Lucio Dante

Lord-Commander of the Imperial Military, the Angel of Death, Hammer of the Emperor, the Blood of Aquilonia

Roughly 1,100

Male

Vampire

Imperia, Vassal-City of Aquilonia

To the citizens and enemies alike of Imperia, Lord-Commander Dante is an implacable and awe-inspiring figure. A tremendous man that stands nearly seven feet high, he is never seen in public unless clad in ornate regalia. Widely known for donning the golden Armor of Saint Lucas, his personal raiment of crimson and gold is known as Angelo Testarossa. Such is the might of Dante's magic that he seems eternally cloaked in the light of his Iron Halo, and he is known to soar on angelic, ivory wings that ceaselessly bleed through their feathers. In private company, Dante wears simple robes of red and white, and keeps his face uncovered. His many years are clear in his features, as his long, fine hair has turned completely white, and the lines of centuries of warfare are etched into his face. Even so, he has an ethereal, otherworldly beauty with chiseled features, ivory skin, eyes like rubies and long, white fangs. Dante often adorns himself with writings of scripture, golden medallions, mementos of his fallen comrades, and other such trinkets, and displays his personal heraldry (a drop of blood framed by alabaster wings) on many of his belongings.

Dante is a noted master of the Book of Blessing, though with the remarkable exception that he cannot use his magic to heal. Unknown to most, this handicap is an extension of his vampiric nature, as such monsters cannot create life. Even so, Dante makes use of holy magic to smite his enemies with purifying light, carry himself aloft on angelic wings that weep martyr's blood, and protect himself from enemy magics with the use of a luminous "Iron Halo" that surrounds him.

By most standards, Dante is a reserved and withdrawn fellow. He speaks little, though when he does so, his words are utterly profound. Personal glory matters little to the Angel of Death, as he has been honored enough for several lifetimes over his many years. Quiet professionalism and dignity surround him, but he is not standoffish. Though to many he is a legendary and unapproachable figure, he cares strongly for those under his command, and is a calm and patient listener. Humility and composure are his hallmark traits, as his many years have brought him great wisdom and inner strength.

However, one should not mistake his reserved nature for submissiveness. Dante holds his honor and his values strongly and uncompromisingly, and woe befall those who threaten his faith, his king, or his country. He is not afraid to speak out against convention or authority when he knows he must. Though his vampiric nature is vicious and bestial, Dante keeps his darkest urges well-contained. Even in the heat of battle, Dante's fury is cold and tranquil; viciously rending his foes without undue malice or enjoyment. That is not to say that his inhuman instincts are easily ignored, as they press against his mind at all hours, and it is his supreme willpower that allows him to retain control.

Vampires are strange and reclusive creatures that lurk in the underbelly of many societies throughout Deaus. They came into being an eon ago through the bargaining with daemons for the gift of immortality. These monsters creep through the night and drink the blood of men to perpetuate their unholy lives. The closest that vampires come to living openly are the Sangue Nostra of the city of Aquilonia. As old as the venerated city itself, the Sangue Nostra forms a hierarchy of the criminal underworld of the city, keeping crime tightly controlled, but also under their protection. Lucio Dante was born as yet another daemon-blooded scion of the Sangue Nostra some eleven-hundred years ago. Like most vampiric youths, he was plagued by nightmares for his first years as his otherwise human flesh came to terms with the unholy potency in his veins. Dante suffered more than most, and often had to be locked away in a coffin during his daylight sleeping hours as his nightmares were vicious and caused him to lash out physically. Often he would be unlocked from his casket to find that he had clawed the inside of the lid unti his hands had gone bloody. The elders feared that the child would not survive his first decade, such was his torment.

