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Name: Alessandro Romero (formerly Alexandros)
Date of Birth: 59 A.D.
Apparent Age: Late 40s
Place of Birth: Pompeii
Current Home: New York City
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Sex: Male
PB: Eros Ramazzatti

Nature: (A character's basic personality, their fundamental behavior and perception of the world.)

Director: To the Director, nothing is worse than chaos and disorder. The Director seeks to be in charge, adopting a "my way or the highway" attitude on matters of decision making. The Director is more concerned with bringing order out of strife, however, and need not be truly "in control' of a group to guide it. Coaches, teachers and many political figures exemplify the Director Archetype.

Demeanor: (The image the character projects to the outside world.)

Architect: Your sense of purpose goes beyond your own needs; you try to create something of lasting value for those who will come after you. People need many things, and you gain satisfaction by providing whatever you can. You are the type of person who makes an effort to build something of value: to found a town, create a company or in some way leave a lasting legacy. Many American pioneers were Architects by Nature.

Jewelry: Wears a ring on his left hand. It's a heavy, old fashioned gold ring with a large garnet in the center held by a dragon's claw. The decorative bits of the ring are, in fact, sharp enough to draw blood.

Clan: Lasombra Antitribu
Occupation: Businessman with mob ties
Generation: 5th

Via Regalis, Road of Kings 7: Link to Wiki Just as God ordained that kings should rules over men, by placing His mark upon Caine He ordained that Cainites were above the mortal herd, and that some also held divine right to rule. The Scions, followers of the Road of Kings, believe that power and rulership are their inheritence, secured by strength of arms and skill at court. Just as the mortal nobility wars for control over land and wealth, so do the Scions war among themselves for control of Cainite domains, with lesser vampires and mortals arrayed like pieces on a chessboard.

The Beast stands in the way of a Scion's destiny. It represents all the dark impulses that drag a ruler down and lead to rebellion and betrayal. But, carefully controlled, those same passions can raise a ruler up to greatness and give him the power to conquer his enemies and hold on to his throne. So the Beast must be controlled, and conquering the Beast is a necessary first step in conquering the world.

It's little wonder that the Road of Kings draws many of the High Clans to it, particularly the Lasombra, Tzimisce and Ventrue. Those who rise to the position of prince often do so by following this road. And Scions often make the best rulers because they see their endeavor as larger than simply hoarding personal power - that is the domain of the Beast. A true king creates justice for his subjects and inspires loyalty in his vassals. And the only way to understand how to inspire loyalty is to have been loyal oneself, therefore, many Scions spend time as vassals and knights in other's service. Others serve as judges and magistrates, dispensing justice in the name of a lord whom they serve.

Sobriquet: Scions
Road Virtues: Conviction, Self-Control
Aura: Command. Scions are destined to rule, and they know it. Those around them can feel their commanding presence like a crown upon them. Their aura modifier affects rolls to command or lead others.
Via Equitum ("Path of Chivalry"): Those who follow this Path believe that as superior beings, they are beholden to defend those lesser than them, both Cainite and human. These Scions believe most strongly in the concepts of duty and honor. Followers of this Path are sometimes called Paladins.

Merit:

Weather Sense - This acumen is very much prized among seafaring Lasombra. A few sires manage to pass on its intricacies to their childer. You subconsciously sense impending bad weather. The Storyteller makes a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 7) on your behalf to give up to several hours' notice of storms and other weather problems before they manifest.
Light Sleeper - You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Humanity/Path restricts the number of dice available during the day.

Flaw:

Cast No Reflection (automatic for Lasombra) - You actually cast no reflection, just like the vampire of legend. This can have a very detrimental effect when trying to pass as a human. Vampires of Clan Lasombra automatically have this Flaw (and you may be mistaken for one of them if you possess this) and cannot take it to gain Freebie Points.
Poseidon's Call - Your self-control varies with the weather. Make rolls to resist frenzy at -1 difficulty in completely calm weather, but +1 difficulty on rough seas, +2 in thunderstorms and +3 in hurricanes.
Diabolist (secret) - You have committed diablerie at least once to achieve your current position of power, but no one yet knows your secret. Should the information ever be revealed, other elders may well refuse you aid, shun you or, even worse, turn against you, perhaps even calling a Blood Hunt. It is imperative you keep this information hidden. Should your secret ever be revealed you will receive a +3 difficulty modifier to any Social roll involving elder Kindred.

Disciplines: Obtenebration 8, Auspex 4, Dominate 6, Dementation 4, Potence 5, Fortitude 4, Celerity 5, Obfuscate 6, Presence 5

History:Lucius Cassius Alexander, or Alexandros among his family, was born to freed Greek slaves living in Pompeii in 59 CE. His parents operated a popina, a type of wine bar frequented by the lower classes of the city and a haven for illegal activity such as gambling and prostitution in the resort city. Alexandros was the youngest child of a large family, most of whom helped their parents in the popina when they weren't studying.

A major earthquake hit the region when Alexandros was very young, and though the Roman wine market was beginning to move back into Pompeii when Alexandros was more grown, frequent smaller earthquakes made a career in the military an attractive choice. He enlisted in the military in 77 CE, at the age of 18. He was sent to Britain, a region that the Romans were still trying to conquer at that time. Two years later, in 79 CE, Mt Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii in ash very quickly. Alexandros did not receive word of the eruption until much later. Knowing that his family was very likely among the dead in Pompeii, Alexandros devoted himself more fully to the military.

Though he hadn't been taught beyond the age of twelve, Alexandros struck up a friendship with some of the Centurions and, on his time off, studied writing and various subjects on his own. His quick mind and a talent for strategy, along with casualties in the war in Britain, meant that he rose up the ranks fairly quickly.

By the time he was 40 and the legion he was assigned to left Britain for a trouble spot in the east of Europe, he was assigned as the legion's chief Centurion. After his one year assignment as chief Centurion, he was accepted into Rome's aristocracy and shortly after, was made Praefectus Castrorum of his legion. Though he was third in command, he was the most experienced of the soldiers in his legate's command.

