Acantha/Zephyranth

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Zephyranth

Zephyranth is a butler-slash-assistant-slash-courtesan at the Garden, a high-class brothel in Nexus. Incidentally, his name comes from the flower zephyranth, which in the language of flowers means "fond caresses."

Description

Zephyranth is a young man of about twenty. He is average height and thinly built, with dusky tanned skin and fiery red hair. His eyes are dark maroon. He has a pleasant, slow smile that most people find charming, and speaks in a soft voice that is faintly reminiscent of the quiet sound of a dying flame. His skin is always warm to the touch. Most often, he wears snug-fitting pants and a loose open robe with sandals or bare feet. He hardly ever complains of being cold.

Personality

Zephyranth is a reserved young man, not at all what one expects from the child of a fire elemental. He has a slow sense of humor, hardly ever showing his amusement with more than a smile, and he speaks both softly and slowly with only the most polite and deferential of terms. Though he is attractive and charming, most people tend to pass him by for the other more boisterous courtesans surrounding him, but those that take a liking to him (and that Zephyranth agrees to take as clients) find that he is both passionate and intense, much like his father was said to be. He is well-trained in the art of pleasure (having lived in a pleasure house for most of his life), and takes clients of either sex indescriminantly.

The other inhabitants of the Garden look up to Zephyranth. As one of the owner Narciss's favorites, he gains special priviledges, only one of which is the ability to hand-pick his own clients. To date, Zephyranth has only chosen clients with blue eyes, and though he hides his reasons well, most of the courtesans have guessed correctly that he does so because of his infatuation with Narciss himself. Zephyranth would be horrified if he knew the others guessed his secret, and hides his feelings admirably, but not well enough. He is unswervingly loyal to Narciss and would die for him without hesitation. He desperately wishes Narciss would return his hidden feelings, and would literally do anything to see that desire come to fruition.

Narciss is slowly but surely training Zephyranth to take over as head of the brothel when the time comes. Despite his infatuation, he has a clear head and a mind for business, and Narciss knows he would run the Garden with the same discreet sense of propriety as Narciss himself possesses.

History

There was once a highly favored pleasure slave on the Rose Trail, a traveling caravan that toured the Threshold's larger cities and offered exotic entertainment to whomever could pay their outrageous prices. This woman was the star that the caravan's wide array of services centered around, and she entertained Dynasts and merchants alike. Yet, there was one customer that caught her eye -- a dark and handsome stranger who watched her with burning eyes when she danced and never said a word. She never saw him enter the pavilion, and he was always gone when she stepped off the stage, but his eyes never left her while she danced under the lights.

He appeared in her private tent one night, so silent she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of him, and revealed to her softly that he was called Embers Sleeping Beneath Flame, a long-forgotten elemental spirit. All his power had been channelled into a material form, so he could watch her dancing night after night in the style of the desert nomads that had once worshipped Embers as their protector. He had only one night left before he must shed his form and travel far and wide to attend to his court, and his fondest wish was to see her dance one final time.

In the morning, he left her with only the memory of his warm embrace and the cast-off clothing of his mortal form, and as the seasons curved from Resplendant Fire to Ascending Wood, something else: A child with his father's smouldering eyes and his mother's delicate beauty, called Zephyranth after his mother's fond recollections.

Zephyranth grew up on the Rose Trail, and was trained as a pleasure slave like his mother. His childhood was unremarkable, and he neither knew nor cared who his father had been. However, in his sixteenth year the caravan was sold to another owner, and Zephyranth was put up for auction at a specialized slave market near Chiaroscuro. He never admitted he was scared of the endless inspection of every inch of his body, or of the way his price climbed astronomically high in response to whispers of supernatural heritage. Finally, he resigned himself to life as the concubine of a particularly unappealing Dynastic scion when bidding suddenly paused, and a man entered the tent.

He was blue-eyed and white-haired, and one of the most handsome men Zephyranth had ever seen. Within minutes the man took over the auction and forced every other bidder to stand down in light of his incredible wealth and apparent status, securing Zephyranth a place in his small train the next morning. They started on the road to Nexus, and a few days into the journey Zephyranth was summoned to his new master's tent.

He was even more awe-inspiring in person, and Zephyranth could do little more than stare and respond softly to what questions the man asked him. He learned then that the man was called Narciss, owner of a brothel in Nexus called the Garden. He also learned that Narciss indended to free him as soon as the reached Nexus, and that if he so wished there would be a place for him among the Garden's many courtesans befitting his spiritual heritage. Zephyranth agreed without hesitation.

In the three years that he's lived in the Garden, Zephyranth has ascended to the lofty position of owner's assistant, with a well-appointed private apartment and priviledges associated with his duties. He is happy, for now.

Statistics

Name: Zephyranth
Heritage: God-blood (Fire elemental)
Nature: Follower
Concept: Sidereal's faithful assistant

Attributes
Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4
Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2

Abilities
Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 2, Craft 1, Dodge 2, Larceny 1, Linguistics 2 (Flametongue, Riverspeak, High Realm), Lore 2, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Occult 2, Performance 3 (Erotic Arts +2), Socialize 3

Backgrounds
Inheritance 3, Mentor (The Jack of Hearts, known as Narciss) 2, Backing (the Garden) 1

Virtues
Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 3, Valor 2

Willpower 6

Essence 2
Essence Pool: 32

Merits and Flaws
Ignorant of Self (-4)
Elemental Immunity: Fire (+8)
Primal Restoration: Dying Embers (+7)
Awakened Essence (+5)
Longevity (+2)

Notes

Expanded Backgrounds

Inheritance 3

Zephyranth's father, Embers Sleeping Beneath Flame was once a well-known elemental spirit among the tribes of the south-east. He has since been forgotten for the most part, but he still recieves some regular worship from a few small contingents. His power hasn't faltered much, and he passed on his elemental bloodline to his God-blooded son.

Mentor 2

Zephyranth's mentor is known among the upper circles of society as Narciss, Master of the Garden. In reality he is The Jack of Hearts, a Chosen of Serenity using his connections in creation to further his own agenda regarding betrayal and lost love. He provides Zephyranth with a comfortable home, a reasonable salary, and almost anything else he could possibly need. Zephyranth is also in love with him.

Backing 1

Zephyranth's backing comes from the Garden itself, which occupies a precarious position between the very rich and the very poor. Most of his clients are rich society patrons who openly acknowledge the Garden's influential ties, and the Garden's Master Narciss, known as an impeccable business man with friends in high places will step in to both protect his assistant Zephyranth and provide him with contacts and allies that will further his place in the world.

Where did all those Bonus Points go?

• 21 + 18 (Inheritance 3) = 39
• 39 + 4 (bought Flaw: Ignorant of Self) = 43
• 43 – 8 (bought Merit: Elemental Immunity) = 35
• 35 – 7 (bought Merit: Primal Restoration) = 28
• 28 – 4 (raised Stamina) = 24
• 24 – 3 (raised Conviction) = 21
• 21 – 1 (two-dot specialty in Performance) = 20
• 20 – 2 (raised Melee) = 18
• 18 – 2 (raised Socialize) = 16
• 16 – 2 (raised Dodge) = 14
• 14 – 2 (raised Endurance) = 12
• 12 – 5 (bought Merit: Awakened Essence) = 7
• 7 – 5 (raised Essence) = 2
• 2 – 2 (bought Merit: Longevity) = 0