Dr. Nicholas Lamech's Questionnaire

Seattle is Nicholas's home at current due to the advance research in medical technology and viral study. The doctor, believing in viral change to the human genome at large keeps a small studio apartment in the city to be nearby these institutions. At least he had until he was outed as performing unethical experimentation and blacklisted from the scholarly community at large.

His home now functions as a spartan life support for the Doctor, as well as a place to conduct research on the supernatural, conspiracy theories the Doctor believes have some merit, and a place to rest*. Now the Doctor has made contact with Harbingers, they are considering a more mobile operation.

Though excommunicated from the scholarly community, Nicholas Lamech is still considered an authority on virology and genetic defects. Their various medical journals, books, and papers have netted them some hefty residuals, and they are still discussed today.

During their time as a licensed doctor, they held multiple degrees in various fields of medicine, and pioneered several lifesaving procedures. Effectively, the Doctor has forgotten more techniques on saving lives via surgery, medicine, and lifestyle than most people encounter in their career. The savings they've acquired after a long life of such keep them afloat, even after their eccentric spending over the last 20 years.

Having fallen down a rabbit hole of supernatural research, the Doctor will stop at nothing less than identifying the mystery of death, and discovering a way to conquer it. Having been able to defeat almost every medical challenge they have encountered in the past, they believe themselves possibly one of the only people qualified to do so.

Once they have uncovered the secrets of death, they will then endeavor to share their discoveries with the world, releasing others from the pains of preventable early death, for free, forever. While they understand this is not a simple task, they have determined that the ends must justify the means.

While their own demise is possible, given the lengths they will have to suffer to gain the knowledge to achieve this feat, the Doctor is not foolish. They prepare obsessively, and document their encounters on contracts to better prepare for the future. They also understand this cannot be done alone and intend to make as many connections as possible to achieve their ends. When violence is necessary, they will do what must be done.

Among the most amazing achievements in Dr. Lamech's life, none was so precious to him as his son, Lucas. Unfortunately, Lucas was born with an unknown brain abnormality that manifested in their teenage years. Unable to save his son's life, the Doctor fell into a self destructive death spiral. They lost their marriage, the esteem of their peers, and slowly, their mind. 

The Doctor's normally measured scientific process became more erratic. They began seeking more esoteric forms of solutions to a problem the believed could be solved, the human condition. While the Doctor still believes themself the greatest mind in their field, they have become egomaniacal and arrogant. Having been shunned from the scientific community has only further contributed to that fact.

Laura Vanlotte

Nicholas's ex wife, and mother to his only child. A renowned doctor in her own wright, Laura blames herself for not being able to pull Nicholas out of their descent into madness. Though they still care for each other, Nicholas's obsession has pushed her away.

Lucas Lamech

Nicholas and Laura's son. Lucas, lived to the age of 19 before succumbing to an unforeseeable neural condition. Nicholas carries the guilt of being unable to prevent or detect the illness, and uses his rage as fuel to the fire of his ambition. Lucas was bright, and showed interest in various fields while he was alive, claiming that they would explore the sea and stars, where no one had ever been before. These aspirations first inspired Nicholas to travel beyond death.

Alphonso Janus

A fellow medical researcher and sometimes partner to Dr. Lamech. While the two of them shared a passion for solving the world's foremost medical mysteries, the two have become estranged. Often cited as a co-writer of many of Nicholas's discoveries, the two were very close. After Nicholas's descent into conspiracy and illegal research, Alphonso was no longer able to stand by and watch, and could not have their reputation tied to Nicholas's unethical trials. They parted ways, and no longer speak.

Nicholas rides the coattails of a privileged upbringing in the Lamech family. His parents, retired, also live off the family legacy, being doctors themselves. Nicholas did not show interest or aptitude in medicine as a child, but having exposure to the community, and being latently brilliant themselves, first studied virology while still a teenager, discovering unknown behaviors in bacteria that earned him renown early on.

Finding accolades and success to his liking, he pursued his curiosity. He attended and graduated college before the age of 18 and began exploring the world of medicine, funding his various masteries using family money. By the time he was 25, he had developed medicines and procedures used worldwide. His parents still live in Washington state to this day, only vaguely aware of Nicholas's obsessive behavior.

Nicholas never saw themselves on the same playing field as other children. They were not even playing the same game. Due to the age difference between himself and his peers, he though of himself ahead of the curve, only adding to his god complex. He is the best at what he does. If not at other things, like socializing. His current isolationist lifestyle is a reflection of this.

Nicholas fell in love with one of the only people they could stand, someone he considered an equal in brilliance, Dr. Laura Vanlotte. The two met during travel with doctors without boarders, which Nicholas Joined to study virology in foreign nations.

