- Aug 30, 2004
- 24,179
- 494
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- Gender
- Male
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- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
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Age: while Nicodemus lost count, and generally gauges his age with the time period his latest memory occured in. He can remember back to the reign of Lorenzo 'de Medici in Florence, Italy, but his true age is 598 years.
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Appearance: While he is nothing more than average in build, there is something scary about Nico. His long black hair hangs down just an inch above his shoulders, parted down the middle. A short, scruffy beard grows on his face, and he has a stereotypical bent Italian nose.
His skin was once tan enough to help him pass as a Mexican, but his skin is now deathly pale. To add to his unnerving visage, a pair of long, sharp fangs exist in place of his canine teeth, and his irises are blood red.
Clothing: Nicodemus dresses in liturgical garb often times. He will wear standard clothing when undercover, but otherwise prefers brown robes with black clothing underneath. In combat missions, he will don a brown leather coat over simple, formal black clothing, with a steel gorget over his neck and a similar steel plate over his heart.
Gorget: Nico's gorget is a standard neck guard for an old fencer or soldier, composted of leather strap and metal plate. Intricately engraved on the plate is a cross piercing a waning moon. The keys and crown of the Vatican's coat of arms are etched into the leather strap.
Heart plate: The same coat of arms on the gorget are engraved in the steel plate that guards Nico's heart. Meticulously drawn upon the leather shoulder belt is a scene of hordes of wolves, bats, and malevolent and grotesque humans advancing against a legion of angels and men dressed in armor and robes, all looking rather saintly. The armies seem to converge somewhere underneath the Vatican Coat of Arms, since this point is covered by the plate.
History: Nicodemus Gianni was the son of a simple Florentine craftsman. Fortune seemed to smile upon him, though, when he was hired to be a page for a local noble and banker by the name of Cosimo de' Medici. He saw first hand as political struggle tore apart and then reunited, then glorified his hometown. However, when Nico turned 27, and had been working for a long time as a servant and guard for the aging Cosimo, he was forced to watch everything that happened to his beloved Florence, for many more lifetimes than just his own. A woman that had come to visit the rich banker took notice of the dark, rough, fit man that was serving her host.
Nico had not been married, nor had he the time to court any young ladies, so the noble woman's advances were not denied. The Florentine man would forever regret it, though, as he was found the next day, partially drained of his blood and incredibly weak. Despite the attempts of the best Medici physicians, Nico died of anemia after 2 more days. What surprised people even more than the death, though, was the rumors that began to arise about seeing a dark-haired man with moon-like skin walking about the graveyard, or prowling the streets, alleyways, and rooftops.
Nico had become one of the living dead; a Vampire. He was too lost in his new bloodlust to care. But once his mind was freed by the death of the woman that turned him (and was caught trying to attack Cosimo Medici), he was suddenly able to appreciate just what a monster he had become. After a several years of undeath and lacking the will power to kill himself, the Italian Vampire went to the Cathedral that the Medicis had erected and begged for a way out; even if it meant just being killed.
But Nicodemus was surprised when the Father offered him a chance to continue to serve his God, even in death. After a long process, the man agreed, being a devout Catholic in life, to serve the church. In exchange for his service, Nico was freed from his lust(but not his need) for blood, immunity to holy weapons, and the powers of the Undead, which he might now use against them. Nico became what the Italians called a Stregoni Benefici.
Many hundred years later, Nicodemus is employed by the Catholic church still, but all of his old mentors awere long dead. When the rest of the world's alliances began to look ugly, Nico was sent by the Church to operate in their stations in Mexico, which while highly Catholic, was becoming a problem for Vampires crossing the border. He has been fighting the unholy beasts for centuries now, as well as humans who dared ally with the evil ones.
Personality: Nicodemus is dark and bitter, mostly because of how much he hates what he is. He still laments to this day that he is unable to enjoy food or drink, and must pay for a man to chug several pints of ale, just to bring his blood alcohol up enough to get Nico buzzed when he feeds on the drunkard. Garlic toast or scampi are especially out of the question, much to his disappointment. But more importantly, the only thing Nico hates more than being a Vampire is other Vampires. He hunts them ruthlessly, along with any human that stands against him or that he recieves orders from the Church to kill.
Nico may not be evil, but he is dark and arrogant even at times, and he does not hesitate to harm the "unholy". He likes working with civilians, and has grown a certain attachment to the Mexican people, as he grew attached to the populace almost anywhere he traveled. He has few major personality plusses, and can be hard to work with at times. Those few plusses are loyalty, faith, and determination. Nico may be nothing short of a fanatic, but he is still strongly Christian, and there is still SOME compassion in his unbeating heart. He is strongly loyal to the Church, so he will not abandon its cause, even if he does push his orders and test the patience of his superior from time to time. He will also not abandon someone who has become his friend, since he's learned in his long existance that friends or lack thereof can make any amount of time worthwhile and fulfilling or miserable and monotonous. Nico is also nigh unstoppable when it comes to fulfilling a task he has taken on. He constantly puts his mind to work in furthering the art of slaying the Undead and protecting God's children from them. His devotion to God is probably his strongest redeeming quality, since it still brings out good in a sometimes very bitter, cold heart.
