Noctavigant

All of the following is horribly outdated and mostly incorrect. I won't take the time to correct it, since I don't expect anyone to read it. -Noct

Noctavigant, or Aleksander, as was his birthname (Born 1662 Imp. calender in Svartsjuk, Norsca - deceased 1681 on The Night of The Restless Dead in his home town)

Aleksander:
Aleksander was a young man with gentle and even elegant features. His body was skinny from life in poverty, but showed signs of muscle due to having worked his whole life. His hair was completely white and he showed no signs of facial hair. His eyes were bright blue, much like the cloak he would usually wear.

Noctavigant:
In the years where Noctavigant was dominant, Aleksander's appearance changed to include pitch black eyes and sickly rather than elegant features. As Noctavigant his fangs grew out of proportions, always clearly visible between his white lips.

Birth and early life
Aleksander grew up in Svartsjuk, a former Imperial colony in Norsca. Though no records of his family or the other citizens remain, it can be read in My Travels with Magnar (Tristere, 2524 Imp. Calender) that many of the citizens had white hair similar to Aleksander's, though this was more than 860 years later.

No records surronding Aleksander's early life exist, but from what little we have, it is to be believed that he had a 'regular' childhood. It is claimed by some that he was raised in a fisher's family, though these sources are hardly deemed trustworthy.

Death and burial
On the Night of The Restless Dead also known as Geheimnisnacht year 1681, Aleksander was brutally murdered. The exact circumstances are not known, but Gabrielle Tristere, author of My Travels With Magnar, claims that he was slain by a vampire of the Strigoi family. How she would have come about this information is not know, though it is speculated she shared an intimate relationship with him sometime during her travels around the old world and the confrontation with Archaon the Everchosen.

As the city of Svartsjuk holds records of being assaulted by the undead in that year, it seems likely that Aleksander was not buried after his death. Like many of the citizens who did not flee fast enough to get inside the castle, his body went missing on that fateful night and he was never seen again. Or so it should have been.

Following the night of horror several statues were erected around the city to keep the undead out of it. According to records the city suffered no more at the hands of the undead, though several females went missing the following year. Legends of a silver haired ghost child also floruished during the time, but nothing was ever found. At some point several years later, the remains of a vampire was found mutilated in front of what was at that point known as the Gold Chamber, a chamber dedicated to the Sun Queen.

Early Afterlife
As it has been proven by his long life span, claims of him drinking blood and his resistance to final death, Aleksander had infact been turned into a vampire. Who was behind this curse is unknown, but the vampire killed outside the Gold Chamber could very possibly have been Aleksander's sire. Aleksander is described to being some sort of a free spirit, so it is not unlikely that he killed his master. The circumstances surrounding Aleksander's death might also give clues. After the Night of The Restless Dead, a man described as looking like the dead Aleksander was spotted talking to himself near one of the statues meant to keep the undead at bay. This specific statue had the upper body of a woman, a young one that had unfortunately been killed during the night of Aleksander's death. It it also noted that the statue was originally made with silver eyes to represent the dead woman's strange eye colour, but the observer noticed that the eyes had gone missing by the time the stranger disappeared.

It is believed that Aleksander left his hometown soon after, either to avoid harming more people or to see others of his kind. Only Aleksander himself knows his exact route and reason.

The Queen of Silver Pinnacle claims to have had the young man living there for a while. Even though she sensed some danger related to him and was ultimately forced to "...send him away". She mentions something about him being a spy from the Von Carstein family, but rejects any more enquiries.

Sources regarding Aleksander's mask, known as the Image, tells that he drew its secrets from a ring he had been granted earlier. The noticable part is that both the key and the mask are linked to the Von Carstein family. It is rumored that one of the great counts helped him forge the artifacts, or in the case of the Image: reforge. Though Aleksander is spotted together with Mannfred von Carstein during the second invasion of Archaon, their relationship is not known. Gabrielle Tristere claims that they were die-hard enemy, but it is hard to believe as that would put Aleksander in Sylvania during the rule of Vlad von Carstein, since Konrad von Carstein had no ability to manipulate magic at all. If not another unknown Von Carstein had a hand in it, which seems unlikely as most were killed during the battles in the Wars of the Vampire Counts.

