Xiphus
05-10-2008, 12:49 PM
Full Name: Xiphus von Tleilax
Nicknames: Xi, Xiph, Scalpel (Deathstalkers codename), Lumbar (after Lumbar Puncture, Scryers codename), Mr. X (Raven Cross codename),‘The Boy in the Second Bedroom on the First Floor’ (as known by his father)
Date of Birth: April the 7th
Age: 16 before he died, 22 when he turned undead
Race: Forsaken
Gender: Male
Hair: Black as human, dark violet as undead
Skin: Fair as human, grayish white as undead
Eyes: Dark brown as a human, glaring yellow as undead
Height: 176cm
Weight: 60kg
Place of residence: Undercity Rogues’ Quarter
Place of Birth: Stratholme
(Presumably) Known Relatives: Vladimir von Tleilax (Father, Deceased), Nero von Tleilax (Elder Brother, Deceased), Florence von Tleilax (Mother, Deceased), Albert McCain (Butler, unofficial guardian, partner in crime, correspondent), Flandre d’Amore (Head Maid, Status Unknown), Matilda (Cornish Rex), Marx (Siamese), various cats, Binky (Skeletal Warhorse), Grendel (windrider).
Religion/Philosophy: Gul’danism (Machiavelli in WoW terms), Shaw Directive (Operations Doctrine)
Occupation: Special (Most of the time, Black) Operative (Deathstalkers, Raven Cross and Scryers), Contract Killer, Apothecary (Royal Apothecary Society), Exterminator and Retriever (Consortium),
Group/Guild affiliation: Royal Apothecary Society, The Deathstalkers, Ravenholdt Manor's League of Assassins (member by name), The Consortium, The Scryers, The Raven Cross
Guild Rank: Crimson Lance
Enemies: Unknown
Likes: Cats, thistle tea, fine dining, clocks, books, his equipment, his work.
Favorite Foods: Grilled Mudfish (due to self-enhancing properties)
Favorite Drinks: Thistle Tea
Favorite Colors: Black, violet.
Weapons of Choice: Daggers, garrote wire, thrown weapons
Dislikes: His family
Hobbies: Fishing, cooking, napping, reading
Physical Features: Slightly decomposed lips which cause him to have a permanent frown on his face. Bones bared around his eyes. Wrinkled skin. Has the appearance of a corpse of a person 16 years of age. Small build.
Special Abilities: Strong willpower (like most Forsaken)
Positive Personality Traits: Has a sense of humor. Takes his work very seriously. Good in keeping his emotions in check. Professional. Practical.
Negative Personality Traits: Tendency of being suspicious of other people. Ruthless. Cynical.
Misc. Quirks: Enjoys fishing, and is really good at fishing. Also an excellent chef. Exhibits bizarre behavior when given free time.
Played by What Famous Person: Nobody
Theme Songs: Kagome Kagome (It's a song from a Japanese's children game)
History:
((Obviously, most people won’t know about this))
Xiphus von Tleilax, was the youngest son of the Tleilaxian Viscountship. The Tleilaxian Viscountship holds control over Andorhal and the outlying farms, introducing their selective breeding program to ensure good harvest. They also moved the family home to Stratholme after the rebuilding of the city after the Second War. It was during the eve of the First War that the family spearheaded the breeding program within the family itself.
Xiphus was considered a failed product. He was born frail and small, with none of the visible desired qualities the family hoped to induce in their offspring. It doesn’t help that Florence von Tleilax died after childbirth due to poor health. While his elder brother was said to possess the fine qualities of his father and some of the better qualities of his mother, Xiphus possessed all the poor qualities of his mother, including his frailty. Due to the shame the family had to have such a failure share the same blood, his existence was never recorded. He wasn’t even named (the name ‘Xiphus’ was a name he chose for himself and crafted by his elder brother to facilitate communication). In other words, he did not officially exist.
