Post by Dracula on Aug 11, 2021 20:01:45 GMT -8
Bount
Basic Info
~~
~~
Name: Marius "Dracula" Ardeleanu
Chronological Age: 436 years old
Biological Age: Late 40s
Heritage: Varujan was born an Echt of the Ardeleanu clan. He bordered on what could be considered royalty with his own castle and army. To this day he still values the teachings of the Quincy and their traditions. He goes so far as to still wear his Quincy Cross as a rosary and wears the Ardeleanu Crest.
Physical Info
~~
~~
Hair: Marius has black, eastern European, hair that goes down to the small of his back.
Build: In prime condition, Marius has a well filled out form that is neither over or underweight. He has broad shoulders and sharp facial features.
Clothing: Marius has missed out on the past 400 or so years of fashion evolution but he is adapting in ways. While disguising his identity he'll wear more modern clothes- three piece black suits with over coats. Jewelry, rings, and bracelets. Most specifically he still wears his Quincy cross as a rosary on his left wrist. When doning the name of Dracula, he'll wear more gothic style of 18th century men's fashion. He's even known to still be wearing capes.
Extras: Marius has the look and build of a mature and distinguished man. He has hair and eyes so brown that they appear black. His facial hair is most often kept well groomed as a mustache and elongated goatee. He has pale Caucasian skin as, though he is not vulnerable to it, he avoids much sunlight. Although he would look fairly human at first glance, it doesn't take longer than passing curiosity to notice something is off about him. His hears are elongated, his eyes have a piercing nature to him, his canines are elongated into proper fangs, and his finger nails are unusually long and thick. He has the look of a human but it is impossible to separate him from the image of the predator that his Bount infection has turned him into.
While actively using his Bount powers, Marius's physical appearance will alter slightly. His sclera and iris will turn blood red and his pupils will turn white. His already pronounced canines will elongate further and his nails will appear more like claws. His normal well rounded body tone will show more muscle definition and his skin will become significantly more vascular. His breathing becomes raspy, hissing and wheezing- truly showing that he in, in essence, and animated corpse designed to feed on the living.
Spiritual Info
~~
Doll Name: Rotes Selbst
Doll Body: Marius's doll is literally his blood. The two have spent centuries coming to terms with each other but still face deep challenges when it comes to morals vs feeding. The doll is capable of exerting its own agency either within or outside of the body. Rotes Selbst is capable of leaving the body through pores and orifices naturally occurring in the body but if necessary it can rip its way out. Outside the body, Rotes Selbst will often take an identical shape to Marius. Being a liquid though, the doll can take whatever form it desires.
Historical Info
~~
The Past: More than 400 years ago, the Ardeleanu were prosperous monster hunters in the region of Wallachia. They moved into the region from the west some 300 years prior and set up shop to protect the region from Hollow. It was a difficult effort. The region was war torn with constant invasions from other countries. At the time, some of the Ardeleanu elected to become leaders of mortals in the region. For the most part, the Quincy clan remained true to their more specific purpose. Instead of fighting wars against other mortals, they focused on slaying the Hollow of the region. Hollow that came to feed on the misery and Hollow born of the misery. Marius and his brother Viktor elected to become leaders. During this era, they found the suffering of the region to be far beyond just the Hollow. It started with just helping them with resources. Food, medicine, land. Then the resources needed protecting. Then the people needed education and leadership. They didn't start out with the intention of being rulers. That was just the way it happened. The majority of the clan didn't agree with the decision but so long as the secret was kept and their duties weren't slacked on, it was largely disregarded. The times would change when a new enemy would emerge- the Shinigami.
The Soul Reapers were well known in Quincy society. They were souls of the dead that had organized to police the afterlife. It was all well and good so long as they kept to themselves. They never seemed to though. They had an idea that they were ordained to be the sole protectors, judges, and executioners in the world. They spread propaganda that Quincy were abominations that disrupted the balance. Steadily, there became more rumors of Shinigami attacking Quincy in the middle of their hunts. Finally, seemingly from no where, the Shinigami began an all out war against the Quincy. But "war" wasn't the right word for it. They existed in a world that the Quincy could not reach, they had an organization and mobility that the Quincy could not match. The could move from one side of the globe to another, conduct raids on a whim, and steadily annihilated the Quincy. It didn't take long for the slaughter to make its way to Wallachia- just long enough for the Quincy of the area to know it was happening with no way to stop it. As desperately as they fought, the battle ended in the complete genocide of the Quincy in the region. In the most technical understanding of it, Marius did not survivor either.
In the midst of the conflict, Marius came under attack by a Hollow. Between his wounds from the battle and the final blow inflicted by the Hollow, the man was left completely drained in mind, body, and soul. As he laid there, expecting to joined his brethern in the piled dead, a mutation occurred within and he became a Bount. The first Bount he had ever heard of, in fact. At first, he considered himself a cursed existence. The hollow within would not allow him to die and if he didn't sate the hunger, the Hollow would just take over and force him to feed. To maintain agency over his own body, he was force to compromise his beliefs and feed on the souls of humans. Through this maintained agency though, Marius began to take over the region. He drove out invading Turks, Russians, Hollow, and Shinigami alike. Many enjoyed his protection but there were many more that slandered his name and identity. His legend was eventually confused and warped to incorporate the identities of other figures and heroes of the region. After 100 years, when the Tsars and Kings could not oppose him by conventional means, a hunter was employed to do the job.
This hunter would be as a blight through Marius's forces. He tore through them quickly and efficiently until he came to the leader. In this final conflict, Marius would discover the hunter's identity as a Quincy of the Ardeleanu clan. As evil and twisted as he had become, the Bount was unable to strike down his kin. In that moment of hesitation the Hunter struck Marius's core and put the monster down! Or so Marius would have desired. Instead, Marius's doll took control and dragged them to a safe location to recover. They slept for the next 300 years in the lowest levels of catacombs under their castle.
Snapshot: