Zoltan Vancura

In sashays a sinewy thing that makes no effort to conceal the curse of its Nosferatu blood. The head is crowned by a wine-colored turban pinned with a gaudy rhinestone brooch that contrasts horribly with a venous countenance mottled with powder and rouge. Its eyes are the color of an oil spill, and you imagine that the two caterpillar-like clusters of hair upon its brow must be trying to escape. Further down the face a row of jagged, discolored teeth protrudes boldly from misshapen, painted lips. From the lobes of starkly pointed ears dangle pendulous tassels, and a string of pearls adorns the shriveled, birdlike neck. Over a tasteless red mesh top hangs a tattered coat of lank fur that has been stained with various nauseating hues. Scabrous hands with long, twisted nails jut out from the shabby sleeves to terminate in knobby, fungal fingers crowded with a variety of clashing rings. The ensemble is a sartorial crime, made all the more offensive by the brazenness with which it is worn. Why? Why will this creature not do what is merciful, and hide itself from sight?

Clan: Nosferatu

Society: Camarilla (Elder, Harpy)

PUBLIC TIMELINE

Pre-1421: Depending on the day, Vancura's stories of his mortal life include being the heir of dispossessed nobility who were forced to flee their homeland, being the child of long-suffering peasant laborers who were worked to death, being a street urchin forced to act, sing, and do other questionable things, and being the son of a merchant sailor who was essentially raised on the sea. The only constant in these stories is that he is of Hungarian descent.

1421: The vampire Vancura is formally released in Munich as the progeny of Dieter von Chiemsee, a monkish and retiring Nosferatu. He shows none of his sire's wisdom or modesty and thumbs his nose at the expectation that a proper Nosferatu is rarely seen and only speaks words of worth. His affectation of courtly mannerisms and his fondness for pageantry earn him unflattering comparisons to the Toreador. Moreover, he refuses to to dwell underground with his new "family," instead preferring to take up residence in the city's brothel.

1429: Vancura's pathological need for attention has him attiring himself in ever gaudier displays of purloined finery, towering wigs, and make-up. ("The eye, against all desire, is drawn to him as to a blister on the lips of the Madonna" noted one Harpy at the time.) He is eventually invited to a Toreador salon in Nice just so that a visiting Genoan aesthete can savagely mock him; however, to the guests' collective dismay he flips the script and succeeds in charming her with his dancing skills, flirtatious wit, and passion for the dramatic arts. The Lady from Genoa is sympathetic to his desire for visibility, and thereafter he finds himself invited to more salons in earnest.

1430 ~ 1450: Seeming never to settle in one place for very long, Vancura widens his circle of associates by attending Court in several cities including Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Genoa, Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona, and Copenhagen. His ability to gather information earns him some respect from his fellow Nosferatu, even if they continue to fault his style. His ease at infiltrating and navigating both high and low mortal society allows him to work various favors that other kindred find useful. He begins to discuss outlandish aesthetic notions that he later formalizes into a "philosophy" he calls beaute radical, which asserts beauty is a function of one's will and independent from the perceptions or judgments of others.

1450 ~ 1750: Vancura's appearances at salons and other social functions become less regular, and at times he is altogether absent for months or even years as he goes on extended spontaneous "holidays." Eventually he is believed lost after a ship carrying him to the New World sinks off the coast of Virginia during a storm, and those kindred who have appointed themselves the gatekeepers of good taste breathe a collective sigh of relief.

1977 ~ present:Vancura presents himself in Richmond "fashionably late" and decides to settle there. When the Toreador Harpy Fiona Bizet is appointed Seneschal, he gladly steps in to fill her shoes. Rather than submit written reports through mailing lists, he physically distributes his thoughts on micro-cassettes questionably called Nocturnal Emissions. He lays claim to an a seedy, dilapidated theater called La Petite Mort in which he periodically hosts parties, and he often announces symbels by theme to encourage getting into the spirit of things.

"We're all beautiful, can't you see? Look at me!" -- Divine, I'm So Beautiful

DID YOU HEAR??

• Zoltan is the original "Cleopatra," but it wasn't until Freaks premiered in 1932 that the Nos finally had a name for it.
• His need for attention is merely a cry for help stemming from an especially traumatic Embrace.
• He avoids sewers because he has a paralyzing fear of tight spaces.
• The genuine Zoltan Vancura was lost at sea and has been replaced by a young, misguided upstart.
• Start a rumor here!

THE REVIEWS ARE IN!

• Say something nice (or throw some shade)!

OUT OF CHARACTER STUFF

Player: BR US2010096592

Player Email: homodm at gmail dot com

Storyteller: AJ Parker

Storyteller Email: RICCamST at gmail dot com

Location: Richmond, VA-013-D