Gunnar Helgison - Clan Master
Dec 18, 2013 9:56:37 GMT
Post by Gunnar Helgison on Dec 18, 2013 9:56:37 GMT
Name: Gunnar Helgison
Age: Apparent - 18 True: 1812
Race: Vampire - Turned
Class: High
Rank: Clan Master - former High Councilman.
Occupation:
Owns : A local blacksmithing business, three shipping/trading companies (one local ), and owns a fleet of fishing vessels as well.
Appearance:
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 135 lbs
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Ice Blue
Build: Long, lean and lithe - trim with toned but not insanely defined muscles.
Alternate Form:
Abilities:
Mortalis (Bloodline specific) - With this ability, Gunnar can place a vampire in a mortal, powerless human state of existence - thus stripping away all vampiric capabilities. This can be fully reversed by being bitten and 'turned' once more, though it may take a few times of being 'turned' for it to actually happen.
Bestial Call(life circumstance) - With this power, Gunnar can call to the beast that lies within a lycanthrope - drawing it out of the lycan and forcing them to shift or help them through a particularly difficult or painful shift - depending on whether it's being done to punish or to aid . This goes for /all/ lycans, not just canids. It is, however, easier for him to do so with canids.
Canid Bond ( life circumstance ) - With this ability, Gunnar can call to all wolves,canines, and Canid lycanthropes in the area, summoning them to aid him when he needs it. Being surrounded by his canid favorites also keeps him calm and can even help him heal faster if he's wounded. On the other side of the coin, his presence can be extended to return the favor to the lycans that so keep him calm - allowing him to gentle even the most feral beast and earn himself their trust.
Loricatus (regional ) - With this power, Gunnar has blade proof flesh. No sword, knife, dagger...no edged weapon of any kind can rend his skin. His limbs can not be simply hacked off.
Secondary Form - Lupine (Bloodline Specific) ~ With this power, Gunnar shifts into a large, pure white wolf with almost surreally blue eyes. This allows him to run with the canids that the Master is so very fond of, and also aids in his bonding with them.
Standard vampire abilities at High Class.
Skills:
1. Negotiation ~ He may not be as charming as some, but when it comes to getting something he wants, Gunnar knows precisely how to do it.
2. Swordsmanship ~ An expert swordsman, he makes the wielding of a blade look like child's play.
3. Fencing ~ Primarily done as a means of entertainment, Gunnar is still quite skilled.
4. Linguist ~ He speaks and understands the following languages fluently:English, Finnish, Swedish,Scandinavian, Norwegian, Danish, German, Russian, Gaelic (Scottish and Irish), and French. He does not speak, but can read and write in : Latin.
5. Canine Ken ~ He understands the workings of the canine mind perhaps better than he understands the workings of the human mind. In fact, he can read their behaviors well and has been known to train and 'tame' wolves in the wild in the past.
6. Blacksmithing ~ Though it's not a skill he personally uses actively any more, there was a time when he was required to do it on a daily basis. The knowledge was something that was ingrained and hasn't left him - so if he had to pick up a smithing hammer again, he'd likely have no difficulties.
7. Weaponsmithing - Another trade that he learned from his human family, this is something Gunnar enjoyed on an artistic level. To him, crafting a fine sword or lethally sharp dagger was much like reading a book - it was a constant learning experience and something that he did love, and though it's not a currently practiced skill, he could still create weapons that would rival any master craftsman out there.
Weaknesses:
1. Standard vampire weaknesses per site
2. Addiction (Zeo's bite) ~ When Gunnar invited Zeo into his bed, and then had the pleasure of him remaining there for a great deal of time as both 'loyal' lover and friend - this made Zeo privy to greater intimacies than Gunnar otherwise might have allowed - and that included the intimacy of The Bite. Unfortunately, even long after Zeo's departure from such a place left him feeling cold and empty , it is The Bite of the Italian vampire's fangs that he craves. To the point where it can cause unruly fits of jealousy (even if there's no true sense of love or devotion to the vampire himself behind them) to raise within him and make him do stupid things. This is a weakness that can and will be broken in time...it is just that it's a weakness that he tries not to make obvious to the world, so it takes a vampire of great observational skill to realize that it exists at all.
