Byron

Byron (Scenesys ID: 9132)
Quote
"Mad, bad, and dangerous to know." - Lady Caroline Lamb "I am such a strange melange of good and evil that it would be difficult to describe me." - Lord Byron
Profile
Full Name:	Lord George Gordon Noel Byron
Gender:	Male
Species:	Immortal
Theme:	Other (FC)
Occupation:	Poet, Author, Musician, and Revolutionary
Citizenship:	Citizen of the World
Residence:	NYC
Education:	Cambridge University
Status:	Dropped
Groups:	Highlander
Other Information
Apparent Age:	239	Actual Age:	239
Date of Birth	22 January 1788	Actor:	Jonathan Firth (circa 1997)
Height:	174 cm (5'8")	Weight:	62 kg (137 lb)
Hair Color:	Black	Eye Color:	Blue
Theme Song:	"I Want it All" by Queen

Profile

It's Byron, yes, /that/ Byron, the poet, the lover, the would-be revolutionary, except he's an immortal, so when he 'died' in 1824, he kept on living, popping up under various names wherever culture, revolution or debauchery was at its peak.

Today he goes by Byron, just Byron, thank you very much, a rockstar who hit it big in the 2010's with his band Byron and the Undead, before he dropped the Undead and went solo in the 2020's. Byron's music, is in turns dark and moody and wild and raunchy but always beautiful and his public and private personas are best summed up by the description given to him in his first life: 'mad, bad, and dangerous to know'.

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Description

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Description:

Is that Byron the rockstar? It certainly looks like him with the long dark hair, blue eyes and that whole look he's always rocking. You know, messy hair and shades like he's just come back from partying, a scruffy face and low-cut shirts (with requisite necklace) to add a bit of a bohemian feel, skin-tight leather pants or skinny jeans for a hint of effeminacy, wrapped up with patent leather boot to tie together the pervasive punk rock chic throughout the outfit.

Add to that his slender frame, gold topped cane, rings and bracelets and the way he favours his right foot and that's definitely the man himself. Please, no autographs!

History

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History:

Most of Byron's first life can be found on Wikipedia these days, born in 1788, titled but poor, went to Cambridge (brought a bear when they told him his dogs were forbidden), travelled, wrote Childe Harold, became famous, served in the House of Lords, had numerous affairs with either sex, wrote Don Jaun, had that famous party in Switzerland with the Shelley's that spawned the story of Frankenstien, saw his friend and fellow poet Percy Bysshe Shelley cremated after an untimely death and went to Greece to fight in their war of Independence before dying in 1824.

In truth Byron's life deviated from how history tells it in 1816 at the end to his horrible marriage to Anabella Millbank and the dissolution of his affair with the married Lady Lamb. Depressed, and very, very drunk, Byron chose to end it all by jumping from the roof of his family home, it worked and he died for about five minutes before he came back to life. His unexpected immortality reinvigorated his lust for life even as it confused him, fortunately the first of his kind he'd encountered was Methos (known to Byron as Doctor John Adams or 'Doc') taught him swordplay and the rules of The Game. They parted ways before Byron went to Greece but remained on good terms.

Byron however soon got into trouble on his own, and while in Greece, he wracked up an enormous debt (even by his standards) and caught the attention of a Turkish immortal (something about his wife, Byron isn't sure if he slept with her or insulted her? likely both) he faked his death and quietly slipped away to marvel at the world's reaction to his passing. The fun of that soon wore off however and Byron's moved on from cultural hotspot to cultural hotspot, making his way into the company of the artistic greats of the time and taking up the causes that gripped him.

In the 50's and 60's however, rock and roll became his mistress, he was fully hooked and spent much of his time hanging around the greats, doing some ghost writing here and there, and generally soaking up the atmosphere and being part of the party. Eventually as the early rockers aged and he didn't the party had to end for a time, Byron went underground focusing on causes more than parties, but as the new century turned and entered its second decade, he couldn't hold himself back and dove headfirst into rock and roll forming his own band Byron and the Undead.

The music career was meant to be a lark, just a touch of fame to get him through the rest of what was promising to be a dismal century, but once Byron had that taste he didn't want to stop. Byron and the Undead were a moderate success in the 2010's but when he dropped his band and went solo in 2020 Byron hit the big time, with three platinum selling albums and sold out tours.

Currently, Byron is taking a break to 'produce' and step out of the spotlight, a little doing the odd pop up show when the mood strikes and lending his talents to benefit concerts, but even so there's always talk of a new tour and a never ending stream of tales of his debauchery on celebrity gossip sites.

Personality

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Personality:

Mad, bad and dangerous to know while true is not all there is to Byron. He is every inch the bored, rich, bon vivant that history and TMZ makes him out to be, but that's not all there is to him. Obviously, there's poetry, or as it's become in later years, his music, which while everybit as shocking as he is, is crafted with a care and sensitivity that belies the wild image he likes to present. Then there is his care for the underdog, having made a habit of sticking up for those who are oppressed as a writer, as a soldier and while he served in the House of Lords a politician. Then there is his love of animals, having had him adopt a several menageries of wild beasts over his centuries of life and more recently donate millions to the preservation of various species.

