Character Profile: Adelbert Zsigmond

To get us started with with the new more frequent update schedule I thought I'd start off slow and also take the opportunity to introduce a new segment, where I make a character sketch in prose of a character in the game I'm designing. Hopefully I'll be able to make one for each principle character.

Name: Adelbert Zsigmond

Gender: Male

Place of Birth: Hunedoara, Wallachia

Age: 20

Physical Description: (Prior to Transformation) - Medium build, looks fairly gaunt and somewhat bookish, but also has the air of an outdoors man too him, with a comportment of a climber. He has deep brown hair, a light complexion (we are assuming that the weather in Transylvania is always poor, and people rarely have reason to leave their homes), with light green eyes covered by thin framed glasses. His clothes are well in order and practical, he wears a travelers cloak, (although he wears the hood down even while it's raining because it inhibits his view), over a set of dark, old going on thread-bare formal clothes, an indication of his families failing fortunes. He also carries with him a large pack, which he uses to carry his various effects, and also stow his various gear as he likes to be prepared. His hands are neat and well groomed, the tips of his fingers are however ink-stained from his constant map making. His body language is that of a man out of his depth, in awe of the majesty of the world around him, but quite frightened by the dark shadows the new scenery casts. His voice is slightly nervous, afraid that he's asking too much for you to acknowledge his presence, but with an undercurrent of kindness.

(Post Transformation) - It appears that during the transformation into a vampire Adelbert gained a few inches in height, although that might just be in the way he carries himself now. He still gives off an aura of athleticism, but his feats of climbing seem to come a lot easier to him now, as if they took no effort at all. He still wears the cloak from before, (although he never takes it off, so what became of the clothes beneath is unknown), but wisely decides to hide his face from the public and wears the hood up, giving him a slightly sinister look. The pupils on his eyes become slightly deformed, and now his eyes look like those of a jungle predator, the darker shade of green in them suggesting a deep sense of avarice. His large pack also survives the transformation, although several of the necessities like the bed roll and portable cooking iron have been cast off, as an indication of his detachment from humanity. His body language changes to that of an animal in a new environment, searching the surroundings for some advantage he can gain, but also casting about paranoid glances for larger predators. His voice at times keeps the nervous quality, but now he's more afraid of what he is going to do to other people, not what others will do to him, and the times when his voice becomes calm it begins to sound laden with ill intent.

Recent History: Adelbert has until just recently been away at university in Budapest, learning his letters and picking up the trade of cartography. It is a natural enough business for him to go into, combining his love of books and learning with his love of exploration and travel. He has come home to Hunedoara to find his childhood sweet-heart Ilka Fekete has picked up stakes and left for Dracula's manor without telling anyone. Deciding to take a risk for once in his life Adelbert followed Ilka to Dracula's Manor against the anxious advice of his friend and family, hoping to find Ilka and propose to her or at least protect her from whatever danger she is sure to find herself in, while visiting what is currently an active war-zone. Oddly enough the Count somehow hears of his coming and has sent word by messenger that he'd like to meet with the young man upon his arrival, as visitors are rare in his neck of the woods. The game begins with Adelbert on the last leg of the trade road leading into the city.

Motivation: At first Adelbert's main motivation is to find Ilka and propose, but as he gets farther from the Wallachian border it becomes mostly fear that motivates him to go forward. Adelbert reasons that he's farther in than he is out, and that he should be more worried about the more "real" threat of wolves and bandits that are just as likely anywhere on the path, as opposed to the superstitious tales he has grown immune to during his time at University. After his transformation into a vampire, Adelbert's primary motivation is somewhat up to the player, although we can assume the desire to escape the vampiric curse in the event of a "good" play through, or the desire for power in the "bad" play through.

Personality: Adelbert thinks of the world in stark rigid terms, 'I'm going to march down to Dracula's Manor and propose to Ilka and that will be that", "there are no such things as vampires, end of discussion," etc. After his embrace into the real of the undead, you can see how he might reject every rule he's established with himself, including moral ones as a result of his supernatural experience, or you could see his fight against Dracula as an attempt to reestablish the natural order in the face of this paranormal threat. Adelbert also finds relaxation in drawing maps and likes to explore new places, even if they are a bit scary his curiosity gets the better of him. This will help the players relate to him more, and add some context to the mapping system in game, a player could easily imagine the mini-map in the corner to be Adelbert's "mental map" of the area, and the map in the pause menu can be assumed to have been created by Adelbert himself, possibly with little notes inscribed in the margins giving some insight into his inner thoughts, as he moves along either path of morality. In this way Adelbert reflects a lot of the traits the players themselves will have, giving the character a clear motivation to do what the players are naturally inclined to do anyways.