Umbraculavites

St.Calenda's Wandering Pageant, Odeum & Lunar Fair + History According to Aegon Nightshade + Catechism of Shadows + Dragons

"And the road becomes my bride"

"I have stripped of all but pride"

"So in her I do confide"

"And she keeps me satisfied"

"Gives me all I need"

"And the dust in throat I crave"

"Only knowledge will I save"

"To the game you stay a slave"

"Rover, wanderer"

"Nomad, vagabond"

"Call me what you will..."

-- Wherever I May Roam -- Metallica

Quote

Every life is a riddle. The answer to mine is knowledge, born of darkness. It wasn't always so. In the beginning, I still had questions. In the beginning, my mystery still remained. -- The Order (2003)

Sobriquet

Aegon (personal name), Nightshade (family name)

Aliases

Salivius Ludovicus {A few would still remember Salivius in Alexandria, the Eastern Empire and of course Bulgaria, and only those with an excellent memory would recognize this young man as the same person they knew from decades before. Oddly enough, few people remember Aegon or the Pageant after they have taken once more to the open road.}, Boy... {The most common nickname used by the pageanteers and the visitors to the circus when referring to Aegon.

Appearance

Aegon is a young man with boyish good looks and the build of an Olympic athlete. His eyes are a piercing ultramarine blue and his open friendly face shows the transformation of a boy into a man. A mop of crudely cut auburn hair hangs in his eyes or is swept rightward in a natural part. Like most medieval men he wears facial hair, in this case a goatee sans mustache. Aegon currently dresses in the Tatar style of long tunic over loose linen pantaloons stuffed into pointy-toed soft leather boots. He wears a baldric for his sheathed horseman's saber and light horn-bow and a belt for his purse, pouches and cutlery. A gift from his eldest sister hangs on a knotted cord around his neck.

Behavior

Aegon's apparent youth and obvious physical strength imply a lack of experience or intelligence and that is precisely what he would would have you believe. Gifted by divinity with an open boyish face and better than average looks, Aegon has practiced countless hours before a mirror to produce smiles that range from sheepish to mischievous and just how to leer at a woman to draw her interest rather than garner verbal or physical abuse. He can portray the young fool, the innocent farm boy, the randy youth, the subservient thrall, the best friend or the amateur mercenary and he is none of these things. Those who look into his ultramarine eyes, really look, can see a darkness there that no amount of sunlight can burn away and yet, few ever bother to truly see what is there in plain sight. Those who come to see beyond his many masks observe a thoughtful and calculating mind dedicated to a single task, that of studying darkness and mastering all of its secrets.

History

Aegon Nightshade was born Salivius Ludovicus somewhere on the road from the Holy Roman Empire to the Kingdom of Hungary in the East. His father a blacksmith who like other skilled German freemen was invited by Solomon, King of Hungary to emigrate to western Hungary with the enticement of free land. Salivius' family undertook the difficulty journey from their homeland to the village of Velem in the County of Vas. There the family of Ludovicus, Latinized Germans, worked hard to fit in and Salivius' father became the village blacksmith and did quite well for himself and his family.

Salivius was only an infant during the journey to Hungary and grew up with the other village children and speaking the Magyar tongue as if born to it. At home he was required to speak medieval German and in church he learned Latin, for Saint Stephen I converted the entire nation of Hungary to Apostolic Catholicism during his reign in the early 11th century. In the early years, like all young boys, he played in the local woods, among the hills and explored old ruins and dark caves. It was in these caves and after the fall of the sun that Salivius could hear the voices of the night. The boy instinctively knew better than to speak of these things for he had seen the hilltop above the village where the old pagans had been burned decades before. Their ashes revealed to him the fate of any who would question the authority of the Christian church and the followers of the light.

Still in all the ways that count, Salivius grew up a Catholic and an obedient, loving son and on his seventh birthday he came to train with his father in the smithy. At first he just watched, observed and fetched whatever his father asked for, but in time he was given more complicated duties like gathering and chopping wood for the fires and carrying water. The years passed quickly for the family of Ludovicus and Salivius and his brothers worked hard for their father. But Salivius came of age in a difficult time, for King Solomon and his cousins went to war by day and after the fall of dark, night-folk battled each other and drank the blood of the unwary. On one particularly day in the autumn of Salivius' fourteenth year, the soldiers of one of the factions forcibly conscripted his father and older brothers while the younger children and women of the family hid in the caves above the village of Velem.

