Julius Calder
Julius is a vampire of the Morvessian strain, having survived more than a century by avoiding attention and excess. He favors patience, careful planning, and discretion over confrontation, relying on observation rather than force. His long life has left him with an unnerving grasp of history and people alike, though he keeps his true nature hidden behind routine, paperwork, and the steady anonymity of the city.
Appearance
Julius appears to be a man in his early forties, though there is something about him that feels slightly out of step with his age. He has a lean build and carries himself with a quiet, deliberate posture, moving with measured economy rather than ease or haste. His skin is pale but well kept, giving the impression of someone who spends more time indoors than under the sun.
His hair is pitch black and worn long, usually tied back at the nape of his neck, with longer sideburns framing his face. His features are sharp without being handsome in a conventional sense, defined by a straight nose, a firm jaw, and eyes of a muted grey that rarely miss details. When held for too long, his gaze can feel unsettling, not because of any overt threat, but because of how steadily it lingers.
Julius dresses as a respectable man of trade, favoring practical, well-made clothing suited to an antiquities broker. Dark coats, layered fabrics, and muted colors dominate his wardrobe, often accompanied by a hooded cloak worn back unless weather or circumstance demands it. There is nothing ostentatious about his appearance, yet it is clear he takes care to remain presentable.
His hair is pitch black and worn long, usually tied back at the nape of his neck, with longer sideburns framing his face. His features are sharp without being handsome in a conventional sense, defined by a straight nose, a firm jaw, and eyes of a muted grey that rarely miss details. When held for too long, his gaze can feel unsettling, not because of any overt threat, but because of how steadily it lingers.
Julius dresses as a respectable man of trade, favoring practical, well-made clothing suited to an antiquities broker. Dark coats, layered fabrics, and muted colors dominate his wardrobe, often accompanied by a hooded cloak worn back unless weather or circumstance demands it. There is nothing ostentatious about his appearance, yet it is clear he takes care to remain presentable.
Skills and Abilities
Julius is a vampire afflicted with the Morvessian strain, a documented form of vampirism known for its stability and restraint. Unlike more volatile or bestial strains, the Morvessian strain allows its vampires to retain much of their human appearance and behavior, at the cost of raw physical dominance. Those who carry it endure through subtlety rather than strength, relying on patience, planning, and careful use of their abilities.
Vampires of this strain favor stealth, evasion, and manipulation over open confrontation. They are difficult to identify as undead, operate comfortably within cities, and tend to survive by staying ahead of danger rather than overpowering it. The Morvessian strain produces vampires who linger in the margins of society, watching, learning, and withdrawing when necessary, making them some of the longest-lived yet least conspicuous predators in Arethil.
Strengths
Vampires of this strain favor stealth, evasion, and manipulation over open confrontation. They are difficult to identify as undead, operate comfortably within cities, and tend to survive by staying ahead of danger rather than overpowering it. The Morvessian strain produces vampires who linger in the margins of society, watching, learning, and withdrawing when necessary, making them some of the longest-lived yet least conspicuous predators in Arethil.
Strengths
- Veiled Presence: Julius’ vampiric nature is subdued, making him difficult to identify as undead without close inspection or deliberate magical scrutiny.
- Shadowed Movement: He can move with unnatural quiet and increased speed, particularly in darkness, favoring repositioning and escape over direct engagement.
- Invisibility: Julius can render himself unseen for a short time, though the effect requires focus, drains stamina, and breaks if he attacks or overextends.
- Bat Form: He can instantly transform into a bat, allowing rapid escape, travel, or observation at the cost of extreme fragility.
- Thrall Creation: Through repeated feeding, Julius can create traditional vampire thralls whose loyalty persists unless broken by severe trauma or prolonged starvation.
- Heightened Senses: His sense of smell, hearing, and low-light vision are greatly enhanced, allowing him to track individuals and detect subtle changes in his surroundings.
- Accelerated Regeneration: Minor wounds heal quickly, while serious or life-threatening injuries can be recovered from given enough blood and time.
- Memory Reading: Julius can extract surface memories from weak-willed, injured, or compliant individuals through close contact, though strong minds resist him.
- Cold-Blooded Control: He can lower his body temperature and suppress signs of life, aiding stealth, feigned death, and mundane evasion.
