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A place for all my characters, in use or otherwise.
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Build: Lean, athletic
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Black; short, slightly tousled
Tattoo(s): The outline of a single star on inner right wrist
– ABOUT –
Sex/Gender: Cis Male; he/him
Sexuality: Homosexual (closeted)
Nationality: Japanese
Style: Nondescript modern casual; black jackets, dark T-shirts, jeans, etc.
Notable Traits: Calm, observant, and seemingly unshakably steady under pressure. Keeps his personal life, and his past, entirely off the table.
Vibe: Quiet intensity, serious to a fault, a man with no visible strings to pull.
Beneath the Surface: Lonely; tightly bottled up frustration, anger, etc. on the verge of bursting.
Likes: black coffee; boxing; simple, home-style meals; quiet rooftops and empty streets; the smell of rain on asphalt; cigarettes
Dislikes: loud, crowded spaces; overly sweet drinks and food; small talk; being photographed; people who brag; prying, personal questions
Occupation: Detective, Organized Crime Division – Undercover Operations
Callsign/Alias: Karasu (烏) – "Crow"
Handler: Detective Kuroda Akiyo (黒田 明代)
Cover: Streetwise errand-runner who's done "a bit of time" for petty theft. Trusted enough to deliver goods and sensitive messages, but never seen with a weapon.
– BACKGROUND –
Masato was born in Tokyo around 1995 to a single teenage mother who gave him up anonymously within hours of his birth. His father was never identified. With no family to claim him, he was placed immediately into the custody of the state. His surname, Hoshino - meaning "field of stars" - was chosen by the caseworker who filed his intake papers as a quiet, symbolic gesture meant to give the abandoned newborn a name that carried hope rather than stigma.
He grew up in foster homes and group facilities, drifting from one to the next without forming any true, lasting attachments. By his mid-teens, the constant uprooting and lack of stability had hardened into quiet resentment. At sixteen, he started associating with a rougher crowd and acting out - petty theft, vandalism, nothing specifically violent but enough to catch police attention. For most officers, he was just another lost cause case file destined to burn himself out before twenty. But one officer, Nakamura Hiroshi, saw something different.
Instead of hauling him into juvenile detention, Nakamura took a softer approach, steering Masato toward discipline instead of self-destruction. He introduced him to boxing, gave him part-time work around the precinct, and spoke plainly about the realities of crime from both sides of the badge. Over the next two years, Masato's energy shifted from rebellion to focus, and by the time he graduated high school, he had quietly resolved to pursue law enforcement.
At twenty-one, Masato entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Academy, excelling in surveillance, infiltration, and intelligence work. Two years into his career, he was transferred to the Organized Crime Division where his superiors recognized his aptitude for undercover assignments. He was uniquely suited to the work, having no family to endanger and no one to leverage against him. And, if the worst happened, there was no one who would come calling, demanding answers.
Since 2019, Masato has operated around the outskirts of multiple criminal networks - yakuza syndicates, smuggling routes, high-stakes gambling circles, underground fighting, etc. - known on the street as a thief, a competent fighter, and a reliable associate to the criminal underground. Hoshino Masato the detective has all but been wiped from records and is now identified only as "The Crow" in police files; very few people outside of his direct handler even knows that that version of Masato ever even existed.
Age: 36
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Build: Broad-shouldered, lean muscle
Eyes: Greenish-blue
Hair: Dark brown, slightly wavy, silver at the temples
Distinguishing Features: Scar along jaw, blaster burn on left forearm, military bearing
– ABOUT –
The Valtheris family of Corulag has commanded respect in Imperial and Core Worlds circles for generations. With generations of admirals, generals, and decorated officers, the family name carries immense weight in Imperial society. Dorian was born in 41 BBY, a second son, and grew up in the shadow of his father's reputation and his elder brother Garrick's career. He was expected to follow the same path but has always been found somewhat lacking in the eyes of his proud, authoritarian, and openly disdainful father.
Academy Years (24-21 BBY)
At 17, Dorian entered the Corulag Imperial Academy. He excelled in intelligence analysis, counterinsurgency theory, and strategic sims, though he lagged behind in fleet command, Garrick's specialty. Instructors praised his tactical brilliance but noted his lack of "zeal." He graduated with honors at 20, marked for service in Imperial Intelligence rather than the Navy.
Imperial Service (21-12 BBY)
For the next decade, Dorian operated within the Counterinsurgency Division. He was a shadow operative, dismantling dissident networks before they could ignite into full rebellion. Where Garrick chased glory, Dorian won invisible wars. His successes went uncelebrated but not unnoticed, and he became trusted with sensitive assignments.
