Post by Benjamin Behrouz on Dec 8, 2008 16:15:59 GMT -1
Character Name:
Benjamin T. M. Behrouz
An Iranian name, at least in part. There is much more to it, but Benjamin keeps some of his name secret to avoid any faeries getting their hands on his full name.
Species:
Human, slightly gifted but otherwise uninteresting.
Age, Gender:
Male, somewhere between 30 and forty years old.
Description:
Benjamin's Middle Eastern heritage is pretty obvious in his facial features. He is of average height, around 5'7, and leanly built. His skin is darker than average and his eyes are black. His hair looks like it ought to be mostly dark brown, but it is streaked through with enough gray to be salt-and-pepper instead. He is not especially scarred or battered, as he does his best to avoid the kind of fights where that happens..Benjamin either goes in to be killed or to win, not to get cut up.
He dresses neatly, usually in business-type wear in neutral colors. Once in a while Benjamin will dress more casually, but this is unusal. His hair is always cut short and he conducts himself like a typical businessman, illegal drugs or no illegal drugs. It is fairly common to see him with at least one bodyguard, but even if these are somehow missing on should look out..a man like Benjamin can't afford to go unarmed. He doesn't carry weapons out in the open, but Benjamin always has at least a pistol on him and sometimes even more than that.
Benjamin is a smoker, and can often be seen with a lit cigarette. For this reason he of course smells strongly of smoke all the time. He owns a dog, a large german shepherd that is either a pet, guard dog, or both combined, and is occasionally seen with it.
Being an average human, Benjamin only has one shape to call his own. This is fortunate. Who knows what he'd do with another one?
Personality:
Proud, arrogant, and coldly ferocious on the outside. To most humans, Benjamin would be the kind of man one doesn't mess with. He appears to have little concern for other people (not entirely accurate) and to believe that he is the most important person in the world (that would be true.) Of course, he runs much deeper than just this. The aloof, calculating act Benjamin puts forward is merely a cover for a much more unreasonable personality.
Although he may act like he doesn't care, Benjamin actually does. Well, mostly. He'll do anything for a certain type of person, and he puts himself forward according to some strict personal code of morals, but some people Benjamin won't even look at. A brave man he will respect and maybe even like. A coward or weakling Benjamin finds disgusting, and the same for the sort of common thieves one finds picking pockets around London. Certainly Benjamin is a thief as well, but at least when he steals he does it with style, not skulking around in the dark.
In fact, Benjamin's entire life is mainly about making an impression. Without his act, he'd be exactly what he is..a proud man, more a product of the last century than he is this one, who just doesn't know how to give up and move on. The cold, uncaring part would be gone, leaving nothing but a man desperate to be noticed..
History:
Born 11 July, 198-something, in Boston Mass. U.S.A. Father David Behrouz. Although he lives in London, Benjamin is actually a US citizen. His father came from Iran during the fifties and his mother is native to California. The exact line of work of his father is unknown, although he may have been a warlock of some skill..Benjamin's earliest memories are of djinni and minor demons being summoned in the living room. His mother, Jill Behrouz, was a secretary. Neither of Benjamin's parents had much effect on his life or nature, as his father died of mysterious circumstances (devoured by demon?) when he was six and his mother was rarely at home. Benjamin lived his own life from an early age, taking home various honors throughout his public schooling days but never becoming especially popular or even interesting. He entered the University of Massachussets under scholarship at eighteen to study business.
It appeared that Benjamin had, even then, a plan for the rest of his life. His warlock father had left Benjamin various 'gifts', most useless - David Behrouz had apparently hoped his only child would have some magical talent or interest. Benjamin, however, showed no inclination to involve himself in the dark arts. He did, nevertheless, make use of one of his father's little gifts..an innocent-looking map, which, when rubbed, produced a djinni This, of course, was inclined to give him three wishes, and Benjamin used what he had wisely. Unfortunately he didn't pay much attention to the type of djinn his father had so helpfully provided. Safe to say he didn't get exactly what he thought he might.
