Here is my preface. I like interesting characters and so you may find that my characters push at the boundaries of RPs. If you don't like him please let me know, but because of the intended effect of this character it may be hard for me to "fix" parts of it but I will try. Otherwise I can scrap it and try again, that's not a problem because I know my characters almost always push the boundaries.
Name: Marcus Octavian Caelius (Marcus of Rhodes, Marcus Giovanni, Marcus the Unbroken)
Family: Giovanni.
When the Byzantine Empire fell Marcus consolidated his power in Milan right under the nose of the Vatican. Marcus changed his last name and formed the Giovanni Family in Milan. For the next several hundred years Marcus’ family would stand on the front lines of the war with the Church in Italy. While many members of the family bear the last name Giovanni there are also other families that have been brought into the fold under the banner of the Giovanni last name. Members of the family that do not bear a family name when they are transformed change their last name to one of the family names under the Giovanni banner to represent their affiliation (or if they are planning to spy on one of the other families within the Giovanni family).
Marcus has allowed the families within the Giovanni family to maneuver against each other politically over the last several centuries as he believes that this infighting makes the family stronger and that it teaches the members no one can be trusted and its better to be safe than sorry. While to an outsider the Giovanni family may look divided due to the rivalries that fester within it. Those who are faced with the united front of the Giovanni under the leadership of Marcus know that the family closes ranks very quickly and effectively against their enemies.
At its height during the dark age, middle age and renaissance The Giovanni fought the Church in the political and military arenas. This battle came to a head with the formation of the Roman Inquisition. The Giovanni family suffered greatly at the hands of the Papacy and their Inquisitors which would reduce them from twelve great families to a meager five remaining under the name Giovanni. To end the war Marcus faked his own death and dispersed the families throughout Italy to hide and grow in strength once more.
In the middle of the 17th Century Marcus returned to Italy from an extended stay in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Marcus announced his return by murdering the Archbishop of Milan and leading a group of new vampires who he had sired in the Middle East and Eastern Europe on a purge of the remnants of the Roman Inquisition in Milan. The two new groups would form the basis of two new families within the Giovanni family bringing the living families up to seven and the total member families to fourteen.
Over the last hundred and fifty years the Giovanni family has slowly rotted from within as the Churches Hunters close in around the family slowly cutting down the families numbers. Several of the families border on extinction as their numbers have been reduced severely. Marcus has withdrawn to his stronghold in Milan and the family has been left in a holding pattern until their leader makes his move.
Familial Political Support: Moderate, Marcus believes in taking the fight to the Church which he has been doing since the founding of the Church and it’s consolidation of Power in the Vatican. However Marcus is old and stuck in his ways and believes that tradition knows best.
Appearance:
True Age: 1,954
Blood Lust Affinity: The newly dead. The Giovanni family suffers from this to varying degrees, The older members tend to be drawn to older dead and are drawn less powerfully. The opposite is true for the younger members of the family. Younger members are drawn to the freshly dead. As a result the young members are prone to frenzy in combat as their lust for the newly dead fuels their frenzy.
History: Born in 42 BC right before Augustus rose to power as the last Emperor of Rome Marcus was born on the Mediteranean Island of Rhodes while it was under the control of the Roman empire. Marcus was born into one of the Roman Noble families and was trained as a philosopher, musician, Soldier and eventually as a spy for his Family.
Marcus was turned into a vampire soon after Augustus lost power in Rome. Marcus does not remember his sire however he suspects that he and Vivian may share a common sire somewhere along the line however he is clearly not a member of the Dracula family.
Marcus quickly learned that he was drawn to the blood of the dead as well as the living however as he aged his tastes began to vary and his powers grew as well as his political power in Italy. Marcus took it upon himself to create a family soon after the fall of the Byzantine empire. In order to hide from the rapidly growing church he consolidated his power in the city of Milan, this was also when he changed his last name to Giovanni. While it was dangerously close to the Holy city of Rome Marcus figured it was the best place to start a family as Milan was less closely watched by the Church. After battling Hunters for centuries and finally losing several key battles
Marcus dispersed his family to go seek more knowledge about the vampiric curse.
Additionally Marcus brought a family of Gypsies and a family of Moores into the fold of the Giovanni banner. With his new allies he declared war upon the Church once again by murdering the Archbishop of Milan and placing one of his thralls in the Archbishop’s position. With that Marcus launched another blood crusade against the Church doing battle politically as well as in the shadows with knife, poison and fang Marcus reminded the Church why they rightly feared the Vampires. Unfortunately Marcus lacked the resources to wage a protracted war against the Church as a result his family stands on the edge of extinction yet again. While his lieutenants the heads of the various families wait patiently Marcus has disappeared into seclusion within his stronghold of Milan. What he is waiting on no one knows.