Though Roman soldiers weren't allowed to marry, many did have families, and Alexandros was no different. When his legion left Britain, one of his sons enlisted in the military himself. In 101 CE, when Alexandros's legion was embroiled in fighting in a region called Dacia, he received word that his son had been killed in battle. Shortly after, he found out that his illegitimate wife and two youngest children had died, presumably of disease, in Britain. A seemingly random series of unfortunate circumstances conspired to first attempt to ruin Alexandros's reputation, and when Alexandros was able to overcome those, he was framed for treason. Before he was due to be executed, his sire spirited him away and turned him.

Alessandro has served in a martial capacity for the Lasombra since his Embrace, first as a bodyguard for his Sire, a higher-ranking Lasombra of Rome. Deceived by his Sire about who ruined his mortal life, he was a seemingly loyal soldier at first. As rumors began to surface and Alessandro learned the truth, he began to ruin his Sire's life. Quietly at first, pinpoint, violent strikes, seemingly by Garou, human hunters, and even by murderous fae plagued his Sire. The older Lasombra's loyal supporters evaporated, either killed by Alessandro or too smart to interfere. Alessandro destroyed his Sire's home, all of the servants, and killed him. Alessandro ended up a sailor, a pirate preying on ships sailing the Mediterranean.

Long afterwards, a ship captain ashore in New York while his ship underwent repairs. He accepted a proposal by the Archbishop of New York to become a Templar in his service. He's been serving the now Cardinal of the Northeast since, though lately the Cardinal has been acting more and more erratically...

Personality and Skills notes:

Alessandro learned a love of science and philosophy early. He tends to be inquisitive and well-spoken and doesn't subscribe to any particular superstition. He enjoys new scientific advancements.
His knows enough about technology to navigate his way around the modern world, but shows a strong preference for non-technological solutions when possible. He has an extensive library, only grudgingly carries a cellphone, and prefers paper and pen for writing. He does have a computer, but views it only as a semi-useful tool.
Skilled swordsman. Tends to prefer gladius-like swords. Also a decent shot with hand guns and smaller-caliber rifles. He keeps a silver sword in his home.
Defaults to fairly polite.

Misc Notes

Snippet about his tattoo from an RP:

"He felt wriggling in his wrist and pushed his shirt sleeve up to watch a worm wriggle underneath a tattoo of a flaming skull. The veins under the tattoo grew dark and the worm stopped moving abruptly. The tattoo was old, though it had obviously been touched up in the intervening years and the vampire's flesh didn't heal and fade the ink as a mortal's flesh might. Morgan might recognize it. Piracy hadn't died in the 18th century, not for the Lasombra, at least. Alessandro's Grinning Spectre had taken Camerilla and mortal ships for centuries before he entered the service of the now-Cardinal in the 1930s. The same flaming, grinning skull had been sewn onto several of the ship's flags. Her captain and crew had a reputation for leaving nothing but wreckage and bloodless bodies behind."

Isca Dumnoniorum - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isca_Dumnoniorum
Exeter - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter
Celtic Britons - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Britons
Dumnonii - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumnonii

Alessandro stood on the deck of the Spectre, staring out at the dark waves. They were hours from shore, far enough that not even the lights of the city remained to spoil the beauty of the stars high above. Alessandro leaned on the railing and stared up at them. The constellations were different from when he was a child, but they still made him gaze up in wonder. Their twinkling lights, each the sun of a far off world like this one, were enough to make even the millennia-old vampire feel small. How long? How long had Edmund been pulling the strings behind the scenes?

He turned from the waves to the evidence stacked on the table nearby. Notes, bank receipts, testimony from his own men who'd turned on him! A hundred different accounts of the Malkavian subtly manipulating Alessandro, turning him into little more than a puppet. Alessandro paused on one such testimony. Nicholas, the nosferatu, had given it shortly before Alessandro ended his life. Nicholas had been spying upon Alessandro for months. He knew, Edmund knew, about Onida, about Alessandro's feelings for her, and they both knew about what Alessandro planned next. He clenched a fist. Despite his rage at the betrayal, still some part of him wanted to go back, wanted to find Edmund and find solace in his old friend's embrace.

But he knew well how to hold out against the Blood. That was not Alessandro's want, it was the Blood and the bond they shared. He would not give in. Already he could feel it loosening its hold on him, enough that he could think past it more clearly than he had in months. It wouldn't be any clearer before the Fae conducted their ritual, but it should be enough. Enough for him to maintain his course. He reached for another paper, this one detailing what Edmund had asked of his fledgling, Daniel. Oh, Alessandro had punished Daniel for it, punished him far more than he ever had, but he'd let the fledgling live. Though Daniel had skirted the lines several times, he hadn't betrayed Alessandro, not even when Edmund manipulated his mind. Daniel lay downstairs now, locked in his room, healing slowly, the thirst burning in his throat. Alessandro would let him stay there until he had use for him. There were still others who had yet escaped his wrath. Mortals in his employ that Edmund owned now more surely than he owned the hospital. It would be useless to fight him for them. Far simpler just to kill the traitors and find more to take their place. When Daniel next fed, it would be as an agent of Alessandro's wrath. Their blood was meaningless to Alessandro's hunger.

He got up and moved closer to a nosferatu chained to the deck of the ship. He tapped the creature's head with the toe of his shoe. "How many more of you stalk the halls of my building? How many of you spy upon me for Edmund? Tell me!"

The nosferatu shook his head. He wouldn't! He refused! He screamed as a Shadowy sword impaled his stomach. He still refused to talk.

Alessandro knelt and grabbed the vampire by his hair. He stared into the pitiful wretch's eyes, and commanded, this time with power behind his voice, "Tell me how many others spy upon me."

