Aro
Aro
aro.jpg
Michael Sheen as Aro
Statistics
Fullname Aro Volturi
Birthday Unknown
Species Vampire
Age 3000
Height 5'9"
Weight 176 lbs
Eyes Red
Hair Black
Power Historical thought reading
Parents Unknown
Siblings Didyme (deceased)
Occupation Ruler

"I love a happy ending. They are so rare."

Biography

Aro was born shortly before the start of Western Civilization as the world currently knows it. That single fact - accompanied by his rather unique life circumstances - has made Aro into the intellectual and subtly cunning leader he is today.

He doesn't like to talk about his birth; indeed, only two people in the world know of it. His family was not made up of rulers or warrior-kings, but intellectuals and historians, all widely-respected and used by the king. Early on, Aro developed a love for history, and as he grew, became near-obsessed with the history and prestige of the Roman people. Unlike his father and grandfathers before him, however, he had little interest in serving a king. His ideas and knowledge were too wide, too powerful to share with someone else - he knew he was destined for great things.

That great thing happened after his thirtieth year. In fact, Aro doesn't cite his life as beginning until he was turned into a vampire. And that is a story nobody knows - he has been known to claim he was the first vampire (though that was several centuries ago; nowadays vampires haven't dared ask him, so it's not something he has to bother with). In truth, he was not the first vampire created, though it was a fate he knowingly and willingly accepted after a great amount of research. Rumor has it that he, like his "brothers," slaughtered his maker immediately afterward.

He began to seek strategic alliances among his own people and those of other cultures, meeting an ambitious Etruscan, Caius, and a ruthless dictator, Marcus, along the way. Money talked, even then, and having a good reputation among the kings helped him on his rise to fame. Of course, the near ethereal-look of the three "young men" helped. They were worshiped like kings, gods, even. The three got along fairly well, filling in each others' shortcomings. Whereas Caius represented strength, Aro ruled with knowledge and Marcus with cunning.

Aro had a special knowledge. He discovered very quickly that his prowess and interest in history had turned into a talent of sorts - he could learn every thought a person ever had with a simple touch. It seemed to work well on his "brothers" as well as on the humans. Of course, it was most useful to manipulate people, but it also fed Aro's passion for history. The stories of hundreds of people were stored in his head, and after decades, he began to realize he could use the most interesting people…

At first they changed few others. They possessed a power very few in the world had, and they were reluctant to share it. However, it was necessary soon to expand, to have their interests represented elsewhere. Aro could select "soldiers" based on their pasts and their thoughts. Only some, he discovered, developed talents. He spent hundreds of years changing people with hopes that they might develop these special talents. Few did. Those that did became subjects of intense interest for him.

Early on, however, Aro decided to change his biological sister, a bright, happy younger woman, Didyme. Aro hoped that her powers might be similar to his own, and together, they could rule the world. She was a disappointment, however, in that her power was to cause people an aura of happiness - not very helpful in world domination. He lost all intellectual interest in her, although Marcus did not. Marcus quickly fell in love with Didyme. Aro was unaffected; he felt no worldly ties to his once biological sister.

In the meantime, the three brothers had to adapt to a rapidly modernizing world. They turned in their god status for a position of leadership among their own "elite" kind, dubbed vampires by the human world. After all, king of the "cattle farm" was not so high and mighty, but king of the most advanced and elite beings in the world was something to brag about. They founded Volterra after the fall of Rome.

Around that time, another coven, converted by other wayward vampires sought for control. Aro had little interest in actual warfare, but did not want to give up any dominance. His talent proved useful in the beginning of the war, as did his collection. Full of vampires with special talents, the Volturi took the Romanians by surprise more than once and were able to secure dominance.

During the war, an attractive Greek woman took Aro's attention. Her thoughts were unlike other humans'; she was surprisingly unconcerned with earthly things and extremely philosophical. Aro turned her without much motive besides to make her his own mate, and since then he has remained with Sulpicia, though neither of them have been exactly faithful over time. Being with someone for fifty to seventy years is hard; imagine centuries. They uphold appearances, but by no means classify themselves as a historical, enduring love affair.

