Pergamon

DAY 4 - Prompt: Teeth

During Spookoctober, I will create a character sheet for twenty-one dark Fae of the Court of Dew and Dusk, the main protagonists in a new novel filled with humour, mystery, and courtly shenanigans.

If Terry Pratchett had written 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' ... well, I am likely not going to be as witty as Terry, but it should be fun!

Backstory

Early life

Pergamon is Failin, the Prince of Mists's familiar: a skeletal cat who is also the story's narrator. Pergamon is a cursed human wizard who has been a fae familiar for more than a millennium or so at this point.

He used to be Failin's father's familiar. Old King Dagelon gifted Pergamon to the Shadestorm family as a gift for past services. Queen Maeve cursed Pergamon and gave him his new name.

His old name, which no one remembers except him, was Aldred. He was later given another title, Aldred the Gifted. Aldred of Ridgeway was born in Mercia, one of the Saxon kingdoms of the British Isles, in 685, during the 'Golden Age of Mercia' and the reign of Aethelred 1st. Aldred was born in Tamworth, the central Mercian city at the time. He was born into an ealdorman's family and benefited from instruction from monks at the famous Medeshamstede Abbey (founded in Murcia in the mid-7th Century).

Youth/Education

However, his education turned dark while at the abbey, and while still a teenager, he met his mentor, Earconwald.  Earconwald noticed his pupil's gift for magic and instructed him in the Dark Arts. Later, his gifted pupil joined his mentor in the secret society of the Merlins.

Aldred wanted to follow Earconwald's lead and become a monk, but his family was dead against his plans. They wanted Aldred to marry and ally the Ridgeways with a neighbouring noble family, thus increasing the family's influence in the country. Aldred was not able to go against his father's wishes and married Elga of Estune at the age of 18. 

Mid Life

Despite his earlier misgivings, Aldred soon became interested in the country's politics and wormed his way into the good graces of the current monarch. He became a trusted adviser of the royal family and, through his links to power, acquired a large fortune of his own.

In the meantime, he had fathered three daughters: Hilda, Cwen, and Aefre, whom he successfully married off to consolidate the family's affairs. All the while, he continued to dabble in the occult and pursue his first love: magic.

Aldred hid his endeavours by building an alchemist kitchen deep into the family's keep, and it is there that, aged 38, he made the biggest mistake of his life. Aldred had been fascinated by the powers that could be concentrated into a pentagram and, through experimentation, had managed to summon a few demons (albeit briefly).

He also opened portals to different planes, including Faiery. One evening, he opened up a portal to Faiery, but this time, the portal opened up in the gardens of the Dark Court's Queen. In a few minutes, he was charmed into stepping into the portal by Queen Maeve, who saw him as a fun distraction - for a while.

After pleading for his way back to the material world and making a feeble attempt at extricating himself from the Court, Aldred was cursed by the queen into his present form - she was a formidable bonesmith (and more). His form is further distinguished by sporting a rather sharp set of canines.

Present

Going under the name Pergamon, Aldred never leaves Failin's side (or rarely). Despite his hatred of anything fae, Pergamon has developed affection for the young Prince. 

Personality

1 Heart

How does it show?

What lies?

How do others see him?

2 Intellect

How does it show?

What lies?

How do others see him?

3 Habits and Abilities

How does it show?

What lies?

How do others see him?

4 Morals, Beliefs and Ethics

How does it show?

What lies?

How do others see him?

5 Social

How does it show?

What lies?

How do others see him?

INTERVIEW (Sara Cannon)

Talent/Abilities

Good at (knack/special talent) / Bad at (embarrassment) /Skills rely on /Secret talents (shared?)

Interests

Loves/dislikes/Obsessed by/Pet peeves/Interests/hobbies/Hobbies would like/Alone why? Stress outlet/Find boring/entertaining/Creative side

Moral and Ethics

Black and White?/Champion causes issues?/Reactions when beliefs challenged?/Influencers?/Hidden moral beliefs no matter what

Relationships

Who closest to?/Make the first move?/Current relationship lacking?/Vulnerable with?/Show sensitive side to?
Who they avoid, why?/What type turn them off?/Person from their past? (upset/happy)

Secrets

Biggest secrets?/Fear of discovery?/Why secret important?/Think about it often? (Humiliating?)
Secrets they know (Secretkeeper)/Are they trusted? Found out? Confided?

Fears

Quirky/Surprising fear(s)/Cause embarrassment?/Irrational fears?/Trying to overcome it?/Past events caused fear?
Deeper fears (not want to admit)/How affected by fears?/How do they hide fears? (fake/pretend/personna)

Wounds

What caused deeper fears?/Sent life on a new path?/Who/what did they discard from their past?/What was lost/joy given up?
Is the character flawed by it? (feel unworthy?)/How wounds can be introduced in present story?/How can they face similar wound/situation again? (so they can overcome it)

Character Arc Questions

1 Plot: What does the character want to achieve?

Arc: What must be resolved by growth, change of mindset shift?

2 Plot: Why do they want to achieve the plot goal?

Arc: What do they need to make that internal change?

3 Plot: What is blocking them from achieving the goal?

Arc: What is blocking them from internal change?

4 Plot: What's at stake if they fail to achieve their goal?

Arc: What's at stake if they don't change?

Arc/Embryo

1 YOU

2 NEED

3 GO

4 SEARCH

5 FIND

6 TAKE

7 RETURN

8 CHANGE