Xiphus grew up neglected; his only significant contact was with his brother and the household staffs. His father, Vladimir, neglected him completely in favor of tending to Nero von Tleilax, his elder brother. His elder brother grew up tall, handsome, intelligent and very athletic, while Xiphus, in contrast, was small, frail, and not-as-handsome. However, Xiphus’s meek appearance hides his cunning. In fact, he had been manipulating Nero (whose every aspect of his life was controlled strictly) to foster a festering bitterness towards their father (by pretending to be a kind and understanding younger brother) for years.
The reign of Vladimir von Tleilax marks the beginning of a series of murders. Vladimir was ambitious. While his family holds the title of nobility after the Second War due to contribution of foodstuff to the military, and the service of his grandfather during the war, he was not satisfied. To further his ambition, he has commissioned assassins from outside Stratholme to eliminate his political rivals. He prefers assassins from outside Stratholme, rather than hiring assassins from the local rogue guilds as assassins from outside are much harder to trace.
It was those assassins who noticed Xiphus’s well-hidden cunning, after he nearly manipulated them into killing his father. Promising him a better future, they hoped to bring Xiphus into the fold. Xiphus, who was well aware what this machination will present to his future, was quick to join the assassins. To him, it was the means to bring purpose to his life, and to finally fulfill his lifelong wish to kill his father and destroy the family he so hated. His training began at age 10 and was done in secret.
While still quite small for a boy of his age, his physical training did indeed improve his health and fitness. He also learnt to use weaponry, and to move around in stealth (he practices by sneaking around the mansion to steal some of the finer food his father and elder brother usually consumes. Normally, it was his elder brother who sneaks the food to him). His cunning was tested over and over again, as his many trainers very oftentimes will try to dupe him. Eventually, at age 15, the assassins figured that it would be time to test his skills in live situations and entrusted one of their jobs to him. Ironically, while Xiphus hated his father and his family, he was doing his family a favor by accepting the contract. That was his first kill, and it took him a week to come in terms with the act. The first time is always the most difficult. The assassins took his first kill and his coming of terms to the act as a major success on his part.
After a year, Vladimir von Tleilax noticed that there was an existence of an unknown assassin under his employ. Several of his slain rivals bear hallmarks not of the assassins he hired. After some investigation, he finally discovered that the unknown assassin was Xiphus himself, the failure he tried to forget to have ever existed.
Vladimir had spent years trying to mold Nero into an ideal successor, though with limited success (Nero grew up sheltered). However, Xiphus has accomplished far more than Nero in the space of six years, despite all his perceived flaws. It was also at that time that Xiphus’s cunning was made apparent. All that meekness was but a cover, the child was far more dangerous than he would have expected. Noting that he had showed nothing but neglect and contempt to Xiphus (whom he knew as ‘The Boy in the Second Bedroom on the First Floor’), he feared that it would be a matter of time before Xiphus decided to take revenge. He had the youngest son exiled and his private cartel of assassins disbanded. All these were performed without much fanfare, and nobody else but the family knew of the event. The impact of Xiphus’s exile would plant a wound in Nero (who still had a certain fondness for Xiphus) and the household staffs, who had tended to him personally as though he was one of them. Eventually, he would exploit this wound.
Under the wings of the assassins, now private contractors, Xiphus went ahead and completed more contracts, until he received a contract to terminate his entire family. He took the job gladly, and his entire family perished via wine poisoning (only the household staffs survived). He did so by convincing Nero that he would be free if he were to help Xiphus enter the mansion and access the wine cellar, and after the deed was done, poisoned Nero out of spite. The household staffs also had a hand in helping him getting the job done. Despite being the only member left, Xiphus never bothered to take over the mansion, knowing that due to his lack of records, and the fact that he was the last ‘unofficial’ member of the family, it will raise complications (for example, being persecuted for murder, and complete uproar in the political scene), something he prefer not to face. He had the household staffs’ full cooperation in not disclosing the deed. The fact that he leaves behind very little physical evidence also helps.
A month later, the Plague of Undeath reached Stratholme. Xiphus contracted the Plague and became one of its victims. However, his corpse was not discovered until after the Culling, and he never reanimated. His corpse was recovered by persons unknown and dumped in the Shadow Grave. It took six years before he did reanimate, possessing free will and other hallmarks of a Forsaken.
