Alfonzo of Venice

Venice -- medieval -DAV- Lasombra -DAV- Constantinople -- medieval

Sobriquet: Priest (polite), Princeling (rude)

Appearance: Alfonzo always wears the finest robes and costumes, evoking the wealth of and sophistication of Venice while trying to compete with the grandeur of his enemies. Only his fleeting smile, appearing at times of great stress and disorder, hints at his rapacious soul.

Behavior: Alfonzo is a true childe of his sire, for power is his one true religion and self-aggrandizement his only faith. Alfonzo enjoyss the trappings of power as much as actual authority, and often wears elaborate garb that emphasize his position as a priest of the Cainite Heresy. Yet, despite his vanity, Alfonzo is not weak, and his power continued to grow until the climax of his rise to become the first true prince of Constantinople. Alfonzo portrays himself in a dignified role that station demands, but he has never found contentment in anything other than the carnage of the Beast. He is the consummate host and his blood feasts will become infamous even among the Greek Cainites.

History: Alfonzo was a Venetian merchant in life, who gained Narses interest after he had arranged the convenient disappearance of a rival, who hindered the establishment of lucrative trade with Sicily. Narses gave his protégé the Embrace after the Normans threatened to close down the passage into the Aegean Sea.

Recent Events: Alonzo has served his sire for over a century and he is currently being groomed for role in the upcoming First Crusade which will act to deliver him into the heart of Michael's Dream.

Destiny: Narses charges Alfonzo with taking Byzantium's wealth for Venice, not knowing that the new bishop has plans of his own. Alfonzo will made contact with members of the shadowy Roman sect known as the Inconnu, whose members resented the successes of the Byzantine Dream. It will be they who arranged the 1185 riots to put Alfonzo in power as an instrument of vengeance. The new bishop's plans to use the Inconnu support to establish his own power-base in the city, apart from the dominion of his bitter sire.

To destroy the Trinity's hold on Constantinople, Alfonzo will open the Latin Quarter to a wide variety of elements, collectively known as "Carrion." Ultimately, he pays very dearly for opening the Latin Quarter as Calmenan witch-hunters will destroy his favorite childer, Juliano and Adrianna, who had served as his principal agents. However, his sadness was purely superficial as he gave away his prized Lasombra self-mastery in exchange for satiation of his immense blood-lust. His Beast was attracted to the chaos that grew in the city, and the blood feasts he hosted for his allies often took the form of refined orgies.

Prince Alfonzo took the purple and ruled from the old Great Palace on the shores of the Bosporus for the next one hundred and forty-three years before the arrival of the Black Death and his unexplained disappearance in 1347.

Ultimately Alfonzo acquires real power, when he rules the Latin Kingdom of Constantinople, which is born after the Fourth Crusade. The support of the Inconnu proves fleeting, however, as they slowly realize the crime they have precipitated in destroying the New Roman Dream. Abandoned, Alfonzo faces the wrath of the resurgent Greek Cainites of the Trinity and the Scion Families in Nicea. Ironically, it was his childe Basileus rather than his sire or his enemies that finally brought the Latin Prince low, during the panic that followed the first waves of the Black death in 1347. Basileus and a group of allied Autarkis attacked during the high point of Prince Alfonzo's royal blood feast inaugurating his assumption of princedom and slew the intoxicated guests, while Basileus diablerized his sire - the Anarch Revolt had arrived in the wake of the Black Death.

Statistics

Clan: Lasombra
Sire: Narses
Nature: Tyrant
Demeanor: Survivor
Generation: 7th
Embrace: 895 A.D.
Apparent Age: Mid-40s
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 3
Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 2, Empathy 3, Intimidation 4, Larceny 4, Leadership 3, Subterfuge 5
Skills: Etiquette 4, Music 2, Ride 4, Stealth 2, Survival 2
Knowledges: Academics 3, Investigation 2, Law 4, Linguistics 4, Occult 3, Politics 5
Disciplines: Auspex 3, Dominate 5, Obtenebration 4, Potence 2, Presence 5
Backgrounds: Allies 5 (Narses), Contacts 5 (Inconnu), Influence 3 (Venice), Resources 5, Retainers 4 (Traders)
Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 3, Courage 3
Morality: Humanity 3
Willpower: 6
Final Death: A.D. 1347 (death by diablerie)