Dom's Modern Bio

Dominicus Appretion was born to the Appretion family that had founded and ran Appretion Academy, the top university in the country for the past 200 years. Possibly in the world.. His father, Regulus Jonas Appretion and mother, Evelynn Maroi Appretion, were part of the faculty. Evelynn was a tenured professor. And Regulus ran the Admissions office. The week that Dom was conceived, the board had decided to open up a second campus overseas in Tamoi. There was simply not enough room for them to house as many students as wanted to come, so they decided to open a college across the pond to accommodate their European students. Regulus took an army of professors and aides and began the arduous process of opening up a new college. Dom's Aunt Cailio was another tenured professor and was head of the faculty board. She went with Regulus to help get the school up and running

The building and completion of the college took nearly ten years. Dom's birth was stressful and hard on his mother, ultimately taking her life at the end. Dom was left to the care of various nannies and his grandparents. They loved him dearly and made the first 10 years of Dom's life the happiest he could possibly imagine. Even with his father overseas, they did their best to shield Dom from the sadness of growing up without his parents. His father returned home a handful of times while Dom was growing up. And every time, he was met with distance and distaste. His father had turned into a hard man during the construction and opening of the college. And blamed Dom for his mothers' death. Dom's Aunt Cailio made it a point to visit every single one of Dom's birthdays and tried to visit during winter and summer breaks. She always had such grand tales to tell Dom as he went to sleep. And always brought him the most cutting edge gifts and oddities from her travels across the  European Highlands and whenever she had an assignment from his father to recruit some new professors or attend lectures all around the world.

Somewhere over the middle of the construction and eventual opening and running of classes, Dom's father had begun to act differently. Making more and more sweeping changes away from what the original Appretion Academy had been universally renowned for. Being very selective with applicants. Worrying about money and station rather than the merits of the students. Dom's grandparents grew concerned with the reports they were receiving back, but there was nothing they could do. Regulus was a brilliant headmaster and was bringing the new campus of Appretion Academy to greater heights. Dom's Aunt Cailio sent back a letter to her parents begging them to reconsider after a huge chunk of students were all expelled and had charges pressed against them after there was evidence that they were running a drug running operation out of their dorms. All the students swore up and down that they were just protesting the school's unfair practices. They claimed that they were framed. But there was an overwhelming amount of evidence. 

While her students were expelled, Regulus used that as a starting crusade about reforming the rules of admission and conduct of the school. When Cailio confronted Regulus later in the Dean's office and accused him of fabricating evidence, Regulus didn't even bat an eyelash. And compared her *Students* as paychecks. And when she requested that Regulus drop the charges against the students, she was denied. and put on administrative leave when she slapped him.

Finally, on his 12th Birthday, the Academy was finally "Open". Dom watched his father return home to the maiden campus as the marching band threw him a parade for the new Academy being fully operational. Dom waited at the front steps to welcome his father and Aunt home. But that was when the first wave of the maelstrom of ill tidings decided to strike. A fleet of a dozen black SUV's rolled up in perfect formation. Men in black suits spilled out of the front of the vehicles and opened the back doors, letting individuals and couples step out. It was quickly noted that luxury oozed into the air around them. Dom's grandparents were flabbergasted. They had never put much stock into money. The Academy was wildly successful. But Dom's grandparents built it into the academy it was by putting all the profits of running the school back into it. They lived normal lives. They tried to put on a smile and make the most of such good tidings as the school being finished. 

They decided to throw a feast in their son's honor. On that night, tragedy struck. Dom's grandfather, Jonas Appretion, had a heart attack and collapsed after giving the opening speech. Dom's grandmother, Lenore, was unable to live without her husband, so she leapt from her balcony on the eastern tower. Her daughter's tower. To symbolize that she had made the wrong choice in choosing who ran the new school. 

His father, the dean of the new wildly popular school, was quickly appointed Dean of the original school and stepped into the duties of running the maiden campus. And Dom learned what true hell was. Regulus began making the same sweeping changes that he had at the new college, Regulus began to raise the price of admission and classes, making the requirements for scholarships more and more outrageous. He quickly made all his top professors from the old campus chairman on the board of directors. Or gave them important job positions. Or even created a new board of security guards. And then he set his Guard out on the campus. Everyone was afraid to step out of their dorm.

Dom was forced to watch from the dean's quarters as his childhood idyllic campus was destroyed in front of him. All of his nannies and professors were replaced with stuffy old men and drill instructors. And they were cruel. Dom was forced to lose his childlike demeanor quickly as he was beaten for not being the best. Starved for the slightest infraction. Beaten whenever the person instructing him decided it was time for a beating. So Dom adapted. He became their star pupil. He had even begun to convince himself he was just being the person that his father always wanted. By the age of 16, the only person who could best Dominicus in a spar was his father. He could give a lecture in any subject better than any of his professors. He joined as a junior security guard during the summer when he wasn't in school.