The two became inseparable for many years, producing a son that promised to eclipse their own brilliance in time. After that son passed away unexpectedly, Nicholas's obsession to rid the world of the pain he suffered drove himself and Laura apart.

Nicholas now sees attachments such as their marriage as obstacles along the path of his mastery of death, and stays cold and distant to his associates on contract.

While the Doctor would claim that fears are a lack of preparation or knowledge, they are a hypocrite. They know almost nothing true about the world of Contracting outside of their small bubble. They are unable to prepare properly for anything, and it scares them.

With their understanding of human medicine and anatomy, they have a horrified fascination with monster physiology and what parts of it can be used for his own research. Though afraid of his own demise before finishing his own goals, he centers himself by thinking that studying these alien creatures may be helpful.

The Doctor's own fear mostly stems from their own perceived weakness. They are old, and they realize that they have very little time to do what is necessary, especially starting so late in their life on their Contracts. Aging scares them terribly, as it is entirely counter to what they are trying to achieve. They hope to combat this as soon as possible by reversing their own aging. While not entirely self serving, they know they will need more time than their lifespan will allow to save every human being on the planet.

They believe very little in the concept of a free lunch, however, and know they might die horribly during a contract, and be unable to spread their brilliance to the world with new medicines and procedures.

The Doctor has within the last two decades moved to a much more minimalist lifestyle, eschewing any indulgent possessions like electronics, or large residences. They currently live in a tidy studio and only holds onto useful items, such as their collections of medical journals. There are few items they are not prepared to leave at a moment's notice, and they have began to collect backups of items they are in need of on contracts.

Of these things, the most precious is his photo album. Even though the pictures are backed up digitally, the array of photographs were one of his guilty pleasures. Studiously notated on the backs with locations, dates, and names, it's a beacon of the past he hasn't been able to throw away.

The only other items that he couldn't bear to lose are a toy spaceship and a toy submarine. Remnants of his lost son, and a reminder of the potential that will never see the world.

The Doctor is frustrated by the scope of change the world must endure for his goals to come to pass. Solving death is not an easy feat. Beyond solving the issue of easily curable diseases and genetic disorders, the doctor will need to end the issue of hunger. Troublesome as this is, they can't solve the most simple of human problems, war.

These problems compounded are weighing on him, and he tediously creates plans and lists of things he must do to combat it. First, he thinks he will need the means to spread his influence, and cures. He will need money, a lot of money. And influence, he will need to clear his name. Many different steps toward his noble goal.

The second thing troubling him is the problem of these contracts. The Harbingers seem to be willing to commit atrocities, and recruit children to further their ends. This is counter to what the Doctor is trying to accomplish. Parents should not lose their children.

The Doctor's daily routine has changed somewhat. In the past they spent a lot of time in research, attempting to find these Harbingers and trade for power. Now that he's become a contractor, his focus has been preparation for future jobs.

After the first time, they've began to understand what kind of challenges they can face. The supernatural sure, but more and more they've encountered increasingly practical problems. Needing the right equipment. Being more physically fit. Being able to fight.

Every morning involves eating, exercise and updating their equipment. Their bugout bags, of which there are several, are starting to get heavier. The doctor is going to have to find a new solution to this problem, or pack less equipment on future jobs. Something they are wary to do. The exercise at least has paid off, and the doctor was much more nimble on his last job. But he worries his age may hold him back.

Having a distinguished fashion sense is one of The Doctor's traits. They believe appearances matter, and have attended high class events as part of his work in the medical field. Having received many awards for their pioneering medical techniques, they also try to prepare something to say.

They have a taste for 3 piece suits, expensive watches, and impractical shoes. Over the last two decades, since they have fallen out of favor, these outfits have withered in storage, or been sold off to make ends meet. The doctor now uses more practical clothing, and even more so within the last month, where contracts have been prevalent.

If he had the occasion for fancy dress, he prefers the pinstripe suit in navy blue, and a dashing hat. But opportunities for this seem less and less prevalent. He worries that this type of clothing would be more harm than good, given the violence and activity he's encountered in the last few jobs. The armor that he's taken to wearing under his clothes would ruin the lines anyway.

Cliche as it is, the Doctor has forgotten many birthdays. With so few people in his life, there is no one to celebrate with. Without close friends, he feels very little need to bother. And at his high age, he doesn't always remember how old he is, despite staying sharp.

When he does remember, a night out to dinner is how he celebrates. A nice restaurant may remind him of better times with his family, if it doesn't turn too melancholy first. The Doctor does not drink, and even less so alone, but on special occasions like this, he might indulge.

