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Nathaniel Thorsen; Brujah Knight
Topic Started: Sep 7 2014, 05:50 PM (173 Views)
Nathaniel Thorsen
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Name: Nathaniel Thorsen
Gender: Male
Nature: Celebrant
Demeanor: Knight
Age at Embrace: Twenty-five (two years as a ghoul)
Date of Embrace: 1209
Years since Embrace: Twenty-one
Place of Birth: England
Religion: Christian/Pagan(Norse tradition favored heavily in their family code)




Clan/Bloodline: Brujah




Merits: Inoffensive to Animals(2),Former Ghoul(3),Well Educated(3),Scarred(1),Master of Protocol(1),
Flaws: Haunted(3), Uncanny(3), Vengeful(2), Permanent Wound(3)




Appearance: Nathaniel is tall very for his time, and broad of shoulder and build. Standing at just under six feet in height, and weighing over two hundred pounds of muscle and sinew; Nathaniel’s Norse roots are very clear in the imposing figure he cuts. His hair is blonde, straight and cut just bellow his chin; though it typically pulled back in a pony tail. A large burn winds across the right half of his torso, and catches his chin, right cheek and stops right before his eyes. These are blue, and piercing with a slightly predatory and very aggressive intensity that is at times terrifying to behold, and alluring enough that it beckons one closer.

When readied for battle he A suit of chainmail, a heavy cloak, thick leather gloves, boots and a tunic bearing either The Thorsen's Coat of arms emblazoned upon it, or the coat of Arm's Belonging to his Clan. Either way the colors are black and gold. In the few instances he carries a shield it bears upon it the Thorsen Coat of Arms; which consist of a Bear, raised to his hind legs in battle against a massive serpent which encircles the shield that composes the background; which is white with a pair blue stripe bisecting it and forming an 'X'. the Moto, Life is worth more than gold, but honor more than life.

His weapons are a sword, a hand-and-a-half broadsword with runes engraved upon the blade. It is forged from steel, and bears a crossguard in a slight 'v' shape with its arms slinging slightly upward. his shield, which he rarely uses as he has limited mobility in his right shoulder and wrist, is a round shield about two and half feet in diameter, and is strapped rather than merely held. this enables him to help circumvent his injury but does reduce the options regarding it use; for instance this does not enable him to release it if someone attempts to wrench it from him. He also occasionally uses a bow, though this by no means the norm.

Personality: Nathaniel is as Grim in action and thought as his appearance might suggest. That is not to say that he never shows Levity, it is merely subdued and only present near those he truly trusts; A very small demographic these nights as the vast majority are either Dead, or his clan mates at home in London. He is given to morbid moods and morose thoughts; indeed he rarely speaks out as he rarely believes it would change overly much should he do so. When he does speak out though he can command a room, which is perhaps due to the very rarity of these occurrences. On the occasion though where his passion is raised however he is different; full life and energy, his fervor coming out in every syllable. The topic most likely to rouse such a response are talks of the nobility; and will likely result in him decrying them, favoring these night's a merit based system, for he has known many of low birth he trusts more than those of high birth. The truest way to inflame his nature though, is Battle; indeed there is little he enjoys more than swinging his sword into an enemy he believes deserving. once Battle beings he will hit a sort of frenzy and begin the laugh and holler; mocking his foes and boasting most uproariously after a battle. In fact his demeanor manages to make him even more intimidating than a man of his stature would otherwise be; for the sheer love of placing his life on the line is terrifying to behold.

History: To understand Nathaniel you must first know who the Thorsens where. They had the Earldom of Norfolk, then East Anglia, granted to them by King William the Conqueror in repayment to Thorfinn the Bold for his actions during William's rise to power, most notably in saving him while still the Duke of Normandy from assassin allied with Harold, as well as his a various accomplishments during the various campaigns that followed across England. Earning a reputation for taking on impossible tasks and succeeding, often with his steel alone. Because of his personal relationship the Earldom was situated in a valuable piece of land; highly fertile and atop a silver mine. This combined with the fact that, as a Viking Thorfinn had destroyed the lives of many an English men did not endear the family to their neighbors. Oh they ruled fairly; did not tax overly much, indeed just enough to comfortably meet their tithes for King and country; which they paid in Silver, Food and the Strength of Arms of themselves of their Retainers. So it must be realized that this situation, of plenty, glory and refusing to fit in as they continued to carry on bits and pieces of their pagan heritage, was completely untenable.

