Vampire Council: Hunter

There is a lot of myth and legend surrounding Perseus’ life.

Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, who by her very name, was the archetype of all the Danaans.  Danaë was the daughter of Acrisius, King of Argos. Disappointed by his lack of luck in having a son, Acrisius consulted the oracle at Delphi, who warned him that he would one day be killed by his daughter’s son with Zeus. In order to keep Danaë childless, Acrisius imprisoned her in a bronze chamber, open to the sky, in the courtyard of his palace:   This mytheme is also connected to Ares, Oenopion, Eurystheus, etc. Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and impregnated her. Soon after, their child was born; Perseus—”Perseus Eurymedon, for his mother gave him this name as well” (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica IV).

Fearful for his future, but unwilling to provoke the wrath of the gods by killing the offspring of Zeus and his daughter, Acrisius cast the two into the sea in a wooden chest. Danaë’s fearful prayer, made while afloat in the darkness, has been expressed by the poet Simonides of Ceos. Mother and child washed ashore on the island of Serifos, where they were taken in by the fisherman Dictys (“fishing net”), who raised the boy to manhood. The brother of Dictys was Polydectes (“he who receives/welcomes many”), the king of the island.

More on the Myth see the Vampire Council Library.

Some of the myth is true, his mother was Danaë; his father though is unknown.  Her husband Acrisius threw mother and son into the sea, and they were found by Dictys, and only Perseus survived.  He was raised to be a fisherman, content with life, until the war between two kingdoms destroyed his home, killing his family.

He made his way to Aethiopia, where he fell in love with Andromeda.  The king offered his daughter’s hand if he was to slay the rival king, and bring back the queen’s head.  The journey faced many challenges, but when he returned he discovered that Andromeda had married another.  Legend has it he tossed the queen’s head at the family’s feet, turning them to stone.

The truth is he pretty much destroyed the city on his way out.

He set out to take up his father’s craft when he met Methos, who offered him another opportunity.

Vampire Council: Hunter

Li Shang was the oldest of a Noble family.  The moment he could he joined the army, and made up his way to General.  His focus was on honor of his family, his country, and his men.

When a new recruit had shown up he kept an eye on him, thinking the young man was small and not built for war.  As the years progressed he was impressed with the soldier’s strength and dedication.

When it was discovered by the Emperor that the young man was actually Hua Mulan, a woman, Li Shang had been mortified and laughed all at the same time. He refused to be in the city when she was executed.

It was months later he heard of rumors that a friend of Mulan’s family had helped her escape.

Following his heart, he went to her family’s estate.

Love and pride filled him when she raised her sword to defend her family.  He assured her that he was not there to harm, but asking her father for her hand in marriage.

The disgusted look on her face when her father had said yes still brings a smile to his face.

During the courtship he discovered how she truly escaped execution, and what he meant to her.  She made sure he realized she would bear him no children.

Li Shang knew his destiny lay with her.

They were married, and soon after he was Turned and they Bonded.

Vampire Council: Hunter

Kirill grew up under Mongolian control, though he rarely saw or felt the oppression. His parents worked hard, owned land and made sure he would have a better life. When he would ask about his family heritage, as his coloring was darker than most, they assured him he came from a long line of good Prussians.

Not one for farming, Kirill set out for the coast, where he ended up meeting Marco Ramius. He thought him an old man who knew nothing but fishing. In time he learned Marco was more than what he seemed.

Neither man was shocked when he requested to be Turned.

Vampire Council: Lead Hunter

Maximus was raised on a small farm outside Trujillo, Spain.  His father taught him the love of Earth and Horses.  When he was a young man he saw another having trouble with too large of a horse, and he moves into help without thought.  With his training and love for horses, he is able to calm the animal down and comes to the attention of  Emperor Marcus Aurelius.  Commodus offers Maximus a position in his army.

Maximus takes the opportunity  and joins the Roman Army.

His own skills and the favors from Marcus Aurelius has him moving up the ranks to General of Felix Legions and Commander of the Armies of the North.

On one of his trips home to Trujillo, his father found him a wife, a local woman named Elena.  Maximus courted her properly, soon falling in love with her easily.  The two married, and before he returned back to his army, he discovered she was carrying his child.   Eight months later he celebrated with his men, the fact he had a son, Alejandro.

In 180 AD, General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman army to a decisive victory against the Germanic tribes on the frontier, ending a long war on the Roman frontier and winning the favor of elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The emperor is already old and dying, and although he has a son, Commodus, he asks Maximus to succeed him as a regent and turn Rome back into a republic. The emperor speaks with Commodus afterwards and explains his decision, but Commodus reacts by killing him and claiming the throne.

Still in Germania, Maximus is confronted by Commodus, but suspects foul play and refuses to pledge loyalty. General Quintus, captain of the Praetorian Guard and a friend to Maximus, chooses to follow Commodus. He obeys Commodus’s orders and reluctantly sends men to Spain to kill Maximus’s wife and son. Maximus manages to escape his own execution by Praetorians and races back to his home in Spain, but he finds his wife and son already dead. He buries them and collapses. A slave caravan passes by and captures Maximus, assuming that he is a deserter. Maximus is taken to Zucchabar in Roman Africa and sold to a man named Proximo, who uses him as a gladiator.

Proximo, not wanting to lose his most valuable asset, Turns Maximus after one fight where he was injured.