However, Dante held strong by the inspiration of a childhood hero. Diego Cervantes, a famed knight and leader of Imperia's Eighth Legion (known as the Sons of Aquilonia), was the idol of a young Dante. Cervantes, called the Spear of Aquilonia, was the victor of many campaigns against savage monsters and foreign invaders. An avatar of chivalry and justice, Dante kept faith in his neophyte years by aspiring to become such a hero. Wearing a hood, mask and robes to shield himself from the sun, Dante ventured out one day to meet his idol, and upon finding Cervantes in the city plaza, demanded to be made his squire. Cervantes laughed, asking what knight would wear a mask, thus keeping him from taking rightful credit for his mighty deeds. Dante replied that he would not fight for glory or gold, but to protect and inspire the masses. Impressed by his answer, Cervantes took on the young man as his squire, all the while ignorant of his true nature.

For years Dante grew up under the watchful guidance of the Spear of Aquilonia. He continued to wear a mask and heavy robes, though donned a full helm and armor in battle, and so years passed without Cervantes ever seeing his squire's face. Dante learned quickly, and his unholy strength made him a force to be reckoned with in battle. His greatest issue laid in controlling his temper, which was fueled by his vampiric bloodlust. Even so, Dante eventually was knighted by Cervantes, and was considered a true warrior of Imperia and Aquilonia. However, some short years after, a devastating campaign against a foul daemon horde nearly destroyed the Eighth Legion. Cervantes, as well as much of the legion's senior leadership, had been killed by the campaign's end. Be it through luck, skill or divine providence, the young Ser Dante was the senior-most knight left in the legion, and so was appointed by default as the Commander of the Eighth Legion. Such an inauspicious appointment was seen as a grave omen by the remainder of the legion, who feared that their ancestral banners would soon be retired forever. Deep in mourning for his lost master, Dante took up the man's famous spear, Aquila, and took the angelic wings of his heraldry and made them part of his own; adding a drop of blood to show the sacrifice given for the good of the people.

As the Eighth Legion was slowly rebuilt, Knight-Commander Dante looked inward to resolve his own personal struggles. He would not due his legion justice if he continued to be ruled by his instincts. Dante took to the church, spending much time learning scripture and meditation from the priests and chaplains. It was in these long hours of inner reflection that Dante discovered the Book of Blessings. Seeing it as antithesis to his vampiric nature, he took up the study and practice of holy magic, hoping it would lead him away from his darker urges. Dante took well to learning these magics, which also aided him in learning to curb his urges and impulses. By slight degrees he grew less brash and became a stronger man for it, and so his legion became stronger. Dante led numerous successful campaigns of retribution against daemons and other such monsters over his centuries of service commanding the Eighth Legion. His vampiric nature had extended his lifespan well beyond that of a normal man, and he was still loathe to share his dark secret with his soldiers. He explained away his longevity by claiming that his prowess in holy magic had extended his lifespan; a rare feat but not one unheard of. This simple lie has protected the secret of his blood even to this day.

The might of the ancient Knight-Commander Dante eventually reached the ears of the Emperor of Imperia. Upon the Emperor's invitation, Dante passed on command of the Eighth Legion to a worthy successor, and went on to lead the prestigious First Legion: the Hammer of the Empire. His continued success as the legion's commander brought him even further prestige and accolades, and he began personal correspondence with the Emperor. Dante's true nature as a Vampire eventually could no longer be hidden from the Emperor, and though the revelation was shocking, it was not the end of Dante's service. Seeing the man to be faithful to the gods and to Imperia, the Emperor decreed that only his family and their closest advisers would know of his true heritage, and by them would be considered an honorary human. Eternally grateful to the royal family, Dante continued to serve them dutifully, and eventually his fame and prowess surpassed the prestige of the First Legion. Dante was appointed as Lord-Commander of the Imperial Military, the highest military official in the Empire, and the direct adviser to the Emperor on martial matters. For hundreds more years Lord-Commander Dante has retained this tremendous honor, lending his expertise to many Emperors and continuing to venture onto the battlefield to lead his men from the front lines.

