Nicodemus Orfeo

Name: Nicodemus Orfeo

Race: Vampire

Age: 52

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Birthplace: Nachtsol Island

Family: Great Count Draven Orfeo, father; Lashiel Orfeo, mother

Background: Raised in a comfortable environment in a rich family, Nicodemus was breed for high-level politics in his home country. His early life consisted of history lessons, classes on speaking and etiquette, and all manner of scholarly pursuits. He learned a great deal more about his people's history than most of the common folk. Most vampires saw Nachtsol as the entire world, but Nicodemus learned better.

Nachtsol was simply a large island, dwarfed by the continents his people truly originated from. Vampires had exiled themselves to Nachtsol nearly 200 years ago because of some cataclysm called "The Collapse." Nicodemus learned that vampires came into being shortly after the Collapse and were blamed for it. The other races of the mainland feared vampires and began attacking them until vampires found Nachtsol and claimed it as sanctuary. Nicodemus was proud of his people and thought that treatment was unfair.

The Council of Counts had decreed that travel to the mainland was forbidden. Nicodemus felt that his people should be free to mingle among the other races that he had spent so much time learning about. Nico sought out a merchant who sailed to Nachtsol on occasion. The merchant told stories about wars happening on the mainland and about the widespread atrocities and suffering. This only served to fire up Nico's altruistic nature. He took up his desire to see the mainland as an actual cause. Nico's political skills were put to use and before long he had gathered a following. His dedication would soon be tested in ways he'd never expected, however.

The elders of the Council tried hard to discourage this dissent. Their attempts were met with resistance by nearly all of the youthful vampires and even a few wildcard elders. The movement took to the role of an underground resistance as the Council's attempt to wipe them out intensified. Thanks to his extensive teaching and natural talent for inspiring speeches, Nicodemus became the resistance's leader. In the many skirmishes with the government, Nico's strategies and insights were invaluable. He crafted a plan that saw nearly the entire rebellion escaping the island in the dead of night. The masterstroke was that the plan even freed over half of the rebellion members who had been thrown in prison.

The trip to the mainland was where the true hardships began. There was a fact about vampires that none of the younger vampires knew. Even Nicodemus, with his privileged upbringing and extensive education, was completely unaware. Part of the reason the other races feared vampires was due to a curse. Nico is unaware of any details about its origin, but realized that the island had magical protection which negated the curse. Sadly, this protection didn't extend far beyond the island's shores. Without the protection of the island's artifact, vampires were hurt by the sun's light and stung by silver's touch. Far worse, they gained a terrible thirst for the blood of the living. A number of Nicodemus' comrades didn't even make it to the mainland before giving in to their ravenous thirst and killed some of the humans who had provided the boats. Nearly all of the others gave in after some time on the continent.

It has been a month since Nicodemus first set foot upon the mainland. In this time he has aided in battles, made a few friends, and eventually crossed a range of nearly-uncrossable mountains. These trials showed Nicodemus that his people's curse was more than simple suffering when away from the island's artifact. Nico has gained a number of new powers and abilities. While Nico was already well learned in magic during his upbringing, but now he can inherently shapeshift into a bat, blend into and see better in darkness, and has influence over some animals. However, even among the handful of his comrades that kept their sanity the longest, Nico is gaining a large amount of power. Chancing across a mysterious fellow name Ale, he has been directed to aid a group of travelers who are experiencing a similar discovery of newfound powers...

Current Goals:

Nicodemus is an altruistic and, sometimes, even naive person. Generally speaking, he wants to help people. He also has an insatiable thirst for...knowledge. He thinks that learning more his powers and unraveling the mystery of the Collapse is the chance of a lifetime. Regarding his other thirst, he struggles against it and wishes himself rid of it. Learning how to negate or remove the negatives of his people's curse is high priority. Ultimately, he'd like to see vampires reintegrated with the world and accepted by the other races. That goal in mind, Nicodemus also tries to serve as an ambassador of peace. With Fara's death, however, he would like to see the burning-eyed man brought to a bloody justice.