Afanasii Gorchakov

[Urjasz Volkova]

Afanasii Gorchakov
is now entering it's all in yer mind

About You;;
behind the RPer

Name: Tobiasz Tomczynski
Age:19
Years of Rping:1-2
Contact:

ID Tag;;

Alias: The Old Boy
Name: Afanasii Gorchakov
Gender: Male
Orientation: Russian
Real Age: 498
Physical Age: 76
Species: Vampire
Sire: Pure Blood
Religious Affiliation: None
Wealth: Unlimited wealth, supplied by Russian gangs and old family contacts
Job: Council Member

Dear Diary;;

Specialties:
1. Pyrokinesis
2. Telepathy
3. General Vampire abilities

Summary:
Afanasii’s main power is the control of fire. Because of his older build, he has made full use of his main power in his lifestyle. A former assassin, he now sits of the Gorchakov council and is also part of the security. His ability to control fire has been a power since birth, but it took awhile to learn to control. There was a century and more of his life without the power, as he feared the consequences of its use.

Besides the fire power, Afanasii also wields the family ability to read minds of weaker beings. Improved over time, he has the ability to choose when he reads minds and unlike Zakhar, he sees it as a gift more than a curse. Just like other vampires, he has the usual improved abilities. Senses are advanced, as are his ability and speed. He owes a lot of his survival to these skills.

Weakness:
1. Age
2. Past Injuries
3. Living in the past

Summary:
Even though 498 is not that old for an immortal, due to injuries as a younger immortal he suffers some of the problems that come with old age. As a youth he lost control of his fire powers and was burned so badly it took decades for his immortal cells to recover. Whilst he recovered he aged like a human and he was near to the end of the road just as he recovered. If he is seen on the street, he was seen as just another pensioner on their travels. And what added to this impression? Afanasii is stuck in the past. He hates homosexuals, he dislikes women having equal rights, and he was fairly anti-modern as well. This meant it was hard for some people to get on with him. But thrown into a mansion full of women and modern ways, his views are being challenged from the start.

Appearance;;

Hair: White hair, balding slightly at the front
Eyes: Blue eyes
Height: 6’2
Marks: His older appearance
Race: Russian
Skin Tone: Caucasian
Body Type: Getting on in years
Clothing Style: Smart, well dressed, but older styles
Footwear: Smart shoes

Summary:
Afanasii holds the appearance of an older man who takes care of himself and is still active in life. The kind of man who looks like he could be your father but still your best friend. Behind the sexist, racist remarks is someone who is alone and afraid of dying alone, all of which can be seen in his eyes. His face may show a man in his older prime, but his eyes reveal the true story behind him. His older appearance has its uses though, for he’s never the one suspected of making a hit. However, just like he appears, he is preparing for retirement, short of two years until his 500th.

Personality;;

Likes:
1. Order
2. Money
3. Loyalty

Dislikes:
1. Women in power
2. Men of a camp nature
3. Modern Culture

Flaws:
1. Judgemental
2. Stubborn
3. Believes in the rank system, but men only

Blessings
1. Blunt
2. Loyal
3. Passionate

Summary:
Order and system was the life he was brought up in and it’s the world he tries to maintain. Although money is an interest of his, he knows that order is needed first to maximise the profit. A sloppy operation won’t do as well as a well organised operation. With the issue of loyalty being a major part of the Gorchakov’s family lifestyle, the punishments alone influence the members to remember the importance of loyalty to one another. A traitorous act could get others in the family killed and most certainly, one’s self.

Brought up in a world where men rule, Afanasii dislikes the introduction of women to higher roles. He’s not a bad person but it was the way he was raised. No doubt a product of his era. Another issue he has is the, what he sees as a problem, camp nature of some modern men. Gone are the days where a man had to be a man, now they all inspire to be mothers. But both of these are a result of the modern world, something he does not like. Technology and advancements he understands and accepts. But he feels that the modern culture has become too equal rights, allowing the weaker of the species to rise up to the top. People have no honour or loyalty to one another now and it saddens him to see this.

Afanasii is a very judgemental person, believing that a person’s flaws show the real them. If a man has trouble keeping a bit of gossip, than he is more likely to be a snitch. Afanasii will often decide on the fate of someone simply by what they’ve done to annoy him. When he makes a decision, that decision is made and his mind is set. It’s very hard to persuade him otherwise, unless he sees a better route anyway. Even if he agrees, he won’t admit they changed his mind, he’d take credit for spotting the profit. Everyone around him should know their place, especially women. Afanasii doesn’t take orders from women at all and will only take orders from an older, male Gorchakov.