Pavel Sokoloff

Soko

28

Male

Novogorod

Corporal

Field Engineer

Soko is of perfectly normal size being neither large, nor small. If given the chance he would prefer to walk about in a tank top and cargo pants, short of that a jumpsuit would do just fine. Outside of work he isn't too picky about what he wears as fashion is about the last thing he thinks of, what does matter is practicality; boots over sandals, jeans over shorts.

Soko's combat uniform has seen some very minor modifications. Mostly he carries additional pouches and an extra bandolier for more ammunition storage. Soko never wears the standard hat as he thinks its just stupid, after a while even his superiors had given up reprimanding him.

Soko is about welcoming as they come, and has no problems with making friends out of complete strangers, although because of his natural openness he is simply terrible at lying. To expand on this Soko is perfectly willing to tell just about anyone about himself, however after much life experience he has somewhat learned to keep quiet, especially when it comes to his own problems. That said Soko still hates the very idea of secrets and would rather throw everything into the open if given the opportunity. When in a combat situation Soko can definitely remain cool under fire, and will fight with every bit of ferocity befitting of his people. He does have his limits however, in extreme cases of pressure it is quite possible he'll crack under it because after all he is only human.

It should be obvious that Soko is a very social person and will attempt to start a conversation with just about anyone in earshot. While it may seem like he considers everyone to be a friend, he does take friendship seriously and actually if anything he is strangely particular about who he would call a friend. When it comes to his discipline and professionalism as a soldier Soko is around average by GHU standards. Not nearly on the same level as a Khorenheim, but he is typically more hard working than many of his brethren.

Soko cares deeply about his role as an engineer and vastly enjoys the work. Sometimes while on a job Soko becomes uncharacteristically quiet, in fact he may even snap at anyone who dares to interrupt him, it is this reason its important for one to learn this fact about him.

Soko was born to a lower working class family, his father being the main breadwinner through his job as a laborer. Even from an early age it was clear what kind of person Soko would grow into, with his constant questions and overall friendly disposition he was always posed to talk about absolutely everything. For the most part his family humored the young Soko, although eventually even they tired of his constant blabbering and were not afraid to say as much. All the same his home life was quite pleasant while still given their socioeconomic status.

Soko was fascinated with machines and purposely sought whatever he could learn about them, he even came to bug local technicians. Of course no one was in the least bit interested in enabling the frankly annoying boy, however overtime a few actually taken a liking to Soko, maybe due to his perseverance or maybe he really did have the social skills. From this unofficial tutelage Soko gleamed much about the maintenance of various machines such as massive heaters, or sometimes much more complex communications systems.

During his teenage years while in school Soko opted to take whatever engineering courses were available, if it weren't for required credits in other subjects he may have very well packed his schedule with nothing but technical classes. His parents, primarily his father, were vocal about their approval, even to the point of bragging about their son's incredible intellect to other couples. Soko didn't think much about it, as an only child it made sense they would be proud of his accomplishments like so, he at least understood that. Soko while never was an excellent student, graduated with recognitions for his achievements in engineering.

It was at this point Soko made his critical life decision to join the military, one reason being the paycheck, but also he felt that by serving he could continue to improve himself as a person. His family of course were against the idea, saying that they would worry about his safety, and even tried to recommend other career choices, in the end they couldn't change his mind. Soko enlisted into the Novogorodian Engineering Corps using his already impressive background in the field as a resume. After passing a initial exam he was then entered into the program. At first the material was extremely different from what he was used to, military technology was a whole another beast from the civilian machines he once worked with.

Months later Soko came out in the top-middle percentile of his class having been scored at least satisfactory in all competency areas, although at the same time he just barely passed basic training, but that didn't quite matter in the moment. Soko's first assignment was to a military base as a member of the support staff, his job to help keep the facility running smoothly, and so this was his life for the next few years. At the age of twenty five Soko received a promotion to corporal for his years of service, and favorable work assessment, he was also reassigned to the PRN's 13^th Garrison where he remained until the creation of the 23^rd Expeditionary Regiment. It should also be noted that even to this day Soko still sends a hefty portion of his pay back home even after being told multiple times that the money was not necessary.