Theo Crawford (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sanctus_dei) wrote2024-04-24 12:24 pm
sanctus_dei) wrote2024-04-24 12:24 pm
Entry tags:
Original timeline history
Theo was born in 1929 in San Francisco, California, the youngest of two boys. His parents were textile factory workers, trying their best to keep their poor family fed during the Depression Era, so Theo grew up with very little in his life.
Magic is very real in Theo's world, as well as a few superhuman races, rare as they were. But to the general public, these were things to stay away from, something to be feared. Little was known of magic and the supernatural to your average person. Theo, however, was always fascinated with mages, wanted to nothing more than to be one. Compared to a poor boy on the streets struggling to survive, the life of a magic user seemed like an exciting fairy tale; people who could be heroes, who could change the world for the better, who could bend reality to their whims. In actuality, magicians were a sequestered lot, living in communes known as guilds, sharing their knowledge with each other and generally staying away from the general public. Magic was a scholarly pursuit, steeped in rituals and intense practice and discipline. In San Francisco, Lumen Conscientia was the only worthwhile magic guild, but joining was difficult. Not only did you need that inner spark that gifted with magic – a thing still not understood even by the most seasoned magical scholars – but you needed contacts. Nepotism and money made the LC go round, and a lower-class nobody like Theo never had a chance to join their ranks.
A quiet and withdrawn boy by nature, Theo kept to himself, doing whatever he could to find books regarding magic and studying them profusely. Most of what he had were stolen books from the dark corners of bookstores that he wasn't supposed to even be allowed into. Luckily for him, he had the gift for casting, but magic was a very difficult thing to learn, almost impossible without instruction. Still, Theo kept his talent hidden from his family, and tried practicing whenever he could. Eventually his older brother, Greg, found out about it. Greg was 7 years older than Theo, and practically raised Theo in place of his absentee parents. The two boys were very close, but even so, Greg wasn't exactly thrilled about his little brother learning something so dangerous. He tried to dissuade Theo, but even he couldn't convince him out of it. One day, Theo knew he was going to be a famous mage and would help the world love magic too, and make people not so afraid of it.
By nature, Theo was quiet and awkward, despite his lofty aspirations. During his studies, it didn't take long for him to become obsessed, amazed at the fact that he could cast magic. After all, only certain people were ever gifted this amazing ability, and he was among the chosen. He quickly grew narcissistic and monomaniacal. There was just something off about Theo Crawford, and the more time he spent alone obsessing, the more warped his personality got. Self-absorbed and selfish, he couldn't understand why the magic guilds in San Francisco could turn down such a rising talent like himself, when it was just so obvious he was going to change the face of magic! But again and again, Theo was a victim of politics, shut out of studying magic at any reputable school. At a young age he became bitter and disillusioned with the guilds, resenting them and their members.
It wasn't all vanity, though. It turned out Theo really was incredibly gifted in magic. But a magician with no focus or training was a danger to himself and others. One of his last resorts for training was a magician who was practically a legend in San Francisco, a man who was known by the moniker Doc Gravity. Doc was an infamous figure, especially amongst the prestigious Lumen Conscientia. Anyone outside of the LC knew the story like this: As a former member of the LC, Ed Grayson one day disappeared with loads of magical texts and supplies. He had managed to study with them for almost two years, centering in alchemy, and literally ran off in the middle of the night with scores of priceless works. He hid in plain sight around the city and nearby towns, working as a traveling magician and snake oil salesman called Doc Gravity. He wasn't discovered until he came forward to help the LC take down the traitorous Konrad Kirsch, who tried to overtake the LC and even San Francisco with powerful mind-manipulating spells. Doc had worked closely with Konrad during his time in the LC and knew how to foil his spells. He had helped save the LC and the city, and then disappeared again as mysteriously has he had surfaced. He disappeared before they could punish him for his past grifts. A figure like Doc G was almost mythical to mages like Theo, even though they barely knew the real story behind him. Nevertheless, Theo spent almost every waking hour trying to track him down, finally finding him hiding out in San Francisco's underground, working in the black market in the trade of magical items and potions.
Young Theo was in awe of Doc G. In his eyes, he was a clever, amazingly talented alchemist who had attained the impossible, the most sought-after work of all magicians – he has successfully created an immortality potion. Doc was well into his 60s, but looked about 35. Theo hounded Doc about becoming his student, but Doc wasn't interested in having students. After all, Doc had a dark secret that no one currently alive knew, which was that he actually didn't know how to cast magic. He didn't have that gift for casting other mages did, and has spent a lifetime faking alchemy with his knowledge of the subject, chemistry, and simple parlor tricks. The immortality potion wasn't a trick, though. He had created it accidentally, and it had some terrible side effects – the terrible punishment of someone playing with forces beyond their control. Pride kept Doc from telling anyone this, let alone Theo, and ended up taking him on as a student anyway. Theo was beyond thrilled. Finally, someone who would listen to and pay attention to him! Someone who would teach him what he needed to know, how to cast correctly, and help shape him into the amazing person whose magic would one day change the world.