Upon the family's return, the village had been pillaged and the local people abused. Strangely, the smithy remained undamaged among all the buildings of the village and Salivius began to immediately work there as the village smith. While nowhere near as skilled as his father Ludovicus or his older brothers, he managed to earn enough to feed his family. The wars of the Hungarian king and the nocturnal people continued and became particularly savage in 1074. This time the village was burned to the ground and all the villagers fled elsewhere. Salivius lost his mother to fever and as the eldest male of the family it became his duty to protect his brothers and sisters and make decisions for them. As the wars became steadily worse, Salivius went once more to the caves to seek solace and to clear his head. There the darkness spoke to him, offering good council in return for life-long service, Salivius accepted the conditions and returned with a plan. Within another year, Salivius had arranged for the apprenticeship of his younger brothers in different villages and the marriage of all his sisters to good husbands. With only a few coins to his name, Salivius took up the trade of mercenary and traveled south all the way to Constantinople where he eventually came to find work as a mercenary of the Byzantine Empire in its far off possessions.

Salivius, son of Ludovicus served the Byzantine Empire for nearly twenty years and eventually retired to small pension in Alexandria. That was until the arrival of the strange circus and the coming of plague. Thereafter, the darkness spoke to Salivius in his dreams thus one evening in the winter of 1096, he was drinking with Hermokrates Erlingr in a wine-shop called the Joyous Harpy when a foreign warrior entered asking for mercenaries. Decades before, Salivius had made deal with the dark to help his family and he knew upon sight of this Saxon warrior Blake, that he would indeed pay the cost of that deal by offering his sword. The journey to the forgotten temple was a solemn one and its environs were suitably dark and terrifying. Deep beneath the earth, Salivius died to the sting of a giant white scorpion, only to rise again a younger man with a strange dark glint in his eyes -- Aegon Nightshade.

