Banana Scoop

The Black Circus Series is a fictional carnival imagined by me that hosts a number of exiles, freaks, and undesirables. Old Ben, the manager of this traveling circus is responsible for providing a home to this varied collection of individuals. When Old Ben dies in a mysterious accident, his estranged grandson, Benjamin Jr., is brought in to settle his affairs. There he meets the colorful group of people that accompanied Old Ben in his final hours while he tries to solve the mystery of the one who is responsible for his grandfather’s death.

Olistair the Necromancer

Bio
Name:
Viktor Montagu

Alias:
Olistair the Necromancer, Master of the Dead Olistair, The Wisp

History:
Viktor Montagu worked as a mortician in the final chapters of the 16th century black plague. On his free time, he practiced alchemy and novice necromancy and became fascinated with raising and communicating with the dead, using his customers as test subjects. After starting multiple cults to bankroll his own alchemy projects via crime and larceny, he created a resurrection stone that would raise the dead. As the authorities chased him all over the continent, he was eventually cornered to meet certain death. Montagu feared not as he shoved the resurrection stone down his throat and near choked to death at the very same thing that was supposed to save him from it. But right before he descended into the pits of Hell, Death herself appeared before him, in full cloak, demanding an explanation for trying to cheat her. When he could not respond due to the stone in his throat, Death got frustrated and tried to pull his soul from his throat. His soul unfortunately got trapped within the stone, which Death had to physically pull from his body. With his soul trapped in the stone, Death cunningly thought of a way to punish the man who tried to cheat her. Instead of breaking the stone to take him with her, she gently tapped one of her long nails on the surface and cut a micrometer sized hole, which let out a small smidgen of green wisp. She told Montagu’s soul that she would allow him his wish of reanimating the dead, providing that with each reanimation, a portion of his soul would diminish to nothing. Montagu took her up on her offer and has roamed the Earth since then.

Role:
Montagu adopted the stage name Olistair when he became an act in Ben’s Black Circus. Having fully extracted himself from the resurrection stone, Olistair uses his green wisp form as a means of illusion in addition to some of the reanimations he’s carried with him.

Personality:
Olistair actually cannot talk via free will. He has no working vocal center nor brain. The body he uses as a host only serves as a husk for the conscious wisp that is Montagu. The wisp communicates via a mouthless whisper that can only be heard when adjacent to it. Otherwise, Montagu finds talking to be an unnecessary burden.

Abilities:
Able to reanimate the dead at the cost of his own life
Essentially lifeless body can absorb a large amount of punishment
Anything he reanimates is completely controlled by him

Modus Operandi:
Poison via alchemy

Circus Relationships:
Vladimir the Magician – Often gets in debates on what true magic is

Quote Excerpt:
Death provided me with the ultimate gift. I have reanimated an army of dead for my own pleasure, yet I have no sense of my own impending death. I am as hollow and miserable as the dead husk that masks my face. Is it even my face anymore? This empty feeling and sense of hopelessness is a fate worse than death. Maybe I already have diminished to nothing and death has had her sweet revenge.