| Height, 6 ft | Weight, 190 lb |
| Age, 19 | Birthsign, Raven |
"Victor Van Damne." One of the Seven Warlords, ruler of the Valley of Monsters, "Phindaren" and master of Castle Frankenstein. For those who have met him, he presents a welcoming face and for those who earn his ire, has made a point to ensure that they would not do so again. Out of the Seven, he appears the most mysterious and insofar as his goals, no one truly knows. He commands personal loyalty among those who work for him, and it is said that in times when his own people were in danger, to come out and fight himself. Victor Van Damne, is also a lie.
His true name is "Severus of Somnium". The youngest son of the Somnium Royal Family, who vanished off the face of the earth some months back before the war broke out in full. "Victor Van Damne" is merely a persona, an act pulled in order to accomplish what he wants in relative secret. Few know of the truth behind the name, and those that do have thus far kept it much to themselves. One thing for certain however, is that however long Severus keeps the mask on, someday he may never be able to do so again. A disquieting thought, for those who find at odds the ruthlessness of the Dark Warlord against the gentle soul Severus of Somnium was. Whether Severus, or Victor however there will always be several parts that will never change, one of which is how he feels towards Ivonne Constanze whom he loves deeply since he was a student in the Science Guild of Somnium and the deep friendship he has with the mage, Zerin Deimore who has also been a friend since their school days and who is now his second-in-command after retrieving him before he was executed.
As a boy, Severus was afflicted by a plague that ravaged his home realm, and might have died for the lack of healers, all exhausted from attempting to stem back the plague before science saved his life. Medical methods, learned and tried and now applied to the boy and though it left his constitution frail for the important years growing up, it also created a lasting impact on his life in general. Science had fully took his mind over, enamored by gears, wheels and steams in addition to medical knowledge. This was the focus of his life from then on, and under Doctor Maurice of the Science Guild, he learned alongside Tito Devale, Ivonne Constanze and Zerin Deimore though the latter two left when their magical talents revealed themselves and the Mages Guild took over their studies. Still, in those days it was a common thing for Severus to visit the two, sometimes for conversation on things as Elven Architectural Applications to Thaumic Energies, the latter being the subject of a paper he co-wrote with Ivonne Constanze and which is still a standard for both guilds today. As the years continued on however, it was clear that such times could not last forever.
The events that characterized what we refer to as the wars beginning started with an attack upon Prince Julian of the neighboring kingdom, Aurora. Another good friend of Severus and incidentally, betrothed to the woman he loved for reasons political. At their engagement banquet, an assassin attempted to kill Julian and only by the efforts of both Ivonne and Julian was that prevented in time for Julian to survive. Upon which with the aid of friends, they managed to drive away the shape-shifting assassin. Sometime after that, Severus would leave Somnium after a private talk with Ivonne before he left and in a month time, she was married...And Severus gone. Not a word given, not a glimpse seen. He had vanished from the face of the continent and worried, Prince Julian and Bishop Von Constanze searched for him discreetly during the wartime months in between.
As to where he vanished, the following can be summarized thus. Having signed a paper stripping him of his royal rank and privileges to prevent the question of infighting should he ever have felt the urge when the kingdoms Aurora and Somnium would merge, Severus would have been at the lowest point of his life. The place he was assigned to, a cold and lonely valley. Cursed by some power beyond his ken, and with only fellow scientists for company. His royal title which he always took for granted now no longer his, the chance to see his family again slim-to-none. His friends, scattered or otherwise in tasks of their own and burning in his mind, the knowledge that the woman he loved was in the arms of a man he once called friend. It was then the first seeds of revenge took place, and to this end he knew he must learn the Game...And more importantly, arm himself as appropriate.
He summoned a demoness, her name Bascilarinnin Qadi Avci. And made a deal with her to gain her counsel and learn from her in magic and otherwise, for twenty years in exchange for him doing the same for her when the time was done. When she offered to remove the heartache he felt, he re-thought it and decided to keep it. The pain reminding him why he was doing what he was doing now, and that night as the deal was struck he began his first lesson...Which cost him his left eye as payment for wisdom and the strict lesson: "Trust no one." It was not one he would make again readily.
Over time, he managed to attract followers to his cause. Starting with Zerin, who then was about to be executed for reasons of insanity on the front lines. Managing to sneak to the place it would happen in time, he took him back with him to Castle Frankenstein. Tito Devale, now agent of his shadowy brother, "Salazar" was assigned to the castle with instructions to kill should Severus prove "rebellious." Instead, he too threw in his lot with his friend. Others eventually came along....Zahari, a red dragon who Severus fought in single combat and earned his respect. Espio, another exiled royal, fallen from the clouds onto his doorstep. Doctor Elena De Troi, an Elf Noble from Temptation who came with Orc Refugees for sanctuary. Ruken, a Far Eastern Adventurer who thought him evil and attempted to kill him, though instead seeing potential he hired him instead. One after the other, Phindaren prospered and when the time finally came, Victor Van Damne took his place on the world stage and entered the Game. As one of the Seven Warlords, staking his claim and his power.
Recently, this has been tested as mysterious raids from outside his borders from Gargoyles to Dark Elves attack and one of the superpowers turn their eyes towards his little kingdom. What this will mean in the time to come is a mystery yet, and the future itself is always changing with every move of the pieces on the board...
As both Severus of Somnium and Victor Van Damne, it is skill with a sword that he excels in. Mostly light weapons, rapiers to offset his former childhood weakness yet lingering, although with his newest training regime, he now posses the stamina and strength to make up for his deficiencies that prior was only offset by his high dexterity. He also has finally learned the arts arcane and applying his studious habits along with his teachers methods, the results have been more then successful. His familiar(and ward) is a human child-turned-demon named Varan and recently he has taken to guiding in between his time, Doctor Maurice's daughter, Lelia. In Pathfinder format, his classes are Noble/Rogue/Fighter/Wizard.
In between time, he has taken to crafting music boxes and scale models in addition to experimenting with new spells and spars with the guards to keep his body and mind firm and steady. His usual equipment are a Rapier, Lightning Gauntlets and assorted potions and Rogue Tools because old habits die hard.