Nathaniel was born into a charmed life, the Second Son of three children with a sister, Daniella, one year his junior and a Brother, Jeremiah four years older he had a life relatively free of expectation that is present for the heir or a Daughter. this combined with his pleasant nature and fun loving ways rapidly endeared him to the castle staff as well as his Mother, who doted on him. For years he had everyone wrapped around his finger, his only real concern in life being one day impressing his older brother Jeramiah; who being four years older and skilled with the blade(to a child's eyes) was everything he wanted to be. Things continued in the happy vein until the Day of Nathaniel’s thirteenth Birthday. Nathaniel had begun training in the way of the sword over three years ago when the families Sword Master, Eirik Jorgensen, deemed him ready. He was showing some talent but no real drive so was no prodigy. The exceptions Came when the Douglass clan would visit. the Douglas where a noble family, heirs to nearby Barony and one of the few peoples the Thorsens had regular contact with. For when the Douglass clan arrived their two children came with, one a young Man by the name of isaac who was heir to Barony; and perhaps one of the people young Nathaniel looked to the most, as well as there Daughter, Rachael, a young girl of eleven years with soft tresses of golden hair and a light smile upon her face. If Isaac was the idol of his life; as sibling rivalry had changed the relationship between Nathaniel and Jeramiah to one constant bickering, then Rachael was the light of it; when present impressing them both was the only thought on Nathaniel's mind. The parents of both Clans encouraged the budding relationship finding it both highly amusing as well as slightly advantageous. As for Isaac he would always find time to spend with the young Nathaniel, giving him pointers and words of encouragement. So when Rachael was not present ad Isaac possessed of a singular Melancholy it alarmed the young Nathaniel, thinking perhaps something had occurred to Rachael.

Still, these concerns where soon assuaged; being informed that Rachael could not make it due to an earlier injury whilst ridding a horse. Nothing major but they had thought it best to leave her at home for the journey. the Birthday feast proceeded more or less according to plan; with much merriment around as even the guards who would normally abstain from things like that where allowed to join in; leaving a mere skeleton crew of very put upon soldiers to watch the gates. By the evenings end everyone had drunk plenty, watched may a boast or brag (many failed as the began to drag) The end result of a night feasting, drinking and partying in celebration of Nathaniel's coming of Age was a a lot of very exhausted and happy people sleeping the day away, fully aware that when they woke they'd regret their excess.

Most never woke, killed in their sleep or shortly after rising and the alarm did not go out in time. For the Douglass's clan had decided to kill the Thorsens in collaboration with The Duke to divvy up the mines and lands among themselves. It was into the hellscape of dead friends and retainers that Nathaniel awoke, driven from his sleep by the sounds of screams and metal on metal. rushing from his room in a desperate daze he moved with as much as his legs would allow, heading for the room of his mother, occasionally stepping over a body or ducking behind a corner to allow the invaders to pass. When he reached his destination what he saw he did not know how to comprehend. Isaac stood with the room, sword drawn and wet while his bleed out on the floor. Seeing the world red with rage, Nathaniel charged Isaac with a wooden table leg in hand. He was similarly sent flying into the wall with a slam of Isaacs shield before slumping down, and slipping into unconsciousness.

