Location: The Hall → Nightshade Commons Mentions: Charlie @Danvers & Teddy @smarty0114 ▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬
Niklaus listened to the headmaster drone on through his welcome speech with more than mild disinterest. There was a far more intimidating and infuriating presence in the assembly hall that was capturing his attention — the Seekers. Any would-be reassuring messages of safety were promptly quashed by their attendance. They were the Academies enforcers, those that would hunt down any supernaturals who dared to think differently from what the mystical tyrants lording over the Academies declared as moral. Niklaus was far from safe in their presence — were his diet choices and ambitions to be found out, he’d be on their hit list rather than under their protection.
Before the headmaster could finish well wishes of luck for the year, Niko was out of his seat and making his way to the exit. Since his luggage had been valeted away by the academy staff upon arrival, he was just as eager to check out the quality of his new lodgings as he was to be away from the Seekers. He quickly found his name on the dormitory list and was briefly caught off guard by the hall he wasn’t listed under — Hemlock Hall — it’s name a painful reminder of the Academy he should be attending for his third year, and he was grateful to not have been assigned to that dorm.
Niko followed the temporary signage likely posted for the first years and rare transfer students such as himself towards Nightshade Commons. As if the cliche name wasn’t cringey enough, the overtly gothic style of the winding tower was enough to set Niko’s eyes rolling. He hoped that European architecture was more to blame than the stereotypical thinking that all vampires lived in dark, foreboding castles filled with black candles and pipe organs.
The youngest Tepes was a new-age vampire accustomed to city living, modern estates, penthouses, and state of the art technology. So far Hawthorne felt like time traveling back to the dark ages, especially upon arriving within the dorm itself. “Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Niklaus remaked in shock as he took in the sight of the shared sleeping quarters, separated only by school year and gender. Bunk beds — as if they were students at some tax-funded public university rather than a prestigious magical academy. Eager to share in the disgust and outrage of his situation, Niko pulled out his cellphone to snap a photo of it.
To: Nia can you believe this shit? fucking bunk beds
Niko was about to send a follow up text joking about it being akin to a poor orphanage when he realized that the previous message hadn’t sent. The wheel spun before returning a ’failed to send’ notice. Niko clicked his tongue and huffed before trying to resend it, this time holding the phone up high above his head. Gods help them if this archaic prison didn’t have cell service and wifi… After a few failed attempts, Niko grumbled curses and scrolled up in the chat history with his sister. He saw a message that he’d missed earlier — her reply to his announcement that he’d arrived safely at the Academy.
From: Nia Be bold, Niko.
Kasania always used full punctuation in texts because, as young as she might look and act, she had lived over a century before Niko was even born. The formality wasn’t what shook him, it was her words, which she often repeated to him in times of distress — the very same she had spoken the day that their father announced his plans to temporarily disown his children so that they might learn from failure and achieve their own successes. All for the greater good of his legacy, but that much went unspoken. The announcement had come without any warning, and in a meeting room full of their peers — fellow esteemed, pureblood families that ruled over New York City, both friend and foe alike, as it was oftentimes difficult to tell the difference among their kind. Never had the rug been so violently pulled from beneath Niko’s feet, and Kasania had sensed his spiraling downfall in that moment.
“Niklaus, look at me.” she had said, holding his face in her hands, ever the master of gentle commands. “You remember the words I always said to you as a boy, yes? Live boldly, Niko. You are the son of a king and a keeper of loyal friends. Luck has it you were blessed with an amazing sister too. We will be just fine. Now, stand tall, they are all watching how the children of their King react to the news. Dogs smell fear, and the Tepes fear no one.”
Niko closed his eyes with a sigh, attempting to push the memory away. Momentarily free from the past, he opened his eyes once more and checked to see if he’d missed any other notifications. As though merely thinking of the devil could summon him, there were three unread messages from his father. Reluctantly, Niko opened them.
From: Dmitri No more distractions. Study hard, Niklaus. Do not disappoint me.
