Dante Minelli

Member of the Carthian Movement

Caretaker of Aurora

From the Mekhet Clan

Dante was born in a predominantly Italian section of New York, on December 4th, 1892. Dante was the first son of blue-collar Italian immigrants, his father did construction work and was a talented boxer while his mother was a self employed seamstress selling custom clothes out of their apartment. From the money his parents made, they were able to afford good education for Dante. Not wasting the opportunity given to him, Dante excelled in his academics mastering the languages of English and Italian, and the sciences of the time. Upon graduation, he was drafted into the American army during World War I.

During boot camp Dante’s superiors revered his skills as a marksman and capable leader. Realizing the usefulness of this young recruit, the Army placed Dante as head of a sniper unit for the remainder of boot camp. Soon after, his battalion was shipped to Europe where they bounced around the major countries and battles earning recognition and merit for completing many crucial missions on behalf of the American cause. Eventually his battalion was shipped to Italy; half because the war was nearly over and half to ensure the safe return of such accomplished soldiers.

One night, Dante and a few other soldiers were traveling the roads between France and Italy in a jeep when it was suddenly ambushed by grenade blast and a spattering of gun fire. It instantly killed the driver, causing the jeep to roll and critically injure the remaining passengers. Dante had managed to survive the skirmish and subsequent crash, but was seriously wounded and unable to move. Lucky for him his attackers never appeared, but the bitter cold of the winter night would surely finish him if he were not found. Slowly fading into that space between sleep and daydream, Dante unexpectedly felt as though someone was standing over him. He forced his eyes open and thought he heard an angel say, “I can offer you eternal life, or I can let you die where you lay in the cold and pain that you are surely suffering. The choice is yours.” Dante chose life, and watched as the angel slowly leaned in to give him what he though was a kiss. Instead, she grabbed his neck and the ensuing swirl of emotions that came over him could not be explained in words. When he finally opened his eyes he realized that this was no angel that stood before him, rather she was a vampire that had just embraced him. She then took his hand and led him into the surrounding wilderness. The whole walk she explained to Dante what had happened, why she decided to turn him, and where they were going.

Years passed and with time Dante had grown accustomed to his new life. He was told that he was a Nosferatu and part of a traveling band of gypsy Kindred that roamed the countryside of Italy. He learned much from the band, but soon became the fancy of a Mekhet in the city that made it her perrogative to make his education that much more interesting. Because Dante was not of the same blood, he was forbidden from seeing his love and forced to continue to move with his travelling band by the Mekhet girls' sire. Years passed in what seemed like a blink of the eye, until the group caught wind of some serious Kindred activity from the States. It seemed as though a Carthian Nosferatu by the name of Ursos Arctos was calling for Kindred of like mind to come and help induce change in Chicago. Sharing in what the Carthian movement stood for and having little to leave behind, Dante decided to leave his group and make his way back to America. He had had his fill of the troubles that were in his group and wished for some stability in his life.

Shortly after meeting with Ursos, a good friendship was forged between the two and a giant of a Kindred by the name of Sven Johansen. It was obvious that Ursos had taken Dante under wing and as such treated Dante as though he were his own brother in the flesh. For years, the three worked together to propel the Carthian movement in Chicago. During this time, Dante became reacquainted with his studies and was eventually able to understand the most current of academic discussions. This knowledge along with his youthful looks allowed Dante to meander undetected through the academic realms of the universities in the area with ease. It was there that he came across some interesting work involving genetics that propelled him to spend much time in research until his results were published. Once publshed, Dante saw little need to continue his efforts in research and began to acclamate himself into the kindred gatherings.

As a loyal and dedicated member of the Carthian Movement, Dante has been involved in the advancement of the group for many years. Rather than be directly involved in the politics of the movement, Dante has preferred to work alone and offer his services when necessary. Because of this preference for solitude, Dante is naturally very quiet amongst his fellow covenant and / or family members and as a result not much is known about him even amongst his closest friends. In March of 2007 Dante had a chance meeting with his sire, whom revealed to him that she had lied about his lineage to keep him from the one that he loved. When Dante let it be known to the Chicago Kindred that he was a Mekhet, the information was not very well received. This along with the unfortunate torpor of his good friend [Ursos Arctos] and his accused involvement with the [Jobe Webster] murder has put Dante much farther into the limelight than he has ever cared to be. Will he be able to handle the stress or will he find a way to sneak back into the shadows where he works best? With Ursos apparently gone for an extended and unknown amount of time Dante can do little more than pick himself up, try again and continue to improve the [Carthian Movement].

Dante currently presides over his newly renovated club, Chaserz in Aurora where he reigns as Caretaker. After a long hiatus since his introduction to the city speckled with intermitent visits, Dante has been a more stable figure in recent gatherings. Will this recent activity persist, or will Dante be forced into the shadows again?

Dante is played by Dan Parise