Marius's History

Marius was born during the early 1st century A.D. in Rome, during the rule of Caesar Augustus, first emperor of the Roman Empire. As the illegitimate son of a senator, he is not bound by duties of a legitimate son and is free to pursue his passion for knowledge.

When Marius is 40, his comfortable and happy life is drastically changed when he encounters Mael, a Gaellic druid. Mael abducts Marius and takes him to the "God of the Grove." The god, actually a vampire, is severely burnt from an inexplicable fire that suddenly seared him from within. He tells Marius that, when he is made into a vampire, he must escape to Egypt and find what had brought about such a calamity. Marius, who had been quite unwilling to go along with the druid's religion, is intrigued by what he hears. Although he has no choice in the matter, he accepts this as his destiny.

The God of the Grove is tossed into the fire by the druids after he makes Marius his fledgling and, following the old vampire's instructions, Marius makes his escape. In Egypt, he encounters an ancient vampire. From him, Marius discovers the secret of Akasha and Enkil, the mother and father of all vampires, and that the great fire that destroyed most vampires was a result of the two being exposed to sunlight. Realizing that the ancient vampire was the one who left the King and Queen in the sun, Marius decides to take the pair and to care for them himself. Akasha comes to his aid, destroying the ancient vampire, and allows Marius to drink from her.

Thus becoming the caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept, Marius jealously guards them over almost two millenia. Marius continues to live among humans, taking daily trips to the hiding place of Those Who Must Be Kept. Some time during the first few centuries, he makes his first fledgling, Pandora, a Greek courtesan.

In the 15th century, we find Marius living as a master painter in Venice. Here, he falls in love with Armand, a young auburn-haired boy, and buys him from the brothel where he was kept. Marius waits until Armand reaches the age of 16 or 17, when he finally capitulates to his love and works the Dark Trick on the youth.

Shortly after that, the Roman coven of the devil-worshipping "Children of Darkness" attack Marius's manor, hungry for knowledge of Those Who Must Be Kept. Armand is abducted; Marius is engulfed in flames. Everyone believes Marius perished in the fire and Marius himself prefers to keep it that way to ensure the future safety of Those Who Must Be Kept, but actually the strength of Akasha's blood kept him alive despite the flames. Akasha also allows him to drink more of her blood, speeding up his healing.

By the 18th century, the name of Marius and Those Who Must Be Kept have receded to become only one of the many myths among vampires. However, the young Lestat de Lioncourt finds this myth compelling and commences to search for Marius by leaving messages to the elder vampire throughout Europe. When Lestat goes into the ground in Cairo in 1789, Marius goes to raise Lestat from the earth and takes him back to his hideaway on an island in the Mediterranean. Here, Marius reveals to Lestat about the presence of Those Who Must Be Kept and teaches the blond vampire what he knows about how vampires came into being.

After parting ways with Lestat, Marius's actions are not clear. However, in 1984 he reappears in a technology-packed compound in Siberia, still caring for Akasha and Enkil. One day, after returning from a prowl in San Francisco, he discovers Enkil drained to death and Akasha awakened by Lestat's singing. Akasha destroys the compound, leaving the first stunned, then furious Marius trapped beneath the Siberian ice. In pain and desperate, Marius sends warning signals to the vampires worldwide, a signal which unfortunately few understand.

Pandora, aided by Santino, finally succeed in locating Marius and free him from his icy prison. The three join the remaining vampires at Maharet's Sonoma compound for protection and to plan their strategy. Marius is reunited with Armand, after 500 years of separation since that fateful night in Venice. The meeting is quiet, emotionally charged, with perhaps as much pain as there is joy.

Ultimately, after the entire QOD fiasco, we see Marius relaxing in Miami with the other vampires.  We see him again in TVA, a disillusioned man, fighting doubts for the first time in his long life.

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Uploaded July 2, 1997