Vassily Tantos was an 8th Generation Diplomatic Advisor and Spymaster of Clan Ravnos in Budapest of the Dark Ages.
Background[]
In the 12th century, most Rom were content to live in Asia Minor. Though they had wandered far from their homelands, their curse had not yet driven them to the tumultuous lands of Europe. Only a few families were so consumed by wanderlust that they yearned to see the fabled spires of Byzantium. The Taltos was one such Gypsy family. In 1172, the kumpania of Vassily Taltos arrived at the gates of Constaninople.
Vassily was an outsider to Byzantine society, mistrusted and reviled. His kind were not welcome in the city, and soon the authorities found pretexts to imprison members of his family. The young man sought allies who would assist him in liberating his kin. He found them. The Ravnos of the West eagerly awaited the day when their mortal children would be able to roam throughout Europe. To free his kumpania, Vassily drank the vitae of a Ravnos elder and swore his loyalty.
Although half his kumpania was killed by mortal “justice,” the remainder were liberated by Cainites. They turned back toward their homelands, but Vassily’s curiosity ran unabated. Succumbing to the Embrace, he began a journey to seek his fortune. Unlike his elders, however, he chose a different route. Instead of the Road of Paradox, he chose the Road of Humanity.
Vassily learned to play the game of politics, ensuring his survival by telling just the right lies to both sides in any struggle. He soon served as advisor to several Ventrue rulers of the Western Balkans, all the while sending information to his clanmates in the East. His glib tongue assisted him in negotiating peace between the rampaging Gangrel, the proud Brujah and the elitist Ventrue. By 1180, he hovered around the undead court of Bulgaria. By 1190, he took up residence near the court of the Hungarian king.
There is a method to Vassily’s designs. By gathering information about the West, he anticipates the day when his people will spread across the Balkans. Through diplomacy, he has earned a place of respect as an expert negotiator. Moreover, he has slowly developed a network of spies and informers. Through his occult discipline and his cunning, he finds ingenious methods of motivating them.
It is only a matter of time until he betrays his Ventrue masters or is in turn betrayed. In the year 1197, he is trying to make peace between East and West, and his latest goal is to end hostilities between the Ventrue and Tzimisce. He is gathering a coterie to travel across the Voivodate of Transylvania, in hopes of opening negotiations with Radu, the Prince of the Domain of Bistritz; Noriz, the tyrannical overlord of Moldavia; and Yorak, the godlike Tzimisce Ancient.
Vassily feels that he can speak for the Gypsies as a whole, but his idealism is not always shared by others. In fact, his willingness to speak with princes and other vampire lords has gained him mistrust among many of his own kind. Delizbieta of the Dark Eyes, companion to the Ravnos Izydor Torenu, is one such enemy. Delizbieta and Izydor reside in the city of Budapest, where Delizbieta works as a fortuneteller, and would much rather exploit the weaknesses of the city’s rulers than attempt to strengthen them. This is further complicated by a rivalry between their two families. The Taltos family and the Torenu are old enemies; both Delizbieta and Izydor consider Vassily a traitor of the worst kind. The mortal members of their respective kumpaniyi scheme against each other incessantly.
In fact, Vassily’s motivations are far from altruistic. The fact that his position as an advisor to princes brings him personal wealth and privilege amuses him greatly. He is rewarded well for what he does, and he considers this his just reward for what he has done for others. Despite this, Vassily is still idealistic enough to believe that there is a place for the Rom in the Kingdom of Hungary. His news to the Ravnos of Byzantium is encouraging, and perhaps within a few centuries, they may be able to enjoy… or suffer… the results of Vassily’s negotiations, depending on how well he succeeds.
Destiny[]
In the year 1200, the Ventrue will use Vassily as a pawn in a power struggle against the Tzimisce. In return for his years of service, he will be sent to Transylvania, not as a diplomat, but as a sacrifice. Messengers have already traveled to Yorak’s Cathedral of Flesh and informed him that a fresh tribute is on its way. Vassily, however, will be guileful enough to strike an alliance with Yorak. In return for allowing a few Gypsy families to live in Transylvania, Vassily will offer the Tzimisce a wealth of information about the cities of Eastern Europe. He will also be tricked into luring Dominic of Clan Brujah into the spider’s web.
While Vassily is in Transylvania, many of his mortal allies in Budapest will be killed. Upon his return, he will flee in grief and seek to strengthen his alliances in the East. Within 200 years, however, the relationship will sour. The Gypsies who come to Western Hungary and Transylvania will be treated as little more than slaves, and Vassily will suffer the Ravnos’ blame for this turn of events.
By 1348, the descendants of the Taltos family will rejoin Vassily outside the city of Kossovo. There he will witness another horror — the depredations of the Ottoman Turks. By 1450, he will see his descendants work as slaves for the Tzimisce lords of Wallachia. Vassily’s idealism will turn to failure. His anger will be passed to his childe, Vanislav, and he will instruct his childe to enact vengeance against the Balkan princes. In disgrace, he will thus find an opportunity for his greatest triumph.
Image[]
Vassily is a staunch individualist who refuses to abandon his Gypsy heritage. This makes him a complete outsider in Western society. His clothes are always gaudy, but he does not openly display wealth. His words are always carefully chosen, but there is laughter in his eyes.
Character Sheet[]
Roleplaying Hints: Treat everyone as a potential friend; consider everyone as a potential enemy. Though others may see you as a coward, you know the value of your infrequent reports to the Ravnos elders. The scam pays off every night you feed well and sleep safely.
Haven: When advising in Western Hungary, Vassily retreats to a haven not far from the markets of Buda-Pest. Each dawn, his mortal entourage buries him in the basement of a local house of prostitution. Vassily’s talent at Auspex allows him to glean information from the troubled potential pawns who visit there.
Secrets: Though he is a trusted member of the Ravnos, his reputation is allowing a few members of his clan to make great profits in the East. Many act as scouts and spies, freely selling information to all sides of the conflicts there. Though he himself controls a great deal of respect among those in power, he is gaining a reputation as a traitor among other members of his clan.
Influence: Vassily maintains a mortal entourage of schemers and thieves. Only a few of them are Gypsies, but all are exceptionally talented at spying. The network is not extensive, but it is slowly growing.
References[]
- VTDA: Transylvania by Night, p. 92-94