It was 1694 when the man who would become known as Tamerlane II was born. His true name has been discarded to history, but he was born to a significant station.
Born in Delhi, then the capital of the Mughal Empire, he was a direct blood relative Alamgir The First: theemperor of the Muhgal Dynasty. From a young age, Tamerlane was a talent amongst his family, gifted in statescraft and capable as a warrior, he was all the same far more concerned with matters of the soul. He became obsessed after an experience with finding the source of the unnamable power he knew was lingering in the dark corners of the world.
He spent much of his wealth to buy education in ancient languages and scholastic knowledge from the four corners of the earth, abused his birthright to use armed forces to seize places of power and artifacts as he saw them. And soon, he began to see results.
His hunger for Sorcery was intense and once it was finally in his hands, he was obsessed with gathering more and more. Nothing could satisfy, and as the years turned to decades he commanded the mighty power to slow his aging, to find the objects of his desire, to destroy his oppositions. He faded into obscurity away from the prying eyes of his family, especially as the Imperial line entered an age of turmoil after the death of Alagmir.
He was fifty years old, but nary a day over twenty five when the day finally came. For years, he had divined that soon all would be revealed, that his destiny was about to manifest and that he would conqueror death and hold in his dominion, all that his hands could seize. He loved his sire, her long dark hair and baleful eyes, the softness of her skin and yet iron of her grip. The smoldering hate, enchanted him.
It was real love, mutual and passionate, she took him into her employ, then her arms, then into eternity.
However, Tamerlane's time in the homeland was not to last. When the British Empire came and formed their Raj in 1858, he knew it was time to depart. Fleeing to the nation that was defined by its opposition to The British, he chose the United States. His sire...would not join him. He has not seen her since, she exists only in his dreams now.
They were hard years, for civil war gripped the nation soon after his arrival, the burgeoning Sabbat, the rising Anarch revolt, and the all too greedy Camarilla. But yet Tamerlane II has endured and his endurance comes from his ferocity and friends in places most Cainites are too ignorant to dream. Long had he cultivated alliances with the Faerie folk, the Spiral-deranged Lupine and covetous Magi. Tamerlane has dreams of building an army, to carving out his own Cainite empire in the ways of old, but to do so he will never support beyond reckoning. Sorcery, beyond dreaming.
So he cultivates for now, the blood of the Faeries, deals them for consumption and reagent, builds ties in their world. And when the time is right, he will call in all these little favors, and if they refuse he has their blood and the things he could do to them with it will make them beg for Banalty or Bedlam to take them away.
All. According. To Plan.
Physical Description
Tamerlane is a man only slightly above average height, standing 5'10, with broad shoulders, a barrel chest and generally a muscular physique. He's a lightly tanned man, with a ruddy complexation, short black hair and a full well trimmed beard.
His clothing inside of his own home or private places is somewhat archaic, favoring the colorful, noble attire of his homeland but while out on the town so to speak, he wears only the most expensive in the latest of mens business fashion. In many ways he should strike the average Kindred as looking like a particularly fashioned inclined Ventrue. Fancy, but all business.
Tamerlane walks with a cane, which is as fancy but professional as his clothing.
Mental characteristics
Like a good Vampire, Tamerlane tries very hard to conceal the extent of his abilities and doesn't flaunt himself an Elder, especially not of Elder blood, despite his internal seething about becoming effectively the High King of the New World in Vampire terms.
Tamerlane is cruel. Just like his namesake, and he strives to be at-least equal in the lengths he will go against people for his goals.
Personality Characteristics
Tamerlane The Second is an obsessive, Imperious man, who's obsession with magic started long before his embrace. He's driven by ambition and a hunger for power deeper then even most Cainites.
He wishes to cultivate Fey allies, because he dreams to create his own Imperial Vampire Dynasty within the New World, with big dreams of carving out large swaths of territory as effectively a "King of Kings" but wants to manipulate the Changelings into helping him. He's playing the long game dealing in their blood and the drugs he can make from, to burn the candle on both the Changeling and Vampire side, to make them dependent on each other to feed their addictions, and his sorcery to facilitate.
Business Partner (Important)
Business Partner (Important)
History
To live within the shadows is to once and a while stumble upon another leech - if not literally, figuratively.
Tamerlane stumbled upon one such night, where a careful Merlot was in the process of extracting the kidney of one of his little occultist apprentices.
What could have been a rather explosive, messy meeting (not discounting poor Karen's already-displaced organs) became one of great profitability for both. Tamerlane got rare fae blood (and, on occasion, human blood if there was a certain palette or recipe he could not satisfy on his own), while Merlot could acquire the organs and other ephemera of prodigals - such as lycanthropes and sorcerers - that he could not hope to procure for his clientele of treasure-crafters on his own.
Relationship Reasoning
Merlot is something of a kindred spirit to Tamerlane. Tamerlane respects the professionalism and brutality of Merlot, and they've probably known each other for sometime and the relationship is friendly but strictly business.
They are probably as close to friends as a vampire and a ghast could have, but that's a pretty low bar.
Shared Secrets
Running blood and guts of humans, vampires, OR fairies is dangerous, illegal business - neither of the entrepreneurs are likely to spill the beans on their business anytime soon.
History
There are always people that traffic in the strange and occult, and the (presumed neonate) Tamerlane is happy to be Brick's broker, providing the Brujah with small, candy-like distillations of fairy blood. It is normally provided through an intermediary, or appears without ceremony on his doorstep/drop location, and not hide nor hair of a courier. Either it's a very skilled ghoul, or it's something else supernatural.
Tamerlane is a... Ventrue? Brick isn't sure - there's a lot of woo-woo going on for him to be sure of Tamerlane's clan. It isn't really any of his business anyway, and he would probably get cut off from Tamerlane's network if he asks too many questions.
Shared Secrets
Buying fae blood is a risky proposition - not only because it is akin to a hallucinogenic drug, but because it is one of those situations where you don't want to know how the sausage is made.
Tamerlane offers no insight, and Brick asks no questions.
History
Will did not know of Tamerlane's existence, though the vampire definitely knew of his.
A friend and lover of Will's close friend Danny Rose, Tamerlane kept an eye on Danny and his life for several years (unable to remain close due to the increasingly important matters both had to attend to in their own worlds and the damage that Tamerlane's very presence could do to Danny). After Danny's death, Tamerlane began a watchful guardianship over Danny's daughter, Ocean Rose.
Will adopted Ocean, and was unaware of this psychic guardianship over his daughter for two years before Tamerlane revealed himself. He was openly distrustful of the vampire when they met, but due to Tamerlane's clear affection for the Rose family and Tamerlane's help with Lhandren, he has grown to trust Tamerlane more.
Nicknames & Petnames
Tammy, a nickname given to Tamerlane by Ocean.
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