Name: Clovis Lanchester
Nickname: Goes by Lance
Age: Appears to be roughly in his late-20s, early-30s.

Member of House Ashby: Associate/Acquaintance

How long has the character known Archer/been a member of his family: Around 200 years or so.

Supernatural Abnormality: Immortal, with a catch.  Doesn’t age past his apparent age, and when killed, will revive with the morning sunrise, regenerating from whatever the largest remaining piece happens to be.

Weakness: He has no other supernatural ability beyond his immortality, and its weakness is simply that it is not absolute, as it is tied to the nature in which it was granted (see the history below).  It is also something of an unwillingly-earned immortality, though Lance no longer refers to it as a curse very often.  Also, due to the nature of the curse, he is still susceptible to diseases, poisons, and illnesses, with the exception of those that are genetic or caused by physical abnormalities.  Death is the reset button in his case, and there have been instances where he’s done so to avoid having to deal with the recovery (for example, he did actually catch the Black Plague when it ran rampant).  Fortunately, Lance has a strong constitution, and tends to be quite healthy.

Theme song: Undecided (Taking Suggestions)

Faceclaim: Sebastian Stan

Physical Description: An even 6 feet tall with a lean, sturdy build, earned through regular exercise focusing on all muscle groups rather than simply aiming for strength or endurance.  His hands are large, and well-calloused from regular hands-on work and swordplay practice.  He usually wears his hair on the long side, combed back and straight, and rarely managed to keep up with his shaving which leaves him with a partial bead/goatee.  Somewhat sparse eyebrows frame bright, blue eyes, which often share the grin he wears as his usual expression.



Outfit-wise, Lance prioritizes utility and comfort above all else.  Button-down shirts or long-sleeve tops or turtlenecks, well-worn jeans, old but sturdy boots or neutral-colored runners.  In colder weather he prefers a leather jacket, with layering and a scarf if the weather’s still chilly with the coat.

Distinguishing Features: His eyes are the most immediately distinguishing feature, a remarkably bright, light blue.  The other aspect that stands out is only seen when he’s in a state of undress; it’s not the muscle definition, but the scars.  He bears a number of visible scars, including one across his abdomen nearly three inches long, another just below the curve of his left shoulder, as if whatever had cut him was stopped by the bone, and a third just above his left hip, about an inch and a half tall, and a third as wide.  Numerous other smaller scars can be seen as well, both on his torso, and his arms and legs, but none, barring the potential risk of bloodloss, look like they would have been definitively fatal.

Personality Description: Lance is a man content to keep his own company, but who enjoys the company of others nonetheless.  He is amiable, but slow to open up and let people gain more than a cordial acquaintance out of him.  Despite this, Lance is quick with a smile and always eager to share a good story, though many tend to leave people guessing as to their truth.  Having lived with himself for so long, he is often content to simply go with the flow and avoid shaking things up, however when things get serious or a crisis is involved, he will be among the first to step up.  He dislikes having to take a leadership role, but often will to ensure a job or situation is handled appropriately.  When it comes to his skills and himself, Lance is prideful and confident, sometimes to a fault, and is eager to prove what he’s capable of – whatever he might be questioned on.

Despite his nature and the above tendency to find himself becoming the center of a conversation from time to time, there is always a sense that he’s holding back, as if any gathering or growing sense of camaraderie brings out somber memories.  He’ll be quick to enjoy a social situation, but just as quick to leave when the opportunity arises, so long as it is not impolite.  Last of all, he’s very slow, almost reluctant to trust, but in earning his trust he is fiercely loyal to those select few he considers close.  He is also a man of his word, who takes any questioning of his personal code as a personal offense.

