Ruthven Vaneko
Ruthven Vaneko is the latest in a long line of Romanian nobility, made rich through the mining of the sulfer that lays under his lands. Though he's a gracious enough host, there's no denying that Vaneko is a little... off. His parents were killed when he was only 10 (in circumstances that he has refused to reveal) and this has triggered in the man an unrelenting obsession with bringing them back to life, as well as a grim fascination with his own death. There is no doubt in Vaneko's mind that his parents' ressurection is possible; it's simply a matter of finding a skilled enough scientist.
If there's a bright side to Vaneko's tragedy, it's the keen kinship he feels with the orphaned youth of his domain. He raises the local orphans as his wards; he doesn't try to take the place of their parents, but instead serves as mentor, teacher, councilor and role-model. Up until recently he had five children in his care (Didu, Baretta, Janos, Timaeus and Catalina), but Janos was killed by the... thing... Vaneko keeps in his basement. Vaneko's eulogy for the boy was short: "He was a good soldier. He honored me. But the work goes on."
The "work" that Vaneko spoke of seems to be the punishment of criminals, if the workers in his mines and fields are anything to judge by. If so, he's chosen some interesting partners for the task; the first scientist he hired to resurrect his parents was the villainous Thule Society leader, Doctor Joseph Dippel and, though he's since pinned his hopes for the task on the Indian scientist, Vasuki, Dippel's diary suggests that Vaneko is an old friend of the ruthless Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin.
