Marcus Bellinger
From Carthian Movement
Player - Brian Jones
Name - Marcus Bellinger
Clan - Daeva (Daeva status x1)
Covenant - Carthian Movement (Carthian Status x3)
Age - Appears to be in his early 30s
Location - Atlanta, GA Atlanta status x3
Timeline
1756-1763 Seven Years War
02/02/1763 Born in Angers, France, to the Marquis de Bellengie
12/15/1781 Moved to Paris, became outspoken supporter of both the American Rebels and the French Revolutionists
07/14/1789 Present at the fall of the Bastille
08/26/1789 Reads The Declaration of the Rights of Man
01/01/1790 Changes name to Marcus Bellinger, in support of dropping aristocratic titles in France. Bellinger begins movement for adoption of a democratic government.
08/05/1792 Speaks to several citizens of Paris in support of the new Republic, and of Robespierre.
08/10/1792 Robespierre elected to the Commune of Paris
01/21/1793 King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are guillotined in Paris. Bellinger in attendance.
07/27/1794 Robespierre is arrested and quillotined.
10/15/1795 Bellinger opposes Napoleon Bonaparte's appointment as Commander in Chief of France's armies, saying "we've only traded one tyrant for another" Liberty Stone present at a rally lead by Bellinger against the appointment of Bonaparte
12/31/1799 Embraced by Liberty Stone (played by Justin Diaz) along with 3 other kindred
06/12/1815 Present at the Battle of Waterloo
1895 Awakened in Paris when first moving pictures are shown. Bellinger becomes secret benefactor of the Lumiere brothers.
05/01/1896 Opens the Gilded Lion, a gallery/auction house in Paris.
1895-1910 Influential during Bohemian movement in Paris, with a great deal of support going to French Painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and later Amedeo Modigliani
1914 Bellinger moves to Atlanta, choosing Atlanta as his home city.
1915 Bellinger begins moving among the art world of Atlanta, meets Ms. Hattie High, and Asa Candler. Gives a sizeable donation to Asa Candler for "Art and Education in the city".
1915 Emory University founded. Asa Candler pledged $1 million to the school.
1916 Encourages Asa Candler to run for Mayor, gives many speeches in support.
1917 Advises Mr. Candler of his true nature, Candler becomes a ghoul in the service of Bellinger.
1919 Asa Candler sells the Coca-Cola Company to a group led by Ernest Woodruff for $25 million. Bellinger believes this to be a poor move, and releases Mr. Candler as his ghoul.
03/15/1922 Opens Atlanta branch of the Gilded Lion Auction House under the name of "Thomas Stone"
12/02/1924 Meets Hattie High at an art benefit hosted by "Mr. Stone".
06/23/1925 Ghouled Hattie High
1926 Faked the death of Ms. High, with the stipulation in her will that her home be turned into a museum.
1928 Museum opens in Ms. High's home for the first time.
1929 Asa Candler asks Bellinger to embrace him on his deathbed, Bellinger refuses.
12/07/1946 While attending an art exhibit at the Wincoff Hotel, a tragic fire took the life of his ghoul, Ms. High, and wounded Bellinger greatly. Although he was able to escape the building, he went into torpor shortly afterward.
09/22/1975 Awoke from Torper in a secret room in the basement of Ms. High's home.
10/15/1975 Ghouled Sophie Bordeaux to help adjust to changes since his torpor.
1979 Influenced the Art Alliance of Atlanta to build new museum at site of Ms. High's previous house. Richard Meier was chosen as architect.
07/29/1982 Embraced Sophie Bordeaux as a reward for helping him adjust to the new world. Sophie chooses to join the Ordo Dracul. Marcus contacts Mike Jones and makes arrangements for her tutelage
1983 Meier building opened
03/15/1985 Elected as Carthian Myrmidon for first time.
03/12/1985 re-elected Carthian Myrmidon.
1986 In an effort to restore art to Atlanta, Bellinger supports the renovation of Underground Atlanta, and the moratorium on demolishing historic structures.
2002 Begins working with associates in France to bring art to Atlanta
10/15/2003 London offices of Gilded Lion open.