Despite his many flaws, Afanasii has done well to get where he is. Often blunt about what he says, the leaders of the Gorchakov family felt they could rely on him to tell them what something really seemed like. Loyal to the core, he has made many sacrifices over his life to fulfil his duties to their best ability. If he is truly enjoying something, he will become extremely passionate about it. Combined, these blessing make him a hard worker, something that outweighs his personality.

Background Check;;

Family Members:Unknown, but is related to all his co-workers within the family business
Birth Place: Alexandrov, Vladimirskaya oblast
Childhood: Was used often to fake fires until his accident
Transformation: Born into it
Prey: Humans, Immortals, whatever bleeds
Fang Power: Can inject acidic blood particles that burns the victim from the inside, and selective turning venom, able to bite without turning
Other Transformation: Bite and allowing the venom to enter, then giving them some of his own blood
History:
Born in 1511, Russia, he was born into the birth of a nation. Only 31 years before his birth the centuries of control under the Tatars had been lifted, so from the start he was born into a world of chaos. As the country tried to establish itself, so did Afanasii. The Gorchakov family was small in number and simply a debt collection organisation. They didn’t want their immortality exposed to the world, the country was in enough trouble as it was. Learning to control fire from a young age, Afanasii would be used to burn down houses of those who did not pay, often with them inside. In 1531, two years before the rise of Ivan the Terrible, Afanasii felt he had to do something amazing with his powers. At that age you were a man, and playing with fire was something children did. He wanted to control fire in everything.

Being fairly cocky as a youngster, he decided he would take on a contract by himself. The job was to get money from a wealthy family that owned a lot of land. Despite the various families of farmers that paid rent to them, they claimed that they didn’t have the money. Without the permission of the Gorchakov leaders (simply known as “The Parents”), he sent fire to the large home. What he didn’t know was they had discovered oil and were experimenting with it. As he watched the house burst into flames, the mother of the house screamed that her children were inside. Fearing that he may be punished for the death of children, Afanasi ran into the house. Trying to control the flames, he found he was having no effect, the flames being fed by the oil samples. Concentrating hard, he drew all the flames into his body. As he did his body began to burn, and as he almost finished, one of the children made him jump. The moment he jumped, he let out the entire wave of fire. The town was vaporised, ripped to shreds by a ripple of shockwaves and fire.

Afanasii were badly burnt and was found unconscious. It later emerged that he was in a coma the entire time. A coma that lasted for 56 years, and because of the time period, there was no advanced medical treatment other than to keep him on a fresh supply of blood. Because of this, he aged like a mortal for those long years. After 12 years from the blast his burns began to heal. Whilst he slept, the country became a unified state. It was during this time, under the rule of Ivan the Terrible, that conquest and colonization of Siberia began. This meant more business for the Gorchakov’s, but they were still small time. Ivan came and he went, and still Afanasii slept. But inside, he became part of the pureblood inside, the time flying past as if he was only taking a nap. In 1587, three years after the death of Ivan the Terrible, Afanasii awoke suddenly, bursting into flames as he flung himself to the ceiling. Retracting all the flames, he fell to the floor, where he looked up at the startled minders. To this day he looks the same as that day, any longer in the coma and he may have died a mortal death. For many years after he awoke, he avoided using his power out of fear of it killing him next time.

After a few weeks of recovery, he noticed how the country had changed but they had not. There was so much potential out there that just wasn’t being noticed. When he found out that their town had been used for three months as the capital of Russia, he went ballistic, ignoring the rank order and telling the parents they had missed a giant opportunity. Keen to make up for their mistake, he killed the leaders of the family, reorganising the way the family ran. Because of the original small size of the family, he was left with four other members. The five of them would become the ruling elders of the family. They were; Andrei, a fearsome vampire, one of the first to find enjoyment from his bloodlust. Czernobog, who hated humans ruling the world, but understood the need for them to do so. Feofilakt, security obsessed and one of the first to see the potential in the Novosi. And finally, Kir, a political vampire whose own lust to rule would soon show through.

