— DANIEL STEINFELD — 21 — HUMAN — LOW DISTRICT
+ Honest, Brave, Loyal, Clever - Naive, Reckless, Stubborn, Bitter
— PERSONAL RECORD
There are stories of a time before the fall of humanity but Daniel’s mother didn’t like telling them. No one really liked telling them but sometimes, when your future looks as bleak as your present life, relieving memories a slighter better past was the only way to make it through with any semblance of sanity. For the most Daniel didn’t mind it but, at the same time, he didn’t know any better. There were angry people almost everywhere he turned but this world, one where he was simple merchandise for a vampire and a toothpick to clean their canines with to the lycans, was the one he was born into– he didn’t have their hatred, their bitterness, their mourning; not yet anyways.
It wasn’t ideal, according to his mother, but as far as Daniel was concerned the vampire that his mother, himself, and a few other humans were owned by was a kind man. He’d heard stories of vampires that simply bought humans so they could hang from the walls, blood pouring down their bodies, as the creatures bathed and laughed in their blood beneath them like true monsters. His owner, Jericho, had never treated him or any of the other humans in his home in that way. Yes, Jericho fed from them but for the most part he was gentle about it. In fact some of the other humans used to whisper and gossip about the relationship Jericho had with Daniel when it came to feeding. He always took his time with the boy since the first time he drank his blood. His mother said it’s because her family was known to have rare blood types so the vampire was likely keeping him there longer to get the most out of him he could without killing the boy but the other humans in the house hold thought differently. They knew Jericho’s taste, and seeing as he started drinking from Daniel when he was twelve they began to hate the vampire for letting his own attractions deflower and destroy the innocence of someone so young.
They were wrong, Jericho never touched Daniel inappropriately; even as he grew older the vampire, who was attracted to him, held incredible self control. The only reason he took his time with Daniel is because he was teaching him; Jericho was showing him the things he liked in life and, because he was drawn to the human youth, he began teaching him other ways to please him– like playing the piano, or how to speak French so they could have private conversations in the halls. Jericho might have owned Daniel but he never did him any harm– some would even say he loved Daniel. So, of course, the young man’s world was destroyed when the other humans in their home turned on Jericho.
He was sixteen when it happened. They’d heard rumors of other humans becoming hunters, of humans fighting to take back the world that was once theirs, and that just threw gasoline on the fire in their hearts. They were so blinded by their rage that they accused Jericho of raping Daniel, of stealing his innocence, and training him to think that there was nothing wrong with it that when Daniel tried to stop him they shot him in the leg and said it was for his own good– the only problem? Once Jericho was dead they left Daniel there– his mother just left him there. Bleeding out, Daniel was in and out of consciousness.
He’s not entirely sure how it happened, but the next thing he knew he was waking up, screaming, as a man and young girl around his age pushed him back down onto a table. They told him to stay calm, that they would explain soon, but before he could even argue that he wanted answers now he was falling asleep again; a simple spell falling from the girls lips to put him back out so they could finish trying to heal his injuries. The coven that had found him, that were allies of Jericho’s, had arrived to late– they couldn’t save Jericho, they couldn’t even save Daniel’s leg. They weren’t experienced enough in magic to reverse the damage his own kind had done to him but they had enough tricks up their sleeve to keep him from losing his grasp on life completely.
A few weeks went by before Daniel was finally lucid enough to even try to begin understanding what had happened to him. Or maybe he understood all along but it was just too hard to accept that Jericho was gone. The vampire might have been his master, but Daniel never though of him that way– if anything he was the older brother the boy always wanted and he was going to miss him every single day of his life.
Staying with the witches for awhile, Daniel became very comfortable around their kind. He wasn’t skilled at magic, he couldn’t perform it since he was only human after all, but over time he began to help with some of the more basic potions. Most of the time that just meant he would gather the herbs and other ingredients needed, but on the rare occasion an incantation wasn’t needed to activate the magical properties of the potion he was able to whip them together for the coven that had taken him in– they didn’t just teach him potion work though. The young girl, Iludyne, took pity on Daniel– she felt responsible for making him an amputee and not being able to save his leg– so after helping him adjust, and teaching him how to walk again without a crutch, she began teaching him how to fight. With a knife she cursed herself, to poison anyone with wolfsbane that it drew blood from, she taught Daniel hand-to-hand combat and how to throw knives properly. It wasn’t much of a pay-off for everything he lost but at least this way he stood a fighting chance if someone ever tried to take from him again.
He couldn’t stay with the coven forever though, especially with the anger and bitterness that was holding onto his soul. Despite everything they had done for him he wasn’t going to be happy until he found them, the humans he once lived with that stole Jericho from him– until he found his mother. With some help from the coven and their allies, he was able to track his mother to a small town a few cities away. Once he made it there he heard word that a small group of hunters had come through the area, which meant his mother and the others had come this way, but that they hadn’t stayed. No, instead they’d moved on to a much larger city– Fortem. He wasn’t sure what they were planning, or why they were headed that way, but he didn’t question it either. First he was going to find them and then, maybe, he would ask– that all depended on how much kindness was still left in his heart.
— HEADCANONS
001. Daniel has been in Fortem for a few weeks now and, despite what he’d heard, it doesn’t look like his mother or the humans that he grew up with are in the city– or that they even came here in the first place. For a while he was angry about that but, eventually, he mellowed out. He still wants revenge on them for taking Jericho out of his life but for now he’s content here in Fortem.
002. When it comes to the species and their wars, Daniel is stuck in the middle. He’s more fond of Witches and Vampires than he his Lycans, but all three will always be favored in comparison to his own species. It might make him sound idiotic to other humans but he knows how they work, he knows how selfish humans can be and how they can be ruled by their emotions– with all that knowledge, all that first hand experience, he is glad to put his faith in the supernatural.
003. Daniel does NOT have the mark of protection .
— CHARACTER STATS
OCCUPATION: Employee at EDEN. FACE CLAIM: Keegan Allen. PLAYED BY: Mike.
