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Full Name: Siegmund Sylvester Heissenrech
Race: Other, shadow witch
If Other, provide a description of how they differ from humans:
A shadow witch has mastery over shadows, but Siegmund is only just developing his powers, untrained, ignorant of his abilities, and completely unskilled. His abilities are limited to:
- Being able to see in the dark, even absolute darkness. Because of this, his eyes glow (not brightly, but enough to tell)
- Blending into and hiding in shadows (except his eyes still glow, so you can see him if you're looking closely)
- Moving inanimate objects through shadows, as long as he has line of sight between point of origin and destination (he can only do this with small objects for now)
- Shadow control, forcing someone else to move or not move by controlling their shadow. Locking someone in place is easy but forcing them to move is very difficult, and either can be resisted by sheer willpower. It doesn't take a whole lot to resist at this point, and he can't make it last very long.
He has a very poor working capacity and can't do very much before tiring out. It will improve with practice.
The darker and more distinct shadows are, the easier they are to use. While he can become basically invisible in a dark room, he can't use his shadow control because people won't be casting shadows to control.
Bright light breaks his concentration, working as a distracting agent like something buzzing in your ear. It affects regular brainpower as well as magic, making it easier for him to think when the light is dim and leaving him muddled and unfocused when it's bright.
Occupation: Thief; Member of Signifer Gladio
Faction, if applicable: None. Works for Lady Rapier
Reputation & rumors: His friendship with a member of the Whispers has led to some rumours that he's actually a spy in Lady Rapier's gang, working for Jai.
He's a wealthy runaway. He is secretly a prince or duke's son or some other manner of noble from a foreign country. He's actually rich but just likes being part of a gang.
Among the Gladios he has a reputation as "that quiet creepy kid" and is known to be a decent catburglar. He's also known to break into homes and just steal coats, which gives him a bit of a reputation as an eccentric.
Age: 18
Birthday: November 27th
Birth Location: Holy Roman Empire
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 140lb
PB: Edogawa Takeru (Akuma de Sourou)
History: The Heissenrechs are a rather eccentric noble family in the Holy Roman Empire with a well-kept secret: they are a long line of shadow witches. Their powers are passed down like a genetic illness, from generation to generation, and children are only told the family secret once their powers begin to manifest. It keeps the secret from getting out to people who don't absolutely need to know.
Siegmund's particular branch of the family is a bit unique. His father was the second son, and, having no responsibilities toward the title, ran off with the love of his life, a Jewish merchant's daughter, not caring that it got him stripped of his title. This put Siegmund in the unique position of being a Jew in the middle of the Holy Roman Empire.
Despite this, his childhood was sheltered. He grew up with parents who were loving but distant, and a younger sister named Katja that he adored despite visiting upon her the torment expected of all elder siblings. Even without his claim to the nobility, his family had enough money to keep themselves very comfortable, and he never went wanting for anything.
Unfortunately, Jews and Catholics don't get along, and trying to live comfortably as a Jewish family in the middle of the Holy Roman Empire was not meant to last. Siegmund doesn't like to think on the details, but his family was attacked, his home razed, and he barely managed to make it out alive. He has memories of his father doing everything in his power to get Siegmund and Katja out, practically melting into the shadows to run and hide them away, but they're followed by memories of his father falling.
He doesn't know what happened to Katja. Maybe she made it out. Maybe she didn't. He never saw her after that. What happened next was a lot of hiding, and a scared fourteen-year-old trying his best to survive with no idea how and nothing to work with. The first thing he did was get as far from town as he could. Maybe he could find his relatives, but the Jewish side would be in just as much danger and the noble side would scorn him, so those ideas didn't last long. At some point he decided that the best thing for him to do would be get out of the HRE's domain, find someplace a Jew could be safe.
There were no Christians in Balfour, he learned, so that became his goal. He snuck his way onto caravans, and slowly made his way there. When he made it inside the country's borders, he quickly realized he was only slightly better off there. Sure, they didn't persecute him for his faith, but he had no money and no skills and survival was just as difficult here as it would be anywhere else. He learned how to steal and pick pockets, out of neccessity more than anything else, and lived on his own as a street rat in the outskirts of Balfour.
He never stayed in one place for long. Once he came upon the gates of Tyrol he realized he'd been slowly drifting toward it with each move between cities. He found himself staying at the Grounds, where it seemed nobody noticed one more homeless pickpocket lurking in the alleys.
