Piotr-Grygory Timenko
Baron of Kutchevski
Necromancer of the Second Circle
AC 1016
"I cannot tolerate this! No one can betray me and survive! Especially not one of these puny fledglings. Find him, Dingus, and no one—not even my Master—will be able to save the traitor from my wrath!"
Appearance
Timenko became a vampire when he was 36 years old, so he generally looks like a middle-aged man. But he is a skilled actor and can disguise his age well. He is short and heavily built, with short dark hair and chestnut eyes. He never shows any trace of facial hair, since he did not have any at the time he became a vampire. However, this serves him well, as it would have been difficult to pass for a young student, had he sported a long and bushy beard!
His clothes change with his disguise, and Piotr-Grygory is careful not to show a style too similar to that of his "ancestors." Currently, he strives to look like a man of his supposed age (around 50 years old). He dies his hair gray, and helps himself with a cane when walking.
Background
Piotr-Grygory Timenko comes from a minor noble house that has served Prince Morphail since the time before Forty Years War. In reward to their loyalty, the Timenkos have kept a hereditary position as Commanders of the Guard to the Boldavian Prince, and later as the Barons of Kutchevski.
Timenko is considered an expert in vampires, and this is true, since he has been one of them for more than one century. He was born as Mihail Timenko, son of Lord Dan Timenko of Kutchevski in AC 857. Since then, he has ruled Kutchevski, posing as a descendant of Dan.
This masquerade is quite rare in Glantri, and is also a bit boring: Piotr-Grygory has already graduated three times at the Great School, and each time he had to begin again as pretend to be an apprentice! Moreover, it slows his own magical research, so Piotr-Grygory has learned considerably few new things this century. However, the Baron of Kutchevski enjoys the extra protection that the masquerade provides, and he is already preparing his next "heir," Arminius.
Personality & Quirks
Piotr-Grygory's personality is dominated by an unswerving loyalty to the Dark Prince of Boldavia. That is why he has managed to survive so long, when most other Boldavian undead do not last more than even a mortal lifetime.
Currently, he poses as a retired scholar, aloof and solitary. During the night, however, his true nature emerges, and shapechanges to wolf form and runs through the forests of Boldavia, leading a large pack of wolves and hunting for animals or lone travelers. Timenko enjoys the wolf form more than any other he can take. He will seldom assume fox or bat form, unless he has to perform espionage missions for his lord.
However, Timenko his able to restrain his darkest passions to the Boldavian nights, retaining an awesome self-control when around mortals. He can even force himself to stand sunlight without a single hint of the pain he suffers. The same works for most other vulnerabilities, like holy items (unlikely that is in Glantri) and garlic (which is quite more common, especially in Boldavia).
Web of Intrigue
Timenko has a well developed network of charmed minions, who help supporting his mortal façade as an expert of vampires. Most of them are from the mundaner middle class of Kutchevski, so that the chances of exposure is minimized.
While Timenko has no control over bats and rats, his strong bond with the wolves allows him to summon a great number of these predators (6-36 normal wolves) for an extended time (8-32 rounds). Moreover, he can use his charm gaze over these animals, and he often uses them to patrol his land.
Timenko has created a number of pawns from people foolish enough to consult the supposed expert of vampires. Most of them were destroyed after their usefulness to ferret out vampire hunters ended. One of those vampires hunters, a lupin named Dingus McDiarmaid, has managed to keep himself useful enough to survive until now, and he is Timenko's seneschal.
The Sages' League has long been inviting Lord Piotr-Grygory to join their distinguished ranks, but the Baron has been elusive thus far. He does however maintains correspondences with some of their member.
Style of Magic & Combat
Statistics: 9th-level necromancer, Necromancer (Death Master) of the 2nd Circle; Str 18/91(15), Int 16, Wis 17, Dex 11, Con 18(15), Cha 15(14); AL LE(LN). (Statistics in parenthesis refer to his previous abilities in life.)
Languages: Traladaran (Boldavian dialect), Thyatian (Glantrian dialect), Ethengarian (Krondaharan dialect).
Weapon Proficiencies: staff, dagger.
Skills: reading/writing (Thyatian), spellcraft, undead lore, alertness, observation, diagnostics, disguise, spell combination, quick casting, arcanology.
Piotr-Grygory has one of the greatest collection of low-level spells in Glantri, due to his repeated studies at the Great School. He is also an expert in ancient forms of magic, and at least half of his spells date back to the pre-Republican times. Some are even more ancient—old spells from the Nithian, the Traldar or even from Old Alphatia.
However, he his quite careful not to use too many of these spells in any one of his identities, to avoid giving himself away. He normally selects basic, well-known spells, along with a few surprises for any would-be vampire hunter. He knows some of the spells devised by Prince Morphail, since he has been his "pupil" at the Great School twice.
In combat, Piotr-Grygory will try to use his spells, leaving his minions to attack physically the enemy. When his opponents seem weakened enough, he will enter melee, fighting bare-handed, taking advantage of his great strength.
"Qualis pater, talis filius. I've never seen a couple more fitting for this statement!"
(Harald of Haaskinz, commenting on the remarkable resemblance between his schoolmate Piotr-Grygory is to the "father" Vlad Timenko)
References:
The Secret Craft of Necromancy
Spells of the Secret Craft of Necromancy
Author: Giampaolo Agosta