Nigel

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Nigel is a skilled assassin whose blood sings with the birthright of Danshi. As part of his initiation he killed his family, only his sister Julie surviving.

• Born: 435 AH
• Occupation: Blood-thirsty Assassin
• Family:

  • Hector (Father)
  • Catherine (Mother)
• Religion: None
• Species: Human, Irillians
• Nationality: Free Cities

Nigel's father Hector was, by all means, a very simple man if you looked past his insatiable blood lust and the chaotic curse that stained his blood. (There’s also the fact that he technically isn’t human at all and was living this farce out of sheer boredom). In fact, this man was, and still is, Nigel's role model for the complete control of self. It was an art form Hector had mastered during his years as an attack dog for what would become the most powerful and feared crime organization across several cities.

It had been pure chance that Hector had been picked up that day, but the head of the small organization at that time had recently started a recruitment plan in order to turn people into bloodthirsty killing machines. They quickly realized their fortune with Hector as the young boy aged, proving himself to be far more malicious than any of his counterparts and an even faster study. Hector simply became known as ‘The Beast’ and was sent on countless missions to destroy any and all competition. He as well as his counterparts were trained to be completely docile in chains, and only attack when they were free of them.

Hector's prowess attracted all kinds of attention, which would come back to bite him much later in his life, but the most relevant result was the organization’s head taking specific notice of him. He often found himself talking to Hector out of sheer respect and curiosity, eventually finding that he enjoyed talking to the mentally deranged boy even more than his own son. He was surprised but pleased when Hector expressed his desire to be more than just a killing machine, because he’d proved he was a natural at that. An agreement was eventually struck, and Hector would learn to read and write and gain mastery of himself as he continued his gruesome work. He was favored so much in fact, that he was given the option to be the heir to the organization (in secret of course), as his master knew his son was too weak to hold all his accomplishments together when he finally passed away, especially if Hector left them. Hector declined, reminding him of their deal, and was finally released to find his own livelihood.

It wouldn't be for a few years after that, having to move far enough away to where he wouldn't be recognized, that he finally met Catherine. Curiously enough, she was the one to make the first move, as Hector had simply been hired on as staff for the noble family and had been working there for nearly a year. Through observation it was clear that Catherine held a darker mindset than the rest of her family. Catherine was intrigued by the seemingly emotionless young man and would start idle conversation whenever she was able. After months of chatting and flirting, she managed to convince Hector to let her watch him kill. Hector had reluctantly agreed after mulling the suggestion over for about a week. He decided that if she was frightened by what he was truly was, it would be a simple act to kill her and keep himself free of blame. So, it was quite the surprise when she simply accepted his condition without question, clearly having fallen completely for him. She would joke later after they ran away together that she had no qualms with him killing, just to keep the blood out of the house.

This scandal would be among those of the most spoken of and well-known gossip in years to come. Catherine had been said to be the most beautiful of all her siblings, and had even been promised to wed the very week after her disappearance.

After another few years of traveling they the duo found somewhere to settle down with their fist born, Edward, where they would live for five years before having their second son, Nigel. Hector knew the boy was cursed from the moment of his birth and strove to do everything he could in order to protect the boy from his dark fate. This involved calling in many old favors, and drew his past, as well as all the other dark attention he had gained through his life, straight back to him. This led them to have to flee their home, losing their eldest son in the process. Hector did go back to search for him, killing many in his quest of information, but found no success. His firstborn was gone.

It wouldn’t be until Nigel was four that his younger sister and final sibling, Julie, would be born. Nigel doesn’t remember too much of those years except moving several times before finding a permanent place to settle down to have their final child. They were in the slums of a rather large city, which proved to be much easier to hide in. Even so, Hector knew whatever had laid eyes on his son was coming, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He resolved to raise his son to the best of his ability, so he would be ready for the days to come.

Nigel proved to be the spitting image of his father, with the exception of his blond hair, which all of the children had obtained from their mother. They both held the unnervingly dark eyes and lean bodies that defined them as agile but strong. Nigel would grow to be a few inches shorter, which was one of the few differences. His noble bloodline is difficult to miss, and sometimes raises questions, which do little but aggravate him.

At first Nigel had no feeling whatsoever towards his family, but, through endless lessons from Hector, he began to understand. It wasn’t so much that his father ‘loved’ his mother, it was simply that he preferred her company more than any other person he had ever met. There were some that would argue that there had to be some form of love there, but it was impossible to know. “Finding someone who can accept you wholly and willingly is a rare thing.” He told his son. “Cherish it while you can.”

Nigel had frowned in consternation, not quite understanding, before asking. “Then what about everyone else?”

Hector simply shrugged. “They're good sport every now and then. Those who fight back, particularly so.”

Nigel never gained any friends, as the adults were too unnerved by him to let any of their kids near him. Needless to say, this led to him being bullied every day, to which he often responded with violence, only making his situation worse. It was here that he started to despise people, gaining the mistrust that he would harbor for the rest of his life.

Nigel would discover his father's past when he was abducted by the son of Hector's master. It was a mad attempt to assert his place at the top of the organization by doing what his father had once done, although it had been pure chance that he had found Nigel. It had been the few loyal thugs with him that had recognized Nigel’s features immediately and took him as his sister watched and wailed.

Hector found him a mere few days later, bursting through the door, covered in blood, and grinning from ear to ear. It was the first time Nigel had seen his father’s own madness, which was something he has never forgotten. It was there that Hector finally allowed his son to take his first human life. After which they cleared out the rest of the building, cackling as they kill all but the aspiring son. They held him there as Hector sent the message to the boy’s father, setting up a place where they could meet one final time. The situation was quickly resolved; Hector finally repaying the debt of life he owed to the old dying man. He was in such good spirits that he even agreed to one more job for him, on the condition that Nigel would be allowed to watch.