3 Sexual Persuasion ~ Though he was not 'born' beneath a black moon, Gunnar is very much a prisoner of his own body at times as he was turned at an age when hormones reigned supreme. Despite Gunnar's many, many years on this earth he is no less susceptible to the call of the flesh, and has a very difficult time saying 'no' on occasion. This does not mean, however, that this is something he trusts and as such he tries very, very hard to fight these urges every day. So just because you manage to work him up doesn't automatically mean he's going to give in and bend over the nearest piece of furniture (or bend you over the nearest piece of furniture if that's more your preference.)
4. Garlic ~ In human life the smell and taste of the stuff was something he had no love of, and sadly that lack of liking for it has followed him into his now vampiric existence - only it's increased ten fold. The mear smell of it is enough to repulse him, the taste of it in someone's blood enough to make him viley sick. On top of that, a string of it hung on a door or in a window is a certain way to keep him out.
5. His Own Worst Critic ~ When he does something that is not seen as favorable by someone else (especially if it is or could be seen as unfavorably by someone he really cares about ), there is no greater punishment than the one that Gunnar will bestow upon himself. He has been known to deny himself feedings for weeks, has purposely placed limbs in a beam of full sunlight, or has force-fed a meal garlic before drinking of their blood - and these are just a few examples of such behavior . Physical punishment, he believes, is the only way to attone for certain things...and rest assured, he will make certain that all of his sins will be paid for, and he won't need anyone else's help to do it.
6. Intense emotions ~ What Gunnar feels, he feels deeply, sometimes to the point where he finds he is simply unable to adequately address these feelings. This derives entirely from his growing years, where he learned the harsh lesson that to express his feelings was to merely have them looked on as sources of amusement - to the point where he eventually learned to interpet such things as a negative even among his own Kin.
Personality:
The Mask : Cool, Aloof, Selfish, Detached, Uncaring, Haughty, Authoratative, Self-contained, Practical.
The Reality: Proud, Hot-Tempered, Passionate, Sensitive, Watchful, Vengeful/Vindictive (potentially), Reactionary, Morally Skewed, Obsessive, Uncertain (at times ), Suspicious, Watchful, Sexually Submissive (to the point where he can, on occasion, give off the energy of being sexual prey) with a few dominant urges , Lonely , Self-loathsome, Possessive, Jealous.
Brief History
Gunnar has lived a great many years, and as such there's really a lot of history to tell. In light of this, only a few important facts have been chosen to be written here rather than all of it. Gunnar was born to a large, boisterous Viking family - the youngest of eight, he had four older brothers and two older sisters, all of whom thought there was nothing better in life than the pursuits typical of people back in those times. Gunnar was the quiet one, the scholarly one. The one that, though he did have a knack for the family trade of smithing, much preferred reading to rabel-rousing and carousing, and learning to fighting. It wasn't that he wasn't skilled at these sorts of things, because his future told time and time again that he was, it was just that he was of a more peaceful and educated mindset. As a result, he stood out much like a sore thumb. It didn't help either that he was the smallest of his siblings - even the girls possessing the large frame and robust figure that seemed to be in the Helgison family genes. And though he was loved by his family, he was often made to feel like he was somehow less than the rest because of his lack of size and quiet ways - a thing that saw to it that Gunnar became a more introverted, almost shy youth.
He was found by Klaus Brauer on the older Germanic vampire's travels not long after his fifteenth birthday - the first meeting with the man taking place in his father's smithing shop. Klaus came in looking for somethingn made locally to bring back home, and Gunnar became fascinated. Not only was this man sizeable, but he was intelligent, and there was something about him that kept drawing the young boy to the man. The fact that when Herr Brauer spoke to him there was no sense of judgement or disliking present only further intrigued him. The fact that Klaus seemed to continue to seek out his company whenever he made trips that far up north intrigued him further. Over time, Gunnar began to trust this man - and honestly it seemed like Klaus couldn't be more pleased by this. It wasn't until after his seventeenth birthday though that Gunnar became aware of what Klaus truly was, and grew even more fascinated.