Though in the end, all of those deeper traits are subject to his two great illnesses, the need for excitement and the crushing weight of endless centuries of trying to fill that need. As such, he tries to push his limits, though now that he's immortal those limits are expanded, no longer is boxing or swimming the Bosphorus the death defying challenge it used to be, because he cannot die and so he has to concoct wilder and wilder challenges to keep himself amused, unfortunately he doesn't always think about the mortals who follow his lead and aren't quite as durable as he is.

Abilities

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Immortal:
An Immortal is a human being who came to a violent end, and was somehow reborn into someone who can potentially live forever. After their "First Death" they can be stabbed, poisoned, shot, blown up, killed, and will always revive within minutes, hours, or days, depending on how significant the injury.

Large cuts or bullet wounds take minutes to heal. Stabbed through the heart or other vital organs, take several minutes to hours, depending on how severe. The exception to this if an Immortal is beheaded. If that happens, their"Quickening" or "life essence" transfers to the nearest Immortal (or into the ether if there is none close by) and he dies. Permanently.

Additionally all Immortals possess a sixth sense that allows them to sense when another Immortal is close, usually, within a few hundred feet. They can also sense holy ground when nearby, no matter the religion.

Quickening:

When one Immortal slays another and absorbs their essence, he gains the skills, knowledge, abilities, talents and powers of that Immortal (including the abilities of those that Immortal has slain) although it is an extremely traumatic and difficult experience. This leaves the victor exhausted and vulnerable in the moment of absorption of the Quickening.

This "essence" or "Quickening" gives the Immortal several abilities beyond a normal man. Healing is discussed in the Immortality trait, but there are also other gifts.

The Immortal can survive for longer periods of time than normal humans in hostile environments. In a vacuum, he can last several minutes before slipping into a comatose state, unlike a normal person. He can breath under water, and in other hostile environments, as long as there is some oxygen present. They also have maximum human potential agility, strength, stamina and endurance.

Skills

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Boxing:
To prove his deformed foot wasn't going to hold him back, Byron exercised vigorously and learned to box in his first life. He was quite accomplished and he's kept up his skills both for the enjoyment of the sport and to help him keep his head. He could, despite his injury, be a halfway decent amateur boxer if he ever took up the sport seriously.

Carousing:
High end partying takes work, it's not just about getting a bunch of booze, drugs and music, but it's got to be the right booze, the right drugs, the right music, and the right venue. Byron's always been plugged into these trends and is a walking encyclopedia of the world's trendy speakeasies and private clubs. Put him in a city anywhere in the world and within a couple of hours he'll either find a way to be invited to the hottest party in town or throw it himself.

Celebrity:
Byron was one of the first real celebrities of his age, and learned to play to his audience, and keep the fires of his fame lit. That hasn't changed for him now in the 21st century, he knows how to work his Twitter account to the best effect, deal with fans, and set up paparazzi photo ops to keep his legend alive.

Languages:
Byron of course is a master of the English language, but he also speaks fluent French, German, Italian, Spanish and Greek . His Turkish, Armenian (despite wrtiting a book on the language), and Latin are fading and he speaks several others from around the world at varying levels of skill.

Music:
Byron has rocked out with some of the greats and has picked up some musical chops of his own. He's a beautiful singer and a master at the guitar, and has played piano since his days at the Harrow school as a boy. He's also dabbled with trumpet and sax, but abandoned them at the end of the Jazz Age.

Other Skills:
Byron has done a lot in his 200+ years of life, he's been a politician, a soldier, a rum runner, ship captain, taken part in several revolutions and has gained skills from each, most of which he is in the process of forgetting, but if he were to try picking them up again he'd find himself getting a grasp on things much quicker than he would if he was starting from scratch.

Stick Fighting:
Born with a deformed right foot Byron's used a cane for much of his life, since becoming an immortal he's turned that to his advantage, firstly by hiding a sword in it, and second by learning to use the cane itself as a weapon. He is a competent stick fighter and is able to disarm and disable most opponents with the weapon, especially if he catches them by surprise.

Swordsmanship:
Having a 'gentleman's' education, Byron's been familiar with swords all his life, but only really honed his skills after becoming a student of Methos. Byron is a master fencer with a saber, and an expert with rapiers and broadswords. He's weaker on other blades, but he's trained himself to fight two handed, using his cane or the sword inside of it in synch with his main blade, a German basket hilt sabre.

The Biz:
Byron has been involved with the music industry since the 1920's, he knows how things work and the right people to talk to and could be a top notch agent for an aspiring artist, or (as he's doing now) run his own label.

Writing:

Nobody can deny Byron has a way with words, poetry, prose or lyrics he can keep up with some of the best as only a legendary name in literature can.

Resources

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Acquaintances:
Byron has few true friends but reams of acquaintances, people from all walks of life from rich and powerful music executives, to the doorman at the hole in the wall club he likes. A number of immortals are in the ranks of these acquaintances, but they tend to be closer to being actual friends because of their shared condition and their ability to talk candidly about their lives and The Game.

