Mikhail Halancoun's page

=======HISTORY=======
Mikhail Halancoun is the assumed name of the first-born son of Baron and Baroness Darius and Marthanya Charthagnion and his wife, rulers of the Chelaxian colony of Talingarde and the ancestors of the current King Markadian V. Born in 4592 AR, Mikhail's sharp fangs betrayed the truth of his heritage: his mother was seduced (unknowingly, she claimed, and by trickery) by a vampire. The family announced a stillbirth and hid Mikhail away in the palace out of shame. The Baron and Baroness still educated him in the ways of the nobility through private and secretive tutors. Like many from Cheliax, they worshipped Aroden but likewise paid some fealty to Asmodeus. Mikhail favored the latter instead of the god of humanity, a race he felt little kinship with. His parents seemed unable to have any other children, and the Baroness had nearly convinced her husband to unveil the young Mikhail and recognize him as their heir.

In Mikhail's eighteenth year - around the same time his aging slowed dramatically - his parents announced a son, Markadian. There was no love between the brothers as Mikhail felt trapped by circumstance and denied of his birthright. Mikhail began drawing friends and followers into the palace in his guise as a fostering noble from an allied family in Cheliax. While none outside his parents and brother knew Mikhail's true identity, his magnetism and intensity worried his brother as a possible rival when their parents passed away.

Both the Baron and Baroness died in 4632 AR rather suddenly from an illness. Mikhail was not recognized as the firstborn heir, and Markadian claimed the throne at the age of twenty-two. The civil war in Cheliax following Aroden’s death offered him an opportunity. He declared Talingarde independent of Cheliax and named himself Markadian I of House Darius. The half-elven nobility of House Barca, which supplied the majority of the levies of troops through its immense wealth, declared themselves loyal to Cheliax and laid claim to the throne.

Markadian - despite his own family's ties to Asmodeus - used the rising strength of the diabolic god in Cheliax to incite a fervor in his outnumbered armies. He defeated House Barca's superior numbers at the Battle of Tamberlyn, fully establishing the military dominance of the so-called House Darius. Once victorious in battle and in name, Markadian's rule over Talingarde was cemented, and cemented further every day by the link between his throne and the fervor for Mitra's worship in the populace. The only possible challenge to the legitimacy of his claim was his older brother Mikhail, who realized his brother's plan to kill him and fled the palace.

While most of the people rejoiced at the nation's independence and their just patron god, Markadian knew that his rule could always be challenged by his brother and founded the Brotherhood of Marthanya - named after their mother - to hunt him as an abomination. While none of them knew Mikhail's true identity, the members of the Brotherhood harried and hunted him throughout Talingarde - but he was never caught. Mikhail lived on his natural charm and good looks, seducing daughters of the nobility and passing in and out of the noble society in various false identities. The Brotherhood of Martanya hunted any threats to the rule of House Darius, including the leadership of the Hellknight Order of the Brand.

Markadian I died in 4678 AR. Both he and Mikhail were disappointed that their efforts to eliminate the other over the previous 44 years had ended with Markadian's natural death. With their patron deceased and their efforts almost completely successful, the Brotherhood of Martanya officially disband by 4684 AR in a flurry of self-congratulations. The Brotherhood, now in its second generation, disbanded in a ceremony that Mikhail attended, posing as an Andoran dignitary. Markadian IV soon after began the purges of the few remaining diabolists and followers of Asmodeus, leaving the Brotherhood as a footnote in the historical record.

Soon following the death of Markadian I, Mikhail revealed himself to his nephew, Markadian II, explaining to the gullible king that his longevity was the result of some little-known elven blood in their lineage - not an unusual heritage in the kingdom. The scholarly, kind young man found himself fascinated by the stories of his largely-inaccessible father and unmet grandparents, and found it easy to believe that the ambitious Markadian I had disavowed Mikhail's claim to their family's holdings when creating House Darius. Mikhail showed him the secrets of their family estate, the Adarium. Mikhail shared his worry about Prince Hallen's mental state, filling the king's thoughts with fears of what would happen should his brother come to power. After almost five years, Mikhail so completely held his nephew's trust that the king wrote and sealed a writ recognizing Mikhail as a member of House Darius. Meanwhile, Mikhail encouraged the madness of Prince Hallen, his other nephew, in the guise of an angel. Writ filed in the vast library of the Adarium, Mikhail nudged Hallen's madness further until Hallen slew Markadian II. Several months later, Mikhail used his guise to convince Hallen - now Markadian III - to fly off the spires of the castle.

