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PHYSICALITY

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Description
When seen from a distance, Klause appears to be a scholar, or librarian, who has spend far too much time in the deep underground vaults, his skin is frighteningly pale, his long white hair is combed neatly backward, or sometimes tied into a pony tail.
No matter what Klause wears, he consistently appears to be drowning in his clothing. His slim and emaciated limps are always too thin to wear anything that he dresses, making him almost a living non-speaking comedian whenever there’s wind.

When confronting Klause up close, his eyes sends out a single message to whoever looks into them, ‘I’ve got all the time in the world.’ Klause’s patience is unconceivable; if he had to wait three hours before he would be able to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a simple question, he’d do it.

It is clear that Klause does his utter best to keep a good posture, though with time old habits takes over and he is found either bend over or slouching down. Either way, he’s always in a position where he could quickly fall asleep. There dark ‘bags’ beneath his eyes indicating many sleepless nights.


Appearance
Hair: Long and white. Either combed back or in a ponytail.
Facial Hair: Rarely any.
Eyes: Brown
Build: Skin and bones.
Skin Tone: Pale.
Height: 174 cm (5 feet 7 inches)
Weight: 67 kg (147.7 pounds)
Voice: Calm, steady and tedious.
Handed: Right
Body Markings: No.
Scar Tissue: He has a dozen (very) small scars on his hands, and three big scars on his back.
Unique Body Features: His little-finger nail on his left hand is black.

Name
Klause von Stein

Nickname
The Doctor

Title
‘Doctor’

Race
Human

Visual Age
late 40s, possibly early 50s

Factual Age
43 years old.

Gender
Male

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual, however rarely feels affection.

Mage Ranking
Adept

Class
Wizard

Specialization
Necromancer

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MENTALITY

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Personality


Quirks
1. Speaking tediously and using big words when in the company of peasants and other lesser educated beings.
2. Debating whether there is such things as ‘evil’ and ‘good’.
3. He refuses to agree with anything till he’s presented with a ‘holistic view’.

Moral Alignment
Lawful Evil

Virtue/Creed
“Lesser evil must be done for the greater good of the masses.”

“There’s no need to degrade a person by his deed till you know the motivation and the story for why he did so.”

Motivation
Fighting humanity’s curse of mortality and disease.

Fears
Death…And what follows.

Goal
To find a way in which to extend his own life to continue his research.

Likes
-Experimenting with science, medical alchemy & herbs and necromantic magic.
-Reading through thick tomes, books and scrolls.
-Writing and reading progressive reports.

Dislikes
-Failed experiments.
-Falling asleep while reading.
-Useless minions.
-Writing down his failed experiments.

Strengths
-His knowledge within the field of medicine and necromancy.
-His ability to quickly gain the trust of locals (using his medical knowledge to manipulate the lesser people).
-Intelligent.

Weaknesses
-His physical inability to defend himself.
-His tedious voice often bores people.
-His dependency of local hospitality.

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ARMAMENT

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Head
A plague doctor mask an a hood when he deals with the sick, though otherwise he doesn’t wear anything.

Neck
Nothing

Chest
Gray monkish robes with long sleeves, a hood and goes as far as his ankles.

Back
A lightly packed bag with simple alchemist tubes and food.

Arm/Shoulder
Nothing

Right Hand
Nothing

Left Hand
A silver ring on his ring ringer.

Right Accessory
Nothing

Left Accessory
Nothing

Waist
A belt that holds a pouch with coins and his dagger, and beneath his robes he wears woolen underwear.

Legs
Nothing.

Feet
Leather booths going slightly above his ankle.

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COMBAT PROWESS

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Combativeness
Hand-to-Hand Combat:
[Very Poor] – He’s too weak to hit anything with any noticeable strength.

Melee Combat:
[Poor] – He only knows how to stab with a dagger, anything else he either won’t do or is too hesitant to try.

Armed Combat:
[Very Poor] – He’s afraid of dying, he’ll avoid such circumstances whenever he can.

Magic Combat:
[Excellent] – Being a man of his reputation and background, he’s had quite a few duels with other wizards and armed men.

Mounted Combat:
[Very Poor] – “You expect me to fight on THAT?!”

