Name: Lore
Age [appearance]: 22
Age [actual]: 80
Gender: Male
Species: Dhampyre
House: Confuto
Title: Master
Occupation/Job: There are other Masters and Grand Masters who have seen him coming and going from the Academy under veil, but no one knows what he is doing…
Appearance – Solid FormHair: Dull white. Falls in fine strands which hold together in smooth crescent locks.
Eyes: Disproportionately large. They have deep, grey-maroon irises with large pupils. His eyes are anticipated by dark, defined (but not bushy) eyebrows.
Frame: 5’10. Lore is not terribly tall, but he never seems to look short even in the presence of people taller than he.
Attire: Around campus he can be seen wearing a silvery shirt made of very soft cotton. It has a hood-like collar that bunches up around his neck (see picture). His pants are a matte gunmetal color.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: Almost the opposite – there are no bruises or cuts to be found on Lore’s body. His hands are never dirty.
Personality: You will never be greeted by Lore with any manners less than cordial. Lore does not give off the impression of formality, nor does he seem prude or proper; nevertheless he is gracious in his actions and respectful in his intonations. Even his sense of humor never seems to cross boundaries, and while Lore never asks personal questions where improper, he holds his authority as Master over his students such that one speaks when spoken to and will answer the question given. Because he so meticulously gives it, Lore commands a great deal of respect from his peers, superiors, and fledglings. There are few students who dislike him, though certainly not all are enamored by him, but for all his appropriateness his personality is far from dry. Lore does not expect his company to behave in the same manner he does, which helps make up for how unfitting his polite mannerisms seem matched with so young a man.
Lore exudes a rather clear definition of his own personal boundaries, and it is quite rare for one to ask him a personal question, practically impossible to get an answer. However, Lore is quite good at making engaging conversation, and it is quite pleasant to interact with him socially as his speech has a very natural give-and-take feel.
History: Lore comes from a world where Vampires were extensively persecuted and looked down upon. The State House proposed a “cure” for the undead among them, a “humane” procedure that would help avoid the unnecessary political tension that mass genocide would (though that idea was supported by several prominent caucuses). And so science focused its attention on turning the undead back into living, giving the ageless lifelines, creating citizens from monsters. This process continued in complete secrecy. The Vampire community was already contending with random kidnappings and murders from militant hate groups; the government’s silent abductions did not seem out of the ordinary.
The project continued for many years in many forms, all ending in complete failure. The House grew impatient and it was not long before the responsibility and governing of the project was delegated to a single caucus. The leaders of Caucus Three were undoubtedly the most vehement about the project’s success, and under their watch any remaining morality was slowly stripped away.
It was easy to blame the new kidnappings – after having sat still for so long, it only seemed logical that the vampires had had enough and decided to express their ire by doing to humans what humans had done to them. The humans were outraged, that vampires would kidnap their children and, if they did not kill them (some were publicly hung to be found, and Caucus Three did a fine job draining the blood from the bodies), turn them into vampires themselves. Only half of this was true – all of the children died or turned into Vampires. But it was not by the hands of the Vampires that this occurred, but the State’s best researchers and scientists.
Having exhausted nearly every possibility, the ten year old project was ready to be dissolved at last. Until, that is, one subject group infused with Vampire blood survived, and did not mutate. Not fully, at least. Instantly, all focus was turned to these creations. The first survivors were placed in a radical social experiment, a study to conclude whether or not these children, if placed in normal society, would ever develop vampiric tendencies. The study was a phenomenal success. An entire town mimicking daily life raised the experimental children for weeks. However, an unfortunate bullying accident readily undid the entire project. Acting in spontaneous self-defense, one of the children managed to instantaneously decapitate his aggressor, an action that found her instantly beaten to death, the girl unable to repeat the process. A junior civil war erupted, and several of the children now found themselves with powers and abilities beyond any imagination. They had been scared, and the adults participating in this proto-civilization were as well, and so the newly-awakened children began to destroy their peers, teachers, and neighbors. Lore hid in the shadows, crouching. He was never found, never knowing that he had become that shadow, that he too had awakened his powers.
Most of the homicidal children ended up destroying each other, and Lore escaped into the open, ripe with terror. Great unbalance had devastated his universe now, and so he was met by a planeswalker called Mask. Despite years working together, Lore learned almost nothing about Mask. However, Mask helped (and to some outside eyes, manipulated how) Lore see himself. It is to Mask that Lore owes much of his vitality, ideology, and power.
Family: For all intensive purposes, nonexistent.
Likes: Any activity where all the participants and eager and engaged. The topic is not very important.
Dislikes: Those who purposefully work to be disrespectful.
Strength: Unlike pure Vampires, Lore does not have the need to feed. While there are cravings, certainly, his existence does not depend on drawing blood, and his desires can often be quenched with other substances. He can tolerate sunlight, but tends to avoid anything brighter than what permeates the classroom windows. For more additions, see Magick.
Weakness/Flaw: Lore lacks many typical vampire abilities: he must breathe, he cannot shapeshift into other animals or forms, he is quite mortal, and while he is relatively unaffected by physical wounds for a generous number of minutes, he cannot heal himself.
Interesting Facts / Quirks: Lore has two shadows, one cast by himself, the other cast by the first shadow. Also, there are several interesting rumors that flutter around to frighten first-years about what happens if Lore yells at you in genuine anger. It hasn’t happened yet, which makes it all the scarier to some.
Favorite Food: Peaches
Hobby/Hobbies: Very early in the morning he has been seen practicing some slow martial art. Most of the students confuse it for Tai Chi.
Sexuality: Unknown
Relationship Status: Single
Weapon: A paper-thin sword that never seems to have dulled. It has a soft black glow that seems to radiate from inside the blade and handle. It is the only weapon he can wield in his fluid form.
Magick: Lore innately possesses the ability of self-shadowmancy. His body is composed of Shadow, a concept form similar but more powerful than the simple absence of light. It is a fluid substance, and Lore can only stand still in his half-human form. In this state his is solid to the touch, but he can also flow through the air quickly and silently, making him a skilled assassin, if not a defensive fighter. Though he is not physically hurt by sunlight, his abilities grow progressively weaker as his environment gets brighter. Lore is far more powerful by night than day.
