Darien Belmont
| Name: Darien Belmont | Nature: Fanatic | Concept: Vampire Hunter | ||||||
| Player: Stephen | Essence: Primordial | Mentor: Brother Michael | ||||||
| Chronicle: UVa Spring 2002 | Demeanor: Cavalier | Cabal: Discordian | ||||||
Attributes |
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
Abilities |
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
Spheres |
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
Advantages |
||||||||
| Merits: Ability Aptitude (Melee), Danger Sense
Flaws: Black and White, Driving Goal, Hatred, Nightmares, Notoriety, and Twisted Upbringing |
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
Description
In a word, imposing. Darien stands fully 6’2″ tall and is very well-muscled. He has a tendency to slip out of sight when he wishes but is otherwise very noticeable. He almost always wears dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt topped off with a worn black leather trench coat. He tops the ensemble off with steel-toed boots, black shades, and a necklace of vampire teeth. Thankfully, his runic longsword remains wholly hidden beneath his coat most of the time, although he’s more than willing to bring it into the open to fulfill his calling.
Backstory
Darien was born in the spring of 1970 to Gerald and Dianne Belmont. An only child, Darien enjoyed a very happy, if impoverished, childhood. His mother worked as a full-time volunteer at the local homeless shelter while his father preached in a small church in the slums of Los Angeles. They were poor, but the Belmonts led respectable, happy lives.
Darien’s life continued in this manner for five blissful years. His parents watched their child grow and prosper despite such inhospitable surroundings. It wasn’t until one cold winter night that Darien’s life took a turn for the worst.
One can barely imagine a more horrific experience. Late in the evening, long after Darien’s parents had put him to bed, a knock came at the front door. Gerald Belmont exchanged a troubled look with his wife as he undid the deadbolt, shotgun at the ready. From his bed a short distance away, Darien made out the sound of a raspy male voice pleading for shelter.
Darien could feel something was very wrong when he heard his father invite the stranger inside. A brief struggle ensued. Dianne’s screams pierced the darkness of Darien’s bedroom, only to be abruptly cut off. Eyes wide with terror, Darien clutched at his covers and stared at the door.
All lay in deathly silence. Darien tried unsuccessfully to suppress his fearful whimpers. “Fee fie foe fum,” came the raspy voice from outside his door, followed by muffled laughter. The door creaked open an inch, sending a singular ray of light over Darien. “Have mommy and daddy left me a snack?”
The fearsome visage of his parents’ killer emblazoned itself in Darien’s mind. The tall, pale, wiry stranger stood in the open doorway, his mouth dripping with warm blood. He smiled hungrily as he eyed Darien.
In utter panic, Darien leapt off his bed and dove underneath. The terror was stifling. He watched the stranger’s bloodstained boots as they slowly closed in, nearing the edge of the bed. “Looking for monsters under the bed? Such a silly boy,” the Malkavian said mockingly.
Just then, a loud banging came from the front door, as if someone were trying to break it down. The vampire cursed, retreating from Darien’s room in a flash. Darien lay there whimpering, unable to move.
What happened across the few weeks that followed are a blur to Darien. His saviors that night were none other than the Night Patrol, a well organized, dedicated group of vampire hunters. The vampire they had tracked through the slums eluded them, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake. They had arrived in time to save Darien’s life, but nothing but prayer could be offered for his parents.
Seeing Darien, the leader of the Night Patrol, Marcus Wolfe, was filled with grief. He had saved the boy’s life, but blamed himself for not being in time to save his parents. Fearing for Darien’s safety and unable to placate his own guilt, Marcus took Darien as his own.
Living with the Night Patrol certainly didn’t constitute a normal childhood. The group moved around as a pack, investigating leads on vampire activity. For an impressionable child, however, every day was an adventure. Darien soon showed signs of post-traumatic amnesia as he referred to Marcus as his new father. Most members of the group met this reaction with mixed pity and acceptance; despite the tragedy that had brought Darien to them, he was part of the family now.
And so Darien grew up. For all intents and purposes, Marcus filled the role of his father. He learned their ways quickly, even though Marcus thought he deserved a better life. Most of the rest of the group considered him a prodigy of sorts, soaking up vampire lore and combat training like a sponge. By Darien’s 16th birthday, he was accompanying the Night Patrol in the field.