Seeking larger jobs than they had been doing previously, Afanasii made his way to the capital, seeking work from the Tsar. The ruling Tsar at the time was Feodor I and the country was unsure of where it was going. After speaking to Feodor I personally, his offer of service was refused by the Tsar. Angry, Afanasii stormed out the building, where he was stopped by Boris Godunov. Boris was currently trying to take control of a seat on the throne and needed people like Afanasii to work from the shadows. For a few years Afanasii and the others did a few jobs behind closed doors, establishing power for Boris. In 1591, Czernobog was sent with a few henchmen to take care of Dmitri Ivanovich, the child of Ivan the Terrible. As the Orthodox Church recognized only the initial three marriages, and any offspring thereof, as legitimate, Dmitri (and his mother's family) technically had no real claim to the throne. The child was killed, made to look like an accident, and the mother never recovered from her grief.

For the following decade, the Gorchakov family took on jobs provided by Boris. On 1 September, 1598, Boris was crowned the Tsar of all Russia and work for the family picked up even more. Boris went on to expand the Russian empire and with it, Afanasii had the other four members all depart from their home town to establish new strongholds. Each was assigned a town to take, convert and to improve. Pretty earlier on, Feofilakt spotted the advantage for having half blood guards, the results of rogue vampires not killing their meals after. Afanasii embraced this idea with enthusiasm, the only one not to like the idea was Kir, who looked down on the half bloods. When Boris died in 1605 from an illness, the crown was left to his son Feodor II. Afanasii promised to look after him, but after seeing that there was no way for that promise to be taken care of, he voided their contract. It was not in his interest to continue business with that family. Feodor II succeeded Boris for a few months and then was murdered by the enemies of the Godunovs as was his widow, both murdered in Moscow on 10 June/20 July 1605.

The same year, a Polish man called Dimitriy Ioannovich claimed the throne and took Moscow. His men had convinced Feodor II’s own men to kill him. Even if Afanasii had tried to protect him, the men would have got him. After a visit from Andrei, Afanasii was persuaded to get revenge on behalf of Boris who had given them the start they needed. After choosing on of Dmitri’s strongest enemies to support, Afanasii visited Vasily Shuisky. The reign of Dmitri was short. Before a year had passed the conspiracy was formed against him and he was murdered soon after his marriage in the Moscow Kremlin, together with many of his supporters who were brutally massacred. It is estimated that 2,000 Poles were murdered by Shuisky and Afanasii’s men. The reaction to the massacre in Poland was strong, but it was decided to postpone revenge against those events.

However, despite their victory together, Afanasii decided he would not do jobs for the Tsar anymore. It was a decision that Kir would take very badly. It wasn’t up until 1825 that the other four factions dropped jobs from the Tsar. Whilst the other four factions struggled to get by, with the jobs from the ruling faction taking up time, Afanasii’s faction was doing well. Employers were impressed by the killing of Dmitri and his men, earning Afanasii a powerful rank in the business world. Death was a masterpiece for him, but he noted how whilst Russia went stale, the western world was developing at a great speed. After a few visits to Europe, and seeing what potential it held, he could not refuse an offer made to him almost a century after he had refused to work for a Tsar. Peter the Great wished to visit Europe after his sister Sophia tried to kill him. Because of his bad memories of Moscow, he didn’t wish to take residency there. In 1689, they left for Europe.

The century leading up to this moment had been an important one for Afanasii, as it was the century he got over his fear of his powers. Whilst his own faction grew in power, Afanasii found himself to be more vulnerable in his older physical state. His only choice – control his special power. Once a month he would visit a secluded area of Siberia where he would try to control the power. As a child he could start it, but often lost control there after. Making sure he was always near a lake in case it went wrong, he would spend a night firing fireballs into the sky. At first he would just produce a small flame, eventually getting larger with his confidence growing. Once he could produce a fireball, he would bring along a few people to show. He found he could control it better if he imagined it was a part of him. Soon it became part of his monthly routine and he often enjoyed the nights out for the power.

Before he left for Europe with Peter, he left his faction in the control of the other elders. Afanasii personally looked after Peter, his interest in the western world matching his own. Whilst Afanasii saw the potential in the business over there, Peter saw a new imagining a new Russia. He spent about two years there, not only meeting monarchs and conducting diplomacy but also travelling incognito and even working as a ship's carpenter in Holland. He amassed a considerable body of knowledge on western European industrial techniques and state administration, and became determined to modernize the Russian state and to westernize its society. When they returned in 1698, the start of Peter’s new vision began. Afanasii was tasked with sorting a rebellion started in their absence.

