Lord Blake's Retainers - deceased
The Ranks of the Dead (10)
Sergeant Jomo Michieka (Kenyan) - Sergeant and second in command of my personal guards.
Jomo a peripheral player in an internal Kenyan power struggle, and suddenly found himself unwanted. He doesn't really get it, but decided that his military experience gave him only one good way to live outside of his homeland. He came to Greece because he would rather not have to kill fellow Africans. He has been involved in a number of skirmishes, but no protracted action.
Jomo dreams of becoming wealthy enough to buy his way back into the good graces of his government. In the mean time, the chance to kill a few colonialist dogs is too good to pass up. He is torn by his new-found devotion to a white man, but is beginning to justify it by thinking that his grandfather's spirit got lost on its way back and ended up in Bruno.
Over the years, Jomo has managed to amass quite a small fortune in looted and stolen money. His methods, of course, are anything but ethical. He still tells himself that he will return home when this job is over.
Corporal Gert Du Tois * (Afrikaner)
Gert grew up with the assumption that he would join the military. Unfortunately, he graduated just as the Afrikaner government was falling, and the new black government wasn't nearly as interested in filling the ranks with whites. Instead, he spoke with a friend of his uncle and joined what would be the first of many mercenary companies fighting for and over Blood Diamonds. Prior to coming to Thessaloniki, he was a survivor of an ill-fated mission in the middle east. Most of his companions were black or Arab, and the Americans who broke his platoon were willing to believe, for just long enough, that he was one of their own contractors.Gert lives for the camaraderie of being part of a band of brothers, and the thrill of combat and knowing that each day might be his last.
In the last few years, Gert has stepped up in several situations, performing well and impressing his fellows. Perhaps more than anyone, he has adapted to his new role as a Vampire's enforcer.
Qaabil the Libyan (deceased - assassinated by Bruno after Ahmal fled to Tunis to find himself spiritually.)
Qaabil fought to liberate his country from beneath the boot of Kadafi, and found that he couldn't stop fighting. His solution to most problems landed him in jail, and alienated him from his family (he uses no surname). After his most recent incarceration, he headed across the sea to Greece, thinking that if he had to fight, at least he wouldn't hurt anyone he loved. He is conflicted about his need for violence, and is trying to learn to channel it. Unfortunately, Qaabil chose to follow his faith instead of his blood oath and left my employ while we were in London - Autumn of 2016. The Tremere were able to track him back to Libya where he was hiding in Mosques. In early 2017, I could no longer allow a potential hunter with intimate knowledge of my person and servants to live. So I took a nocturnal trip to Libya with a sniper rifle and gave us both some peace.
Corporal Ioudas Horiatis (Greek) - Squad Medic
Ioudas was a hotshot adrenalin junkie EMT in the years before Greece erupted into civil war. His family evacuated to Italy, but he stayed behind to try to do good. He did his share: As part of a pathetic medical staff desperately trying to keep a broke, supply-less hospital functioning, he went far beyond the limits of his training. He has practical experience as a battlefield surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and as a general practitioner, but is the first to tell his patients that better trained doctors will know things that he would never guess.
Ioudas agreed to accompany some mad mission into the bush for the cash, and perhaps for the chance to die. Somehow, he became attached to the leader and members of the small company, and decided to follow them into piracy. He did give his retainer to the hospital's chief of staff, who he is fairly certain will use it ethically.
In 2018, Ioudas was torn apart by a frenzying cannon-fodder vampire while trying to rescue a badly wounded comrade.
Dimitri Soderov (Russian)
In combat (when he is most alive), Dimitri is a well disciplined, competent soldier. Afterward, and between deployments, he is a drunkard, a brawler, and a bully. He deeply regrets being cashiered from the Russian military (the other guy picked the fight!, but he was a colonel's nephew), and his behavior has gotten slowly but inexorably worse. Still, he was absolutely fearless as the group was pressed by Greek Anarchists before he took some shrapnel and spent the rest of the day trying to remain conscious as he guarded the wounded.
In 2019, Dimitri disappeared. A month later, he returned, barely recognizable: A ravenous monster on main street, killing everything he could until he was put down by the combined effort of the local police and his former comrades in arms.
Nebojsa Pupovac (Serbian)
Like many others, Nebojsa became a liability to the apologist Serbian government after the war. Though his name wasn't on any lists, he feared being fingered by someone who was looking for a little leniency, so he headed out-country. He kicked around Africa and South America for more than a decade until the opportunity came to get a little closer to home.
Nebojsa lives mostly for the power that being an armed man with powerful friends provides. He enjoys looting and spending his loot, all the while terrifying the sheep.
Nebojsa was recognized by some refugees, and took a bullet between the eyes before his killer was gunned down in a hail of gunfire.
Ultarak Usenov (Kazhak)
Ultarak has been a mercenary for the past three years. At home, he was taught to shoot game, how to track, and how to avoid the soldiers that periodically came through the region. When the food got scarce, he set out on his own. He has been on the periphery of several battles through his short career, but his skills have been to valuable to waste as a marine, so he hasn't been too involved. He is illiterate.
Ultarak was riding on top of the APC as a scout when the convoy was attacked. He took a stray bullet that lodged next to his aorta, and spent the next two days in and out of consciousness. With the help of vampiric vitae, he is again ready for action, and strangely desperate to prove himself to his new employer.
Ultarek disappeared six months after moving to Bosijevo, and has not been heard from since. The Tremere have failed to locate him,and believe that he is dead.
Symeon Gramaticas (Greek)
Symeon is a true believer in Anarchy. He actively tried to escalate peaceful protests before the government fell, and has been hit with more rubber bullets than he can count. He jokes that he has built up an immunity to tear gas – but he came with a well-used and well maintained gas mask. Unfortunately, even Anarchs have to eat somehow, so here he is.
Over time, Symeon developed increasing psychoses and self-control issues, until he broke ranks and charged a pair of vozhd. He died badly.
Corporal Jim Zajaczkowski (phonetically Zakowski) (American) - Corporal of Fire-team Gamma.
Jim Zajaczkowski calls himself an All American mutt. He is guarded about the reasons he is a mercenary, but hints of running afoul of military justice for the crime of failing to commit heinous war crimes. After a stint in Leavenworth, he changed his name, and headed for furren lands. When not joking about American isolationist prejudices, he exhibits a slightly higher level of PTSD than the average merc, and is more comfortable in a hostile situation where his paranoia is justified.
The blood bond and some privacy brought out a remorseful confession: His real name is Daniel Horton, and his job is to seek out military groups that might be aiding enemies of the United States. He has been in the cold for more than a year, as his case agent was recalled to help deal with the Quebec Crisis. He is certain that he can find a way to juggle his duties with his devotion to Bruno, and hopes that he can make the situation very profitable for his new companions.
Corporal Zajaczkowski was assassinated at extreme range by a skilled sniper. The round was depleted uranium, manufactured in an American munitions factory.
Nikodemos Petro (Greek)
Nikodemos picked up a gun off of a dead man when they raided and killed his village. He hasn't really stopped to think much since: He knows he needs structure, and being part of a military force can provide it. The most surprising thing about him is that he is still alive. Maybe an angel is watching over his shoulder.
Nikodemos died much like he'd lived the last few years of his life: With a surprised expression on his face like he couldn't quite believe what was happening in his life. Granted, being torn apart by an obfuscated Nosferatu will surprise most people.