What are some of your character's likes?:
- Music, his favorite themes include Jazz, Classic Rock, Metal, Classical Orchestra, and J- and K-Pop (and their versions of the previous genres)
- Playing instruments; Lance has become skilled in many, but his favorites include the violin (and fiddle, in particular), bass (guitar), and drums
- He loves movies in general, though his favorite genres tend to be in the fiction or historical fiction genres (be it fantasy, scifi, or anything in between).  In particular, Monty Python’s collection is among his absolute favorites.
- Swordplay; an avid fencer and Buhurt competitor (essentially, full-contact medieval combat), he has a particular interest in the longsword and other, larger two-handed swords which go by many names.  More generally, Lance loves combat in all forms, the competition with another, fighting to see who comes out on top and bettering yourself and your opponent in the process.  He does not relish killing, but the best and most enjoyable way to push himself to his limits is against a similarly-skilled opponent in single combat, be it with swords, or any other form.
- The quality Lance appreciates most in people is a strong set of personal values or a personal code.  For the most part he respects those who stay true to themselves, even if their values are not directly in line with his, and so long as theirs do not infringe upon another’s right to themselves, then that respect will hold.  Honesty, in particular, is important to Lance – both honesty with him, and honesty with oneself.
- Flying.  Lance has his private pilot’s license and while he doesn’t own an aircraft of his own, he loves each and every opportunity he can get at altitude, be it flying himself, skydiving, gliding, or even just taking a commercial flight.  Anything that gets him off the ground gives him a thrill, and as someone who has lived before humankind achieved flight, the novelty still hasn’t worn off.
- Cooking and food.  Lance isn’t necessarily the best cook – his favorite and most successful dishes amount to stews and stir-fries, the kind of dishes that are hard to screw up and amount to throwing everything in a pot or wok – but he adores the art, and loves eating even more.  His preferences might be more bold than most, as he much prefers a more flavorful or spicy dish (the more the better) than many, and his tastes extend to many cultures, where he is able to find joy in any cuisine he’s come across, with some rare exceptions.

What are some of your character's dislikes?:
- Dishonesty; there are fewer ways to earn Lance’s ire than betraying an oath or maliciously lying.  Not much of a surprise, given how much weight he puts on holding to one’s values.
- In contrast to his skill and the enjoyment he gets out of fighting, Lance abhors killing, and hates every instance where it is necessary.  He can and does kill when he needs to, but almost every time once the deed is done and the fight is over, he gets taken by a compulsion to vomit, borne into him by religious parents and mentors.  It is not a reaction he wants to train out of himself.
- Hot climates.  Having been born in northern France and spent much of his mortal years there and in Britain, Lance simply isn’t equipped to handle tropical, humid heat, even if he does enjoy traveling there for other reasons.
- Politics and politicians.  He’s never had time for them, and though he knows it is an exaggeration, Lance figures he can count the number of respectable politicians he’s seen and known on one hand.  Modern politics, to him, are too much about the power play, not enough about serving the people.  He is, perhaps, a little harsh on them, as he winds up comparing them to a frankly impossible standard.

Any other information you would like to share: Though Lance moves around a lot and generally keeps to himself, he has managed to amass a respectable personal wealth, distributed among various banks and brokerages which she shifts between as the years and decades pass.  He has a number of properties, too, where he keeps the few possessions he considers worth holding onto.  The few items of particular personal value that Lance has, he tends to bring with him to wherever he considers ‘home’ at the time being, all of which can be contained within a single large, old-style traveling trunk (the kind you might see mounted on the back of a carriage of a vehicle from the 20s or 30s).

History: It has been more three hundred years since I last made an attempt to undo this curse of mine.  Three hundred years since I chose to accept my lot in life.  Every few decades, barring outside influences that allow me to test the effects of my curse, I test whether it remains in effect, for I know not whether my immortality or my lack of aging will go first.  Every time, I awaken with the morning sun, and so I continue on.  These days and in times of conflict, this particular aspect of my ‘curse’ can actually be a boon.  I can ‘die’, then move on to another part of the world and start life anew, as someone else.  In the days before the world became so interconnected, I worried little that my nature would be discovered, and for a time I even enjoyed relationships, and let others in on what I was, if not who.  However, as civilization matured and travel or the spreading of news became more commonplace, I had to put an end to such luxuries.  After being burned at the stake one too many times, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