2004 High museum signs satellite agreement with the Louvre to bring special pieces of art to Atlanta, beginning in 2006. In return, Marcus sponsors construction of the Millennium arch in downtown Atlanta.
01/01/2005 Prince Augustus announces he will no longer run as Consul of the city, and instead will drift into sleep. Bellinger decides not to run for the position, instead choosing to run for Myrmidon and support Robert Braddock for the position of Consul.
01/15/2005 Sophie Bordeaux completes her tutelage, returns to Atlanta.
03/05/2005 Braddock wins election for position of Consul, Bellinger wins election for the position of Myrmidon.
04/01/2005 Bellinger agrees to serve former Consul Augustus for a period of six months, as he slips into Torpor. Bellinger leaves his affairs in the hands of his Sophia Bourdeaux, who had recently returned to the city from her training.
04/14/2005 Bordeaux embraces Sarah Stone for purposes unknown.
04/15/2005 Bordeaux is attacked and killed by zombies while in Bellinger's car, with Bellinger missing and Ms. Bordeaux's return to the city unknown, it was assumed Bellinger was attacked and killed.
10/01/2005 Bellinger returns to the city, anaware he had been presumed dead. A special election is held to determine if Bellinger should hold the title of Myrmidon, or if it should remain in the hands of XXX, who had served the city as temporary Myrmidon during Bellinger's absence.
12/03/2005 While feeding in Atlanta, Bellinger discovers Sarah Stone, who has been feeding alone in the city for several months. She has no idea of her lineage, or even her nature. He agrees to teach her what she needs to know.
History
Chapter One: Life as a mortal (1763-1799)
1763 was a difficult time for France. The Seven Years war had just come to an end with the Treaty of Paris, giving all French territory west of the Mississippi to the English. The French also lost India, Canada, and nearly all its holdings in the New World. Many well known political thinkers, such as Voltaire and Rousseau were beginning to question the principles of the old regime that held France in its fist of nobility. It was into this world that the Marchioness de Belengie gave birth to Jean-Pierre in Angers, France, on February 02, 1763. The Marquis de Belengie had been killed earlier the year before in the Battle of Signal Hill, the last battle of the Seven Years War, and the Marchioness had returned to her family home in Angers to raise her son.
Angers, France, located in the Anjou valley and capital of the province of Anjou, was a perfect place for Jean-Pierre to grow up. The city itself was wealthy, due to its slate quarries and the farms of the Anjou valley, which supplied hemp, fruits, and a good amount of wine grapes that were exported to Paris. Because of this, Angers was slow to feel the burden of squalor that had devastated much of the rest of the country. While the rest of France crept onward towards revolution, Jean-Pierre and the rest of Angers remained aloof and unconcerned with the troubles that lay ahead. Jean-Pierre, as a young man, first discovered his love of theater in Angers, which had many open theaters, and a number of traveling shows. He even performed in a few, where the script called for a small child. Jean-Pierre was never a large man, like his father, but he had a presence on stage that could capture an audience like no other his age.
Because of this love of theater, many of the actors suggested he move to Paris, to further his schooling, and perhaps return to the theater when he was older. When he was 18, he told his family of his desire to move, and on December 15, 1781, he finally made the move to Paris.
Paris, in an attempt to distract itself from its own problems, had become enraptured by the American Revolution. However, many were already saying that the liberal ideals of the Americans could easily stand in France as well. Voltaire’s dismissal of absolutism and Rousseau’s Social Contract brought a desire to change to Jean-Pierre. He gave up the theater, and became a speaker in support of the American Revolution, and the French Revolutionists following in their footsteps. He gave much of his wealth to the cause, and became a fanatical speaker for the movement. In May of 1789, he traveled to Versailles to speak at the opening of the States-General for the people of Paris. It was there Jean-Pierre met several of the leaders of the revolution, including Maximilien Robespierre, Alexandre Lameth, and Mirabeau. While Robespierre wasn’t a great speaker, he was very devout to his cause, and it was his devotion that drew Jean-Pierre.