Racial Abilities
None in particular.

Natural Talent
Sophisticated Memory: [Perfect] Having studied for as many years as Klause, he has developed a powerful memory, making him able to remember many spells and books.

A Man of Science: [Excellent] Klause gave up the whole idea of almighty gods and superstition. Unlike many of his fellow mages, Klause doesn’t believe that there is need for such cautious awareness, “A spell does not require more preparation than written.” Klause does acknowledge the effects that magic has, however he won’t believe that it is a sign of anything else than a “Weak ability to master magic.”

Class Skills
Read Magic: [Good] Klause has studied magic for a long time, but he is not a Master.

Spell Caster: [Good] Experience has given Klause the ability to master a few spells from the top of his head.

Spells/Powers
Animate Undead Minions [Major]: [Excellent] Klause able to easily summon the dead back from their grave, and in their hordes. While this spell ranges from the hordes of slow moving zombies to the few, deadly, wraiths.

Diseases: [Good] With the combined knowledge of medicine and necromancy, Klause can summon hordes of rats which he then contaminates with diseases. His personal knowledge limits what sort of diseases he can contaminate them with plus he has to consider how long he will survive himself as the rats can easily infect him!

Talk With the Dead: [Perfect] This ritual allows Klause to open a verbal portal through which he can commune with the dead. The ritual requires much preparation, including a personal item (Hair, clothes they wore, etc.) to identify the dead with. The dead, however, will answer any and all questions truthfully as it is under the will of the necromancer.

Death Fire: [Average] This spell is similar to that of ‘Fireball’ however instead of normal flames, it is blue flames that engulf the unfortunate victim.

Notable Spells in Klause's Grimoire:
Undead Frenzy: This spell generates some of Klause's own mental strength and physical endurance into unholy energies that makes his minions double their effort, reaching peak human conditions if not beyond. The side effect is, the moment the spell is ended or disrupted, the minions freeze in whatever position they were in, and remains as such till their master has recovered.

Shadow Shield: This spell allows the necromancer to wrap himself in amongst the shadows, disappearing completely. He isn't hidden to the keen senses of non-humanoid being however.

Guidance of Nark'razat: This ritual is a complex way of gaining an audience with a long dead arch lich. This lich has great insight for magic and its many forms, however it is a gamble for whether it provides useful information or riddles.

Flesh Men: This is a mixture of foul medical science and necromantic magic that brings to life an abomination that has been sewed together by multipel human corpses. The creature is known to have many shapes, depending on the number of men combined to create it, though the most well known Flesh Men created was the horrifying Lumberstein

Undead Reincarnate: This spell brings a soul into the body of a dead person. It works similarly to bringing a man back to life, however they are trapped within the immortal body of an undead. Normally these men and women retain some of their former personality, however with time (Years to be exact) their will is destroyed by their master and they are reduced to normal ghouls or zombies.

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EQUIPMENT

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Items
-Simple testing tubes.
-Bread, cheese and water.
-Grimoire
-Book of medical treatments.

Memorabilia
-Grimoire
-Silver ring (Left hand).

Accessories


Weapon
Weapon Name: None
Weapon Type: Dagger
Material: Iron
Ammo: none
Length: 22.8 cm (9 inches)
Weight: 0.35 kg (0.7 pounds)
Weapon Description/Info: A common dagger that could have been made by any blacksmith.

Weapon Name: Grimoire of the Necromancer Mathias Stephansen
Weapon Type: Spell book.
Material: Aracane Material
Length: 1ft x 1ft
Weight: 0.8 kg (1.7 pounds)
Weapon Description/Info: This book is covered in human skin. It has a black lizard skull attached to it, and the pages within are written on in blood and green goo. It contains a variety of languages as well as rituals.

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BACKGROUND

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Group Affiliation


Faction
Klause works mainly for himself, but the times are hard and finding people to leech from are even harder. Klause doesn’t mind whatever faction offers him a possibility to research in peace, though he isn’t a fool.

Marital Status
Widower.

Relatives
-Father and Mother (Decreased)
-Younger Brother (Alive)
-Wife (Decreased)
-Son (Alive)

Origin
Umsterdam, Ethona.

Social Rank
Gentleman.

