Radu Prince

Radu Prince
Gender: Male
Age: 3000 something. He's no longer sure. He's long since lost track. He appears approx. 25.
Race: Vampire

Appearance: Radu is 6'4" tall and a very lean, 150 lbs. His wears his brown wavy hair, short but with longer bangs. His piercing pale blue eyes are heavily lashed. His is exceedingly pale. His angular features manage the inexplicable feat of being both attractively masculine and somehow beautifully delicate as well. He looks fairly young, having ceased to age following "first death", though there is about him an air of timelessness that belies that youthful appearance.

Background: Radu was the youngest of the king's sons, third in line behind his brothers Mircea and Vlad. He and his brother Vlad were raised from very early youth to early twenties by one of their father's enemies in exchange for a fragile truce and the keeping of certain family secrets - not the least of which was the truth of their nature. It was for this truce that his father was later beheaded and his eldest brother, Mircea, met the first death in a gruesome and emotionally scarring manner from which he never fully recovered.

Radu was a successful military commander by his early twenties, having proved himself a capable leader, apt on horseback and skilled with both sword and shield. He took the throne in his mid twenties after the overthrow of his brother Vlad. He met with first death on the battlefield fighting his brother's armies, but was able to keep this death a secret, continuing to rule while shunning the sunlight from that point forward, leading his armies to attack late in the evenings, teaching them that this strategy was to capitalize upon the element of surprise, keeping their enemies exhausted and off balance trying to protect from the ghosts of night. In this way, he managed to avoid having his nature discovered for a considerable period.

Radu married Princess Catarina, in whom he confided his nature prior to the union, but who was willing to overlook it in favor of cementing the alliance between their families and their lands. They came to know and respect one another and even, in time, to love each other after a fashion, though never in the romantic sort of way one would expect of a marriage. Their marriage was more than just an alliance by that time, becoming one of companionship and friendship, but not physical, as he would not willingly pass his family's "affliction" on to another generation. She later gave birth to an heir, as she was expected to. The female child, his only heir, was called Maria, and he loved her dearly despite knowing full well she was not legitimately his. Realizing as they continued to age that his failure to do so would attract unwanted attention to him, and possibly them as well, he faked his death when it became obvious other's were beginning to scrutinize things too closely. From his hidden place within the castle, he saw Maria grow and develop into a beautiful woman. He watched first Catarina, then Maria grow old, wither and die. He saw the world he knew change around him, with only he and his accursed family remaining. Mircea returned, wild and ruined mentally and, in some ways, physically. Radu brought him to the castle in secret, attempting to cover up the destruction his return had left in its wake, but the towns people now realized that there were vampires among them and set out to destroy them. Radu was left with no choice but to take his remaining family and flee his beloved lands. He and his charges came to a barely inhabited township and had a grand manor house built for them, filling it with their wealth and possessions. Loyal servants were brought from their former lands, each aware of the level of loyalty and discretion that would be required from their prior service in the castle. They and their children were well cared for in exchange for their complete service to the family, now known as "Prince". Generations came and went. The township grew is size and influence, the local monarchy embracing it within their realm of influence and dubbing it "Sepvarta". The Prince family watched it all with interest, but did not intervene, even as areas within it became a haven for the "unnatural" sort, such as themselves. They withdrew even further with the building of the Basilica, the adoption of the "One God", and the empowering of the Inquisitors. Radu knew that it would only be a matter of time, once these events occurred, before his family would have to move once again and began making arrangements for such an eventuality. All was arranged, save where they would go.
Eventually Radu and his family moved to Crossroads Inn, where they remained for several hundred years until his spouse, Naitachel failed to return from a mission. Unwilling to accept that he might be lost, Radu set out in search of him, his family not far behind. They travelled the world, seeking any sign of him, eventually ending up in Los Angeles after whispers of an Angel trapped in a Church reached their ears. Then the bombs came. The world was destroyed , nuclear winter fell. All, including the vampires, were driven deep underground. They made a life for themselves there, tending to as much of humanity as they could find, though Radu grew more and more withdrawn and silent. As soon as they were able, they emerged and began the impossible seeming task of rescuing any salvageable life they could find. Still, Radu never gave up the idea of finding Naitachel, vowing to resume the search as soon as it was possible.

Personality: Radu is a quiet, occasionally melancholy man, though few are ever close enough to him to learn this. However, he is also exceedingly dangerous when angered.

Strengths: Physical - strength and stamina, speed and reflexes are well beyond the norm of most humans. His senses (hearing, vision) are hyper-acute. He heals extremely quickly, and (short of beheading, burning, sustained immersion in holy water or death by sunlight) cannot be killed- or rather, he can be hurt, injured and killed, but he can't be made to STAY dead. His empathic and telepathic abilities could be considered both a strength and weakness depending upon the circumstances.

Knowledge - Radu is extremely well educated. Alongside from the basics of literacy and the religions of theirs and neighboring lands, Radu and his brothers were also trained in logic, multiple languages, horsemanship and the arts of combat and leadership.

Occupational - Radu was a soldier who eventually rose in ranks to lead his father's forces for four years before taking the throne, ruling all of his family's lands.

Self -defense - Radu is skilled with sword and shield, quarter and full staff, and crossbow. He is also well trained in hand-to-hand combat, and the use of hand and throwing daggers. If those don't work, his inhuman strength and fangs likely will. His fangs secrete a sort of numbing agent which prevent pain to his prey when feeding, but also produces a feeling of euphoria in most of them that can be addictive. This can help ensure a willing food supply, protecting him from starvation. His ability to influence others with the power of suggestion (ie stating "you're tired...you should sleep now" producing the result of the human feeling tired and wanting to sleep, but only when invoking the ability, which can be somewhat draining to him. Occasionally works with animals, and weres, but rarely works with races other than "human" - elves, drow...or zombie) can help prevent those who would expose him and family from doing so.

Weaknesses: Radu is painfully lonely, even surrounded by his family and servants. He and all of his family are severely burned by silver, to the point of complete incapacitation if it is left on their skin long enough, though they do heal quickly once it's removed from their skin. Staking will also incapacitate them, giving them the appearance of death so long as the stake is in place, though again, they revive and heal quickly once the stake is removed. Sunlight exposure flays the skin from their bones and is difficult to heal from. Exposure for more than a few moments is permanently fatal, as is burning, prolonged immersion in holy water, or beheading.