Yet, service also exposed him to the Empire's corruption. At 29, during a supply chain audit, he uncovered evidence of an ISB director's secret dealings with Black Sun: smuggling routes, illicit weapons, assassination contracts, etc. Raised on loyalty, honor, and discipline, discovering that the Empire had perverted those very values into tools of corruption and cruelty led Dorian to turn against the Empire not out of ideology, but because of conviction. His meticulous records of ISB crimes began as duty, but grew into damning evidence once he realized silence meant complicity. To Dorian, true loyalty lies not in blind obedience but in exposing the rot within—even if it costs him his name, his family, and his life.
Betrayal & Defection (10 BBY)
By 31, the ISB had marked him for elimination and an assassination attempt during a Mid Rim op forced his hand. Rather than die quietly, he staged a defection, vanishing into the chaos of a failed counterinsurgency mission. Within weeks, Imperial records branded him a traitor and deserter, and his family disowned him publicly; his father declaring him "stricken from the Valtheris line."
Garrick remained silent on the matter, a betrayal that cut deepest of all.
Life on the Run (9-5 BBY)
For the last five years, Dorian has lived as a fugitive. Surviving on the edges, he trades intelligence to survive, working with whoever will tolerate him, hiding from both the Empire and Black Sun, and never staying anywhere too long.
He's no friend to the Rebellion, but no ally of the Empire either.
He moves like a ghost, armed with dangerous secrets and the knowledge that his name, once his greatest shield, is now a curse.
Age: 28
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 5'9" (175.26 cm)
Build: Lean, wiry; not muscular but with the endurance of someone used to long hours on his feet
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark brown, slightly tousled, worn a little longer than fashionable, often falling into his eyes when he plays.
Distinguishing Features: Calloused fingertips from violin strings, slightly crooked left ring finger from an old childhood break, faint lines of wear that make him seem a little older when tired
– ABOUT –
Sex/Gender: Cis Male (he/him)
Sexuality: Homosexual (kept hidden due to societal risks; expresses himself more through music)
Nationality: British (Southampton-born)
Style: Simple and practical, always neat. Usually seen in the ship's band uniform: dark suit, starched white shirt, and bow tie. Off-duty, he wears a worn but clean jacket, often patched and mended, with a flat cap
– TRAITS – ·
Personality: Quiet, observant, and contemplative. A romantic soul
beneath a reserved exterior. He has a strong sense of dignity, rarely complains, and expresses himself best through his violin.
Strengths: Highly skilled violinist, empathetic, resilient, good under pressure
Flaws: Emotionally guarded, a touch cynical, self-sacrificing, proud
Likes: Music, evenings under the stars, simple comforts, tea
Dislikes: Arrogance, condescension, insincerity, feeling invisible or dismissed
– BACKGROUND –
· Father: Thomas Hawkins
· Mother: Margaret Hawkins (née Brown)
· Brother: William Hawkins (age 25)
· Sister: Ellen Hawkins (age 22)
· Brother: Robert Hawkins (age 19)
Ned was born in Southampton in 1884 to a dockworker father and laundress mother. The Hawkins household was cramped but lively, full of siblings and the smells of seawater and coal dust from Thomas' boots, and the endless clatter of washing tubs from Margaret's work. Ned grew up there, the eldest of four siblings, carrying the weight of responsibility for them when his working-class parents couldn't, from a young age.
It was a small miracle when he found music. When he was nine, a local church benefactor noticed him lingering at the back of services, transfixed by the violinist in the parish ensemble. The man eventually gifted Ned a battered second-hand violin, its varnish chipped and strings mismatched, but to Ned it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He practiced obsessively, teaching himself with borrowed sheet music, mimicking hymns he'd heard in church until the notes came alive beneath his fingers.
Music became not just an outlet, but a lifeline for him.
Though he dreamed of conservatory training, such aspirations were far beyond the family's means. Instead, Ned made do: he played taverns where patrons sang over him, accompanied dances in parish halls, and gave the odd lesson to families with a little money to spare. Sometimes he sat in with small regional orchestras, proud but quietly ashamed of how little he truly knew of "proper" technique compared to trained men.