His first wish, for the means to become the greatest man in the world, was granted over a long time. The result was the leader of a drug-smuggling company for some reason deeding his entire estate and assets to a twenty-two-year-old Business graduate.
Benjamin's next desire was to know everything he could about his father's bizarre world of magic and strange beasts. The result, in the demon's typically roundabout way, was a library stocked with books of magic, bestiaries, and artifacts of the mysterious nature. Unfortunately, it happened to be a library belonging to the ghost of one of Benjamin's unknown ancestors. He couldn't just take a book. All sorts of rules and regulations are involved, and if Benjamin doesn't follow them religiously..goodbye library.
(It's difficult to tell whether this was the twist on the wish, or whether it's that Benjamin has to keep the library in its own building due to the size of his collection..not to mention the armed guards required to keep it protected. All at great personal expense, of course.
Maybe it's both.)
Benjamin seemed to be happy with this..the final wish he saved for a moment of dire need, and has not used up to this day.
Next came the hard work, from taking over his own company and making his mark on the world of crime and murder..and the other, hidden one of magic animals and supernatural bizzarros. The former proved harder than the latter, as it took nearly fifteen years for Benjamin to take control of one of the world's largest smuggling cartels. This is his steadiest source of income, as he indirectly makes profits from the illegal movements of everything from exotic animals to hard drugs, and anything in between. Getting his company a rite of secure passage, so to speak, in the worlds of magic proved more difficult. Fortunately Behrouz stumbled across a sleeping dragon. Amongst the super-precious jewels, ancient weapons, and priceless artifacts Benjamin snuck in and helped himself to he discovered an apparently plain and boring sword. He wasn't sure why it caught his eye, but Benjamin had long ago learned to trust his instincts about making a profit. He took the weapon with him. For a while, he kept in it the library in hopes that it would turn out to be Excalibur or something. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Somewhere in his library, Benjamin probably has a book that identifies it as the sword of Lucifer. He might even find said book if his ghostly great-aunt didn't make him pay for library use by the hour, in cash. As it is, he doesn't have nearly enough time (or five-dollar bills) to spare going over his oversized and in-depth collection. Instead, Benjamin has merely assumed that it's an uncommonly well-preserved, but uninteresting, historical artifact. It's currently stored somewhere on his property, most likely the same high-security vault as the rest of the stuff he stole from the dragon's treasure horde.
Well, Benjamin isn't exactly happy with his place yet. Maybe he's gotten overconfident. But it would seem that his next project is to make himself a big-shot not just in crime, and not just in the world as mortals see it..he wants some modicum of control in the magical world too. He sees it as sticking up for his own against the demons, fae, and vampires that prey on the humans without them ever noticing. It could be that he even think he's a hero of some kind.
How he plans to do this is unknown. It will probably involve a whole lot of bluffing, for the time being. Still, an apparently innoucous (although very rich) human being having so much knowledge of a world that's supposed to be secret ought to raise eyebrows somewhere.
He expects one or more of the supernatural heroes and supervillians to turn up on his doorstep before too long.
Due to the fact that he's wanted by every law enforcement agency there is in the States, from the FBI to the Boston P.D., Benjamin currently lives in London as a way to avoid legal tangles. He could, of course, get out of any problems if he was arrested, but it would take a long time. Therefore, he is staying out of country where, at least, local police won't be able to arrest a US citizen. How he got in country is a little more complicated, and involved disguises, handfuls of money, and calling in a few favors. And a private plane.
Powers/Training/Experience/weaknesses:
He's a normal human. Not any more worse at fighting than others, but wouldn't stand up to a werewolf without some military-grade weaponry on hand. No magic whatsoever, aside from a touch of precognition. He can somehow tell when things get dangerous, but that's about all. Not even enough to discover ten minutes into the future.
He's familiar with the Unseen World (see history,) but B. Behrouz can't do much regarding it. His political and magical assets don't even appear to chalk up to a mildly powerful warlock's, much less those of a demon or the Vatican.
Well, except for the small matter of owning one of the world's largest smuggling cartels. There is that.
Family/Ties:
Parents, Jill and David Behrouz. Benjamin has no siblings. His father, at least, is dead.
