Gideon Blackburn

Name: Gideon Blackburn

Age: 25

Race: Nord (Werewolf)

Biography

Gideon grew up in a small village near Falkreath. While his father was often away doing mercenary work to support his family, his mother took care of him, their garden, and their trapline. As soon as he was old enough to help, he was out weeding, trapping and preparing meals with her.

One night when he was about ten years old, they were coming home with freshly gutted carcasses, the scent of which drew unwanted attention. While his mother was a tough and fierce woman, she was no match for a vicious werewolf, and died protecting her son. Gideon was found huddled close to her body the next morning, and as discovered a month later, hadn’t survived unscathed.

He’d been infected with lycanthropy, and subsequently cast out of his village. From then on, his father took care of him, and the two travelled Skyrim in search of work. Gideon did his best to learn the ways of the sword from his father, and once he was old enough to start participating in mercenary missions alongside him, proved that he had a talent for battle. Thanks to his enhanced strength, stamina, and senses, he quickly became an asset to his father and the two completed many jobs together, bringing them a comfortable life.

During a particularly dangerous job of clearing out a large group of bandits, Gideon’s father was killed, prompting a full-out transformation and vicious slaughter of any remaining men. While normally having some issues controlling his bloodlust, he’d been so overcome with rage that he almost couldn’t stop himself, and very nearly continued on to the nearby town. Fortunately, his human side was so overwhelmed with grief that he was able to regain control and tend to his father’s body instead.

He became a lone mercenary after that, continuing to travel the lands and look for work. He kept mostly to himself, and was careful as always to avoid taking work or even being near people on the full moon. He stayed clear of other lycanthropes, as encounters with them very rarely worked out, so when he met the Jorrvaskr twins out in the field one day, he expected the worst.

Despite his reservations, he was met with warmth by Farkas. Though his twin had enough caution for the two of them, Gideon was informed of the Companions and how they were always looking for more, strong additions to their family. Not only that, but they had a sizeable werewolf population as well. Intrigued by the possibility of a group of mercenaries that he would actually fit into, without being able to hide his nature as much, Gideon agreed to come back with them to Whiterun, and quickly realized that he’d come home.

He fit in easily with the tough men and women under Jorrvaskr’s roof, and certainly had enough strength to complete even the toughest of jobs. Not only that, he quickly grew to respect and admire Kodlak, and eventually came to see him as a father figure. Having lost his own father only a few years before joining the Companions, the safety and security Jorrvaskr offered as a whole was a great boon to Gideon, as was being able to interact with other werewolves. He learned to better control his bloodlust, and even came to enjoy his curse, especially when hunting under the moon with his new family.

After two years with the Companions, Gideon was promoted to the Circle, and had been fulfilling those duties for a year before he met Lilja. Since the appearance of dragons, he’s been having strange dreams and encounters, but has mostly brushed them aside.

Personality

Gideon is generally gruff, reserved, and is usually frowning at something. He has a dry wit and a strong sword arm, and can easily get aggressive with people who waste his time or try to harm him or his companions. He has a great sense of personal honour, and has honed his inherent lycanthropic bloodlust into a love for battle. He feels at home on the battlefield, and when he’s cutting down his foes or hunting game it helps to sate that darker side. He’s never attacked anyone unwillingly, and very much wants to keep it that way - he would never want to visit his curse on anyone, especially in the way it happened to him.

While he’s rough around the edges, Gideon isn’t an asshole for the sake of it. Especially since becoming a member of the Circle, he feels a responsibility to uphold the Companions’ honourable name and along with that, would gladly jump in front of any one of them to save them. Even though he tends to be reserved, Gideon also tends to open up after getting to know someone, and can be quite curious. He’s downright loud and boisterous under Jorrvaskr’s roof, and though he has a few strong friendships, none are stronger than his friendship with the twins.

Since he’s been a werewolf for the majority of his life, Gideon is adept at using his enhanced strength and senses to make his way in the world. Like all wolves, he’s especially attuned to the hearts of others, along with the ever-present, however suppressed, urge to tear it out of their chests. Thus, he’s not fond of clearing crypts or dwemer ruins which house the undead and automatons, as their lack of vitals unnerve his senses. He’s used to hiding his lycanthropy, but it can be difficult for him to remember that most don’t have a nose or ears as good as his, especially after hanging around people who do.

Gideon can shift into a werewolf at any time if he so wishes, and the transformation can last as long as he has the stamina for it. Though he could attempt to suppress the transformation on the full moon, the urge is so overwhelming and the shift so satisfying that he never has. The nights leading up to and after the full moon tend to wear on him as well, and he often gives into the urge then too. Extreme negative emotion can trigger a transformation, especially during battle. If he’s in an abandoned castle full of bandits and with a shield-brother who knows of his affliction, he occasionally transforms just to get the job done faster and to sate his taste for blood even more thoroughly.