![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title(s): Former Sheriff
Age: 2000+
Date of Birth: ~67BC
Gender: Male
Species: Vampire
Threadjacking: Y
Forth-Walling: N
Mindreading: N
Fighting: Y
Injury: Y
Romance: Y
Smut: Y
Age: 32
Timezone: PST (-8)
Contact:
Turned at the age of 16, Godric looks physically a teenager and can pass as such if he's attempting to do so deliberately. Otherwise, the way he speaks and carries himself does enough to belie any impression of true youth that most people would second-guess themselves almost immediately. Godric favors neutral, comfortable clothing and keeps his hair close-cropped. He doesn't usually bother with adornments or brand name anything.
Back in the day, Godric was in many ways still boyish, taking joy in the vampire life and indulging as he pleased, running wild. This was tempered by the coolly analytical nature he exercised to survive at any cost -- “A vampire is never at the mercy of his emotions; he dominates them.” Such was his philosophy, and the philosophy he taught Eric; there is only survival or death. Moral concerns were never to be humored.
Much later on in life, Godric became a deeply conflicted individual. His indifference toward humanity eventually waned, and as vampires and humans lived in closer and closer contact until their worlds merged, a guilty conscience slowly took hold in Godric.
Godric now has a respect for humans that manifests in both manner and speech. He tends to refer to humans politely -- Mister or Miss so-and-so as opposed to the casual use of a first name -- and treats them as equals. He's a proponent of compromise, respect, and mutual understanding.
This attitude also extends to vampires, though their hierarchy ensures that Godric is persistently treated as a superior, not an equal, and so the dynamic is a different one. Toward vampires, Godric wields his power and authority so expertly, he doesn’t even have to raise his voice to stop trouble in its tracks and send it running in the other direction. A single sharp, quiet word from Godric is enough to silence a room and demand attention and obedience. His decisions as Sheriff were always quick, firm and fair. Even vampires who do not agree with his decisions, like Stan, would never really challenge him on it, even if they may raise an objection now and again.
That said, Godric isn’t ashamed to admit when he’s wrong. He owns up to his mistakes without any self-pity or excuses, and shows no evidence of damaged pride when doing so. He accepts the consequences gracefully and does what he can to make amends.
Due to these qualities, people are drawn to Godric, and he quickly inspires their loyalty and devotion. Godric’s children treat him with something akin to outright reverence.
Underneath his melancholy exterior, there still exists much of the old Godric. Calm and composed at nearly all times, if Godric is inspired to anger, his temper is cold and can be methodically lethal. While he is a creature of great personal control, he still possesses killer instincts and can act on them when necessary. There are some actions Godric judges more harshly and with far less compassion than others. Sexual assault in particular is something he won't tolerate, bar none. He canonly responded to the attempted rape of Sookie Stackhouse -- then a stranger to him -- by killing her would-be rapist without hesitation or remorse. This was a man he knew personally and previously had polite relations with. That fact did nothing to save him.
Godric also has appetites that, while controlled, are still very much an integral part of him. Feeding is the obvious one, but his sexual appetites too are always hopelessly entwined with the drive to feed; it's uncommon for a vampire to refrain from biting during sex. For a long time leading up to the end of his life, Godric remained apathetic to both of these urges, as might be expected of any deeply depressed person. However, this should not be considered the norm for him. Although these days he might usually prefer blood from a bottle (at least in practice), he still enjoys both sex and real blood immensely when he’s not completely down on life in general.
Should Godric form an emotional bond with someone, he has a deep capacity for love. This is demonstrated very aptly in his relationship with Eric (and later Nora), whom he taught and lived with and loved unconditionally for nearly half of his entire lifespan. Once he chooses a rare companion, he is dedicated almost to a fault.
Though he now views humans as equals, Godric still has a long-ingrained vampire instinct that any human friends or companions are "his." While for many vampires this implies true ownership, Godric is much less openly possessive of humans, but still fiercely protective, particularly from any threat by another vampire.
Being a very old vampire means that Godric is pretty much Superman-tier powerful. He could throw down with the Hulk and come out of it okay. Also, he bites.
Strength — Let's just say that Godric's strength is immense enough that concrete and metal aren’t sufficient barriers to entry.
Speed — He is literally faster than a speeding bullet. Sorry not sorry.
Heightened Senses — He can see in the dark more clearly than a human can see in the day, hear a heartbeat miles away, and smell a scent hours old.
HP over 9000 — His stamina and endurance are off the charts. He can heal from minor injuries in seconds, major injuries in minutes. If he loses a limb, it will grow back after a time, nbd.
Glamour — This is essentially a form of hypnosis. With eye contact, Godric can bend a person's will to do what he pleases, and then make them forget it ever happened, or remember it in some way that hides the truth. This isn't something he cares to do often these days, but he's still perfectly capable of it. Glamour a human too often, and they become addled and less intelligent.
Yeah, he can fly — Although not all vampires can fly, both Eric and Nora can do so, suggesting that they probably inherited the ability from Godric’s bloodline. While Godric is never seen flying in canon, it’s reasonable to assume he can do so.
I did mention he bites? — Godric's fangs are extendable and retractable at will. They will sometimes extend instinctively in response to a threat, or due to anger or lust (either bloodlust or sexual lust). Usually, Godric has very good control, and his fangs will stay where he puts them. If he bites someone, the bite can be either painful or downright erotic, depending on his intent.
Healed by Vampire Jesus — If there's any happy consensual biting going on, Godric's saliva has coagulative properties which will make a wound stop bleeding and speed the healing process immensely.
