Mordecae

Backstory

In the late hours of a midwinter night, Mordecae was born into the frail arms of his human mother. They would have but a few minutes together, his mother barely able to mutter his name before she drew her last breath. Robbed of his mother's embrace, Mordecae has been left in the care of the orphanage on the outskirts of the city ever since. 

Growing up in a poor orphanage alongside other unfortunate abandoned young souls, Mordecae experienced a lonesome and neglectful upbringing. The other children harassed him for his pale and weak appearance, some steered clear of him out of fear. The caregivers only doing so much as to not have him starved to death. Unable to bear the sun’s scourge, Mordecae mostly stayed inside the halls of the orphanage while everyone else played outside on the courtyard. He confined himself in the small and damp library at the orphanage instead and read up on all the books they had available. Hidden between the shelves were tales about brave heroes and unsung monsters, journeys to far away lands and sacred pilgrimages. He spent most of his life with his nose between the books, teaching himself the many scripts, songs and poems of history. However, the resources ran very thin and Mordecae found himself rereading every book at least five times over. 

Because of his barren situation at the orphanage, Mordecae picked up on thievery and scamming. At nightfall, he'd go out on the streets begging, stealing and scavenging for his livelihood. At one point, he discovered a hidden underground entrance which led him to a forbidden section of the Central Library. With this discovery, he had plenty of banned and taboo works of literature at his disposal. This included many pulp fictions, smut and erotica, as well as scrolls of arcane nature and books on spells and enchantments. In secret, Mordecae began practising spells under the guise of songs and poetry. 

When Mordecae turned 12 years old, he was called into the Sister's office, where he learned that he is to be adopted into a family soon. Suspicion arose within Mordecae, for he had never received any visitors. The following day, he learned his suspicions were right. He was taken away by traffickers alongside five other children his age. They travelled far south and got put into a brothel in Osirion. It was a relatively big establishment which provided a wide selection of exotic and foreign “tastes” to its patrons. Mordecae was put to work as a slave within the establishment, cleaning and maintaining the place. After showcasing his talents in music, songs and poetry, he was put to work as an entertainer at the brothel’s bar. Mordecae was thus able to continue his spell chanting practices, unbeknownst to the people around him. As he got older, he was to entertain and service customers however they desired. 

After a particularly unpleasant encounter with a difficult client who had became enamored and borderline obsessed with Mordecae, a plan of escape was set into motion. The client who frequented Mordecae became deranged and attacked him. He planned to kill himself alongside of Mordecae, as he believed he'd live a better afterlife with the love of his life by his side. This was the byproduct of a blundered Charm Person spell. In defense, Mordecae managed to free himself of his grasps, bit and slit the man’s neck. He quickly hid the body in his closet and rummaged the dead man's belongings. That same night, he broke into the master of the house’s office and looted the brothel of every penny they had in plain sight, stole the very whip that was used to beat him into shape and disappeared into the night. 

After drawing his first blood, a violent thirst for more began to quell within him. This confirmed a suspicion he had for the longest time: he is a dhampir. With no place to call home, Mordecae sets out to find out more about his origin. More specifically, he's in search of his estranged father.

Mordecae escaped into the metropolis Absalom, hoping to find safety in distance and in numbers. Afraid of being sought after by his former master, he drops his name Nivalis which the people of his past know him by and takes on his current name Mordecae. 

Arriving in Absalom, Mordecae hopes to join the White Grotto, the bardic college, to further his knowledge and practices in the arts. However, in order to do so, he has to earn enough money for the tuition fee and pass the entrance exams. While in college, he hopes to uncover more about his family history. He also hopes to connect to people of his kind among the diverse crowd of Absalom who can help him on his way to discover his roots. The only leads he has so far is an engraved golden locket that has been with him since birth.