"Just...just our band. Nicholas's crew. A dozen of us, at most. We're....we're there most nights. Edmund said..said you were planning something. Something soon. He wanted more details. Wanted to know when it happened." The vampire screamed as the Shadow blade disappeared. Its absence hurt almost as much as its entry did, as tissue tried in vain to heal.

In vain, because in the next instant, Alessandro jerked hard on the vampire's neck and bit savagely into it. Most of the time, he tried to make his feeding something pleasurable, but this time there was only pain. Agony. The nosferatu screamed as Alessandro fed and fed, until he was too weak to scream. And still Alessandro fed. The elder vampire fed until there was no more blood, until he'd consumed even the soul. The body dissolved to dust on the deck, and was blown away on the wind. Alessandro stood, feeling mostly sated for the first time in a very long time. And there would be more. At least ten more. He licked his lips. One last hunt sounded marvelous to him.

He pulled out his phone and texted Oni. I realize you're probably still recovering, but I wanted to send a warning anyway. Do not visit my home until I tell you it's safe. Edmund has been plotting against me, and it will be a bit before I'm confident that everyone in the building is loyal to me. To Nasir, whose phone number he honestly shouldn't have had, he texted, Tell Dr. Nuttal to avoid the Lenox Hill Hospital. If you want to go hunting there, I will not tell you no, I will only tell you to be cautious. An old friend of mine has been spying on me, betrayed my trust quite badly, and he claims the hospital as his domain. I am handling the problem, but as ever dealing with him, innocent people may get caught on the wrong side of his temper. Finally, to Han, another phone number he shouldn't have had but had lifted during one of his encounters with the wolves, he texted, It is Alessandro. Calm down, I mean you no harm. I will be stopping by on Sunday, during the daytime. I would appreciate a warm meal, if you don't mind.

And then finally, he turned and gathered the papers and the laptop on the table, bringing them inside to his study. When he passed a sailor on his way, he said sharply, "Give the order to return to shore, and make sure everyone is armed. I suspect Dr. Deyncourt will be waiting at the dock for us. He is not to board the ship under any circumstances, is that understood?"

The sailor, one of Daniel's ghouls, nodded. "Yes, Master, I'll give the order."

"Good." Alessandro reached his study and closed the door. Ye gods. This was spiraling away from him. He didn't enjoy the politics of it, it was all too clandestine for his sense of honor. He set the evidence in his hand down on his desk and reached for another paper. This one detailed where certain items were that the Fae were hunting, along with the locations of the men who took them. Men. Vampires, to a man. Nicolo's men. Nicolo was dead, but the others remained, and the Fae trinkets were in Sabbat hands. For now. A private plane was scheduled to leave JFK soon, to take Alessandro back to Italy, and from there he would see about gathering everything the Fae wanted. From there, they would go directly to Killarney, to the Fae's home, and there he would meet with their lord and return what was theirs. He had confirmed with Jordan that Saturday would be a good time to meet with him. He went over the locations that had been scouted out for him. It wouldn't take long.

He felt the ship leave the open ocean, felt the waves lessen as it entered the harbor, and he left his study. He took the stairs two at a time and reached the deck just as they were pulling into the dock. As he'd expected, Edmund waited below. Several crewmembers stood on the deck, pointing rifles at the elder Malkavian. Alessandro waved them off and moved to the railing to stare across at Edmund. So close, and yet so far. "Edmund."

"Alex, that's a bit warmer welcome than usual..." Edmund ran a hand through his hair, mussing it. He was playing a part tonight, the part of the aggrieved yet innocent mad friend. Alessandro could see it, see the slight tics that Edmund only had when he was lying.

Alessandro laughed softly. "You don't have to pretend anymore, Edmund. I know. I know everything. Nicholas is dead and the rest of his people will be joining him shortly, just before I catch my plane to Italy." At Edmund's look, Alessandro laughed again. "You didn't know? The trinkets the Fae wanted, the ones I'm using to barter with them, were taken by Nicolo back to Italy. They and the men that stole them still haunt his old estate in Sicily. I'm going to retrieve them." He leaned over the railing, smiling at Edmund. "I'm telling you this, Edmund, because I want to be very clear. You will not get in my way. You will not lift so much as a finger to stop me. If you do, I will kill you myself. I haven't killed you yet because, despite your betrayal, the city needs leadership or it will fall to chaos. Your temperament is better suited for it than mine. But cross me, in any way, and I will stake you out for the sun. Do I make myself clear?"

"Alex, I..."

Edmund didn't get very far before Alessandro silenced him. "Enough. No excuses, Edmund. You spied on me. You turned my own people against me. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Well. I'm cleaning house, Edmund. One last little bloodbath before I go fulfill my promise to the Fae. Do not get in my way, and never cross me again, or I will end you. Is that clear?"

Edmund tried to speak, failed, then nodded. "Abundantly. Goodbye Alex."

"Goodbye Edmund." Alessandro waved to the crew, who moved forward to again point rifles at Edmund until he left. Alessandro paced back to the other side of the ship, where he could just see the waves out on the sea outside the harbor. Cast your eyes on the ocean. Cast your soul to the sea. When the dark night seems endless, please remember me. The hurt flared in him briefly, but he choked it back, remembering why he was doing this. It would be worth it. Ye gods, he couldn't wait to see her face by daylight.

It should go without saying, but constructive criticism of my work is not encouraged on this journal or on any community that I post on. I understand that my writing is not perfect. Most of what I post was written in one draft and only edited for spelling and punctuation. I work 70 hours a week, and this journal is not one that I post my publishing worthy writing on. This is one that I use for fun. Perfect writing is not required, just writing that's good enough that everyone understands what I'm saying and everyone has a good time.

It was close to midnight in Lazarus Corporation's Manhattan offices, and a vampire talked to a Fae lord.