Occupation
Officially Doctor, but secretly Necromancer.

Blood Pact
None

Bio/History

Klause von Stein was born in Umsterdam in the Desolated Plains; born within a Gentlamen family and being the first born, he was destined to take over the lands and continue serving the lord. Though, it wasn’t what happened.
Klause became older, and already from the age of seven he found a strong liking in reading, studying everything his childish hands could come across, from small books to large tomes of history.

The local lord saw an opportunity as little Klause possessed an astonishing memory of everything he read; the lord wanted Klause to travel to the capital and gain a proper education. Young Klause did so, and at the age of 21 he had finished the Great Thinker’s Academy of Illumine, having gained a major understanding of medicine and a small understanding of laws, economy and chemistry.

During his stay in the capital, Klause had made friends with intellectuals from the Illumine Fundamental Wizard College, having enjoyed deep philosophical and social debates with these men, Klause send a letter to the lord, requesting permission to attend to the Wizard College before he returned. The lord granted this, in return Klause was to teach everything he had learned to his child, so he, or she, could serve the lord just as Klause had and so forth.

The life in Illumine Fundamental Wizard College was harsh. The competition was merciless, and at first Klause was convinced that he would die due to the stress and pressure that both peers and teachers placed upon him. Though time and experience soon made him learn, and that knowledge he used to gain momentum, getting ahead of his peers in their studies. Working as a doctor at the nearest temple during the day and studying during the night, Klause’s body slowly began to become more and more skeletal; he simply didn’t eat when he was studying and when he worked as a doctor he was too busy to feed himself. Fifteen times had the Healing Conjunction Wizards saved his life from dying due to starvation and fifteen times had he been threatened with being expelled if he didn’t set a proper example to the younger wizards.

However during his studies he wrote two extraordinary pieces of scientific and magical reports that he presented to his mentors and peers. The first was Fire; More than warm and more than cooking. This report discussed how a man could use the heat of fire to create a “Hot Air Balloon,” which he then demonstrated using a model to carry a stone over the walls of the college.
His second report was called, “An easier way to save life.” Within this report he criticized the temple and churches’ abuse of the locals’ superstition, pointing out that if the living standards of the common people were raised but a little, the death rates would decline massively. That included washing, combing for lice and changing clothes as well as the need to maintain a clever diet, mainly focused around fish, as Klause claimed that fish was the perfect food dish.

At the end of both of his reports he would always mention that, “Due to the lack of technological and magical advancement, these improvements cannot be achieved for the masses at the current time. This report is to lay the base steps for the future scientists, physicians, and Master Wizards. As time passes, the human race progresses.”
These reports were also kept within the college as the headmaster feared the wrath of both the commoners and that of the temple if these reports were released.

After seven years of intensive studying was Klause von Stein finally an initiate. Having learned the basics that the college had to offer and having red through nothing but the most complex books they had within their library, he set off to become apprentice to a Master Wizard, or perhaps even an oracle!
Klause spend a year and three months searching for a man to be his mentor, never satisfied with whatever higher ranked wizard he did cross. He was educated in saving lives, and he hungered in broadening that trade, being able to study the life and the death of the living. That was when he met the man who would show him his path, Mathias Stephansen.

Both the local authorities as well as the temple wanted Mathias Stephansen, he had committed grave robbery, kidnapping and many other vile deeds however when he presented his reasons to Klause as well as the results, he was amazed. Mathias had discovered the cure for several diseases, including the vicious Red-Neck Pox. Klause committed himself to Mathias’ cause, working faithfully as his servant as the two used living subjects to test upon.

Two years passed as the two necromancers worked in the dark. Klause would do his experiments on humans, creating and curing diseases which he eagerly noted down in his own notebooks while Mathias did his own experiments behind shut doors. Klause didn’t bother his master, telling himself that it was only for the better of the people to work with him…Well, at least he continued to believe that lie till he finally saw the horrors that were behind the shut doors.