Benjamin's loyalties lie with his own company, although he expects other parties to take interest in him before too long. After that, he'll decide who (if anyone) he wants to throw in his lot with.
RP Sample:
A full moon hung overhead, lighting up the way for a black car. Unmarked, headlights off, apparently completely empty - it would be difficult to tell who was inside if that wasn't a completely null question. The only kind of person who would be vain enough to tail with a Ferrari Enzo had to be no kind of person at all. Like, say, a vampire. Demons didn't need to use cars and werewolves, right now, would be in no condition to drive 300 grand of V-12.
Completely pathetic. I glanced out the mirror and nodded to my driver. He turned down a one-way street and right again. The Enzo disappeared from the mirror. I kept an eye behind us anyway. Either Mr. Millions was a terrible tail or this was a trick of some kind.
The car didn’t reappear, and I began to get ever so faintly..nervous, maybe? It almost seemed like we were supposed to go this way. The driver seemed to be thinking the same thing. That was, of course, his job. He slowed to a crawl along the side of the road. A residential street. Nobody was awake at this time of night, of course. I usually wouldn’t be either, but some of my ‘clients’ would only meet me at midnight for unknown reasons. No, they weren’t bloodsuckers or preternatural monsters. Just paranoid.
Something moved in the darkness. I narrowed by eyes and squinted into the shadows created by the houses. A pool of moonlight, a jagged shadow looming out from a dark house. There was definitely something in there. I didn’t think it was a vamp. They tended to stand in the middle of the street and let you come. No..not a vampire.
I glanced up at the moon. The man in the driver’s seat did the same thing. He didn’t know what I was thinking about. Of course he didn’t..this man was a straight and narrow sort of guy. His knowledge of the supernatural was fairly limited, and, even if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have believed any of it. Most likely he figured the Enzo was a fairly stupid and rich assassin. Or he knew it was a trap.
Of course it was a trap.
The vampire (that had to be what it was) tricked us onto this street. The werewolf (or wolves) jump out at us. Boom, no more Benjamin Behrouz. I’d never heard of wolves and vampires working together, but it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it seemed to be happening. Say, now.
Just then, nine feet tall of hairy man-beast slunk (slunk) out of a fenceless backyard and into the middle of the road. The driver’s response was automatic. He did a 180, spun the tires, and took off the way we’d come. I checked the mirror as we roared off to see the creature pause, evidently surprised, and then leap onto all four paws and follow us with a bizarre, lolloping gait. I wasn’t worried. There wasn’t much chance of even a supernatural, super-sized wolf catching us. The vamps weren’t the only players around here that happened to possess fast cars. Mine, of course, was a little less flashy than the Enzo, but only a little.
200 horses shuddered under the hood and picked up. We tore off. The wolf-thing began to get small in the distance.
Then a black Enzo appeared out of nowhere, roaring up the two-way street on the right side. We could probably outpace it, but it was much more permanent to just get rid of the car. And with two black cars..seemed very unlikely that werewolf could tell the difference. Maserati, Ferrari..they all looked the same to an animal.
“Slow down and stop,” said I. The driver glanced at me and then back at the window. The expression on his face suggested that I was crazy, but he stepped on the gas. Our car slowed. The Enzo kept going before the vampire realized where we’d gone. The werewolf, meanwhile, got back into sight and thundered toward us all slavery-jawed and red of eye. I folded my arms as we came to a halt and waited.
The Enzo returned first, coming back the other way at top speed. It screeched to a stop next to us . Both I and my driver caught the gleam of metal from inside. Probably a gun. He glanced at me, noted the calm expression on my face, and stayed where he was..although a little nervously.
The Ferrari’s window rolled down and the person inside poked a small pistol out the window. He never did get a chance to fire it, though..
Two-foot-wide paws arrived out of nowhere and landed with a crash on top of the Enzo, smashing the hood in under five-hundred of wolf. I nodded to my driver, and he took the hint. We roared away again, leaving wolf and vampire to fight it out over the remains of three-hundred thousand dollars of scrap metal. I smiled slightly.
