| “ | “What is it?" "Is it magic?" |
” |
— Claud Moray
| ||
History[]
Claud and his sister Gladys were raised by their father in the Knochenwalde, isolated from Streitstadt. Their family is not Christian, being descended from a long line of pagans who made their home traveling in the wilderness, and Claud and Gladys both have virtually no knowledge of the Christ. What they do know is survival in an inhospitable environment. Besides the rigors of normal day to day life, their small family has withstood the threats of the supernatural for years, though the twins lost their mother when they were about seven. Their small family was able to make a meager living by trapping, hunting, fishing, gathering food from the forest, recognizing and utilizing medicinal materials, and most importantly, knowing how to defense against, or at least avoid, supernatural threats. When they can, they trade with whomever they are able, and at times they’ve resorted to plundering the goods from corpses they find in the woods. They know their lifestyle isn’t glamorous; survival marks their every waking moment.
Gladys and Claud’s father was an ill-tempered man who was quick to anger, using harsh words and physical force against anyone who stood in his way. When he could get alcohol he would drink, making his disposition worse, but thankfully their delicate lifestyle meant that sobriety was imperative to survival, and their remoteness made acquiring such provisions difficult. For nearly two decades after their mother’s death the small family spent most of their time in a state of quiet disinterest towards one another. Claud and Gladys shared a better relationship with each other than they did with their father, and would seek refuge far from their house to be able to speak in private, walking together in the wood.
Eventually disharmony, not monsters, is what pulls their family apart. After an especially bad fight with their father, Gladys rashly seeks out a vampire (Asher) to turn her. Claud runs to the priests for help, but upon returning home he finds their house has been set ablaze.
Personality[]
Generally he is gentle and kind, and he tries to seek peaceful resolution to conflict, often giving the other person the benefit of the doubt. He is confused and disturbed by both his sister’s violence and the church’s unfamiliar ways.
Quirks[]
.He doesn’t smoke or drink alcohol, coffee, or black tea due to the scarcity of such goods. However, he loves herbal teas.
Likes[]
- Loves the full moon. He doesn’t know why. He just does
- Herbal teas.
Dislikes[]
Physical Traits[]
Long red-brown hair, which he refuses to cut. Shorter than virtually all the men in town, and much of the women too, it seems.
Abilities[]
Strengths[]
- Hunting/trapping & general survival in the forest
- Manual labor, repair
- Cooking
- Good with animals
- Has detailed knowledge of his sister and therefore useful in tracking her movements
- Quick learner
- Skilled with the longbow, speed shooter, highly accurate. (Reference this video for technique and speed.)
- Compassionate
- When it comes to the Knochenwalde, Claud is a bull fighter and the forest and all its denizens are the bull. He knows if the danger there, respects it, fears it, but he knows how to just barely stay ahead of the horns.
Weaknesses[]
Aside from what he's good at, Claud is otherwise a blank slate—completely unlearned in scholarly knowledge, most prominently:
- He is illiterate, and has only a basic understanding of numbers.
- Limited vocabulary and has to ask for clarification often.
- Knows nothing of the gospel. Raised completely without Christianity.
- Completely out of his element around people. Though he wants to be around them, he's easily overwhelmed, and knows little of social mores.
- Also he cries a lot.
Personal Items[]
Claud fled his home with the following:
- A pack
- The clothes he was wearing
- A hunting knife
- His bow & quiver
- A silver talisman.
- He has since acquired what we would call a first aid kit, small pouches for storing herbs, and a much abused tea kettle.
Claud's arrow making process
Character Relationships[]
- Angel Santiago: Seems to have taken a liking to Claud as Angel puts up with, even enjoys, Claud's never ending stream of questions.
- Willem and Isaac Nadelmann: Strange fellows, but a possible source of good income in the future. And they've been very kind to him.
- Ardette Bombaerts: Ardette and Claud trekked around the Knochenwalde for far too long and built some kind of respect for each other.
- Francis Valentine: Claud accidentally invited this vampire into his home, he hopes it's not the last mistake he'll ever make.