words becomes all the more prevalent when mixed with any sort of nervousness, which in turns bolsters a lack of self-confidence. He is also somewhat forgetful, a trait that has strengthened over the years. It isn't that he forgets elements of his life, the vast majority of his memories are well engraved in his mind. Names, though, are usually a total loss on him, as are numbers and other nonessential bits of information. And, of course, he is certainly the sort of individual that finds himself at the market with his coin purse still sitting idly on a table in whatever place he has called home.

It should be noted that Edwin does not fear being a monster. He isn't, of that much he is certain. From the moment he was turned, he has done everything he can to avoid being the monster that those he was raised with were so certain vampires were. He does fear, however, that he no longer has a place in this world. His life should have been snuffed out long ago, was snuffed out long ago, if he were to be technical about it. And yet he remains. What does one do with the after-life of a blood-thirsty creature such as he? It is a question he is still trying to figure out. Rest assured, though. In one way or another, he is certain he will leave a mark on the world, at least in some small way, even if no one ever knows it was he who left it.

Oh, and spiders. He's deathly afraid of spiders, the irrationality of which doing nothing to diminish the fact.

Edwin did little, outside of minor combat training for his own protection, to maintain a strong physique during his life, and, as such, his fortitude as a vampire does little to rival most of his brethren. He finds himself needing to get by on cunning more than his own physical strength. Of course, he shares the typical weaknesses of a vampire, an aversion to garlic, the sun's harsh rays leading to a hasty death if he's not careful, a stake through the heart, which he's pretty sure would kill just about anyone, honestly. The weakness he struggles with most, though, would be that of the hunger for blood. He has on numerous occasions found himself going for too long between feedings, doing what he can to only drink from those willing to share the live-giving nectar or from those he feels deserving of being drained. He has experienced the bloodlust taking control of his faculties before, and though he maintains considerable self-control the vast majority of the time, the monster he swears he isn't has taken over.

Abilities & Magic

Having been a vampire for something like 40 years has given him time to gain a certain level of proficiency with the abilities that comes with it. The most prominent of these is the use of psychic influence, an ability he has found has many beneficial uses, primarily in the avoidance of capture or combat. He rarely uses the ability in a malicious way, usually convincing someone that they have other pressing matters to attend to than the murder of a vampire or that they never caught a glimpse of his fangs in a nearby mirror as he spoke. Perhaps that was how the myth of vampires lacking a reflection started? Though a typically less practical ability, he is also capable of minor telekinesis, usually only useful as a means to promote laziness or as a party trick, and he's not the sort typically invited to parties, anyway.

History

Edwin's childhood was rather dull, as childhoods go. He was raised by a pair of devoutly religious members of the Church, seemingly well-respected among their peers, though what they actually did was entirely lost on him for most of his youth. With the rise of supernatural activity, Edwin was chosen, perhaps at random or perhaps due to his budding intellect, to be trained up as a tactician to rally the strength of the Church against the demonic scourge that was infiltrating their land, and so he was, though he rarely showed interest in the idea. He spent his formative years studying scripture and war games in equal measure, learned what he had to and what he had to in the pursuit of acknowledgment from his well-meaning but otherwise preoccupied family.

As he grew into adulthood, he was thrust into partaking in the hunt for the supernatural, though the blade of his dagger very rarely struck flesh. He was sent on reconnaissance to gather intel on the beasts, to put together plans for the next hunt or ways in which to strike down as many of the foul creatures as they could in one fell swoop. Edwin never found much pleasure in the activity, but he was praised for his successes, and it was a necessary evil to eradicate those creatures that killed so wantonly.

One particularly evening had seen the members of the Church holding a feast, a joyous occasion to celebrate the troops that would the following day bring about the annihilation of a vast number of vampires, an infallible plan Edwin himself had crafted. In the midst of the revelry, as members of the Church danced happily, ate generously, and Edwin blew out a jaunty tune on his flageolet, the building was undertaken by the brood of vampires they were to hunt, having become wise to their plan. Chaos ensued, screams filled the hall, blood splattered on the floors. What else occurred, though, Edwin is unable to recall. After all, he was dead.

