Luke Cromwell (Undergrowth)

### Family

James Cromwell (brother) ♰, Derick Cromwell (nephew) ♰, Nikita Cromwell (step-sister) ♰

### Status

Deceased (undead)

Luke Cromwell is a character which appears in the setting of Undergrowth and is owned by FrankenSoul.

## Personality

### Before Death

Calm, collected, passionate, socially awkward, introverted,

## History

### Childhood

Luke was born to a wealthy family in the northeast of the kingdom, who made their small fortune through the breeding and selling of high-quality horses, who were renowned for their cleverness, ability and willingness to learn commands, and strength.

Luke’s family home was designed and built by his grandfather, in the seclusion of an area which spanned many miles of rolling hills and forested areas and that was a day’s ride from the closest town.

This seclusion was preferred by his grandfather (or Papa as Luke called him), who held a somewhat negative view of general populations. Luke’s grandmother (or Ma, as Luke called her) also agreed with this lifestyle, as she valued her relationship with nature.

Luke’s mother was born to his grandparents and was a woman filled with curiosity, and a drive to see the world. But she was largely sheltered, forbidden from venturing outside alone and only to accompany her parents’ short trips into town.

She debated upon the freedom of marriage, as soon her father began to introduce young men who wished to court her. But she found many of the men distasteful or dull, wishing to marry her so she might assume yet another restricted role as they accessed her family’s wealth.

Candidate after candidate was turned away, and her spirit would not be broken, though her frustrations began to grow with her parent’s own expectations and anger. Everything changed one evening during a particularly bad storm, as a dark and mysterious young man appeared at their doorstep drenched to the bone. He was offered food and shelter, and graciously he took it. He shared many stories in thanks, telling of faraway lands in which he had ventured, fae-folk who had spared him a moment of interest, flying beasts which breathed fire, and many other outlandish tales which caused her parents mirth.

The young woman took a very keen and swift interest in the man, who’s eyes glinted with a warmth and spirit that grabbed at her heart. That night, she would further introduce himself into his temporary bedchambers, and shared some of the most brilliant moments of her young life. She thought the matter was over as the next day, he had to bid them farewell and continue his way, unbound by the restrictions of responsibility. She longed to go with him but knew she could not abandon her duties.

However, soon her parents saw her belly swell with child, and grew horrified of the prospect – a bastard child! Her restrictions were redoubled, and she was forbidden from being seen from potential suitors. The following months were miserable for her, but she felt a growing fondness for the life inside of her. Imagine her own horror as she eavesdropped upon the whispers of her parents, who planned to wrench the child away shortly after birth as to not “ruin” her prospects. A plan began to brew in her mind, and with a heavy heart, she knew what she must do.

Shortly after the birth of her child – a son, who smiled brilliantly and whom she named Luke – she would leave the household in the dead of night with a letter addressed to her parents. She left them her son as a gift to cherish and raise and knew that their pride and desire to carry on the family name would not allow them to toss aside a fresh son rather than a rebellious daughter.

Luke’s grandparents offered more freedom to him than his mother, granting him access to the nearby towns and allowing him to interact with children his age. But quickly, it was seen that his nature did not compliment such things – he was not his mother. Instead, he was reserved and quiet, preferring private tutoring and reading alone. He found interactions difficult and spoken word did not come naturally to him, as he found people and their behavior queer.

Luke was found to be intelligent and retained an immense need for knowledge. He excelled at his studies from a young age, spending many cool evenings sitting in the garden browsing academic and fictional writings. He found the fictional heroes within the pages far preferable than the antics of real people.

Some adjustment was needed at the introduction of a new “brother”, which his Pa and Ma sired with surprise. The dynamics of the home changed, especially as the months turned to years – James was dynamically the opposite of Luke, a sunny and bright young man with an outgoing personality and natural charm with people. Though the change was difficult at first, soon the two became inseparable, James brightening Luke’s days.

This support would be surely needed, as one evening when the two were out playing within the nearby woodlands and happened upon a wild boar. A beast of an animal, it charged upon them, James standing bravely before his brother in protection, but at the last moment, Luke pushed him aside and there was a bright flash of light. The boar’s body was eviscerated, burst into dozens of pieces of gore and blasted back from Luke’s outstretched hand. Confused and frightened, the boys said nothing of the incident – after all, their family retained no magical blood. How was it that Luke managed to do such a thing?

### Teens

In secret, Luke began to study and dabble into books of magic, exploring the concepts of inherited magic and magic of other species which shared their world. Soon, he concluded that he was not the true son of Ma and Pa – something they had not openly disclosed. When confronted, the pair confessed to him the truth of his mother and his father – and that they were actually his grandparents. This unnerved Luke, reeling from the shock of it and presenting many new questions. Who was his father, who surely was the reason of his magic? Where had his mother gone? Was she even still alive?