Nathaniel did wake, and when he did so what he felt was heat, an all-encompassing heat; and he heard panicked screaming from across the hall, screaming that though muffled by stone and and distance; he knew belonged to Daniella. Struggling to his feet he rushed out of the room and down the hall. Upon arrival he saw her, trapped behind fallen timbers where the ceiling had given way; with one large and prominent peice in paticualr barring the way in.As Nathaniel heaved himself against the beam, screaming in frustration as it refused to move Daniella’s screams changed in tone from fear and panic to Agony. As His shoulder began to give out, so to did the he make headway, finally throwing aside the only impediment between him and his sister, only to have the rest of the ceiling it had upholding give way. With burnt timbers pinning him down, and a dislocated shoulder from his earlier efforts; all he could do was watch as the flames licked Daniella and left nothing but a charred corpse behind. Nathaniel barely survived the fire, the rest of the Thorsens died that night.

The Master at Arms Eirick was the one who found Nathaniel; barely alive and shivering against the cold and his burns. It took nearly four months for him to recover, and full mobility of his right arm was never full received forcing him to switch his sword arm to the left due to a shoulder that no longer moved as well as it once did, and bones that had not been set quite right. It was in this time that Nathaniel first encountered the Spirit of his Sister Daniella, Meeting her around six or seven nights after his wakening he merely heard her crying. Forcing himself to his feet despite his pain, Nathaniel went to investigate his eyes filled with hope. Upon encountering her however, barely viable except from the corner of his eyes he soon realized what happened; his sister had not passed on. Attempting to comfort her he gave her an embrace as best he could as he could not truly feel her and promised that everything would be alright; He would kill those responsible and help her move on to be with their family once more. And this was how Nathaniel traveled for several years, receiving personal tutelage under Eirik’s hand as they moved about selling their sword arms and prepared for the time they could extract bloody vengeance. As they traveled they realized the extent of the plot, for while the Douglass clan had taken over the Earldom in the wake of ‘the tragic fire’ it seemed that Over three other lords had been involved, tough their levels of involvement varied. And while most realized that the fire had been highly convenient to the Nobles who split the Thorsen legacy among themselves; no-one seemed likely to do anything about it.

On the tenth anniversary of the death of the Thorsens, The Wraith of Daniella began to become agitated from the long periods of time without any indication of her vengeance being fulfilled. Of the opinion that he was as ready as he would ever be, his was far better at wielding his sword with his left than he ever had been with his right and could now use a shield despite his, albeit not as well as many, and only if strapped. Nathaniel left on his own; for Eirik had time and again in recent days counseled against this very course of action. Taking with him as a large sum of money, his sword and supplies for travel he stole away in the night. As he traveled through the land he realized that he would not be able to do this alone, despite the trust of his cause. Still The Douglass clan had not made many friends by violating Hospitality as they had, and few where dull enough to truly believe that the poor fortunes of the Thorsens had so conveniently led to good fortunes of the Douglas As such Nathaniel was able to gather money with little more than promises of friendship upon his success. these amounts where in all honesty not huge in the eyes of those who gave, but very important to Nathaniel for he was able to hire swords for his quest; as over the years he had made friends among the ruffians of England and this combined with gold and promise of status was enough.

This journey through England, slowly winding back towards the place it had begun lasted just over two years, and ended upon the fortuitous discovery of a Young Stabblehand who professed sympathy for Nathaniel's cause. He claimed that he knew a secret way into the keep; lightly guarded due to it's need for secrecy. Believing this to be the best chance he could hope to find they launched their assault. In the dead of night a group nearly 50 strong moved in only to find themselves surrounded by archers and spearmen. Attempting to rally his men and fll back to better ground Nathaniel and his men fought fiercely, Nathaniel taking down eight of their ambushers before he too fell to the arrows of the surrounding archers. Fatally wounded, and buried beneath the bodies of his men Nathaniel waited for death filled with despair.
.


