damned soul ✝ info
Appearance: Asher is fantastically handsome, having been selected for his beauty by Belle Morte, the vampire that made him. His hair as the color of metallic gold and his eyes as the pale blue of a Siberian Husky. Although the left side of his face and body is angelically beautiful, his right side is hideously scarred, like melted wax; Asher has become an expert at using his hair, posture, and shadow to present only his left side to viewers until an opportune moment arises to reveal his scars, if desired. He's tall and thin, though under his pale pale skin lies muscles that subtly roll as he moves.
Asher represented by Todd Mane. The amazing studly Canadian model is by no means affiliated with Laurell K. Hamilton's Asher.
Personality: At first, Asher is standoffish and can be downright cruel. Who knows what his personality was like before his scarring, but it’s clear that the damage done by the holy water didn’t just affect him physically. He’s convinced that everyone should be scared of him, disgusted by the scars that mar his otherwise perfect body. When he receives acceptance, it baffles him at first as he’s convinced no one could ever love him for his disfiguration. He’s sure that rejection is all he has to look forward to, so he finds it hard as hell to let anyone into his heart. On top of that, he’s demanding, never content with things being in a grey area. Things are very black and white for him; you either love him or hate him, you’re not allowed to like him or be indifferent.
Although Asher loves Jean-Claude and Anita deeply, he is something of a libertine and seems primarily restrained only by his fear that his scars would cause would be lovers to reject him. The only time he’s been in a stable relationship was when he was with Jean-Claude and Julianna, his human servant. Upon arriving in St. Louis, he fell for Jean-Claude all over again, casting aside his hatred completely once he realized his former companion was not to blame. He even welcomed the tough as nails vampire executioner, Anita, who looked him straight in the face without a flinch, despite his scarring.
One of his favorite pastimes is to speak in French with Jean-Claude, reminiscing about their twenty years together while traveling across Europe. Jean-Claude always called him “mon chardonneret” which means “my goldfinch” in their native tongue. Asher is not one to partake in the modern conveniences that life in the 21st century brings, preferring the simpler things that life in his time had. On his own, he’s a pensive man, one who likes to curl up with a good book by candlelight. He’s loyal to very few, mainly Jean-Claude and their shared lover. Any threat to their safety brings out a fearsome creature, Asher’s true vampiric nature showing its hideous face.
History: Asher was made by Belle Morte (“Beautiful Death”) back in the 1400’s, chosen for his exquisite golden hair and startling icy blue eyes. She was a cruel mistress, already well over a thousand years old when she chose Asher to join her ranks of beautiful vampires. About 10 years later, Lissette brought Jean-Claude over, and he became one of Belle Morte’s favorite playthings. The blond became jealous of his dark-haired counterpart, who had essentially stolen his place. But then Jean-Claude surprised Asher, serving 100 years of servitude to Belle Morte in return for Asher’s freedom, and essentially, his life.
For twenty years, Jean-Claude and Asher traveled Europe, and the blond picked up a human servant, Julianna. The three were lovers, a ménage-a-trois that would be tore apart all too soon. The church captured Asher and Julianna while Jean-Claude was away visiting his dying mother. Julianna was tried as a witch, burned alive at the stake. Because of her ties to Asher, he felt her every pain, could feel the skin curling off her bones as she burned, could hear her screams echoing in his head. Jean-Claude, sensing his lovers’ distress, came back as soon as he could; but it was too late. Julianna was dead; Jean-Claude’s name the last words that spill from her lips, and Asher? Well… the church was convinced that by pouring holy water on him, they could drive the evil from his body, rendering him human. Except holy water is like acid to a vampire, and only served to disfigure him. From then on, the right side of his body resembled melted wax, his beauty forever scarred.
Asher became a master at hiding the damage, wearing his golden hair so it spilled over his right side, keeping his secret until he’s ready to reveal his scars. Jean-Claude fled to America to escape not only the Council, but Asher’s hatred. Not surprisingly, Asher blamed his companion for Julianna’s death, claiming he hadn’t tried hard enough to save their female companion. As the years passed, his power grew, and he obtained the power that makes him a master vampire.
His life until his arrival in St. Louis is a mystery, one he fails to divulge though it can only be assumed that he spent his time with the Council since he arrives as an emissary on behalf of his master, Belle Morte. Before leaving Europe, Asher requested permission to take Anita’s life, as revenge against Jean-Claude for the loss of Julianna. The Council denied his request, knowing what the death of a human servant means to a master vampire and believing that Jean-Claude didn’t deserve that despite his previous involvement with Asher and Julianna.
