Fitch the Gravekeeper [Archive] - Wizards Community

Fitch the Gravekeeper [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kolytszusk
10-11-07, 05:05 PM Is this character too cliched, and what could be improved about his backstory? (warning, some mature content)

Fitch's story begins before he begins himself. His father was a coloured man of around 45 years of age. Being born in a rather racist town, the only place he could find work was in the local graveyard. He had a small amount of schooling before he was forced into becoming a full time worker among the tombs of the town. Over time, burying the dead addled his mind. Over time, he became more and more secluded, living in a one-room shack among the graves and neglecting his personal hygiene to extremes. The only social function he attended was the church adjoining the graveyard's service. This church was the chruch of St. Cuthbert.

His mother, however, was an entirely different matter. Born and raised a noblewoman, her curly blonde hair and coy blue eyes won the hearts of many lads as a youth. She was not very good at school, but she was clever enough to land herself a noble husband, to whom she bore three daughters. These daughters were the pride and joy of her life.

It was at a town revelry one fall that Fitch began to be in the works. His father, whose lack of social graces had made him the ridicule of the town, was admiring the blonde noblewoman who had scorned him many other times. Even though she had gained considerable weight, she still found herself beautiful, and decided to mess with the gravekeeper's mind a bit. Inebriated and cocky, she seperated from her family and flirted with him for the rest of the night, a night which ended in an act that would disgrace her title and earn catcalls for him if anyone else ever learned of it.

The next June, the gravekeeper awoke in the middle of the night to rapid knocking at his door. The noblewoman, clad in a cloak, silently handed him a coloured baby with grey eyes and a few wisps of blonde hair on its head before leaving. The gravekeeper named the child after the first tomb he had tended to - Fitchitus Yegall, or, as far as the gravekeeper could decipher, Fitch.

Years passed. The gravekeeper, eccentric and antisocial, had a son who was much the same. Fitch was chased by the other kids and sometimes attacked, so he spent most of his time alone or working. The priest of the church taught him to read so he could inscribe the tombstones, and Fitch learned to read Elfin and Draconic from the hymn books. When the organist died, he was taught to play the organ in order to replace her. His thin and wiry frame was not muscled, but it was strong enough for him to learn to adeptly dig graves for the dead.

Of course, the small advantages he gained were balanced by the disadvantages he gained. From the time he was a baby, he demonstrated a stutter that worsened when under pressure. Fitch developed severe issues with talking with people, being used to negative social situations, and his nervous shyness continued to get worse over time.

The event that began set things in motion for him to become an adventurer happened when he was ten. Fitch was watching a rich, blonde woman with her three daughters, all older than him, when his father came up beside him. When asked what he was doing, Fitch responded truthfully, and his father began to laugh. "That's your mother, boy!" he said. "Not really," he replied, thinking his dad was joking. "See this?" his father said seriously, holding up a few blond locks of his hair for him to see, then pointing to the woman. Fitch was shocked by the revelation, and after this, hid and watched whenever a member of the family went by. He secretly envied them and wished that he could be a part of their clan.

Over the years, Fitch's life changed very little. His father crossed the border into insane, and as his age group hit puberty, it became more common for other youths to come by looking for someone to vent their frustrations on. He became skilled with fending off would-be attackers with his shovel, and his neurotic nature increased. One day, he was caught watching his siblings and mother, and, not recognizing him, the noblewoman gave him a silver piece to buy something to eat since he looked hungry. This added to his desire to escape his current life. Slowly, the insanity that had overtaken his father began to dig its tendrils into him.

It was when he turned sixteen that one of the most important events in his life occurred. The hearse arrived at the church on a sunny day bringing the body of someone that Fitch knew for once. It was with a feeling of loss that he watched the body of his mother be taken in to be doctored before the viewing. The afternoon spent digging her grave was one of the worst he felt that he had ever spent.

Later that night, his father called him into the chapel. "That's her," he said with an amused tone to his voice. Fitch swallowed. "Yeah," he replied. The elder gravekeeper smiled evilly. "Little harlot, never came back after that night," he murmured. Fitch felt slightly stung, but paid no attention to it until the other man began to speak again slowly. "You know, boy, she's been dead less than twelve hours. Still fine." Now the youth looked over at his parent with orror rippling through him. "You don't mean -" "Yes I do, boy. Now shoo. I need my privacy."