And yet, he rose. He wasn't sure how much time had past, what exactly had happened, or where he was exactly, the walls of the crematorium unfamiliar to his previously alive self. His reanimation caused quite the stir in the threshold of the church, as one can imagine, and he found himself fleeing the only home he knew from what was left of the hunters among the parish, running to wherever he might find safety.

It didn't take him long to realize what had happened. In what he assumed was an attempt at some sick form of irony, one of the vampires had made the decision to turn him. He was a vampire. The reality of it hadn't bothered him as much as one might expect, the ideologies he was raised on never having been a keen interest of his. He has spent the majority of the time that followed simply looking for some semblance of peace in his existence. He traveled around, seeking shelter where he could, trying to ingrain himself into a normal life, and, failing that, seeking out his vampiric brethren, finding himself among some trustworthy broods, and some less trustworthy.

The Church always remained a problem, though. That nagging reminder of his youth followed him wherever he went, and no matter where he found himself, he could never stay too long. After his last brood fell under siege in a planned attack, not unlike the ones he once formed, he finally found himself stumbling into Octarine Grove, seeking the shelter he was once told it could provide.

Contacts & Family

Holden Hawthorne - Edwin's attendant, age 43, human. They met about 12 years ago and have grown to be close friends.

Nicholas Everbrighte - Son of Hale Everbrighte, age 22, human (at least, Edwin assumes he is). Hale Everbrighte was the cobbler of a small town in which Edwin once resided who took the fresh vampire under his tutelage to learn the craft. Since the old man's passing, Edwin has continued to correspond with his son, perhaps out of a sense of obligation.

If Edwin maintains any other contacts, he doesn't speak of them.

(Of course, that said, if anyone has interest in having a past connection with Edwin, I'm more than happy to discuss it!)

Secrets

Edwin had a wife and a daughter while still human. His wife died in the assault on the church at the celebration where he was turned, but his daughter still lives. Being told that Edwin killed her mother, his daughter has trained to become a hunter and now hunts him in retribution.

Edwin first met his attendant, Holden, while living with a brood of rather unsavory vampires. They killed for sport, something Edwin is strongly against, but had nowhere else to turn at the time. One of the other vampires had lured a child, around the age of 8, to a clearing in some woods and drained him. Discovering this, Edwin fought with the other vampire in an intense fight which left the scar on his right shoulder. Holden arrived just in time to see the other vampire flee, and obviously considering Edwin a threat, stabbed him through with a sword in his stomach, leaving another scar on both sides thanks to his already weakened state. It was at that time the man noticed Edwin openly weeping for his son, and he backed off, giving Edwin the time to gather up a spade and burying the child. After that, Holden became his attendant, feeling as lost as Edwin did, his purpose seeming to fade with his son.

(I may have more secrets to add at a later date, but many of the elements of Edwin's story I've left purposely vague to fill in later on, depending on the course of the game and to serve any plots or connections that might later make use of them)


PLOT HOOKS

I would love to get Edwin involved in any plotline he could sink his teeth into. I'm pretty flexible on the specifics, and I've left elements of his backstory intentionally vague to be adjusted to suit whatever plot he might find.

I do have a few ideas involving the Church I would eventually like to see him pursue in game in whatever way that might happen, to come to terms with his prior involvement in it and to protect those they hunt, whether successful in his endeavors or not. The "not" might even be more interesting!

Despite the character's difficulties in conversation, I would like to see him form a few integral connections in game, romantic or not, positive or not. Those connections, though, on both sides, I would be mostly interesting in seeing develop as a natural course of the game itself.

Given the character's history with them, I would find it interesting to see how he would deal with the Church poking their heads around the Grove and their pursuit in determining its location.

As for NPCs, I would like to have Holden Hawthorne, Edwin's attendant, as an NPC (Note to GM: I am more than happy to control this NPC to avoid any unnecessary work on your part.)