Brandon Nightfall
“King of the Shadows”
Mr. Untouchable
[Blueblood Noble]
Rogue-Watcher*
William Chosen -(Rival)-
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Brandon Nightfall is a vampiric noble from the Minor House of Nightfall which is part of the Báthoric Demonic Order. He is also first cousins with the Ruling Countess Marie Báthory and the only true blueblood noble to ever become a watcher. His rogue watcher status has caused a great deal of controversy within Báthoric court. It has also gained him considerable notoriety.
To say he is an enigma would be an understatement. No one knows what drives him, not even his sister, the clubbable emissary, Camellia Nightfall. He is in something of a secret love affair with Lord Bale’s twin sister. Tales of their “clandestine” rendezvous are all the rage in regal court right now. How Lord Bale’s twin sister even ended up in Báthoric custody, serving as the countess’ lady’s companion, is an interesting tale of its own. Sadly, it is one that will have to wait to be told.
Brandon spent his early life, from the ages of 4-16, as a royal hostage in Draconian court. He was made prisoner of the Wulf King due to a truce the Báthory clan signed with the Dracul clan some 200 years ago. The archaic practice is used to subjugate them before the “superior” Dragon Clan. It was implemented after a very ugly war between them called the War of Orchids. The subjugation clause has worked fine up until the last two royal hostages.
The Draconian court didn’t take it easy on him during his time in custody. Don’t get me wrong, he was afforded the same dignities and amenities any noble would come to expect while in the care of another lord, rival or not. The only condition on his treatment was the Wulf King’s order to his younger brother, Radu the Mad Prince, who was acting as his regent at the time, to have Brandon always wear a blindfold. This was done for a couple of reasons:
1: To humiliate him without injury. Harm to a blueblood under their custody would be a superb casus belli against them. 2: So, he couldn’t learn his surroundings. The last thing they wanted was another devastating war. They barely won the last one the last royal hostage sparked. Thus, Brandon was kept blindfolded to prevent him from becoming too comfortable with his surroundings. The fear was that he would return home and report everything he knew about Draculin territory. The less familiar he was with their military maneuvering and political machinations the better.
Crazy part is the blindfold had the opposite effect. He cleverly used it to hone his skills to great effect. Developing his own style of ninjutsu proponents and advisories simply refer to as Sightless Ninjutsu. He loves traditional ninja weapons such as the ninjato, kunai, shuriken, and smoke bombs. He does carry a very hi-tech pistol capable of firing special bullets laced with various substances such as silver, mercury, sulfur, and holy water. It must be noted that he rarely fights blindfolded when engaged in live combat unless he finds himself losing, which never happens.
When the Wulf King found out about his abilities, he was incensed. He ordered Brandon to appear before him in Bulgaria to account for himself. The meeting was very anti-climactic, and instead of ordering his imprisonment, he took an immediate liking to the quiet teenager who appeared before him blindfolded and unfazed by the situation. The Wulf King wondered why he was training so hard. There was no need to fight, he already had everything at his disposal. He was a blueblood noble after all—a social status that afforded him more privilege and prestige than most.
He thought back to the last royal hostage and how he had caused his kingdom so much grief. That vampire wasn’t even a fighter, he was a bureaucrat, yet he had managed to renew the flame of war between clans. He had returned home with tales of barbarism and sadism. His gift for gab rallied his clan and several vassals into upheaval. Romania was in chaos, and it took quite a concerted effort from the Wulf King to restore order. Things got so ugly his brother, Radu the Mad Prince, began plotting to overthrow him, but that’s a story for another day. Now imagine the grief a warrior-talent such as Brandon could wreak. The thought enticed the Wulf King and instead of being apprehensive he was excited to see how strong the conflict would make him.
And so, with these thoughts in the back of his mind, he asked Brandon what his goal was and to speak freely. Brandon remained quiet for a moment as he thought long and hard. He told the Wulf King that he was determined to reach his goal but refused to say what it was when pressed. All he did was reiterate that he would stop at nothing to complete his secret mission. The Wulf King was impressed. Why? Because in the cruel and twisted world of Transylvania, where the Dracul clan reign supreme, strength and fearlessness are rewarded. Weakness and fear are forever punished. They are brutal traditionalist who subscribe to the old “Vlad the Impaler” style of governance.
He allowed Brandon to continue to hone his skills. He even allowed him to join his army in its incursions into Bulgaria territory. They were fighting against the Holy Order in what was supposed to be neutral territory. The legends are true. He has never been touched by an opponent in battle. Hence the moniker “Mr. Untouchable.” His fighting style is too swift, silent, and calculating for all but the most elite opponents. He is such a polarizing figure, he is on the Holy Order’s radar, and that’s extremely difficult to do, considering they always stay out of worldly affairs.
He was released from Draconian custody at the age of 16, whereupon he decided to stick around, even going so far as to join the Wulf King’s mercenary entourage for four years. After that, he disappeared for several more. His absence caused quite a bit of controversy within the Báthory clan. Rumors were all over the place. Some thought him died, others said he ran. The truth was that he was busy training to become the first blueblood rogue watcher in recorded history.
The quiet and mysterious Master Nightfall has finally returned home to his family estate. He was eagerly embraced by his father upon arrival. The reason for his abrupt return is vague. Rumor has it, it has something to do with this new liege watcher, by the name of William Chosen. He wanted to test the rumors about how promising of a ninja he was. The venerable Duke Montgomery Nightfall is old and ailing. He worries constantly over his disinterested heir and what will happen to his fiefdom when he is dead. Brandon is his only son and the rightful claimant to the powerful Chicago dukedom. Only time will tell which agency prevails—the shadow of the warrior or the light of the prince.
The images in the short are AI generated, everything else was made by me—a human. Hi 👋🏾