"So, Mr. Romero, or should I say, Prince Alexandros? What can I do for you?" Jordan Curran, the Fae Lord Ruaidhrí Ó Corraidhín, stood before Alessandro in a neat suit, his bright red hair almost glowing in the soft light of Alessandro's office. The stag motif he favored was obvious, from the necklace around his neck to the buttons of his suit. His Irish accent was strong, but he was careful to make sure his English could be understood. He didn't seem to be at all nervous to be in the heart of a vampire's domain, and from what Alessandro sensed from him, his confidence was well-earned. This was not a being that Alessandro wanted to cross.

"Just Alexandros is fine, please." Alessandro walked out from behind his desk and indicated the couch and a chair nearby. He settled himself down on the chair as Jordan sat down on the couch. "I didn't invite you here as Prince of the City or as the vampire CEO of this company. I had something more personal in mind. An exchange of favors, if you will."

Jordan gave Alessandro a raised eyebrow and an interested smile. "Oh? Do go on."

Alessandro leaned forward and said softly, "I admit, I heard months ago about why you and your people were here. The attack on your people and its aftermath. Upon learning that your suspects were Italian, my main concern was making sure no one in either of my organizations, the legal and the illegal, were behind that cowardly attack on your people. When I determined that my holdings were blameless, I set it from my mind, but...recently I've had some reason to pick the puzzle back up. I made discreet inquiries. One lead was particularly promising." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a medallion shaped like the Celtic tree of life and handed it over to Jordan. "I know where the rest of the treasure they stole from your people is, and where those who were physically present for the raid can be found. For that information, though, I have a...favor of a personal nature to ask of you."

Jordan reached out to take the medallion. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting it. The curse on the thing was obvious to Alessandro, and placing it in his pocket to surprise the Fae lord with was the most he'd dared to handle it. Jordan nodded and looked up at Alessandro, his gaze more calculating now. "If I may be so bold, what could possibly be worth so much to a vampire that he willingly does this kind of footwork with no guarantee of a reward? If I weren't the honest sort, I could take you back with me and question you for that information at my leisure, no payment required."

That had been a definite worry. But when it came down to it, did he actually have a choice? No. "I was turned in the year before my planned retirement from the Roman legion. I had a wife and several children waiting for me in Britannia, and we planned on settling down in my allotted land from the Emperor. With my retirement stipend, we would have lived a comfortable life farming in Britannia. My eldest son entered the legion that year. I was called away to the eastern front, but all indications were that it wouldn't be a very dangerous post, and I would be back home before midwinter." He looked down at his hands. "Then I received word. My wife and youngest children were killed. Some sort of wild animal attack. A few weeks later, I learned that my eldest son died in one of his first battles, in Germania." He ran a hand through his hair. Jordan's eyes were sharp, focused. Though Alessandro hadn't gotten to the point yet, he could almost see the Fae lord working through why human family would matter to a millennia-old vampire. "When that didn't break me, the mind games started. Things missing. Orders changed. Little things, but I thought for a while I was losing my mind. It came to a head when I was framed for treason. I maintained my innocence but there were witnesses. The eve before my execution, my sire took me from where I was being held. He gave me no choice. I was reminded that there was nothing for me in Rome anymore, that my only future was this. When I found out he was behind everything, I destroyed him so utterly that no one even remembers his name."

Alessandro got up to pace. The shadows in the office shifted strangely, not moving as they should. It was as if there were several beings there that shouldn't have been, all moving restlessly as Alessandro did. "For a while I was a monster, reveling in the blood. And even when I turned my back on that, embraced a more honorable path, in part because I recognized that I was losing bits of myself in every kill, still I had been alive so long by that point that I didn't remember what it was like to be human." He turned back to Jordan. "Do you know the bitter irony in finding someone who awakens a part of you that you thought long dead, makes you strive to be a better person than you ever thought you could be, only for them to be the one person in the entire world you may never openly love, for fear it will destroy you both?"

The Fae being on the couch had long since abandoned his human glamour. White hooves almost glowed against the dark carpet. His mane of white hair was wild. Antlers were covered in a fine coating of velvet. He watched Alessandro with naked interest. "I can't make you human again, no matter who this person is. Your humanity is gone. You're a predator. A genteel one, but a predator nonetheless."

Alessandro shook his head. "I'm not asking that. I wouldn't know how to be human again. But werewolves revile vampires with a violent zeal that cannot often be reasoned with. Vampires often return the favor. If I am to court Oni openly, with no fear of destroying us both in the process, I cannot be what I am now. You cannot make me human and I wouldn't be able to adjust even if you could. But is there something you can do to replace the corruption in my veins? Some predator that the werewolves do not revile as much as vampires?"

The Fae lord sat back with a laugh and gave Alessandro an amused look. "You're definitely neck deep in it, lad, if you're willin' to give up what you have here for an unknown chance at love. But. Turns out you hold somethin' of vital interest to my people. And if you can deliver the stolen treasures and the people who were there when our queen mother was killed...I know a ritual that could help. The magic of my people, it's strongly tied to death and the hunt. I can't tell you how you'll end up, because it's different for all of us, and you'll be one of my people, subject to my rule. But. The werewolves don't seem to mind us too much. You should be free to court your lass. And lad? With that one, good luck." His amused stare confused Alessandro, but more important to him was what else had been said. There was a way! A way to change the game completely.

Alessandro nodded sharply, suddenly eager to get back on the hunt. But he had more preparations to make, didn't he? After all, one didn't leave a power vacuum like he would do if he just left. It would be chaos. "Give me a fortnight. I will send word when I have everything for you."

Jordan nodded, his glamour suddenly appearing as if it had always been there. He rose to shake Alessandro's hand. "Very well. That will give me time to make preparations of my own. I look forward to hearing from you."

A Softer World 6: but I do

Background Information:

The Lazarus Corporation is a freight forwarding company owned by Italian businessman Alessandro Romero. Formerly known as Angelino Rovigatti Compagnia, the Lazarus Corporation was founded in 1863 in Venice, Italy by a mortal relative of the Giovanni clan. Until control of the company was transferred to Alessandro Romero, Angelino Rovigatti Compagnia specialized in the transport and safekeeping of goods of interest to other members of the Giovanni clan.

