About Master Costanzo Giuseppe Beschi World Serpent Inn Sidetrek
Nature - Pedagogue
Max Blood Pool 20/Current 14
XP Earned - 14
XP Expenditures:
4 - Second dot of Elemental Mastery, 4 - Second dot of Neptune's Might, 4 - Second dot of Weather Control Attributes: Physical - Strength 2 - Dexterity 2 - Stamina 4 (Resolute)
Abilities: Talents - Alertness 2 - Brawl 2 (Claws - Strength +1 Damage) - Empathy 2 - Expression 2 - Intimidation 2 - Leadership 1 - Subterfuge 3 Skills - Animal Ken 1 - Drive 1 - Etiquette 1 - Performance 1 - Stealth 1 - Survival 3 Knowledge Academics 3 - Computer 3 - Research 4 (Arcane and Occult) - Linguistics 4 (Written Expression) - Occult 4 (Rituals) - Politics 3 Disciplines: Auspex 2 -
Dominate 3 -
Presence 1 -
Protean 3 -
Thaumaturgy -
Elemental Mastery 2 -
Movement of the Mind 3 -
Neptune's Might 2 -
Path of Blood 3 -
Weather Control 2 -
Backgrounds:
Virtues: Conscience 2, Self Control 2, Courage 3 Humanity 5 - Willpower 8 Merits - Church Ties, Efficient Digestion Flaws - Ennui, Enemy (Fabrizio Ulfila), Failure Rituals:
(1) Defense of the Sacred Haven - prevents sunlight from entering an area within 20' of the ritual's casting - ritual requires one hour to perform - 1 blood point is required for the ritual to work(Vampire Core Rulebook), (1) Deflection of Wooden Doom - ritual protects the user from being staked the wood that would pierce the heart disintegrates - ritual takes one hour to cast and lasts until the following dusk or dawn (Vampire Core Rulebook), (1) Engaging the Vessel of Transference ritual takes 3 hours to cast (reduced by 15 minutes for each success on the casting roll) and requires 1 blood point - the vessel is sealed with the caster's blood and if an individual touches the vessel with bare skin the blood in the vessel is exchanged for blood in the target (Players Guide to the Camarilla), (2) Mask of Shadows - ritual renders the subject transluscent with the form appearing dark and smoky ca be cast on a nmber of subjects equal to the caster's Occut rating (each person added tacks 5 minutes onto the casting cost - subjects can only be detected on a Perception + Awareness roll Difficulty of the caster's Wits + Occult or Auspex 3 lasts a number of hours equal to the successes rolled when cast or when the caster voluntarily lowers it (Players Guide to the Camarilla), (2) Extinguish - ritual allows the caster to douse dangerous flames (to enact caster pinches a candle's flame while spitting on the floor - once cast the user can for the rest of the night speak a word and extinguish one fire up to the size of a bonfire - the user may invoke the ability once per success on the initial ritual roll (Blood Magic Secrets of Thaumaturgy), (3) Telecommunication - caster may influence what is seen on a television creating pictures to communicate with people near the set or creating fictional stories and the catsre can view images from the set itself - any television the user has touched is subject to the effect of the ritual - each success allows the user to view and communicate through the television for 5 minutes (Blood Magic Secrets of Thaumaturgy) Description: Master Beschi aged poorly as a mortal and was embraced at a late age, he appears to be a man in his late 70's. His hair is completely white and he has a somewhat ill kept white beard. Having lived in India for so long he adopted their colorful style of dress and will often wrap his head with cloth of a similar color (red his preferred color as blood stains blend well with the fabrics that he chooses). His eyes are a dark brown and he generally prefers to wear sandals as footwear. Since his interactions with Catelyn, he has taken to traveling with his laptop and keeps it in a black kensington bag. History: Beschi was born at Castiglione in the Venetian Republic in the Year of Our Lord 1680. Born a third son of a wealthy family he chose to take the cloth rather than enter a life of politics or mercantilism. BY the age of 18 he was accepted into the Jesuit order and quickly rose through their ranks. Through familial connections he was assigned a post in the Vatican?s Secret Archives copying manuscripts and retrieving books that were considered a ?danger? to the faith. The head librarian assigned him to retrieve books that were identified as belonging to people of influence as he had a way with words and could convince others in a polite but firm manner that such books were meant to be in the hands of the Holy Church. Beschi initially realized that a power for ill purpose lurked in the world during these young years and was glad that what he did was making a difference. Strange encounters on dark roads posed great dangers to him but Beschi?s trusted servant Tribulat was always with him sword in hand. While the order frowned on a priest having a personal bodyguard (especially a young low ranking priest) the Beschi family influence was enough to keep too loud a protest at bay. In 1707 Beschi met Father Fabrizio Ulfila a powerful and influential priest. Beschi began to work for him retrieving