SchreckNet Data File
- Real/Birth Name: Alessandro Giuseppe Giovanni
- Known Identity/Mortal Alias: Alessandro Giovanni
- Place of Origin: Palermo, Sicily, Italy
- Height: 6'1"
- Occupation: Mortitian (formerly: Mafia enforcer)
- Apparent Age: Mid-30s
- Embraced: 1864
- Kindred Status: Ancillae
- Sire: Monica De Luca Giovanni
- Notable Descendants: None known
- Clan: Giovanni
- Clan Status: Padrone
- Sect: Independent/Camarilla
- Sect Status: Consul (Camarilla)
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Alessandro is a tall, blue-eyed man with classic Sicilian good looks. A former enforcer for the Cosa Nostra mafia, he is in good physical shape, though this is usually not apparent with his favoured clothing. His hair is immaculately groomed and quite long at the front and top, whilst short at the back - but as his hair is kept in a swept-back style that is stylish and professional, it gives the impression of being shorter than it actually is. He has a full beard just thick enough to add to his charms and compliment his hair, whilst not being so thick as to look (what he considers) unprofessional. Occasionally, when he wants to avoid easy recognition, such as when "handling things himself", he shaves his beard, cuts his hair shorter, and dyes it blonde - making him look almost unrecognisable to those who don't know him well.
He favours smart suits of italian fashion houses, such as Armani and Gucci, with Prada accessories and shoes but this is a preference. He is also fond of other brands such Ralph Lauren and Dior, especially for shirts and polo-shirts. It is incredibly rare to see him wear anything from common store brands (he has stated he would rather be naked than wear clothing from Wallmart) unless there is a specific need for him to do so, such as anonymity
Background
Alessandro was born in Palermo to a branch of the Giovanni family. He grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and received the best of everything - best education and luxuries the family's extensive resources could buy. He was smart enough to know his place and how to succeed and enjoyed the darker aspects of the family's many secrets. Still, he knew he would never beat many of his rival family members and impress the family elders based on his intellectual capacity, so he focused on the social and political aspects. He began running rackets and low-level smuggling in his schools and districts when he was a teen, and got a small crew under him affiliated with the Giovanni-family branch of the Cosa Nostra shortly after his 18th birthday, after which he and his underlings grew in influence, status, power and richness, leading to his receiving the Proxy Kiss (what the Giovanni call the act of making a family member a ghoul) when he was 32.
With this, he knew that he was getting the attention of the Elders, but he would have to go further and risk it all for the family, if he wanted to really get into the higher circles. And so he began to work with the Palermo police in secret - mostly via expendable and deniable non-family underlings and paid informants. He built up evidence and information by having spies in various Cosa Nostra groups, which he began to use in ways to expose them to the authorities. This came to fruition two years later, resulting in the police arresting 64 key rivals, creating an opening that his group quickly took advantage of, making the Giovanni family the dominant Cosa Nostra group in Palermo. This ambition and ability to scheme got him assigned to Monica De Luca Giovanni, who Embraced him as ordered, then tore down every fabric of his being and reforged him as a devotee of the Path of Bones.
Things went well for Alessandro for the next few decades. His group was prominent in the area and, although it was hard for him, he enjoyed the Necromantic arts (or to be honest, he enjoyed torturing, killing, and coercing victims, ghosts and zombies - not the studying and hard work involved) and managed to become a reasonable enough Necromancer to at least gain the grudging respect of his peers and superiors, if not to impress. But then that damned fool in charge of the Cosa Nostra in 1924 went and slighted Benito Mussolini, who installed a new Prefect in Palermo to go to war against the Cosa Nostra - and with the full backing of the Police and Government, they won. Within a few years 11,000 Cosa Nostra suspects had been arrested, and by 1929 over 1200 had been convicted and imprisoned, with many others being internally exiled from Italy without a trial. The latter included Alessandro and his crew - as to remain would either endanger the Masquerade, or the family - neither of which were good survival prospects for him. So he answered his sire's summons and went across to the USA to be with her. He was forced to retrain as a mortician and, humiliatingly, spent many decades as her second. Although many would say that he was in a position of power, a Don under a respected Padrona and elder, to him he was simply a servant. As long as he was in her shadow, he would never rise in fame and status. Any accomplishments he did, would be seen as his sire's glory. And to make it worse, in 2002 the fall of Oxnard to the Cathayans resulted in the arrival of Vincenza della Passaglia and her underlings - a palpable rival to Alessandra, and a far superior necromancer. But she was only a della Passaglia, whilst he was a Giovanni - and that counted for a lot, and he knew it, and took full advantage of it.
