Updated: 03 January 1999
Raphaëla
11th Generation Toreador
Paladin (Masque)

	Sire:	Marcello (1648)
	Nature:	Martyr
	Demeanor:	Judge
	Humanity:	8
	Secrets:	***
	Status:	***
	Esprit:	**
	Elder Status:
	Toreador Prestige:	**
	Masques, Status:	***

Background:

                    Raphaëla was born in the 17th century Italy, at Venice. Inspired by the Italian renaissance, she showed a great insight when it came to judge artworks. It seemed to came more from her heart than from theorical knowledge. She had a strange quirck, too: Her dreams sometimes told her about monsters of the night...

Marcello, a Toreador, discovered her, and studied her from afar. He believed she was an artist, but he despaired to see her express herself. One year after first seeing her, having decided he had been mistaken about her, he went to her bedchamber intent on drinking her dry.

He smelled something strange, and discovered papers: The fresh ink was the source of the smell, and meddled with the paper and the perfume of her bedchamber, it inspired him. He went to the papers, and started to read, and he was awed.

Then, he sought the rest of her dark poetry, and found instead an unfinished novel, talking about night monsters about to take her with them in their evernight hell... He was startled when he looked at his future victim looking him with a mix of fear and anger. Taken by the passion, he explained her it was beautifully written, asking her if she was the author. She was so surprised by the question, and by the look of rapture that she saw on his face that she answered and so, decided of her fate. Her dreams were fulfilled. She never dreamed since...

She married the ''young noble'' and soon joined him in Unlife. They moved, then, to Paris, where Louis the 15th was patronizing the art, and where Beatrix, the Kindred Prince of Paris, had united all France under her power, and the command of the Clan Toreador.

She lived the most happy years of unlife until the 1789 Revolution took everyone by surprise. Beatrix was destroyed, as was Marcello, by Anarchs and Sabbat. Raphaëla was seriously injured and entered Torpor.

She awakened some years after, in a strange but confortable coffin. A letter signed by François Villon explained her that she was found by Ivan and taken to the Louvre. Villon was now Prince of Paris, and he had protected her from harm. She was readily accepted in Villon's court, as Villon was a litteracy lover, and as Raphaela wrote with so marvelous style.

She accepted, then, the proposition of Ivan, and became a Masque, first feeding her need for revenge by investigating Anarch Kindred. The Anarchs suffered from her zeal, and she was among the first when it came to hunt them after the Tuileries were burnt to the ground, in 1871.

But in the same time, she started to have new dreams. This time, they were even more unclear, through she clearly understood that beyond the mist of uncertainty, she was to die, her soul denied any redemption by her personnal corruption.

Knowing the Followers of Set were behind some of the growing mortal sects, she turned her attentions to them, and started a war that took the Setites by surprise. But they didn't remained surprised long, as the silent war between Raphaëla and Sven reached violence that could not be ignored. Theti-Sheri complained to Villon, asking why Raphaëla was attacking the mortal herd of her Childe. Villon defended his Clanmate, saying that it was the way of the Kindred, and that Raphaëla didn't violate any Tradition. But should a Kindred be killed, the Blood Hunt would be swift. The Toreador and Setite saw the hidden threat, and their war calmed somewhat. But since then, Raphaëla's personnal investigations are centered around mortal deviant sects. Lately, she took interest in the whereabouts of the Templars.

Destiny

                    Raphaëla will die, in a horrible way, and in the most complete failure...

Appearance:

Age:	378	Hair:	Dark Brown	Height:	1m66
Apparent Age:	30	Eyes:	Dark Green	Weight:	46 Kg
Date of Birth:	1619	Race:	Caucasian	Sex:	Female
RIP:	1648	Nationality:	French (Italian)	Esprit:	**

                    Raphaëla is a beautiful woman of middle height and slender silhouette. She has dark brown hair with a touch of auburn, and sad, dark green eyes. She is always wearing dark clothing, like dark grey or plain black tailleurs. She seems like a FBI agent, a CEO opperative, but the Anarchs called her WiB, for Woman In Black. This is not only derision about her appearance, as they really fear her.

She wear no jewelry, and her make-up enhance her vampiric looks.

Role Playing:

                    Raphaëla seems to be a cold woman, sure of herself and her powers. Her superior looks, as well as her slightly contemptuous behaviour attract more enemity than friendship from the Elders. But she is a Paladin of Villon, and by acting such, she reminds everyone that no one but the Ducs and Villon are outside of her juridiction. And everyone, from the Neonate to the Elder, remembers it...

Another face can be seen when she thinks she is alone. Her eyes take on a sad expression, and her face seems overcome with a recurrent depression. Some believe her artistic talent is manifesting, then (as her novels are always horror-style). If she has real talent, it's her dreams that inspire her such. Someone, in the right moment, with the right words, could succeed in inspiring her trust enough to make her confide about her fears (If she believes you're Setite or Tremere, forget it...).

Notes:

                    Raphaëla recently published some of her novels. She was soon famous as an author. She used her ghoul, Janice Ferrand, to masquerade as the author of the books. As Janice was chosen for her talent as a writter (not enough to be worthy of the Embrace, but enough to entertain Raphaëla), the trick works easily. This gives her some resources.

She is known, too, to some police departments because she used her influence and power to change police procedure and free (or jail) people because of some obscure motive. The police does not like her because of that, but fear the unknown source of influence that backs up her, so they stay silent and obey: Thus, her fame.

Actual Aim:

                    Study and destroy sects to see if any serpent comes out crying.

Rumours:

• She destroyed her own Sire in the Revolution (False).
• The Setite destroyed her Sire (False)
• She wants revenge over the Setite because of some unknown enemity (False).
• She is not totally sane (Partially True: Her actions against the Setites are prompted by her Dreams that threaten to steal away her sanity).

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