Character Application - Bartholomew Ellsworth

[drowking]

PLAYER QUESTIONS:

- Do you have any prior experience with Requiem? If so, please detail when (and what characters, if desired) you previously played?

Yes, I play Magnus Empyrean here.


- How did you hear about Requiem?

Friends.


CHARACTER QUESTIONS:

- What will your character’s name be?

Bartholomew Ellsworth


- Please briefly describe the physical attributes of your character, including age, looks, height, weight and any notable features:

Bart is 25 years old, tall, with a strong physique. His vivid green eyes contrast with his red hair. Despite his young age, he maintains a serious, stoic expression, his lips usually pursed into a thin line. He always wears a necklace with a silver pendant shaped to the likeness of a cross. Upon closer inspection, one would notice it's actually a sword with scales hanging from the cross-guard - the symbol of the Church of Decus. He is quiet, observant and never misses a chance to cite Creationis.


- Please provide a few short paragraphs with pertinent details or notable qualities of your character’s history. This does not have to be exhaustive nor revealing of any information you wish to keep secret:

Bart's mother (Bartholomya) was amidst the refugees who flooded Redholme fleeing from Torment outbreaks in other territories (Western, in her case). She managed to find work as a servant in one of the Prelacy Parishes, the Galgarie's. Unfortunately, her youth and exotic airs captivated the patriarch of the house, who took advantage of her. She got pregnant from the episode.

Naturally, the patriarch ordered a guard to kill her, but the guard couldn't kill a pregnant woman. He helped her escape to Pontufex Hill, where the Parish guards and members would have less of a chance to find her. There, Arianna found asylum and work in one of the churches. For her luck, the old decusian priest who presided the temple, Father Ellsworth, favored the Compassion virtue and let her stay after hearing her story.

The child's birth was very complicated. Arianna screamed in agony throughout the labor, which happened in the very church. The priest was astonished that her sweat felt so hot, almost like boiling water. She inexplicably passed away after giving birth, but the child - a boy - survived somehow. The priest took that as a sign from Decus and took the boy under his care. The priest named him after his mother and granted him his own surname: Bartholomew Ellsworth.

Bart grew in Pontufex Hill, raised by the priest as a novice. The boy grew immersed in the stories of The Old. His favorites were: Creationis, the Teachings of the Virtues and, above all, the tales of Randamus, the first martyr of mankind. Those stories shaped his moral and principles, and forged an unrelenting faith within his heart and soul.

Bart never knew a thing about his mother or his father. The priest never revealed these details to him. Whenever the boy inquired about his parents, Father Ellsworth would tell him the Archangels are the fathers of all humans. If the boy insisted, then he'd say Bart was found in basket, in the church's steps. "Decus placed you there, my boy, my miracle". That became Bart's personal fantasy throughout his childhood.


- Briefly state your character’s intentions or motivations for entering the First Province:

Bartholomew never intented to go to the First Province. It was Father Ellsworth's idea.

The young man had been training martial combat. Inspired by the decusian epics and by Decus' sacrifice itself, Bart desired to join the Venerated Templars to fight for the church. His knight training would be interrupted when a rumour would reach the Galgarie's patriarch, that his bastard son still lived somewhere in Pontufex Hill, inside Redholme municipality itself, for all these years. When Father Ellsworth witnessed the Galgarie guards searching local temples, no doubt with the Archbishop's permission, he knew he had to act fast. To protect the young man, the priest arranged transportation and a visa for him, then sent him to the last place the Galgaries would dare to search: the First Province.

When Bart inquired why he was being sent away, the priest's response resonated like a mission bestowed upon him by Decus himself: "As a missionary, my boy, my miracle. What better place to put your skills, your heart and your courage to the test, than the First Province? They need strong men like you, but true strength lies in faith and resolution, and you lack neither. Go and be the light in that darkness. A flame shining so bright that it will rekindle the virtues in the soul of men and fend off the vices that lurk in the darkest corners of our minds." Saying that, Father Ellsworth took off his silver necklace, with the Church of Decus symbol, and handed it to Bartholomew. "Here, take this with you. To guard you and to remind you of me. Go, my boy. One day, perhaps, we shall meet again..."


- Scenario Response:

Bartholomew walked forward with intent. He made sure to pull his necklace out of his shirt, so the officiant could see it. Before the man could speak, Bart showed him the Visa with the stamp of the church.

"Church business in the province?", asked the man.

"But after what could only be counted as eons, the Mason again stirred with discontent; for his most beloved children, the Archangels, sought to tend to their creations of animals, plants and Men rather than convene and parlay with the Mason, leaving their father to reign over the Heavens in lonesome solitude", answered Bartholomew.

The officiant looked at him oddly.

"What?"

"Creationis, IV:2", said Bart. "If our Fathers, the Archangels, were willing to turn their backs on the Mason himself to tend for us, why should we not follow in their steps and tend for our fellow brethren? I'm not a member of the church yet, but I don't have to be to care. We all can do Decus' biding, guided by light and virtue. That is my business here."

The officiant almost seemed confused. Then he shook his head and stepped aside.

"Whatever you say, pal. You seem to already have a stamp from the Church. That is all that matters to me. Go ahead and tend for all you want. Welcome to the First Province."

[Coty]

Congratulations, adventurer! Your application is...

Approved!

Please ensure that your character name is spelled correctly upon exiting the Songmaker's chambers. A GM will approve your character at their earliest convenience.

Welcome to Requiem!