Gunnar happened to be walking that night, just needing some time to think, to have some quiet peace to himself when he noted a strange noise. It sounded almost like a gurgling, accompanied by the sounds of what were clearly an unknown person's struggle...and of all things, moans. He couldn't help but be curious....and rather than be revolted by the sight that greeted him, he was again fascinated. It was Klaus, the larger man's hands clutching at the other man's shirt - a thin rivulet of blood staining the ivory hued garment red as it ran down from where it appeared Klaus's teeth were sunk deep into the side of his neck. At first, Gunnar didn't know what to do - so he merely continued on, wide-eyed and wondering, and went straight home. He told no one of what he'd seen, and the next evening when Klaus came by for his usual visit - Gunnar pulled the man aside and asked him.
Klaus had been surprised, and even further more was surprised when Gunnar expressed a desire to keep the larger man's secret before instantly starting to batter the German with questions. What was it like? How long had he been alive...etcetera etcetera. Gunnar's mind had always been a lively, curious thing after all and it amused Klaus to think that he was so curious about him. Of course, every visit after that became a sort of study of Klaus, a study that the much older man came to enjoy. So much so, that just before Gunnar's eighteenth birthday, Klaus expressed a desire to teach him what there was to learn about being a vampire first hand - by making Gunnar a vampire himself. By turning Gunnar for the express purpose of being his progeny. Of being his turned Child.
Gunnar was given some time to think on it, and he did so methodically - coming up with a list of pros and cons for each side of the thing and eventually concluding that being a vampire would be a better choice for him than whatever his family might have in mind for him. So a week or two after his eighteenth birthday, he accepted and he was turned. Gunnar the human died, rumored to have been drowned during a forray out into stormy seas, and Gunnar the vampire was born and returned with Klaus, his maker and Vater, to the Fatherland - to what is known as present day Munich, Germany.
Klaus had been surprised, and even further more was surprised when Gunnar expressed a desire to keep the larger man's secret before instantly starting to batter the German with questions. What was it like? How long had he been alive...etcetera etcetera. Gunnar's mind had always been a lively, curious thing after all and it amused Klaus to think that he was so curious about him. Of course, every visit after that became a sort of study of Klaus, a study that the much older man came to enjoy. So much so, that just before Gunnar's eighteenth birthday, Klaus expressed a desire to teach him what there was to learn about being a vampire first hand - by making Gunnar a vampire himself. By turning Gunnar for the express purpose of being his progeny. Of being his turned Child.
Gunnar was given some time to think on it, and he did so methodically - coming up with a list of pros and cons for each side of the thing and eventually concluding that being a vampire would be a better choice for him than whatever his family might have in mind for him. So a week or two after his eighteenth birthday, he accepted and he was turned. Gunnar the human died, rumored to have been drowned during a forray out into stormy seas, and Gunnar the vampire was born and returned with Klaus, his maker and Vater, to the Fatherland - to what is known as present day Munich, Germany.
Klaus turned Gunnar knowing the difficulties that would be faced, but Gunnar himself had not expected such trouble. The first few years of his life as a denizen of the night were lived very much under lock and key as it appeared that Gunnar was in a constant state of frenzy. Klaus, having never turned a vampire before, hadn't expected it...but because little ever appeared to ruffle the man, took it in stride. He was also kept under sheltered protection, Klaus deciding that Gunnar needed to be hidden for a while as it was simply not something that was accepted - a Born vampire turning a human to serve as progeny. It wasn't something that was done, and Klaus wanted to save Gunnar from the backlash of such a stigma for as long as he could. Unfortunately, that sheltered protection wouldn't last as a rather impromptu visit from his much beloved cousin Vesperes Van Hasselt - the heir to the Prussian royal line - brought Gunnar's existance very much out to the open.
It was a miracle that Gunnar survived this initial meeting, Vesperes having always been of a rather jealous nature - especially when it came to /his/ Klaus. If Vesperes had been able to have things his way, he would have walked out of that study with a white wolf skin as his new rug, and Gunnar would have been no more. It took Klaus calmly explaining things to straighten things out, and though it certain did seem to do the trick this initial meeting very much set the tone for the relationship between Gunnar and Vesperes - and the tone between Gunnar and other vampires as well. Being a turned is still no easy thing today, but being turned by a Born back then was like sacrilege, and everyone he encountered made their views on such a thing quite clear - and Gunnar's rather sensitive nature took all of these ill-spoken words and insults very much to heart, though he gave little inkling of it outwardly.