So, as the world modernized, so too did my lifestyle.  When I chose to settle down, I would do so in rural areas, either with smaller communities, or out on my own.  Other times when I mingled with society at large, I would limit my time living there to no more than a decade or so, beyond which it becomes difficult to uphold the lie of simply ‘aging well’.  Fortunately for one such as I, being martially inclined more so than anything else, the prevalence of war throughout the world provided me with a convenient method of moving on.  To date I have fought (and died) in more wars and conflicts than most historians can keep track of.  I’ve even been properly buried a few times, though I try to keep that from happening as best I can.  Digging oneself out of a grave is quite the challenge.  Ironically, this is why, in more recent times, I have a habit of registering a last will and testament, instructing that I be cremated.  At the very least, this is never done on the day of death, which affords me an opportunity to sneak out when no one is looking.  It’s worked well the last few times I’ve had to do so.

Outside of war, with all the time in the world on my hands, I’ve taken the time to get good at quite a few skills, both practical and artistic.  Music is a constant joy, as being able to see it evolve as the decades and centuries pass is a treat none but I get to enjoy, and it turns out when you don’t age, your muscle memory tends to remain consistent so it is little trouble to pick up new instruments and remember well how to play them.  Plus, it helps when you have learned from some of history’s greatest musicians.  Visual art was never something I could get good at, however.  There are no great works of art with my name etched in the corner, unless you count the odd carving made at historical sites when I was bored (made long before they became historical sites, mind you).

The modern age has made keeping my nature a secret more difficult.  With the advent of the internet, I have to be cautious to not draw too much attention in any aspect of my life.  These days, I tend to take up skilled professions that don’t make too much of a splash; athletics training, local musician (although I will have to be careful with how quickly things can go viral these days), historian with a focus on some obscure part of history that I witnessed myself, and yes, a bit of modern soldiering here and there.  There are some organizations that don’t ask too many questions, when you can demonstrate a certain level of proficiency.

Having lived as long as I have, few specific events or people stand out as worth mentioning.  Those I consider most worthy are those I so rarely talk of these days, preferring to keep their memory precious and personal.  Others, however, are momentous memories for other reasons.  I can count on one hand the number of people alive today who know what I am, and all of them are connected to a single individual I met by happenstance a little over 200 years ago; Archer Ashby.  In my many travels, I have learned that the world is home to many things mystical supernatural, although with my own personal experiences this shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Not all beings who fit that category are peaceful, particularly among certain more violently-inclined races.  One of the occupations I’ve therefor performed over the years is that of a Monster Hunter, Bounty Hunter, Inquisitor… or Vampire Hunter.  It was on such a task, hunting after a vampire that had allegedly been responsible for the deaths of numerous children in a small rural community that I ran into Archer Ashby, also hunting for the same individual but for different reasons.  I hold to a personal code of honor, the same that I swore before ever being cursed, and have met many a ‘monstrous being’ who was merely a victim of society’s radical banishment.  After initial pleasantries were exchanged and we both learned we were there for (mostly) the same reason, we were able to track down the vampire in question and give them the help they needed.

I do not know what became of that fellow, though Archer assures me he is still well.  Archer, on the other hand, I have kept in contact with over the years, seeing in him a man of similar values to my own.  He has agreed to keep what few secrets of mine that he knows, although given the nature of what he does for those like him, my immortality is not one of those secrets.  He understands my somewhat whimsical nature, and so rather than offer a more permanent place among his ‘family’, we keep in contact instead, and I have a room available should I ever need it.  Also, he manages some of my larger accounts through his investment firm, so there is that.  Beyond our friendship, I have become something of a consultant for him and those in his flock.  Though a relatively mundane case myself, in my travels I have learned and experienced much which, as it turns out, enables me to aid those who have difficulties finding a place in society – or difficulties of a more supernatural nature.  I help who I can, when I can, and it is this role which has seen me booking a flight back to New Orleans, with my trusty trunk in tow.