He ended up falling in with Signifer Gladio, the dominant gang running the Grounds. It was a lucky break, and for the first time since he'd lost his home and family, he finally felt like he belonged somewhere.
Now, after three years with Signifer Gladio, Siegmund's powers as a shadow witch have begun to manifest, but he has no idea of the dark secret kept by his family.
Personality: Seigmund is a very morbid person, and while you might be inclined to blame that on his traumatic past and current life, it's actually a long-standing personality trait in his family. Heissenrechs are just morbid people. They joke about death and find humour in the macabre. He is always deadpanning elaborate lies about ghosts and monsters and Bad Things Lurking In The Dark, and quite frankly he does not give a fuck because he thinks freaking people out is hilarious.
He comes off as apathetic, and does his best to keep that up. He doesn't care about a lot of things, except he cares an awful lot about looking like he doesn't care. There are some things he does care very passionately about, like his collection of coats or his art, but he keeps these close to his heart. Especially his art. He is an avid painter and he pours his soul into it, which also means he won't show anybody his serious work unless he really trusts them and knows they'll be able to appreciate it for what it is.
Siegmund tries to put up this image of an aloof, stone-cold, untouchable badass. He's not, though. Underneath all his fronting, he's just a teenager. He's pissy and easily frustrated, he bounces back quickly but bitches endlessly in the meantime, he feels out of place and misunderstood. Underneath his veneer of apathy, Siegmund is actually a very angry person with no outlet for it but his art.
Despite all appearances, he is also very devout about his faith. He tries to observe shabbat (not always possible with the life he leads), and tries to keep kosher (ditto). He keeps a star of david around his neck, hidden under his shirt. It's his mother's, the only thing he has of his family.
The conflict between the Hour and the Citadel means little to him. For him, Tyrol exists on a micro level. What happens in the upper echelons of the city might affect him indirectly, but he only cares about what happens in the Grounds--what affects him directly.
Humans can be just as dangerous as any Other, and he's equally wary of both. He does, however, think Others are great in concept, and has always secretly wished he was one. Finding out he actually is, however, might not be such a welcome discovery. It's cool, but completely unexpected, means he's not human, means he's not anything he thought he was, will throw him headfirst into a conflict he wanted no part of--it will basically shake his foundation to realize he's an Other, despite having wished for it.
Appearance: Siegmund is a very pretty young man with soft features and eyelashes most women would kill to have. He hates it, kind of wishes he could collect some cool scars to mar it all up, but is too afraid of pain to get himself into any situations where it would be a given. His hair is jet black and unkempt, but just the right sort of unkempt to look wild and reckless. His eyes were brown once, but slowly lightened as he got older, now having settled on a topaz sort of colour that reflects light much like a cat's eyes. Oh, and they glow in the dark.
He has a strong fondness for eccentric or fancy coats and, sadly, most of them are stolen. He does wear a coat pretty much everywhere, but if he's not dressed a certain way (ie not like somebody who has to steal their clothes) then he runs a risk of getting stopped and accused of theft while wearing any of the fancier ones. He tries to stick to the simple ones when he goes out.
His affluent upbringing never quite left him, and he does the best he can to keep himself clean, well-dressed, and presentable. He doesn't usually look like a street-rat at a glance. All the better, because it makes him seem slightly more trustworthy and slightly less likely to get caught simply due to lack of suspicion.
His German accent never quite left him either and still comes through strong, despite his fluency in English. He does trip over linguistic differences occasionally, choosing words that sound unnatural to a native speaker, or stumbling over false cognates. Even though he's fluent, it is easy to tell he's foreign.
Languages Known: English, German, Hebrew (literate + fluent in all three); a sort of pidgin sign language developed between himself and a friend
Skills: Sneaking, stealing, painting, an eye for fashion, his developing shadow powers, he is a mediocre pickpocket but a decent catburglar
Strengths: He has always been good at blending into the shadows (in a metaphorical sense), his art, emotional resilience, a stubbornness of the Get Stuff Done variety
Weaknesses: Flower allergies 8'( , bright light, his friendship with a rival gang member, his complete lack of knowledge about what he is and what he can do, low endurance for how much magic he can do at a time, snazzy coats GOD THE COATS, on some level he's still a spoiled rich kid who gets fed up with not getting what he wants and gets bitter about life being hard, he is completely grossed out by anything having to do with sex, and he might...maybe...possibly...have a fear of creepy dolls but he will deny it to his dying day.