Throughout the years, things only got worse. It didn't matter that he was a clear progeny of a royal line, or that his development as a Turned vampire was indeed quite comparable to that of a Born. It only mattered that he had an extra set of fangs and was as good as sterile as the only way Gunnar could ever hope to have progeny of any sort was to Turn one himself. He was no true royal, and therefore was not worth the blood that was consumed to help guarantee him life. Because of this thought process, Gunnar felt alienated from the rest of his kind - even if Klaus and Vesperes did everything in their power to make it clear that they were family and a unified front - and he began seeking out the company of others that were looked down upon by these so-called superior Born vampires. Other low-made Turned, humans...anyone that would talk to him without treating him like he was second class.
It was a miracle that Gunnar survived this initial meeting, Vesperes having always been of a rather jealous nature - especially when it came to /his/ Klaus. If Vesperes had been able to have things his way, he would have walked out of that study with a white wolf skin as his new rug, and Gunnar would have been no more. It took Klaus calmly explaining things to straighten things out, and though it certain did seem to do the trick this initial meeting very much set the tone for the relationship between Gunnar and Vesperes - and the tone between Gunnar and other vampires as well. Being a turned is still no easy thing today, but being turned by a Born back then was like sacrilege, and everyone he encountered made their views on such a thing quite clear - and Gunnar's rather sensitive nature took all of these ill-spoken words and insults very much to heart, though he gave little inkling of it outwardly.
Throughout the years, things only got worse. It didn't matter that he was a clear progeny of a royal line, or that his development as a Turned vampire was indeed quite comparable to that of a Born. It only mattered that he had an extra set of fangs and was as good as sterile as the only way Gunnar could ever hope to have progeny of any sort was to Turn one himself. He was no true royal, and therefore was not worth the blood that was consumed to help guarantee him life. Because of this thought process, Gunnar felt alienated from the rest of his kind - even if Klaus and Vesperes did everything in their power to make it clear that they were family and a unified front - and he began seeking out the company of others that were looked down upon by these so-called superior Born vampires. Other low-made Turned, humans...anyone that would talk to him without treating him like he was second class.
Among these people were those that were considered the lowest of the low - lycans. Humans that had been 'cursed' (as it was believed back then) to live a sort of half-life as a beast. Oddly enough, Gunnar found he felt rather at home among these people, and they seemed to feel at home around him. Often he'd find that wherever he went, they were drawn to him as he was to them, and was always well-received. He wouldn't know that this particular bond was part of his vampiric abilities for years to come, of course, but regardless he at least took some solace in the fact that there were at least a few friendly faces he could be sure to count on - even when life in the vampire world became exceptionally difficult, as it was often wont to do.
It wasn't until the Brauer line ability of Mortalis showed that things changed, though they did not change as completely as they should have. The ability to turn any vampire into a mere human was one that was rare, and highly feared. And one that would live only through Klaus Brauer as he had not produced a progeny in the 'traditional' fashion. Even Klaus did not believe that such a thing would develop in Gunnar, not that Klaus was really too concerned with it as he loved his Gunnar just the same. Needless to say it proved shocking when Gunnar accidentally discovered this ability when he shoved a born vampiric slave to a very fangless, human state when goaded into such a thing by hateful words thrown at him. Once that became knowledge. well Gunnar was certainly watched very closely indeed - the Council that Klaus's family had always served electing to keep a sharp eye on this Turned lest he get above himself.
Because of this 'interest', Gunnar soon found himself 'welcomed' into all good vampiric society - though the welcome was not one that was viewed as a happy thing as people were still prone to nasty talk when they believe no one could hear what was being said. Still, Gunnar tried to let it roll off his back, and chose to work to make his Vater and maker proud of him. He moved into the world of vampiric politics with purpose, and started in much the same way that any born would have to - on the bottom, until he eventually secured a position on the Council itself. A position that, of course, was given at Klaus Brauer's insistence and agreed upon only in the interest of keeping Gunnar in 'control' of those that sought to limit his scope of power.