Celebrity:
A lot of doors open when you can ask, 'do you know who I am?' and people actually do. Byron's an easily identifiable figure, a frequent subject of paparazzi pieces and on the cover of Rolling Stone and and a couple of other publications over the years. Add to that the money it brings, plus the revolving door of flunkies and groupies that follow him around, it's a pretty sweet deal. As an added buffer, being as high profile as he is, makes other Immortals think twice about challenging him, after all, if you lop off the head of a star, people are going to notice.

Identities:
Byron has several passports and professionally developed IDs under a number of names, most of which are plays on his own name or one of his characters. His current identity of 'Byron' has papers giving his legal name as Gordon Harold Noel, complete with a UK citizenship and a US work visa.

Property:
Byron rarely lives in a place he owns, he always seems to have a rich friend willing to lend him their place while he's away, or gets a lease on a place that suits his fancy. Though Byron does own a penthouse in London and another in New York, as well he's invested in several after hours clubs, and backdoor speakeasies.

Wealth:
Byron has won, lost, and borrowed many fortunes in his 200+ years, in fact he may still owe significant sums to a few of his fellow immortals. At the moment though he's riding high on his rock and roll money, which is enough to see him living like a rockstar for the next decade if he doesn't blow it all on his label and his lavish entertainments.

Wild Childe Records:

Byron's latest project, his own record label, it's still small but he's got a solid stable of up and coming talent across a number of genres and connections to the big time labels for distribution. Of course the whole thing is a huge money pit until his up and comers become hits, but Byron doesn't care about the books.

Weaknesses

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Boredom:
Boredom was a curse for Byron even before he became immortal and the prospect of untold centuries to fill hasn't helped. Byron combats this boredom by living life to its fullest and living it close to the edge, he'll do anything to get his pulse bounding, often putting himself and others at risk in the process. Byron has so far survived, the people he drags with him? Often not so lucky?

Celebrity:
It's hard to take someone's head when you might end up doing it on TMZ. As much as his celebrity opens doors and protects him, it's also a gilded cage that, with very little privacy or time to catch your breath. Then there's the other problem, he's been in the public eye long enough that people are noticing his lack of aging, sure some of it is played off, with jokes about never aging like Keanu Reeves and Patrick Stewart, but it won't hold forever and if Byron doesn't give up his fame willingly, another immortal or the Watchers might take action to see that he stays out of the spotlight permanently.

Enemies:
Byron has a talent for making enemies, they are as many as his friends, and much more passionate in their feelings about him. Who are they? A mix of immortals, ex-lovers, the spouses of the men and women he's had affairs with, the list goes on. Byron barely cares about any of it, but that doesn't mean any of them mortal or immortal, rich or poor, can't come out of the woodwork to make his life more difficult, or try to take his head!

Right Foot:
Byron was born with a deformed right foot, meaning it is painful to walk without the help of a cane. Despite this, Byron has worked hard all his life to overcome the pain, taking up boxing in his first life and focusing on swordplay since becoming Immortal. Still, it is a weakness that someone could take advantage of in battle, and in social circumstances, to say Byron is sensitive about his leg is something of an understatement.

Watchers:
Byron has no clue about the Watchers and honestly, his celebrity makes it dead easy for the group to keep tabs on him. Right now that isn't a danger to him, but if they should turn on the Immortals, Byron would be one of the easiest to find and eliminate.

Byron's first Watcher was Dora Rossi, and his current one is Germaine Scott.

Way of the Immortal:

It has been passed down since the dawn of time, from one Immortal to another. All...well, most, Immortals live by a strict code of "honor" and behaviour. If any were to break this code, they would be hunted by all Immortals and executed without remorse, mercy, and by any means necessary. This has rarely happened, and certainly not in the last thousand or more years. It is so rare, that no one remembers the last Immortal who broke these sacred covenants. Those covenants are as quoted by Ramirez to Connor Macleod:

*No Immortal may fight on Holy Ground, no matter who regards it as Holy.

*Immortal combat is one on one only - no outside interference.

*Mortals must not learn about Immortals - if you are killed, you move on.

*When only a few are left, all Immortals will feel drawn to a distant land, to fight for the Prize - this is the time of the Gathering.

*In the end, there can be only one - the last one will receive all the power of all the Immortals who ever lived.

Logs

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Title	Date	Scene Summary
Training with Sharps	December 5th, 2019	Two immortals discuss the past, and prepare for the future with a little sword training inside a boxing ring.
In the Club	November 14th, 2019	Byron and Riana meet at the club, stories are told, a walk is had, and both of them forget winter is cold.
Let's Do 'The TIme Warp' Agaaaaain	November 2nd, 2019	After a night of partying at Club Evolution, Byron meets Shannon and they jam out to a Rocky Horror classic!
A Quiet Drink	October 30th, 2019	Byron and Mac go for a 'quiet' drink, and of course, Byron needs a favour.
Antiques you find in an Antique Shop	October 26th, 2019	To be continued.

Cutscenes

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Title	Date	Scene Summary
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Gallery

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