Mikhail left the Arcanium, prepared to have the scholars discover the writ when they researched the line of succession to avoid another crisis. The writ, written in Markadian II's own hand and seal, said that Markadian II had discovered Mikhail through his research and that Mikhail was posing as the last heir of House Halancoun, a family of half-elven nobility that was wiped out during the wars of succession. Little did he expect that his great-nephew Marcus would return to the capital and quickly avoid a crisis of succession. Mikhail had convinced a cult of Asmodeans that Marcus would finish the purge that his grandfather had began, and incited them to waylay him on the road. The cult, however, proved inadequate to the task. Marcus killed the cultists and their summoned devils, then triumphantly arrived in the capital and declared himself king. True to Mikhail's warning, and perhaps because of Mikhail's manipulations, Markadian IV zealously pursued the entire religion of Asmodeus until few remained, blaming them for all the destruction that Mikhail's manipulations had wrought.

After almost a century of running, Mikhail’s machinations had earned him wealth and a place in the upper class. He had passed himself off as the heir to House Halancoun, a long-dead family whose property was seized in the revolution. Following the rise of Markadian IV, Mikhail had to have this identity pass a generation and partially abandoned it. In the period that he was being hunted by the Brotherhood, Mikhail had a single son, Tommas, in 4655 AR, with a beautiful girl from a fishing village that he seduced. Over the course of Tommas's life, he watched the boy grow into a man from afar, then watched silently as he became a grandfather to Tommas's daughter Eleana. Mikhail, long desiring a relationship with his son and in need of his assistance, arranged in 4708 AR for an accident in the fishing village where Tommas lived. To Tommas, it seemed that he had saved Mikhail's life. Mikhail, still looking like a young man, introduced himself to his son and swore friendship. Mikhail explained that he was the last heir to House Halancoun, but that the fortune of his House had been denied to him. He asked for a favor from Tommas, one that would make him and Eleana wealthy. Mikhail asked Tommas to pose as his father and Eleana as his sister. With his unknowing son and granddaughter accepting, Mikhail reclaimed the identity and began his quest again to provoke a crisis of succession that would lead to his discovery as the last heir to House Darius.

Mikhail sees the current line of nobility as usurpers of his throne, built on lies and false piety. With his wealth and power, Mikhail began to seek allies for his ambitious plans to take the throne. He did not expect that one of his conspirators, a man named Valerio Madouci, was the last remaining scion of the Brotherhood of Marthanya. Carlao Madouci, Valerio's father, was the only member of the Brotherhood who had never revealed himself, yet was the only one to discern Mikhail's true identity. Valerio Medouci’s father suspected that Mikhail Charthagnion still lived and passed along the tenets of the Brotherhood to his son.

Valerio Medouci betrayed Mikhail to the Knights of Alerion and had him arrested for treason, whispering to him that he knew Mikhail’s secret as the knights dragged him off. With Valerio unable to prove a conspiracy beyond Mikhail’s plotting and unwilling to give any credence to Mikhail’s bloodline in open court by revealing it, Mikhail’s true history remained a secret as he was tried for treason against the throne and sentenced to death. Mikhail now awaits his sentence at the Branderscar Prison. He has escaped worse binds in his life, however, and believes that he can charm his way out of this as well. He knows that he has supporters outside the walls of the prison, and still plots to restore his rightful place on the throne.  

=======APPEARANCE=======
Mikhail is a handsome, magnetic man with pale skin and dark eyes. His features exude a haughty nobility. While he is well over a century old, he seems a man in the prime of his youth. He prefers to wear burgundy and crimson clothing of fine quality. His long brown hair sits straight and is well cared for, fashionably cut to shoulder length. (Little does anyone recall that he, in another assumed name, set the fashion many decades prior.) Years of practice have helped him hide the fangs that betray his heritage. He looks athletic and fit, but has the strength of a far larger man.

Preferred Actor: Matt Bomer

=======PERSONALITY=======
Mikhail possesses tremendous self-regard and relies on his charisma to pursue his goals. He believes himself capable of seducing any woman of any social strata; only his blood relation to the Princess has kept him from setting his eye on her. While his vampiric heritage grants him great strength, he prefers to have others fight for him instead of getting his own hands dirty - though he will if required.