This position eventually saw him gaining political clout, and through this clout he secured a place as a National Kaiser - though the Nation he was given was barely formed. The New World it was called - or present day North America - and though it was a wild and untamed land, there were vampires there that needed to be reigned in. Gunnar took the position, and did so against Klaus's advice, and the council was relieved as this meant that they could get the Turned out of their hair and he could be considered punished as well since the Nation they gave him was a vastly unimportant spit of land that held very little of true interest to be watched over. They were all wild there, and the council was more than pleased to stick a useless Turned in such an empty place. And Gunnar was pleased to accept as this meant that he would have an opportunity to prove himself on his own merit.
For years Gunnar worked, scraping together what vampires actually existed on the continent of the New World and forming some sort of society out of them. He put order into the chaos of their lives, and word of his doings travelled far enough to start attracting other vampires from other nations to come and find their place there. His little society grew, much to the council's consternation and to Klaus's pride, and soon it became clear that he'd need others to help him make certain that this society remained ordered and controlled. He kept his ear to the ground, and when word of a certain Italian vampire making a name for himself fell into his line of hearing, Gunnar found himself curious. He sent out a missive, requesting his presence in the New World - and when Zeo DiPaulo made his way over, found himself charmed by the large vampire's sophisticated ways and incredibly intelligent mind.
He fell in love over the space of two years, and Zeo appeared to return these feelings. Of course, Gunnar was still young by an Ancient's standards - at least in his mind when it came to such things as emotion - and did not recognize ambition when he saw it. It was true that Zeo made it clear he wanted to move higher up in the food chain, but he was also a devoted friend and servant to Gunnar...and eventually a devoted and highly addictive lover. Because of his emotions getting in the way of things, Gunnar gave him certain leeways in regards to institutionalizing and enforcing vampiric law - and though most would have frowned on such a thing, Gunnar found himself rewarded for this seeming 'lapse' in judgement. Zeo was a sound operator, one who battled logic with more infallible logic, and because of this other vampires respected him...and respected Gunnar for allowing him to do the things he did.
Time moved forward, and though they did remain together for quite some time, and happily so - like all good things, even this eventually had to come to an end. When Zeo left him, they parted as friends - even if Gunnar was sad about it, he was no longer a child to weep and beg. Unfortunately for Gunnar though, Zeo left an inadvertent reminder of what had been in the form of an addiction to his particular brand of bite. It was this addiction that would eventually lead Gunnar down the road to irrational, jealous actions - actions that would eventually result in a demotion, though none could be aware of this immediately.
It wasn't until the Brauer line ability of Mortalis showed that things changed, though they did not change as completely as they should have. The ability to turn any vampire into a mere human was one that was rare, and highly feared. And one that would live only through Klaus Brauer as he had not produced a progeny in the 'traditional' fashion. Even Klaus did not believe that such a thing would develop in Gunnar, not that Klaus was really too concerned with it as he loved his Gunnar just the same. Needless to say it proved shocking when Gunnar accidentally discovered this ability when he shoved a born vampiric slave to a very fangless, human state when goaded into such a thing by hateful words thrown at him. Once that became knowledge. well Gunnar was certainly watched very closely indeed - the Council that Klaus's family had always served electing to keep a sharp eye on this Turned lest he get above himself.
Because of this 'interest', Gunnar soon found himself 'welcomed' into all good vampiric society - though the welcome was not one that was viewed as a happy thing as people were still prone to nasty talk when they believe no one could hear what was being said. Still, Gunnar tried to let it roll off his back, and chose to work to make his Vater and maker proud of him. He moved into the world of vampiric politics with purpose, and started in much the same way that any born would have to - on the bottom, until he eventually secured a position on the Council itself. A position that, of course, was given at Klaus Brauer's insistence and agreed upon only in the interest of keeping Gunnar in 'control' of those that sought to limit his scope of power.
This position eventually saw him gaining political clout, and through this clout he secured a place as a National Kaiser - though the Nation he was given was barely formed. The New World it was called - or present day North America - and though it was a wild and untamed land, there were vampires there that needed to be reigned in. Gunnar took the position, and did so against Klaus's advice, and the council was relieved as this meant that they could get the Turned out of their hair and he could be considered punished as well since the Nation they gave him was a vastly unimportant spit of land that held very little of true interest to be watched over. They were all wild there, and the council was more than pleased to stick a useless Turned in such an empty place. And Gunnar was pleased to accept as this meant that he would have an opportunity to prove himself on his own merit.
