The Forbearer's Protector
Name: Originally named Hathus Gundislavus (Meaning fierce fighter of war speech), he now goes simply by Garth.
Nickname(s): Garth doesn't get many nicknames. Sure, the leader has her own pet name for him, but Garth only goes by Garth. He has, however, been called 'The Goth' by a few vampires old enough to actually know of his heritage.
Age: 21 (Old dude, like 1599 years old or something.)
Birthday: The gothic people didn't really have a calandar, but Garth's birthday was is May 1st, 413 AD. He was turned on December 9th, 434 AD.
Bloodtype: Garth will drink whatever is given to him: nothing is a delicacy, everything is delicious. Though, if he had to choose, A - has a nice kick to it.
Place of Origin: Toulouse, France
Likes:
The Forbearers
Silence
Peace
Tranquility
Strength
All forms of life
Alcohol
Sex - but not as much as everybody else does
Working out
Loyalty
Couches
Axes and Swords
Protecting the Leader *ENTER NAME HERE! ^^*
Tai Chi
Scandinavia
His heritage
Revenge
'Honor'
Sports
Smoking
Leather Jackets
Motorcycles
Swimming
Dislikes:
Modern day 'Goths' - They are a mockery to the people I once belonged to
Bows - No point in killing if I cannot watch their life leave their body.
Backstabbing
The Fallen - especially the one known as Aphrodite - either she dies, or we do.
Most music
'Art' - How do I use a paintbrush to keep my leader safe? I don't.
No purpose
Drugs
Being forced to 'Forgive and Forget'
Forgiveness in general
Losing his cool - It takes a lot, but when I do... let us just say it takes a while to get back
Cars
Computers, Cellphones, etc.
Uselessness
Fears and Weakness
Failure
Fear(s):
I may be old, but some fear cannot be erased.
Fear of Uselessness
Fear of Failure
Fear of Sleep
Secret(s):
Aphrodite - so Garth kind of knows her. Okay, he slept with her. Can you blame a guy? She is pretty freaking hot, he was lonely, blah.
Fear of Sleep - not many actually know that Garth doesn't sleep anymore. Call it paranoia, or whatever, but he refuses and even fears falling into that blissful state.
Vampire Blood - So Garth has got a bit of a craving for Vampire blood, or V- as he calls it. He doesn't understand why, but he is pretty sure that it isn't supposed to taste so good.
Personality:
Garth is a man that is multi-layered and complex, and yet comes off as quite the simpleton as a first impression. Since he likes to keep things pretty simple, this has never bothered him.
Let us start with Garth's introductory personality trait of being pretty damn protective of his Coven: especially his leader. To Garth, his loyalty and his life are for the Forbearers and *Leader's Name* to use at their own disposal, regardless of the circumstances, and he will do so willingly. At least, that is how he started. Garth still is just like that today, only now being a senior vampire has given him a little more clarity and judgement to use at his own disposal. He is never afraid to voice concern or doubt for anything that may endanger the coven as a whole, the leader of a member, but he isn't stupid. If Garth feels no danger, then he voices none. He isn't that Motherly figure that overprotects her children to death for no- okay, Garth gets like that sometimes, especially with Vani or *Once again, LEADER*. There are moments when Garth will be quite overprotective of other coven members as well, but not to as much of an extent. Yes, he can be a bit worrisome at times as well, but his intentions and morals are all in the right place, as he isn't doing this to belittle others: he just doesn't want any of the Coven to die for no reason.
Which brings us to the next marker in his personality, his honour: or sort of honour, anyway. Everything Garth does is for the honor of the Coven, to ensure that it survives to fight the Fallen another day. He refuses to back down from any challenge, and will issue challenges when he feels wrongs or is greatly upset. He lives by standards that he believes will benefit all, which Garth uses to base not only his actions, but his decisions for the Coven. His honor is mostly based on his ability to protect his leader, using his morality to decide on fight or flight decisions: which sometimes end up with Garth kidnapping his leader in order for her to protect her. Yeah, Garth's communication skills are a little out of wack, as he would rather act than speak, but more on that later.
Why is it only 'somewhat' honor? Well, while Garth may not technically have his original blood in his veins, the metaphorically pump the blood of his inner barbarian. His ferocity is a flip of the coin, so to speak: some fights Garth will stand up straight, wield his sword proudly, and give a little oath of servitude. Other days, he is sharpening his war axe, low to the ground, and almost growling in anticipation of a kill. In an odd metaphor, he can be depicted as a Wolf (which is oddly one of the furs a Visigoth has been known to wear). Loyal and honorable in stature, savage and hell bound in the hunt. Garth will only use melee weapons in combat, as he takes honor in killing foes in close range - and also loves watching their life leave their bodies in death. Odd fascination, but it is covered up nicely by his honor tactics. So yes, Garth is a bit of a two face, but at least it is an honest two-face. Garth would never lie and tell another that he would regret killing them in any fashion.
