Abertonians

[Abertone]

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Marco Lupin IX
King of Abertone
Grand Duke of Faidello

Marco was born in 1976 and is the 2nd son of Emperor Luca V and Empress Maria.

Marco was not a good student at all and had it not been for him being at the privately run Faidello St.Nicholas School he would likely have been excluded for his lack of work ethic and rudeness to teachers. With the school having enjoyed the prestige of educating all Emperors and Princes of the nation since 1817 he was permitted to get away with a great deal of things. In school the only subject that had anything positive to say about him was music and he by merit was lead violin in the schools orchestra. When he left school in 1994 he completed his military service in the Imperial Logistics Regiment as a bandsman and rather surprisingly to his father he stayed in the service until 2001 raising to the rank of Captain. He played several instruments and arranged performances.

In 2001 he left the military and set up his own performing arts centre known as the Lupin Seminary which placed an emphasis on composing, recording, performing and promoting spiritual music. While not devoutly Christian Marco was aware of the need to support the Catholic Church and combined this with his love of music, while often not fully believing in the messages and meaning of works of religious music he appreciates the beauty of the work and therefore can put his more secular leanings to one side. Up until 2019 Marco split time between royal duties, partying and his musical work.

His elder brother Gianfranco became Emperor in 1997 following the assassination of his father by Republican terrorists. His brother ruled as Emperor from 1997-2019 before dying of an illness. As the rules of inheritance for Abertone state that a male should inherit the throne and with Gainfranco having three daughters it was Marco who inherited the throne. At the time of Gianfranco's death it transpired his wife, Sarah, was pregnant and gave birth to a healthy boy eight months after Marco inherited the throne, this has lead to some believing Marco should have abdicated the throne in favour of his nephew Peter. The Emperor though has refused to do so.

Marco has a reputation for living the high life and while having never been married has fathered three children.  Most of the day to day running of the Empire he has left to his cousin Graziano. In 1997 he was in a relationship with Livia Rizzo, the daughter of the Count of Bergcastro, in 1998 she gave birth to a daughter called Alda. Originally Marco denied being the father and his father insisted a DNA test be done, to the point of threatening to have the Praetorians lack a blood sample by force. The results confirmed Marco was the father and Emperor Luca conferred upon her the title Viscountess Rizzo. Three months later Emperor Luca died however he had left a villa on the coast to his illegitimate grand-daughter.

In 2000 Marco was in a relationship with Abertonian model Alana Bellincioni. Marco however was far from faithful. In December of that year Alana gave birth to a son called Silvano. While Marco has acknowledged the son his brother did not give any title to the boy. Even today Silvano enjoys very little contact with his father however the extended Lupin family has taken care of him and he currently is studying Mechanical Engineering at University with Graziano picking up the tab for his fees.

In 2016 Marco got a female army officer assigned to the Palace pregnant. Lieutenant Maria Ardizzone gave birth on 17th May 2016 to a daughter called Eugenia. Once again  Marco has not really stepped up as father but on this occasion his sister in law, the then Empress Sarah, has ensured that the girl is well looked after.

[Abertone]

Graziano Lupin
Prince of Abertone
Duke of Manzi
Imperial Consul

Graziano is the cousin of the Emperor and was born in 1980 to Emperor Luca's younger brother Prince Salvio and his wife Princess Olimpia who was also the Duchess of Manzi. In 1986 he began attending Faidello St.Nicholas School where his cousin, the now Emperor Marco, had left a low expectation of the family. Graziano however enjoyed learning despite not always being good at most subjects. He was though always top of the class in Home Economics, woodwork and gardening. It wasn't until 1991 when he began attending the facilities Upper School that he was diagnosed with dyslexia and once he began recieving help began to flourish in other subjects. His love of more practical subjects remained however. While at school he was also a member of the school football team and by 1993 had several Abertone Premier League teams scouting him, in truth though this was more a marketing project by the teams keen to emphasis that they had signed a member of royalty however Graziano was simply a very average player and by 1997 had come to that realisation himself and began to withdraw from football. Despite this he does boast a cap for the nations Under 19's team and also also a National Development League Winners medal. He is still a big fan of the game but is very discreet about who he actually supports. WHile at school he also joined the youth group called the Order of Isidore, a group that worked on farms and allotments to help grow food to provide for the poor.

In 1998 he was accepted onto a course at Manzi University to study Project Management. He intended to work for the Lupin Estate overseeing various plans across the royal properties focusing on restoration and diversification of land use. While at University though he also joined the Imperial Officer Training Cadre (IOTC), more out of a sense of duty than a career path. He actually was surprised to find that he enjoyed it and switched his degree to International Relations as he was told this would open more opportunities in the military. With his degree completed he did his 18 months military service during which he applied for aptitude tests for various roles within the military. He tested high enough to become a fast jet pilot and in 2004 became an airmen flying F-3 Fabulinus.

In 2016 he was persuaded by his cousin the then Emperor Gianfranco to leave the military and become the spokesman for the armed forces in the Senate. This actually saw him clash heavily with his cousin at times as Graziano worked hard to represent his former colleagues in the seat of government helping secure better pay and conditions for many in the military. This earned him a great deal of respect and in 2017 he was named as one of two candidates for Deputy Consul however he withdraw as a protest about injured military members having educational opportunities withdrawn.