Statistics

Character: Umbraculavites		Affinity: Elemental Darkness		Species: Chimera - Subspecies Draconid
Player: User:Bruce		Nature: Magnate		Concept: Dark Paladin
Chronicle: Past Imperfect		Demeanor: Eye Of The Storm		Affiliated Group: The Pageant
---
ATTRIBUTES
Physical		Social		Mental
Strength	●●●●●●○○○○	Charisma	●●●●○○○○○○	Perception	●●●●○○○○○○
Dexterity	●●●●●●○○○○	Manipulation	●●●●○○○○○○	Intelligence	●●●●○○○○○○
Stamina	●●●●●●○○○○	Appearance	●●●○○○○○○○	Wits	●●●●○○○○○○
ABILITIES
Talents (PTS)		Skills (PSS)		Knowledges (PKS)
Alertness	●●●●○○○○○○	Animal Ken	●●●○○○○○○○	Academics	●●●●●●○○○○
Athletics	●●●○○○○○○○	Archery	●●○○○○○○○○	Enigmas	●○○○○○○○○○
Awareness	●●●○○○○○○○	Commerce	●●○○○○○○○○	Hearth Wisdom	○○○○○○○○○○
Brawl	●●●●○○○○○○	Crafts	●●○○○○○○○○	Investigation	●●○○○○○○○○
Empathy	●●●○○○○○○○	Etiquette	●●●●○○○○○○	Law	●●●○○○○○○○
Expression	●●○○○○○○○○	Melee	●●●●●○○○○○	Medicine	●●○○○○○○○○
Intimidation	●●●○○○○○○○	Performance	●●●○○○○○○○	Occult	●●●●●○○○○○
Leadership	●●●○○○○○○○	Ride	●●●○○○○○○○	Politics	●●●○○○○○○○
Legerdemain	●●●○○○○○○○	Stealth	●●●○○○○○○○	Seneschal	○○○○○○○○○○
Subterfuge	●●●●●○○○○○	Survival	●●●○○○○○○○	Theology	●●●●○○○○○○
SECONDARY ABILITIES
Talents (SATS)		Skills (SASS)		Knowledges (SAKS)
Carousing	●●●●●○○○○○	Blacksmith	●●●●○○○○○○	Lore: Kindred	●●●●●○○○○○
Dodge	●●●●●○○○○○	Blind-Fighting	●●○○○○○○○○	Linguistics	●●●●●○○○○○
Dreaming	●●●○○○○○○○	Drive	●●●○○○○○○○	Lore: Lupine	●○○○○○○○○○
Flying	●●○○○○○○○○	Fast-Draw	●●○○○○○○○○	Military Science	●●●○○○○○○○
Haggling	●●●●○○○○○○	Game Playing	●●●○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
Instruction	●●○○○○○○○○	Hunting	●●●○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
Interrogation	●●●○○○○○○○	Hypnotism	●●○○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
Primal-Urge	●●○○○○○○○○	Meditation	●●●●○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
Streetwise	●●●●○○○○○○	Memory	●●○○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
Style	●●○○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○	[[]]	○○○○○○○○○○
ADVANTAGES
ENDOWMENTS		BACKGROUNDS		LINEAMENTS
Acer	●●○○○○○○○○	Allies	●●○○○○○○○○	Alien Appearance	○○○○○○○○○○
Armature	●●○○○○○○○○	Arcane	●●●○○○○○○○	Extra Limb	○○○○○○○○○○
Captivation	●●○○○○○○○○	City Secrets	●●○○○○○○○○	Hibernation	○○○○○○○○○○
Dread	●●○○○○○○○○	Cynosure	●○○○○○○○○○	Human Speech	○○○○○○○○○○
Flight	●●○○○○○○○○	Demesne (mage V20)	●○○○○○○○○○	Immunity	○○○○○○○○○○
Haste	●●●○○○○○○○	Resources	●●○○○○○○○○	Natural Weapons	○○○○○○○○○○
Mephitis	●●●○○○○○○○	Retainers	●●○○○○○○○○	Night Sight	○○○○○○○○○○
Vallation	●●○○○○○○○○	Secrets: The Pageant	●●●●○○○○○○	Regrowth	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Size	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Spirit Vision	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Transmogrify	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Unaging	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Vulnerability	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	Wings	○○○○○○○○○○
---	---	---	---	---	---
---	---	---	---	---	---
PRAVITAS	---	DRACONIAN CODE	---	HAVOC	---
Temporary	●●○○○○○○○○	Road of the Abyss	●●●●●○○○○○	Temporary	●●○○○○○○○○
Permanent	●●○○○○○○○○	Dark Virtues	---	Permanent	●●○○○○○○○○
---	---	Conviction	●●●○○○○○○○	---	---
---	---	Self-Control	●●●●○○○○○○	---	---
---	---	Courage	●●●●●○○○○○	---	---
---	---	---	---	---	---
VRIL	---	AFFINITY OF ELEMENT	---	WILLPOWER	---
Temporary	●●●○○○○○○○	Elemental Darkness	●●●●○○○○○○	Temporary	●●●●●●○○○○
Permanent	●●●●○○○○○○	---	---	Permanent	●●●●●●●●●○
---	---	---	---	---	---
---	---	---	---	---	---
---	---	---	---	---	---
Health Levels		Draconic Experience Chart		Umbraculavites' Notes
Bruised (0)	{ }	Umbraculavites' Experience	---	Umbraculavites' Barbs & Snares	---
Bruised (0)	{ }	---	---	Umbraculavites' Code	---
Hurt (-1)	{ }	---	---	Umbraculavites' Equipment	---
Injured (-1)	{ }	---	---	Umbraculavites' Ledger	---
Wounded (-2)	{ }	---	---	Umbraculavites' Sorcery	---
Mauled (-2)	{ }	---	---	Aegon's Mercs	---
Crippled (-5)	{ }	---	---	Merits	Unbondable - 3pt Super
Incapacitated	{ }	---	---	Flaws	Possessed by Uller Verbrek
Final Death	---	Soundtrack: [1]	---	---	---