Together, along with several others, they formed the Club Breton, which later expanded into the Jacobin Club. The purpose of the club, in theory, was to work for the establishment and strengthening of the constitution, but at first, the group did little political movement. On July 14, 1789, that changed. The Bastille had long served as a symbol of despotism, and rumors had begun circulating that the commander of the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay, had fortified the fortress against the French people, going so far as to aim a cannon at the street of St. Antoine. Jean-Pierre and others requested an audience with the Marquis, but the Marquis stated that the cannon was set as it always had been. The crowd refused to believe that statement, and began to attack the Bastille with axes and pitchforks. After several hours, Jean-Pierre himself convinced some French guardsmen to support the crowd with cannon. This action turned the tide of the battle, and the defenders of the Bastille surrendered, against De Launay’s wishes.
Jean-Pierre’s political views became cemented at that battle, and he fought more and more for the Revolutionists. He read anything he could, and was particularly enraptured with the Deist beliefs of the American Revolutionaries, including those of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. He began to distance himself from Robespierre, as Maximilien was a devout Catholic, and was well known for his temper regarding other beliefs. Still, he spoke for the Revolution and for Robespierre at the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and several times afterward. It wasn’t until 1792 that Jean-Pierre began to lose his taste for the Revolution, as Robespierre had become overzealous and drunk with power. After Robespierre had King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette guillotined on January 21, 1793, Jean-Pierre lost all taste for Robespierre’s vision of the world, and took his leave of the Jacobin Club. Robespierre was displeased, but was kept busy with other matters, until Jean-Pierre joined the counter-revolutionaries in the Vendee in October of 1793. Jean-Pierre was captured and arrested, and sentenced to death. Fortunately, he had made several friends in his time with the revolutionary army, and managed to talk his way out of being executed several times. Finally, after Robespierre was executed on July 27, 1794, Jean-Pierre was released.
For a time, things returned to normal for Jean-Pierre. He still worked closely with the people of Paris, and championed change in the government. When he met Napoleon Bonaparte in 1795 however, he once again became concerned. At Napoleon’s appointment to Commander in Chief of France’s armies on October 15, 1795, Jean-Pierre led a rally against him, saying, “We’ve only traded one tyrant for another”. It was at this rally that Jean-Pierre first caught the attention of a visitor from America, Liberty Stone. They spoke briefly, and over the next few years, became good friends. Jean-Pierre liked Liberty’s strategic mind, while Liberty valued Jean-Pierre’s ability to drive peoples emotions through his speech and charisma. On December 31, 1799, Liberty invited Jean-Pierre to a New Years Eve Party, where he explained his true nature as a vampire and offered the embrace to Jean-Pierre, which he accepted gladly.
Chapter Two – The Vampire Years (1800-1914)
Jean-Pierre took to life as a vampire fairly easily at first. As the politics of France settle down, He once again turned his attention to the arts. Knowing that the world would soon grow suspicious, Jean-Pierre changed his name to Marcus, and began learning what he could of the politics of the vampire world. However, the secretive nature of vampires made the learning of the ins and outs of the society a difficult prospect at best. Marcus distracted himself by working in the art world. While he still had a love for theater and acting, he was intrigued at finding wholly new mediums for the art world. His first opportunity came when he heard about the work of Nicéphore Niépce in 1824 regarding the new art of lithography, and Marcus began funding him. Eventually, Niépce succeeded in creating a true photograph.
Over the next century, Marcus spent nearly all his time focused on art and politics. In 1840, Marcus noticed that his money had nearly run out, but he had a great deal of antiques from his Angers estate. He opened an auction house, calling it the Gilded Lion, in honor of his family crest. The auction house was a huge success, and Marcus began supporting even more artists in Paris.
In 1895, Marcus saw the Lumiere brothers’ movie “Leaving the Lumière Factories”, and was amazed at what he saw. He immediately requested an audience with the Lumiere brothers, but another vampire, Michael Thane, A Daeva Invictus, had taken them on as a personal project. Marcus attacked Thane, first socially, then physically, trying to force him to remove his backing of the brothers. Thane had no trouble destroying Marcus’ holdings, and very nearly killed him. It was at that time Marcus realized that he had let his pride get the best of him, and he had become too wrapped up in his politics. He needed to take a step back, and ground himself in his beliefs.
