Vincent Markovin
Basic Persona: Vincent Markovin is a dower sort of man. You can never tell exactly what he's thinking because he maintains a very flat expression in front of most people. Very little appears to unsettle him, but his coolness is subtly disturbing. A person can feel his eyes on them, but will only rarely catch him staring (typically when he wants them to see). He has unusual tastes and interests, which can be unsettling if he talks about them. He will discuss them, from time to time, just to provoke a person or unnerve them.
Surprisingly, his "air of indifference" makes him extremely attractive to women. He's not the sort of man one would want to meet in a dark alley and yet women are drawn to him; perhaps, by the air of mystery they find in his eyes, which promises them the delights of possession, the terror and excitement of the unknown, and that deep emotional bond so few men know how to craft believably. Thus Markovin maintains a virulent slew of females at his beck and call, despite the fact that many of his former lovers have vanished without a trace.
Basic History: Having grown up in Alta, Markovin's lineage is an unctuous mixture of rogues and thieves, vagabonds and murderers, noblemen and whores. His father, Senor Altun Frummond, was a respected official and physician who served as a medical examiner for the city. Being a bastard, Markovin doesn't talk about his father very much, but Frummond was a known elitist in Alta who fell into disrepute due to some scandalous behavior. Markovin's mother, who died of fever when he was only twelve, was a lady of the evening, and as a boy he roved among whore houses where he became a proficient pickpocket.
After his mother's death, he went to live with his father. During these years, he began his study of the sword and learned the practical side of being a businessman. Within a few years, his father died and Markovin was left to his own devices. Little is known about this part of his life, but in the black market sectors of Alta he was a known dealer of "illicit" goods, items that ranged from weapons to sexual slaves. It is also rumored that Markovin spent these years honing his skills as a mortician. While he never trained to be a physician like his father, many associates claimed that he had a prolific interest in anatomy and enjoyed dissecting bodies.
He left Alta in his 20s, pushed out by local authorities who suspected him of racketeering, and traveled abroad before finally joined the Dominion. The organization had come under the control of his old friend, Sirin Althenore, and Markovin became the Commander of its Second Legion in 3092 ADW.