He continued his studies into the natural world, becoming more secluded and shut down any attempts from his grandparents to rebuild the broken trust. The only uplifting presence in his life was that of his brother – or, uncle – who supplied endless emotional support and reassurance, their bond growing stronger.

Time passed, and Luke’s relationship with his grandparents repaired somewhat, but he never fully trusted them again. In secret, he and James experimented with his abilities, smuggling in more books which touched upon the theories and practices of magic.

Luke began to experiment with his power, finding it was largely very weak but could be drawn out when he experienced intense emotion. It was enhanced and controlled through practical means, such as using small rituals and spells to entact magic rather than instinct, and his experiments were recorded within the beginnings of a grimoire. He hoped that, with time, understanding the workings of his magic would assist him in eventually tracking down his father and mother.

### Young Adult

Luke and James grew into young adults, and Luke still found people to be largely queer and unnerving. He held little interest in the girls of the towns with their crushes upon him, preferring peace and quiet to their idle chattering and was content to sit quietly and read within his grandparent’s garden. Ma and Pa realized that he too would not result in the survival of their family name but needn’t have worried. James, with his natural charm with people and social skills, took an interest in the family business. He adored the animals and the cleverness needed to breed certain desirable characteristics and began accompanying Pa on business trips into the bigger cities.

It was there that he met Nikita, a young woman whose family held roots in the trading of precious gems and jewelry. The two took an interest to each other, and Nikita’s family was far wealthier with many more connections within the cities. James took long trips to visit and court her, bringing him away from his family home for large periods of time. At first, Luke grew somewhat jealous of this strange unknown girl who drew his brother away from him for so long at a time. This, with the additional business trips which drew James to different areas of the kingdom, left Luke feeling far lonelier than he ever had before.

Eventually, James was permitted to bring Nikita to their household and introduced to his family. The small resentments that Luke held for her were unable to hold – she was just as sunny and charming as his brother, introducing fresh life and energy the moment she stepped into the room. Luke warmed to her considerable, and held many at-length conversations with her regarding various authors and even magical application (as her family actually held trading contracts to various magic users who desired precious stones).

Now with his and her family’s approval, it was soon after that James gave the announcement – they were to be married in Spring! It was a shock to Luke, who knew this would be a farewell of sorts to his brother but was also happy that his brother had found a pathway in life. The ceremony passed, and James bid farewell – he and Nikita had found a property close within the countryside so that he might continue his father’s business but was close enough to the city so that they might retain their social connections.

Luke looked forward to his brother’s rare visits, in the meantime still concentrating on improving his studies and considering the thought of visiting neighboring human countries who housed colleges that taught on schools of magic. Doubt plagued him, his earlier plans of hunting down his parents wavering. The thought of remaining alone didn’t frighten him, and yet the feelings of loneliness did yet persist. His plans were further delayed upon the news of a child – James and Nikita’s first. Luke remained, wanting to support them during their pregnancy.

The child was a young boy, who was named Derick. Luke’s plans were even further delayed, as shortly after this joyous news came the tragic news of Pa’s death. A quick and unavoidable heart attack was what the doctor quoted, and the family was devastated. As the technical eldest, Luke was in-line to inherit his father’s assets, but he passed along such rights to James instead who held interest in retaining the home and business. Luke was permitted to remain in the home, and Ma decided to instead move out of the kingdom and instead go to the seaside for her mental and physical health.

### Adulthood

The years passed, and Luke remained in the safety of his family’s home. He ultimately decided against the fantasy of hunting down his parents and instead concentrated on supporting his brother and his family. James was under immense pressure now to retain and grow his father’s business at a young age, while also needing to be there for his wife and newborn son. Luke now visited frequently, granting Nikita and Derick company while James was away for long business trips. Things remained friendly, and James was grateful for the support.

For the first time, Luke felt what it was like have an actual family. Nikita encouraged him in his continued pursuit of knowledge – perhaps he could even consider the idea of attending the colleges of the other kingdoms, and even perhaps think of eventually becoming a teacher? Derick also grew and bonded with Luke, reacting happily to the stories Luke would read to him and giggling happily when Luke would perform small magic tricks. Luke too grew fond of the child, especially when Derick deemed him “Uncle Luk” – or frequently just “Luk”.

The child was only a toddler when he suddenly grew gravely ill. When the doctors were called, the tests showed that it was a rare but deadly blood illness. There were methods to slow the disease, but ultimately Derick would perish.

James and Nikita were devastated by the news, in shock at the sudden onset. Derick had a handful of months left, and with heavy hearts, Nikita accepted the end. James, however, would not accept this – with their wealth and power, could they not save a single child? He had already lost his father and would not now lose his son. Many doctors and healers across the land were hastily called to Derick’s bedside, but their efforts proved futile. James’ hopes slowly were dashed and turned to desperation, and soon, he turned to the single person who he could fully trust.