Anita’s acceptance of his scars, along with Jean-Claude’s sincerest apologies about Asher’s missing human servant, convinced Asher to stay in St. Louis, to serve under his former companion as his lieutenant. The two vampires stayed with Anita part-time, really just living each day at a time. It was on a night of a full moon, curled up in the arms of Jean-Claude in the wee hours that Asher fell asleep, only to wake up on the Crucible, lost and very much confused.
Strengths: All vampires are incredibly strong - capable of lifting cars - and fast as hell. Exceptional hearing and sense of smell are another part of the perks of being a vampire. After a period of time, usually a few centuries, they gain the ability to appear human, even going so far as to smile without showing a hint of fang; yet he can go so perfectly still and silent when necessary. Asher’s old enough that he is capable of flying, though he doesn’t use this ability often except as a means of escape or to cross distances. He’s telepathic, but he only uses it on rare occasions.
Like many of the master vampires of Belle Morte's line, Asher's powers revolve around seduction. His powers are more intimate than those of Belle Morte and Jean-Claude, and seem to center around personal seduction. Asher's ability to roll victims with his eyes is nearly unparalleled, and he is one of the few vampires with the ability to roll Anita, despite her formidable defenses. He is stunningly beautiful, and Anita describes him as having the supernatural power to "fascinate" his victims. Asher's bite is literally orgasmic, to the point where his victims (including Anita) may become literally addicted to his bite, and may experience orgasmic flash-backs hours or days after being bitten. Although Asher cannot draw power from lust like Jean-Claude or Anita, he appears able to draw power from those he has deeply seduced (in this case, only Anita).
Asher is able to play the game as well as any other vampire. After all, he’d been a member of the court for over 600 years. It’s impossible to survive that long without all the intricacies and mind games that come with the power being a master vampire grants. He’s also skilled with a sword, from his days before his “death”.
Weaknesses: Asher is unable to enter anyone’s home without invitation. In terms of the ship, he’ll be unable to enter one’s room without being asked in first. Actual sunlight would cause him to catch fire as vampires are highly flammable; since even the sunlight in the enviro-dome on the ship is artificial, Asher can be awake at all hours if he wishes.
Asher’s a master vampire, so a mere cross will have no effect on him, unless it’s backed up with a hell of a lot of faith. Being shot with silver will slow his supernatural healing to a human’s pace, though a headshot can be fatal if the bullet is big enough. Otherwise, only being decapitated, a stake through the heart, or being set on fire are the only ways to kill a vampire.
He’s not much for combat, to be honest. Vampires aren’t known for their shows of brute strength, but for their mind games. If it came down to it, he is can fight with a sword, but using a gun is out of the question, and hand-to-hand is a joke at best.
Asher represented by Todd Mane. The amazing studly Canadian model is by no means affiliated with Laurell K. Hamilton's Asher.
Personality: At first, Asher is standoffish and can be downright cruel. Who knows what his personality was like before his scarring, but it’s clear that the damage done by the holy water didn’t just affect him physically. He’s convinced that everyone should be scared of him, disgusted by the scars that mar his otherwise perfect body. When he receives acceptance, it baffles him at first as he’s convinced no one could ever love him for his disfiguration. He’s sure that rejection is all he has to look forward to, so he finds it hard as hell to let anyone into his heart. On top of that, he’s demanding, never content with things being in a grey area. Things are very black and white for him; you either love him or hate him, you’re not allowed to like him or be indifferent.
Although Asher loves Jean-Claude and Anita deeply, he is something of a libertine and seems primarily restrained only by his fear that his scars would cause would be lovers to reject him. The only time he’s been in a stable relationship was when he was with Jean-Claude and Julianna, his human servant. Upon arriving in St. Louis, he fell for Jean-Claude all over again, casting aside his hatred completely once he realized his former companion was not to blame. He even welcomed the tough as nails vampire executioner, Anita, who looked him straight in the face without a flinch, despite his scarring.
One of his favorite pastimes is to speak in French with Jean-Claude, reminiscing about their twenty years together while traveling across Europe. Jean-Claude always called him “mon chardonneret” which means “my goldfinch” in their native tongue. Asher is not one to partake in the modern conveniences that life in the 21st century brings, preferring the simpler things that life in his time had. On his own, he’s a pensive man, one who likes to curl up with a good book by candlelight. He’s loyal to very few, mainly Jean-Claude and their shared lover. Any threat to their safety brings out a fearsome creature, Asher’s true vampiric nature showing its hideous face.