However, Doc made for a poor mentor. Too proud to ever admit the truth, bitter and jaded about magic in general, Doc mostly ignored then 15-year-old Theo. Despite all his efforts to gain his mentor's favor and praise, Theo was mostly just handed books to read, then ignored. Doc was well-versed in magic, and had great knowledge on the subject, but was unskilled and couldn't give Theo the practical lessons he needed. A mage who could cast but who didn't know how to focus their power was very dangerous. Not only could their spells go wrong, with lethal results, but a caster who didn't know how to channel magical energy properly and pace themselves could easily kill themselves. Improper casting could take hours, days, even years off your life. And yet, Doc didn't bother with Theo, letting him practice alone. He never really wanted a student, and couldn't be bothered to put much effort into teaching him. This went on for almost two years. To Theo, Doc could do no wrong, and put up with the neglect in order to learn.
But, one day, Theo had enough, and something in him just snapped. Always avoided, always pushed aside, never good enough for anyone else, and now ignored by the one person he idolized. So Theo pulled just what Doc had done to the LC decades previous, and stole as many of his books and supplies from him as possible. Doc had a lot, too, being a major dealer in black market magical goods.
With that, Theo disappeared from his worrying family and the magical community. He lived alone outside the city for another two years, throwing himself into his studies to become the greatest caster the country – no, the world! He ended up mostly studying in necromancy. He had started on it when working under Doc, but tried not to get caught since he knew that it tended to be regarded with disgust and fear by other magicians. Raising and controlling the dead was discouraged by the guilds and left out of studies, outlawed in many circles completely. What a perfect area for a guy like Theo. And, it turned out, he was amazing at it. All mages have their niche that they excel in, and this was Theo's. He couldn't seem to do too many varied spells with it, but it didn't matter. He could raise the dead, and make them do what he wanted. They bowed to his whim. They did what he told them to do. He practiced it until he could cast it with seemingly little effort. That's when he made his move.
It was winter of 1948. Over the course of a few weeks, Theo begins setting up the necessary circles and rituals around the cemeteries just outside of San Francisco. He managed to have the spells lay dormant and hidden, as to go unnoticed by other casters. They were set to cause earthquakes as well as raise the dead, helping them loose from cemeteries and letting them loose upon the public. Theo even goes as far as killing random strangers the night before the spell is set to add fuel to the fire, stalking lone people in the city with a knife, and raising them afterwards. Now at only 19 years old, Theo knew his name will be known and feared, and he's right. The spell actually goes off, and does what he had hoped, but his personal handiwork hadn't gone unnoticed. Not long before he set it off, casters in San Francisco found Theo's spell circles. They alert their allies, and even the mundane authorities of the FBI, who had as of recently started getting more involved in the investigation of magic and guilds.
The local mages knew this was going to be bad, and they were too late to stop Theo's assault fast enough. A near 20-mile radius of California was under his mercy. He was finally getting what he wanted. Now everyone would know who he was, and they would never forget. The city and its countryside were under siege by vicious living dead, a horrible army of zombies that were strong, all operating with a hive-mind under Theo's complete control. They attacked and killed anyone and anything in their wake. Unbeknownst to Theo, his own family would be victimized in the assault, with his father dying to protect Theo's mother.
Theo was beyond ecstatic in the moment. He'd worked a lifetime to gain this much power, this much notoriety, and it was finally happening. But his desire to be seen and watch San Francisco bend to his will is what got him in the end. Instead of staying somewhere secure, he was in the city itself, watching people scramble, flee, scream and die from a hilltop. He had no idea that the FBI had a fix on his location. Theo was well protected by his minions, but with the help of the other casters, they managed to fight them off and get to Theo. Despite the casters' warnings, Theo is executed on the spot by the FBI. Not that it mattered much, as the energy Theo exerted in order to cast the spell was so great, he wouldn't have lived past a week now anyway. The spell goes wild, but eventually fades, and is brought under control by the other magicians.
Theo had gotten what he wanted – his name, deeds and power remembered forever. But thanks to him, magic is strictly controlled by the government from then on. Magicians need to be registered and are forced into guilds to learn to control and curb their abilities. Evidence in his case also leads back to Doc, who was arrested by the FBI (who then make his life hell for the next 60+ years). People, especially casters, don't soon forget the name of Theo Crawford, the man who had changed the face of magic forever, for the worse.