The two had only kidnapped two, maybe three, men and women which they experimented on, though when Klause accidentally entered Mathias’ private room to deliver his latest discovery he found a book open on the desk. Not shying away, Klause began to read the book eagerly only to discover that Mathias Stephansen wasn’t working towards the same goal as he, no…He was looking for ways in which he could spread the diseases that Klause discovered, and how to combine men and machines together, or animals with spirits from other worlds. The notes, drawings and even the preparations for Mathias’ rituals were so ghastly that Klause dropped the book from his hands and fled the room, returning to the safety of his own laboratory.

That night Klause prepared to fight his first wizard in his life. It could be his first and last, or it could only be his first; he attacked during dinner, having summoned undead minions and prepared combat spells he made the first move and surprised Mathias with his betrayal.
The battle between the two was epic indeed, the screeches of banshees howled through the night as ghouls, zombies and other horrors of the night savagely fought one another, green, blue and black flames flew through the air and the dead spirits came to life as the ethereal boundaries between the realm of the dead and living almost shattered.

In the end Klause was triumphant. Wounded and weak, his body suffered both the price of using magic and being his by his opponent’s spells making the little finger on his left hand black. Retreating back to his lair where he hoped that he could recover in peace, but he was mistaken. Their battle had not gone unheard, and when the lair of the necromancers were discovered Klause had to, painfully, strip himself of his clothes and lock himself within one of the cages, appearing to be the last survivor.
The folks that found him nurtured him back to health, and showing his gratitude he stayed and healed the town-folks sick and dying, now that he had a much stronger of the ways of death, he could elude its cold touch from the people.

Afterward he returned to the lair. It had been burned down by devil hunters and paladins, but that didn’t matter for Klause knew that while the furniture and small notes were gone, the first Grimoire of Mathias Stephansen wasn’t as easily destroyed. Guarded by wards of protection it had endured the flames unharmed, and to Klause’s relief this Grimoire contained the original purpose that he had been offered, unlike the second Grimoire that had horrified him.
With that in his possession now, Klause set back for Umsterdam to fulfill his part of the bargain.

When he returned he discovered that the previous lord had died from age and his son had taken over, though it didn’t make the largest difference, only he had to serve a much younger lord now. The new lord was…Well, far from as caring over for the people, he wished to use Klause’s knowledge over trade and taxation in order to obtain the gold he wished.

Klause decided that it was none of his business. His whole family had served the bloodline of lords, so this wasn’t going to be any different. Poverty started to erupt in the streets of Umsterdam, people were being enslaved more than before, bound by large debts. Klause did nothing else than offer the advise he could for his new lord, all the while he was married to a woman named Cecilia Grouter, the woman that he felt the most affection for in his whole life. The marriage didn’t last long as a powerful disease struck her while carrying child and no matter what cure he treated her with, it did nothing.

Growing desperate as he saw his wife fade away from him he turned to desperate measures, scouring the Grimoire of Mathias Stephansen for anything that could help he found a ritual that looked promising. In the dark of night he performed the ritual. The Grimoire said that he was to wait till sunrise before he could see the effect.
Sunrise came, and Klause had never been happier in his life; his wife had given birth to their son without a single sound being heard. He embraced the two and felt the shutter of fear, where the boy was warm and lively his wife was cold and emotionless. The child made noise while the woman was silent. The child looked at his father but Cecilia didn’t acknowledge the presence of anything.

It didn’t take long before the whole city knew of Klause’s deed, no matter how much he tried to explain, the lord wouldn’t hear of it. Without neither trial, nor hearing, Klause was sentenced to death…That was when Klause cut the last bondage with humane emotions, enraged he summoned his powers, causing havoc and atrocities through the mansion which his lord had judged him in.
Fleeing the city, Klause spend the following years running and hiding; hunted by paladins, wizards and assassins he learned how tough it was to survive and often he had to battle against those who stood in his way.

Knowing that using his real name wouldn’t do him any good, he his alias ‘Ichor’ after the chemicals that he would inject into his patience, be they sick or healthy. He worked on fading out of the interest of the temple, nobles and the kingdom itself, being a shadow traveling from town to town, plaguing the homeless and exploiting the sick, hoping to find the ultimate cure for the masses of humanity.

“This city be damned. I am on a noble quest beyond your understanding, you cross my path and you shan’t live to hinder me again.” Those were the last words heard spoken by a mercenary who survived an attack on his lair; the lair was destroyed but the mercenaries had found death and restlessness.