Since its acquisition by Alessandro Romero in 1974 and its name change, it has undergone major changes to its business model. The Lazarus Corporation cut all ties with Giovanni clan members and Giovanni-loyal carriers. Though it still quietly had the reputation for safe delivery of sensitive cargo and goods of interest to the supernatural community, it also began to develop ties in the manufacturing and pharmaceutical fields. Today, it is one of the leading freight forwarding companies specializing in arranging transport of bulk raw material, electronics, appliances, and pharmaceuticals between North American and European markets.

The Lazarus Corporation has been investigated five times since 1974 for alleged mob connections. No charges have ever been filed against the company and investigations generally wrap up quickly. While the Chairman of the Board, Alessandro Romero, has never been investigated, the CEO of the corporation, Lorenzo Soriano, has been investigated several times for suspected mob ties.

Behind the Scenes Information:

Angelino Rovigatti Compagnia was started by a mortal Giovanni clan member and existed as a way to safely transport sensitive goods between European and North American Giovannis. It was controlled by the Giovanni clan from its foundation in 1863 until roughly 1973. Though information is scarce in the supernatural community, it is rumored that the Giovanni ghoul in charge of the company double-crossed a Sabbat Paladin, a Lasombra named Alessandro Romero, during the former's assignment to eliminate a small ring of hunters harassing members of the Sabbat in New Jersey. The Lasombra used mortal ghouls with mob ties to systematically take over the Giovanni company, confiscate all goods currently being shipped, and turn the company towards his own ends. Since 1974, the Lazarus Corporation has quietly served the Sabbat, arranging for shipment of goods and safe passage for high-ranking members of the Sabbat between Europe and North America.

Current rumor is that Alessandro Romero has cut ties with the Sabbat. Several vampire members of the Board of Directors vanished in early 2017, to be replaced by mortal ghouls loyal to Alessandro Romero. Corporate headquarters are in the process of being moved from New Jersey to a new facility in Manhattan. The recent arrival of a Toreador elder's household from France to Chicago via Lazarus Corporation arrangement suggests that Alessandro Romero may have thrown his lot in with the Camarilla.

Apart from its supernatural business, the Lazarus Corporation also manages a smuggling operation between Europe and North America for its mob allies. Illegal and prescription drugs are its main specialties, though it has arranged transport of other goods in the past.

Lasombra in general have a dim view of ghouls. Mortals, in their minds, are extremely easy to manipulate. They're weak, they're not worthy of vampire blood, and they have no hope of surviving in the vampire's world. When Lasombra make or keep ghouls, it's usually for something the Lasombra can't get a regular mortal to do or things that are too dangerous for a regular mortal to do. Alessandro is no different.

Alessandro keeps very few ghouls. There are none aboard his yacht (which is currently his primary residence), as he feels he has enough control over the yacht's crew that vampire blood is unnecessary. Though some Lasombra keep ghouls to look after their appearance (as they do not show up in mirrors), Alessandro's hair and appearance are generally easy to maintain and he does not keep ghouls for this purpose. Though there are mirrors and mirrored surfaces in private cabins aboard the yacht, there are no mirrored surfaces in the public areas, thus lowering the risk that Alessandro might inadvertently reveal himself to one of his guests or to the crew.

Alessandro does have informal ties to organized crime. He has several ghouls in high-placed positions in one of the Five Families of New York, and his yacht, Spectre, often plays host to the rich and powerful that the family would like to court and keep happy. It also sometimes runs cargo and people past law enforcement between Italy and New York. As such, though businessman Alessandro Romero is the public owner of the yacht, one of his ghouls in organized crime is privately a co-owner, through a partnering business that is a front for the crime family. Alessandro allows the family to place guests, new "employees", and cargo on his yacht and quietly pulls the strings of influential members of the family. Though he has ties to the family, it has never become official and most members of the crime family have never met him. As an elder in the Sabbat, Alessandro grew used maintaining a low profile in order to keep mortals from growing suspicious when he didn't age and he still prefers to control things from the shadows.

Though he has been unable to get to the crime boss of the family he works with, he controls most of those who surround the boss, either through blood or through unrepentant use of the vampire discipline, Dominate. As such, decisions that the crime family makes often benefit Alessandro Romero as well.

Alessandro is an unforgiving master, though. He expects ghouls to learn how to use the Blood they've been given to avoid capture and punishment by law enforcement. Those that fail and are put in prison are often left without a supply of vampire blood. Depending on the situation, those that are wounded are often left to heal the wounds on their own, the magnitude of their mistakes often dictating whether they receive any more Blood from their master. Traitors to the family, almost always those who have not directly worked with Alessandro, are dealt with swiftly and quietly...often right under law enforcement's nose. Though Alessandro lets law enforcement complete and get convictions out of a few of their investigations, the family he is allied with is quietly much larger and more powerful than the government realizes.

Due to his age and his generation, Alessandro's blood makes his ghouls particularly powerful, for mortals. While most ghouls to vampires of the 8th through 13th generations can only learn the first and easiest of vampire disciplines, Alessandro's ghouls are capable, with time, of learning up to the fourth level of disciplines that he is proficient in. All of his ghouls are proficient in the vampire discipline Potence, which gives them supernatural strength, as well as the vampire discipline Dominate, which allows them to control the minds of mortals (but often not vampires, unless that vampire is of extremely high generation, such as the so-called "thin bloods"). A select few of his ghouls even show talent with Obtenebration, though not to the same degree as the other disciplines, as Obtenebration often feels evil and unnatural to mortals. Those that show talent with the discipline and live up to their master's exacting standards are often put on a short list for embrace. To date, though he's been allied with the crime family since the 1930s, only two of his ghouls have gone on to become Lasombra.