During the Winter Solstice after Dom's 16th Summer, he became very sick. A fever wracked his body and stole the strength from his body. The physicians were flummoxed. They had never encountered anything like it before. They suggested to his father that Dom be put into isolation, in case this was the beginning of a plague or something that could spread. Regulus agreed. So Dom was moved to the Eastern Tower. It was there, during the longest night of the year and in the middle of his Aunt's sanctuary, that Dom's magic awoke in him for the first time. His eyes snapped open as green flames poured from the sockets. He let out a wordless scream as green flames roared forth as well. The inferno that had been expelled from his body began to swirl and roil and condense into a tight ball. Once it was no bigger than his fist, the ball immediately dropped onto Dom's chest and burrowed inside. Dom tried to scream again as it felt like his entire existence was being dragged across the surface of a supernova. Tears streamed down his face, and Dom could see the steam boiling off his skin. He was certain he was going to die, so he walked towards the light.

It wasn't until later, when a doctor came to check on him, did Dom realize that he had dreamt it all. Or at least, it didn't look as though he was burned to cinders. The doctor smiled and congratulated him for breaking the fever. They had informed his father while he was still unconscious, and "everyone" had decided to leave him up here until they were sure that he was not contagious. Dom agreed, still baffled at the dream he had. That evening when he was by himself, he kept coming back to the dream. As he imagined the ball of green flames, a word floated across his mind. "Inferonium '' he muttered. And the ball of flame appeared in front of him. Dom leapt back and bit back a curse. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. And then his stomach dropped. Dom knew at that moment that his life was in grave danger. If his father found out that he had magic, Dom was as good as dead. His father hated anything different. If he knew that if Dom had magic, he would never see the light of day again. He would be shoved in some dark hole and experimented on for the rest of his life.

Dom spent the next two years doing as much research as he possibly could while keeping his magical gift a secret. Dom reasoned that if he could just find a way to get rid of his magical energies, his father would never find out and he could be the son that he always wanted. He was unprepared for how much his fathers changes had truly stretched. There was little to no information in the library. Anything deemed "Inappropriate" was immediately banned from the campus, to prevent "Corruption". Dom found the most use in his Aunt's tower, which he had converted into his rooms after he had been cleared by the doctors deemed him no longer contagious. He learned various simple cantrips and spells from the old tomes that his aunt had squirreled away in her tower. And the further Dom delved into his Aunt's personal books and library, he discovered his Aunt's journals. And that's when he learned the real truth of everything that had happened.

 That his father had orchestrated everything from the beginning. He had been the mysterious benefactor that had given his grandparents the startup money for the new campus. He wanted a college so that he could run it how he wanted it. He had bought half of the board of directors to vote in his favor. He knew that if his grandparents had their way about it, Regulus would have had to run the school with his sister Cailio. And he didn't want that. Cailio had recorded all her findings in her journals. Dom wondered why his father had never come up here and destroyed all the books, but once Dom reached the last entry his Aunt had left.

Dom,

    I don't know when you will be reading this. Or even if you will.... I might be wrong about you, after all. I haven't been able to see you grow if you are reading this now. I am gone. I may be dead. I may have run away. I am writing this right before I head back to the front lines with your father. We just celebrated your 10th Winter. I got you that necklace, that you immediately complained you were too masculine for. I will have you know now that is my favorite memory I hold of you now. But I am leaving this for a reason.... I am sorry for bringing up the past. I can only imagine the horrors and atrocities you have had to witness and experience at my brother's rule. I am assuming you have read my other journals at this point, as you would have been compelled to do. Once you came into the Eastern Tower, the spell trap I had set for you would have activated and sent a geas to compel you to seek the truth. It also kept your father and his goons from discovering all of this. 

    I am sorry I am not there in person to tell you all of this, but your father has a vendetta against magic.All the students that had been "Convicted" or expelled were magically gifted. Or suspected of having magic. If he had the ability, I doubt he would let us live. So I am planning to flee. With what remains of my students, I am going to abandon Appretion and wait. I am waiting for.... You. Dominicus Appretion, if you are reading this, it means that you indeed have the gift. And you are now in grave danger. You need to get away. If your father finds out about your magic, I can't even begin to imagine what would happen. Get out of there. Flee. Hide. Disappear. Then come find me,

                                                                                        Love,    

                                                                                                Aunt Caily

P.S. There was a reason that I gave you that necklace. Break open the edge of the necklace next to the clasp. The chain is hollow. You might find something of use in there.

Dom brushed the tears out of his eyes as he set down the last journal. He knew that his father was a monster. Now he just needed to get out of there. Dom went over to his nightstand and opened the drawer to find his necklace. Breaking off the clasp, he peered inside. Inside was a tiny black metal sword. Holding the necklace to pool into his hand, he dropped the long piece of metal into his palm. A spark of green flame ran along the entirety of the blade. It morphed and grew into an ebony handle resting in his palm. A black sheath rising up in front of him. As his hand wrapped around the hilt, a zap of electrical energy seared across his hand and up his spine. A searing burning sensation followed across his spine as it heated up. The sheath melted from the blade, revealing that the ebony handle matched the blade. A stark band of ivory white ran up the middle of the sword. Dom could almost feel the leather being fused with his skin as it stitched up each vertebrae. Gasping at the end of it, Dom dropped the blade. Once it left his hands, it shimmered in the air for a moment before disappearing into thin air. Raising an eyebrow, Dom reached back to the nape of his neck with the hand that had just dropped the sword. A gasp left his mouth as he closed his fingers around that smooth hilt, still warm from his touch. Pulling it out, it materialized from the invisible sheathe. Pulling it around, Dom inspected it up close until he heard a clatter of something metal hitting the floor behind him. He turned around slowly and saw 2 guards standing there with one of his professors.

