Nick Pellegrino

Born

April 27, 1984 (age in 2030: 46)

Berkeley, CA, USA

Died

December 15, 2003 (age at death: 19)

Rose as vampire

Aliases

Riot

Family

David (father), Patricia (mother)

Racial characteristics

Vampiric strength, speed, and fortitude

Sex

Male

Height

5'10"

Weight

155 lbs

Hair

Black

Eyes

Hazel

Affiliations

The Little 15

Nick Pellegrino is the de facto vampire lord of Commonwealth City, leading the ironically-named Little 15, a clan of hundreds of Youngblood vampires. He is notable for his successful rebellion against the Court of Long Night, effectively liberating Commonwealth City from their domain.

Biography

Born in Berkeley, CA, Nick was pressed hard to reach academic excellence by his parents, David and Patricia Pellegrino. As a teenager, he began to covertly rebel, hanging with the "wrong crowd" in secret, even changing his clothes before arriving at school and changing back before coming home. When little acts of rebellion weren't enough, he pushed harder, skipping school, stealing, smoking, and frustrating his parents, who couldn't seem to elicit any feeling of shame from him. Despite riding the line, he did graduate high school, and even got accepted to UC Berkeley--although money probably changed hands. His academic career would soon hit a wall.

At 19 years old, in his first year, he wasn't doing well, preferring parties and beer to studies. He met a girl named Emily, and she seemed interested, as she lured him off to a bedroom. But what she had in store wasn't what he expected, as the moment the door closed, her jaws closed around his neck. As the darkness and cold settled in, he was still in shock and denial, but his body knew death was coming, and surrendered. And yet, before the end, he tasted hot, fresh blood in his own mouth.

When he awoke, he found himself in a strange new reality, his senses heightened and his body transformed. He had risen as a vampire, forever changed and bound to the night. His sire had a place for him amongst her clan, and he did eventually get those favors he'd hoped for. But as part of the Old Court, her clan was all politics, intrigue, and old-fashioned people-eating. Their european sensibilities and noble pretensions pushed all of the wrong buttons for him, and his instinct to rebel grew to untold heights.

With his natural charisma, boosted by vampiric power, he gathered a small coalition of like-minded "Youngbloods" (anyone under a century, unlike Emily who dated back to the 18th century), and staged a rebellion against Emily's clan. With her blood connection to him and others, they were hopeless to oppose her--but the mercenaries he'd hired weren't, and while wooden stakes are the best general weapon, a .50 caliber rifle bullet is a pretty good alternative.

When she burned in the sunlight, he was free. Bound to no one, and oathbound to bind himself to none, either. He would not create any spawn, only free vampires who chose his allegiance. He made his own clan, the Little 15, built around the original rebels, but attracting a cohort of Youngbloods seeking their own freedom. When their sires didn't take no for an answer, the Little 15 would take care of them. The old vampires had more supernatural power, and greater numbers, but they were anachronistic, fighting with medieval weapons when they used weapons at all. It's quite difficult to bite someone's neck when they're wearing military body armor, and to close in for the kill when they've got you tagged at 300 meters with a machine gun. Nick's personal favorite was the grenade launcher--it turns out there are plenty of ways to kill vampires besides sunlight and stakes.

After decades of warfare, the Little 15 has proven "unworthy of the investment needed to destroy" by the Old Court, and they've effectively ceded Commonwealth City to the rebels. Like in earlier centuries, immigrants have poured into the city to flee oppressive regimes and find liberty in Nick's city.

Skills and Powers

As a vampire, Nick possesses enhanced strength, speed, and fortitude. He is skilled in both melee and ranged combat, often favoring unconventional weapons like firearms and explosives over traditional vampire tools. His charisma and leadership abilities make him a natural leader of the Little 15, and he has a keen strategic mind for both social and military conflicts. He also has a unique ability, which proves very useful in his life: the ability to drain energy through music.

Nick's core group of vampires perform as a band, a pop-punk outfit that channels their supernatural energy into electrifying performances. Their music not only entertains but also serves as a conduit for Nick to drain energy from their audience--just a bit from each audience member, barely enough to make them a little sleepy the next day. As such, he doesn't need to feed on blood to survive.