Ulysses Belmont

A player character from the Curse of Strahd Campaign

Backstory
Ulysses was born to Lucien and Alicia Belmont. Ulysses, like many of the Belmont children, had been kept away from the outside world. For many years Ulysses had only known the world inside his manor.

This changed however when he was ten years old; he was kidnapped by a crime duo, Leon and Alice. They had taken him from his home and all the way across town to an abandoned warehouse, there he was to be ransomed back to the Belmont family. This was Ulysses' first taste of adventure, he did not resist being taken from his home; he was able to see the real world with his own eyes. Ulysses was rescued by his father, Lucien. Lucien had killed Leon and taken back his son, but had no intention of punishing Alice. Lucien made an offer to the widowed and homeless girl, "work at my manor, it's only right that you pay for your crimes today." And so, Alice followed.

Three years later, Ulysses was to go into town to witness the local lord's court. The court was trying an old thief who had been zealously stealing from the townsfolk. The thief had already lost his right hand, but still the town was intent on taking his head. The man's name was Hermes. Not wanting to see the man beheaded, Ulysses pleaded with the local lord to pardon him. The townsfolk, who recognized Ulysses as a Belmont, were not pleased by this notion. However, the lord was charitable and made a deal with Belmont. If Ulysses was to take full responsibility for the thief's actions by taking him in away from the common folk, then the lord would pardon Hermes' crimes. Ulysses agreed to this and brought Hermes back as a souvenir from his trip to town. His mother disapproved of having a thief in the house, but Lucien gave the man a job; coach driver.

Ulysses, since the age of seven, was being taught all of the duties and responsibilities of being a noble; and at age thirteen, he was taught about the personal duties of the Belmont family. He learned that the family to which he was born, was a clan of undead hunters and that he too would have to learn to hunt unholy beasts. Ulysses was taught the clerical duties of the Belmonts for four years. At age seventeen he was turned loose from the family; told that he must venture out alone to slay a vampire. He was given a whip, the signature weapon of the Belmont family. If he was to return alive, with a vampire's head, he would be become the head of the family and inherit the legendary whip, Vampire Slayer.

When Ulysses ventured out, Alice and Hermes decided to go with him. But, there was one more ally that he would bring along - a young child of seven years named Daniels. Daniels was a noble of lower blood. His family had been impoverished by a scandal years before and he had no hopes of ever participating in the politics of the land. So instead, Daniels was to be raised as a knight. He was to be Ulysses' page until he reached age fourteen, when he would graduate to become a Squire in service of Lucien Belmont.

So Ulysses left his home, with Alice, Hermes, and Daniels. He spent the next two years traveling in search of undead to vanquish. Eventually he arrived at the small town of Phandalin, a town on the borderlands where Ulysses would find his next lead.

After running in with a group that came to be known as the Dragonauts, Ulysses began to hunt down a vampire with his newfound companions. After the vampire was slain, Ulysses returned home where he would resume his knight's training for the next 5 years.

Curse of Strahd
Ulysses put out a call to organize mercenaries for an expedition into Daventry's Great Swamp in order to hunt down a vampire. Upon gathering allies, including old friends, the group journeyed into the swampland and slayed the vampire resting in a mud tomb.

Five years on and Ulysses has finished his knight's training. He is to become a Count, head of the Belmont Clan. But first he must marry. And so a marriage between Ulysses and Sophia Joestar was arranged, a marriage meant to end the decades long feud between the Belmonts and the Joestars. Attending the wedding would be all of Ulysses friends and allies who he'd met over the years. The celebration however, did not last. The wedding was crashed by a figure known only at the time as The Man in Black. He was a vampire, a servant of Strahd Von Zarovich coming to pick a fight with the Belmont Clan, perhaps even wipe them out. The Man in Black brought with him the green dragon Venomfang, a monster which had escaped Ulysses' old adventuring party years prior. Several of Ulysses' allies rose up to assist him in defending his home from the invaders, but the entire estate was burned in the process.

While the Belmont Clan recovers and rebuilds, Ulysses calls on his friends for one last adventure. His old adventuring buddy, Roland, an old friend, Grun, a fellow adventurer, Nadya, and a curious wizard who studied with Ulysses, Quade, all joined Ulysses and his Squire, Daniels, on an expedition beyond the foggy barrier of Barovia. To hunt down the wicked Count Strahd Von Zarovich.

Once inside Barovia, Ulysses and his party explored and prodded at the wild and unholy lands. Attempting to assist the locals and discover information about their foe. In attempting to overthrow the corrupt government of Vallaki, Ulysses put Fiona Watcher in power. Fiona Watcher revealed Ulysses' nature as a Dhampir and used this knowledge as ground to publicly execute him. Ulysses, having seen his death in visions before this time, accepted his fate.