He gave up his identity, both as a mortal, and as a vampire, and chose to live alone, among the Bohemians of Paris. He became Benjamin Paine, an Englishman author who had come to Paris to write. Having no money, he could not back the artists, but did everything he could for the few that crossed his path. Two of the most important were Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Amedeo Modigliani. Toulouse-Lautrec taught Benjamin that life was meant to be enjoyed, no matter its curses, and showed him the freedoms that could be found by giving in to ones vices. Benjamin spent as much time as possible with Toulouse-Lautrec, and was very disappointed when he began to succumb to whiskey and absinthe
It was Amedeo Modigliani who taught Benjamin to look beyond art as simply an entertainment, but as a source for enlightenment. Modigliani believed that anyone could see heaven in any piece of art. If they couldn’t, they simply weren’t intoxicated enough. Benjamin began to formulate his own ideas of enlightenment, and how it pertained to the vampiric myth of Golconda. At last, he realized, he had discovered his truest calling, and set about preparing to return to vampiric society.
First, he reestablished his hold over the Gilded Lion, which had fallen into near-financial ruin with his absence. Once it was restored to a working order, he decided to leave Paris and travel to the New World for the first time.
Chapter Three – The New World (1914 – 1946)
Once the Gilded Lion was reestablished, Benjamin once again took on the name Marcus, posing as the son of the former Marcus Bellinger. Then, he contacted Liberty Stone, to ensure that he had not died at the hands of Michael Thane. Marcus explained to Liberty where he had been, and his desire to head to the New World. Liberty suggested Atlanta, and gave him the contact information for Grace Morganstern. Marcus made all the arrangements necessary, and then set sail for America.
After docking in Savannah, on July 6th, 1914, he headed north to meet Grace, who in turn introduced him to August Sevres, the current Prince of Atlanta. Marcus was very impressed with the Carthian city, and chose to stay permanently. He began making the rounds of Atlanta’s High Society, and met both Hattie High and Asa Candler during that year. Seeing potential in both of these individuals, he kept close tabs on Ms. High, and began working with Asa Candler very closely. Marcus Gave a sizeable donation to Asa Candler for "Art and Education in the city" after a particularly good find sold at the auction house for an unprecedented amount. Mr. Candler returned the favor by telling Marcus about plans to open a new University in the city. Marcus then contributes a significant amount in Mr. Candlers name to that University. Emory University opened later that year, in 1915.
Marcus liked Mr. Candler a great deal, and spent more and more time with him. Marcus tried to instill his love of politics into Mr. Candler, and in 1916, convinced him to run for mayor. Thanks to many speeches by “Thomas Stone”, Marcus’ mortal identity, Mr. Candler won the election in a landslide vote. After the inauguration, Marcus explained his true nature, and Mr. Candler became a ghoul for Marcus. Marcus then uses some of the revenue of the Coca-Cola Corporation to fund the Gilded Lion’s Atlanta office, which opened its doors for business on May 1st, 1917. Marcus spent a great deal of time at the auction house, once it was open, only seeing Mr. Candler once every few weeks. Perhaps this caused Mr. Candler to eventually sell Coca-Cola to Ernest Woodruff in 1919. This move infuriated Mr. Candler, and Marcus refused to allow him to serve as his ghoul any longer. Instead, he offered his blood to Ms. Hattie High, which she accepted. She served as his ghoul and personal assistant until 1926 when she donated her home to the Atlanta Art Society as a museum. Two years later, the museum opens for the first time as the “High Museum of Art” in her honor. Marcus was no longer supplying blood to Mr. Candler, but he was keeping tabs on him, and in 1926, after a debilitating stroke, Mr. Candler called for a meeting with Marcus. He begged Marcus for the embrace, but Marcus refused. He even threatened to reveal Marcus’ secret, but Marcus explained that it would not cure the condition of his stroke, and convinced Mr. Candler that he should die in peace. Mr. Candler agreed, and remained silent on the matter until his death in 1929.
In 1932, comments had begun to circulate among the high society regarding Ms High’s particularly long life, so together Marcus and Hattie formed a plan that would fake her death, and would eventually leave the deed of the house in Marcus’ hands. The plan went off without a flaw, and Ms High became Beatrice Stone, Thomas Stones newly arrived wife. Since Ms. High had been relying on makeup to appear older for quite some time, and she dyed her hair, noone immediately recognized her.