For years Gunnar worked, scraping together what vampires actually existed on the continent of the New World and forming some sort of society out of them. He put order into the chaos of their lives, and word of his doings travelled far enough to start attracting other vampires from other nations to come and find their place there. His little society grew, much to the council's consternation and to Klaus's pride, and soon it became clear that he'd need others to help him make certain that this society remained ordered and controlled. He kept his ear to the ground, and when word of a certain Italian vampire making a name for himself fell into his line of hearing, Gunnar found himself curious. He sent out a missive, requesting his presence in the New World - and when Zeo DiPaulo made his way over, found himself charmed by the large vampire's sophisticated ways and incredibly intelligent mind.
He fell in love over the space of two years, and Zeo appeared to return these feelings. Of course, Gunnar was still young by an Ancient's standards - at least in his mind when it came to such things as emotion - and did not recognize ambition when he saw it. It was true that Zeo made it clear he wanted to move higher up in the food chain, but he was also a devoted friend and servant to Gunnar...and eventually a devoted and highly addictive lover. Because of his emotions getting in the way of things, Gunnar gave him certain leeways in regards to institutionalizing and enforcing vampiric law - and though most would have frowned on such a thing, Gunnar found himself rewarded for this seeming 'lapse' in judgement. Zeo was a sound operator, one who battled logic with more infallible logic, and because of this other vampires respected him...and respected Gunnar for allowing him to do the things he did.
Time moved forward, and though they did remain together for quite some time, and happily so - like all good things, even this eventually had to come to an end. When Zeo left him, they parted as friends - even if Gunnar was sad about it, he was no longer a child to weep and beg. Unfortunately for Gunnar though, Zeo left an inadvertent reminder of what had been in the form of an addiction to his particular brand of bite. It was this addiction that would eventually lead Gunnar down the road to irrational, jealous actions - actions that would eventually result in a demotion, though none could be aware of this immediately.
Gunnar spent many years in this country that was seeming to always be in a state of change. He fought in wars for it, and made it as much /his/ as a person could possibly make it. Gunnar had grown more than fond of America and it's people, and it's fundamental values, and because of this he would die to defend them if he had to. But it wasn't until centuries past that things would begin to really change for Gunnar himself. It was sometime after the second world war that Vesperes Van Hasselt came to be in America - seemingly put into a state of exile by the council as much for his own protection as for anything else. Gunnar's feelings on this were mixed, of course, the Prussian always making him feel unsure. Like a child, rather than the Ancient being that he'd grown to be. He hated how Vesperes made him feel, and even more so hated the fact that once his presence became known that he almost ached to be in his presence. Vesperes, despite the awkward nature of their early years, and the tempestuous way their very relationship seemed to roil, had crept into his heart some time ago. With Zeo's arrival, that love had grown dormant...but with Zeo long gone, and Vesperes so near - it flooded back to the surface.
Still, he'd learned a few tricks, and knew how to hide the emotions he'd never been able to while growing up - so he hid them and hid them well during all of his dealings with the Prussian. And despite how often Gunnar would leave Vesperes's chosen territory frustrated and angry beyond belief, things didn't really get difficult for him until the presence of Antilles became known to him. A council-chosen clan leader by the name of Seton had requested an audience with him, and Gunnar had agreed as his appointment book had made plenty of allowances for such a thing. It was during this visit that he happened upon a young vampiric slave boy who also happened to possess a certain 'gift' that was known to be a long-standing ability in the royal Van Hasselt line. This aroused Gunnar's curiosity...and also made the American Kaiser put Seton very much to the question. After a rather long and winding conversation, the true nature of Antilles' birth came to be known and Gunnar, knowing what such a thing could mean for Vesperes if he found out at such a late period of time that he had a true born son, consulted with the council for advice.
