Fabrizio Ulfila is a 5th generation Ventrue elder and one of the few Kindred who still holds power in the Catholic Church. Befitting his position, he has been accused of inciting the Fourth Crusade and the Inquisition itself, consorting with mortal mages, and getting in bed with the Giovanni.
Biography[]
Fabrizio Ulfila has been around since the first nights of Christianity in Ancient Rome. In life, he was a disciple of Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, and like his teacher, Ulfila had been a defender of the Arian heresy. When it became clear that Arianism was doomed to fail, Ulfila was saved by an unknown Ventrue methuselah, who refused to see such an ambitious and intelligent man be executed for heresy. Ulfila has since accepted the fate of Arianism, but maintains a bitter streak about Catholicism, thinking that Arianism would have been better for Christianity.
He became one of the most influential members of the Ecclesiasticals, the faction of Ventrue that believed that power lay in the Church. Through his influence, the Catholic Church aligned itself with the Carolingians. During this time, he was forced into torpor and only reawakened in the 12th century. He discovered that other Clans, particular the Toreador and Lasombra, had infiltrated the institution. Maintaining strong ties with Mithras of London and Alexander of Paris, Ulfila slowly worked to expand Christendom into the domains of the Tzimisce and supported the Crusades.
Even though the Church has been a battlefield for Cainite conspiracies for centuries, Fabrizio has survived them all and still remained steadfastly loyal to the Ventrue principle of dignitas. One of his few mistakes was handing over a ghoul named Ferox to the Tremere. All other accusations, like unleashing the Inquisition, he has excused with his being in torpor at the time. In truth, it was Ulfila who first incited the Church against the heretics of Languedoc. He had hoped that this would deal the Toreador in Paris a blow from which they would not recover. Instead, the Albigensian Crusade galvanized the witch-hunters and lead to the Shadow Inquisition, which would eventually transform into the Society of Leopold. His own ambivalent relation to Catholicism resulted in him sending his own agents to undermine the Church, fostering small-scale heresies, and spreading corruption among the higher ranks.
During the Long Night, Ulfila maintained his main residence in Rimini, where he established himself in a web of favors to bankers, lords, mercenaries, and the Pope. Ignorant of the Cainite Heresy, Ulfila believed it to be a rumor he could exploit for his own needs. This resulted in unfortunate developments when the witch-hunters he had financed to go to Languedoc found evidence of a real heresy. During the War of Princes, he resided in Bologna, Italy. There he concentrated his efforts in influencing the two Dominican monasteries and the university of Bologna – gaining pawns, ghouls, and childer among the students and Dominicans. His long term goal was to expand his influence in the Church through the fledgling monastic order.
It has been rumored that Fabrizio has True Faith due to his incredible success within the church, though he never appeared to manifest any of these abilities. It is also rumored that he has learned many of the secrets of Necromancy from the Giovanni which is fueled by his infrequent communications about the events in the Underworld which he describes in a first person perspective.
In modern nights, he continues his quest for control over the mortal Church, despite its growing irrelevance (which he ignores). He now mainly resides in Venice in the company of the Giovanni. Growing unrest within the Underworld has lead him to strengthen his focus on ferreting out the Secret Masters wherever they may hide.
Trivia[]
For the historical Ulfila ("little wolf") involved in the Arian controversy, see Ulfilas.
Gallery[]
![From Clanbook: Ventrue[1]](/wiki/File:Fabrizio.jpg "Fabrizio.jpg (5 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ This is actually a painting of Pope Innocent X by Diego Velázquez
- VTM: Clanbook: Ventrue, p. 68
- VTM: Clanbook: Ventrue Revised, p. 99
- VTM: Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 177
- VTDA: Libellus Sanguinis 1: Masters of the State, p. 83-84, 100
- DAV: Dark Ages Europe, p. 98, 108-109
- DA: Dark Ages: Inquisitor Companion, p. 142
- DAV: Cainite Heresy, p. 77