Things progressed peacefully for Marcus and the new Ms. Stone, until the kindred gathering of Dec 1946. Both Marcus and Ms Stone were in attendance, as well as several other kindred. In addition, there was a small gathering of mortals in another area of the hotel, preparing a celebration of their own. The gathering was held in the prestigious Wincoff hotel, which was thought to be fireproof. Obviously, things went wrong. It wasn’t clear if the fire began as an accident, or was purposely set, but the end result was the same. Many mortals died, as well as a small number of kindred. Marcus barely made it out alive, but Ms. Stone didn’t. Marcus barely returned to the museum, where he fell into Torpor in a secret room that had been set aside for him.
Chapter Four: Modern Times (1975 – Present)
Marcus awoke in a daze on September 22, 1975. He was very weak, and for several days lived off the rats in the basement of what had become the High Museum. Eventually, he gained enough strength to make his way to the outside, and was stunned at what he saw. Even though he’d only been in torpor for nearly 30 years, the world seemed to have progressed much quicker than his previous 200. He walked down to the Fox theater, and found it in poor condition. He checked several of the favorite kindred nightspots, but many had been torn down or closed. Realizing he wouldn’t get far without a guide, he went back to the museum, where a nighttime curator, Sophie Bourdeaux, was just leaving the building.
Sophie was friendly, and charming, and Marcus took a liking to her right away. Realizing there was no better way to explain things than the truth, Marcus offered to make her his ghoul, if she would agree to be his guide. Sophie was a keen strategist, however, and bargained for more. She suggested that if she served as guide, when that service was up, Marcus would then make her a vampire as well. Marcus agreed, provided that all kindred law was followed, thinking that Sevres, should he still be Prince, would never allow her embrace.
Sophie explained the new advances that had been made in the last 30 years, and took him to Buckhead, the new hotspot for local up and comers. There, Marcus once again spotted Grace, who filled him in on changes over the past 30 years. Sevres still served as Prince, and many had believed Marcus had also been lost in the fire. Marcus once again contacted his sire Liberty to explain that he had not been lost. He then set about regaining control of the Gilded Lion, both here and in France, and ensuring that his holdings in Atlanta, particularly the deed to the high, were once again in his hands. After his matters were secure, he took some time to reflect on his torpor. To Marcus, it seemed it was a taste of death, and a signal that he should return to work on his goal of the Golconda myth. Still, the only lead he had was the art-as-enlightenment. He once again focused on art, using the Atlanta Art Society to build a new Museum on the site of Ms. High’s former home.
In 1982, Marcus presents Sophie to Prince Sevres, who surprisingly, grants permission for Marcus to embrace her. He does so, and she chooses to join the Ordo Dracul. Marcus contacts Victor Slovak, a Dragon he’d known briefly in his time in Paris. Slovak agrees to tutor her, and Marcus sends her on her way.
In 1985 Prince Sevres suggested that Marcus wasn’t doing enough for the movement, and that he should run for a position. Marcus chooses to run for Myrmidon, and wins the election. Under Prince Sevres, there is little squabbling, and Marcus runs for re-election in 1995. He also wins that election. Marcus also continued to support the arts movement. In 1983, the Meier building opened, creating more room for displays at the High Museum. He was also heavily involved with the restoration project of the Fox Theater, and in 1986, supported the restoration of Underground Atlanta. In 2002, he made contacts both in London, and at the Louvre in Paris. With the Daeva of Paris, he made a deal to build a replica of the Arch de Triomphe in Atlanta, and in exchange, the Louvre would sign a deal with the High Museum to bring art from Paris to Atlanta, starting in 2006. In 2003, Marcus opens the London office of the Gilded Lion Auction Houses.
Currently, Marcus still seeks enlightenment through art. Even though Prince Sevres stepped down, Marcus won the election of Myrmidon once again. However, this year has proven much more traumatic that the previous twenty spent as Myrmidon. It seems to Marcus, at least, that things are going to remain interesting for quite some time.
