Timeline
1756 | Alexis is born in Athens, Greece. |
1764 | Alexis is orphaned due to disease. She is taken in by the local aristocrat (and Kindred), Damian Zane. She possesses a natural talent for music. Damian raises her as a daughter, but as Alexis matures, he becomes increasingly fond of her and his love for her grows. |
1772 | Alexis falls in love with Damian and they begin a passionate love affair. |
1779 | Alexis is Embraced by Damian. She is 23. They have several euphoric years together. |
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1804 | Alexis moves to Vienna and befriends Ludwig van Beethoven. Their relationship deepens over the years, though never formally declared. She also realizes her true passion for music and is one of Beethoven's best students. |
1812 | Beethoven learns the truth about Alexis and asks to be Embraced by her. She refuses. He writes letters to his "Immortal Beloved" while in the spa town of Teplice on doctor's orders. |
1814 | Beethoven is completely deaf. Alexis and his muses are the only voices he hears. |
1827 | Beethoven dies in March. Alexis feels extremely conflicted about refusing the Embrace and moves to Teplice to spend some quiet years. |
1843 | Alexis returns to Vienna and begins performing in Vienna Philharmonic as pianist, cellist, harpist, and violinist (multiple instrument disciplines due to women not being recognized as full orchestra members and thus needing to fill-in to play whatever was needed). |
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1891 | Alexis relocates to Chicago. Helps form and joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra thus establishing partial ownership under an alias. She holds back her true musical talent in order to remain out of the limelight and increase longevity among the company. She also sporadically takes several years off in order to appear to come into the company anew. |
1900 | Alexis visits Paris during the World's Fair. She takes an interest in shooting at the Olympic games and decides to stay in France to train. She quickly becomes a good marksman with a pistol. |
1902 | Alexis runs into Damian while visiting Strasbourg. They reconcile and Damian suggests Alexis joins the Ordo Dracul. Still conflicted about letting one of the world's best composers die, Alexis hopes to learn how to transcend the vampiric condition in the event she is faced with a similar situation. She is inducted into the order and begins studying in earnest with Damian as her teacher. |
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1939 | Alexis travels through Europe throughout the war, mostly through France, Belgium, and Germany. She plays music to anyone who will listen in hopes of uplifting soldiers' spirits. |
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1959 | Alexis returns to America and eventually, Chicago. |
1973 | The CSO wins the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra for Beethoven's Five Piano Concertos with Alexis as the pianist. The public fame among the kine angers the Prince and she is exiled. |
1974 | Alexis returns to Europe and to Damian's side. |
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2009 | Hearing of the Prince's death, Alexis returns to Chicago. |
Images
Alexis
Portrait of Alexis from 1776
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Present day Alexis
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Damian (Alexis' sire)
Damian from 1776
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Present day Damian
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The Embrace
Damian was late. Occasionally he would leave the estate in the early evening and return by no later than an hour or so before dawn. The sky was starting to lighten, no sign of him yet, and Alexis was worried. She nervously put on a coat and flung open the door intending to go look for him. The moment she stepped outside, however, she was thrown viciously back through the doorway by a thundering force. Stars exploded behind her eyes as her head slammed into the wall and she felt searing hot pain at her neck as a savage beast bit down on her. The life in her veins was replaced by icy panic. Just as she was about to slip away, she heard a familiar voice that always set her heart aflutter wailing in horror and despair and tasted a warm metallic liquid upon her lips.
When Damian was on his way home that night, he had been attacked by (insert name here). He fought desperately to stay alive and though he emerged the victor, he was severely injured and in a hunger frenzy. Unable to realize he was feeding from his beloved to the point of her inevitable death until it was too late, he did the only thing he could do to save her life. Plagued by regret for cursing the only mortal he loved, he repented by offering her his eternal service.