Updated: 03 January 1999
Carlo
9th Generation ''Son'' of Cacophony
a.k.a. Carlo Broschi, Farinelli
a.k.a. La Poupée (The BabyDoll)

	Sire:	Lucia (1736)
	Nature:	Praise-Seeker
	Demeanor:	Autist
	Humanity:	6
	Secrets:	*
	Status:	**
	Esprit:	*
	Elder Status:
	Daughters of Cacophony Prestige:	**
	Toreador Prestige:
	Nosferatu Prestige:	*

Background:

                    The Catholic Church had banned the women from theatric performances. It resulted, in the 17th Century, into the creation of the Castratos, or Prima Donnas: The Choirs needed Sopranos, and only women and children could fill the need. Women were banned from choirs, and male children lost their soprano voices at puberty, thus obligating the Choirs to make constant reaserch of young singers. Thus the creation of Castratos, that kept their voices all their life.

It was in the following century that some singers became veritable stars, thus obtaining large fees, largely justified by the audience's demonstrations of enthusiasm, but which put a dangerous strain on theatre budgets.

But Castratos weren't simple singers, They were complete musicians, studying composition, counterpoint, hapsycord and organ. Thus they were able to improvise the ornmentations of da capo arias.

Carlo was born in 1705, at Naple. Rumours tell his own brother, Ricardo Broschi, had him castrated while Carlo was inconscious from fever, to keep his marvelous voice intact. Carlo never discovered this, and always thought his castration was accidental. The two brothers, one composing and the other singing, meet together phenomenal successes in all Europe after 1722.

His success was such it would shame modern singers: Women fell from ecstasy when he sung, and men admired the emotion of this voice. Ricardo made profit of this fame, sharing his brother's lovers, ending what his brother started. It was the pact...

It was said, too, that Carlo meet Maestro Haendel, who wanted Carlo to sing for his own theater in London. But he wanted nothing to do with Ricardo, whose compositions were ridiculous and lacked any talent in his point of view. In the same way, he considered Carlo as a monster whose only justification in this world was to sing, and nothing more. Haendel's arrogance infuriated Carlo, who refused in a most violent way.

In 1734, Farinelli went to London at Maestro Nicola Porpora's request. He won there for is former master a silent contest between the theater of Porpora, and the theater of Haendel. But again, Farinelli showed is nature full of passion when he defended Haendel's art alone against the King's courtisans, and even insulted the Prince of Whales by declaring that when the world would have forgotten even the king's name, the name of Haendel would still shine.

Farinelli's problem was the consideration the others had for him. He was an attraction. A monster. Few ever treated him like a human. And he knew his brother's talent had reached its limits. He dreamed of Haendel marvelous music for his voice. He had acquired, most illegaly, the original copy of Haendel's work, and charmed by it, proposed to make peace with the Maestro. But Haendel's arrogance played against the two: he refused Carlo's proposal and once again treated Farinelli as a monster who had changed the destiny of the music inspiration because of his unnatural voice. Farinelli, deeply hurt, answered to Haendel that some believed his voice had power over the people, and he threatened Haendel, asking the Maestro not to provoke him, not to make his voice an istrument of Death. The Maestro dismissed him.

By befriending his enemy's brother, Ricardo, who had been told by Carlo his music was only complex ornmentations put around a music without any true creativity, Haendel learnt about Farinelli's true conditions of castration. The Maestro revealed it to Carlo, the night the Castrato sang Haendel's stolen music.

Farinelli's passion combined with the outrage and pain he felt, had unseen effects. Haendel fell inconscious when hearing Farinelli's voice on his own music. Carlo's reaction was supernatural indeed. Haendel had suspected righlty Carlo knew about the truth inconsciously, but refused to admit it to himself.

While Haendel's indisposition had been visible to all, some people who fainted were not natural mortals. They were Toreador, who had felt this unique combination of outrage, pain and thirst for vengeance. Lucia, a Daughter of Cacophony, who had heard of Farinelli, had not suspected the true range of his talent: Haendel's indisposition, as well as the Toreador reaction, all coming from this castrato simple mortal voice!

What a combination it would make with Melpominee!

The same night, Lucia met with Carlo. Farinelli's first thought it was one more woman whose admiration had turned into lust for the Castrato, and who would, in normal time, end in bed with his brother to finish what Carlo could only start.

But not this time...