His breath caught in his throat, reading the words thrice over. The finality. The expectation. The threat. The Tepes fear no one… except for themselves, of course. Niko closed the texts and realized for the first time that it wasn’t that there were no bars of service on his phone, they were crossed out entirely. No more distractions. He’d been cut off not just financially, but socially. From every bit of support he’d ever known. From Kasania.
Niklaus’ rage was sudden and all-consuming, his grip tightening around the device that had triggered it. Once the blood red filter over his vision subsided, Niko looked down to find the useless phone was nothing more than a chunk of crumpled metal and shattered glass in his palm. He aggressively chucked the remains of it into the trash bin and paced the room, attempting to calm his emotions as other students began filtering into the dorm.
He needed further distraction than the din of excited strangers catching up with each other provided. He needed to do something with his hands. Thinking that folding and putting his clothes away might prove somewhat therapeutic, Niko sought out his luggage. He found his carry-on bag near the foot of a bed, but his larger suitcase was missing. After thoroughly checking the third year room, Niko ventured out into the shared lounge and other sleeping areas to investigate.
Niko’s search ended promptly in the fifth year room. Two brown-haired boys seemed to be bickering, one holding a pair of black and gold Versace boxer briefs that looked just like his between pinched fingers. There was a pile of sopping wet clothing near an open window along with a couple of soggy suitcases, including his own that was distinctly marked with a luggage tag. Stepping forward, Niklaus once again saw red as he snatched his underwear away from one of the offending parties.
“Which one of you did this?” he growled, his eyes bouncing between them. “Is this some form of newbie hazing? Because I assure you that I am not some meak first year nor will I be an easy target for your pranks. Explain yourself, immediately.” Behind the obvious anger there was an unmistakable air of superiority. The youngest Tepes prince was not used to being disrespected and he’d far surpassed his threshold of frustrations for the day.
LIKES Fresh blood — always from a willing source Fencing — ironic mockery turned into a fond hobby Socializing — life is better surrounded by loved ones
DISLIKES Authority — question everything and push boundaries Silence — quiet moments alone are most unpleasant Inefficiency — work smarter, not harder
s k í l l s & w є α k n є s s є s ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
SKILLS ♔ Sword and Hand — Niko thinks swordplay is one of the most useless, outdated fighting skills, but Dmitri insisted that all of his children learn and master the art of the blade, as well as hand to hand combat, should they ever find themself disarmed. ♔ Good Looks and a Silver Tongue — So far, there’s not a single lick of trouble that Niko has gotten himself into and not been able to charm his way out of. How could you say no to such a handsome prince? With practice and focus, this could be wielded as a powerful form of compulsion, but he hasn’t bothered to try honing such powers yet. ♔ Speed and Strength — Although Niklaus has no idea why, he is much faster and stronger than his elder siblings. Whenever he spars with them, he almost always comes out the victor, much to their chagrin and his father’s pride. The reason behind these heightened abilities is held within the secret of his blood — he is not only Tepes, but half Drakuli, an older and far more potent vampire bloodline.
WEAKNESSES ☠ Codependent — Without the constant, calming presence of his older sister, Niko is a ticking time bomb of emotional instability and neuroses. He’s never been away from Kasania for more than a few weeks and, unless he finds someone new to attach to and distract himself from himself, he teeters dangerously close to some sort of breakdown. ☠ Disowned — The Tepes children were raised as royals, sheltered from cruel realities by the seemingly endless comforts of the Tepes family legacy. In the king’s eyes, this has made his heirs weak, and no son of Dmitri Tepes should ever be seen as weak, not of blood nor of mind. As such, Niklaus has recently been cut off from the benefits he’s always known and has been sent across the globe to complete his academic training in Europe, without wealth, and more importantly, without the emotional support of his sister. This will be the greatest test of his life thus far, but it’s bound to be temporary, as he plans to fully exceed his father’s expectations and return home. ☠ Uninformed — Niklaus was born and raised into the upper echelon of vampiric society in New York City. He knows very little outside of being a Tepes prince, and even then, he is ignorant of the intricacies of the politics and strategies that his father implements to maintain control and power for their family. Niklaus doesn’t even know who his real mother is, let alone that the woman he has always called ‘mother’ is not, he’s been left in the dark in nearly all things. Until he proves himself to his father, he’s more pawn than prince.