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I updated Alessandro's bio just a bit to add some important-to-plot things between him and Edmund. While I have not updated the history, I did add a very small, developing talent in Dementation and also a developing derangement. Also removed celerity as it's not something he has used and it's not needed. Removed one point of Dominate because it was not needed.

The strigoi that attacked Anika on the street was long dead by the time that Alessandro reached the old warehouse where Anika and Edmund were sheltered. Its broken body lay crumpled on the floor, dragged inside by the Malkavian, who hadn't wanted to leave a body to attract the police.

Edmund liked Anika, that much was obvious. She hadn't been gone from the hospitalk very long when he decided to follow her, to watch out for her and see her home. The attack on the street by the strigoi was a fluke. It could have happened to anyone on the crowded New York sidewalk, but Anika was the one who didn't move quite fast enough. The strigoi hadn't gotten much of a meal, though. Edmund appeared outo of the shadows as if by magic and broke the feral vampire's neck.

But it was clear by the time that Alessandro arrived that she was infected. Her breathing was quicker, her skin flushed and hot, as if with fever. She was unconscious for now, mostly through Edmund's power, but her limbs jerked as the worms slowly began the change.

Alessandro looked on critically. "I don't know, Edmund. I appreciate you like the girl, but I haven't met her or tested her myself. I don't know if she's worthy of the Blood."

"She is, Alessandro. I would give it to her myself, but...I don't know, she just doesn't seem right for it. I think the truth would break her, and that would be a shame."

Alessandro looked dubious. "If the truth would break her, then she's not worthy of my blood."

Edmund knelt and brushed hair from her face. She was sweating as the infection burned through her. "You know what I mean, Alessandro. I wouldn't have chosen you, either. The truth wouldn't set you free, it would send you into darkness. She's very smart. Very driven, I've seen it. She would make an excellent fledgling."

Alessandro sighed. "You won't let up, will you?"

"Well, I would prefer you to agree with me, but I'll change her either way. I just thought you'd like her." Edmund tried and failed for an innocent expression.

Alessandro sighed and sat next to her. He pulled her gloves off so that he could see the veins in her wrists. The blood was still dark under her skin, but he could just barely see other things crawling under her skin. "I need to drain her blood, but I'm not going to feed on those worms. You need to find us food. We'll both be starving when I'm finished."

Edmund grinned. "Coming right up."

"And Edmund? If I do this, our plans will be set back, probably for decades. I am not letting you train her, and I cannot bring her back to the Sabbat without her jeopardizing our plans. You'll need to get me in to see the Prince."

"I will." Edmund disappeared, back out onto the street.

Alessandro put a hand on Anika's forehead, and with that touch, she started to wake. He said softly, "You've been infected. I am about to begin draining the infected blood from your system. When I'm done, it will be your choice whether you live or whether you die a human."

She blinked furiously, trying to clear her head. "Wh...what?" So much. There was so much. The strigoi that fed on her. She could feel it dead, but they'd been a hive mind, and it was as if she could feel them, like a hive of ants under the city. And then there was Edmund and Alessandro. She moaned. So hot. If only he'd get her a drink of water. That's all she wanted. Something to cool her throat. Her throat hurt.

Alessandro pulied out a pocket knife and pressed it to her wrist. "This is going to hurt, I'm sorry. I dare not drink your blood. I don't have enough blood to spare for you and the worms." With that, he slashed first one wrist, then the other, and then he held her down as blood poured from the wounds. More and more, and with it some of the worms as well, fleeing her as her struggles slowed.

Finally, when she felt as if she was going to sink slowly into sleep...and would that be so bad, really? Then, he bit at his wrist and held it above her mouth. "Now decide. Live or die. If you live, you'll be a vampire. More powerful than you can imagibe, with the strength and ability to end the plague that took your life. If you die, you die a human and not one of those monsters."

The first drop of blood hit her lips. Her tongue flicked out, beyond her control now. She was thirsty, so thirsty, even more than she was tired, she was parched. And the blood! She moaned...no, she couldn't! What would Oni say? Would she see any of them again? But the thirst didn't care and in a moment neither did she, as warmth and pleasure radiated through her body, more intense than any she'd ever felt before. She reached up and grabbed for Alessandro's arm, holding his bleeding wrist to her mouth, and drank.

Alessandro moaned, holding her to him, pulling her up and out of the mess on the floor as she grew stronger and the pleasure grew. And then, just as he started to get light-headed, enough. He pulled his wrist away, marveling at her strength as she reached for it again. "Enough. You need living blood, not more of mine. Let me see you. Can you stand?" He stood and stepped away, waiting.

Anika looked around them. The dark warehouse was bright as day to her. She gasped. Alessandro stood to the side, watching her. She stood, then made a face as her insides churned, then she felt the hunger.

She must have made a sound, because Alessandro said softly, "You're hungry. Your blood was drained and what little remains is likely being used to fight the infection. You need to feed."

As if on cue, Edmund came back, leading an older couple. Both rushed towards Anika when they saw her, but Alessandro held the man back. "Oh, dear, your friend told us you were sick. You shouldn't be standing up."

Alessandro nodded softly to Anika. "You need it. Don't fight this time." As the couple began to get nervous, backing away, Alessandro reached out and grabbed them both, holding them still. "The Beast will force you to feed eventually. Better to feed on your own terms than discover what you're capable of in a frenzy. Feed. And then we'll talk."

Anika looked as if she'd argue, but Alessandro bit into the man's neck. When the smell of blood hit her, she couldn't help it. She reached out and, as the woman screamed, she bit into her neck.

Edmund watched, a pleased grin on his face. They'd be happy, he knew it.

Once they were out of sight, Alessandro threw back his head and screamed. "FUCK!" Formerly passive shadows raged, tearing up plants, smashing a window of Samantha's car. The area outside the asylum grew ominously dark as the energy from the Abyss gathered. There was so much he should have seen. So much he didn't realize...overlooked, until it was too late. Had he really thought Zola was harmless? Scared? He sneered and shattered another window. Playing him. He hadn't realized it until Jason's comments. He should have killed them all.