The third largest marker in Garth's personality is his extreme lack of forgiveness. Mercy and Forgiveness are two words that have been long lost in Garth's vocabulary due to the many events in his life. Cause any wrongs to Garth in any lifetime, and you will be hardpressed to get this guy to give you any slack. He isn't petty: Garth only feels wronged when they are truly creating a mess in his life. So don't worry if you stole a human from him to drink from, he isn't like that. Now, steal a love of his, and it takes years to get him back on your side. Grudges are one of the easiest things for Garth, and he still has a few from hundreds of years gone by (what makes it even sadder is that most of these grudges are against dead people). Forgiveness can be achieved, however, by appealing to Garth's sense of protection or honor. There are other loopholes in his grudges as well - if they are his 'children', if he likes them, if more evidence is given on the other side and he is forced to see it that way - but they are few and far between, which makes knowing them a pretty good piece of knowledge. However, getting Garth to show any mercy, anywhere, is virtually impossible. Want to train with him? Get ready to be nearly killed before he apologizes profusely for almost killing a Coven member. And don't ask him to 'forgive and forget' either: that shit doesn't work, and he won't forget. Ever.
There are a few softer spots to Garth than he is willing to give. His softest spot would be for his Coven, naturally, but even moreso towards his leader and those he created. He sees his leader as his only purpose in life, fulfilling whatever wish she wants as fast as he virtually can. For *Matt* Garth feels pangs of regret for kicking him out, but at the same time cannot forgive him for the things he has done. Angel gets a sort of special treatment from Garth merely because he sees himself in her. Basically, Garth has a few holes in his hard armor that can be pierced correctly.
In the end, Garth can be summed up as a stoic, as he rarely shows many emotions on his face. He sees it as a form of weakness, but also as a way to protect the Coven: without emotions, he thinks logically and quickly, and keeping them under wraps allows him not to be a burden to the others. He still speaks quite a bit, and can be quite passionate once his stoic nature is breeched by his emotions, but ultimately is a shield for the coven.
History:
Hathus Gundislavus was born in Toulouse, France - except it wasn't known as France at the time, but the land of Gaul. Here was the soon to be capital of the Visigothic Kingdom, to which Hathus was a subject. Now, Hathus' lineage is a little messed up: some say that he is the illegitimate son of Altheaf, while others say that his father was a warlord. Nevertheless, Hathus was bred from day one to be a fighter. His childhood was a little hazy as well, so bear with its vague description. Basically Hathus grew up fighting with the best of soldiers, becoming a swift spearman, and a horror with the war axe. The Visigoths were in a rapid rate of increase, only years after they had sacked the great city of Rome. However, that didn't mean the Romans were all out of options: they kept fighting as the Visigothic Kingdom was formed and expanded.
Fighting wars didn't allow him much time to pick a bride, so when he became 19 years old (which was freaking old for a Visigoth) Hathus married his childhood sweetheart, Adosinda. However, he would only see her lovely, fierce face a few times after their 'wedding' before disaster struck. While out on a raid, his party came across the Ostrogoths, the opposites of the Visigoths. Outnumbered, they were all destroyed but Hathus, whom they saw as a great slave opportunity. After he killed 3 of them, he was knocked out and dragged all the way out east, to which he was traded off to the Huns. He worked as a slave for only 2 years, however, before a couple Oriental gentlemen came by, eyeing him curiously as if they had never seen a caucasian before. When Hathus failed to escape again, and was beaten severely, the Oriental men intervened by killing the prosecutor, and then changing Hathus. They saw him as a useful tool and vampire, one that was different enough to give them an edge back home - besides, watching a poor Caucasian die wasn't on their list of things to watch.
So began Hathus' journey with an Oriental Coven known simply in English as the Blood Dragons, who wandered constantly between their homeland of modern day China. At first, he did most of the dirty work and hard labor, but Hathus soon began to realize that vampires lived in a luxury that he never could have imagined. No breathing, no food to consume, no water: the ultimate fighting machine. Besides, the heavy labor was not even heavy anymore as Hathus began to understand his vampirism. Now, it was during his time with the Blood Dragons that he learned of the Forbearers and the Fallen, to which they were the Forbearers. They were, in essence, pasifists that refused to kill many things unless they were threatened. It was during his 3 years with these men that they gave him back a sense of purpose, and instilled in Hathus an identity and a code of honor to which he mostly follows to this day. However, after 5 years of being away from home, he requested that he be allowed to return home for a visit, and see if Adosinda was alright. They advised the headstrong vampire against the notion, but they weren't going to restrict him - however, he was told that he may not be allowed back into the Blood Dragons. After all, a new Procurer might steal his spot. It mattered not to the young lad, and he raced off home.