Once all the rebels were killed, Afanasii parted ways with Peter, having decided his faction was more important to him. But in his own absence, Kir had made some changes to all five factions. The other three elders had given in. Andrei had become addicted to blood, Czernobog had been persuaded that the changes would oust the human leaders and was persuaded that they would bring great improvements to their security. Kir had newborn pure bloods kept from their parents and taught to fight from a young age. He claimed it was so that they would never seek out any people that kill their family, as so many immortals stray from their safe lives and risk it all on revenge. Afanasii didn’t agree with it, but outnumbered 4-1, he had no choice but to accept it. This was the beginning of what Kir called “The Firm”.

Many leaders came and went after Peter the Great died, his vision for the country to become like the west lost with its dreamer. However, whilst Peter had been in charge, Afanasii had taken to his dream well. His faction once more began to excel in business, much to Kir’s annoyance, who was jealous of Afanasii’s reputation. Afanasii and Kir never got on and it was merely his political strength that Afanasii had kept him alive for. When Peter died, Afanasii did his best to try and keep his vision alive. Kir did all he could to make sure Russian values were taught from then onwards. Seeing a rivalry brewing between the pair, the three other elders stepped in, suggesting a compromise before bloodshed. It was decided then that a council would be made. The council would consist of the five factions, each with the elder of that faction at the top seat. They would each get two men to be second in command, and then eight of their top men to join them. Fifty-five men would sit at the council edges, meaning that they needed 28-27 vote to win.

Afanasii was the first to make a change to his faction as a result. Their home town would no longer be their stronghold and they would be the first of the five factions to hold residency in Moscow. From this day, the council itself too has been held in Moscow. Kir took the hometown as part of an agreement with Afanasii, as he felt he was more deserving to base himself in Moscow. At the first meeting of the new council, Afanasii put forward the idea of a semi retirement; at the age of 500, a Gorchakov had the option of taking a century of paid holiday. Even Kir had to agree that it could work. It was also decided amongst the council that despite being a single family, that they should each have their own rules with their faction. This allowed differences between elder’s opinions to be settled before there was even a problem.

With each faction now free to do what they felt was the right thing for their business, their factions began to differ from the start. Some were more violence driven, others, money. But at the end of the day they all made sure they were the winners. With rival families, who called themselves Covens, business was getting fierce. Now they had to fend off other immortals from their jobs too. Even the Were’s were beginning to establish packs and organise themselves, no longer a curse but a gift. The golden age of the vampire was drawing to a close. This was added with the arrival of a powerful female Tsar, Catherine the Great. In 1762 she came to power after her husband abdicated and was popular amongst the humans. The council saw her as a good way to bring extreme profit to their family. However, Afanasii was against working for her. For starters, he disliked working for Tsar’s and secondly, he didn’t believe in following women. But after being outvoted in the council, he had no choice once again.

Even though Catherine brought back Peter’s vision of being like the west, Afanasii couldn’t accept the change. His whole life he had been told men were the top gender and it was commonly believed so. He felt that the end of their success was due to her, even though it wasn’t. Things were on the rise for the family once more, but with the worsening state of poverty amongst the peasants, jobs became harder to do subtly as they would often try rob them. When Catherine died in 1796, her son took over and despite being a male, Afanasii did not like him one bit. Paul I was not liked by many in the end, and his reign only lasted five years. Many years passed and business came and went. Employers came and then they died. Afanasii typically found that winter, with its longer nights, was their most successful season.

Russia was in the process of Westernising, Peter’s dream coming true when Nicholas I came to power. Everything he did would bring down all the family’s hard work. Nicholas turned away from the Westernization program begun by Peter the Great and championed the maxim "Autocracy, Orthodoxy, and Nationality." He believed that all Russians should be loyal to the tsar, protect the Russian Church, and have national pride. Two of these were not a problem for the family, but protecting the church was against their own way of life. The previous Tsar’s had called them Pagans, but they bore no gods, for they knew what followed after death. Afanasii put forward to the council that they kill this new Tsar and stop him before he ruined them all. The council voted against him, 43-12. The only other person outside Afanasii’s faction to vote for it was a newly promoted vampire – Zakhar Gorchakov, one of Kir’s top men. In December 1825, the rebels were defeated by Nicholas and the Firm had to disappear for a short time, their business now in tatters.

