Gabriel Marcus

The Character

Born during the mid 1800's in Japan Gabriel Marcus was not exactly what one would consider a person whose brain was "wired properly." Even at a very young age, Gabriel had always been interested in the human anatomy. It fascinated him to learn how the human body worked, especially the brain and the heart.

At first, he began his experiments on animals, as most sadistic sociopaths do. He would capture small creatures, cats, dogs, birds, a squirrel or two and open them up while they were still alive. He wanted to see how much damage the small bodies could take before they finally slipped into death.

Growing up in Japan was difficult on Gabriel because his family expected him to be a strong, honorable addition to the family. He worked hard on the family estate and concentrated on his academic studies with a vengeance. In his spare time, however he did his experiments. He had a small lab that he took great pride in as he put it together himself. This is where he took most of the animals he captured to work on them.

When Gabriel was seventeen, he began experimenting on small children. Their ages ranged from three to six and he picked the ones who were either sickly or malnourished. It kept them from being able to escape easily and he always used fear to keep them quiet and in line. He also used a paralyzing chemical to keep them motionless as he worked on them. This way they could not move or scream and yet they were still awake and aware as he did his experiments. He found that a child's body could take quite a bit of abuse before the heart or brain gave out, causing the body to die.

It did not take long for the town to realize they were missing "unwanted" children. They began to search the entire area but could not find them anywhere. Gabriel had to become very careful for fear of being caught. What he did not know was that someone was already aware of his experiments and had been watching him work for quite some time.

Right before Gabriel would have turned eighteen, he was taken by a Kallisti. The kindred in question was intrigued by Gabriel's curiosity and utter lack of care for the human morals that were instilled in most people. She decided he would be an excellent addition to her line and took him without warning or heed of his own wants. Once Gabriel learned what he was though, he was ever grateful to his sire for giving him immortality.

He continued his research through the decades, moving from place to place and gradually working toward adult subjects. After a number of years it became clear he would need to move to uncharted territory for the authorities would not take long to catch up with him. So, he decided to move to America and start over. Technology had taken giant leaps by this time and his research became easier to do and much more effective. He became obsessed with the idea of bringing someone back from the dead rather then just studying death itself.

After he came to America, he joined the Invictus for the resources they had access to and the mental discipline they practiced. He spent a number of years ingratiating himself to the covenent before he decided to once again return to his research. This was when he met Kisten Maze, a very ambitious Ventrue. The man had gotten himself into some trouble with the covenant and had to relocate, but Gabriel knew he would always be able to find him.

It was not long before he was contacted by Maze to come and represent the Carthian Movement in Sacramento. At first, Gabriel was insulted by the insinuation that he would ever become a Carthian, but once Kisten explained his plan to the man, Gabriel willingly agreed. Maze promised that not only would Gabriel be the head of the covenant, but he would also have free reign in Sacramento to continue his research and Kisten would even build an underground laboratory for him to use. Gabriel could not refuse the offer.

In return, Gabriel would keep the Movement from gaining any amount of power in the city and report any ideas of rebellion to his friend. Kisten would then crush the rebellion before it could get started thus making him a hero to the Invictus and saving him from their wrath.

And so it was that Gabriel came to Sacramento as a Carthian and a scientist, working to achieve his goals and Kisten's as well.

The Storyline

A serial killer and sociopath, Gabriel Marcus did not stop his experiments when he moved to Sacramento. Instead, he chose a particular type of individual (female, blond, in the mid twenties to early thirties) and continued his work. He soon realized that he could play with the authorities and other kindred as well as enjoy his research. He began to leave bodies out in the city parks to be discovered. He watched and cataloged the reactions of the mortal population to what he was trying to discover. The reaction did not please him.

Soon it became a game of cat and mouse, however kindred society became close in discovering him. Kisten asked him to stop his experiments for at least ten years so the mortal and kindred population would forget the murders and slack off with the investigation. Gabriel saw the wisdom in the idea and agreed. During this time Gabriel studied his findings and tried to devise a better way to achieve the results he was looking for.

It was not long before he was back to taking victims and experimenting again however, and this time kindred society decided they'd had enough. Prince Freddrick had already taken control of the city and demanded that his Sheriff, Ishani Naetesh take action and resolve the issue. Ishani gathered a group to investigate the murders. Her deputy, Asa Clarke joined the investigation and enlisted the assistence of others. Samanosuke "O-Yama" Hatori, Elle Moiraine, and Marius were all brought into the fold and assigned the task.

After months of investigation, Gabrel's hidden lab was discovered. Using the information gathered in the lab, it was easy to find Gabriel's haven. After a long and grueling fight he was taken in for sentencing. The Prince demanded his life and he was publicly executed by fire in the Grindhouse^[1].