Easily his greatest regret is not seeing the signs of his son's illness before it was too late. Dr. Lamech is a genius, and arrogant enough that he believed he would have found a solution to a rare, sudden, and terminal disease in enough time for it to matter. Having failed at this, and spiraling into a deep and alienating solitude, the Doctor still believes he can make a difference by using supernatural forces.

Finding a solution to the human condition has consumed them and driven them to desperate measures, like Contracting. This regret also pushed away close relationships with his loved ones and business partners, leaving them alone to drive deeper into conspiracy and the study of the occult. They've also crossed medical lines they should not have, and are beginning to understand that the human body is easily changed, given the correct techniques. With new gifts in his possession, the Doctor is testing out new and dangerous alterations in his own body, in hope of spreading similar ones to the general population.

Already possessed by a lifetime of medical practice, research, and innovation, Dr. Lamech is in a unique position. The main method his gifts are received are in the way of medical journals long lost, or in strange languages, touting odd methods that the Doctor has adapted using his own techniques and know how. These journals sometimes come from less than ethical research performed and never allowed to see the light of day, and would surely land him in prison or other harmful situations to his person or reputation.

Other gifts may be esoteric or occult medical equipment, or the means on how to make similar things. Overall, the gifts he receive enhance his already genus intellectual prowess, while giving him the means to surpass mundane medical practice. As he completes more contracts, he is beginning to see the need to change his own body with these gifts, not only in order to survive, but to live long enough to spread his medical findings throughout the world. If he really intends to make a lasting legacy and save people from preventable deaths, surely he can use some of it for himself, right?

My mind has expanded somewhat from the current scholarly communities understanding of spirituality. From what I've experienced as of late, very little is actually known about the process of death, and what comes after.

I've seen multiple examples of what awaits the dead, ghosts, shades, malevolent and benign. I've been studying the strange occurrences best I can, but I can glean very little from what I've tried. I'm unable to communicate effectively with the apparitions, and even if I could, their torment would preoccupy any attempt.

I've come back repeatedly to the subject of soul jars. Places in which spirits, the souls of the dead, go when they leave their mortal flesh. I've experienced several. One seems to exist entirely within the bounds of a simulated world, a video game. Another in the memories of a dead child. A third in this accursed parking lot. I think the only way to learn more is through these contracts. I can learn more soon.

I've been put in several situations, especially lately, that require me to compromise on my morals. I've yet to bend to them however. The Contract was very thorough on how it was worded. Whether or not a contract is successful, contractors still learn very quickly. While it's far more beneficial to me to succeed, backing out of morally bankrupt situations is an option. One I took stranded me in another... dimension full of cars. But I didn't doom 200 people to die because of it. Small favors I suppose.

Unfortunately sometimes these decisions are made for me. I've lost a colleague and another contractor. They live on through an artifact they have been transformed into. Fey magic. Luckily they are a formidable weapon against fae kind, and they can communicate, in a way, to the wielder. Maybe in my study I can find a way to restore their spirit to a mortal vessel, but for now, they remain a reminder of the consequences these contracts have to me and others.

For my impression of other contractors so far, I must say my expectations haven't been met. Taking the contract was a serious and thoughtful moment for me, one I prepared for, and was committed to before I ever saw the agreement. Other contractors however are not as familiar with it, as if they just signed without reading. While I suppose that is common these days, the boilerplate terms and conditions don't usually include possibility of your death. What a nightmare.

Other contractors I have met have been impulsive, antisocial, and inconsiderate of their own safety or the safety of others. With the exception of Dr. Grant, they think only in the short term. This is a dangerous profession, planning ahead is key, and very few others have the consideration to do so. Much of my participation has been providing and anchor. Some stability to the chaos. I am not a fighter, but more and more I find myself lacking the capacity for violence. I'll need to become more rounded to address this. Depending on others is not a feasible option.

In my younger years I was a victim of success. I bought expensive art and designer furniture so that I could show everyone how much I was worth. I wanted them to know I was the best. And while I was, and still am, I've disposed of the theatrics. My value, I've found, is slowed by expensive possessions. After... I left the scholarly community, I stopped buying such expensive trivialities. I've adopted a minimalist philosophy I believe has helped hone my mind and prevent distractions.

So, for that philosophy, I think the perfect room would have an excellent view. Large windows over nature. Maybe mountains. Somewhere with good light. Enough room and comfortable seating for guests. I think some bookshelves along the walls with some of my favorite literature would be ideal. I realize now I've described a cozy nook in a library. I'll unpack that soon. In another life maybe I could have been a competent librarian.