Viktor

BACKGROUND

Born in the year 808 as Sven Bjornsson, the man who would later become Viktor started life as a simple farmer and fisherman - his father going on to join raids, before he did the same. It was during these raids that Sven found himself in Europe with his viking brothers under cover of night, only to be attacked by a man with silver eyes. Bitten on the neck, Sven was able to fight for his safety, though the brawl was bloody, and led to some blood contact in the ensuing mess.

The trip home was difficult and ardeous, to say the least - Sven running a fever, struggling for sleep and unable to eat or drink without violent illness. When they returned home, he demanded he be taken to bed under a cover as the day's light seemed harsh on his skin. There, he sleep solidly for 3 days where the concern grew that he had perished during his rest. With every check, Sven's pulse became weaker and skin colder. When both seemed too far gone, and the family prepared procession for him, Sven awoke.

In truth, he had died in his sleep - but it was an unnatural passing. Dreams of moving through the gates of living drew him, but what lay on the other side was a trapdoor into nothing. And then, awakening. It was during the night that he arose; his eyes glowing silver in the night, fanged teeth protruding from his top lip. The world around him felt strange and distant, as though reality had become surreal, and he was floating through it. As he closed his eyes, he could hear the heartbeats of all who were around him, and he could smell something...strange. Something about them that triggered a need.

Never in his life had he felt such hunger. Such aching, desperate need to consume - as though his whole body ached from it. No normal meal would satisfy his hunger nor stay down. No water nor drink would stay in his system. Only the necks of his kin looked like it might make him feel better.

Sven fled in the night as he faced possible persecution from his people.

These details, and many which followed, are lost to him now. At some point in the 1800s, he began to keep an amass of journals which he filled out regularly, detailing items of his life and who he was. So many facets of his existence were lost to his affliction, memories gone and impossible to retrieve, faces and names that became foriegn. Bouts of hunger - sometimes due to difficult hunting conditions, sometimes as an attempt to reclaim some manner of his humanity - meant an induced feral state to force survival. Every time he lost chunks of himself, it became something of a rebirth, becoming a new person with a new name, and new beliefs.

Through the medievil stages and forward, Viktor had been able to amass a wealth as he built a small coven for himself, ensnaring Thralls and Handlers to help direct him for feeds, often taking what goods and riches he found at the time. As the coven grew, it would attract the attention of unwanted foes, eventually being forced to flee with what goods and journals he could carry, moving on to new premesis. He rarely kept the coven or Thralls long term, opting to put them to rest rather than create more of his kind.

Through the 1800s to 1900s, he moved his way through varying parts of Europe, living in France, regions that later became known as Germany in the later 70 years, Greenland and Finland. His practice continued, though on a smaller scale, as industrial progress and changes made it easier for him to conceal amongst people.

Come World War I, he kept sparse of the conflict where possible. Through force, he travelled the duration of the war, as it was difficult to settle at any one time and explain why he wasn't serving. Feeding was at an all time high, as it seemed more the case to be a mercy that he help some wounded come to an end rather than face their injuries and suffering with the age's medical care.

By World War II, he had posted himself at a small village in Poland, disgusted by the presence and actions of Nazi footfall. The village was lay amongst the trees of a large forestry, concealed from the world and often shrouded - it became something of a cursed myth amongst the invading troops. Those run from their homes in the name of persecution were welcomed, while those seeking to hunt them down were lay to waste. Countless forces were lost to the woods in bloody circumstances, seemingly torn to shreds by a beast. Locals explained him only as Cień - "Shadow".

When the war ended, his travels began once again, back into Europe. He settled for a while in Austria, eventually travelling to spend time in Germany when the Berlin Wall was torn down, settling in Bremen for several years.

POWERS

Unnatural Strength - Viktor is strong enough to tear an arm completely from someone's body, or to punch through their chest cavity with little to no difficulty.

Unnatural Speed - Fast enough that normal humans find his movements difficult to comprehend. While he's not as fast as speedsters - moving much slower than speed and sound - his movements can be quick enough that he cannot be tracked or followed by normal people.

Unnatural Healing - So long as he's fed, Viktor can heal almost any physical injury, going so far as to grow back limbs, although this takes an incredibly long time. Curiously, he still has scars obtained from before he was a vampire.

Incredibly Strong Fangs - Able to bite into just about anything without breaking, his fangs are far more resilient than standard bone. Biting stone and metal won't break them, though he prefers not to.

Incredibly Sharp Claws - Able to cut through skin and flesh like an exceptionally sharp knife.

Echolocation - Through a shrill whistle, Viktor can find people or the layout of a building as the sound travels. It is exceptionally accurate, although becomes less so in wide open, empty spaces.

Unnatural Senses - Able to hear heartbeats and smell living blood.

Shadow Teleportation - So long as the distance is short (within the same room), Viktor can teleport from one shadow to another. The space must be big enough to cover him, making poorly lit rooms and corners his best friend.

Vampirism Spread - Through blood-to-blood contact, Viktor can spread his vampirism to others. This means that people do not turn due to him feeding, despite popular belief.

Levitation - Not quite flight, Viktor can propel himself as he hovers. It is much slower and less reliable than standard flight, though can be more convenient than walking. It also means he can do things like stand and lay upside down on ceilings.

Climbing - Viktor is an adept climber, capable of scaling just about any building with ease.

Immunity to Illness/Disease - He can no longer contract illnesses or disease, mostly due to his inhuman immune system.

Glamour - Through eye contact at short distances, Viktor can cause an infatuation or fear response to his presence.

Cold Immunity - Entirely unphased by even extremely low temperatures; he walks barefoot through snow with no repercussions.

WEAKNESSES

Fire - It hot.

Decapitation - Can't brain so good.

Heart Removal/Destruction - Why's the blood always gone?

Sunlight - While not immediately fatal (this isn't Nosferatu), sunlight causes him great discomfort. Extended exposure burns his skin badly, and initial exposure hurts his eyes to the point of blindness outdoors. It drains his energy quickly, raising the need to feed and consume. Displays anxiety symptoms and discomfort - inability to be still, aggitated behaviours, easily frustrated or angered. Long term exposure can eventually cause death.

Extremely High Temperatures - Ranges from physical discomfort to burning and death.

Starvation - Like all things, Viktor must consume. He tries to consume at least once a day, however hunger is incredibly dangerous to him. Although it will take much longer for him to die from starvation than a normal human, failure to consume induces an increasingly feral state. His vampiric nature and tendencies increase, entirely over-riding his personality. He becomes faster, stronger and more vicious to the point of not recognising people who are familiar to him. His teeth grow slightly, while his general appearance becomes more gaunt and horrific. Long term effects of starvation periods is serious memory loss, forgetting huge chunks of his past, people that he knows - even his own name. These memories cannot be recovered, usually being replaced with something else. As such, Viktor considers starvation a means of "losing himself."

Comatose Sleep - When exhausted, Viktor's sleep is akin to a coma. It is near impossible to awaken him by force - the only successful means have been found to be psychic. As such, he is especially prone to fire or physical danger at those times. Viktor takes great care to sleep in places that are fireproof and not easily found nor access, and rarely tells people where he slumbers.

Standard Food - Not just an aversion to garlic; Viktor must consume human blood or hearts to stay alive. Normal food makes him extremely sick - vomitting immediately, sweating, high temperature and increased need to consume something he can tolerate. He has also commented that normal food tastes "rotten" to him, although this may be a psychosemantic response to his body's violently physical rejection. Strangely, strawberries are NOT included in this, however they do not energise or sate him in any way - although he does like the taste.