Vampiric abilities:
Senses: Nico can see in the dark, and has heightened senses of smell and hearing. Light has less affect on him as a Stregoni that it did when he was a true Vampire, but his eyes are still irritated by bright lights.
Strength: He has the unnatural strength and agility of a Vampire, making him a perfect combatant against them, since he is on mostly equal terms.
Vitality: Like any Vampire, Nicodemus can only be slain by piercing his heart and removing his head. Any other wounds will regenerate, and he cannot be poisoned or bled to death, since his body no longer produces blood.
Vampiric Weaknesses(And how they are affected by his repentence):
Crosses: Nicodemus' clothing often has crosses adourning them, and he wears standard Catholic paraphernalia. He has even helped administer communion at an evening mass once or twice. So unlike most Vampire, Nicodemus has no weakness to crosses or holy objects. This is because he has repented and sworn himself to service of the Lord, and thus is now free of the evil taint in most Vampires.
Sunlight: Nicodemus is no longer threatened by dying in sunlight, but it is still incredibly painful for him.
Blood: Nico is no longer required to drink blood. However, he is not that superior to a normal human if he has not fed in the last week or two, so he will usually feed on criminals he encounters or on donated blood. While he can go without it, he still has a slight hunger for it, and needs it to be at his best performance. He still loathes the thought of feeding on people, though.
Weapons and equipment: Aside from his armor, Nico also carries a heavy rapier(reinforced and strengthened to match the strength of its wielder) and a stiletto dagger. They hold true to the traditional Florentine fighting style, and piercing weapons are most effective against Vampires. Both weapons have edges, so he can still cut a head off if he needs to, though cuts are not part of his general fighting style.
Nicodemus also carries standard Vampire-hunting equipment, such as holy water, communion wafers, a few crucifixes, and a packet of donated blood, just in case he needs a pickmeup or bait for his prey. He is no longer able to transform or fly after other Vampires, so he carries a pistol with bullets of high-quality silver, a cross etched into and a blessing prayed upon each round. He usually only uses the weapon on fleeing enemies, as he prefers to run them through and hack off the head, reveling in the death of the Unholy.
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Appearance: While he is nothing more than average in build, there is something scary about Nico. His long black hair hangs down just an inch above his shoulders, parted down the middle. A short, scruffy beard grows on his face, and he has a stereotypical bent Italian nose.
His skin was once tan enough to help him pass as a Mexican, but his skin is now deathly pale. To add to his unnerving visage, a pair of long, sharp fangs exist in place of his canine teeth, and his irises are blood red.
Clothing: Nicodemus dresses in liturgical garb often times. He will wear standard clothing when undercover, but otherwise prefers brown robes with black clothing underneath. In combat missions, he will don a brown leather coat over simple, formal black clothing, with a steel gorget over his neck and a similar steel plate over his heart.
Gorget: Nico's gorget is a standard neck guard for an old fencer or soldier, composted of leather strap and metal plate. Intricately engraved on the plate is a cross piercing a waning moon. The keys and crown of the Vatican's coat of arms are etched into the leather strap.
Heart plate: The same coat of arms on the gorget are engraved in the steel plate that guards Nico's heart. Meticulously drawn upon the leather shoulder belt is a scene of hordes of wolves, bats, and malevolent and grotesque humans advancing against a legion of angels and men dressed in armor and robes, all looking rather saintly. The armies seem to converge somewhere underneath the Vatican Coat of Arms, since this point is covered by the plate.
History: Nicodemus Gianni was the son of a simple Florentine craftsman. Fortune seemed to smile upon him, though, when he was hired to be a page for a local noble and banker by the name of Cosimo de' Medici. He saw first hand as political struggle tore apart and then reunited, then glorified his hometown. However, when Nico turned 27, and had been working for a long time as a servant and guard for the aging Cosimo, he was forced to watch everything that happened to his beloved Florence, for many more lifetimes than just his own. A woman that had come to visit the rich banker took notice of the dark, rough, fit man that was serving her host.
Nico had not been married, nor had he the time to court any young ladies, so the noble woman's advances were not denied. The Florentine man would forever regret it, though, as he was found the next day, partially drained of his blood and incredibly weak. Despite the attempts of the best Medici physicians, Nico died of anemia after 2 more days. What surprised people even more than the death, though, was the rumors that began to arise about seeing a dark-haired man with moon-like skin walking about the graveyard, or prowling the streets, alleyways, and rooftops.
