Nicholas Cross… Nick to his friends… Nicodemus,
in another life. Hell, HUNDREDS of other lives, after the
Changeling Way. His soul is the Eternal Wanderer; his heart
is of the protector. In nearly all myth and legend, tales
of a wandering paladin are ever-present. A man who is despised
by some, loved by others, and who always moves from place
to place, tearing down tyranny, and champions the cause of
the innocent, the helpless, and the powerless. The spirit
of Nicodemus is in all of them… and their spirit is in
him.
Nicholas was born on August 29th, 1986, in the small town
of Navarre, Kansas (Population: 117). His parents weren't
the worst people in the world, simple, hard working folk
who just wanted to get off the farm and actually DO something
with life. Nick seemed like a pretty normal kid, picking
up the guitar at 4 years old, learning to sing with it not
too long after… those things came naturally to him,
and people had seen kids learn musical instruments that early
before. Nothing major. Everything was at least SEMI normal,
until he was about 5, and began to read a college level
book, understanding what it was saying. At age 8, his IQ
test scored him at 140, at an exceptionally high level,
especially for such a small town. He was put in better classes,
and even advanced a few grades. It wasn't too big a deal
for him; he looked older anyway, so no one really messed
with him. By his Fourteenth year, what would have been his
Freshman year, he had graduated high school all together.
It wasn't that he was THAT smart, but academic work came
easy to him.
Seeing an opportunity in the works, Nick's parents tried
to force him into colleges, intellectual contests, and the
like (including, of all things, the early season of "Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire?"). Finally, at 15, Nick
snuck out of the town, headed for wherever his heart would
lead him. All he took with him was a little food, a few
changes of clothes, his old straw cowboy hat, a duster,
and his guitar. At this time, he looked about 20, so, unless
they required an ID, he was just fine. He found that, through
his honest face, and intelligent eyes, he could get odd
jobs at small stores and such… and, when the managers
weren't looking, swipe a little extra cash. Never more than
they could manage, and never very much either… just
enough. After a while of moving from town to town, job to
job, he finally had enough money for a fake ID, which says
he was born in 1974. Everyone thought he looked the part,
and now he could get a job singing on stage, playing his
guitar… his true love.
However, that all changed, or, at least had stuff added
to it, about six months prior to his 16th birthday. Nick
walked into a town on the eastern part of Tennessee…
a town that was being terrorized by a group on motorcycles.
Small town, but it was six guys… it was enough. As
he walked in, one of them challenged him… and he suddenly
felt unable to turn it down. He wasn't the best fighter,
but, through pure luck he was able to outsmart the man,
and get him tired, while finally defeating him. The others
in the gang were about to team up against him, when the
people of the town, encouraged by seeing this lone stranger
taking on their problem, joined forces, and pushed the bikers
back, and out of town. They praised Nick, and healed what
wounds he had… after a few days (and a couple of nice
gifts… and pretty ladies), he left, and went on. A
month later, he stumbled into a store being robbed, and
disarmed the man, holding him for arrest… only to find
out he was wanted in a string of robbery/murders across
Tennessee… his actions had saved the clerk's life.
Once again, he milked his fame for what he could, and left
before anyone got tired of him. This kind of thing became
a common occurrence… he was drawn to need, to people
who needed a champion… and even just to really interesting
events.
And this lead him to the East Cost… where, in Fae terms,
the Banality is high, the morality is low, and the people,
once again, need a champion. Due to the actions of
another Fae, he finally Chrysalized, and is now trying to
learn the ways of his new world...
A few personal notes. He has a slight addiction to coffee…
he really REALLY wants one every morning before he starts
his day off. He is quite self-confident, but VERY curious,
and feels that he HAS to save the lives of those around
him if they are in need. And, finally, he has a twin…
not his brother, but someone who looks just like him…
(Link's Unseelie Sidhe, WoD BC only).
Finally... at one point in his travels, he
traded in his worn-out guitar for a newer model. It's a
Martin 12-string... redwood. The man selling it didn't know
what he was selling, and so Nick got it for a VERY good
prince. What he didn't know was that this was a Chimerical
item... properties of which are unknown to him, and will
remain so until his Chrysalis. ((it basically allows him to
sense when people need help... sort of like a spider sense))
|
