| Dante James Sidgwick |
 |
| David Giuntoli as Dante James Sidgwick |
| Name | Dante James Sidgwick |
| Status | Alive |
| Age | 32 |
| Occupation | Paranormal Investigator/Magician |
| Place of Origin | Llangollen, Wales |
| Date of Birth | 18 June 1980 |
| Player | DocHoliday1874 |
| Timezone | CST |
| Notes | Notes for Dante James Sidgwick |
Paranormal Investigator, Magician, and former TV Personality, Dante Sidgwick has always been sensitive to the energies of the Gloom.
During an investigation of a particularly infamous location, the Gloom decided that it had enough poking and prodding, and decided to poke back.
Now, he acts as researching and Occult expert for the Watch, doing whatever he can to make what happened to him worth something.
Background
Dante Sidgwick was born in Llangollen, Wales in June of 1980. His father, David Sidgwick was a Political Analyst with the CIA who fell for a local girl in Llangollen. His mother, Kathryn, was a waitress at David's favorite restaurant. The couple had a torrid love affair, and when Kathryn got pregnant, David proposed. The couple was married in a hurried ceremony and Dante was born several months later.
They didn't stay in Wales for very long though. David's job kept them moving all over the world, from the UK, to Japan, to the Americans, they were on every continent for at least a few years. Dante made few friends, but took solace by reading mythology and folk lore from everywhere they went.
As Dante got older, he began to take an interest in Magic and the Paranormal. He picked up tarot reading, meditation, and Nordic Runes as a way to get closer to the source material he was interested in. He also picked up Stage and Street magic, or as he called it Hedge Wizardry, as a method of breaking the ice with new people.
When he was 18, Dante had a personal experience with paranormal at the Essex County Hospital Center in New Jersey. He was separated from the rest of the investigator crew, and was overwhelmed by the sheer dark emotion of the old Mental Hospital. He could see dark shapes, and sense malevolence from them. At the last minute, Dante pulled out his Tarot Deck and began chanting through the Deck's major tarot. The presence receded, and Dante escaped with his head.
Dante parleyed his experience into a full time job as a Paranormal Investigator, and even got his own show. While he preferred the Scholarly and Scientific approach to the Occult, he was pressured to up the ratings. In response, Dante kept going to more and more dangerous locations. This culminated in an investigation at Bobby Mackey's Music World. Dante's provocations and evocations ended up calling something…Other, which attached itself to one of his crew. Using raw talent, and more than a little gumption, Dante canceled the broadcast and performed a taxing exorcism on his crew member.
The demonic creature left the crewman, but instead attacked Dante and dragged him into the Gloom. A psychic battle ensued, with Dante pulling out every demon banishing trick he picked up from his folklore studies. Eventually, he broke free and made it back to this side of reality, but was it an escape, or was he let go?
The occurrence came to the attention of the Watch, who recruited the young man. Dante was put into the Research and Clean-Up divisions. He rarely goes out on field expeditions, but if an investigation requires an Occult expert he always volunteers. He is never without his Tarot Deck.
Personality
Dante has an insatiable curiosity for the paranormal and supernatural. He is constantly learning about folklore and legend. He is never without the trade mark tarot deck, and as an almost nervous tick just does card tricks with the deck while idle.
Deep inside, he would never admit it, but Dante is almost addicted to the Occult and Supernatural. It consumes his mind and live almost completely. He has only work.
Paranormal Abilities
The "abilities" given, or stolen, from the Glooms interaction with Dante are very unique. He has always been sensitive to the ebb and flow paranormal energies, but now that sensitivity is heightened. He can sense the presence of the Touched or Others, but it manifests as extreme discomfort like a headache or stomach cramps. Most of the time its nothing major, but amazingly powerful presences can be almost debilitating.
He can also tap into the Glooms natural dark powers to achieve affects similar to magic, but due to the nature of the Gloom it will almost always have a destructive effect. Even a slight divination can drain him physically. More powerful channeling can hurt him causing stigmata, broken bones, or internal hemorrhaging.
Skills
Folklore: From his experiences all over the world, Dante is an expert on folklore from all over the world. He knows a smattering of legends from all over, but he is especially knowledgeable of the death rituals and beliefs about the afterlife.
Electronics: As a Paranormal Investigator, Dante learned how to operate and utilize a suite of eletronics: Cameras, Digital Recorders, Mel Meters, Digital Thermometers, and radios.
Research: More than half a an investigator's job is spent with a nose in a book, or combing through search results on a web page. Dante is an expert at doing this. He is at home combing through files or researching ancient tombs.
Resources: During his time as a TV personality, Dante did actually make a few contacts at historical sites and such. The people he knows can help to open a few doors that may be helpful to the Watch in general.
Polyglot: As someone who has lived on multiple continents, he can fluently speak multiple languages, and a smattering of several other languages under his belt.
Languages: Welsh, English, Latin, French, (Non-fluent but knowledgeable: Chinese, Spanish, and Hebrew)