All in a day’s work.
Keyword: full moon
Benjamin T. M. Behrouz
An Iranian name, at least in part. There is much more to it, but Benjamin keeps some of his name secret to avoid any faeries getting their hands on his full name.
Species:
Human, slightly gifted but otherwise uninteresting.
Age, Gender:
Male, somewhere between 30 and forty years old.
Description:
Benjamin's Middle Eastern heritage is pretty obvious in his facial features. He is of average height, around 5'7, and leanly built. His skin is darker than average and his eyes are black. His hair looks like it ought to be mostly dark brown, but it is streaked through with enough gray to be salt-and-pepper instead. He is not especially scarred or battered, as he does his best to avoid the kind of fights where that happens..Benjamin either goes in to be killed or to win, not to get cut up.
He dresses neatly, usually in business-type wear in neutral colors. Once in a while Benjamin will dress more casually, but this is unusal. His hair is always cut short and he conducts himself like a typical businessman, illegal drugs or no illegal drugs. It is fairly common to see him with at least one bodyguard, but even if these are somehow missing on should look out..a man like Benjamin can't afford to go unarmed. He doesn't carry weapons out in the open, but Benjamin always has at least a pistol on him and sometimes even more than that.
Benjamin is a smoker, and can often be seen with a lit cigarette. For this reason he of course smells strongly of smoke all the time. He owns a dog, a large german shepherd that is either a pet, guard dog, or both combined, and is occasionally seen with it.
Being an average human, Benjamin only has one shape to call his own. This is fortunate. Who knows what he'd do with another one?
Personality:
Proud, arrogant, and coldly ferocious on the outside. To most humans, Benjamin would be the kind of man one doesn't mess with. He appears to have little concern for other people (not entirely accurate) and to believe that he is the most important person in the world (that would be true.) Of course, he runs much deeper than just this. The aloof, calculating act Benjamin puts forward is merely a cover for a much more unreasonable personality.
Although he may act like he doesn't care, Benjamin actually does. Well, mostly. He'll do anything for a certain type of person, and he puts himself forward according to some strict personal code of morals, but some people Benjamin won't even look at. A brave man he will respect and maybe even like. A coward or weakling Benjamin finds disgusting, and the same for the sort of common thieves one finds picking pockets around London. Certainly Benjamin is a thief as well, but at least when he steals he does it with style, not skulking around in the dark.
In fact, Benjamin's entire life is mainly about making an impression. Without his act, he'd be exactly what he is..a proud man, more a product of the last century than he is this one, who just doesn't know how to give up and move on. The cold, uncaring part would be gone, leaving nothing but a man desperate to be noticed..
History:
Born 11 July, 198-something, in Boston Mass. U.S.A. Father David Behrouz. Although he lives in London, Benjamin is actually a US citizen. His father came from Iran during the fifties and his mother is native to California. The exact line of work of his father is unknown, although he may have been a warlock of some skill..Benjamin's earliest memories are of djinni and minor demons being summoned in the living room. His mother, Jill Behrouz, was a secretary. Neither of Benjamin's parents had much effect on his life or nature, as his father died of mysterious circumstances (devoured by demon?) when he was six and his mother was rarely at home. Benjamin lived his own life from an early age, taking home various honors throughout his public schooling days but never becoming especially popular or even interesting. He entered the University of Massachussets under scholarship at eighteen to study business.
It appeared that Benjamin had, even then, a plan for the rest of his life. His warlock father had left Benjamin various 'gifts', most useless - David Behrouz had apparently hoped his only child would have some magical talent or interest. Benjamin, however, showed no inclination to involve himself in the dark arts. He did, nevertheless, make use of one of his father's little gifts..an innocent-looking map, which, when rubbed, produced a djinni This, of course, was inclined to give him three wishes, and Benjamin used what he had wisely. Unfortunately he didn't pay much attention to the type of djinn his father had so helpfully provided. Safe to say he didn't get exactly what he thought he might.
His first wish, for the means to become the greatest man in the world, was granted over a long time. The result was the leader of a drug-smuggling company for some reason deeding his entire estate and assets to a twenty-two-year-old Business graduate.