At some point during these long travels, Aleksander took on the name the Bretonnians had given him:

Noctavigant
Under the guise of Noctavigant, The Night Wanderer, he travelled even further and joined up with Rick after Rick's companion, Pier Notker, had left to guard The Red Duke in his grave. At this point (Est. 1932 Imp calender) he was wearing the ring forged together with the Von Carsteins, which kept his Strigoi side from showing.

During their travels Aleksander lost the ring temporarily deep beneath the sands of old Khemri, or Land of the Dead, as it is now called. During this time his appearance was changed to that of a slender figure showing muscle, bone and extruding sinews from beneath the holes of missing skin. He got his ring back, but vowed to find a way to hide his ugliness forever.

During the year 1934 Imp. calender, Rick, funded an expedition northward. Aleksander and Rick almost reached Albion, fought giants and other strange creatures. Some records claim that Aleksander had seasickness during the journey, which would be quite an astounding feat, considering that vampires are beyond death, and therefore beyond sickness. The reason might have to do with his life before undeath, and be related to mental scars, rather than actual sickness.

During these travels it would seem he picked up some knowledge about smithing and iron works, for records of his actions after that time often attributes him with strange weaponry and a gauntlet that seemingly destroys magic, though there is no records surrounding the origin of these items.

As he returned to the old world he sought old contacts, and together with them he created a ritual that would reforge his ring into an The Image. The materials needed for the ritual are listed below, as they are not deemed a threat with or without the mask. A record tells of a white haired armourless vampire fighting at the Battle of Blood Keep (year 1946 Imp calender), though it is uncertain if this was Aleksander.
 * A certain type of herbs meant to cure insanity. Or perhaps just a trinket believed to cure insanity?
 * Bronze helmet. It is not known if the material matters.
 * Blood or mercury. The use of mercury makes The Image poisionous to humans.
 * Lantern lit on a night of evil. It is not specified what exactly a 'night of evil' is.
 * A godly symbol. Unknown purpose.

Rick dies in the year of 1988 Imp. calender, and Aleksander leaves him and his newfound state in the Border Princes for good.

Around the year 2000-2010 Imp. calender he arrives in Mordheim, for a rather short stay. It is unknown if he serves Vlad von Carstein in his gathering of warpstone before the Vampire Wars.

It is known that a mad vampire from the damned city of Mordheim claims to have met the mysterious Aleksander and spent time with him. Their relationship did not last however. She claims he was not of "the right mind", but the circumstances of his departure leaves room for interpretation.

In the years after leaving Mordheim he travels through Sylvania. What exactly his purpose was is unknown, but sometime during his travels in Sylvania the Image is completed. As Vlad von Carstein finally falls from the walls of Altdorf in year 2051 Imp. calender, Aleksander disappears from the Von Carstein family and Sylvania. He takes no part in the battle of succession following the death of Vlad, possibly since he was never a true Von Carstein to begin with.

Afterwards he travels to Mourkain, lost stronghold of the Strigoi, and visits the Silver Pinnacle again. When the Queen of Silver Pinnacle is asked why she let him return even though she thought him a spy, she only responds with a leering smile.

In the year 2522 Imp. calender he returns from the shadow of the old vampire realms, stalking across the old world. Soon after he meets Gabrielle Tristere in Mousillon, while he is looking for someone, simultaneously pretending to be a Von Carstein spy. After setting Miss Tristere and her companions Magnar, Hanz Lichtenstein and their allies Sir Balibas and The Nine Brothers against the vampire Erasmus he leaves the city in disguise, following Tristere along the way. It is not known how the vampire Hanz Lichtenstein managed to stay hidden from Aleksander, if that was the case. It is also a possibilty that they might have been some sort of allies or friends, though unlikely it is, as Aleksander takes no action to stop Gloin from killing Hanz deep beneath the mountain, known by dwarfs as Karak Norn.