Both he and his maker Klaus Brauer opposed the council's decision to not inform Vesperes of the existence of this child, but unfortunately the greater ruling won out and Antilles' existence was kept quiet - and constant checks performed by Gunnar himself were made to be certain that Antilles was at least kept safely and comfortably. Checks that Seton was clever enough to meet as what was /really/ going on in that clan house was something he didn't want one as temperamental as Gunnar was occasionally known to be discovering the sad existence that was the Van Hasselt 'brat' 's life. Other than these checks, though, Antilles' existence didn't really begin to effect Gunnar - not until it became known to him that Zeo, the man that had never quite managed to leave Gunnar's unfortunately addicted mind, had purchased Antilles for his own personal reasons. Reasons that Gunnar was not made privvy to.
No one really knows what made Gunnar do what he did next, and in truth, Gunnar doesn't much care to discuss it as he's not entirely sure what made him do it either. But, suffice it to say that Gunnar's next actions lead to his eventual removal from the council, and down a rather self-destructive path in a thinly masked suicide attempt in order to put himself to 'rights' with the council and his maker - whom he perceived to be disappointed in him by what he'd been trying to do. That self-destructive path wound up finding him in the position of clan leader of Azag Ni, and of finding a new home in District 3 - ruling over only a few when he had once ruled over many....
Things to Remember About Gunnar
Still, he'd learned a few tricks, and knew how to hide the emotions he'd never been able to while growing up - so he hid them and hid them well during all of his dealings with the Prussian. And despite how often Gunnar would leave Vesperes's chosen territory frustrated and angry beyond belief, things didn't really get difficult for him until the presence of Antilles became known to him. A council-chosen clan leader by the name of Seton had requested an audience with him, and Gunnar had agreed as his appointment book had made plenty of allowances for such a thing. It was during this visit that he happened upon a young vampiric slave boy who also happened to possess a certain 'gift' that was known to be a long-standing ability in the royal Van Hasselt line. This aroused Gunnar's curiosity...and also made the American Kaiser put Seton very much to the question. After a rather long and winding conversation, the true nature of Antilles' birth came to be known and Gunnar, knowing what such a thing could mean for Vesperes if he found out at such a late period of time that he had a true born son, consulted with the council for advice.
Both he and his maker Klaus Brauer opposed the council's decision to not inform Vesperes of the existence of this child, but unfortunately the greater ruling won out and Antilles' existence was kept quiet - and constant checks performed by Gunnar himself were made to be certain that Antilles was at least kept safely and comfortably. Checks that Seton was clever enough to meet as what was /really/ going on in that clan house was something he didn't want one as temperamental as Gunnar was occasionally known to be discovering the sad existence that was the Van Hasselt 'brat' 's life. Other than these checks, though, Antilles' existence didn't really begin to effect Gunnar - not until it became known to him that Zeo, the man that had never quite managed to leave Gunnar's unfortunately addicted mind, had purchased Antilles for his own personal reasons. Reasons that Gunnar was not made privvy to.
No one really knows what made Gunnar do what he did next, and in truth, Gunnar doesn't much care to discuss it as he's not entirely sure what made him do it either. But, suffice it to say that Gunnar's next actions lead to his eventual removal from the council, and down a rather self-destructive path in a thinly masked suicide attempt in order to put himself to 'rights' with the council and his maker - whom he perceived to be disappointed in him by what he'd been trying to do. That self-destructive path wound up finding him in the position of clan leader of Azag Ni, and of finding a new home in District 3 - ruling over only a few when he had once ruled over many....
Things to Remember About Gunnar
- He is the Turned progeny of Klaus Brauer, and has revealed himself in time to be Klaus's true heir as he holds the ability of Mortalis as surely as his maker.
- Gunnar is an Ancient vampire of Royal Germanic lineage and is considered a true royal based on his ability rather than because he was simply born of a royal blood-lined father.
- Gunnar was not only a member of the High Council, but he was also the first true Kaiser of the vampires in North America.
- Gunnar was originally the one responsible for negotiating the treaty as he was, up until quite recently, the Council Representative for America and Canada. The only reason that the treaty stands the way it does now is because the council over rode his desire to fight and simply gave in - and Gunnar regards this as a very personal failure.
- Gunnar killed the former clan mistress of Azag Ni, an Ancient of some considerable years named Hetepheres, and he did not expect to survive. In fact, his survival came as an unpleasant surprise after he woke up from a month-long healing coma. That is how he came to be a clan master of District 3.