Magic is very real in Theo's world, as well as a few superhuman races, rare as they were. But to the general public, these were things to stay away from, something to be feared. Little was known of magic and the supernatural to your average person. Theo, however, was always fascinated with mages, wanted to nothing more than to be one. Compared to a poor boy on the streets struggling to survive, the life of a magic user seemed like an exciting fairy tale; people who could be heroes, who could change the world for the better, who could bend reality to their whims. In actuality, magicians were a sequestered lot, living in communes known as guilds, sharing their knowledge with each other and generally staying away from the general public. Magic was a scholarly pursuit, steeped in rituals and intense practice and discipline. In San Francisco, Lumen Conscientia was the only worthwhile magic guild, but joining was difficult. Not only did you need that inner spark that gifted with magic – a thing still not understood even by the most seasoned magical scholars – but you needed contacts. Nepotism and money made the LC go round, and a lower-class nobody like Theo never had a chance to join their ranks.
A quiet and withdrawn boy by nature, Theo kept to himself, doing whatever he could to find books regarding magic and studying them profusely. Most of what he had were stolen books from the dark corners of bookstores that he wasn't supposed to even be allowed into. Luckily for him, he had the gift for casting, but magic was a very difficult thing to learn, almost impossible without instruction. Still, Theo kept his talent hidden from his family, and tried practicing whenever he could. Eventually his older brother, Greg, found out about it. Greg was 7 years older than Theo, and practically raised Theo in place of his absentee parents. The two boys were very close, but even so, Greg wasn't exactly thrilled about his little brother learning something so dangerous. He tried to dissuade Theo, but even he couldn't convince him out of it. One day, Theo knew he was going to be a famous mage and would help the world love magic too, and make people not so afraid of it.
By nature, Theo was quiet and awkward, despite his lofty aspirations. During his studies, it didn't take long for him to become obsessed, amazed at the fact that he could cast magic. After all, only certain people were ever gifted this amazing ability, and he was among the chosen. He quickly grew narcissistic and monomaniacal. There was just something off about Theo Crawford, and the more time he spent alone obsessing, the more warped his personality got. Self-absorbed and selfish, he couldn't understand why the magic guilds in San Francisco could turn down such a rising talent like himself, when it was just so obvious he was going to change the face of magic! But again and again, Theo was a victim of politics, shut out of studying magic at any reputable school. At a young age he became bitter and disillusioned with the guilds, resenting them and their members.
It wasn't all vanity, though. It turned out Theo really was incredibly gifted in magic. But a magician with no focus or training was a danger to himself and others. One of his last resorts for training was a magician who was practically a legend in San Francisco, a man who was known by the moniker Doc Gravity. Doc was an infamous figure, especially amongst the prestigious Lumen Conscientia. Anyone outside of the LC knew the story like this: As a former member of the LC, Ed Grayson one day disappeared with loads of magical texts and supplies. He had managed to study with them for almost two years, centering in alchemy, and literally ran off in the middle of the night with scores of priceless works. He hid in plain sight around the city and nearby towns, working as a traveling magician and snake oil salesman called Doc Gravity. He wasn't discovered until he came forward to help the LC take down the traitorous Konrad Kirsch, who tried to overtake the LC and even San Francisco with powerful mind-manipulating spells. Doc had worked closely with Konrad during his time in the LC and knew how to foil his spells. He had helped save the LC and the city, and then disappeared again as mysteriously has he had surfaced. He disappeared before they could punish him for his past grifts. A figure like Doc G was almost mythical to mages like Theo, even though they barely knew the real story behind him. Nevertheless, Theo spent almost every waking hour trying to track him down, finally finding him hiding out in San Francisco's underground, working in the black market in the trade of magical items and potions.
Young Theo was in awe of Doc G. In his eyes, he was a clever, amazingly talented alchemist who had attained the impossible, the most sought-after work of all magicians – he has successfully created an immortality potion. Doc was well into his 60s, but looked about 35. Theo hounded Doc about becoming his student, but Doc wasn't interested in having students. After all, Doc had a dark secret that no one currently alive knew, which was that he actually didn't know how to cast magic. He didn't have that gift for casting other mages did, and has spent a lifetime faking alchemy with his knowledge of the subject, chemistry, and simple parlor tricks. The immortality potion wasn't a trick, though. He had created it accidentally, and it had some terrible side effects – the terrible punishment of someone playing with forces beyond their control. Pride kept Doc from telling anyone this, let alone Theo, and ended up taking him on as a student anyway. Theo was beyond thrilled. Finally, someone who would listen to and pay attention to him! Someone who would teach him what he needed to know, how to cast correctly, and help shape him into the amazing person whose magic would one day change the world.
