Zelios
Sobriquet: Visionary Nosferatu Mason
Appearance: The clan curse of the Nosferatu has afflicted him in a way to reflect his passion for stone and architecture: Zelios’s skin has become extremely pallid; in fact, it is gray enough to match the color of a stone wall. His features are exceedingly angular, almost unnaturally so. There is no softness to his face, and his eyes are a dull gray.
Behavior:
History: Born into a family of wealthy merchants near the 11th century, Zelios turned away from pursuing a life of comfortable privilege in favor of developing a useful craft. He traveled Europe and beyond, learning the art and science of architecture.
His insight displayed his talent, for with a few words of advice to an architect or engineer, he could improve both the safety and aesthetics of any design. Zelios became famous among nobility and craftsmen alike, few realizing that his insight came from a recognition of the subtle ways of geomancy.
A Nosferatu realized the potential of the young man and decided to bring him into the Clan, so that he could improve the warrens his Clan populated. With eternity before him, Zelios immersed himself into his craft, specializing on constructing castles for Cainite lords, with hidden chambers and secret passages that some of his customers were completely oblivious of.
Contents
Transylvania Chronicles I – Dark Tides Rising
Within a scant 60 years of his Embrace, Zelios’ reputation had become legendary. Because of his sage advice, fortresses across Western and Eastern Europe were stronger. Even the Tremere had drawn upon his skill as a consultant, for in 1196, Goratrix had hired the Master Mason to improve the defenses of Ceoris. He was at the height of his fame, yet he still suspected that somewhere along the way, he had made a crucial mistake in his designs.
Revelation
Several years after the construction of a seemingly inconsequential castle in Transylvania’s Tihuta Pass, Zelios left Eastern Europe and roamed the Middle East for over a century. While this added an aura of mystique to his legend, he used this turn of events as an opportunity to continue his study of constructions in Ancient Egypt. His knowledge was growing quickly, and as he traveled, he carefully reflected on the mysteriously aspected locations he had chosen for his greatest works of art.On a night when the stars were in alignment, a pattern formed in his mind. As the starlight reflected on the cold waters of the Nile, Zelios realized in horror the significance of what he had done. He recalled designs he had noticed upon the stones of Ceoris. The order of lines in the seemingly inconsequential sigils used by the Tremere were analogous to the order in which he had built many of his castles. Ley lines did indeed complete the design. The fortresses, as a whole, were aligned as part of an occulted design.Had he come by this knowledge by insight, he wondered, or had some more powerful force guided his hand? By the time he had arrived at the Pyramids of Giza, his intuitive knowledge became conscious awareness. Revelations of geomancy burned in his brain as he stood in the shadows of the pyramids’ mathematical symmetries.As he continued his travels, he began to sketch many of the insignia and sigils he had witnessed in a papyrus journal. On the night when heentered the Temple of Solomon, he had an awakening akin to a religious experience. As he noticed a hidden pattern in the mathematical purity of its design, he realized he was not the only sentient with this esoteric knowledge.The temple was proof of the ancient nature of his knowledge. Just as the Cainites had their hidden cults, it was evident that many mortals possessed the insights of geomancy and ley lines. As he used his Spirit’s Touch upon the walls of the temple, he witnessed the long-forgotten rites of an ancient secret society. As the echoes of the priests’ incantations resonated through his mind, he realized that just as Cainites had hidden from humans, societies of mortals had hidden from the undead. Vampires were not the most powerful force upon the Earth.For the first time in 200 years, the Ancient laughed. In the Temple of Solomon on the eve of the winter solstice, Zelios went mad.
Tribulation
The legend of Zelios continued to spread in the East. In the shadows, agents of the Setites lusted after Zelios’ power. With the knowledge this Ancient possessed, they would be able to infiltrate any noble’s castle. One rumor told that he was questing in the ancient lands of Egypt, and a sighting of him entering a temple in Alexandria confirmed it. This knowledge was passed to the elder Setites and the Sand-Snakes’ hunt for Zelios began.Zelios realized that despite his caution, much of his work had been flawed. In 1305, he returned to Transylvania to attempt to repair the dam-age he had done. If the major points of the pentagram could be marked with further sigils, he reasoned, the summoning could perhaps be forestalled. Eagerly, he used what influence he could to repair the damage. In some instances he called upon boons and favors to enlist others to aid him in these tasks.As he traveled through Transylvania, however, the Setites made his unlife increasingly troublesome. On several occasions, he was almost captured by packs of Sand-Snakes, and he feared for his life. Rebuking himself, he realized that his efforts to correct his grievous error had been in haste. Had he repaired the damage, or merely complicated the problem? Did his allies follow his instructions correctly? Once more fearful for his safety, he fled again, this time to the Far East.
Ascendance
Zelios had heard rumors that the Cathayan vampires of the Far East knew more about the knowledge he sought. He had heard tales of the practice of feng shui, the application of geomantic principles in architecture and design. The knowledge corresponded with what he had learned in the depths of the Egyptian tombs. Amazingly, there was a connection between the art of feng shui he learned from the Cathayans and the geomantic science he had seen used in Egypt. Unseen, Zelios returned to Europe. Abandoning his reputation in Eastern Europe, he began to study locations of occult significance to find the secret societies of the mortal world.Through his insight, he continued to navel, and study more of the occult geometries of ancient architects, this time in Western Europe. The 666 tiles of the refectory of Albains fascinated him. Through diligence and potent strength, he unearthed the entrance to an ancient Templar vault in Rennes-la-Chateau, one with a curious connection to a forgotten faerie trod. The ruins of Mistridge, the inscriptions on the foundation of the White Tower of Languedoc, the Alexandrian scrolls detailing the construction of Atlantis-over the next 200 years, all these repositories of occult wisdom led him inexorably to the conclusion that a hidden society of mortals had concealed a vast knowledge well beyond the avarice of unknowing Cainites.In 1466, he at last confronted the august society that hid the knowledge of the ancients. That, however, is another story....