PERSONALITY ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Niklaus has lived a life where he has wanted for very little in terms of material things, and in that aspect he could be considered spoiled. However, he has struggled since childhood with his feelings of self-worth. While his father might have doted on him, his mother never did. Sometimes she just neglected him, other times she was blatantly cruel. For whatever reason, he was forced to feel like less than his other siblings. An accident. An unwanted child. A mistake. Because of this, Niko began to challenge authority. He questioned everything and resisted the traditional values of his family — if they were what it meant to be a Tepes, he would make sure his voice was heard speaking against them. Niklaus can be quite argumentative and frequently gets in disagreements with his father, which on the outside might color the young prince as being ungrateful of the privilege he was born into. But to Niko, being born with a silver spoon in his mouth wasn’t worth shit if it left such a bad taste on his tongue. Niklaus is determined to right what he sees as wrong, to call out what he disagrees with, and to strive towards perfection, even as it cripples him. While others might simply see him as a naive, rebellious teenager, Niko believes himself to be nobly bold. He’s fighting for what he believes is right, and he’s stubborn in those beliefs.
Lastly, whether it be a fluke or a result of his mixed pureblood heritage — some of the older ‘royal’ bloodlines used to practice inbreeding — Niko was born a bit… touched. Niko frequently finds himself a slave to his deranged obsessions — habits, thoughts, sounds, and people. The last is the most notable, as Niklaus has a penchant for latching onto interesting traits of people, particularly humans, and going so far as to watch them from the shadows to learn everything there is to know about them. In this light, one might consider Niklaus a bit of a madman. Humanity is his to study and toy with, and only the best will survive to ascend to a place by his side. Although Niko might be what most would call crazy, ‘by his side’ is quite a good place to be, as he is the most loyal friend and ally. Niklaus would stop at nothing to protect those he cares for, the very select few they may be.
OUTLOOK / IDEALS / PERSPECTIVE ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Niklaus was born an heir to the Tepes family legacy, the youngest of the brood, so of course his loyalty lies with his kindred. He may not always agree with his father’s traditional sentiments, but there is strength and power in the pure vampiric blood of his family that Niko wouldn’t trade for the world. The young prince loves interacting with other vampires and, unlike his father, he doesn't care if they are pureblooded, the rare turned, or the even rarer halfbreed. He has close friends amongst other families, some of which would gladly see his family dethroned as kings of New York to rise from their lower stations. The so-called ‘weaker’ bloodlines of his peers mean little to Niklaus, as they all share the same vampiric ancestry.
Due to Niko’s… peculiarities... he has an interesting attitude towards humans. He sees mortals as experiments and playthings, a resource not only for food, but for entertainment to pass the endless sands of time. As for werewolves… Niklaus hadn’t even encountered one in person until his 1st year in Hemlock Academy, nestled amongst the quiet Adirondacks, far from the great metropolis he called home. Nikolaus hasn’t had enough time to form a full opinion on them, they seem alright enough, perhaps a bit smelly at times. Mages, though? He’s unfortunately quite familiar with their breed and finds the lot a bit too pushy and sanctimonious for his liking. Pretentious, but in a boring kind of way. They’re like the LaCroix of humanity — sparkling mortals that leave one thirsty for a bit more… flavor.