Two goals that are important to the character.
1) Mikhail seeks to sit on the throne, partially as revenge against the legacy of his half-brother. He absolutely hates that Markadian I lived almost eighty years while he unsucessfully raced against time to overthrow him. Even after his half-brother's death, Mikhail plotted and schemed to rise up through the ranks of Talingarde’s aristocracy until he could plot a coup against his unsuspecting descendants. He has used his charm and talents to rise in station, only to find his ambitions cut down by betrayal. He seeks to throw down the worship of Mistra, the worship of whom he views as a hypocritical and unnatural farce by a cynical king.
2) Mikhail wants to become a full vampire, which he views as an equal part of his heritage as his royal roots. As Darius Charthagnion married Marthanya Alerion, the only daughter and sole heir of the previous baron, Mikhail believes that the royal bloodline runs through his mother instead of her husband. He feels that he can only truly achieve his heritage when he sits on the throne as a full vampire as an eternal king. He does not want to be beholden to a master, however, which has stymied this plan.

Two secrets about the character, one that he knows, and one that he not yet aware of.
1) Mikhail is a dhampir, the child of the unholy union of a human and a vampire, and a member of the royal family. His brother rebelled from Cheliax and cast him out, forcing him to evade hunters for a century. His current identity is Mikhail Halancoun, returned heir to a long-destroyed house. When he was arrested for treason, many members of the aristocracy believed that it was to eliminate a fast-rising rival. Almost no one, save Valerio Madouci, knows his true identity or his vampiric roots.
2) Mikhail’s true father, the moroi vampire Count Nichlaus von Ballecov, has kept an eye on his progeny throughout the years. Approximately eight-hundred years old, Nichlaus has plots throughout Avistan that he has spent lifetimes waiting to mature. The vampire’s cunning and calculating plots have prevented him from being discovered as a vampire in his estate in Ustalav.

Five people that are tied to Mikhail, four that are friends and one who is an enemy.
1) Selanna Talasyan, Elf Female (188): The only woman who Mikhail has ever loved, Selanna is one of the few people who knows his secret. Selanna is a spy for Cheliax who keeps an eye on their interests in their former colonial holding. Their dance of seduction has lasted generations as they pursue their separate agendas, but always seem to find each other every few years. They first met when they ended up separately seducing a particularly foolish pair of noble siblings in 4640 AR and both attempted to outmaneuver and eliminate the other. She helped him escape the Brotherhood several times over the years, risking blowing her own cover as minor nobility from the Mierani Forest. She left some three years ago for another mission, but history has Mikhail expecting her back in Talingarde soon.
2) Tommas Halancoun, Human Male (58): Mikhail has one child. Like all the offspring of dhampir, the child was born human with no sign of the parent’s vampiric heritage. Mikhail sees this as a disappointment, though he still loves and treasures Tommas. Tommas was raised alone by his late mother, a simple but beautiful girl from a fishing village, and never knew his father. Tommas inherited much of his father’s charm and quick wit. When Mikhail, who kept an eye on him, approached him as a mysterious stranger with a plan for wealth and station five years ago, Tommas accepted the role of Mikhail’s father and learned the trappings of nobility quickly. Mikhail has considered telling Tommas the truth, but doesn’t think that he can accept it. He wishes to give Tommas, and Tommas’s natural-born daughter Eleana, the fruits of their heritage. Mikhail denied that they had any involvement in his plot, sparing them his fate and preventing his holdings from being stripped from Tommas.
3) Eleana Halancoun, Human Female (25): Nominally Mikhail’s sister, she is in truth his granddaughter. Fiercely independent, she chafes at the deception but goes along with it for her father’s sake. She fell in love with Valerio Madouci and introduced him to Mikhail. She is now torn between loyalty to Mikhail, who she has in fact grown to see as a brother, and her love for Valerio. She has no particular fondness for the royal house, which she sees as a decadent waste, but had no part in Mikhail’s plotting.
4) Jaina Banchilia, Human Female (20): Mikhail’s most recent conquest, Jaina is a daughter of a lesser noble family. Stunningly attractive but vulnerable to his charms, she did not believe the charges of treason against Mikhail and visited him as often as she could in the jail during the trial. She does not know that Mikhail seduced her for access to her family’s levies (and her beauty, which he is far from immune to).
5) Valerio Madouci, Human Male (24): The last heir to the Brotherhood of Marthanya, Valerio is a talented swordsman and a skilled spy. He discovered Mikhail’s identity and assisted his conspiracy, only to betray him to the crown. Mikhail did not suspect Valerio’s treachery, and only put the pieces together of his family history after the betrayal.