It would be a year after that when everything finally caught up with them. Nigel, 9 at the time, returned home one day to find his family gone, with only a man in dark clothes standing there to greet him. He was given a choice. He could go with the man freely to save his family, or simply let them die. Nigel's response wasn’t purely logical, which surprised him, and was almost instant. He did not want the only people who understood him to die just yet. Especially not his sister, who had proved to love him no matter what in her acts to stand up and fight against those who tried to bully him while she was around.

Over the next few years, Nigel would be completely broken both physically and mentally. He was carefully groomed and molded to become a killing machine like his father, but with a far darker purpose as his abilities were encouraged to blossom. The first to die had been his mother. Nigel had been forced to watch, and contend with his very nature as they tortured her to death. By the time they had started in on his father, Nigel couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to help. To this day he still remembers stabbing his father for the first time, grinning painfully, tears slowly trailing down his cheeks as his hand trembled. Hector, smiling despite his pain, had placed a hand on his son’s head. “It's alright Nigel.” He'd said. “It's alright.” Finally, with Nigel's mind completely smashed to bits, he tortured his younger sister to death without any aid or hesitation. It is still the only death he has ever truly regretted.

What Nigel doesn't know, and will be horrified when he finds out, is that his sister didn’t die that day. Some sort of magic tricked Nigel into believing he delivered the final blow. After which Julie was whisked away and planted in a city under the watchful eye of a few agents, planning to use her one-day to return Nigel back to the mental instability that made him easier to manipulate. His older brother however, was more unfortunate. He was cursed with dark magic that he has no ability to control, and has been locked away in some dark place among other agents who planned to use him for their own devices.

Nigel was always aware of a dark presence behind in the early days of his capture, watching but never speaking. He never learned the man’s name, and only held a conversation with him, face to face, three times. Each of those were short and mind boggling, so that he barely remembers what was even said. All he clearly remembers is the man’s face, but what he has learned of him since then, he has wisely kept to himself.

His mentor/keeper during those first years had been a man by the name of Jiron, who Nigel would grow to hate so vehemently that it was blinding. At first Nigel had refused to kill the man out of sheer principle, and that decision has haunted him to this very day. Jiron was quick for his large size, his teeth holding a disgusting yellow hue, with breath so rancid that you could never directly face him when speaking if you were close enough. The man was almost everything Nigel was, but without restriction. He allowed himself to become a bloodthirsty monster with very few rules or regulations. Jiron was placed in charge of Nigel even when he was finally sent away at the age of 13.

They were sent to serve under a Mercenary Commander by the name of Kaito. The man was known for his genius and silver tongue among all but those under his command, who were privy to see how cruel he could be. Nigel was quick to notice it was always cruelty with a purpose. Nothing was ever without a plan or reason, which always led Nigel to question Kaito's true allegiances. Regardless, he served loyally, replacing his predecessor in his unit, who perished in the field, only a year after being assigned. This was in part due to a recommendation from a high place to further groom Nigel for his future (something he would never discover). The title, Ul'Umbrav, suited him well and brought fear all across both countries in hushed tones and whispers, many fearing he would appear out of the woodwork and slay them if they spoke too loudly.

Nigel quickly earned himself a dark and gruesome reputation as one of the most effective and ruthless assassins anyone had ever encountered. The title of his command, Ul'Umbrav, suited him well and brought fear all across both countries in hushed tones and whispers, many fearing he would appear out of the woodwork and slay them if they spoke too loudly. Only those who served with Nigel knew his true identity, and even they feared him to an extent. The only truly good thing Nigel gained from these bloody years, was the trust of a young woman named Allison. She was his second in command, and seemed to share his detached emotionless state to an extent. Dedication to duty was all that mattered to the both of them, and Nigel found he started to greatly prefer her company.

Nigel's reason didn’t truly return until he was captured after completing another critical mission. It was fortunate for him that the detachment didn’t know who he was, or he would have been killed on the spot. His only salvation had been a man named Delran, who he would later discover was actually Kaito's twin. This fact was hard to discern due to the man’s stark white hair while his brother’s was black. (He’d gotten the white hair in a magical accident). Delran had known Nigel's father, which led him to recognize the boy right away, as well as his psychosis. It took weeks, but he managed to bring Nigel back to what his father had originally been teaching him, but also brought to light just how much Nigel had been manipulated for other secret purposes. The rage that billowed then even frightened Delran for a moment but he was eventually able to calm him down and convince him to help them. He could root out spies, help them stop Kaito, and fight back on his own terms, which Nigel agreed to gladly. He of course wasn’t received well within the army at first, since the Shadow Scout were among the most hated, along with Kaito's Bloodletters, but Nigel proved his worth easily enough.

Kaito and Jiron both simply seemed to disappear as the war started to die down, leaving Nigel dissatisfied and still broiling with raw anger. Yet there was nothing he could do. Thanking Delran, he ended his service to the Irillian army and began to hunt on his own. Even then he was being watched, given small hints and whispers as to where to head next. That was until he began to hear rumors through military channels of a trading house in Dakar. Upon further investigation he decided that this would be a good opportunity to serve with his specific skill set once again, and within Dakar to boot. Nigel had lost all his leads months before, and figure that this would be a good place to restart while he put himself to good use. What he doesn’t know, is that he’d been sold to the trading house as a weapon, and this ‘lead’ was a guarantee on his willing cooperation.

• Game System: FateCORE
• Base Skill Points: 20
• Base Refresh: 6