Aleister Germain

Aleister Meredeth Germain, also Marquis Germain, is an Atracan lesser noble and once priest turned vampire. He has remained in fairly good grace with the Divine Church throughout his life and undeath, though much of his activities are not entirely known to the Church as for many years he was unaccounted for. He remains a follower of Gyasis and Undite, though his theological philosophy is not entirely orthodox.

History
Aleister was born in the small town of Whitecliffe on the Germain family's estate grounds in 1814. His father, Bernard Germain, was a wealthy judge and influential figure in the political environment of Whitecliffe and the surrounding county while his mother, Elisabeth Germain, was a dutiful family caretaker and socialite. He had four other siblings, two brothers and two sisters. He was the fourth child of the family after two elder brothers and sister.

Raised in the lifestyle and environment of a wealthy family, Aleister was well accustomed to the high society life as a youth. He was literate earlier than his siblings and displayed an impressive aptitude for scholarly work. His father initially intended for him to become a judge like his eldest brother, who was the heir to the family in name and occupation, but after his other brother joined up in the military his mother pushed for Aleister to become a priest so that the family would have males in the major spheres of Atracan society. At the age of eleven, Aleister was sent away to a Divine Church boarding school for boys in Montclair - St. Catherine's School for Devout Youth.

As middle nobility, Aleister ran into issues with higher class pupils and the street urchins of the city. He was constantly banding together with similar students to protect themselves from both sides, and oftentimes he found himself spending time away from the school during the evenings to avoid the harsh class conflict. It was during one of these outings he met the Saville sisters - four similarly aged girls who were vampires of the esteemed Clarabelle Saville. Aleister was somewhat unaware of their condition in his naivety and he befriended them. He met with them often throughout his school years until he was found out by Madam Saville, who forbade him from meeting with her daughters.

He was sixteen when he graduated from the academy and was made an ordained priest. Aleister was to fill in for a small parish in the village of Poppyfield outside Montclair, but he found such life to be unbearable and he decided to embark on a pilgrimage to follow the footsteps of his patron Saint Bartholomew. The journey spanned most of the continent and he traveled for four years, encountering some of the best and worst aspects of the societies which inhabited the civilized world before returning home, battered but enlightened.

With no where to settle in at, he boldly requested to lodge with the Saville family at their estate on the edge of town. He knew they were vampires by now but he felt that, in his heart, they were truly good people. Madam Saville was evidently moved to some degree and allowed him to stay at her home, and Aleister lived among the vampires for several years. Aleister was eventually turned at his request when it was offered as a reward for saving the life of one of his vampiric sisters, and it was a decision he did not regret in the least. He was only twenty-four when turned.

Aleister remained living with the Saville family for a few more years before he set off into the world, forever a traveler, and he maintained his duties as a priest despite retaining his late father's title. Aleister favored his fellow clergymen for company, but he settled into all aspects of life he found himself in, especially in the more lofty circles of artists. He did his best to maintain good favor with the Church, but some of his less well-known exploits would surely damn him if come to light.

Decades of traveling soon saw him exploring the dreary landscape of Grimtham, where Senior Inquisitor Witlock found him and recruited him for her inquiry.

The Witlock Inquiry
WiP