After establishing a strong enough foothold in Tirisfal Glades, he performed more hits and collected numerous bounties. Eventually, he found himself in Decimate, which was disbanded. He was then accepted into Silvermoon University, where he expanded on his knowledge in poison and learnt alchemy and trained further in his trade. He was eventually expelled for ‘getting on the wrong side’ of Boulderdash, a faculty, and went on with his path, self teaching himself and learning alchemy directly from the Royal Apothecary Society (where he was employed as Junior Apothecary and mentored by more senior Apothecary). He also learnt first aid along the way, and was, eventually, trained to as a trauma surgeon. His knowledge of anatomy served to bolster his effectiveness as a rogue further. Ironically, the knowledge to save was employed to kill.
Eventually, his abilities were noted by the Deathstalkers, and, also noting the lack of any official records of his existence, had him employed as a Black Operative. Not only will he perform tasks of questionable nature (to the Horde, at least) for the Forsaken, the lack of records also ensured ease of deniability should he fail. He was an ideal Black Operative. It was also these qualities that secured him employment in the Scryers, also as a Black Operative.
His first job for the Consortium was also a success, and that was how he was employed into the Consortium as an employee.
Due to the very high paying nature of his contracts, the Deathstalkers, or rather, Varimathras, very oftentimes send him to perform tasks that may as well be considered suicidal. This is party due to justifying the cost of hiring him, and also partly an attempt to get Xiphus killed...again. Unfortunately, none of the attempts worked, and thus, Xiphus was sent to work with the Raven Cross. Varimathras gave up on trying to subtly kill him and decided to make Xiphus the Raven Cross's problem. However, the Raven Cross proved to be a more sensible employer, and Xiphus is glad for the change, despite that he is earning less from them. His contracts with the Deathstalkers had been revised out of necessity (now that the Raven Cross is Xiphus's primary employer): The pay will be distributed in accordance to a certain rate per tasks successfully performed.
Ever since he joined the Raven Cross, he has worked hard to serve the Raven Cross. His duties in the Raven Cross are clandestine in nature, and thus, not many people in the Raven Cross is aware of his existence.
Nicknames: Xi, Xiph, Scalpel (Deathstalkers codename), Lumbar (after Lumbar Puncture, Scryers codename), Mr. X (Raven Cross codename),‘The Boy in the Second Bedroom on the First Floor’ (as known by his father)
Date of Birth: April the 7th
Age: 16 before he died, 22 when he turned undead
Race: Forsaken
Gender: Male
Hair: Black as human, dark violet as undead
Skin: Fair as human, grayish white as undead
Eyes: Dark brown as a human, glaring yellow as undead
Height: 176cm
Weight: 60kg
Place of residence: Undercity Rogues’ Quarter
Place of Birth: Stratholme
(Presumably) Known Relatives: Vladimir von Tleilax (Father, Deceased), Nero von Tleilax (Elder Brother, Deceased), Florence von Tleilax (Mother, Deceased), Albert McCain (Butler, unofficial guardian, partner in crime, correspondent), Flandre d’Amore (Head Maid, Status Unknown), Matilda (Cornish Rex), Marx (Siamese), various cats, Binky (Skeletal Warhorse), Grendel (windrider).
Religion/Philosophy: Gul’danism (Machiavelli in WoW terms), Shaw Directive (Operations Doctrine)
Occupation: Special (Most of the time, Black) Operative (Deathstalkers, Raven Cross and Scryers), Contract Killer, Apothecary (Royal Apothecary Society), Exterminator and Retriever (Consortium),
Group/Guild affiliation: Royal Apothecary Society, The Deathstalkers, Ravenholdt Manor's League of Assassins (member by name), The Consortium, The Scryers, The Raven Cross
Guild Rank: Crimson Lance
Enemies: Unknown
Likes: Cats, thistle tea, fine dining, clocks, books, his equipment, his work.
Favorite Foods: Grilled Mudfish (due to self-enhancing properties)
Favorite Drinks: Thistle Tea
Favorite Colors: Black, violet.