Although the Giovanni did what they could to get power, favours and influence in Ashford, it was slow progress as the Ventrue and Tremere considered them competition in various areas. The Sabbat Crusade gave an opportunity, however, with his sire managing to make a deal with the surviving Camarilla Clan leaders for official establishment and recognition of the Giovanni in Ashford, and support for their activities, in return for aid against the Sabbat. After the crusade, his sire was promoted further in status and, after putting things in proper order, in 2020 declared Alessandro her successor as Padrone and left the state to pursue other aims. Newly crowned, Alessandro is settling into his newfound position and status. His eyes see only the fact that he is out of his sire's shadow and the world is his oyster - and he doesn't realise that he should instead be observing the della Passaglia in his shadow...
Mortal Society
Alessando dislikes having to deal with petty mortals. He is so far beyond them and mortals are simply a means to an end - information, currency, providers of things he likes, and sources of vitae. This wouldn't normally be obvious to anyone who doesn't know it, however. He much prefers to deal with the dead - both kindred, and spirits. As such, he has very little presence in mortal society other than what he needs for his activities and mortal identity.
His Cosa Nostra connections were a reason the Giovanni family picked him, and he has kept those connections alive. He has many connections and allies within the Cosa Nostra, as well as a sizable amount of muscle in his direct control. Most of his mortal dealings are either relating to the Cosa Nostra, or the Ashford Funeral Home.
Alessandro recently took control of the Ashford Funeral Home, which was previously owned by his sire, the former Padrona. He knows enough about Mortuary Science to do his job properly - but uses it mostly as a cover for his necromantic and Cosa Nostra activities. He enjoys studying the causes of death but, once that is done, he prefers to let underlings such as his ghoul do the tedious work of embalming and preparing the body for burial. He only really takes over for special cases that peak his interest. Still, the Funeral Home is a good cover, brings in money, and the incinerator is very handy for disposing of unwanted corpses.
The Ashford Funeral Home is known to provide traditional funeral and cremation services. It has a private "preparation room" and office that is sound-proofed both for Cosa Nostra meetings, as well as for him to feed privately without people hearing the screams of his victims. The funeral home is large and in a location with ready but easily controllable access, making it both good for security and a good location for him to hunt.
Personality
Alessandro epitomises the stereotype Sicilian mafioso from the movies. He is no genius, but smart enough and Machiavellian, always having plans in place and manipulating things to his benefits - often relying on others more capable as a shield, or to get things done. He is fanatical about his beliefs (which is to say, the Giovanni clan beliefs) and detractors will say that that is the reason he has climbed so high - he's a walking extension of the clan's will with little personality of his own. To him, the ends justify the means - and he is willing to do anything to achieve those ends. And what little personality there is outside of his Clan's will... is terrifying and monstrous to most non-Giovanni.
Not only is he fanatical about his aims as regards improving his Clan's power in Ashford, and to fuel the Endless Night plan of the Giovanni, but he is highly directorial in how he does this. He needs to be in control - overseeing the greater plans and activities of those he controls, and nudging "allies" in the right direction. He usually allows his immediate underlings to choose how to perform the actions he entrusts them with, both because they usually have more specific floor-level knowledge and experience, and because if they fail he can hold them directly responsible (and make examples of them) instead of having the blame for failure pointed directly towards him; yet take full credit for any victories. Even then, he will usually want to be fully informed of everything.