In his early twenties, Ned had his first taste of something more personal: a brief romance with another young musician in one of those regional ensembles. It was quiet, hidden, and sweet, but when pressure from family and society grew to be too heavy, his lover stepped away and eventually married a woman. Ned said nothing. He didn't fight it, just carried the heartbreak deep in his chest. Since then, he has been more careful with his heart, keeping people at arm's length and instead pouring the tenderness and longing he holds into his violin instead.
By 1912, Ned had made a modest reputation for himself as a reliable musician for hire. When the opportunity came to join the White Star Line's orchestra aboard RMS Titanic, he accepted without hesitation. The work promised long hours of playing for wealthy passengers who barely noticed the men behind the music, but it also promised something more valuable: steady wages to send back home to his family, who still struggled in Southampton.
Height: 5'11" (180.34 cm)
Build: Lanky, academic frame; not unfit or fragile, but clearly not accustomed to hard labor or combat
Eyes: Blue-gray
Hair: Dark chestnut brown, slightly curly
Distinguishing Features: Youthful features with a boyish earnestness that makes him look a bit younger than his thirty-three years (he's not a fan of this fact). Fair skin that burns easily in the desert heat. Occasionally wears round spectacles. Has a faint scar on his chin from a childhood mishap he brushes off when asked.
Sex/Gender: Male
Sexuality: Gay (discreet about it).
Nationality: English (born in Oxford, where his father taught at the university).
Style: Academic and practical; favors pressed shirts, vests, suspenders, and tailored trousers. In the field, he swaps it in for khaki and linen, but still overdresses compared to hardened adventurers. Carries a pocket watch and leather satchel stuffed with journals.
Personality: Earnest, curious, idealistic, and stubbornly brave despite his inexperience. Polite to a fault, but with a streak of dry wit that surfaces in moments of stress.
Strengths: Brilliant linguist and historian; lateral thinker; unwavering determination; surprising courage when cornered.
Flaws: Naive in the field; physically clumsy; overly trusting; curiosity sometimes overrides caution.
Likes: Ancient manuscripts, quiet libraries, strong tea, sketching artifacts, the romantic idea of "discovery."
Dislikes: Looters/treasure hunters, unnecessary violence, heat and sand (ironically), being mistaken for younger than he is, being dismissed as "just a bookworm."
Julian Edward Cross was born in Oxford, England, to a father who lectured in history at the university and a mother who worked as a librarian. Surrounded by books, maps, and manuscripts, Julian grew up with an insatiable curiosity for the ancient world. While other children played games outdoors, he was often found nose-deep in the dusty tomes in the university library, sketching hieroglyphs, or daydreaming of long-lost civilizations.
From a young age, Julian gravitated toward Ancient Egypt. The mythology, the monumental architecture, and the enduring mystery of its burial practices fascinated him. He studied hieroglyphs before he could drive a car, filling journals with his translations and theories, leading him down an inevitable scholarly path: archaeology and Egyptology, specializing in funerary texts, tomb symbology, and the cultural concept of immortality.
Over the years, Julian distinguished himself as a translator and academic writer. He has published several well-regarded papers on Egyptian funerary rituals and the evolution of burial rites from the Old to the New Kingdom, but alongside his legitimate work, he nursed a life-long obsession: the myths of hidden tombs and lost dynasties, particularly those tied to apocryphal accounts of immortality, and the so-called "Lost Desert King" - a supposed pharaoh erased from official records, whose tomb was said to hold the secret of life after death.
His colleagues whispered that he'd let fantasy cloud his judgment, the academic community dismissing his theories as romantic folly. It has tarnished his one-sterling reputation, resulting in invitations to lecture or collaborate growing fewer, academic exile, and the escalation of whispers of obsession and unprofessional speculation.
Julian is nothing if not determined, though.
When he heard rumors of an expedition into the Egyptian desert that hinted at inscriptions referencing a pharaoh not listed among dynastic kings, he jumped at the chance to join and redeem himself. Against the advice of his peers and family, he joined the expedition, even though this would be his first experience with fieldwork outside of libraries and lecture halls.
- Surname: Hoshino (星野) – "Field of stars."
- Given Name: Masato (正人) – "True, righteous man."
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Build: Lean, athletic
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Black; short, slightly tousled
Tattoo(s): The outline of a single star on inner right wrist
– ABOUT –
Sex/Gender: Cis Male; he/him
Sexuality: Homosexual (closeted)
Nationality: Japanese
Style: Nondescript modern casual; black jackets, dark T-shirts, jeans, etc.
Notable Traits: Calm, observant, and seemingly unshakably steady under pressure. Keeps his personal life, and his past, entirely off the table.