Unfortunately, Darien’s life was about to take another dramatic turn. At the age of 18, Darien was leading a small Night Patrol team in a thorough sweep of an abandoned mansion. The darkened hallways of the dilapidated building gave Darien a deep sense of foreboding; he couldn’t put his finger on it, but something wasn’t right.
Ears trained against the silence, Darien jumped when he heard screams over the COM. “Alpha team, come in!” Darien yelled into his headset. Only static answered. “Marcus!” Darien turned to the team’s tracker. “What’s their location!?”
In moments, Darien had circled back at a full run, crossbow at the ready. He came to dead halt at the scene before him. The bodies of his comrades littered the floor, their faces anemic. Dark figures encircled a form huddled in the corner. Darien shined his light on a badly wounded Marcus as he pulled his crossbow up one-handed and downed one last vampire.
“Marcus!!!” Darien screamed, ready to charge to the rescue. One look from his surrogate father told him he should run. Darien took a step forward, training his crossbow on the leader. “Get away from him,” he growled.
The leader turned around and Darien felt a chill go up his spine. The bloody visage of his parents’ killer stared back at him from the shadows. “Finally looking for monsters in the right places, are we?” the Malkavian sneered as his cohorts finished Marcus off.
Rage swelled up in Darien. He trained the crossbow at the vampire’s heart and pulled the trigger a second too late. With inhuman speed, the vampire threw Darien off his feet, throwing the shot wide. “It looks like I’ll get my snack after all.”
Darien scrambled backwards, feeling around for any weapon. The vampire stepped forward threateningly. His cohorts circled in from all sides. Just then, Darien’s hand fell on the handle of a blade… Marcus’ blade.
Something happened in Darien then. Everything seemed to stop. He didn’t think. Images came flooding into his mind. His parents’ bodies lay drained at his feet. Marcus’ face urged him to flee before being swallowed in shadow. The light from his headset illuminated the face of his parents’ killer. He stared upward, an odd look of revelation crossing his face, and felt himself say, “No.”
Darien rose instantly to his feet, the blade in his hand bursting into brilliant, blue-white flames. The circle of vampires surrounding him leapt back, wondering at the newly Awakened mage. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the blade passed through their leader, who crumbled to dust before knowing he had been struck. Darien’s blade sung through the air, doling out justice with every strike. Not a single vampire escaped that night.
The experience left Darien forever changed. He stumbled out of the mansion in a state of utter disorientation. Reality itself seemed to swim before his eyes, mingling with long-suppressed memories of his tragic past. Blade clutched against the menacing shadows, Darien fled into the night.
It wasn’t for several days that Darien finally came to his senses. He awoke in a bare cement room. The floor beneath him, the walls, and even the ceiling were riddled with scorch marks. Marcus’ blade lay deeply embedded in the wrought-iron door that provided the room’s only exit.
Groggily, as if in a dream, Darien rose to his feet. His tattered clothes were covered in bloodstains, although no wound of any sort was apparent. A hundred questions came flooding into his weary mind. Suddenly, the door creaked open.
“I hope you aren’t planning on lobbing that at me again,” said the monkish man who stepped in, gesturing at the blade in the door.
Darien shook his head even though he had no memory of the incident and asked the first question that reached his mouth. “What happened?”
The monk smiled. “I’m glad to see you’ve regained your composure. I wasn’t sure you would.” He walked into the room, folding his arms in his robe and glancing idly at the scorched concrete. “Unfortunately, there’s no simple way to answer your question.”
In the months that followed, Darien came to know his state of affairs. His Awakening had temporarily driven him beyond the bounds of reason. A chaotic, roving, destructive force, he had roamed the wilderness for days before being found by Brother Michael. The hermetic monk had barely managed to subdue Darien with his mightiest spells, and then only temporarily.
Brother Michael laid everything plain for Darien to see, although much of it was still difficult to believe. “The fire,” Michael explained, “is the purest manifestation of your Gift, at last awakened when the vampires pushed you to the brink. However, while it may have subsided for the moment, it is yet unbridled. The power is there to be harnessed; what you must learn is control.”
And so Darien’s apprenticeship began. As Brother Michael had said, Darien’s Gift was a wild, untamed force. With very little practice he found he could summon it at will. Focusing it, however, proved to be the challenge. Darien practiced every day under Brother Michael’s watchful eye. Gradually, through incantations, mystic symbols, and esoteric formulae, he learned to tame his Gift, shaping it into whatever he saw fit.