It only took him 3 months to get back to France with his super speed, but he did drink one poor chap to near death after the one running stint. When he finally arrived in the land of Gaul, he arrived to a bittersweet realization, one he should have seen coming: Adosinda was remarried, and pregnant with what appeared to be her second child, seeing as how a kid of roughly 6 summers ran around her feet as she walked. He turned to leave, only to be faced with one that recognized him and shakily said his name in confusion and wonder. However, Hathus simply steeled his face with a look of confusion, and responded in Gothic a sentense that ended his life.
"No. I am Garth, the Drifter."
After that day, he only went back to Toulouse when it became a Frankish nation. Since then, he drifted from nation to nation for a bit, before heading back to the Blood Dragons. Before he truly left them after a couple hundred years - there was speculation of a coupe - Garth earned multiple weapons, fighting styles, and morals fit for any future protector. Sure, leaving them meant that he would have no purpose until he found a new one, but he was willing to take the risk: after all, he needed a purpose that would fulfill his own path, and a future of his own. To put it bluntly, it was a huge mistake.
Garth wandered without a purpose for years, his honor crushed with his lack of motive, his lack of motive destroying his hopes of a future. Until one fateful day, anyway. He was in Spain, and Garth was still very much a fledgling at only 400ish years of age: he spoke only a few selective languages, most of them broken just like his pride. However, he came across another vampire, one that gave off a freakishly powerful and intoxicating aura: Garth didn't know who she was, only that he was drawn to her strength and power. Thing was, she found out about him first, and ambushed him, a hungry look in her eyes. Garth hadn't any idea what was going on, honestly: it all started with them talking together, but before he knew it he was in bed with said vampire, to whom he found out was named Aphrodite. As in Aphrodite the Plague. Thing was, he wasn't worried about it at all for some weird reason: she was simply a beautiful vampire.
Their relationship continued not for very long, however, as it became clear to Garth that Aphrodite had only one purpose: to make him Fall. Drain a human instead of leaving them alive. Garth was instantly put on the defensive, but Aphrodite was highly convincing in her methods: let's just say that Garth's superhuman abilities were put to the test constantly during their short stint. However, regardless of how much sex and power Aphrodite could offer such a simple man, his morals ended up winning out constantly and he refused many of her advances to Fall. Thing was, he was falling, but not in the same way she wanted: her controlling personality was something he somewhat craved as a fledgling, and only one as powerful as Aphrodite could give him such a feeling. Only one problem: just as he started to acknowledge that some forms of feelings were beginning to occur, the Plague disappeared without a trace. Their 'friends with benefits' style relationship barely lasted 3 months.
With another abandonment under his belt, Garth only knew of one place to go: back to the House of the Blood Dragons. There, he felt the call of his purpose that he had left so long ago, and they welcomed Garth back into the Coven for another 3 hundred years, until the Coven was disbanded when half of the Coven Fell. It was a sad day for Garth, who personally - and somehow - killed the Coven Leader, who had taught him everything about fighting. The other half were of the younger Coven members who had just truly started, which caused Garth to become the protector to another vampire. And, to be honest, Garth grew more discontent with the new Blood dragons as each decade passed: they were nothing like his old coven. They were rude, arrogant, and selfish. So he decided to go on another trip of loneliness once again, maybe finding a new purpose while he traveled. As luck would have it, he would.
On his 777th year, as luck would have it, Garth found his new purpose in the form of a woman. It all started while visiting the lovely country of Italy, seeing it for the first time and remembering every tale the elders had told him about how the proud city of Rome was ransacked by their simple people. While in Sicily, however, Garth came across a strange, savage lady living in the forests of the island. Instantly, Garth was reminded of his childhood past, of his barbaric nature and his own upbringing. Not only that, but she was so... mysterious. So for two months he shadowed her movements: using the word 'stalking' sounded inappropriate. Thing was, he was unsure of what his true intentions were: would he befriend such a maiden and bed her? Or.. would he do that? Garth took two months while he shadowed her to make his decision, mostly because he was hesitant about changing a human: after all, he had never had a progeny before, nor any experience with newborns or the changing process.
On the 21st of December, he made his choice: if she was to live in solitude, then Garth and her would live in solitude together. She was getting ready to eat when he purposely messed up to get her out of her house, and then was on her within seconds, pinning her to the ground. He was hesitant for a bit, then realized she was conscious and acted quickly before she could make too much fuss by biting her. In his ignorance, he shouldn't have drained her - it wouldn't have been as painful. So when he realized that the route he took would possibly be the most painful, he refused to leave her as she changed and watched as her body died a horrible death, and painfully be reborn. The first thing she did as a vampire? Reject him, and throw a knife into his head.