Vibe: Quiet intensity, serious to a fault, a man with no visible strings to pull.
Beneath the Surface: Lonely; tightly bottled up frustration, anger, etc. on the verge of bursting.
Likes: black coffee; boxing; simple, home-style meals; quiet rooftops and empty streets; the smell of rain on asphalt; cigarettes
Dislikes: loud, crowded spaces; overly sweet drinks and food; small talk; being photographed; people who brag; prying, personal questions
Occupation: Detective, Organized Crime Division – Undercover Operations
Callsign/Alias: Karasu (烏) – "Crow"
Handler: Detective Kuroda Akiyo (黒田 明代)
Cover: Streetwise errand-runner who's done "a bit of time" for petty theft. Trusted enough to deliver goods and sensitive messages, but never seen with a weapon.
– BACKGROUND –
Masato was born in Tokyo around 1995 to a single teenage mother who gave him up anonymously within hours of his birth. His father was never identified. With no family to claim him, he was placed immediately into the custody of the state. His surname, Hoshino - meaning "field of stars" - was chosen by the caseworker who filed his intake papers as a quiet, symbolic gesture meant to give the abandoned newborn a name that carried hope rather than stigma.
He grew up in foster homes and group facilities, drifting from one to the next without forming any true, lasting attachments. By his mid-teens, the constant uprooting and lack of stability had hardened into quiet resentment. At sixteen, he started associating with a rougher crowd and acting out - petty theft, vandalism, nothing specifically violent but enough to catch police attention. For most officers, he was just another lost cause case file destined to burn himself out before twenty. But one officer, Nakamura Hiroshi, saw something different.
Instead of hauling him into juvenile detention, Nakamura took a softer approach, steering Masato toward discipline instead of self-destruction. He introduced him to boxing, gave him part-time work around the precinct, and spoke plainly about the realities of crime from both sides of the badge. Over the next two years, Masato's energy shifted from rebellion to focus, and by the time he graduated high school, he had quietly resolved to pursue law enforcement.
At twenty-one, Masato entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Academy, excelling in surveillance, infiltration, and intelligence work. Two years into his career, he was transferred to the Organized Crime Division where his superiors recognized his aptitude for undercover assignments. He was uniquely suited to the work, having no family to endanger and no one to leverage against him. And, if the worst happened, there was no one who would come calling, demanding answers.
Since 2019, Masato has operated around the outskirts of multiple criminal networks - yakuza syndicates, smuggling routes, high-stakes gambling circles, underground fighting, etc. - known on the street as a thief, a competent fighter, and a reliable associate to the criminal underground. Hoshino Masato the detective has all but been wiped from records and is now identified only as "The Crow" in police files; very few people outside of his direct handler even knows that that version of Masato ever even existed.
Age: 36
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Build: Broad-shouldered, lean muscle
Eyes: Greenish-blue
Hair: Dark brown, slightly wavy, silver at the temples
Distinguishing Features: Scar along jaw, blaster burn on left forearm, military bearing
– ABOUT –
- Sex/Gender: Cis Male (he/him)
- Sexuality: Homosexual
- Origin: Corulag, Core Worlds
- Former Allegiance: Imperial Intelligence – Counterinsurgency Division
- Current Status: Disgraced ex–Imperial officer, fugitive from Empire & Black Sun
- Style: Functional worn leather jacket, layered survival gear, hidden compartments, low-slung sidearm
- Personality: Cynical, controlled, pragmatic survivor, calculated risk-taker, slow to trust but fiercely protective once loyalty is earned
- Strengths: Intelligence expertise, counterintelligence, urban survival, marksmanship, close-quarters combat, network of contacts
- Flaws: Trust issues, moral compromises, notorious family name, emotionally guarded
- Likes: Efficiency, strong caf, strategic games, quiet observation
- Dislikes: Sloppiness, idealism in war, entitled officers, family name being used against him
- Father: Fleet Admiral Kaelen Valtheris
- Mother: Lady Selvara Valtheris
- Brother: Garrick Valtheris
The Valtheris family of Corulag has commanded respect in Imperial and Core Worlds circles for generations. With generations of admirals, generals, and decorated officers, the family name carries immense weight in Imperial society. Dorian was born in 41 BBY, a second son, and grew up in the shadow of his father's reputation and his elder brother Garrick's career. He was expected to follow the same path but has always been found somewhat lacking in the eyes of his proud, authoritarian, and openly disdainful father.