History: Asher was made by Belle Morte (“Beautiful Death”) back in the 1400’s, chosen for his exquisite golden hair and startling icy blue eyes. She was a cruel mistress, already well over a thousand years old when she chose Asher to join her ranks of beautiful vampires. About 10 years later, Lissette brought Jean-Claude over, and he became one of Belle Morte’s favorite playthings. The blond became jealous of his dark-haired counterpart, who had essentially stolen his place. But then Jean-Claude surprised Asher, serving 100 years of servitude to Belle Morte in return for Asher’s freedom, and essentially, his life.
For twenty years, Jean-Claude and Asher traveled Europe, and the blond picked up a human servant, Julianna. The three were lovers, a ménage-a-trois that would be tore apart all too soon. The church captured Asher and Julianna while Jean-Claude was away visiting his dying mother. Julianna was tried as a witch, burned alive at the stake. Because of her ties to Asher, he felt her every pain, could feel the skin curling off her bones as she burned, could hear her screams echoing in his head. Jean-Claude, sensing his lovers’ distress, came back as soon as he could; but it was too late. Julianna was dead; Jean-Claude’s name the last words that spill from her lips, and Asher? Well… the church was convinced that by pouring holy water on him, they could drive the evil from his body, rendering him human. Except holy water is like acid to a vampire, and only served to disfigure him. From then on, the right side of his body resembled melted wax, his beauty forever scarred.
Asher became a master at hiding the damage, wearing his golden hair so it spilled over his right side, keeping his secret until he’s ready to reveal his scars. Jean-Claude fled to America to escape not only the Council, but Asher’s hatred. Not surprisingly, Asher blamed his companion for Julianna’s death, claiming he hadn’t tried hard enough to save their female companion. As the years passed, his power grew, and he obtained the power that makes him a master vampire.
His life until his arrival in St. Louis is a mystery, one he fails to divulge though it can only be assumed that he spent his time with the Council since he arrives as an emissary on behalf of his master, Belle Morte. Before leaving Europe, Asher requested permission to take Anita’s life, as revenge against Jean-Claude for the loss of Julianna. The Council denied his request, knowing what the death of a human servant means to a master vampire and believing that Jean-Claude didn’t deserve that despite his previous involvement with Asher and Julianna.
Anita’s acceptance of his scars, along with Jean-Claude’s sincerest apologies about Asher’s missing human servant, convinced Asher to stay in St. Louis, to serve under his former companion as his lieutenant. The two vampires stayed with Anita part-time, really just living each day at a time. It was on a night of a full moon, curled up in the arms of Jean-Claude in the wee hours that Asher fell asleep, only to wake up on the Crucible, lost and very much confused.
Strengths: All vampires are incredibly strong - capable of lifting cars - and fast as hell. Exceptional hearing and sense of smell are another part of the perks of being a vampire. After a period of time, usually a few centuries, they gain the ability to appear human, even going so far as to smile without showing a hint of fang; yet he can go so perfectly still and silent when necessary. Asher’s old enough that he is capable of flying, though he doesn’t use this ability often except as a means of escape or to cross distances. He’s telepathic, but he only uses it on rare occasions.
Like many of the master vampires of Belle Morte's line, Asher's powers revolve around seduction. His powers are more intimate than those of Belle Morte and Jean-Claude, and seem to center around personal seduction. Asher's ability to roll victims with his eyes is nearly unparalleled, and he is one of the few vampires with the ability to roll Anita, despite her formidable defenses. He is stunningly beautiful, and Anita describes him as having the supernatural power to "fascinate" his victims. Asher's bite is literally orgasmic, to the point where his victims (including Anita) may become literally addicted to his bite, and may experience orgasmic flash-backs hours or days after being bitten. Although Asher cannot draw power from lust like Jean-Claude or Anita, he appears able to draw power from those he has deeply seduced (in this case, only Anita).
Asher is able to play the game as well as any other vampire. After all, he’d been a member of the court for over 600 years. It’s impossible to survive that long without all the intricacies and mind games that come with the power being a master vampire grants. He’s also skilled with a sword, from his days before his “death”.
Weaknesses: Asher is unable to enter anyone’s home without invitation. In terms of the ship, he’ll be unable to enter one’s room without being asked in first. Actual sunlight would cause him to catch fire as vampires are highly flammable; since even the sunlight in the enviro-dome on the ship is artificial, Asher can be awake at all hours if he wishes.
Asher’s a master vampire, so a mere cross will have no effect on him, unless it’s backed up with a hell of a lot of faith. Being shot with silver will slow his supernatural healing to a human’s pace, though a headshot can be fatal if the bullet is big enough. Otherwise, only being decapitated, a stake through the heart, or being set on fire are the only ways to kill a vampire.
He’s not much for combat, to be honest. Vampires aren’t known for their shows of brute strength, but for their mind games. If it came down to it, he is can fight with a sword, but using a gun is out of the question, and hand-to-hand is a joke at best.