At that moment, all of the stress of a life as the underdog and last of the pecking order mixed with the affection the blond boy had gained for the happy family he had never known, and he snapped. In one smooth movement, as his father began to approach the corpse, Fitch raised the dirt-covered shovel into the air and swung it down on the back of the gravekeeper's head. Remorselessly, he dragged the body of the man to the newly dug grave and spent the majority of the night burying his father. After finishing that, he went to the small cabin and gathered together his belongings, then went into the dark church and grabbed a couple books from the library to remember it by before leaving the town he had grown up in. In the morning, he discovered that among the books he had taken, one was an old Draconic spellbook, and, upon choosing the spell field he felt most comfortable with (necromancy, given his past), Fitch pushed the murder he had committed to the back of his mind and started on the path to becoming a Wizard.
ghastcow
10-11-07, 07:03 PM A few ideas:

He'd keep a locket of her hair with him as a secret pride - to always remember his noble roots.
His mother's identity makes him slightly arrogant towards people of his own class.
His father's sick tendencies make him fearful of his own sexuality.
Takes a signet of the noble house or some other signal of his noble heritage.
Also, I think it would be appropriate if he buried his own mother as well, it seems odd to just leave her there.
Instead of getting the book from the church, maybe he finds it stashed away in a lockbox of his father's, which he finds as he scours to grab the few things valuable, and is immediately drawn to the power of it
Terjon of the Blue Rose
10-12-07, 02:43 AM It's certainly an excellent backstory. It seems to lead more into a clerical or even favored soul type role than into wizardry but other than that it makes for a very interesting character. He doesn't seem to have much knowledge of the world outside his cememtary though. Perhaps a little more on how he felt about the world he watched his siblings living in? He seems envious of their world but needs something that will allow him to enter into it. Some point in his dreams that he sees as potentially allowing him to enter into that life.

Hope, I think, is what the character needs to be finished. As is he is almost certainly headed into a life of villiany.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
10-12-07, 02:48 AM As for Ghastcow's ideas

I like the locket but not as a sign of nobility. Rather as a sign of the world he dreams of joining

The arrogance just doesn't fit. If he was born knowing of it maybe but learning it that late it just makes learning of such a more traumatic event than it already is.

Fear of becoming like his father is excellent.

The signet is more or less the same idea as the lock of hair.

Don't bury mom but take the time to finish her grave so she can be buried properly by the priests. On the other hand dad... he deserves a shallow grave somewhere outside the boundaries of your cemetary.

Ghast is right that the book on necromancy really doesn't belong in a church of pelor... at least not out in the open where he could have accessed it easily. Dad on the other hand may well have such a thing hidden away as his own personal treasure.
Kolytszusk
10-12-07, 11:44 AM Thanks to everyone for replying! I didn't think anyone would be interested.

The reason that he buries his father in the grave meant for his mother as well as not burying her is because he doesn't want anyone to know that he killed his father, at least not immediately. He didn't dig another grave because he wanted to be as far from town as possible by the time people start getting curious.

As to the necromancy book being in his father's belongings, I thoguht about that, but the elder gravekeeper was insane enough to use it if he had found it. I thought it being in the church was more likely since the priests would want to know what they were dealing with on the side of evil.