Academy Years (24-21 BBY)
At 17, Dorian entered the Corulag Imperial Academy. He excelled in intelligence analysis, counterinsurgency theory, and strategic sims, though he lagged behind in fleet command, Garrick's specialty. Instructors praised his tactical brilliance but noted his lack of "zeal." He graduated with honors at 20, marked for service in Imperial Intelligence rather than the Navy.
Imperial Service (21-12 BBY)
For the next decade, Dorian operated within the Counterinsurgency Division. He was a shadow operative, dismantling dissident networks before they could ignite into full rebellion. Where Garrick chased glory, Dorian won invisible wars. His successes went uncelebrated but not unnoticed, and he became trusted with sensitive assignments.
Yet, service also exposed him to the Empire's corruption. At 29, during a supply chain audit, he uncovered evidence of an ISB director's secret dealings with Black Sun: smuggling routes, illicit weapons, assassination contracts, etc. Raised on loyalty, honor, and discipline, discovering that the Empire had perverted those very values into tools of corruption and cruelty led Dorian to turn against the Empire not out of ideology, but because of conviction. His meticulous records of ISB crimes began as duty, but grew into damning evidence once he realized silence meant complicity. To Dorian, true loyalty lies not in blind obedience but in exposing the rot within—even if it costs him his name, his family, and his life.
Betrayal & Defection (10 BBY)
By 31, the ISB had marked him for elimination and an assassination attempt during a Mid Rim op forced his hand. Rather than die quietly, he staged a defection, vanishing into the chaos of a failed counterinsurgency mission. Within weeks, Imperial records branded him a traitor and deserter, and his family disowned him publicly; his father declaring him "stricken from the Valtheris line."
Garrick remained silent on the matter, a betrayal that cut deepest of all.
Life on the Run (9-5 BBY)
For the last five years, Dorian has lived as a fugitive. Surviving on the edges, he trades intelligence to survive, working with whoever will tolerate him, hiding from both the Empire and Black Sun, and never staying anywhere too long.
He's no friend to the Rebellion, but no ally of the Empire either.
He moves like a ghost, armed with dangerous secrets and the knowledge that his name, once his greatest shield, is now a curse.
Age: 28
– APPEARANCE –
Height: 5'9" (175.26 cm)
Build: Lean, wiry; not muscular but with the endurance of someone used to long hours on his feet
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark brown, slightly tousled, worn a little longer than fashionable, often falling into his eyes when he plays.
Distinguishing Features: Calloused fingertips from violin strings, slightly crooked left ring finger from an old childhood break, faint lines of wear that make him seem a little older when tired
– ABOUT –
Sex/Gender: Cis Male (he/him)
Sexuality: Homosexual (kept hidden due to societal risks; expresses himself more through music)
Nationality: British (Southampton-born)
Style: Simple and practical, always neat. Usually seen in the ship's band uniform: dark suit, starched white shirt, and bow tie. Off-duty, he wears a worn but clean jacket, often patched and mended, with a flat cap
– TRAITS – ·
Personality: Quiet, observant, and contemplative. A romantic soul
beneath a reserved exterior. He has a strong sense of dignity, rarely complains, and expresses himself best through his violin.
Strengths: Highly skilled violinist, empathetic, resilient, good under pressure
Flaws: Emotionally guarded, a touch cynical, self-sacrificing, proud
Likes: Music, evenings under the stars, simple comforts, tea
Dislikes: Arrogance, condescension, insincerity, feeling invisible or dismissed
– BACKGROUND –
· Father: Thomas Hawkins
· Mother: Margaret Hawkins (née Brown)
· Brother: William Hawkins (age 25)
· Sister: Ellen Hawkins (age 22)
· Brother: Robert Hawkins (age 19)
Ned was born in Southampton in 1884 to a dockworker father and laundress mother. The Hawkins household was cramped but lively, full of siblings and the smells of seawater and coal dust from Thomas' boots, and the endless clatter of washing tubs from Margaret's work. Ned grew up there, the eldest of four siblings, carrying the weight of responsibility for them when his working-class parents couldn't, from a young age.
It was a small miracle when he found music. When he was nine, a local church benefactor noticed him lingering at the back of services, transfixed by the violinist in the parish ensemble. The man eventually gifted Ned a battered second-hand violin, its varnish chipped and strings mismatched, but to Ned it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He practiced obsessively, teaching himself with borrowed sheet music, mimicking hymns he'd heard in church until the notes came alive beneath his fingers.
Music became not just an outlet, but a lifeline for him.