AMBITIONS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Being just a baby in the grand scheme of the vampire world, Niklaus is still trying to figure out what he wants to accomplish with his eternal life. On the short term, he has been on the hunt for a perfect human specimen. His intention is to find this human and to create his very first turned vampire. His forbidden desire is to then continue this process until he has surrounded himself with a collection of powerful, perfect creatures. A family of his own creation. For the long term, Niklaus hopes to one day ascend as head of House Tepes. As a king of New York, he would have the power to rewrite all of the traditions that he disagrees with and build upon a created vampire culture that he deems as perfect in his own mind, twisted as it may be. Vampirism, especially his bloodline, is a gift, and gifts are meant to be shared. Archaic laws formed millennia ago by self-righteous witches, however… Well, some rules are meant to be broken.
FEARS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Surprisingly enough, Niklaus has many fears. He is well aware of the fact that his mind works differently than most, and he fears completely losing himself to madness. Although he is constantly bickering with his kingly father, Niko fears one day pushing it too far and losing the support of his family completely — a fear that his father’s latest test has brought painfully to light. He fears the cruelty and endless disappointment of his mother. He fears failure, weakness, and his death. He fears his friends dying or turning their backs on him. Above all, he fears losing his sister, who is his conscience and his rock in this wild world and, in his words, ‘the only cool member of the Tepes family aside from myself.’
в í σ g r α p h ч ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Dmitri Tepes is a proud man whose legacy means everything to him. Years before he became the king of New York, he had been grooming his family for such a position. He took a beautiful pureblood vampire as a wife. He had two strong sons and a gorgeous daughter. Despite her beauty and own innate strengths, the latter was a disappointment to Dmitri. There was no familial honor to be gained in having daughters. Only sons could pass on the Tepes name. Only sons could grow Dmitri’s empire and secure his family’s rule. The closer he got to ascending to the head of the Tepes family and to kingship, Dmitri became even more obsessed with having male heirs. Fearing that procreating with his wife would result in yet another daughter, the king-to-be began to look elsewhere.
Not just any concubine would do for Dmitri, however. If a woman was to bear him a son, she would have to be perfect. Pure of blood and strong. Dmitri didn’t have to look very far to find her, Jezebel was right in his city. She was one of the last descendants of the great house Drakuli, an ancient vampiric bloodline dating back to before the Moot. He courted the beautiful royal, treating her with all the kindness of a perfect gentleman. In time, she was with child, and birthed Dmitri his third son — Niklaus Tepes. Aside from Dmitri, his wife, and the Drakuli mistress, Niklaus’ true parentage has remained a royal secret.
Although most of the family was none the wiser, from the first moment that Niklaus’ cries pierced the halls of the Tepes estate, he was different. While his parents and siblings all had dark brown hair, his was fair, verging on blond in certain lights — especially as a young child. He did have the Tepes blue eyes, but the secrets of his bastard heritage could be found in the creeping brown of his heterochromia. He was a beautiful baby that grew into an even more charming boy. Charming or not, there was one member of the Tepes family that could not stand his presence. His ‘mother’. She loathed that Dmitri’s adulterous affair had bore fruit, and she took it out on Niklaus himself. Even after she had secretly ordered an assassination of Jezebel Drakuli, her jealousy never waned.
Had Niklaus not grown into a strong young vampire, always closely watched over by his proud father, the jealous queen might have tried to kill him too. Instead, she did the only thing she was capable of: she treated him like yesterday’s garbage. She was neglectful and cruel to him, ensuring that he never believed that he was better than her own children, despite what Dmitri might think. His Drakuli blood meant nothing. He meant nothing. If not for the loving heart of his sister, who just so happened to overhear her father and mother arguing about Niko’s bastardry one night, Niklaus might have grown up to believe those horrible things his mother said about him to be true.
Kasania was his guardian angel. Niko’s older sister shielded him from their mother’s cruelty and offered the maternal love that he needed to not fall too deep into the madness that creeped at the edges of his mind. With her support and his father’s rigid combat training, Niklaus eventually grew himself a backbone. In recent years, he now feels the confidence to speak out against the injustice that he has felt being a part of the Tepes family. Both he and Kasania have been taught to know what it feels like to be considered less than, albeit by the opposite parents, so together they have stood with their hands held in the shadows of rebellion. Nia stood up for him when he was young and weak, and he returned the favor by protecting her biggest secret — that she fancied only women and would never have heirs of her own. Father would be furious if he ever learned of that, so Niko made sure he never would.
