Victor was born into a wealthy family in Rome, under the name Pelagius Ajax Patroclus.

His
family had ties to the military and the senate, and they made their money in the slave business.
The firstborn son of a noble family, Victor was given every advantage in life; tutors, instructors
in fighting, and of course the benefits of a cushy noble lifestyle. He lived a life of leisure, though
many noticed something. While he was not terrible in combat, he never seemed to pick up the
sword as easily as his father, or later, his younger brother Carinu. Later, when he was fourteen,
he was allowed a chance to apprentice for 6 months at the temple. However, he lacked true faith
in any of the gods, who would not provide him their blessings. He was then given the chance to
try his hand with the Roman warmagi. However, it was determined that, while he had a rather
unique affinity for black mana, he couldn’t actually access his mana stores himself, and therefor
was nigh useless as a mage. Seemingly doomed to mediocrity, Victor’s cunning and charm was
put to use as a slave merchant. He bought and sold living cargo where it was legal, mainly in
Nessus, The Orient, and occasionally in Egyptia. His cunning mind made him an excellent
businessman, while his charm enabled him to soothe unruly slaves or angry guards. For four
years, this worked well, seeing the youth travel the land, buying and selling in his family’s
merchant empire. He became entranced by his travels; especially to the Ivory city. He quickly
specialized in non-human slaves, interested in meeting species besides his own. And though he
saw no wrong in trading slaves, he did not hold the hate many romans did in his heart for non-
humans. He found them fascinating in fact. However, one day, as he traveled through a small
town, an old man came to deal with him. In place of gold, he offered a number of relics,
talismans, and tomes of occult lore. Fascinated by these forbidden goods, he accepted the
payment and headed home with his find. His quick mind quickly unraveled the secrets of the
tome, and he began to practice the arts of binding. Here, he discovered a unique talent. His soul
had an affinity for binding, and for hosting spirits in general. He kept his arts a secret, knowing it
would shame his family and see him in trouble, though he was quickly fascinated by the worlds
and stories whispered to him by the spirits he bound. All might have continued in this way, had
he not one day failed in his binding of a spirit, leaving him unable to hide a set of ram horns. His
family, fearing he had been cursed or enchanted, set out a full investigation, and his cache of
relics and tomes were found. A schism split the family. His father, ashamed of the black magic
his son had been using in secret, was disgusted by him and demanded he leave their home,
ignoring the impassioned pleas of his mother and his sister. His brother, Carinu, now a grown
and proud warrior, acted as his father’s hand in this. Spurred on by jealousy over Victor’s spot as
the firstborn, and fear of the forbidden arts, he and Victor fought in the forum of the family
home. However, Victor could not beat his skilled brother in combat, forcing him to flee Rome
with a small bundle of goods, and a scar across his torso from a spear-wound that bit deep. He
fled north, finding himself in a small town by the train tracks in the spring of his twentieth year.
As luck would have it, he found, or rather, was found by, another circle of binders. This group
welcomed him with open arms, pleased to find another of their kind in such a small place.
Together, they dove into the lore of pact magic, Victor quickly becoming the unofficial scholar of
the group. They bound strange and wondrous spirits, debated magical theories, and planar
philosophies, walking a twilit path forbidden by the gods. And for the next three years, they were
happy. One day, however, Victor was sent to a city a week’s ride away to fetch some components
and tomes needed for their rites. When he returned, nearly half a month later, he came to a gristly
sight. His home, shared with his newly found family, was burned to the ground. Outside of the
town, on a gallows rope, dangled the corpses of his friends. A sign hammered above read simply
“Witches beware”. Horrified, repulsed, and terrified, the young binder lurked about the city,
seeking the perpetrators. He found them easily; a group calling themselves the “Order of
Seropaenes”. Founded long ago by a coalition of the churches of Starhawk, Aleisha, Shemhazi,
and Patience, the order sought to stomp out pact magic and the binders who practiced it. The
group had set up an outpost in the town, where they held a few remnants of his circle inside.
Tools, tomes, and other articles of binding waiting to be destroyed for good. Victor skulked about
for a few days, before he found his chance. He snuck into the outpost, stole back the relics and
grimoire of his circle, before fleeing into the night. That night, he swore vengeance to all who
had wronged him, as he headed slowly down the train-line. Eventually, he came to the ivory city,
glistening in the sun. He was awestruck, and took advantage of its massive size to sink into
relative obscurity. He finds some small pleasure in him, a binder, making a good living so close
to a temple of all, but mostly avoids the temple district. He makes a good wage serving as an
occult scholar, book collector, and medium for hire, though he is careful to avoid tasks that might
draw un-necessary attention, and he ever keeps an ear out for potential whispers of new pact lore
PLOT POINT- Order of Seropaenes- Coalition Starhawk, Aleisha, Shemhazi and Patience
Hunted Drawback- Medium intensity, Infrequent Occurence,Severe Consequences
PLOT POINT- Carinu
Hunted Drawback- High Intensity, Infrequent Occurence, Severe Consequences
PLOT POINT- Secret Identity
Notoriety Drawback- Medium intensity,Constant Occurrence, Severe Consequences

Someone approaches the Binder with a thinly-veiled threat about exposing him as a
Heretic.

PLOT POINT- The Dragon

From the anime.