The coven continued to grow and thrive over the next several hundred years, though it was not without its difficulties. One, in particular, being a sudden dissonance with Marcus. Claiming he wanted out of the coven to pursue his own interests along with Didyme, Marcus one night informed Aro he would be leaving.

Aro exhibited his usual sunny demeanor and agreed to support his dear friend and "brother;" however, Marcus's talent of recognizing relationships was unique. Aro needed Marcus to remain a part of the coven because of his talent and also because Marcus would be a threat if he left. After all, Marcus was just as old as Caius and he and was a well-seasoned leader.

Reading Marcus's thoughts for Didyme, Aro realized the only way to get Marcus to stay would be to ruin his enthusiasm and passion for the world. He would need to make Marcus once again dependent on himself and Caius, and nobody else. Aro encouraged Marcus to go on a trip to Asia to control a small population of vampires there. While he was gone, Aro solitarily murdered his own sister, Didyme,and ruined her body by means of fire. Marcus became a lifeless shell, but one that indeed stayed with the Volturi. Aro told nobody, though he knows that Caius may have figured things out.

Once again free from threat, the Volturi thrived, that is, until the Children of the Moon began to grow in number and threaten their "peace." Aro was more interested in dominating the wolves, perhaps using them as foot soldiers. He believed they were more useful than humans, but certainly not as advanced as "his" kind. As the war went on, it became clear that the wolves could not be pacified. There was no choice but to order their genocide, which was largely led by Caius. Aro has always somewhat regretted the choice - the creatures would have been ever so interesting to study.

Through the years, Aro became more and more obsessed with power. He isn't like the typical leaders of the past: he is not an especially violent man, and is not usually perceived as especially ruthless. Aro thinks of himself as an intellectual: a historian and a leader of the greatest race to ever walk the Earth. His hunger for power expresses itself through his strange habit of acquiring new Volturi members. Each one he treats like a prize - a prize that will carry out his bidding at any given time. However, he is not one to rule from a distance. Aro has and will actively track down problem vampires and have them condemned after a "trial."

Presently, Aro is relatively tense. There has been no conflict since the newborn war. One thing he has learned in his 3000 years is that there is no such thing as peace or total control. Call it superstition, but he can feel something big coming on… he's recruiting heavily and preparing the Volturi for the next big conflict.


Personality

Giddy and eccentric, Aro can be at once kind and brotherly and the next moment ruthless and exacting. Essentially, he is the consummate actor. He reveals little about his true power-hungry and sometimes lonely personality.


Relationships

Name Relation Notes
Gianna Employee She does her job. He doesn't give her much notice.
William Employee Since he has some connections in the human world, he's useful enough.

Playlist

Theme: "The Sound of Silence" - Simon and Garfunkel

Also:
"Welcome Home" - Coheed and Cambria
"Fake It" - Seether
"Devour" - Shinedown


Logs

Title Date Quick Description
Command and Control - I June 2 The Volturi put things into action.
Link - Intruder June 2 Caius, Aro and Marcus learn what they can from Josephine.
Link - Caius I June 2 Things continue to progress along the now Caius Front.
Link - Stasia I June 2 Things progress along the Stasia front, as the threat continues.
Official Allies May 29 Aro and Abbey sign off on an official agreement, Aset witnesses.
Spring festivities in Volterra May 26 An enjoyable evening in the Volterra plaza almost turns ugly.
Freedom... with a price May 21 Aro has a chat with the imprisoned Children of the Moon to try and make a deal.
A Deal with the Devil. May 21 Caius presents the term of the treaty between the Volturi and the Shadow Stalkers.
Bad News. May 21 Aro breaks some tragic news to Stasia… and sees the fruits of his manipulations.
We Three Kings May 21 Aro, Marcus and Caius meet to discuss recent events and plan for the future.
The State of the Union May 13 Caius and Aro discuss recent events and the future.
The Children of the Moon Are Alive! May 9 Aro and Caius question Abbey about her pack's intentions of revealing vampires only to discover a startling secret.
An Exercise in Influence April 26 After arriving in Volterra, Stasia meets with Aro. Meanwhile, Chelsea continues to do her work.

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