Fleshing out your Nightbane character...
 

Leading Up to the Change

How old are you?

• How old are you now? How many years has it been since your change to a Nightbane?
• Defining how old you are and how old your were when the first change occurred is important in determining how you reacted to the change and have changed and grown since.
• Nightbane do not manifest their "true" forms until at least puberty and almost always before the age of 24 years.

What was your family life like? Did you have one?

• Did your "parent(s)" care for you as their own child? Were you moved around from foster home to foster home? Did you run away from home?
• Do you know that they are not your real parents?
• It is not known why, but all Nightbane turn out to be orphans. Maybe your childhood was ideal and you grew up believing that your guardians were your real parents. Maybe you don't care that they are not your real parents because they have become the family you needed anyway. Perhaps you never really fit in anyway and your "parents" did their best (or not) but things didn't work out well. Maybe one or both of them subconsciously knew there was something different about you and treated you cruelly.
• Your life growing up will determine a lot about personality. How well did you get along with other children your age? Did you have a lot of casual friends or a few close friends?

Had you witnessed anything you couldn't explain until your change?

• Did you see something that you just could not forget or that you rationalized as something else until after your change? Did this make you paranoid? Did it encourage you to seek out as much knowledge as possible? Do you think that you now know all there is to know because you have discovered "the other side"?

Becoming One of the Nightbane

When did you discover what you were?

• Was it in a fight with the school bully? Had you had enough of your father's abuse? Were you in an accident and needed to save yourself and the others in the car? Were you discovered by the servants of the Nightlords first? If so, how did you escape and did you have help?

How did you react to the change and what you had become?

• Did you believe you had become a demon, a monster, or an angel? Did you think you were dead or having a nightmare?
• Were there witnesses and how did they react? Was anyone hurt or killed? Did you care about them?
• Was it during, before or after Dark Day? How do you explain your existence? Do you believe that, whatever you are, your change has a reason; a purpose? How do you believe you use your Talents?

Who and what did you care about?

• Who was important to you and are they still? Are the people you care about now your greatest enemy because of what you are now or are they that much dearer because they are one of the few that didn't run screaming from you and know what you are? What were your hobbies?

After the Change

Do you continue to lead a normal life?

• Do you still interact with humans you knew before your change? Do you have a job or still go to school? Do any humans know what you are? What do they think of it? Does your superstitious grandfather watch you constantly to make sure you make no moves to hurt your family? Is your little sister keeping it a secret? Does your (ex) girl/boyfriend avoid you at all costs? How did you deal with society in the past and how has that changed?

Did you have a mentor?

• Did someone find you during or after your change to instruct you? What were they like and did they color your perceptions? What do you think of them now?
• Maybe you didn't have a mentor. Maybe you just figured out as much as you could until an opportunity came along to learn from someone.

What motivates you?

• What guides your life? What do you seek? The truth? Excitement and adventure? Revenge? Do you wish you had never changed? Do you revel in your newfound power and strength?
• Are you motivated to do something particular now that drives you onward? How is this different from what motivated you before your change? Do you strive to regain your humanity because you don't like the monster you've become? Are you wandering aimlessly or depressed frequently because you have no real motivation.

Where did you come by your skills?

• Most of your skill s will have come from pre-Nightbane knowledge (school, job, etc.) or from knowledge you have gained as a result of your new existence. Does someone in the group (or a mentor) teach you an unusual skill or ability? Is there a cultural reason for any of your abilities? Do you have a hobby?

How do you view your Morphus and Facade forms?

• Do you view your Morphus form as being your true self? Your darker side? Do you view your Façade as a necessity? A cocoon? Your humanity? When in a situation where you have a choice, which form do you prefer? Do you like the more powerful form?

Emotions, Idiosyncrasies & Quirks

Loves & Fears

• The greatest of things define a person's perspective as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
• What is your greatest fear? Is it from childhood or more recent? What memories would flash into your mind should that fear be triggered?
• What is your greatest love? Is it the love of a person? Perhaps it is the love of flight or some other freedom?

Little Things People Remember You By

• Quirks add interest and remembrance to your personality. Maybe you hum constantly. Do you answer yes/no questions with nods and shakes, or grunts and "mm-hmm"s? Do you sing out-of-key until someone tells you to stop? Playing with hair or showing great care for animals, music or art are good examples. These are the sorts of things that tend to pop to mind when thinking about someone... be they good or bad things.

How do you view other supernatural creatures?

• Do you even know about Vampires, Guardians, the Nightlords, other Nightbane, etc.? If so, what are your views on each of them? Are they potential or definite allies, enemies, both?

Dark Day

What did you do during Dark Day?

• Did you see any "monsters" (other than yourself if you changed during or before Dark Day)? If you were in Morphus form during Dark Day were your seen and perhaps hunted? Were you attacked by anything that wasn't human?

What did you believe to be the cause of Dark Day?

• Did you think it was the End of the World? Did you notice immediately or later on? Were you in an area that had electricity? If so, did you watch TV?

Practitioners of Magic

When did you first show your magical potential?

• When did you first learn that you had magical powers? What were the circumstances surrounding it? How did you feel about it?

What do you think of your powers?

• Where do you think the magical powers came from? A gift from God/Satan or some other greater power? From within yourself? Granted by an object you carry with you? Not all mages will believe that they are just fueling the effects from within their own minds. Does this change your perspective on life?

Does magic change the way you view other people?

• Does the use of magic and possession of magical knowledge make you feel superior? Do you see yourself as Chosen? Are others there only to serve you?

What do you want/need to do with magic?

• Do you see yourself as being given this gift for a particular purpose? Is there something you want to accomplish? Will you use your power frivolously or not?