Weapons of Choice: Daggers, garrote wire, thrown weapons
Dislikes: His family
Hobbies: Fishing, cooking, napping, reading
Physical Features: Slightly decomposed lips which cause him to have a permanent frown on his face. Bones bared around his eyes. Wrinkled skin. Has the appearance of a corpse of a person 16 years of age. Small build.
Special Abilities: Strong willpower (like most Forsaken)
Positive Personality Traits: Has a sense of humor. Takes his work very seriously. Good in keeping his emotions in check. Professional. Practical.
Negative Personality Traits: Tendency of being suspicious of other people. Ruthless. Cynical.
Misc. Quirks: Enjoys fishing, and is really good at fishing. Also an excellent chef. Exhibits bizarre behavior when given free time.
Played by What Famous Person: Nobody
Theme Songs: Kagome Kagome (It's a song from a Japanese's children game)
History:
((Obviously, most people won’t know about this))
Xiphus von Tleilax, was the youngest son of the Tleilaxian Viscountship. The Tleilaxian Viscountship holds control over Andorhal and the outlying farms, introducing their selective breeding program to ensure good harvest. They also moved the family home to Stratholme after the rebuilding of the city after the Second War. It was during the eve of the First War that the family spearheaded the breeding program within the family itself.
Xiphus was considered a failed product. He was born frail and small, with none of the visible desired qualities the family hoped to induce in their offspring. It doesn’t help that Florence von Tleilax died after childbirth due to poor health. While his elder brother was said to possess the fine qualities of his father and some of the better qualities of his mother, Xiphus possessed all the poor qualities of his mother, including his frailty. Due to the shame the family had to have such a failure share the same blood, his existence was never recorded. He wasn’t even named (the name ‘Xiphus’ was a name he chose for himself and crafted by his elder brother to facilitate communication). In other words, he did not officially exist.
Xiphus grew up neglected; his only significant contact was with his brother and the household staffs. His father, Vladimir, neglected him completely in favor of tending to Nero von Tleilax, his elder brother. His elder brother grew up tall, handsome, intelligent and very athletic, while Xiphus, in contrast, was small, frail, and not-as-handsome. However, Xiphus’s meek appearance hides his cunning. In fact, he had been manipulating Nero (whose every aspect of his life was controlled strictly) to foster a festering bitterness towards their father (by pretending to be a kind and understanding younger brother) for years.
The reign of Vladimir von Tleilax marks the beginning of a series of murders. Vladimir was ambitious. While his family holds the title of nobility after the Second War due to contribution of foodstuff to the military, and the service of his grandfather during the war, he was not satisfied. To further his ambition, he has commissioned assassins from outside Stratholme to eliminate his political rivals. He prefers assassins from outside Stratholme, rather than hiring assassins from the local rogue guilds as assassins from outside are much harder to trace.
It was those assassins who noticed Xiphus’s well-hidden cunning, after he nearly manipulated them into killing his father. Promising him a better future, they hoped to bring Xiphus into the fold. Xiphus, who was well aware what this machination will present to his future, was quick to join the assassins. To him, it was the means to bring purpose to his life, and to finally fulfill his lifelong wish to kill his father and destroy the family he so hated. His training began at age 10 and was done in secret.
While still quite small for a boy of his age, his physical training did indeed improve his health and fitness. He also learnt to use weaponry, and to move around in stealth (he practices by sneaking around the mansion to steal some of the finer food his father and elder brother usually consumes. Normally, it was his elder brother who sneaks the food to him). His cunning was tested over and over again, as his many trainers very oftentimes will try to dupe him. Eventually, at age 15, the assassins figured that it would be time to test his skills in live situations and entrusted one of their jobs to him. Ironically, while Xiphus hated his father and his family, he was doing his family a favor by accepting the contract. That was his first kill, and it took him a week to come in terms with the act. The first time is always the most difficult. The assassins took his first kill and his coming of terms to the act as a major success on his part.
After a year, Vladimir von Tleilax noticed that there was an existence of an unknown assassin under his employ. Several of his slain rivals bear hallmarks not of the assassins he hired. After some investigation, he finally discovered that the unknown assassin was Xiphus himself, the failure he tried to forget to have ever existed.