texts that were sinister in nature, books on unholy creatures which were an affront to God and mankind. However instead of preserving the texts in the Archives he would keep the volumes. Suspicious of this behavior Beschi reached out to the head librarian about the practice. Soon after the head librarian passed on and was replaced by head librarian who was less than favorable in his treatment of Beschi. Beschi was sent on a long trip into the wildlands of France in the middle of the Spanish War of succession. If not for the quick thinking of Tribulat, Beschi would have perished at the hands of a mercenary protestant army. Barely escaping the experience with his life Beschi decided to follow the path of Roberto de Nobili and take up the life of a missionary on the Mandura mission. Originally being a linguistic scholar Beschi thought that this would not only be beneficial work in the name of the Lord but would get him far out of the dangerous reach of Father Ulfila. Thus in the spring of 1710 Beschi bade his family farewell and with young Tribulat in tow made the lengthy trek to Southern India. The mission work was very difficult but the reward of expanding his linguistic horizons made it worth it. He threw himself into his work studying Sanskrit, Talugu and Tamil in a way that he could not have done even in the expansive library of the Vatican. He composed the grammar of High Tamil and Low Tamil. He attempted to break down the barrier between the regions by creating a translation key for Tamil, Latin and Portuguese. He also wrote an influential doctrinal instruction pamphlet for the catechists of the mission. Over the decades in the mission he wrote lengthy poems in the Tamil language. Not all was work for Beschi though. After his experience with the protestants of France he vehemently opposed the Danish Lutherans who attempted to gain a foothold in the Mandura mission. His passionate litany on the Lord led to encounters with local Hindu priests and some debates became so heated that Beschi was almost martyred by angry adherents after the fact. Through it all though Tribulat was there a strong anchor in a strange land. Towards the end of his life he continued writing and even became the rector of the mission of Manapar. However, the story of Beschi and Tribulat did not end there. In 1745 a visitor came to the mission looking for a translator among the westerners for he had recently arrived in the area and was a westerner himself. He claimed to have spent a great deal of time in the western regions of the Persian lands and was making his way farther east seeking wisdom. He called himself Celestyn and claimed to be a scholar much like Beschi. The man was charming, intelligent and engaging. He was unlike any other man that Beschi had encountered in quite some time. As Beschi began to feel ill of health Celestyn concocted herbal remedies that helped ease his pain. In a few months time these concoctions had him feeling better than he had in years. The same potion seemed to work wonders on ailing Tribulat whose arthritis had made him practically bedridden the previous few years. Beschi began to spend time with Celestyn and ignore his duties with the mission. In the Year of Our Lord 1746, Beschi?s right hand man within the Jesuits questioned Beschi?s commitment to the mission. Beschi realized that he was right, for months the mission had suffered at his lack of attentiveness. After a long discussion with Celestyn he agreed to hand over the rectorship. The Jesuits were shocked at Beschi?s turn around. However, they acquiesced to Beschi?s wished and threw him a celebratory dinner. After the feast Celestyn came to him and Beschi questioned why his new friend did not show up to the meal held in his honor. Celestyn revealed a great deal that night. He revealed that it was not by accident that he made his way to the mission. Celestyn had heard of Beschi's scholarly work and had specifically chosen him that he may aide Celestyn?s work on the Indian continent. Celestyn had a mission, one set upon him centuries before, a demonic force whose name could not be uttered had to be stopped and Celestyn was seeking knowledge so that he may prevent a catastrophe created by this demon. Beschi laughed at the exaggeration of his new friend but as the fangs slowly descended from Celestyn?s mouth Beschi realized that this was no jest. God had called him, Celestyn claimed and now he was calling upon Beschi to make the ultimate sacrifice. Beschi turned to Tribulat for help but his old friends? vacant eyes revealed that he was the servant of Celestyn now and there could be no help but for Beschi to agree to be the same. Realizing that resistance was futile Beschi gave into the will of Celestyn. Over the next 40 years of his early unlife, Beschi and Tribulat journeyed with Celestyn on dark nights along the dark byways of the Indian country. He encountered Brahmins who were human as well as inhuman, strange creatures who could shift their shape, and even men who could wield and twist reality as if it were