Where the Hell was Edmund?

Hunters, they had to be. The girl saw ghosts and resisted all his attempts to subjugate her mind. Well, and perhaps he didn't try hard enough, but she was food! She wasn't supposed to resist at all! Alessandro strode back to his car and angrily grabbed the gun from his glove box. He stepped into a deep shadow and reappeared behind Wolf, who was still curled up and sleeping off Alessandro's mental commands. He aimed the gun.

He should have seen the hunters. He would have seen them, had he not been preoccupied with the girl and Edmund's mutt. Edmund's mutt, who was mad as his master from the Malkavian blood. Honestly, how did he expect to keep that from spilling secrets? He sighted along the barrel. It had to be a perfect shot. The dog was still mortal, but it had the Blood and it was tenacious. Alessandro aimed at the base of the skull. He'd blame the girl. He had an extra gun for things like that. Edmund would be none the wiser.

A shot rang out.

Alessandro knelt to unhook the leash, and then he turned his back and headed up the stairs to the asylum. Viscous, inky darkness followed. He couldn't see what Edmund saw in the place. Couldn't see what the girl saw. Ghosts. He sneered. They'd do well to keep out of his way. "Edmund!" He picked up the wine, shattered it against a wall. "Edmund Deyncourt, come out this instant!" He followed the hallway back the way the girl had come, followed until he reached the hole in the ceiling.

He didn't need the electrical cord rope. It was child's play to jump up to the next floor. The door to the room was closed, but he could see signs it was disturbed, and so he kicked the door open. It crashed open and splintered against the wall, and Alessandro was left with a perfect view of several bullet holes. He drove a fist into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster and came back with the remains of a spent round. He brought it to his nose, and when he couldn't smell anything, his tongue flicked out. And he promptly dropped the bullet. Ice shot through his tongue. Fear gripped him for a moment. It was enough that his hands shook and he had to suppress the urge to fire the gun in his hands. But there wasn't enough blood left to truly infect him, and the moment passed as his body recovered from the poison.

Alessandro looked up at the ceiling, then around the room. Only one way out. He touched one of the new blood stains, then jumped up through the ceiling to the next floor. There, in the dust, were a set of footprints headed straight to a balcony. He smiled and followed, taking the balcony at a run and landing lightly in the grass below. He followed a straight line, the likely course Edmund would take in a panic, and was rewarded by a basement door busted in just enough for a person to squeeze through. Alessandro called out again, "Edmund, get out here this instant!"

It was quiet as a tomb. Alessandro kicked the door in the rest of the way, then coughed as the stale air escaped. On the floor, Edmund crouched, shaking in terror. Alessandro gave a sharp huff of irritation and walked down the stairs to grab him by the arm. "Edmund."

"Shhhh, Alessandro. They'll hear you." Edmund looked around in terror.

"They damn well can't because that girl made off in a car with a bunch of hunters. She's gone." Alessandro used brute strength to drag the Malkavian kicking and screaming out of the musty basement and into the night. "Listen! Edmund!"

Edmund shook his head stubbornly. He clutched at his shoulder, and Alessandro tore his hand away to see the bullet wound. The bullet tore clean through, and it was starting to heal. Edmund protested wordlessly, but Alessandro just heaved him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried him back around the front of the building.

"Put me down. Alessandro, I mean it, put me down. I'm not a sack of wheat for you to just throw around." It was halfway there when Edmund regained some of his speech. By the end, he was fluently protesting Alessandro and all that the Lasombra was doing.

Alessandro dumped him on the ground unceremoniously at the door to the asylum. "Edmund, you idiot! Feed if you're going to feed, but don't cause another fuck up like what I witnessed tonight! That girl is gone. She shot up your old room. Shot Wolf. She resisted me and hopped into a car with others like her and they'll be back. Do you understand? Do you?"

"Wolf's dead?" Edmund looked forlorn. "I...I didn't think...He had the Blood."

"The Blood doesn't help kine and beasts like it does us, you know that. They're still mortal. Listen. They're going to be back, we need to go." He reached down and dragged Edmund to his feet. "You're going back to New York. The girl mentioned Bellevue. I want to know how she resisted me."

"Well, you're downright ugly when you're feeling grumpy, Alex." Edmund grinned at Alessandro, but it died when he noticed the dog's crumpled form. "She didn't have to shoot Wolf."

"I gather it was a kill or be killed scenario. You fed him more Blood, you know how he got. That's why we leave animal monstrosities to the Gangrel and the Nosferatu where they belong." Alessandro offered Edmund a hand up and they moved towards Alessandro's car. "Edmund, I'm serious. Keep working on our plan, but I want to know why this girl got away."

"Yes, yes. You know, if you'd just let me teach you, you wouldn't be such an easy mark." Edmund moved to the passenger side and Alessandro let him in, then sat down beside him.

"When we get to the safe house. Not on the road, please, I can't drive us straight and deal with hallucinations."

Edmund gave him a look that suggested he wasn't sure Alessandro was telling the truth. "If you're sure. We can peel back the layers."

"When we're safe."

The hospital was long abandoned. Or, rather, it was closed and existed more as a spectacle than anything. The name of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was one to evoke images of suffering, even in someone like Alessandro. But then, he'd spent more time in the asylums than many Lasombra. He stopped his car at the entrance and stepped out. His boots crunched on dried grass. The summer had been unusually hot, and though the air now carried a slight chill, no rain had come to bring relief to West Virginia yet. It made the entrance of the closed mental hospital look more sinister than usual.