He had avoided his brother since the night he learnt the secret of his castration, and would avoid him forever. And this woman, no matter how beautiful, would have nothing from him.

But Lucia's presence and voice seduced him. She would make him enter in a world where his castration would not be a social factor, where he wouldn't be a monster. He only needed to join her in the court of King Philip the 5th of Spain. He accepted and he fled to Madrid in 1737.

Farinelli soon became Lucia's Ghoul, and when his Brother found him three years later, his passion for her made him neglect Ricardo, who remained alone for the remaining years, and died alone in 1756, just after Lucia Embraced Carlo, and disappeared.

Carlo, discovering how he had loved his now dead brother, even if he could never pardon him for his act, was now alone. Without his loved Sire, and his beloved brother. Still, he discovered a young woman who heard him sing (he only sung alone, of for the King) and who was charmed by his talent and passion. Lucia's gift would enable him to take his newfound love with him into immortality, for he could not bear the pain of letting her growing old and die, has he had for his brother: He would have, now, what he had wanted all his mortal life: A true lover, and a child.

But the curse had followed him through the Change. The Embrace went wrong, and the young woman, Alexandra, died in ecstasy, never to waken to unlife. In depression he fled from Madrid's court in 1759, and entered Torpor, only awakening to discover the pain was still unbearable, and to enter once more the death-like state.

He awakened in 1995 and came to Paris, where, he learnt, some of his Bloodline had reached recognition. His arrival at Paris surprised everyone, and the new Duchesse, Constance, was glad and worried by this 250 years-old Kindred who threatened without even knowing it the position she had worked a long time to reach.

But Carlo never showed the ambition that would have weakened Constance's title. He meet with a Toreador called Yorgues, and together, they founded the Vieux Rousselet theater.

Destiny

                    Farinelli was among the Coterie victim of the Giovanni action of March 1997. The death of Vanessa was a mix of dark joy and relief. Yorgues understood this and is seriously thinking to put the egoist singer out of the theater... at least...

Appearance:

Age:	292	Hair:	Dark Brown	Height:	1m70
Apparent Age:	30	Eyes:	Dark Brown-Green	Weight:	60Kg
Date of Birth:	1705	Race:	Caucasian	Sex:	Male (Castrato)
RIP:	1756	Nationality:	None	Esprit:	*

                    Carlo is a man of medium height and of a delicate silhouette. He has shoulder-long dark brown hair, and dark eyes, of mixed green/brown color. His acquiline noise, as well as his slender and somewhat feminine features, gives him a curious, fragile appearance.

This man androgyn appearance wears tight fitting black trousers and large white shirts giving him, with the addition of his silk scarf, the style of the century when he was born.

Role Playing:

                    He always has been seen as a monster, not a complete man (the Catholic Church, which was largely the cause of Castrato's creations, forbade them the access to marriage.).

Still, while he is distant and fascinating, he is somewhat narcissic and cares more than anything for his voice. He hates anything that could destroy of corrupt beauty and art. His impulsiveness is such that he does not fear to insult the powerful.

He secretly desire to be considered as human, not understanding that this kind of sggregation does not exist against him anymore (The Caitiff took this unconfortable place). He dreams to dicover someone who will love him, and to have progeny, and so search for someone with singing talent to Embrace.

Notes:

                    The Blood Bond he felt for Lucia is now extinct (He is simply considered as Blood Bonded to the 2/3).

He does not know that the infertility caused by his mutilation somehow crossed the border from life to unlife with him. He is unable to have any progeny.

He attracted the anger of the Toreador when he gave sensible information to the Nosferatu. He lost thus any Toreador Prestige, while winning Nosferatu Prestige.

Actual Aim:

                    To find someone to love. To find a mortal suitable for Embrace. To be considered as a human (!).

Rumours:

• He is the Sire of Constance (False).
• He will wrestle over the Title of Duc from Constance. (False)

This character was inspired by the hero of Farinelli, Il Castrato, the movie created by Gérard Corbiau. While I thought Arnaud's idea was bad because he choose a character taken from a film whose half could be simple fiction, I was seduced by the way he played this tragic character. Farinelli is, by his background, the character with the greatest potential...

Part of the informations given there are extrated from the movie, or the texts from the Movie Music CD.

Return to Daughters of Cacophony
Return to Index

© 2000 White Wolf, Inc. All rights reserved. © 2000 Black Widow Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.