- Increased Lifespan: Julius possesses an unnaturally extended lifespan, aging slowly and remaining physically fixed near the age at which he was turned.
- Retractable Fangs and Claws: Julius can extend fangs and claws at will for feeding or defense, concealing them completely when not in use.
- Reduced Physical Dominance: Julius lacks superhuman strength or raw combat power, remaining comparable to a well-trained human in direct confrontation.
- Daylight Fatigue: Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes exhaustion, dulled reflexes, and impaired senses, though it is not lethal.
- Blood Dependency: He must feed regularly to maintain physical and mental stability, with starvation leading to rapid decline and loss of restraint.
- Fire Vulnerability: Fire causes severe injury and slows regeneration, making burns particularly dangerous.
- Absent Reflection: Julius casts no reflection in mirrors or polished surfaces, creating a social and investigative risk in well-lit environments.
- True Death Conditions: Permanent destruction requires decapitation or a piercing blow to the heart, as lesser wounds can be recovered from over time.
Personality
Julius is quiet, observant, and deliberate in nearly everything he does. He prefers listening to speaking and tends to weigh situations carefully before acting. Control and preparation matter to him, not out of pride but because experience has taught him that mistakes draw attention. He is uncomfortable with chaos and sudden violence, and will usually choose to withdraw rather than escalate a situation he cannot manage.
He is not needlessly cruel, but neither is he sentimental. Julius avoids unnecessary harm and treats violence as a last resort, yet his sense of right and wrong is shaped by survival rather than idealism. Time has left him emotionally reserved, slow to form attachments, and reluctant to rely on others. To most people he comes across as calm, professional, and faintly unsettling, as though he is always watching the room instead of taking part in it.
He is not needlessly cruel, but neither is he sentimental. Julius avoids unnecessary harm and treats violence as a last resort, yet his sense of right and wrong is shaped by survival rather than idealism. Time has left him emotionally reserved, slow to form attachments, and reluctant to rely on others. To most people he comes across as calm, professional, and faintly unsettling, as though he is always watching the room instead of taking part in it.
Biography & Lore
Julius Calder was born in the poorer quarters of Alliria and grew up among dockside gangs, where survival depended on knowing when to fight and when to disappear. From an early age he learned how to move through crowds unnoticed, read people quickly, and keep his mouth shut when it mattered. Violence was part of daily life, but restraint often kept you alive longer.
He was turned during a smuggling job that went badly wrong. While moving stolen goods through the lower canals, his gang was attacked by a vampire. Most were killed without ceremony. Julius survived only because he resisted long enough to draw the creature’s attention, and was left behind broken but alive. Days later he woke among the dead, starving and alone, with no sire to guide him and no understanding of what he had become.
The years that followed were harsh. Julius learned to be a vampire through trial, close calls, and discipline, avoiding other undead and keeping his feeding careful and quiet. Lacking brute strength and unwilling to live as a visible predator, he relied on planning, stealth, and knowing when to retreat. As he left gang life behind, he found work around the docks and eventually gravitated toward antiquities, discovering a talent for judging age, authenticity, and intent. Relics brought secrets with them, and information soon became as valuable as the objects themselves. More than a century later, Julius remains in Alliria, surviving through discretion, patience, and a reputation built on staying out of sight.
He was turned during a smuggling job that went badly wrong. While moving stolen goods through the lower canals, his gang was attacked by a vampire. Most were killed without ceremony. Julius survived only because he resisted long enough to draw the creature’s attention, and was left behind broken but alive. Days later he woke among the dead, starving and alone, with no sire to guide him and no understanding of what he had become.
The years that followed were harsh. Julius learned to be a vampire through trial, close calls, and discipline, avoiding other undead and keeping his feeding careful and quiet. Lacking brute strength and unwilling to live as a visible predator, he relied on planning, stealth, and knowing when to retreat. As he left gang life behind, he found work around the docks and eventually gravitated toward antiquities, discovering a talent for judging age, authenticity, and intent. Relics brought secrets with them, and information soon became as valuable as the objects themselves. More than a century later, Julius remains in Alliria, surviving through discretion, patience, and a reputation built on staying out of sight.
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