Marcus Verus
- Ventrue -x- England -x- Chester -x- Talk:Lineage of Mithras
Sobriquet:
Appearance: Baron Marcus is a well-built man who is clean-shaven and wears his salt and pepper hair short. He is almost always dressed in armor — contemporary modern designs rather than the Roman issue he trained in — though he keeps his original armor and short sword in his haven.
Behavior: Marcus Verus is gruff and authoritarian, leading few to question his wisdom or prowess. He does not so much speak as bark orders and has little time or patience for courtiers and non-military personnel. For all his warlike appearance, however, he is extremely intelligent and well educated, though that is not an aspect he shows often, preferring instead to let others become overconfident so he can draw them in and manipulate them to suit his objectives.
History: Baron Marcus Verus was a legionnaire with the Valeria Victrix (Legio XX), inducted into the Cult of Mithras and subsequently Embraced by the Living God himself. Unlike Mithras, Marcus was active throughout the dark years after the fall of Rome and built his power base from the ruins of Roman Britannia and the Saxon kingdoms that followed. His combination of martial skill and classical learning have stood him in good stead as the Baron of Chester, a post he secured in the mid-eighth century before the arrival of the Danes and that he has maintained through a mix of guile and brute force. He remains a major power in the Cult of Mithras, inducting numerous mortals and Cainites into its mysteries, and aided his sire’s return to power. Like Mithras, Marcus revels in battle and takes the field whenever the opportunity arises, though the opportunities are rare and the troops he faces or commands are less impressive than those of the past. Now more than a millennia old, Marcus is beginning to feel the pull of torpor but has thus far resisted its call, engaging in skirmishes against the Welsh and the troops of the Fief of York under Eyolf Ivarsson to keep him stimulated, though Mithras is unhappy at his childe’s aggressiveness.
Recent Events: Marcus Verus has ruled Chester since the Baronies of Avalon were founded. He was the among the last hold-outs resisting the power of the Triumvirate when his sire awoke, and the primary face of Mithras's campaign against them. When the Barons revolted in the 14th century, Marcus's support turned the tide in Mithras's favor. He is the eldest and most prominent of Mithras's Heirs, and has been the most stable bastion of power in the Isles, even as he has neglected his domain. Chester has faded from prominence until it is now no more than a quaint village in the English countryside. Surrounded by his knights, the Baron of Chester abides.
As the eldest active childe of Mithras and one of Mithras's official Heirs, Marcus has become active in the politics of London since the disappearance of Mithras and the entorporment of Seneschal Anne Bowesly in late 2031. He and the other Heirs (James Mannerly and Rhodry ap Geraint) have become the city's Regents, preparing to choose a new Baron of London in the name of the Courts of Avalon.