Vladimir had spent years trying to mold Nero into an ideal successor, though with limited success (Nero grew up sheltered). However, Xiphus has accomplished far more than Nero in the space of six years, despite all his perceived flaws. It was also at that time that Xiphus’s cunning was made apparent. All that meekness was but a cover, the child was far more dangerous than he would have expected. Noting that he had showed nothing but neglect and contempt to Xiphus (whom he knew as ‘The Boy in the Second Bedroom on the First Floor’), he feared that it would be a matter of time before Xiphus decided to take revenge. He had the youngest son exiled and his private cartel of assassins disbanded. All these were performed without much fanfare, and nobody else but the family knew of the event. The impact of Xiphus’s exile would plant a wound in Nero (who still had a certain fondness for Xiphus) and the household staffs, who had tended to him personally as though he was one of them. Eventually, he would exploit this wound.
Under the wings of the assassins, now private contractors, Xiphus went ahead and completed more contracts, until he received a contract to terminate his entire family. He took the job gladly, and his entire family perished via wine poisoning (only the household staffs survived). He did so by convincing Nero that he would be free if he were to help Xiphus enter the mansion and access the wine cellar, and after the deed was done, poisoned Nero out of spite. The household staffs also had a hand in helping him getting the job done. Despite being the only member left, Xiphus never bothered to take over the mansion, knowing that due to his lack of records, and the fact that he was the last ‘unofficial’ member of the family, it will raise complications (for example, being persecuted for murder, and complete uproar in the political scene), something he prefer not to face. He had the household staffs’ full cooperation in not disclosing the deed. The fact that he leaves behind very little physical evidence also helps.
A month later, the Plague of Undeath reached Stratholme. Xiphus contracted the Plague and became one of its victims. However, his corpse was not discovered until after the Culling, and he never reanimated. His corpse was recovered by persons unknown and dumped in the Shadow Grave. It took six years before he did reanimate, possessing free will and other hallmarks of a Forsaken.
After establishing a strong enough foothold in Tirisfal Glades, he performed more hits and collected numerous bounties. Eventually, he found himself in Decimate, which was disbanded. He was then accepted into Silvermoon University, where he expanded on his knowledge in poison and learnt alchemy and trained further in his trade. He was eventually expelled for ‘getting on the wrong side’ of Boulderdash, a faculty, and went on with his path, self teaching himself and learning alchemy directly from the Royal Apothecary Society (where he was employed as Junior Apothecary and mentored by more senior Apothecary). He also learnt first aid along the way, and was, eventually, trained to as a trauma surgeon. His knowledge of anatomy served to bolster his effectiveness as a rogue further. Ironically, the knowledge to save was employed to kill.
Eventually, his abilities were noted by the Deathstalkers, and, also noting the lack of any official records of his existence, had him employed as a Black Operative. Not only will he perform tasks of questionable nature (to the Horde, at least) for the Forsaken, the lack of records also ensured ease of deniability should he fail. He was an ideal Black Operative. It was also these qualities that secured him employment in the Scryers, also as a Black Operative.
His first job for the Consortium was also a success, and that was how he was employed into the Consortium as an employee.
Due to the very high paying nature of his contracts, the Deathstalkers, or rather, Varimathras, very oftentimes send him to perform tasks that may as well be considered suicidal. This is party due to justifying the cost of hiring him, and also partly an attempt to get Xiphus killed...again. Unfortunately, none of the attempts worked, and thus, Xiphus was sent to work with the Raven Cross. Varimathras gave up on trying to subtly kill him and decided to make Xiphus the Raven Cross's problem. However, the Raven Cross proved to be a more sensible employer, and Xiphus is glad for the change, despite that he is earning less from them. His contracts with the Deathstalkers had been revised out of necessity (now that the Raven Cross is Xiphus's primary employer): The pay will be distributed in accordance to a certain rate per tasks successfully performed.
Ever since he joined the Raven Cross, he has worked hard to serve the Raven Cross. His duties in the Raven Cross are clandestine in nature, and thus, not many people in the Raven Cross is aware of his existence.