And yes, he is headed to the side of villiany eventually. Now that he's going insane too and all. His dream wasn't so much of being a noble as of being with a loving mother and happy siblings instead of his father.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kolytszusk 10-11-07, 05:05 PM	Is this character too cliched, and what could be improved about his backstory? (warning, some mature content) Fitch's story begins before he begins himself. His father was a coloured man of around 45 years of age. Being born in a rather racist town, the only place he could find work was in the local graveyard. He had a small amount of schooling before he was forced into becoming a full time worker among the tombs of the town. Over time, burying the dead addled his mind. Over time, he became more and more secluded, living in a one-room shack among the graves and neglecting his personal hygiene to extremes. The only social function he attended was the church adjoining the graveyard's service. This church was the chruch of St. Cuthbert. His mother, however, was an entirely different matter. Born and raised a noblewoman, her curly blonde hair and coy blue eyes won the hearts of many lads as a youth. She was not very good at school, but she was clever enough to land herself a noble husband, to whom she bore three daughters. These daughters were the pride and joy of her life. It was at a town revelry one fall that Fitch began to be in the works. His father, whose lack of social graces had made him the ridicule of the town, was admiring the blonde noblewoman who had scorned him many other times. Even though she had gained considerable weight, she still found herself beautiful, and decided to mess with the gravekeeper's mind a bit. Inebriated and cocky, she seperated from her family and flirted with him for the rest of the night, a night which ended in an act that would disgrace her title and earn catcalls for him if anyone else ever learned of it. The next June, the gravekeeper awoke in the middle of the night to rapid knocking at his door. The noblewoman, clad in a cloak, silently handed him a coloured baby with grey eyes and a few wisps of blonde hair on its head before leaving. The gravekeeper named the child after the first tomb he had tended to - Fitchitus Yegall, or, as far as the gravekeeper could decipher, Fitch. Years passed. The gravekeeper, eccentric and antisocial, had a son who was much the same. Fitch was chased by the other kids and sometimes attacked, so he spent most of his time alone or working. The priest of the church taught him to read so he could inscribe the tombstones, and Fitch learned to read Elfin and Draconic from the hymn books. When the organist died, he was taught to play the organ in order to replace her. His thin and wiry frame was not muscled, but it was strong enough for him to learn to adeptly dig graves for the dead. Of course, the small advantages he gained were balanced by the disadvantages he gained. From the time he was a baby, he demonstrated a stutter that worsened when under pressure. Fitch developed severe issues with talking with people, being used to negative social situations, and his nervous shyness continued to get worse over time. The event that began set things in motion for him to become an adventurer happened when he was ten. Fitch was watching a rich, blonde woman with her three daughters, all older than him, when his father came up beside him. When asked what he was doing, Fitch responded truthfully, and his father began to laugh. "That's your mother, boy!" he said. "Not really," he replied, thinking his dad was joking. "See this?" his father said seriously, holding up a few blond locks of his hair for him to see, then pointing to the woman. Fitch was shocked by the revelation, and after this, hid and watched whenever a member of the family went by. He secretly envied them and wished that he could be a part of their clan. Over the years, Fitch's life changed very little. His father crossed the border into insane, and as his age group hit puberty, it became more common for other youths to come by looking for someone to vent their frustrations on. He became skilled with fending off would-be attackers with his shovel, and his neurotic nature increased. One day, he was caught watching his siblings and mother, and, not recognizing him, the noblewoman gave him a silver piece to buy something to eat since he looked hungry. This added to his desire to escape his current life. Slowly, the insanity that had overtaken his father began to dig its tendrils into him. It was when he turned sixteen that one of the most important events in his life occurred. The hearse arrived at the church on a sunny day bringing the body of someone that Fitch knew for once. It was with a feeling of loss that he watched the body of his mother be taken in to be doctored before the viewing. The afternoon spent digging her grave was one of the worst he felt that he had ever spent. Later that night, his father called him into the chapel. "That's her," he said with an amused tone to his voice. Fitch swallowed. "Yeah," he replied. The elder gravekeeper smiled evilly. "Little harlot, never came back after that night," he murmured. Fitch felt slightly stung, but paid no attention to it until the other man began to speak again slowly. "You know, boy, she's been dead less than twelve hours. Still fine." Now the youth looked over at his parent with orror rippling through him. "You don't mean -" "Yes I do, boy. Now shoo. I need my privacy." At that moment, all of the stress of a life as the underdog and last of the pecking order mixed with the affection the blond boy had gained for the happy family he had never known, and he snapped. In one smooth movement, as his father began to approach the corpse, Fitch raised the dirt-covered shovel into the air and swung it down on the back of the gravekeeper's head. Remorselessly, he dragged the body of the man to the newly dug grave and spent the majority of the night burying his father. After finishing that, he went to the small cabin and gathered together his belongings, then went into the dark church and grabbed a couple books from the library to remember it by before leaving the town he had grown up in. In the morning, he discovered that among the books he had taken, one was an old Draconic spellbook, and, upon choosing the spell field he felt most comfortable with (necromancy, given his past), Fitch pushed the murder he had committed to the back of his mind and started on the path to becoming a Wizard.
ghastcow 10-11-07, 07:03 PM	A few ideas: He'd keep a locket of her hair with him as a secret pride - to always remember his noble roots. His mother's identity makes him slightly arrogant towards people of his own class. His father's sick tendencies make him fearful of his own sexuality. Takes a signet of the noble house or some other signal of his noble heritage. Also, I think it would be appropriate if he buried his own mother as well, it seems odd to just leave her there. Instead of getting the book from the church, maybe he finds it stashed away in a lockbox of his father's, which he finds as he scours to grab the few things valuable, and is immediately drawn to the power of it
Terjon of the Blue Rose 10-12-07, 02:43 AM	It's certainly an excellent backstory. It seems to lead more into a clerical or even favored soul type role than into wizardry but other than that it makes for a very interesting character. He doesn't seem to have much knowledge of the world outside his cememtary though. Perhaps a little more on how he felt about the world he watched his siblings living in? He seems envious of their world but needs something that will allow him to enter into it. Some point in his dreams that he sees as potentially allowing him to enter into that life. Hope, I think, is what the character needs to be finished. As is he is almost certainly headed into a life of villiany.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 10-12-07, 02:48 AM	As for Ghastcow's ideas I like the locket but not as a sign of nobility. Rather as a sign of the world he dreams of joining The arrogance just doesn't fit. If he was born knowing of it maybe but learning it that late it just makes learning of such a more traumatic event than it already is. Fear of becoming like his father is excellent. The signet is more or less the same idea as the lock of hair. Don't bury mom but take the time to finish her grave so she can be buried properly by the priests. On the other hand dad... he deserves a shallow grave somewhere outside the boundaries of your cemetary. Ghast is right that the book on necromancy really doesn't belong in a church of pelor... at least not out in the open where he could have accessed it easily. Dad on the other hand may well have such a thing hidden away as his own personal treasure.
Kolytszusk 10-12-07, 11:44 AM	Thanks to everyone for replying! I didn't think anyone would be interested. The reason that he buries his father in the grave meant for his mother as well as not burying her is because he doesn't want anyone to know that he killed his father, at least not immediately. He didn't dig another grave because he wanted to be as far from town as possible by the time people start getting curious. As to the necromancy book being in his father's belongings, I thoguht about that, but the elder gravekeeper was insane enough to use it if he had found it. I thought it being in the church was more likely since the priests would want to know what they were dealing with on the side of evil. And yes, he is headed to the side of villiany eventually. Now that he's going insane too and all. His dream wasn't so much of being a noble as of being with a loving mother and happy siblings instead of his father.