And Death did come, though the form was not as Nathaniel had expected. No Angels came to carry him to Heaven, no gaping maw to take his soul for judgment, nor indeed did one of the Odin’s Valkyrie’s take him in hand to the land of Valhalla; though for a time that was he believed to be happening. For lifting him from the pile of death he resided was one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and easily lifting him with one hand despite being nearly a full foot shorter than him and highly petite. His eyes where immediately drawn to her face which he noted was beautiful in a way he had never seen, her skin just slightly bronzed, with full lips and dark tresses, and clad it a simple breast plate and white tunic Nathaniel began to feel himself thankful that he had fallen in battle, while simultaneously furious with Odin for damning the mission to snatch him, and his men, to join Odin's Heroes. As he was swung against the woman shoulder Nathaniel lost consciousness.

When he woke Nathaniel felt more alive and powerful than he ever had before, and saw his savior seated on an alabaster throne front of him. Taking her form in fully for the first time he noted her confidence, as if nothing could ever touch her, as well as the foreign make of her armor; which was a simple breast plat molded for a female of an athletic build, and steel bracers and anklets shod her against harm as well. Underneath that armor a simple tunic of white linen was worn, stopping just below her knees After giving him a few moments to collect himself she spoke “Hello Nathaniel, I've been watching you for a while now. The way you rallied support in the name of justice for you family and those who we’re under you was inspiring . And tonight you took down eight men before your wounds forced you to the ground. Ah…forgive me I forget my Manners. My name is Persephone. It’s not what I was born with, but it is appropriate. I have a question for you” she paused, leaning forward in her chair to gather Nathaniel’s eyes with her own. “I can let you go back, unchanged and attempt to live as you are now.. Justice will in likelihood remain out of reach as you've already played most of the cards you had to play, rather well but for naught. Or you can join us, and nothing will be out of reach. Indeed you will able to deal with those who took to the trust and love of you Father, your kin, with ease. For you will be far more than a man. The choice of course is yours; I was denied that choice so I will never do that to another.”

If asked today Nathaniel would tell them that this choice was a hard one, that it took thought and time. That would be false. Even discounted the preternatural awe he felt around Persephone, and the tracings of a blood bond that was beginning to form; he was desperate. He had trained for years for that day, given everything he had to give and it had not been enough. In fact it really took him more time to gather his breathe and say the words “Yes Milady” that it did for him to consider his options. Nathaniel spent two years as a ghoul, training his body to the best it could be before undergoing the embrace. Upon awakening in the Brujah Clan his nights where spent in study, for he had much ground to regain. Oh he had in fact learned to wield the Sword at the hands of a genuine Master, and his skill with it was indeed worthy of note, But his formal education was cut short on the eve of his thirteenth birthday. Hours where spent each and every night learning history, studying literature, and the Arts or music, painting and writing. During this time the relationship between the Spirit of Daniella and the now Vampiric Nathaniel changed. For she did not accept this period of study and solitude; fearing that Nathaniel would abandon their quest for vengeance eternally damning her to this Purgatory that she now resided in. She became irrational and angry, where once she had been a solid companion through the nights and a source of otherworldly knowledge in their quest now she served as hindrance; furious with him for Damning himself and certain that he would never see justice done.

After four years in total among the libraries of the Brujah haven Persephone set out with Nathaniel in tow as she believed it time to truly begin showing him the world in which he now lived. Initially they did not move far from London, as She did not yet believe him ready to face the wilderness, but She did being to show first hand the ways in which a vampire was meant to be. Her first lesson was where not as them, did not dedicate themselves to a higher purpose but rather infatuated themselves with their own advancement. Indeed he found himself at a bit of a loss at the games of status played by the other high clans, and simply knew he disliked it; found it dishonest and weak. Her second lesson in their travels, as they came to leave London and it's safety was of a more personal nature. She attempted to tell him of their Purpose, of what it truly meant to bring the world to it's ideal state. She even began to tell Nathaniel about herself, Her name, when human, was Helen and she was from Athens. she described it's beauty with such fervor and feel that Nathaniel at times longed to be there himself; to walk through it's halls as Persephone(for no other name resonated within his mind as this) once had over 800 years ago. Still these things where mere preludes to her true lesson, not about her, but that certain people must lead as most where frankly incapable of basic thought or reasoning; after all had most been able to think for themselves the world would not be as it was. This lesson Nathaniel did not learn, for it grated against him to say that the people where anything other than completely responsible for their own fates; even some one victimized could have gone a different road and thus should never blame another but themselves; which could not be the case if destiny and divine mandate where true.

