Ardan Lane
Sobriquet: Ardan
Appearance: Pleasant looking, with average features, auburn hair and brown eyes, Ardan uses his nondescript appearance to good measure in his investigations. He has succeeded in modernizing his appearance to pass unremarkably when he interacts with modern society, though in the privacy of his own chantry he wears the formal robes of a bygone era.
Behavior: Ardan has survived and prospered for many centuries and hopes to do so for many more. His ability to survive in challenging circumstances has served him well in the past. While he does not take unnecessary risks, he does not hesitate to act when action seems both necessary and desirable. Ardan enjoys responsibility, recognizing that certain duties come with holding power. His sire's trust in him has not been misplaced so far, and he hopes to continue to prove worthy of his immortal lineage.
History: Ardan is not a man to look backwards in a search for glory or personal identity. He was born roughly two decades before the First Crusade, in the old-town of Prague. He remembers little enough of his parents and early life. In fact, his recollections began only following the Embrace and for reasons only he understands, he has never investigated his mortal past. Ardan's approach to unlife is a combination of personal ambition coupled with a strong desire for responsibility, and these two traits have served as the pillars of his successful rise through the Tremere pyramid over the last eight centuries. By the 12th century, he had risen high enough through the hermetic mysteries to be given the responsibility of a secret chantry in his home city of Prague. In the following centuries he served the clan well as a infiltrator, providing safety and financial support for the clan's efforts in Transylvania.
After Tremere's entorpored body was moved to Vienna for safety, he was rewarded with the command of Ceoris, a post he holds for centuries until summoned to Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century to take up the role of primogen of the Tremere in that city. Upon assumption of his office, Ardan proved himself a capable politician able to navigate Vienna's social circles and their games, earning the respect of his fellow warlocks in the process. His numerous skills and ability to anticipate the unexpected qualified him, in the minds of his superiors, to search for the Incunabulum Kupalam a fabled grimoire said to contain all the mysteries of Eastern European magic. The search for this mysterious book is interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, and Ardan is reassigned to protect Ceoris with guile and stratagem against all those who would plunder its countless secrets. He resolutely guards the clan's ancient stronghold throughout the period of Nazi occupation, using the citadel as a haven for all those warlocks who opposed the policies of Hitler's fascist regime. At the end of World War II, Ardan as the protector of Ceoris is pressed to protect the fortress's mystic secrets from witch-hunters, mortal sorcerers, hostile Tzimisce and the rise of Communism.
Ardan's unorthodox approach allows him to create productive, short-term alliances with Romania's most tolerant non-Sabbat Tzimisce. After the fall of Communism in Romania, Ardan carefully plan's and executes a strategy to restore Clan Tremere's power and reputation with the Kindred of Romania. While his plan saw significant gains, Ardan remained at least one step behind, Velya the Sabbat's Cardinal beyond the Forest. As the twentieth century waned, Ardan's interest in affairs beyond Romania was fanned anew by the return of his sire Celestyn from his journeys in the Far East among the Kuei-jin.
Recent Events: Until just a few years ago, Ardan was the longtime Regent of Ceoris (the first-fortress chantry of the Tremere Clan in Romania). Although he has spent periods of time as the Tremere Primogen of Vienna, ultimately the Council of Seven felt that he served the clan best as the longtime guardian of Ceoris and its countless secrets. That is until about five years ago, when with Tremere's awakening, he was reassigned to Paris to publicly serve as that city's regent, his secret mission however is to search for Goratrix's long hidden chantry in the City of Lights.