Nico had become one of the living dead; a Vampire. He was too lost in his new bloodlust to care. But once his mind was freed by the death of the woman that turned him (and was caught trying to attack Cosimo Medici), he was suddenly able to appreciate just what a monster he had become. After a several years of undeath and lacking the will power to kill himself, the Italian Vampire went to the Cathedral that the Medicis had erected and begged for a way out; even if it meant just being killed.
But Nicodemus was surprised when the Father offered him a chance to continue to serve his God, even in death. After a long process, the man agreed, being a devout Catholic in life, to serve the church. In exchange for his service, Nico was freed from his lust(but not his need) for blood, immunity to holy weapons, and the powers of the Undead, which he might now use against them. Nico became what the Italians called a Stregoni Benefici.
Many hundred years later, Nicodemus is employed by the Catholic church still, but all of his old mentors awere long dead. When the rest of the world's alliances began to look ugly, Nico was sent by the Church to operate in their stations in Mexico, which while highly Catholic, was becoming a problem for Vampires crossing the border. He has been fighting the unholy beasts for centuries now, as well as humans who dared ally with the evil ones.
Personality: Nicodemus is dark and bitter, mostly because of how much he hates what he is. He still laments to this day that he is unable to enjoy food or drink, and must pay for a man to chug several pints of ale, just to bring his blood alcohol up enough to get Nico buzzed when he feeds on the drunkard. Garlic toast or scampi are especially out of the question, much to his disappointment. But more importantly, the only thing Nico hates more than being a Vampire is other Vampires. He hunts them ruthlessly, along with any human that stands against him or that he recieves orders from the Church to kill.
Nico may not be evil, but he is dark and arrogant even at times, and he does not hesitate to harm the "unholy". He likes working with civilians, and has grown a certain attachment to the Mexican people, as he grew attached to the populace almost anywhere he traveled. He has few major personality plusses, and can be hard to work with at times. Those few plusses are loyalty, faith, and determination. Nico may be nothing short of a fanatic, but he is still strongly Christian, and there is still SOME compassion in his unbeating heart. He is strongly loyal to the Church, so he will not abandon its cause, even if he does push his orders and test the patience of his superior from time to time. He will also not abandon someone who has become his friend, since he's learned in his long existance that friends or lack thereof can make any amount of time worthwhile and fulfilling or miserable and monotonous. Nico is also nigh unstoppable when it comes to fulfilling a task he has taken on. He constantly puts his mind to work in furthering the art of slaying the Undead and protecting God's children from them. His devotion to God is probably his strongest redeeming quality, since it still brings out good in a sometimes very bitter, cold heart.
Vampiric abilities:
Senses: Nico can see in the dark, and has heightened senses of smell and hearing. Light has less affect on him as a Stregoni that it did when he was a true Vampire, but his eyes are still irritated by bright lights.
Strength: He has the unnatural strength and agility of a Vampire, making him a perfect combatant against them, since he is on mostly equal terms.
Vitality: Like any Vampire, Nicodemus can only be slain by piercing his heart and removing his head. Any other wounds will regenerate, and he cannot be poisoned or bled to death, since his body no longer produces blood.
Vampiric Weaknesses(And how they are affected by his repentence):
Crosses: Nicodemus' clothing often has crosses adourning them, and he wears standard Catholic paraphernalia. He has even helped administer communion at an evening mass once or twice. So unlike most Vampire, Nicodemus has no weakness to crosses or holy objects. This is because he has repented and sworn himself to service of the Lord, and thus is now free of the evil taint in most Vampires.
Sunlight: Nicodemus is no longer threatened by dying in sunlight, but it is still incredibly painful for him.
Blood: Nico is no longer required to drink blood. However, he is not that superior to a normal human if he has not fed in the last week or two, so he will usually feed on criminals he encounters or on donated blood. While he can go without it, he still has a slight hunger for it, and needs it to be at his best performance. He still loathes the thought of feeding on people, though.
Weapons and equipment: Aside from his armor, Nico also carries a heavy rapier(reinforced and strengthened to match the strength of its wielder) and a stiletto dagger. They hold true to the traditional Florentine fighting style, and piercing weapons are most effective against Vampires. Both weapons have edges, so he can still cut a head off if he needs to, though cuts are not part of his general fighting style.
Nicodemus also carries standard Vampire-hunting equipment, such as holy water, communion wafers, a few crucifixes, and a packet of donated blood, just in case he needs a pickmeup or bait for his prey. He is no longer able to transform or fly after other Vampires, so he carries a pistol with bullets of high-quality silver, a cross etched into and a blessing prayed upon each round. He usually only uses the weapon on fleeing enemies, as he prefers to run them through and hack off the head, reveling in the death of the Unholy.
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