Years passed. Darien’s abilities grew almost daily, much to his master’s approval. Darien proved to be an exceptionally capable student, dedicated to his studies and unusually driven to excel. Unbeknownst to Brother Michael, however, Darien’s ardor was fueled by a singular passion. He dreamt of the day that all of his toil, all of his efforts would rid the world of the vampire plague.
And so, five years before his apprenticeship was to be completed, Darien left. He wrote a letter expressing his deepest gratitude to Brother Michael and disappeared into the night. In his own mind, Darien’s training was complete. To wait any longer would only mean the needless loss of lives that he had the power to save. His quest beckoned.
The road was dark and lonely at first. Those atrocities he had witnessed in his youth seemed all the more horrible in his Awakened sight. He began by hunting the newly Embraced. The late generation Kindred proved to be no real challenge; few even knew Mages existed, let alone what they could do. It didn’t take him long to advance to older, more experienced prey. In a matter of months, Darien had become a figure of concern, mystery, and even dread in the vampire world.
Almost a year after leaving Brother Michael, however, Darien’s campaign hit a sudden roadblock. His travels had brought him to Los Angeles, where a group of vampires had cornered him in a dark alleyway. Wounded and weaponless, Darien seemed all but done for when a small, white fox came to his rescue. It was the beginning of his long-standing friendship with Father Maynard, whose peculiar Gift had managed to save Darien’s life.
Magick
Darien’s Paradigm: Reality is not what it seems. It is not the simple, one-dimensional picture painted by the mundane senses. Reality is multifaceted, governed largely by the manifold unseen forces and hidden worlds beneath the surface. It is in the ignorance of these things that mundane science finds its greatest failing. There are an enlightened few, however, that know the truth.
These few are the Mages. Most were once normal human beings, born with a dormant potential to perceive and manipulate the unseen. Among the Order of Hermes, this potential is known as the Gift, although it has many names. Some postulate that many people possess a dormant Gift. Mages, however, are different; their Gifts have been Awakened.
The nature of Awakening is unknown even among the greatest archmagi. A Gifted human will usually Awaken in a life-threatening or otherwise intense situation, at which time their dormant Gift will emerge and take form. It is known that each Gift manifests differently, and depends as much on the individual as on the circumstances of their Awakening.
This much is similar with Mages of every tradition. After Awakening, however, traditions diverge. Some treat a Gift as a matter of internal strength and train their neophytes accordingly. Others believe the Gift is merely a shift in perception, with the subsequent influence over reality being a consequence of new knowledge.
The Order of Hermes falls somewhere in the middle. Magick is not entirely internal or external (if such concepts really exist); it is the interaction of both. Mages must combine their inborn Gift with special knowledge to achieve a desired effect. Neither is sufficient on its own. Thus, Hermetic apprentices undergo years of study to make full use of their Gifts.
Darien focuses his Gift through the use of incantations, symbolic actions, ritual objects, and special substances, often in concert. A phrase or two in Latin, an alchemical concoction, or a wave of his runic blade are often all he needs to shape a powerful and/or highly specialized effect. In true Hermetic fashion, Darien’s Gift drives the effect while the spell directs it.
Arcane (Inner Balance) – The forces that bind and animate all worldly Forms are in constant flux. From one moment to the next, the inner balance shifts, giving rise to a stream of contrast. It is through this contrast that the mind perceives reality. With practice, a mage can exert some control over his own Form, bringing the elements of his being into balance. This in turn dulls the mage’s presence, rendering him nearly imperceptible to the mind’s eye.
Avatar (The Gift) – Only through Awakening a dormant Gift can a mage be born. However, the term is not used erroneously. The Gift becomes an entity unto itself, with a will and agenda all its own. The more a mage is attuned to this will, the stronger his magick becomes.
Node & Sanctum – Darien’s sanctum was once a remote Hermetic stronghold, long since abandoned for reasons unknown. Most of the structure has fallen into ruin, although a small corner remains standing against the ravages of time. An ancient well runs deep into the earth, drawing out the primal energies that maintain spells put in place centuries ago. Several archways lead to large opal slabs; doorways to other parts of the world that open at the whims of various celestial bodies. One such lunar gateway regularly opens to Los Angeles.
Correspondence (Hiatus) – A Mage Gifted in Hiatus is capable of exerting control over distance and space. He or she is capable of perceiving, distorting, or even rending space to meet their needs. Most Hermetics use this influence to scry great distances, place protective wards, travel instantaneously, and erect permanent portals.