clay. Celestyn was part of Clan Tremere though a rogue element, having disappeared centuries before hand on the quest he still pursued. He would never speak specifically of what he sought to do but it clearly involved dark tidings and Beschi, never one to pry too far, accepted the privacy of his Sire. His change though made him bitter, where once he was a man of learning and light he became a cynic and pessimist of the highest order. In the Year of Our Lord 1786 Celestyn gave Beschi the choice to be free of him. No longer a childe he was told he was now a neonate and could make the choice to stay or to go. Beschi laughed at the choice and because the work of Celestyn filled him with purpose he decided to stay. Celestyn pleased with the decision began to teach Beschi the greater mysteries of Thaumaturgy as well as the Occult. By the Year of Our Lord 1815, Celestyn felt he had learned all he could from his Indian cousins and decided to move off to the far east. This journey Celestyn forbade Beschi to make. He was told to return to the west to journey to the city of Vienna and seek Celestyn?s sire Etrius. Once there he would reveal to Etrius and Etrius alone that Celestyn was indeed still among the dead and that his quest would take him farther east. Celestyn assured Beschi that Etrius would accept him into the clan and perform the ritual to bind Beschi to the Council of Seven. By this time Tribulat had fully become Beschi?s ghoul and made the journey with him to the west. Without the powerful Celestyn at his side the journey west was a perilous one. Being in Northern India Beschi decided to trek overland through lands dominated by Clan Assamite. In the deep lands of the Durrani Empire, Beschi was captured by a nomadic band of Gangrel. Tribulat badly injured from fighting the vicious creatures was nearly spent when Beschi did what he did best, debated. One of the Gangrel spoke the Pashto dialect and Beschi surprised him by speaking in his native language. Impressed with Beschi?s knowledge and having read some of the poetry that Beschi had written as a mortal, the Gangrel, Mirwais allowed him and his ghoul to continue with their unlives. In exchange for scholarly debate, Mirwais would accompany Beshi on his journey to the west. He also sought he secrets of Thaumaturgy though Beschi would not part with such knowledge he did agree to teach him the mysteries of the other Tremere clan disciplines. Mirwais, in exchange taught Beschi the gift of protean which would also ease passage for Beschi. Mastering the discipline as he had mastered many difficult tasks in his life Beschi found sleeping in the earth disconcerting but realized the great utility of the gift. The now three companions moved with greater ease in the wilderness without the need to constantly find places for the undead flesh of Beschi to avoid the sun. Avoiding entanglements with the Assamites by taking routes traveled only by Gangrel, by 1817 Beschi was gazing at the Caspian Sea. Mirwais turned back as he knew that his reception in western lands, especially as a member of clan Gangrel, would not be met with great courtesy. Beschi and Tribulat took a boat over the Caspian Sea and finally into the outskirts of the new Russian territory of Baku. After a non violent altercation with local Brujah, Beschi was given haven and invited to debate with the elder that assumed control of the city from the previous Assamite Caliph. Beschi spent years in Baku which stayed relatively peaceful since the cessation of the Caucus from Ottoman to Russian control. Beschi learned the subtle art of Presence from the Brujah Prince who was impressed with his daring and his work as a mortal. He translated numerous volumes of important works for the Brujah prince during his stay. By 1827 Beschi knew that the road to Vienna was still a long one and decided that there was no time like the present to make his way to the fortress of his clan founders. Beschi passed overland to the Black Sea and purchased passage with the money he made from his time in Baku. The trip would bring him through the Black Sea and up the Danube. His trip was cut short though in BudaPest where Clan Ventrue made thorough searches of passengers on ships and demanded that Beschi present himself to the Prince of the City despite the fact that he was simply passing through. As he announced himself at Court a member of Clan Tremere, who was part of the court, began to question Beschi?s lineage. Beschi answered that he was due in the Chantry House of Vienna for presentation to Etrius who was his grandsire. This Tremere, Karl Schrekt, was interested indeed in Beschi?s story and agreed to accompany Beschi to ?his? city. Along the journey Karl told Beschi stories of his life as a mortal hunter of demons stating that the battle was very real and that the war was still not won against infernalism. Beschi believed that perhaps this very battle was the one that Celestyn fought but did not reveal his sires pursuit to this obviously fanatic brother in the clan. Within no time, Beschi finally arrived