Benjamin's next desire was to know everything he could about his father's bizarre world of magic and strange beasts. The result, in the demon's typically roundabout way, was a library stocked with books of magic, bestiaries, and artifacts of the mysterious nature. Unfortunately, it happened to be a library belonging to the ghost of one of Benjamin's unknown ancestors. He couldn't just take a book. All sorts of rules and regulations are involved, and if Benjamin doesn't follow them religiously..goodbye library.
(It's difficult to tell whether this was the twist on the wish, or whether it's that Benjamin has to keep the library in its own building due to the size of his collection..not to mention the armed guards required to keep it protected. All at great personal expense, of course.
Maybe it's both.)
Benjamin seemed to be happy with this..the final wish he saved for a moment of dire need, and has not used up to this day.
Next came the hard work, from taking over his own company and making his mark on the world of crime and murder..and the other, hidden one of magic animals and supernatural bizzarros. The former proved harder than the latter, as it took nearly fifteen years for Benjamin to take control of one of the world's largest smuggling cartels. This is his steadiest source of income, as he indirectly makes profits from the illegal movements of everything from exotic animals to hard drugs, and anything in between. Getting his company a rite of secure passage, so to speak, in the worlds of magic proved more difficult. Fortunately Behrouz stumbled across a sleeping dragon. Amongst the super-precious jewels, ancient weapons, and priceless artifacts Benjamin snuck in and helped himself to he discovered an apparently plain and boring sword. He wasn't sure why it caught his eye, but Benjamin had long ago learned to trust his instincts about making a profit. He took the weapon with him. For a while, he kept in it the library in hopes that it would turn out to be Excalibur or something. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Somewhere in his library, Benjamin probably has a book that identifies it as the sword of Lucifer. He might even find said book if his ghostly great-aunt didn't make him pay for library use by the hour, in cash. As it is, he doesn't have nearly enough time (or five-dollar bills) to spare going over his oversized and in-depth collection. Instead, Benjamin has merely assumed that it's an uncommonly well-preserved, but uninteresting, historical artifact. It's currently stored somewhere on his property, most likely the same high-security vault as the rest of the stuff he stole from the dragon's treasure horde.
Well, Benjamin isn't exactly happy with his place yet. Maybe he's gotten overconfident. But it would seem that his next project is to make himself a big-shot not just in crime, and not just in the world as mortals see it..he wants some modicum of control in the magical world too. He sees it as sticking up for his own against the demons, fae, and vampires that prey on the humans without them ever noticing. It could be that he even think he's a hero of some kind.
How he plans to do this is unknown. It will probably involve a whole lot of bluffing, for the time being. Still, an apparently innoucous (although very rich) human being having so much knowledge of a world that's supposed to be secret ought to raise eyebrows somewhere.
He expects one or more of the supernatural heroes and supervillians to turn up on his doorstep before too long.
Due to the fact that he's wanted by every law enforcement agency there is in the States, from the FBI to the Boston P.D., Benjamin currently lives in London as a way to avoid legal tangles. He could, of course, get out of any problems if he was arrested, but it would take a long time. Therefore, he is staying out of country where, at least, local police won't be able to arrest a US citizen. How he got in country is a little more complicated, and involved disguises, handfuls of money, and calling in a few favors. And a private plane.
Powers/Training/Experience/weaknesses:
He's a normal human. Not any more worse at fighting than others, but wouldn't stand up to a werewolf without some military-grade weaponry on hand. No magic whatsoever, aside from a touch of precognition. He can somehow tell when things get dangerous, but that's about all. Not even enough to discover ten minutes into the future.
He's familiar with the Unseen World (see history,) but B. Behrouz can't do much regarding it. His political and magical assets don't even appear to chalk up to a mildly powerful warlock's, much less those of a demon or the Vatican.
Well, except for the small matter of owning one of the world's largest smuggling cartels. There is that.
Family/Ties:
Parents, Jill and David Behrouz. Benjamin has no siblings. His father, at least, is dead.