Using the contacts from Europe, Afanasii had the family moved into various countries in Europe, keeping their locations secret, even from each other. It wasn’t until 1894 that the family returned to Russia, their power weakened over the hideout. During this time, Afanasii had a chance to look back on how his life had gone so far. It was never easy for him, but he had come across immortals who had it far worse. Was this life a curse or was it a gift? Such was a question that would play on his mind forever. But his power to control fire was a good way of keeping his mind active. For years he would play with fire as if it was a toy. It was during this time he found he could draw fire from heat sources, something that would save his life on more than one occasion in the future.

When the family moved back to Russia, Afanasii used his European contacts to keep business for his faction going. One of the first of the elders to use trade itself as a business, Afanasii soon found that weapons were a big source of income. With the weapons came the money, and with the money came more power. The power given to the Novosi was increased, their reputation now almost as famous as that of the Gorchakov’s. Then came the 1st World War, which gave the family a huge profit from trade. The war was for the humans to sort, but if top killers were needed, who were they to disagree? But as they found wealth in the west, problems in their own country were set to change the face of the country forever.

The first news of a rebellion was when one of Kir’s men accidently thought it around Afanasii. At first he had taken it as Kir to be rebelling against him, but he soon discovered it was the end of Tsars. The Tsar family had been infected by a former Gorchakov, one of Andrei’s men, and needed to be killed. Kir wanted the job, but it was decided by the council that a man of Kir’s choosing would do the job. Zakhar was chosen and that story became part of his history. With the Tsar timeline now at an end, the direction of the country was unsure. Each faction found a secure business to attend to, and stuck to it. Around them, the country became a communist state, meaning a lot of the family’s business came from the west.

The 2nd World War was an issue for the family and Afanasii, as the invading Nazi’s made it hard to get to their contacts. However, they still managed too, often seen by the Nazi’s. It is often believed their sighting may of explained the Nazi’s interest in the supernatural. When the war was won, they were relieved. But how many more world wars would there be? With Russia taking over many of the Eastern countries of Europe, opportunity was rife amongst the family members. Each faction began to send out its best members to establish new strongholds. So began the expansion of the Gorchakov’s.

It was at the end of Second World War when the first leaders of the Russian mafia, nicknamed the “Red Mafia”, emerged. To this day, the Firm’s main loyalty lies with the red mafia. However, the red mafia did not like Stalin, for he had betrayed a lot of their members. However, they wanted their country to be a super power as well as Stalin, so grudges aside, they asked the Firm to send some members to America. All five of the factions sent some of their best out. The Cold War came and went, leaving a power vacuum in Russia for the humans. This meant less big jobs but more smaller ones, equally it out. Afanasii had started to become bored with simply making profits, even the odd kill not making life anymore fun. However, recently, one of his own members has gone rogue, a man called Leonid. Instead of sending more men, he decided he would search for this man. The last place he was seen – America.


Code Word:
do the mashed potatoe, do the twiste

Application Status:
Finished

Mad Skills;;

Spreading like a wave across a beach, the fire tore along the corridors of the house. Afanasii covered his face with his arm, protecting his eyes from the heat. The flames wouldn’t do as he said, they simply got worse. The screams of the children inside the house tore at the side of his head, their possible deaths at his hands. The floors cracked around him, the heat bending them like matchsticks as they burst into flames. The child surprised him from the side and the flames became one with him. Then there was nothing…

”Hey, Mr. Gorchakov, what’s up?”, the wolf asked him, watching him on the plane. Grumbling, Afanasii sat upright, looking around the plane. Damn flashbacks. Behind them a young child was sick into a bag as the plane bumped up in the air slightly. Glancing out of the window, Afanasii could see one of the engines starting to catch fire. With a click of his fingers, the heat was withdrawn and the flight smoother. He had no interest in crashing into the sea at 500 miles an hour. After all, he only had two years until he could take his century retirement. Though what he’d do with all that time, he had no idea. Most likely explore the world.

After what felt like the longest flight of his life, they landed in America. New York here he came. One of Kir’s men would host him, one of his favourite family members, Zakhar. Despite their difficult differences, Afanasi saw a good man in Zakhar and knew one day it would be him who brought the family into the modern world. A world Afanasii was just too old for. This game was too much for him. With so many things in this world making him angry, his retirement may become permanent if he feels like there’s no point returning in a century. Whilst walking to the Novosi car waiting for them, Afanasii bumped into a young wannabe gangster. “Watch where you’re going old man” the youth taunted. Afanasii simply smiled.

The car journey to the mansion was a long one as the driver insisted on telling him how the modern world worked. Something about not setting fire to humans in a busy airport…

[Isi Runasimi]

by a court of staff members, you have been
a c c e p t e d !