He begged Luke to help them, to use his knowledge and magics to heal Derick. Luke, his heart heavy, hesitantly agreed. He began to throw himself into his works of magic, resolve hardened by his brother’s encouragement and premature grief. Every tome was opened, and further resources were obtained through his academic contacts. He began experimentation, attempting to treat Derick – they all ultimately failed, and Derick’s health slowly deteriorated alongside James’ mental stability.

Lead after lead resulted in dead ends, and Luke began to truly believe Derick was doomed. That was, until a few strange books arrived at his home with no details on who had sent them. Strange books, dabbling in arts and magics which before were described briefly and only in theory. The books began to introduce new ideas and concepts into his mind. If death could not be avoided… perhaps it could instead be cheated.

Luke began to gather materials and theoretical procedures experimenting with death. He performed death experiments on animals (such as the plentiful horses) and was goaded on and encouraged by James. Eventually, they began to break into morgues and steal human corpses.

Luke’s experiments found that it was extremely difficult to bring back the dead intact. The “successful” projects turned into what he called ghouls – soulless, rotting animated bodies who lashed out violently towards the living. Luke grew more frustrated through time, as he desired bringing back a pristine body and their soul along with it.

This is when a strange and mysterious man who called himself Dr. Zhou entered the picture, offering his assistance as an academic from a college who heard of Luke’s plight (strange, as his exact situation was kept extremely secret). Dr. Zhou introduced his own notes on the concepts and held a formula for a strange black substance (called ichor) that held tremendous abilities to meld flesh to the user’s desire.

With him he brought along assistants and followers, and with Dr. Zhou’s help, there were tremendous breakthroughs. However, they were not fast enough – and 6 months after the initial diagnosis, Dereck perished one morning in his bed.

There was now a dilemma – the body would rot quickly, and swift action must be taken if it was to be preserved (as opposite to reviving it completely, which had been proven to be impossible thus far), but their research had yet to achieve its goal. There were theories, but it would be dangerous to attempt the procedure now… but they had little choice.

The ritual was coded the “Black Baptism” and was performed upon Derick. It was an utter disaster. His body remained dead, with no signs of breathing or performing normal functions, and yet his young mind was forcibly pushed back into it. His behavior was erratic and feral, exhibiting animalistic tendencies as he lashed out and attempted to bite and consume his family. Soon, it became evident that if he was not fed living substance at a normal pace, he would begin to rot away yet again.

Derick was now labeled what Dr. Zhou called a “fiend” – differing from a ghoul in that an actual human soul piloted the body rather than dark magics. Derick was inside, but unable to cope with his new form and existence. Nikita, who had not been told of these secret proceedings and witnessed her child’s current state on accident, fled in fear and horror, hurling angry and frightened words towards James who attempted to stop her. She fled their home and would not be heard from again.

James fell into a depressed stupor. Derick was restrained and locked away, studied with some hope on Luke’s part that the process could be reversed. Dr. Zhou proposed a new solution – what if what had gone wrong was they had used the wrong ingredients? The boy’s own body was rotting and dead, and they had entrapped his mind within it. But what if they might infuse him with a living body instead? Overhearing this, for the first time in weeks, James showed animated excitement. His body, as the father, would make for the best match, and he eagerly gave himself in tribute. Luke was largely against the very ideas of it, but as always, his brother’s pleas weakened his boundaries and he agreed to attempt the procedure. It was a mistake.

The procedure, as the last, was a failure. Instead of lifting the boy’s spirit and overlapping it with his fathers, their flesh instead fused and mangled together. Luke and Dr. Zhou created an abomination, a being beyond what they could imagine.

It was locked away deep within his family home’s basement, secured by chains and contained while he and Dr. Zhou continued to work. There research continued, as Luke had to believe that there was a way to undo everything that had been done.

Many years passed, and their experiments continued. In this time, Luke did many things that he is not proud of in the name of his own progress. But he had lost everything and could not stop. He and Dr. Zhou’s interests were somewhat different but similar enough to work together. Dr. Zhou remained dedicated to bringing back the perfect specimen from death, while Luke desperately wished to separate the abomination within his basement and restore them to their precious living, breathing bodies.

His distrust of Dr. Zhou pushed him to keep his own notes secret and hidden, and rightfully so. Luke discovered something of Dr. Zhou which disgusted him to such a degree, that his entire mindset changed in an instant. He attempted to burn the home down, with all the research and what remained of his family inside. But he was stopped, as Dr. Zhou found him and attacked him with a bladed weapon.

Luke bled out and died upon the cold ground, the last image he saw the fires of his home extinguishing and the smiling face of Dr. Zhou.