Paliuro Rustucci

Paliuro Rustucci was one of the leading Lasombra within Jerusalem following the recapture of the city during the Crusades.

Biography[]

Born to a rich merchant family in Genoa, Paliuro was introduced into the church from an early age. His intelligence and eagerness were very welcomed by his superiors, his sharp tongue and egocentric arrogance not, as he presumed to be more educated in matters of faith than his teachers. Enraged by the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem, he began preaching against them. This and his connections to the Genouan merchant families earned him the attention of a Lasombra, who began tutoring him.

After a discussion of immortality, he was inducted into the Clan of Shadows, hoping to finally restore Catholic control over the Holy City. When he tired of the church intrigues, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, arriving in Jerusalem in 820 CE. Seeing that most of the money he had brought with him was consumed by Muslim taxes and restoration projects, he left disgusted and even more determined to free the city. He eventually earned the right to Embrace in 980 and when Pope Urban II called out for the Crusades, he immediately joined in, in order to create a new anchorhead of Lasombra control in their struggle against the Ventrue.

Together with his childe, he followed to Crusades and joined the siege in 1099 in a monumental Frenzy, slaying everyone in his way. During this time, he was also seared by the True Faith of the cathedrals within the city, scarring his mind deeply. In the period of Christian control of Jerusalem, he ensured a steady flow of wealthy pilgrims to rebuild the cathedrals and churches within. After the Muslims under Saladin managed to reconquer the Jerusalem, he plotted to expel them.

Retreating into the catacombs of the Holy Sepulcher, he endured the pain of True Faith as a means of purification and as a sanctuary against Assamite assassins. His plans, however, failed and he met Final Death when the Sepulcher was desecrated in 1244.

Character Sheet[]