Moving upstate to attend the Academy hidden deep in the forests of the Adirondacks had been a learning experience in many ways. It was Niklaus’ first time leaving the comforts of his sheltered upbringing and stepping into adulthood. It was his first time being away from Kasania, but she visited often enough to keep him sane. He met so many people from all around the North American continent, encountered creatures and cultures beyond any he’d seen before, even in a melting pot as big as NYC. Just when he was starting to love the experience and find his strength and stride in the Academy, Dmitri had made the decision to test not just Niklaus, but all of his children. The entire Tepes brood was scattered across the globe, separated from each other with limited contact and even less financing. They would have to learn to make it on their own, but mere survival would not be enough, they would have to thrive in order to impress Dmitri. Niklaus isn’t sure what accomplishments he will need to achieve in order to be welcomed back home, and he fears what he might become without his sister’s light, but he aims to make the most of the new experiences to be had at Hawthorne Academy. Perhaps half a world’s distance from his toxic family is exactly the kind of healing he’s been needing. Perhaps the perfect human specimen has been waiting for him in a sleepy Scottish village all this time. Perhaps he’ll rule a kingdom of his own, having returned to the land of his old world ancestors. Only time will tell, as it always does.
LIKES Fresh blood — always from a willing source Fencing — ironic mockery turned into a fond hobby Socializing — life is better surrounded by loved ones
DISLIKES Authority — question everything and push boundaries Silence — quiet moments alone are most unpleasant Inefficiency — work smarter, not harder
s k í l l s & w є α k n є s s є s ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ SKILLS ♔ Sword and Hand — Niko thinks swordplay is one of the most useless, outdated fighting skills, but Dmitri insisted that all of his children learn and master the art of the blade, as well as hand to hand combat, should they ever find themself disarmed. ♔ Good Looks and a Silver Tongue — So far, there’s not a single lick of trouble that Niko has gotten himself into and not been able to charm his way out of. How could you say no to such a handsome prince? With practice and focus, this could be wielded as a powerful form of compulsion, but he hasn’t bothered to try honing such powers yet. ♔ Speed and Strength — Although Niklaus has no idea why, he is much faster and stronger than his elder siblings. Whenever he spars with them, he almost always comes out the victor, much to their chagrin and his father’s pride. The reason behind these heightened abilities is held within the secret of his blood — he is not only Tepes, but half Drakuli, an older and far more potent vampire bloodline.
WEAKNESSES ☠ Codependent — Without the constant, calming presence of his older sister, Niko is a ticking time bomb of emotional instability and neuroses. He’s never been away from Kasania for more than a few weeks and, unless he finds someone new to attach to and distract himself from himself, he teeters dangerously close to some sort of breakdown. ☠ Disowned — The Tepes children were raised as royals, sheltered from cruel realities by the seemingly endless comforts of the Tepes family legacy. In the king’s eyes, this has made his heirs weak, and no son of Dmitri Tepes should ever be seen as weak, not of blood nor of mind. As such, Niklaus has recently been cut off from the benefits he’s always known and has been sent across the globe to complete his academic training in Europe, without wealth, and more importantly, without the emotional support of his sister. This will be the greatest test of his life thus far, but it’s bound to be temporary, as he plans to fully exceed his father’s expectations and return home. ☠ Uninformed — Niklaus was born and raised into the upper echelon of vampiric society in New York City. He knows very little outside of being a Tepes prince, and even then, he is ignorant of the intricacies of the politics and strategies that his father implements to maintain control and power for their family. Niklaus doesn’t even know who his real mother is, let alone that the woman he has always called ‘mother’ is not, he’s been left in the dark in nearly all things. Until he proves himself to his father, he’s more pawn than prince.