Alessandro is a decent necromancer, but not one of his clan's finest. And he knows it. And this angers him. He puts great time and effort studying death but, whilst he is a strong believer in the Path of Bones, is more interested in the physical side of death and the tenets of the path, than the spiritual side. Although, like all followers of the path, he strives to make decisions based on logic rather than emotion, he active enjoys killing and torturing and few truly believe that this sadism doesn't influence his logic. Whilst many Giovanni take great pains when feeding because their Kiss causes excruciating pain in mortal vessels, such as draining the blood via other means, or putting their victims to sleep - Alessandro instead prefers to lure them (or capture them and take them) to the sound-proofed room in his funeral home, where he can enjoy their anguished screams as well as their deaths, often dragging it out over time to make the experience more satisfying - all under the belief that he is a good follower of the path and studying death. Still, he is good enough to be get the grudging respect he desires - and, although he believes himself to be better than he actually is, is nonetheless powerful enough to be a danger to others, and has spirit slaves of his own under his control.
Ultimately, Alessandro is a classic case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, though he would deny it, backed by the power of Necromancy and the Sicilian Mafia.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissists are characterized by self-centeredness. As with histrionic disorder, people with this condition seek attention and praise. They grossly exaggerate and distort their accomplishments, expecting others to acknowledge them as superior. They tend to be choosy about picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worthy of them. They tend to make good first impressions, yet have difficulty maintaining long-lasting relationships. They are generally uninterested in the feelings of others and may take advantage of them. When things go wrong for them, they tend to rage and blame others (and their jealousy) rather than face reality.
Other Notes
Ghoul: Molly Giovanni
Molly is an actual 2nd cousin (thrice removed) to Alessandro from a Philadelphia branch of the family. Was assigned to Alessandro to receive the Proxy Kiss at age 23 (in 2006) and has served him loyally since. Like all who receive the Proxy Kiss, what she knows of the truths of the Giovanni family (and kindred as a whole) is a mixture of carefully-calculated truths, lies, altered truths, and misdirection - enough for her to be efficient, scared, loyal, and yearn for the Dark Kiss herself - but not enough to be a danger to the family or the Masquerade.
Like Alessandro and many within the family, Molly is inbred and suffers defects as a result. Whilst Alessandro's are emotional and mental in nature, Molly's is physical. This means that although she is a fairly attractive young-looking woman with a hint of Italian ethnicity, usually dressed in elegant Italian designer clothing, her mutation gives her what she herself describes as an "angry alien-rat-demon-goblin-gremlin" sort of vibe that detracts from her otherwise pretty features.
Like all who receive the Proxy Kiss, and therefore proven themselves of some merit, Molly is charismatic, intelligent, and hard-working. She has a degree in Mortuary Science and runs
Combat Style
Alessandro was an enforcer in life, so entered unlife a reasonably tough man with some fair combat skills. He was a decent brawler, and good with firearms. But since his Embrace, he has neglected his physical side, as brutes do not go far in his Clan, which values intelligence and social wiles. Whilst his Necromancy can be deadly, it is not a great combat ability - though it can assist. If given time, he can use Necromancy to create zombies to assist him, and in combat he can use his power to weaken or distrupt enemies, but he cannot simply incinerate a foe like a Thaumaturge might. But Alessandro has high levels of his clan discipline of Potence, with fledgling-level Celerity. Combined with his above-average physique, this makes his offensive ability quite powerful - but although he is naturally quite enduring, he lacks vampiric toughness and so many consider him a paper tiger. If his victim can survive the initial onslaught, Alessandro's ability to take the return punishment is limited. He is not as skilled in unarmed or knife combat as he thinks he is, which limits the effectiveness of his ability to bring his Potence to bear. His physical abilities are a mish-mash that reflect the focus on seeming more powerful than he really is, and able to intimidate and easily defeat those who are under him - with little expectation to face any serious threats without preparation.
