Marius de Romanus is a powerful vampire as well as a Child of the Millennia, being over 2,000 years old.
Biography
Early Life
Marius was a citizen of the Roman Gallic city of Massilia,born in 30 B.C. He was the illegitimate child of a Keltic woman from the land of Gaul and a wealthy Roman.
Marius was a scholar and chronicler by the age of 20, traveling quite a lot and visiting all the great European cities. During this time (age 25), he met a young woman by the name of Lydia (age 10) whom he wished to marry, but was denied by her father due to her young age.
At the age of 40, Marius was abducted by Druids to become the replacement for their drying God of the Grove. Mael, a Druid Priest, educates and prepares Marius to be their perfect God. During the night of the great Feast of Samhain, Marius is taken to an oak grove where the God of the Grove (burnt badly when Akasha and Enkil were put into the sun) tells Marius lessons of the vampires. He urges Marius to escape the Druid's and go to Egypt to find the answer as to why vampires were burnt or destroyed the world over. The God of the Grove makes Marius a vampire, exchanging blood with Marius several times to ensure his strength.
Marius escaped the Druids, and later found Akasha and Enkil in their comatose state. He removes them from their Keepers clutches with Akasha's urging and consent, and then takes them to Antioch. There, he finds his love, Lydia (now known as Pandora), and makes her into a vampire when her life is threatened. Pandora enchanted and dazzled Marius and they live together for 200 years in Antioch, bringing flowers and singing hymns to Enkil and Akasha. Over the years, Marius and Pandora quarreled now and then, but then the feuds finally separate them.
Much later, Marius moves from Antioch and becomes enamored of the famous painter, Boticelli. He is most tempted to give him the Dark Gift but his logic wins over. During this time, he opens his home to the public and paints the walls of his house. Much to Marius' surprise, he comes across Mael (the Druid Priest, now a vampire) and Mael's maker, Avicus. Marius feels much hatred towards Mael, and vice versa, for it was from Mael's doings that Marius was now a vampire. Marius befriends Avicus, and the 3 live together in the same area without disturbing one another, until Mael discovers and demands to see Those Who Must Be Kept (Akasha and Enkil). At one point, Marius' home is destroyed. He goes to the temple of Akasha and Enkil and falls into a deep sleep for many, many years, with Mael and Avicus watching over him. He finally awakens due to Akasha's urgings once again, and he leaves with Mael and Avicus elsewhere. The hostility between Mael and Marius seemed to have dispersed. They live together for an amount of years when they finally part ways; Marius believing it safer and wiser if he was left alone with the knowledge of Those Who Must Be Kepts whereabouts. Moving to Venice (15th Century), he befriends the mortal Bianca, and resides in his home as a great painter. He also meets, for the first time, a member of the Talamasca, Raymond Gallant. He questions Raymond on whether he has knowledge on Pandoras whereabouts, but not much is known.
During his time in Venice, Marius buys a mortal child, Andrei, who he names Amadeo (later known as Armand). To Marius, Amadeo was a wounded boy whose blend of sadness and simplicity was too great to resist. He fell madly in love with him, the love rivaling that of the love he had for Pandora. Marius also did a painting on Amadeo, called The Temptation of Amadeo. Amadeo was eventually made a vampire when he nearly dies. Before this occurs, Mael actually comes to visit Marius but leaves soon after. Marius and Amadeo's happiness is short-lived when Santino's coven (followers of Satan) put a torch to Marius and captured Armand, punishing Marius for living among mortals. Marius is badly hurt and turns Bianca into a vampire when he cannot resist his thirst. They both manage to escape to Marius secret shrine of Those Who Must Be Kept in the mountains of northern Italy, and Marius drank from Akasha to restore his physical-self.
During Marius and Bianca's time together, Marius sees Amadeo (now Armand) once again, but Armand is much changed. Now the leader of a coven and not as innocent as when Marius last saw him. Marius did not see Armand again until 1985 in Sonoma. Living together, Marius and Bianca tended to the shrine of Akasha and Enkil and then moved to Dresden. Bianca remains with Marius, believing that his love for her is equal to his love for Pandora. Marius' own purpose for moving to Dresden was because he knew Pandora would arrive their sooner or later. In the late 1600s, he finally meets Pandora (who was in the company of her fledgling, Arjun) and their meeting is a memorable moment; the love between them revived. Marius urgently requests that Pandora leave with him and to rid herself of Arjun, but she refuses. She regrets her refusal and sends a letter to Marius, asking him to meet her again another night and whisk her away from Arjun. Marius never receives this letter until many years later. Unfortunately, Bianca listens upon Marius urgent beggings for Pandora to stay with him, and she realizes that his love for Pandora is absolute and that he has no need for her (Bianca). Bianca leaves Marius, who becomes very distraught. That is much to be expected, losing two loves in one night. Traveling the world, Marius hears the calling of a young vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt. He revives Lestat from his underground stupor, and takes him to his Greek island hideaway. Marius tells Lestat about the origins of the vampire race, the Mother and Father, Akasha and Enkil, who sit as statues in a tomb on Marius' island. Marius is later forced to send Lestat away after Lestat bravely drinks from Akasha, stirring the ancient couple.
Marius moves Those Who Must Be Kept again, and is not heard of until 1984, when Akasha awakens and buries him beneath the ice (he calls out to Lestat, warning him of danger). Marius survives throughout Akasha's slaughter of the immortals, and once again comes in contact with his beloved Pandora and Armand, but drift apart later. When Akasha attacks Marius, Marius is quite saddened and depressed for he had loved her.
During the time when Lestat lies in his comatose state after his trip to Heaven and Hell, Armand returns to the scene with two mortals, Sybelle and Benji. Marius knows how much Armand loves these mortal children, so gives them the Dark Gift, risking Armands anger. The last we hear from Marius, is when he tells his lifes tale to Maharets fledgling, Thorne. During that time, we learn that Marius has taken Daniel Malloy under his wing, for Daniel seems unable to look after his own self. Once Marius finishes his tale and the next night comes about, he witnesses the destruction of Santino. Thorne destroys Santino in revenge for Marius and as an indirect punishment towards Maharet for what she did to Thorne. We also see Marius in company with Armand and Pandora.
Physical Appearance
Marius has white blonde hair that comes down to his shoulders and breaks into small, lustrous curls with iridescent blue eyes lashed with gold. He is quite tall and splendid to look at. Most of the time he is seen wearing rich, red velvet coats.
Personality
Marius is an exceptionally sagacious, wise and optimistic vampire. He is one of the oldest known to still survive, a true Child of the Millennia. He has a great passion for the arts and is a master painter and great scholar. He loves to read and to write. Marius' interests include all manner of intellectual and artistic pursuits.
Powers & Abilities
Because Marius has directly drunk so often the blood of Akasha from whom the vampiric life fount originated, he is immensely powerful, possessing a number of advanced abilities most other vampires don't have.
Child of the Millennia Abilities:
- The Fire Gift - The ability to summon fire as well as set objects and the combustable blood of younger vampires ablaze with only a thought.
- The Mind Gift - A pairing of telekinesis and telepathy. Marius has the ability move objects and read the minds of mortals and weaker vampires with ease, as well as shield his own mind from being read.
- The Spell Gift - The ability to hypnotize or put mortals under his thrall.
- The Killing Gift - The ability to kill by applying great telekinetic force.
- The Cloud Gift - The ability to fly, though it is a gift not favored by vampires because it reminds them of their inhumanity.
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