Yeah, Garth was mortified that she rejected him so quickly: he hadn't realized how much responsibility was needed, nor how problematic the change could be. However, his face was always stoic, never showing emotion as he restrained her once again, finally able to explain to her who he was: not his true name, mind you. Anyway, he took her back to his new Coven, realizing that in her weakness protecting her alone would be extremely difficult: it was bad enough that for the first month, she refused to eat. After that month, however, Garth became fed up and his protective nature kicked in, to which he forced her to listen to a speech: “My dear. It has been a whole month. You will not feed nor speak. I do not even know your name. I feel as though you should feel some sort of gratitude towards me. It would have only been a matter of years before you would have died of sickness. I gave you another chance at life. You can do whatever you were unable to before. Become a scholar or a musician or whatever your heart desires. I ask only that you swear unto me that you will not Fall and that you will accompany me across the centuries. As a friend. You are my first progeny - I do not wish such an event to be soured. I encourage you to take advantage of your forever years. Please. I know you crave blood. If you do not drink you will grow weaker and more vulnerable to Hunters.” Finally, she drank, told Garth her sweet name of Angilluza and her past, and promised to find her attackers if that was what she wished. Finally, trust was accomplished and Garth felt what he had heard Maker's always felt with their progenies.
However, after a year with the reformed Blood Dragons, Garth dragged his little huntress out of the wretched coven after their teasing and cruelty towards her refused to cease: he set an example out of the enforcer to prove that nobody should follow. Not long after, Garth and Angel met an interesting vampire of equal age - if not more - named Delilah. At first, she expressed interest in Garth joining her newly forming Coven, but after seeing Angel instantly took back her interest. Being Garth, he hadn't a clue why she would act such a way, but Garth and Angel moved onto another Coven: sadly enough, they were overrun by a massive force of vampire hunters with Garth barely escaping with Angel with their life. Garth would have been able to take them on if he had been alone, but Angel was still inexperienced. It was then that Garth and Angel were welcomed by Delilah once again to join her Coven; though she didn't seem to expect Garth's eagerness to become her protector. And so began his life with the House of Sleeping Dragons.
It was with this coven that he turned another human (This will only continue once Matt Bomer's history is ^^) Noticing that Angel was seemingly bored, he encouraged her to experience life to it's fullest extent: sure, he wished simply to protect and survive, but that didn't mean that his life was for everyone. Once she expressed her wish to become an Enforcer, she left for a while to master martial arts - to which they still spar each other constantly, training whenever Angel wishes. Garth, on the other hand, learned of Delilah's hatred for Aphrodite and shared her feelings against the Fallen. It certainly didn't help that 450 years ago, a slut slept with his second progeny, and caused him to fall. Garth had lost all patience for Aphrodite after that, and will constantly seek her and her pet Protector out in fights, only to get a stalemate due to Angel getting caught up in the mix against absurdly strong vampires.
So Garth protects, still unto this day, keeping his sword and axe at bay only for now. But a hunt has started, one that Garth is only too eager to join.
Anything Else:
Skills:
Weapon Warfare - Given a weapon of almost any style in the melee fashion, and Garth can kill you with it. Being raised with multiple ethnic groups over the years has caused him to learn many different fighting styles with not only swords, axes and spears but also his fists, and nation unique weapons.
Linguist - Again, raised with enough ethnicities and living long enough has given Garth the ability to speak many different languages. However, many of them are also extinct.
Sports - A newer hobby of Garth's, he has taken a liking to playing and learning sports. So yes, he may accidentally start raging at the TV if FC Barcelona loses to Real Madrid.
Weaknesses -
His Coven - As a Protector, it is his duty to protect the Leader and, to a lesser extent, the Coven. So he may do a few rash actions to make sure everybody lives.
His Progenies Angel and *insert name of Matt* were both created by Garth, and therefore dear to his heart. When Matt fell, it nearly killed him when he kicked him out of the Coven, but it had to be done. So he makes sure that Angel stays alive, but since she is still sort of a fledgling to him, and sort of targeted, she is a weakness of his
Ranged Combat - If it fires something small a long distance away, Garth hates it and refuses to learn how to use it. Don't give him a gun.
Technology - Want the easiest way to kill Garth? Stick him in a room ready to blow, saying that to escape he must access a certain site. Garth will sit there on Google for hours, confused as to what in the hell he is supposed to be doing, and then destroying the room in the process.