Night School Stuff
One character's backstory is down. Actually, it was a fun ride, considering I started out with a vague date and a location and managed to research myself right into a storyline.
Started with: Germany, 1400
Ended with: Bohemia, circa 930
So, so totally not what I thought I would end up with. However, the story is more interesting and dynamic. I don't know if Julian's backstory will make it into the main story in its entirety, or if I'll do it as a spinoff.
Oooh, this thing is growing out of control on its own. I love when stories do that.
Everything except for the characters of Julian and Juliana is true, yo. Gotta love historical drama.
Julian is currently enrolled in the art program at Northlands University. Initially, not much is known about him except that he is a vampire and pretty old. He tends to run to the goofy end of things, but the typical cocky/arrogant vampire personality does shine through from time to time.
He was born Celestin in 912 in Beroun, Bohemia (now the Cezch Republic) to Spitignev (son of Duke Borijov and Duchess Ludmilla, the first Christian rulers of Bohemia) and Juliana. Upon Borijov's death in 894, Spitignev's older brother Vratislav became Duke of Bohemia. Vratislav married Drahomira, and they had two sons, Wenceslas and Boleslav, twins who were born in 908. Of the entire royal family, all were Christian except for Drahomira and her son Boleslav.
Spitignev was killed in battle in 914, when Celestin was two years old. Juliana died a year later at the age of 21. Celestin was then raised by his grandmother, Ludmilla, at Tetin Castle in the city of Beroun. He spent his childhood with his cousin, Wenceslas, who was also being raised by Ludmilla, and they became very close. In 920, Vratislav died, and Ludmilla became Regent for thirteen-year-old Wenceslas, who was heir to the throne. This angered Drahomira, who wanted Bohemia to return to its former pagan ways. In 921 Drahomira had Ludmilla assasinated by strangulation and assumed the Regency herself. This was a very tense time for Celestin, for his allies in the pagan court were few and unlike Wenceslas, he held very little power or the potential for power. In 925, Wenceslas, then eighteen, assumed the throne and exiled his mother. He and Celestin remained close and were never far apart. Neither married.
In 935, Wenceslas was assasinated by his brother Boleslav by being hacked to pieces in front of his church in Stara Boleslav. Celestin, then twenty-three, was witness to the whole thing and was badly wounded in the skirmish. Although he barely escaped with his life, he did manage to escape, stealing one of Boleslav's men's horses and riding as far as he could out of the city.
By the time night fell, Celestin was in pretty bad shape. Even though Wenceslas had been dead by the time he escaped, Celestin felt guilty for leaving his side. He pulled over to the side of the road and turned his horse loose, preparing to die.
He was found by Ahren, a German vampire, and turned by him. Celestin returned to Germany with him, since there was nothing left for him at that point in Bohemia. He did return briefly in 967 to kill Boleslav. At this point, the country had become part of the Byzantine Empire, so Celestin felt he was free to take his revenge without plunging the country into a civil war. He has not returned to the region since.
Shortly after Boleslav's death, Celestin took the name Julian, after his mother. He traveled extensively and put his life in Bohemia behind him as well as he was able. While he has become a powerful vampire, and has committed acts of cruelty in his life, he still hasn't gotten over the violent deaths of Ludmilla and Wenceslas, and carries that pain with him deep in his heart. However, he covers it up with an entirely different persona, and few people know about his past. One of them is Thrasius, another vampire and a contemperary of Ahren. Ahren has since died, but Thrasius is still around and will probably show up in the main Night School storyarc.
Started with: Germany, 1400
Ended with: Bohemia, circa 930
So, so totally not what I thought I would end up with. However, the story is more interesting and dynamic. I don't know if Julian's backstory will make it into the main story in its entirety, or if I'll do it as a spinoff.
Oooh, this thing is growing out of control on its own. I love when stories do that.
Everything except for the characters of Julian and Juliana is true, yo. Gotta love historical drama.
Julian is currently enrolled in the art program at Northlands University. Initially, not much is known about him except that he is a vampire and pretty old. He tends to run to the goofy end of things, but the typical cocky/arrogant vampire personality does shine through from time to time.
He was born Celestin in 912 in Beroun, Bohemia (now the Cezch Republic) to Spitignev (son of Duke Borijov and Duchess Ludmilla, the first Christian rulers of Bohemia) and Juliana. Upon Borijov's death in 894, Spitignev's older brother Vratislav became Duke of Bohemia. Vratislav married Drahomira, and they had two sons, Wenceslas and Boleslav, twins who were born in 908. Of the entire royal family, all were Christian except for Drahomira and her son Boleslav.
Spitignev was killed in battle in 914, when Celestin was two years old. Juliana died a year later at the age of 21. Celestin was then raised by his grandmother, Ludmilla, at Tetin Castle in the city of Beroun. He spent his childhood with his cousin, Wenceslas, who was also being raised by Ludmilla, and they became very close. In 920, Vratislav died, and Ludmilla became Regent for thirteen-year-old Wenceslas, who was heir to the throne. This angered Drahomira, who wanted Bohemia to return to its former pagan ways. In 921 Drahomira had Ludmilla assasinated by strangulation and assumed the Regency herself. This was a very tense time for Celestin, for his allies in the pagan court were few and unlike Wenceslas, he held very little power or the potential for power. In 925, Wenceslas, then eighteen, assumed the throne and exiled his mother. He and Celestin remained close and were never far apart. Neither married.
In 935, Wenceslas was assasinated by his brother Boleslav by being hacked to pieces in front of his church in Stara Boleslav. Celestin, then twenty-three, was witness to the whole thing and was badly wounded in the skirmish. Although he barely escaped with his life, he did manage to escape, stealing one of Boleslav's men's horses and riding as far as he could out of the city.
By the time night fell, Celestin was in pretty bad shape. Even though Wenceslas had been dead by the time he escaped, Celestin felt guilty for leaving his side. He pulled over to the side of the road and turned his horse loose, preparing to die.
He was found by Ahren, a German vampire, and turned by him. Celestin returned to Germany with him, since there was nothing left for him at that point in Bohemia. He did return briefly in 967 to kill Boleslav. At this point, the country had become part of the Byzantine Empire, so Celestin felt he was free to take his revenge without plunging the country into a civil war. He has not returned to the region since.
Shortly after Boleslav's death, Celestin took the name Julian, after his mother. He traveled extensively and put his life in Bohemia behind him as well as he was able. While he has become a powerful vampire, and has committed acts of cruelty in his life, he still hasn't gotten over the violent deaths of Ludmilla and Wenceslas, and carries that pain with him deep in his heart. However, he covers it up with an entirely different persona, and few people know about his past. One of them is Thrasius, another vampire and a contemperary of Ahren. Ahren has since died, but Thrasius is still around and will probably show up in the main Night School storyarc.