Entropy (Kismet) – Fate is a fickle and capricious thing. A Mage with influence in Kismet can exert some control over its direction and flow. Most effects within this sphere are very subtle. Curses, luck charms, and other enchantments are favorites among the Order of Hermes.
Forces (Aeris et Ignis) – The staple of the Order of Hermes, power over the elements of Air and Fire is both a matter of pride and discipline. Hermetics are renowned for harnessing fire and ice, lightning and thunder, sunlight and shadow.
Life (Animus) – Power over Animus allows a mage to heal, harm, create, destroy, or otherwise alter living things. Animus is perhaps one of the most difficult spheres to quantify within the Hermetic tradition. It has aspects of all five elements but is governed by laws completely different from them. Thus, it is treated separately from the elemental spheres, and usually considered a very difficult sphere to master because of its uniqueness.
Matter (Terra et Aqua) – Control over the feminine elements of Water and Earth, while somewhat less pronounced in the Order, is still a valuable skill. Most Hermetics are satisfied to learn simple transmutations and enhancements, such as turning base metals into gold or creating protective garments.
Mind (Thought) – The sphere of Thought is possibly the least understood within the Hermetic paradigm. The power to sense and control the minds of others, while useful, is largely an internal matter, and thus difficult to quantify in mystical terms. Those Hermetics who pursue this sphere are often noted for their clever use of charms.
Prime (Quinta Essentia) -
While the four Aristotelian elements are generally easy to master, the mysterious fifth element requires a certain degree of intuition. Hermetics with any skill in this sphere often use it to weave powerful spells and craft talismans.
Spirit (Invocation) – Depending on how it is used, the sphere of invocation can be quite dangerous. The secret worlds hidden in the shadow of mundane reality are not generally hospitable to strangers, and their denizens are often as powerful as they are alien. Those Hermetics daring (or foolish) enough to delve into the art of Invocation use their influence to summon creatures to do their bidding.
Time (Tempus) – While many within the Order are Gifted with foresight, few meddle with the sphere of Tempus any further. Much like Invocation, this sphere is often considered difficult and dangerous. Those few who choose to alter the flow of time (and still exist to tell about it) are some of the most powerful in the Order.
Opinions of Other Traditions
Akashic Brotherhood – “Definitely not the sort of mages you want to go messing with, unless you’re looking to end up in a world of pain. While they’re very disciplined, limiting themselves to inner strength robs their magick of a great deal of potency.”
Celestial Chorus – “My master never thought much of them, but faith can be a powerful tool in the right hands. I just hope they’re not all like Father Maynard; I’m not sure reality could handle the strain.”
Cult of Ecstasy – “Blood, sex, and rock-n-roll are shallow tools at best when it comes to focusing any Gift. If I ever come to depend on the Cultists, I’ll have to be as stoned as they are.”
Dreamspeakers – “The hidden paths are not for the weak or faint of heart. I don’t know if I’d ever follow them, but I certainly respect them for their daring if nothing else.”
Euthanatos – “I don’t trust them. They seem to have an unhealthy fascination with death and, what’s more, they win far too much at poker for my liking.”
Sons of Ether – “I’ll say this much. They have talent. What they need to realize, though, is that their science isn’t a boon but a limitation.”
Verbena – “It might not always look pretty, but they hold life in the highest regard. If Brother Michael hadn’t come along I may very well have joined them.”
Virtual Adepts – “Jeff, Jeff, Jeff… computers are all good and well, but real reality is and will ever be much more interesting. If these technomancers took a moment to turn their bloodshot eyes from their laptops, they’d find better avenues for their Gifts.”
Hollow Ones – “Blood Dolls and Ghouls, the lot of them. If I should catch so much as a whiff of the undead off of them, they’ll quickly find themselves skewered like their masters.”
Darien’s Rotes
Eldritch Flame
Sphere(s): Forces 2, Matter 2, Prime 2
Difficulty: 4
Successes: Open-ended
Incantation: “Accendaris”
This effect creates an incendiary potion that the Mage hurls at a given target, which erupts into dazzling blue-white flames. The flames produced are coincidental in nature and deal aggravated damage as per Enchant Weapon.
The flames tend to burn for a very short time (a single round in most instances). Additional Arête rolls are required to prolong their duration.
Moratorium
Sphere(s): Forces 3
Difficulty: 5
Successes: Two
Incantation: “Desiste”
This effect cancels out a single type of energy in a limited area. Possible applications include nullifying the electrical energy in a car battery, arresting the kinetic energy around an enemy’s feet, or neutralizing the chemical energy in the bullets of an opponent’s gun.