Dom didn't hesitate in the slightest. He lunged across the room. His blade sunk into the first guard's kevlar vest as if it were made of straw. A flick of his wrist, and Dom's blade slid through his chest and side and caught the second guard in the neck. He had nearly sliced it halfway off with the momentum of pulling the blade clear of the first victim. Gasping at how sharp the blade is, Dom yanked the blade back as a geyser of ruby red death erupted forth, spraying Dom and the professor with the crimson blood. Dom lifted the blade and smacked the doctor with the hilt, knocking him unconscious. He quickly flew around his room and collected his belongings as he threw together a plan to try and get somewhere safe. He bundled it down to just a pack. Grabbing the personal grimoire he had been writing in was chief among the things he brought.

He fled in the middle of the night. His father had given him a Mustang for his birthday. Swapping the plates with one of the students, he fled the campus. He wasn't sure that his father would be able to read the journals after he left. Putting as much distance as he could, Dom drove from sunrise to sunset with as few breaks as he could manage without killing his car. After a week, Dom reached the bottom of the Rocky Mountains, in a town that had only a few hundred people that nobody could remember the name of 5 miles down the road. He sold his to a shady car salesman in a few towns over, for half of what it was worth, using the other half to buy the man's silence. And Dom disappeared into the town as best he could. Dom had thought he had made it out of there undetected. It wasn't until summer that the wanted posters started going up. And the rumors began to circulate that Dom had fled an attempted murder charge and was on the run with a bunch of drugs after having stolen from the local mafia. Dom's location was given to the investigators sent by Appretion Academy by that car salesman. His father had sent his Personal Guard and paid off the police. They chased him up the  mountains. 

Once they had captured Dom in an old hunting cabin looking over a large chasm that the Blosser River had cut through the mountain range, they tortured him for their own amusement. They tied him to the bed and beat him with their weapons. They broke both of his legs. They branded his chest with a shoddy Appretion crest. Once they were finished, their leader had whispered in his ear that "Regulus sends his regards. He wanted to do this in person, but you decided to be a coward and run. He has always known about your powers. He just needed to wait until that Bitches spell tripped and gave you the necessary information. You killed your mother. From that moment on, Regulus never considered you his son. So do the Academy a favor and just die." 

Leaving him for dead, they set a fire around the edge of the hunting cabin and left him manacled to the bed. Dom could hear their laughter as they rode off. Not knowing what to do, Dom yelled through the pain as he reached deeply into the well of magical power. "Medico '' He sunk as much power as he could into the simple healing spell he had worked out of the very first spellbook he had opened. And nearly passed out as the pain rolled over him. He watched in awe as his bones cracked brutally back into place. Watched as the bruises began to darken and then disappear. The bubbled skin around the brand scarred over, leaving a dark red blotch against his skin. His face had a jagged line running down the side of it. As the power drained from him, Dom fought back unconsciousness. He wasn't done yet. He could already feel the adrenaline of casting such a big spell wearing off. His feet were beginning to blister as the flames had begun to lick up the bottom of the bed. Pulling them back, Dom tried to pull the bed with him as he dragged himself towards the door. The heavy oaken bed was not budging however. His skin began to blister as flames danced all around the floor now. Dom tried to calm himself and find his center amongst the maelstrom of pain and fear that was rolling around him. 

Grabbing his hand, Dom closed his eyes and braced himself as he broke his wrist against the manacle. Yelling out in pain, Dom was able to pull out his mangled arm out of the shackle. Turning towards the front door, he saw that it was engulfed in flames. He had seen them piling up wood against the front of the house too, So Dom knew he could not escape out the front. Turning towards the Eastern wall, Dom knew that it overlooked the chasm. The fire had already burned a good portion of these giant timber planks. And they looked brittle. Dom braced himself and ran at the wall as he shielded his pack against his chest. Breaking through the boards, Dom began to free fall over the chasm. He fell and hit the water 100 feet down.

Dom was unable to remember how he had gotten out of the river, or anything after his fall. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a small bed. A pair of local hunters had found him on the river several miles from the base of the mountains. They had brought him back to their weekend hunting cabin and nursed him back from the brink of death. Half of his body had been covered in burns that were half healed. He had been unconscious for nearly a week. Dom recovered slowly, and took that time to reassess what he had learned. He was still in danger. As long as he was alive.... his father would not stop hunting him. Dom needed to find his Aunt. Hopefully she would be able to answer the questions that seemed to have been dropped onto his life on all sides.