After the high elf princess Fanriel is kidnapped from her bodyguard Magnar, Aleksander is believed to be one of three vampires fighting over who gets to claim her. The two others are described to Gabrielle Tristere by a dying dragon: One is s a large violent looking man garbed in red and black, clearly of Bretonnian birth and from an age long past. The other one looks even older, bald with a handsome yet terrifying features and great magical prowess. Of the three only Aleksander did not ride an undead dragon to the meeting, but yet he makes of with the princess, taking her to Marienburg.

After meeting up with Gabrielle and her companions in Marienburg he allows them to take the Princess, as if he had no need for her at all. Princess Fanriel claims that the vampire did her no harm, and that she had finally found a compnion that understood her. This is described by Gabrielle as being vampire mind manipulation, either to defend her own mind from thoughts of jealousy or because she had tried the mind tricks on own body (Which is of course only speculation).

His next appearance is in Karak Norn, the dwarf castle, when it is assaulted from within by the vampires Marilla and Bel U'Katar. He is believed to have manipulated Gabrielle into stealing the Eyes' of the Gods, the magical gems, that when placed correctly channel a sphere that keeps the dead from rising. As Gabrielle removed them from the Vaults, where the dwarf ancestors of many generations lay buried, the dwarfs began to rise and as the living dwarfs were beset from both sides they soon faltered. Gabrielle never forgave Aleksander for leading her into causing the death of so many dwarfs, but from some of her private writings we find, that she convinced herself, and that she did it for some "greater good". It is hard to imagine what greater good she could be referring to, though Aleksander may have had an impact on her perception of the entire situation (therefore the earlier claim of mind manipulation). During the siege Aleksander is credited with the unnecessary brutal killings of the witch hunters Adelbert, Hanniger and Von Blaufeld, aswell as the dwarf thane who was stand-in for King Kadrin. He is also attributed the leadership of the undead army, after seemingly enthralling Marilla and Bel U'Katar.

Unleashing some evil magic that sweeps through the entire dwarf city, Aleksander is finally drive back as Magnar destroys Aleksander's Cold Wind Sphere, throwing the famed two-handed Axe of Breaking.

The following year Aleksander yet again makes off with the princess, though this time she goes willingly according to Gabrielle (with another claim of mind manipulation, this time from Jenna Axeheart, though she first joins the party afterwards). After travelling to Marienburg by ship with her companions and friends, Gabrielle retires (temporarily) to write the first of her works, My Travels With Magnar 1st edition. Therefore our knowledge of what transpired on Magnar's journey to Norsca is limited, though Brother Leopold, filling the role left by Hanz after his reveal as a vampire and following death, has left some notes.

The year 2524 Imp. calender. Magnar and Brother Leopold has an encounter with Aleksander in the vampire's hometown Svartsjuk, 840+ years after he left it last time. It is believed that Aleksander attempted to manipulate the slayer's actions, but his plan fails miserably and Leopold suspects something else to have taken hold of the vampire's mind. Aleksander nearly claims the lives of Magnar and Leopold, showing a not before seen cruelty, when he forces his will upon Leopold forcing him to wade into the icecold ocean.

It was well known that Aleksander disliked Gabrielle's companions, but something must have forced him to take more drastic actions. Gabrielle speculates in one of her poem if it had something to do with losing her, since he had (according to her, or perhaps just her imagination?) told her that he needed someone human to keep "the monster" in check. There are no records of what exactly this monster could be, or if she was meant as some sort of live sacrifice. It should be noted that he less than a year later, following the second Invasion of Archaon, becomes more akin to a monster. Several monster and witch hunters are dispatched to deal with him, but none succeed. Gabrielle Tristere writes another book on the subject: Hunting the Night's Wanderer.

After the events in Svartsjuk Gabrielle meets up with her old companions again and they travel to Kislev (the city) where she yet again claims to meet him, even though he does not respond at first. This is the last entry where he seems sort of human, having conversations with her and giving her the necessary information to equip the Image. He is credited for killing several vampires threatening the Ice Queen's (and Gabrielle's) life and an empire noble named Villandter in one of the taverns. The last killing seems completely unmotivated, and Gabrielle has no clue to what the cause behind this random murder was. Maybe just the first signs of madness?