PERSONALITY ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Niklaus has lived a life where he has wanted for very little in terms of material things, and in that aspect he could be considered spoiled. However, he has struggled since childhood with his feelings of self-worth. While his father might have doted on him, his mother never did. Sometimes she just neglected him, other times she was blatantly cruel. For whatever reason, he was forced to feel like less than his other siblings. An accident. An unwanted child. A mistake. Because of this, Niko began to challenge authority. He questioned everything and resisted the traditional values of his family — if they were what it meant to be a Tepes, he would make sure his voice was heard speaking against them. Niklaus can be quite argumentative and frequently gets in disagreements with his father, which on the outside might color the young prince as being ungrateful of the privilege he was born into. But to Niko, being born with a silver spoon in his mouth wasn’t worth shit if it left such a bad taste on his tongue. Niklaus is determined to right what he sees as wrong, to call out what he disagrees with, and to strive towards perfection, even as it cripples him. While others might simply see him as a naive, rebellious teenager, Niko believes himself to be nobly bold. He’s fighting for what he believes is right, and he’s stubborn in those beliefs.
Lastly, whether it be a fluke or a result of his mixed pureblood heritage — some of the older ‘royal’ bloodlines used to practice inbreeding — Niko was born a bit… touched. Niko frequently finds himself a slave to his deranged obsessions — habits, thoughts, sounds, and people. The last is the most notable, as Niklaus has a penchant for latching onto interesting traits of people, particularly humans, and going so far as to watch them from the shadows to learn everything there is to know about them. In this light, one might consider Niklaus a bit of a madman. Humanity is his to study and toy with, and only the best will survive to ascend to a place by his side. Although Niko might be what most would call crazy, ‘by his side’ is quite a good place to be, as he is the most loyal friend and ally. Niklaus would stop at nothing to protect those he cares for, the very select few they may be.
OUTLOOK / IDEALS / PERSPECTIVE ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Niklaus was born an heir to the Tepes family legacy, the youngest of the brood, so of course his loyalty lies with his kindred. He may not always agree with his father’s traditional sentiments, but there is strength and power in the pure vampiric blood of his family that Niko wouldn’t trade for the world. The young prince loves interacting with other vampires and, unlike his father, he doesn't care if they are pureblooded, turned (which are less rare in NYC than other parts of the world), or the even rarer halfbreed. He has close friends amongst other families, some of which would gladly see his family dethroned as kings of New York to rise from their lower stations. The so-called ‘weaker’ bloodlines of his peers mean little to Niklaus, as they all share the same vampiric ancestry.
Due to Niko’s… peculiarities... he has an interesting attitude towards humans. He sees mortals as experiments and playthings, a resource not only for food, but for entertainment to pass the endless sands of time. As for werewolves… Niklaus hadn’t even encountered one in person until his 1st year in Hemlock Academy, nestled amongst the quiet Adirondacks, far from the great metropolis he called home. Nikolaus hasn’t had enough time to form a full opinion on them, they seem alright enough, perhaps a bit smelly at times. Mages, though? He’s unfortunately quite familiar with their breed and finds the lot a bit too pushy and sanctimonious for his liking. Pretentious, but in a boring kind of way. They’re like the LaCroix of humanity — sparkling mortals that leave one thirsty for a bit more… flavor.
AMBITIONS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Being just a baby in the grand scheme of the vampire world, Niklaus is still trying to figure out what he wants to accomplish with his eternal life. On the short term, he has been on the hunt for a perfect human specimen. His intention is to find this human and to create his very first turned vampire. His forbidden desire is to then continue this process until he has surrounded himself with a collection of powerful, perfect creatures. A family of his own creation. For the long term, Niklaus hopes to one day ascend as head of House Tepes. As a king of New York, he would have the power to rewrite all of the traditions that he disagrees with and build upon a created vampire culture that he deems as perfect in his own mind, twisted as it may be. Vampirism, especially his bloodline, is a gift, and gifts are meant to be shared. Archaic laws formed millennia ago by self-righteous witches, however… Well, some rules are meant to be broken.