Race: Other, shadow witch
If Other, provide a description of how they differ from humans:
A shadow witch has mastery over shadows, but Siegmund is only just developing his powers, untrained, ignorant of his abilities, and completely unskilled. His abilities are limited to:
- Being able to see in the dark, even absolute darkness. Because of this, his eyes glow (not brightly, but enough to tell)
- Blending into and hiding in shadows (except his eyes still glow, so you can see him if you're looking closely)
- Moving inanimate objects through shadows, as long as he has line of sight between point of origin and destination (he can only do this with small objects for now)
- Shadow control, forcing someone else to move or not move by controlling their shadow. Locking someone in place is easy but forcing them to move is very difficult, and either can be resisted by sheer willpower. It doesn't take a whole lot to resist at this point, and he can't make it last very long.
He has a very poor working capacity and can't do very much before tiring out. It will improve with practice.
The darker and more distinct shadows are, the easier they are to use. While he can become basically invisible in a dark room, he can't use his shadow control because people won't be casting shadows to control.
Bright light breaks his concentration, working as a distracting agent like something buzzing in your ear. It affects regular brainpower as well as magic, making it easier for him to think when the light is dim and leaving him muddled and unfocused when it's bright.
Occupation: Thief; Member of Signifer Gladio
Faction, if applicable: None. Works for Lady Rapier
Reputation & rumors: His friendship with a member of the Whispers has led to some rumours that he's actually a spy in Lady Rapier's gang, working for Jai.
He's a wealthy runaway. He is secretly a prince or duke's son or some other manner of noble from a foreign country. He's actually rich but just likes being part of a gang.
Among the Gladios he has a reputation as "that quiet creepy kid" and is known to be a decent catburglar. He's also known to break into homes and just steal coats, which gives him a bit of a reputation as an eccentric.
Age: 18
Birthday: November 27th
Birth Location: Holy Roman Empire
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 140lb
PB: Edogawa Takeru (Akuma de Sourou)
History: The Heissenrechs are a rather eccentric noble family in the Holy Roman Empire with a well-kept secret: they are a long line of shadow witches. Their powers are passed down like a genetic illness, from generation to generation, and children are only told the family secret once their powers begin to manifest. It keeps the secret from getting out to people who don't absolutely need to know.
Siegmund's particular branch of the family is a bit unique. His father was the second son, and, having no responsibilities toward the title, ran off with the love of his life, a Jewish merchant's daughter, not caring that it got him stripped of his title. This put Siegmund in the unique position of being a Jew in the middle of the Holy Roman Empire.
Despite this, his childhood was sheltered. He grew up with parents who were loving but distant, and a younger sister named Katja that he adored despite visiting upon her the torment expected of all elder siblings. Even without his claim to the nobility, his family had enough money to keep themselves very comfortable, and he never went wanting for anything.
Unfortunately, Jews and Catholics don't get along, and trying to live comfortably as a Jewish family in the middle of the Holy Roman Empire was not meant to last. Siegmund doesn't like to think on the details, but his family was attacked, his home razed, and he barely managed to make it out alive. He has memories of his father doing everything in his power to get Siegmund and Katja out, practically melting into the shadows to run and hide them away, but they're followed by memories of his father falling.
He doesn't know what happened to Katja. Maybe she made it out. Maybe she didn't. He never saw her after that. What happened next was a lot of hiding, and a scared fourteen-year-old trying his best to survive with no idea how and nothing to work with. The first thing he did was get as far from town as he could. Maybe he could find his relatives, but the Jewish side would be in just as much danger and the noble side would scorn him, so those ideas didn't last long. At some point he decided that the best thing for him to do would be get out of the HRE's domain, find someplace a Jew could be safe.
There were no Christians in Balfour, he learned, so that became his goal. He snuck his way onto caravans, and slowly made his way there. When he made it inside the country's borders, he quickly realized he was only slightly better off there. Sure, they didn't persecute him for his faith, but he had no money and no skills and survival was just as difficult here as it would be anywhere else. He learned how to steal and pick pockets, out of neccessity more than anything else, and lived on his own as a street rat in the outskirts of Balfour.
He never stayed in one place for long. Once he came upon the gates of Tyrol he realized he'd been slowly drifting toward it with each move between cities. He found himself staying at the Grounds, where it seemed nobody noticed one more homeless pickpocket lurking in the alleys.