Though he dreamed of conservatory training, such aspirations were far beyond the family's means. Instead, Ned made do: he played taverns where patrons sang over him, accompanied dances in parish halls, and gave the odd lesson to families with a little money to spare. Sometimes he sat in with small regional orchestras, proud but quietly ashamed of how little he truly knew of "proper" technique compared to trained men.
In his early twenties, Ned had his first taste of something more personal: a brief romance with another young musician in one of those regional ensembles. It was quiet, hidden, and sweet, but when pressure from family and society grew to be too heavy, his lover stepped away and eventually married a woman. Ned said nothing. He didn't fight it, just carried the heartbreak deep in his chest. Since then, he has been more careful with his heart, keeping people at arm's length and instead pouring the tenderness and longing he holds into his violin instead.
By 1912, Ned had made a modest reputation for himself as a reliable musician for hire. When the opportunity came to join the White Star Line's orchestra aboard RMS Titanic, he accepted without hesitation. The work promised long hours of playing for wealthy passengers who barely noticed the men behind the music, but it also promised something more valuable: steady wages to send back home to his family, who still struggled in Southampton.
Age: 33
- APPEARANCE -
Height: 5'11" (180.34 cm)
Build: Lanky, academic frame; not unfit or fragile, but clearly not accustomed to hard labor or combat
Eyes: Blue-gray
Hair: Dark chestnut brown, slightly curly
Distinguishing Features: Youthful features with a boyish earnestness that makes him look a bit younger than his thirty-three years (he's not a fan of this fact). Fair skin that burns easily in the desert heat. Occasionally wears round spectacles. Has a faint scar on his chin from a childhood mishap he brushes off when asked.
- ABOUT -
Sex/Gender: Male
Sexuality: Gay (discreet about it).
Nationality: English (born in Oxford, where his father taught at the university).
Style: Academic and practical; favors pressed shirts, vests, suspenders, and tailored trousers. In the field, he swaps it in for khaki and linen, but still overdresses compared to hardened adventurers. Carries a pocket watch and leather satchel stuffed with journals.
- TRAITS -
Personality: Earnest, curious, idealistic, and stubbornly brave despite his inexperience. Polite to a fault, but with a streak of dry wit that surfaces in moments of stress.
Strengths: Brilliant linguist and historian; lateral thinker; unwavering determination; surprising courage when cornered.
Flaws: Naive in the field; physically clumsy; overly trusting; curiosity sometimes overrides caution.
Likes: Ancient manuscripts, quiet libraries, strong tea, sketching artifacts, the romantic idea of "discovery."
Dislikes: Looters/treasure hunters, unnecessary violence, heat and sand (ironically), being mistaken for younger than he is, being dismissed as "just a bookworm."
- BACKGROUND -
Julian Edward Cross was born in Oxford, England, to a father who lectured in history at the university and a mother who worked as a librarian. Surrounded by books, maps, and manuscripts, Julian grew up with an insatiable curiosity for the ancient world. While other children played games outdoors, he was often found nose-deep in the dusty tomes in the university library, sketching hieroglyphs, or daydreaming of long-lost civilizations.
From a young age, Julian gravitated toward Ancient Egypt. The mythology, the monumental architecture, and the enduring mystery of its burial practices fascinated him. He studied hieroglyphs before he could drive a car, filling journals with his translations and theories, leading him down an inevitable scholarly path: archaeology and Egyptology, specializing in funerary texts, tomb symbology, and the cultural concept of immortality.
Over the years, Julian distinguished himself as a translator and academic writer. He has published several well-regarded papers on Egyptian funerary rituals and the evolution of burial rites from the Old to the New Kingdom, but alongside his legitimate work, he nursed a life-long obsession: the myths of hidden tombs and lost dynasties, particularly those tied to apocryphal accounts of immortality, and the so-called "Lost Desert King" - a supposed pharaoh erased from official records, whose tomb was said to hold the secret of life after death.
His colleagues whispered that he'd let fantasy cloud his judgment, the academic community dismissing his theories as romantic folly. It has tarnished his one-sterling reputation, resulting in invitations to lecture or collaborate growing fewer, academic exile, and the escalation of whispers of obsession and unprofessional speculation.
Julian is nothing if not determined, though.
When he heard rumors of an expedition into the Egyptian desert that hinted at inscriptions referencing a pharaoh not listed among dynastic kings, he jumped at the chance to join and redeem himself. Against the advice of his peers and family, he joined the expedition, even though this would be his first experience with fieldwork outside of libraries and lecture halls.
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