FEARS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Surprisingly enough, Niklaus has many fears. He is well aware of the fact that his mind works differently than most, and he fears completely losing himself to madness. Although he is constantly bickering with his kingly father, Niko fears one day pushing it too far and losing the support of his family completely — a fear that his father’s latest test has brought painfully to light. He fears the cruelty and endless disappointment of his mother. He fears failure, weakness, and his death. He fears his friends dying or turning their backs on him. Above all, he fears losing his sister, who is his conscience and his rock in this wild world and, in his words, ‘the only cool member of the Tepes family aside from myself.’
в í σ g r α p h ч ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Dmitri Tepes is a proud man whose legacy means everything to him. Years before he became the king of New York, he had been grooming his family for such a position. He took a beautiful pureblood vampire as a wife. He had two strong sons and a gorgeous daughter. Despite her beauty and own innate strengths, the latter was a disappointment to Dmitri. There was no familial honor to be gained in having daughters. Only sons could pass on the Tepes name. Only sons could grow Dmitri’s empire and secure his family’s rule. The closer he got to ascending to the head of the Tepes family and to kingship, Dmitri became even more obsessed with having male heirs. Fearing that procreating with his wife would result in yet another daughter, the king-to-be began to look elsewhere.
Not just any concubine would do for Dmitri, however. If a woman was to bear him a son, she would have to be perfect. Pure of blood and strong. Dmitri didn’t have to look very far to find her, Jezebel was right in his city. She was one of the last descendants of the great house Drakuli, an ancient vampiric bloodline dating back to before the Moot. He courted the beautiful royal, treating her with all the kindness of a perfect gentleman. In time, she was with child, and birthed Dmitri his third son — Niklaus Tepes. Aside from Dmitri, his wife, and the Drakuli mistress, Niklaus’ true parentage has remained a royal secret.
Although most of the family was none the wiser, from the first moment that Niklaus’ cries pierced the halls of the Tepes estate, he was different. While his parents and siblings all had dark brown hair, his was fair, verging on blond in certain lights — especially as a young child. He did have the Tepes blue eyes, but the secrets of his bastard heritage could be found in the creeping brown of his heterochromia. He was a beautiful baby that grew into an even more charming boy. Charming or not, there was one member of the Tepes family that could not stand his presence. His ‘mother’. She loathed that Dmitri’s adulterous affair had bore fruit, and she took it out on Niklaus himself. Even after she had secretly ordered an assassination of Jezebel Drakuli, her jealousy never waned.
Had Niklaus not grown into a strong young vampire, always closely watched over by his proud father, the jealous queen might have tried to kill him too. Instead, she did the only thing she was capable of: she treated him like yesterday’s garbage. She was neglectful and cruel to him, ensuring that he never believed that he was better than her own children, despite what Dmitri might think. His Drakuli blood meant nothing. He meant nothing. If not for the loving heart of his sister, who just so happened to overhear her father and mother arguing about Niko’s bastardry one night, Niklaus might have grown up to believe those horrible things his mother said about him to be true.
Kasania was his guardian angel. Niko’s older sister shielded him from their mother’s cruelty and offered the maternal love that he needed to not fall too deep into the madness that creeped at the edges of his mind. With her support and his father’s rigid combat training, Niklaus eventually grew himself a backbone. In recent years, he now feels the confidence to speak out against the injustice that he has felt being a part of the Tepes family. Both he and Kasania have been taught to know what it feels like to be considered less than, albeit by the opposite parents, so together they have stood with their hands held in the shadows of rebellion. Nia stood up for him when he was young and weak, and he returned the favor by protecting her biggest secret — that she fancied only women and would never have heirs of her own. Father would be furious if he ever learned of that, so Niko made sure he never would.