He ended up falling in with Signifer Gladio, the dominant gang running the Grounds. It was a lucky break, and for the first time since he'd lost his home and family, he finally felt like he belonged somewhere.
Now, after three years with Signifer Gladio, Siegmund's powers as a shadow witch have begun to manifest, but he has no idea of the dark secret kept by his family.
Personality: Seigmund is a very morbid person, and while you might be inclined to blame that on his traumatic past and current life, it's actually a long-standing personality trait in his family. Heissenrechs are just morbid people. They joke about death and find humour in the macabre. He is always deadpanning elaborate lies about ghosts and monsters and Bad Things Lurking In The Dark, and quite frankly he does not give a fuck because he thinks freaking people out is hilarious.
He comes off as apathetic, and does his best to keep that up. He doesn't care about a lot of things, except he cares an awful lot about looking like he doesn't care. There are some things he does care very passionately about, like his collection of coats or his art, but he keeps these close to his heart. Especially his art. He is an avid painter and he pours his soul into it, which also means he won't show anybody his serious work unless he really trusts them and knows they'll be able to appreciate it for what it is.
Siegmund tries to put up this image of an aloof, stone-cold, untouchable badass. He's not, though. Underneath all his fronting, he's just a teenager. He's pissy and easily frustrated, he bounces back quickly but bitches endlessly in the meantime, he feels out of place and misunderstood. Underneath his veneer of apathy, Siegmund is actually a very angry person with no outlet for it but his art.
Despite all appearances, he is also very devout about his faith. He tries to observe shabbat (not always possible with the life he leads), and tries to keep kosher (ditto). He keeps a star of david around his neck, hidden under his shirt. It's his mother's, the only thing he has of his family.
The conflict between the Hour and the Citadel means little to him. For him, Tyrol exists on a micro level. What happens in the upper echelons of the city might affect him indirectly, but he only cares about what happens in the Grounds--what affects him directly.
Humans can be just as dangerous as any Other, and he's equally wary of both. He does, however, think Others are great in concept, and has always secretly wished he was one. Finding out he actually is, however, might not be such a welcome discovery. It's cool, but completely unexpected, means he's not human, means he's not anything he thought he was, will throw him headfirst into a conflict he wanted no part of--it will basically shake his foundation to realize he's an Other, despite having wished for it.
Appearance: Siegmund is a very pretty young man with soft features and eyelashes most women would kill to have. He hates it, kind of wishes he could collect some cool scars to mar it all up, but is too afraid of pain to get himself into any situations where it would be a given. His hair is jet black and unkempt, but just the right sort of unkempt to look wild and reckless. His eyes were brown once, but slowly lightened as he got older, now having settled on a topaz sort of colour that reflects light much like a cat's eyes. Oh, and they glow in the dark.
He has a strong fondness for eccentric or fancy coats and, sadly, most of them are stolen. He does wear a coat pretty much everywhere, but if he's not dressed a certain way (ie not like somebody who has to steal their clothes) then he runs a risk of getting stopped and accused of theft while wearing any of the fancier ones. He tries to stick to the simple ones when he goes out.
His affluent upbringing never quite left him, and he does the best he can to keep himself clean, well-dressed, and presentable. He doesn't usually look like a street-rat at a glance. All the better, because it makes him seem slightly more trustworthy and slightly less likely to get caught simply due to lack of suspicion.
His German accent never quite left him either and still comes through strong, despite his fluency in English. He does trip over linguistic differences occasionally, choosing words that sound unnatural to a native speaker, or stumbling over false cognates. Even though he's fluent, it is easy to tell he's foreign.
Languages Known: English, German, Hebrew (literate + fluent in all three); a sort of pidgin sign language developed between himself and a friend
Skills: Sneaking, stealing, painting, an eye for fashion, his developing shadow powers, he is a mediocre pickpocket but a decent catburglar
Strengths: He has always been good at blending into the shadows (in a metaphorical sense), his art, emotional resilience, a stubbornness of the Get Stuff Done variety
Weaknesses: Flower allergies 8'( , bright light, his friendship with a rival gang member, his complete lack of knowledge about what he is and what he can do, low endurance for how much magic he can do at a time, snazzy coats GOD THE COATS, on some level he's still a spoiled rich kid who gets fed up with not getting what he wants and gets bitter about life being hard, he is completely grossed out by anything having to do with sex, and he might...maybe...possibly...have a fear of creepy dolls but he will deny it to his dying day.