For more severe, or internal injuries, Godric's blood has potent healing powers that will fully restore a human to health, but it comes with side effects. The human will be fully rejuvenated beyond their normal state, and will be temporarily faster, stronger, and more aware than usual, and will heal more quickly on their own should they be injured again. They'll feel energized and more attractive than normal, but the blood also creates a bond with the donor. Which leads us to--
Side Effects Include Stalking — If bonded, the human will feel attracted to Godric, even to the point of having wet dreams about him, and Godric will be able to know where they are and monitor their emotions at all times. Ingested too often, the blood can be highly addictive.
The Standard List of Vampire Abilities™ does come with its drawbacks - High on the list of things that can injure Godric are silver, which burns when it touches his skin and is capable of incapacitating him if, say, a silver net is tossed over him. If the silver gets into his bloodstream somehow, it’s a form of torture. There’s also a form of hepatitis, called Hep D, that can make Godric ill and weaken him for around a month. Fire can also burn him and kill him if he's exposed too long. Likewise, a stake to the torso could end him immediately, as could decapitation or complete dismemberment. (This is all assuming, of course, that someone is fast enough to inflict any such injury before they're dismembered themselves.)
Godric needs both regular sleep and a regular supply of blood to remain healthy, though at his age he needs a good night's sleep more than he needs blood. If necessary, he can go weeks without blood. A lack of sleep will cause him to begin bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, and/or mouth, and will weaken him.
Godric is also vulnerable to magic, which he has no natural defenses against. Necromancy is a particular concern.
Last but not least, Godric can't enter the home (or dwelling) of a mortal without being invited in by the owner or other resident, and if his invitation is rescinded at any time, he'll be physically compelled to leave.
Godric was born in Gaul, in the first century BC. When he was still a boy, he was captured in Gaul during one of Julius Ceasar's campaigns. He was sold as a slave and bought by a sadistic Roman vampire who branded him and abused him for years. When Godric was 16, his master turned him. Feigning a broken will but nursing a terrible anger, Godric stayed with his maker until he learned all he could of being a vampire. When the knowledge ran dry, Godric murdered him, a feat that was considered rare and astonishing for all that his maker was so much more powerful and had such command over him. It was nearly unheard of to kill one's maker, and a crime to kill another vampire at all. Godric fled Rome and the vampire authorities who would have sought to punish him, finding refuge in the wild northlands of his youth.
Fascinated by armies, Godric would often follow their movements, watching them fight and occasionally joining in for the fun of it -- then he’d feed on and kill the wounded. It was on the British coast a thousand years into his vampiric life that Eric caught his attention. Eric was a Viking king who fought like no other warrior Godric had ever seen. He burned with a passion for life and for the dealing of death that drew Godric to follow him for nights on end as he slaughtered his enemies. Finally, Eric was mortally wounded in battle. He was dying on his unlit funeral pyre when Godric caught up to his trail, killed his comrades-in-arms, and offered Eric eternal life by his side. Eric accepted, and Godric turned him.
Godric taught Eric everything he knew, including philosophies that Godric would much later regret. Unlike his own maker, Godric was firm but deeply dedicated to Eric, kindling a love and devotion between them that was unrivaled by any other maker and child. They existed together for centuries, rarely parting for any significant length of time.
In 1665, Eric met Nora Gainsborough on her deathbed. Charmed by her, he brought her to Godric to ask that he turn her. Godric, while generally reserved when it came to offering his blood, was equally struck by Nora’s fearlessness, beauty and ambition. He turned Nora gladly, creating his second and final child, and giving Eric a sister. Eric and Nora remained Godric's only two children.
Eventually, Godric parted ways with his children and took a position as the vampire Sheriff of Area 9 in Dallas. He was a very capable and beloved leader for over a hundred years, but it was in Dallas that the worst of his doubts and regrets slowly began to catch up to him.
Rethinking his past actions and burdened by the conflicts of the recent Great Revelation, in which vampires revealed themselves to the world, Godric eventually found himself unable to atone for centuries of murder and equally unable to create a lasting peace between humans and vampires. He did what little he could to encourage it, but a single vampire could only do so much.
In 2008, Godric caught wind of a plot by a fanatical church called The Fellowship of the Sun to capture a vampire and force him to meet the sun. Rather than gather his underlings and respond through force, Godric kept the knowledge of this plot to himself and left quietly to offer himself as a sacrifice. He’d hoped that by doing so, he could be the catalyst for a greater understanding between the two factions.
Unfortunately, Godric’s underlings, allies, and Eric all believed he’d been (impossibly) captured by the church -- an alarming idea to all vampires, by any measure, considering the extent of Godric’s power -- and set out to rescue him. Naturally, the whole thing proceeded to unravel in the most spectacular fashion and Godric was ultimately forced to intervene in order to keep the ensuing conflict from escalating into all-out war (see season two, episodes 7&8).
In the aftermath, it became clear that Godric had purposely intended to end his life, and still planned to do so.
Eric tried to talk him out of it, begged and threatened and cried, but Godric was resolute in his decision. When Eric said he would die with Godric, Godric used a final command as Eric's maker to send him to safety. Instead, Sookie Stackhouse offered to stay with him. Godric asked her how he'd be punished for his crimes if she was right and there was a God. She assured him that God doesn't punish, and when she asked if he was frightened, Godric reassured her that he was 'full of joy.’ He requested that she take care of Eric before turning away from her into the sunrise, meeting his true death.