He is quite skilled with firearms, however, being comparable to a trained SWAT or experienced soldier - and this is what he would likely rely on in combat, as well as his powerful Dominate ability - which he has been known to use to turn mortal enemies against each other. But it is rare that he is seen without his bodyguards and enforcers - and any attacker or threat would have to get through these to get to him, which would give Alessandro time to flee; or to use his thugs to do his dirty work for him whilst he observes.
Social Style
Alessandro is a narcissitic sadist, a thug in a suit who thinks he is more personally powerful than he is - but most of his power comes from the reputation of his Clan, or the Cosa Nostra he has influence in - not to be underestimated, for sure, but he believes he's one of the top players whilst most of the real top players barely acknowledge his presence. His sire got the Giovanni a foothold in Ashford, and then left him the reigns - and he is determined to use that to improve his and his clan's aims. But a foothold is a tenuous thing - and he is surrounded by many rivals. The Giovanni have an infamous reputation, so most Kindred are not exactly forthcoming, trusting, or even wanting to deal with him. Most see them as "The new regime's replacement for the Tremere" since the decimation of the Warlocks, and it's not like most people ever wanted to deal with the Tremere in the first place - but at least people knew where they stood with the Tremere. Alessandro has a lot to do to change other kindreds' minds about his Clan and prove their fears wrong and the rumours lies. This is not made any easier by the fact that their fears are actually correct, and the truths are far worse than the rumours and lies most can conceive of. And of course, the Tremere want their position back, and still have a Primogen at the council - whilst he is merely a Consul. He can give the Primogen council his opinion and advice, but no vote - whilst the Tremere can still do both, and actively prevents his clan from getting any bigger.
To make matters worse, he has that damned della Passaglia on his heels. She seems loyal and trusting, and her actions bring credit to the Giovanni - and by extension to Alessandro - but whilst Alessandro is happy to take the credit, his narcissism and paranoia deplore that those in the know know who earned those successes, and the whispers that he was put in place as a proxy for his sire, who earned the position - not he, who used nepotism to steal the position from the della Passaglias.
And of course, he wants to increase his own personal power and influence in Ashford - and the Ukrainian and Russian mafias, and rival Cosa Nostra groups, aren't keen on that happening.
So there are many things Alessandro needs, as does his clan. This gives a lot of bargaining leeway for those who want to deal with him, and can tap into his ambition and narcissism. Any offers that can help promote his aims, that of his clan, or push his superiority over the della Passaglias, are things he would be most interested in striking a fair deal over. Of course, he knows that he can provide services others cannot, so the price will be high - it's just the natural way business works when someone is the sole provider of an in-demand service. He has heard rumours of some individuals outside the Giovanni with some ability in Necromancy, perhaps even a coterie of Necromancers. He really doesn't like this. Of course they are inferior to him and his clan, but they are rivals themselves - akin to cheap Chinese knockoffs of major electronics brands... and like those imitations, they need to be stamped out ruthlessly. Unfortunately, he does not know who these individuals are and they are protected by simply being members of the Camarilla, whilst the Giovanni are not. Therefore finding out about and permanently dealing with them, in a way he has complete deniability over, is something he would be very interested in outsourcing to the right people.
Signature Equipment
- Bullet-proof suit (when expecting possible problems) - typically a custom-made or altered designer suit modified with ballistic plates.
- Beretta 96A1 (.40 S&W) - has been observed to carry silver bullets in additional to standard rounds.
- Embalming Knife
- Ferrari SF90 Stradale - grey berlinetta, hybrid electric vehicle.
Signature Quotes
- "Defy or disappoint me and your death will be excruciating. And you will continue to serve me after, nonetheless."