Alessandro tucked his sunglasses away when he entered the dark of the asylum. It had been closed to the public for hours now. They'd made a valiant effort to restore the old hospital, and Alessandro couldn't really understand why. He ran a hand over a rich wood counter. What purpose did remembering the old horrors serve? Alessandro stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket and walked down the hallway and up a flight of steps. He almost felt as if he could sense the ghosts in the place. The Abyss was close to these places, the darkness lurked just below the faded and chipping paint.

Almost unconsciously, Alessandro slipped around light streaming in through the windows, past a hallway full of derelict hospital beds, and up another flight of stairs. He didn't know how far in he was going, but he heard the movement of the Kindred he was following. The Kindred and his companion, he amended, as he heard a deep growl ahead. This far into the old hospital, things had not been restored yet, and it had also grown into a sort of collecting place for the extra bits and boxes used elsewhere in the facility, so the hallway was a maze of rickety wooden wheelchairs, old hospital beds, sinister-looking slatted boxes like breathable coffins, and new boxes full of paint and building supplies. Alessandro made his way quietly, careful not to disturb anything but the barest bit of dust.

"I knew you would come. Couldn't resist, could you?" And suddenly as that, there was the vampire that Alessandro was looking for. Sitting on an old hospital bed with a huge German Shepard at his feet, swinging his legs as he looked at and through Alessandro, the Malkavian looked more mad than usual. His usually neat suit was rumpled and stained from his explorations of the hospital. His hair stuck out wildly. The German Shepard growled softly as Alessandro approached and the Malkavian rapped him on the nose lightly. "Enough of that, you know our friend."

"Edmund Deyncourt, you look like hell." Alessandro pulled one of the sturdier-looking wheelchairs over and dusted it off before sitting down. He crossed his hands in his lap, taking up a polite stance, but hidden from view, the sharp-taloned ring pricked his finger and a drop of blood formed. He closed his eyes briefly. The blood turned dark, black as night, black as the Abyss that pushed against the walls around them, and a new shadow joined the others around them. It lay flat at Alessandro's feet, hidden in his very real shadow. The German Shepard watched as if it knew what Alessandro did, but the Malkavian stared straight through him without seeing at all. Alessandro said softly, "Is that Wolf? He looks bigger than I remember."

The Malkavian chuckled and just like that, his attention was back on Alessandro. "The Blood does that. He's a good boy, isn't he?" The last bit was said in a lighter tone to the dog, who wagged his tail and gave a bark in acknowledgement. Edmund looked back at Alessandro and frowned. "My, you have been bad. And what's this? I thought we were friends, Alex."

Alessandro raised his eyebrows in confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're all lightning and deep water at midnight. The Abyss. We're friends, there's no need for all that." He waved a hand at the hallway. "No one here but us ghosts."

"You aren't a ghost, Edmund. And I'm suspicious of everyone, you know that. Friendship has nothing to do with it. Your attempts to teach me dementation might." He did, however, recall the shadow at his feet. Clearly, Edmund had seen more than he thought. A sentient, amorphous patch of darkness fled up his leg, across his chest, and hid in the shadows around his neck and shoulders.

"The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." Edmund smiled and scratched Wolf behind his ears. The dog's tongue lolled out and his tail wagged happily. "Aristotle. You used to enjoy our talks, you know."

"I still do, even when I'm dragged out to West Virginia at a moment's notice in the middle of the night." He leaned forward, offering his hand to the dog to sniff. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Edmund frowned and leaned back in the old hospital bed. Wolf, forsaken for the moment, was happy to let the Lasombra continue petting him where his master left off. "I've heard things, and not just the ghosts."

"Like what?" Wolf moved to lean heavily against Alessandro's legs, tail wagging.

The entire hallway shifted slightly, the shadows moved as if an unseen hand disturbed them, like a ripple in water. Edmund paid it no mind, but Alessandro frowned and sat up straighter, looking around himself more clearly for the first time. At the windows whose light didn't seem to penetrate into the hallway. "I hear whispers. Things no one should be repeating, of Alex the Roman. Stronger than he pretends to be."

Alessandro's shift in mood was enough to set Wolf to growling again. The Lasombra stood and moved away from the dog, pacing up and down the dark hallway. "Where did you hear that?" He hadn't told anyone, least of all Edmund. The Malkavian was trustworthy, but his madness made him too unpredictable to tell much of the truth.

Edmund sat up and watched Alessandro pace. "I told you. I heard whispers. Jealous whispers of the Roman and a puppet Cardinal." He watched Alessandro pace a moment, then said with a smile, "You really ought to have practiced, you know. You'd be able to see what I'm seeing. It's fascinating. This was a young woman's bed, you know. Charity. She came here because she enjoyed reading novels."

"I think I'm happier not knowing." His answer was automatic as he paced, worrying at his lower lip. "If they know I'm stronger than I pretend to be..."

"Oh, they know. And they're talking, which means they don't care if you know. I hope you have friends in the Courts."

The entire hallway seemed to ripple again, the darkness moving as if it were alive. "Edmund, if you're doing that, the darkness is appreciated, but it's distracting. Please stop."

The Malkavian gave him a wide smile. "I'm not doing anything. Why did you think I was all the way up here. The ghosts are talking. The renovations are disturbing them. And some of them are very disturbed to begin with."

Alessandro's blood ran cold as he looked down the dark hallway again. Full of darkness that wasn't his.

(For future reference)

"One sometimes hears of vampires who work out deals with the Lupines. I remind you that one hears more often about vampires receiving messages from Caine. Treat the stories as equally valid."

I owe tags. Going to sleep, but will get to them once I wake up and am not half asleep and punch drunk. I think I owe two for Bolivar and two for Mike. Possibly one for the Doctor, but I'd have to find that thread again.

Sorry for my absence. Work was trying its hardest to consume me. I didn't so much earn a reprieve as my knee gave out, another coworker had to move from a night he worked, and I got stuck on his schedule, which kicks ass and gives me days (DAYS!) off in a row. So. Last week was the first week of the new schedule and I spent it mostly hibernating, but feeling better now and getting to tags.

Hoping to get back to normal.