During the night where Archaon is finally killed, Gabrielle and companions moved to the Ice Queen's palace after having been wounded gravely from fighting the forces of Chaos. There the survivors, also including the acknowledged wizard Horst Nachtvogel, claim to have seen Aleksander in a rituals with other vampires, later identified as: Azirtiro, Mannfred von Carstein and Ilsa.

Gabrielle finishes her My Travels With Magnar series, crediting the poet Felix Jaeger for the idea (of writing down adventures in non-poem form, much unlike anything seen before), and starting a new and now banned series: Hunting The Night's Wanderer. Though the series is no longer printed, and has been claimed as part of the official witch hunter training, some of the historical details and whereabouts of the changed Aleksander can be found below. From this point and onward everyone seems to agree that the changed and cruel Aleksander should be called by his other named, Noctavigant, at least until the fateful events that lead to the less murderous Aleksander's return.

Second Death
The Silver Sacrifice (Unknown, Unknown): The legends surrounding his rebirth

The Silver Saga (Unknown, Unknown):

Vampire relations:
Mannfred von Carstein:

Azirtiro:

Ilsa:

The Queen of Lahmia / Silver Pinnacle:

Amy:

Mortal relations:
Gabrielle Tristere:

Fleur Silvermane:

Markus Silvermane:

Luthien Telemnar:

Arisha Telemnar:

Malekith Telemnar:

Combat Analysis
No matter if he is in the guise of Aleksander or Noctavigant, he fights mainly with martial arts and a bit of duelling with swords. Three different styles of fighting have been credited to him during his three different mentalities.

Aleksander
(Until the year of 2524 Imp. calender)

Martial arts
In Karak Norn Aleksander is attributed with lightning fast reflexes and cruel malice when fighting. Most of his blows are landed not to kill, but to wound and maim his enemies. He seems to have made it habit breaking limbs before finishing off his opponents, as if taking some sick pleasure from it. He even goes as far as breaking a witch hunters back and leaving him in the middle of a battlefield, before slowly wandering back to his own battleline laughing.

Swordplay
Aleksander has more than a moderate understanding of how to use a sword, but seems to prefer his other weapons. He mainly uses the sword to distract and humiliate his enemies, often duelling with his opponent, feinting being disarmed and horrendously maiming his opponent.

Throwing weapons
Since becoming a vampire Aleksander has practiced with many weapons, but find throwing weapons to come most natural. He will never throw anything larger than a throwing knife though, and he has made it habit to pin the enemy to the ground with the Cathayan weapon: the sai. A long dagger-like knife with a long curled handguard, useful for trapping enemy weapons and disarming.

Exotic weaponry
After his return from the north with Rick he carries an assortment of minor blades hidden in boots and gloves, often feinting unarmed combat before stabbing his opponent.

He never used any sort of weaponry against the dwarf slayer Magnar, it is unknown why not.

Martial arts
During his time as Noctavigant he favours using his natural claws, teeth and the gauntlet to kill his enemies. His way of combat becomes far more lethal, but he stops his strange habbit of wounding enemies before finishing them off. He also changes his combat style so that he only rarely fights one on one, instead dragging victims into the shadows when they look away, or slashing through a horde.

Swordplay
As Noctavigant he uses the sword much more efficiently than ever before. Instead of feinting he strikes with utmost precision, cutting throats and disabling sword arms, before the enemy realizes what hit them, he usually vanishes again. Only Luthien Telemnar had the pleasure of fighting him on several occasions, though he escaped every time, even when victory was seemingly his. It is unknown if the he had any knowledge of her role in saving him before it happened.

Throwing weapons
He replaces his use of throwing daggers and needles with the use of smoke bombs and vampiric powers bringing him closer to his bestial self.

Exotic weaponry
He makes use of a garrot in the attempt to kill Marcus Strauss, but he removes pressure from his throat to not allow him a too quick death. Marcus is saved but it is known from then on that Noctavigant can get anyone, anywhere. He makes extended use of the knee blades and the other spikes on his armour.

Aleksander returned
As Aleksander makes his way back into his own body he stops fighting almost completely. He doesn't draw weapon, nor go as far as wound his enemies. He only kills very few during this period, all of them having in common that they threaten Fleur. A few times after his return he is possesed by Noctavigant again, killing as he pleases.