However, Doc made for a poor mentor. Too proud to ever admit the truth, bitter and jaded about magic in general, Doc mostly ignored then 15-year-old Theo. Despite all his efforts to gain his mentor's favor and praise, Theo was mostly just handed books to read, then ignored. Doc was well-versed in magic, and had great knowledge on the subject, but was unskilled and couldn't give Theo the practical lessons he needed. A mage who could cast but who didn't know how to focus their power was very dangerous. Not only could their spells go wrong, with lethal results, but a caster who didn't know how to channel magical energy properly and pace themselves could easily kill themselves. Improper casting could take hours, days, even years off your life. And yet, Doc didn't bother with Theo, letting him practice alone. He never really wanted a student, and couldn't be bothered to put much effort into teaching him. This went on for almost two years. To Theo, Doc could do no wrong, and put up with the neglect in order to learn.
But, one day, Theo had enough, and something in him just snapped. Always avoided, always pushed aside, never good enough for anyone else, and now ignored by the one person he idolized. So Theo pulled just what Doc had done to the LC decades previous, and stole as many of his books and supplies from him as possible. Doc had a lot, too, being a major dealer in black market magical goods.
With that, Theo disappeared from his worrying family and the magical community. He lived alone outside the city for another two years, throwing himself into his studies to become the greatest caster the country – no, the world! He ended up mostly studying in necromancy. He had started on it when working under Doc, but tried not to get caught since he knew that it tended to be regarded with disgust and fear by other magicians. Raising and controlling the dead was discouraged by the guilds and left out of studies, outlawed in many circles completely. What a perfect area for a guy like Theo. And, it turned out, he was amazing at it. All mages have their niche that they excel in, and this was Theo's. He couldn't seem to do too many varied spells with it, but it didn't matter. He could raise the dead, and make them do what he wanted. They bowed to his whim. They did what he told them to do. He practiced it until he could cast it with seemingly little effort. That's when he made his move.
It was winter of 1948. Over the course of a few weeks, Theo begins setting up the necessary circles and rituals around the cemeteries just outside of San Francisco. He managed to have the spells lay dormant and hidden, as to go unnoticed by other casters. They were set to cause earthquakes as well as raise the dead, helping them loose from cemeteries and letting them loose upon the public. Theo even goes as far as killing random strangers the night before the spell is set to add fuel to the fire, stalking lone people in the city with a knife, and raising them afterwards. Now at only 19 years old, Theo knew his name will be known and feared, and he's right. The spell actually goes off, and does what he had hoped, but his personal handiwork hadn't gone unnoticed. Not long before he set it off, casters in San Francisco found Theo's spell circles. They alert their allies, and even the mundane authorities of the FBI, who had as of recently started getting more involved in the investigation of magic and guilds.
The local mages knew this was going to be bad, and they were too late to stop Theo's assault fast enough. A near 20-mile radius of California was under his mercy. He was finally getting what he wanted. Now everyone would know who he was, and they would never forget. The city and its countryside were under siege by vicious living dead, a horrible army of zombies that were strong, all operating with a hive-mind under Theo's complete control. They attacked and killed anyone and anything in their wake. Unbeknownst to Theo, his own family would be victimized in the assault, with his father dying to protect Theo's mother.
Theo was beyond ecstatic in the moment. He'd worked a lifetime to gain this much power, this much notoriety, and it was finally happening. But his desire to be seen and watch San Francisco bend to his will is what got him in the end. Instead of staying somewhere secure, he was in the city itself, watching people scramble, flee, scream and die from a hilltop. He had no idea that the FBI had a fix on his location. Theo was well protected by his minions, but with the help of the other casters, they managed to fight them off and get to Theo. Despite the casters' warnings, Theo is executed on the spot by the FBI. Not that it mattered much, as the energy Theo exerted in order to cast the spell was so great, he wouldn't have lived past a week now anyway. The spell goes wild, but eventually fades, and is brought under control by the other magicians.
Theo had gotten what he wanted – his name, deeds and power remembered forever. But thanks to him, magic is strictly controlled by the government from then on. Magicians need to be registered and are forced into guilds to learn to control and curb their abilities. Evidence in his case also leads back to Doc, who was arrested by the FBI (who then make his life hell for the next 60+ years). People, especially casters, don't soon forget the name of Theo Crawford, the man who had changed the face of magic forever, for the worse.