Three memories, mannerisms or quirks the character possess.
1) Mikhail has a penchant for dramatic entrances and tends to wear a heavy cape that swirls around him. This extends to rather dramatic pronouncements and a desire to verbally spar with his enemies.
2) While Mikhail has drunk blood in the past, he does not do so on a regular basis. His sharp fangs make such a thing simple, but he tends to limit it to an almost ceremonial and reverent act of great dramatic importance. He looks forward to drinking the blood of the usurper king upon his ascension.
3) He considers one of his greatest successes to be when he attended the ceremony officially dissolving the Brotherhood of Marthanya in 4684 AR. During the ceremony, he offered a speech in his guise as a visiting Andoran dignitary that praised their dedication and their complete and total victory over the forces of evil that once held such sway over the island. Little did Mikhail know that one of the Brotherhood’s number, the father of Valerio Madouci, attended the ceremony solely in the audience rather than as a member. He had long suspected Mikhail’s alter ego of being Mikhail Charthagnion, and later taught his son to hunt.

The Bitten (Dhampir race)
You have been bitten by a vampire and infected with the curse of undeath. As you sicken, your senses heighten and you become profoundly aware that every day, you are changing into something both more and less than mortal. You have only begun your transformation into the living dead.
Prerequisites: You must be bitten by a vampire.
Benefits: You gain darkvision 30 ft. and the alertness feat, however your Constitution score is lowered by two permanently.

The Dying
You are dying. You can feel it in very core of your being. Your mortal blood is failing and the vampiric curse is overtaking you. Soon, you will die and rise again as a vampire.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, 3rd level
Benefits: Your natural armor improves +2, your darkvision improves to 60 ft., you gain a +2 racial bonus to Perception and you gain the toughness feat. However your Constitution score is again lowered by two permanently, you now cast no shadow and have no reflection in a mirror. Further, in full daylight you are sickened.

The Risen
Vampirism has overtaken you and you have died. However after three days in the ground you have risen from your own death. You are now a fledgling vampire. However, you are still unsure of your powers and only begun to understand the full reprecussions of this dark gift. Still, you are fast as lightning and full of fury. You an barely restrain your thirst for living blood.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, The Dying, 5th level
Benefits: You gain the feats Dodge, Improved Initiative and Lightning Reflexes. Your Dex score is improved by +2. You are now an undead and have no Constitution score. You gain resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10 in addition to all the normal defensive abilities granted by being an undead. You also gain the special attack Blood Drain (as per the vampire template).

However, you must sleep in a coffin every night, you gain the vampiric weaknesses to daylight (this replaces being sickened by daylight) and running water, and if you ever go more than twenty four hours without feeding on living blood you become sickened until you feed. If you are sickened from lack of food and encounter a living creature with blood in their veins, you must make a DC 12 Will save or immediately try to drain their blood. If you succeed at such a save you do not have to check again for one hour.

If reduced to zero hit points, you fall dead, indistinguishable
from a normal corpse. You will remain this way until either you are healed by negative energy or fed blood enough to heal you.

The Initiated
You have been a vampire long enough that you are beginning to be able to control your condition. You need to feed less frequently and you have begun to control your form turning into mist or climbing like a spider.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, The Dying, The Risen, 7th level
Benefits: You gain the feat Combat Reflexes. You gain a +4 racial bonus to Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive and Stealth Checks (the Perception bonus replaces the bonus from the Dying feat). You gain the gaseous form and spider climb special qualities of a vampire (see the vampire template). If reduced to zero hit points You are still sickened if you do not feed but now you need only feed every three days. However, you now recoil from mirrors and strongly presented holy symbols.

True Vampirism
You have mastered your condition of vampirism and are now a true vampire in every sense.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, the Dying, the Risen, The Initiated, 9th level
Benefits: You gain the full benefit and weaknesses of the vampire template.