at his destination and only 15 years after he had started the journey. Etrius agreed to see him curious about this grandchilde that he had never heard of before. The powerful figure of Etrius overwhelmed even the cynical Beschi who was soon spilling his story to the Tremere Councilor. Etrius was overjoyed that Celestyn was still in existence but troubled by the quest which had brought him away from the fold. Etrius agreed to initiate Beschi into the clan but stated that he would need to undergo the trial period as a Childe to a Tremere anacillae if he wished to find his place within the Tremere pyramid. Reluctantly, Beschi agreed. He was placed in the Roman Chantry of Grimgorth. He could not stay in Vienna as Etrius claimed that it would seem an act of favoritism if he remained in the Chantry House where Tremere himself resided. The journey to Rome for Beschi and Tribulat was a comfortable one. Once he arrived though the menial work demanded of a Childe did nothing to improve Beschi?s attitude. His new ?sire? was jealous of him as he was clearly more powerful in the ways of the Thaumaturgical arts. However, despite the political fiat, Beschi was glad to be in his native home, a place he had now not seen in well over a century. The Camarilla power base was still well centered in Rome at this time and important Tremere as well as other important elders frequented the Salons of Rome. In 1843 Beschi established his greatest rivalry which to this day still burns brightly despite the ocean between them. At a meeting of the Inner Circle Beschi came face to face with ?Father? Fabrizio Ulfila, the vampire had obviously not aged a day. The Elder manipulator recognized Beschi as well and took an instant disliking to Beschi who as a mortal had escaped his influential net. The political intrigue was further ratcheted up when Beschi used his long years as a missionary among the Jesuits to gain influence among that order in Rome and the Vatican. This was of course Ulfila's traditional sphere of influence. Grimgorth was more than happy to have the sphere of influence of Clan Tremere expanded and allowed Beschi to be released by his "sire" moving up the ranks of the pyramid of power. For over 100 years Beshi and Ulfila played a power struggle against one another. Despite Beschi?s great skills he was no match for the now millennia old Elder and was disgraced in Salon, his political power in Rome broken. Grimgorth disgusted at Beschi's failure sent the anacillae back to his grandsire in Vienna to be assigned to a less prestigious Chantry. Beschi had failed but vengeance burned within him. He wished to strike back at the Elder Ventrue but there was little he could do within the confines of the sect of the Camarilla. Etrius was not overjoyed to be associated with a failing member of his own bloodline and listened intently to Beschi?s idea to get himself back on track. The new world with its vast possibilities was where Beschi decided to go. His fortune would be made or lost there he convinced Etrius. Etrius contacted Peter Dorfman of the US and requested that Beschi be placed somewhere important as befitted the station of a European Tremere. Dorfman said he could use a kindred of courage in the northern US near Sabbat dominated New York City. There was Regent who had perished in the city of Hoboken and Dorfman was seeking a replacement for this ?prestigious? location. Beschi agreed knowing little of the political structure in the area but realizing that to be close to New York City was an opportunity as the city had grown by leaps and bounds by this time. In 1934 Beshi arrived in Hoboken and became the Regent of his own Chantry. The Chantry was small and the territory constantly threatened but it was Beschi?s. The post was in many ways similar to the rectorship of Manapar late in his human life. The similarity did not escape him and after a decade of stagnation it was clear to Tribulat that Ennui had set into his long time companion. The ghoul begged Beschi to take another confidant into his wing a young fresh mortal who could re-educate him to the ways of the modern world. In 1996 Beschi finally agreed with Tribulat that it was time to do something. An anacillae half his age, Aisling Sturbridge, had become the head of the Five Boroughs Chantry of New York, a position that rightly should have been Beschi?s. He made a ghoul (but still refused to sire) of a young linguistics student who attended NYU, Catelyn Haart, who lived in Hoboken. With her he was introduced to a new modern world. He began to learn the computer and got on the new information superhighway. He began to become distracted by the sheer volume of information and instead of politically moving up the ranks fell into the old habit of the scholar. Instead of pursuing what should have been rightly his, Beschi spends his time on the internet doing research on whatever interests him at the time. When not on the net he spends his time developing and expanding his powers of Thaumaturgy. |
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