Moving upstate to attend the Academy hidden deep in the forests of the Adirondacks had been a learning experience in many ways. It was Niklaus’ first time leaving the comforts of his sheltered upbringing and stepping into adulthood. It was his first time being away from Kasania, but she visited often enough to keep him sane. He met so many people from all around the North American continent, encountered creatures and cultures beyond any he’d seen before, even in a melting pot as big as NYC. Just when he was starting to love the experience and find his strength and stride in the Academy, Dmitri had made the decision to test not just Niklaus, but all of his children. The entire Tepes brood was scattered across the globe, separated from each other with limited contact and even less financing. They would have to learn to make it on their own, but mere survival would not be enough, they would have to thrive in order to impress Dmitri. Niklaus isn’t sure what accomplishments he will need to achieve in order to be welcomed back home, and he fears what he might become without his sister’s light, but he aims to make the most of the new experiences to be had at Hawthorne Academy. Perhaps half a world’s distance from his toxic family is exactly the kind of healing he’s been needing. Perhaps the perfect human specimen has been waiting for him in a sleepy Scottish village all this time. Perhaps he’ll rule a kingdom of his own, having returned to the land of his old world ancestors. Only time will tell, as it always does.
name → Rowan Brookes nicknames → Arby's (because of his initials but yes also a reference to the fast food joint) age → 23 birthdate → December 4th gender → Male (trans ftm) height/weight → 5’7/151 lbs sexual orientation → Pansexual occupation → Comic Artist (final dream goal) / Commission-based Illustrator (almostpays the bills)
TRIVIA → Has a passion for alternative fashion and almost immediately spends whatever little money he can manage to save on clothes (because the real trivia tea is that he is behind on a few bills. Like rent.)
+ Manga/Anime + Concerts + Nighttime + - Hot Weather - Conservatives - Waking Up Early -
What Brings You Here?: "While I'd like to say I was driven here by an adventurous spirit or an insatiable wanderlust, this simply is not the case. But I am hoping that, someday, that might be true for me. I guess you could say I am trying to find myself or, if you're more of a cynic about it, perhaps this is what you might call a midlife crisis. You see, all my life up until the past few months has gone perfectly according to plan. My plan. I've always been a bit of a planner and a perfectionist, both expected and revered traits in my family, so of course my parents encouraged such behaviors. As such, I got perfect marks in grade school and beyond, and when it came to applying to uni, only the most prestigious institutions were options. I got in to my first choice with honors, of course, and majored in physics which led to my eventual job as a professor at one such institution. With job security and a healthy income established, I married my high school sweetheart at 25. I then dedicated my life to my work, which was rewarded in me being able to take the position of chair of the physics department by age 30, and ever since then I've had my sights set on dean.
That is... perhaps... where I erred. In chasing what I thought to be a perfect life, I failed to be the perfect husband. If I was more attentive to Flora, I might have seen the signs of our foundation crumbling. Still, I never expected this. Flora's request for divorce came with more than just the papers, but a confession: that she was a lesbian, or, at the very least, bisexual. What's more, she was seeing a woman whom she met on TikTok, of all places. I truly have no words for what it feels like to lose a 10 year long marriage, and an even longer relationship. I wanted to hate her for ruining what we had, but every time I think about it, I only end up hating myself. It was I who ruined us, I was... imperfect. It's a new feeling. A crushing feeling, really. One which I hope to come to terms with on my travels. I have taken a sabbatical, my first vacation aside from my honeymoon, if you can believe it. This year I plan to see the world and meet new people, maybe even traverse the unfamiliar waters of the modern dating scene. Which, if I am being honest, is terrifying."
Interested! Current character idea is bri'ish gentleman, comfortably wealthy, recent divorcé. He's riding the train, trying to find happiness again in his travels. Most likely Daniel Gillies as FC.
[center][color=gray][b]Grim / Grimoire[/b]
[i][sup](they/them)[/sup][/i]
It's been over a year since I've written creatively but here I am again.
'sup.[/color][/center]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><font color="gray"><span class="bb-b">Grim / Grimoire</span><br><span class="bb-i"><sup>(they/them)</sup></span><br>It's been over a year since I've written creatively but here I am again. <br>'sup.</font></div><br></div>