Second Wind
Sphere(s): Life 2
Difficulty: 5
Successes: Open-ended
Incantation: “Vires ex debilitate”
By speaking a brief incantation, the mage can heal and rejuvenate himself in the midst of combat. The effect negates any penalties for illness or fatigue and heals one level of damage per success. Aside from renewed vigor, however, nothing about the mage appears altered. Internal healing reduces grievous injuries to mere flesh wounds, but leaves the mage externally unchanged. Because of this coincidence the effect is incapable of healing the mage beyond a Hurt condition.
Other Effects
Detect Undead
Sphere(s): Life 1, Prime 1
Difficulty: 4
Successes: One
Incantation: “Immundi visus meo retegantur”
By reciting a short incantation, a Mage is capable of visually distinguishing vampires, ghouls, and other Tainted beings from normal people.
Enshroud
Sphere(s): Forces 2, etc.
Difficulty: 4
Successes: Open-ended
Incantation: “Motus meo lateant”
The mage speaks a brief incantation and steps out of sight. The effect shrouds him in any ambient concealment (e.g. shadows, fog, foliage, etc.), rendering him effectively invisible. Because of this coincidence, however, any change in local conditions that removes the concealment negates the effect. As a conjunctional effect with other spheres, the mage can create and/or maintain some form of concealment if none are present.
Heartseeker
Sphere(s): Forces 2, Life 1
Difficulty: 5
Successes: Open-ended
This effect enchants a piercing weapon (e.g. daggar, stake, seringe, etc.) to seek out an opponent’s heart. The weapon is generally inscribed with runes and treated with incense and incantation beforehand. Each success during preparation reduces the difficulty for a called shot against the heart by one. The effect only lasts through a single use, after which the weapon must be re-treated.
Light/Darkness
Sphere(s): Forces 2
Difficulty: 4
Successes: One
Incantation: “Illuminet/Obscuret”
With this spell a mage is capable of inducing either light or darkness. The effect manifests itself in purely coincidental ways; burnt out lights flicker mysteriously to life, candles spontaneously ignite, or a break in the cloud cover affords some moonlight. The converse tends to be somewhat easier; a circuit breaker trips, a breeze extinguishes the flame, or the shadow of a cloud drifts overhead. One success is sufficient to significantly alter the ambient lighting of a small area for a short period of time (no more than a scene), although more can easily enhance the strength, area, and/or duration of the effect.
Seal/Unseal
Sphere(s): Matter 2
Difficulty: 5
Successes: Two/One
Incantation: “Obseretur/Reseretur”
With a brief word of command and a wave of his hand, the mage causes a door, window, or other mundane opening to close and magickally lock. The opening remains shut for the duration of the scene unless destroyed or magickally unsealed. Naturally, the effect is purely coincidental; the door blows shut with the lock already set, the window falls and sticks, the manhole cover is rusted shut, etc. The spell can be easily reversed to unseal any mundane portal.
Equipment
Gear: Shabby black trench coat, dark blue jeans, plain T-shirt, black steel-toed boots (size 14), leather belt with scabbard, runic longsword, necklace of vampire teeth, stakes, various bottles and vials, necklace, shades, lighter, and cigarettes (Phillip Morris Regular)
Specialized Equipment: Various magickal substances, personal spellbook, ritual implements, and crude surgical tools
Fictional Character Comparisons
Alejandro Murrieta from the Mask of Zorro – When the student is ready the master will appear. Darien shares the young Zorro’s cavalier attitude and vengeful motives, if not his finesse with women.
Aragorn from the Fellowship of the Ring – Like the rugged ranger, Darien “looks foul but feels fair.” He’s not one for social pleasantries or platitudes, but is a very good person at heart.
Batman – The Dark Knight on his solitary crusade against evil, above the laws of mortal society. Darien is just as much a fanatical vigilante with an equally tragic past driving him forward.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Actually, Darien is a mixture of all the main characters on the show. He has Buffy’s strength and combat prowess, Willow’s magickal aptitude, Giles’ intelligence and sound judgment, Spike’s badass attitude, and even Xander’s dark sense of humor.
Sir Launcelot from Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail – Quite simply, skewer first, ask questions later. With regards to vampires, ghouls, and any of their associates, Darien’s first instinct is to hack and slash on sight, which seems perfectly reasonable in his mind.