And thus did their nights pass, with Persephone attempting to sway Nathaniel to her understanding, to join her on the Road of Kings as Nathaniel himself attempted to make her understand that destiny was not an excuse for weakness. At first Nathaniel did not truly know how to explain himself to her, or use it more importantly to keep the beast back; a dangerous position for the philosophers. in deed he was beginning to struggle to keep his beast at bay; for all to often his thoughts and it's needs seemed aligned. They where in Northern France when things came to a head. Nathaniel was alone hunting that night when a rage overtook him upon the discovery of a child who resembled his Brother Jeremiah. Lost in an unthinking hatred to the brother who had been spared the massacre and used to steal their lands, he killed the boy and his family and found himself among their bodies, standing there covered in blood and gore. He stood there, lost in the weight of what he had done; silently taking the insults and blows the spirit of his sister delivered; completely certain that she was right and he was in fact becoming a monster. And it was this scene that a large, bestial man entered. He was large, even taller than Nathaniel resembling a bear more than a man; for his hair was think enough to pass as the part of the furs he wore. On his back he carried a great blade with many rune carved into it's blade. introducing himself as Hadvar he told Nathaniel that he was dangerously close to losing himself to the beast and being little more than a monster preying upon the men of the world; a servant of Fenrir. The only way to keep it at bay was to find the Road you where always meant to travel; and thus did he tell him of the Road of the Slain; telling him that compassion was not needed to keep it at bay, nor did one need some greater calling and destiny; An Iron Will served as well in death as it would in life.

The lessons with Hadvar lasted several months, and consisted of as much arguing between the Noble Persephone and Brutish Gangrel as attempts from either to teach Nathaniel. It also changed the relationship between Persephone and Nathaniel, as he was in fact beginning to understand what the world needed, and as such their relationship was less mentor and student and closer to intellectual equals; Oh Persephone did in fact believe his stance a product of his youth and immaturity and did not hesitate to alert him to this; though she was proud of him finally seeing the world through the eyes of a Brujah. Even after Hadvar moved on the tone of the conversation changed little; With Nathaniel decrying Kings and birthright; stating that if Dullards where among the noble then clearly brilliance was among the low as well. he believed that those who squandered their gifts should lose them and give them to those who earned them. Peresephone stated that was mearly Fates hand working to insure that those who where ment to rule did, and that only a world under those who where great and wise would be able to flourish.

As all must, eventually Nathaniel left the side of his sire. Believing that he needed to bring the changes on his own and leaving one night with little more than a note behind as is nearly tradition for the Brujah. The fires of vengeance burned in his breast once more; undimmed from his days as a mortal. In fact his Brujah blood helped to stoke them higher than before. He returned home, Reunited with Eirik; who had actually found him rather than the other way around, And offered to him his blood to help make their vengeance a reality. Nathaniel marveled at how hard it was not to simply 'convince' him to take his offer, so desperate for the bond of brotherhood that he nearly shattered it. Eirik accepted,and together they began killing everyone connected to the demise of his family; and made little secret as to who had done this, or why. In fact he relished the fear he inspired in his prey, painting the walls in there blood proclaiming vengeance had come after nearly thirty years. Many of their targets where found in those first few months, for they moved faster within the night than the news of there exploits. However the fact that they wanted those they hunted to know why they where sought had an unfortunate side effect; those most guilty fled for there lives and scattered unto the winds. His hunt has brought Nathaniel to Esthiem following a lead on the whereabouts of Isaac; who he had been saving for last. Having sent Eirik ahead to make arrangements, Nathaniel arrives to Eisthem; prepared to finally end the existence of this Vile treachery.



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Edited by Nathaniel Thorsen, Nov 16 2014, 04:34 PM.
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