Benjamin's loyalties lie with his own company, although he expects other parties to take interest in him before too long. After that, he'll decide who (if anyone) he wants to throw in his lot with.
RP Sample:
A full moon hung overhead, lighting up the way for a black car. Unmarked, headlights off, apparently completely empty - it would be difficult to tell who was inside if that wasn't a completely null question. The only kind of person who would be vain enough to tail with a Ferrari Enzo had to be no kind of person at all. Like, say, a vampire. Demons didn't need to use cars and werewolves, right now, would be in no condition to drive 300 grand of V-12.
Completely pathetic. I glanced out the mirror and nodded to my driver. He turned down a one-way street and right again. The Enzo disappeared from the mirror. I kept an eye behind us anyway. Either Mr. Millions was a terrible tail or this was a trick of some kind.
The car didn’t reappear, and I began to get ever so faintly..nervous, maybe? It almost seemed like we were supposed to go this way. The driver seemed to be thinking the same thing. That was, of course, his job. He slowed to a crawl along the side of the road. A residential street. Nobody was awake at this time of night, of course. I usually wouldn’t be either, but some of my ‘clients’ would only meet me at midnight for unknown reasons. No, they weren’t bloodsuckers or preternatural monsters. Just paranoid.
Something moved in the darkness. I narrowed by eyes and squinted into the shadows created by the houses. A pool of moonlight, a jagged shadow looming out from a dark house. There was definitely something in there. I didn’t think it was a vamp. They tended to stand in the middle of the street and let you come. No..not a vampire.
I glanced up at the moon. The man in the driver’s seat did the same thing. He didn’t know what I was thinking about. Of course he didn’t..this man was a straight and narrow sort of guy. His knowledge of the supernatural was fairly limited, and, even if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have believed any of it. Most likely he figured the Enzo was a fairly stupid and rich assassin. Or he knew it was a trap.
Of course it was a trap.
The vampire (that had to be what it was) tricked us onto this street. The werewolf (or wolves) jump out at us. Boom, no more Benjamin Behrouz. I’d never heard of wolves and vampires working together, but it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it seemed to be happening. Say, now.
Just then, nine feet tall of hairy man-beast slunk (slunk) out of a fenceless backyard and into the middle of the road. The driver’s response was automatic. He did a 180, spun the tires, and took off the way we’d come. I checked the mirror as we roared off to see the creature pause, evidently surprised, and then leap onto all four paws and follow us with a bizarre, lolloping gait. I wasn’t worried. There wasn’t much chance of even a supernatural, super-sized wolf catching us. The vamps weren’t the only players around here that happened to possess fast cars. Mine, of course, was a little less flashy than the Enzo, but only a little.
200 horses shuddered under the hood and picked up. We tore off. The wolf-thing began to get small in the distance.
Then a black Enzo appeared out of nowhere, roaring up the two-way street on the right side. We could probably outpace it, but it was much more permanent to just get rid of the car. And with two black cars..seemed very unlikely that werewolf could tell the difference. Maserati, Ferrari..they all looked the same to an animal.
“Slow down and stop,” said I. The driver glanced at me and then back at the window. The expression on his face suggested that I was crazy, but he stepped on the gas. Our car slowed. The Enzo kept going before the vampire realized where we’d gone. The werewolf, meanwhile, got back into sight and thundered toward us all slavery-jawed and red of eye. I folded my arms as we came to a halt and waited.
The Enzo returned first, coming back the other way at top speed. It screeched to a stop next to us . Both I and my driver caught the gleam of metal from inside. Probably a gun. He glanced at me, noted the calm expression on my face, and stayed where he was..although a little nervously.
The Ferrari’s window rolled down and the person inside poked a small pistol out the window. He never did get a chance to fire it, though..
Two-foot-wide paws arrived out of nowhere and landed with a crash on top of the Enzo, smashing the hood in under five-hundred of wolf. I nodded to my driver, and he took the hint. We roared away again, leaving wolf and vampire to fight it out over the remains of three-hundred thousand dollars of scrap metal. I smiled slightly.
All in a day’s work.
Keyword: full moon