Despite all the work he is involved in he has maintained his membership of the Order of Isidore and while not active on farms he is a big promoter of the organisation, its work and its members. It was through this organisation that in 2002 he meet his future wife Agatha Di Augastino who was the daughter of a former Consul. They meet at a fundraising event and a year later married. The couple now have three children with Andrew being born in 2004, Benedict in 2010 and his daughter Notburga. All the couples children are named after Patron saints of farming as a mark of respect towards how the couple meet.

Graziano is seen by many as the actual leader of Abertone and in 2021 he had to distance himself from a small group of Army Officers who began a petition to have him replace the Emperor.

[Abertone]

Serena Di Augastino
Lieutenant in the Imperial Carabinieri
Advocatus

Born in 1990 Serena is the younger sister of Agatha Di Augastino, the wife of Graziano Lupin. She is a member of the Imperial Carabinieri which is a military police unit responsible for policing activities of the armed forces, providing security to VIP's and ensuring the safety of military instillations. It is tradition that a member of the unit serves in the role as one of many Advocatus which is a role combining personal secretary, steward and "fixer" for members of the Imperial Family. The title is considered one of nobility and upon leaving employment in such role an individual uses the title Advocatus Imperium.

Serena was educated at the St. Teresa of Ávila Academy, a prestigious all girls school in Abertone. Being rather tall for her age she excelled at sports including netball and swimming. She represented the Western part of the Empire in the annual East V's West School Games in swimming. In 2008 she joined the armed forces, initially as a member of the Army Physical Training School (APTS) instructing in swimming related classes such as sea survival and SCUBA diving as well as conducting training for newer recruits. She herself however never fulfilled her predicted sporting potential thanks largely due to an ACL injury playing netball at the age of 15. She was however content to enjoy a career in the military.

In 2011 she was required to take a secondment to an active combat unit and joined the Carabinieri and spent six months in the Eastern Part of the Empire helping to deal with various separatist and Republican groups. During this time she was awarded the Imperial Meritorious Conduct Medal for helping evacuate an injured colleague when their response vehicle was hit by an RPG. She then returned to the Army Physical Training School where she was given responsibility for running the fitness tests for future members of the Carabinieri. She spent between 2012 and 2018 bouncing between the Army Physical Training School and the required secondments with the Carabinieri. As is tradition for the APTS promotions are not forthcoming above Liutenant unless you become desk bound however pay increases are possible while remaining at lower ranks by assuming command of various details dedicated to things such as specialist skills, as such Serena has amassed an impressive CV of skills ranging from skiing, horse riding, parachuting and most recently rock climbing.

With no more details being avaliable for Serena in 2018 and with another secondment due she was approached by her brother-in-law to become a member of Emperor Gainfranco's staff. While the various bits of paperwork and background checks were being carried out the Emperor died and she had expected her application to be ejected. However as Emperor Marco seemed inclined to leave Serena's brother in law Graziano to be in charge he insisted the application be approved and in early 2019 she was appointed onto his staff. Within a few weeks she had been described as running the Consul's personnel office with a "rod of iron" and when Emperor Marco's Advocatus retired Graziano sent her to head his brothers household. Despite the Emperors initial flirtations she ignored his advances and once more became a strong organiser of the staff she was heading up. She was put into position in effect to ensure Graziano had someone he could trust to try and manage Marco and while Serena has been unable to stop some of his stronger vices she has at least ensured he has the veneer of an Emperor.

Serena however lives a kind of secret life being a lesbian in a country where such things are seen as "sinful".

Serena stands at 6ft 3inches in bare feet.

[Abertone]

Agatha Lupo (Di Augastino)
Princess of Abertone
Duchess of Manzi

Agatha Di Augastino was born in 1983. He father was Lionel Di Augastino who was a leading politican who served as Consul between 1990-1997 as well as various other government roles. Her mother, Maria, ran a small artisan pottery company that today has many items that are considered collectors items.

She was educated in the small town of Lampeira which is a small coastal town in the south of the Empire. She attended a regular High School as her father was concerned that if they sent her to a private school it would reflect poorly on the Empire's educational policies. She enjoyed art and crafts and won several school prizes for her works. At the age of 16 she began to pursue a career in the art industry. She even took on a part time job working for a local gallery helping them set up for exhibitions and sales. With Lampeira also being a rather rural area she was involved in the Order of  Isidore, a group that worked on farms and allotments to help grow food to provide for the poor, as a chef in a soup kitchen.

At 18 she meet Graziano Lupo at a meeting of the Order of Isidore and the two began a relationship while Agatha studied Classical Art at the University of Abertone. A year later they were married and having their first child. Agatha switched to studying part time and upon graduation refused to be a stay at home mother. She got several jobs in the capital of Abertone examining art works to confirm their authenticity, valuing them for auction and helping curate exhibitions. As further children followed she began working less in the private sector and began to focus on the Lupo families own collection ensuring that as much as possible was made accessible by the general public.

Like her husband Graziano she largely refuses to use her official titles.

The couple have three children Andrew being born in 2004, Benedict in 2010 and a daughter Notburga in 2013.

In 2022 she began work with Channel 2 as both a producer and on screen presenter for art based programme content.

[Abertone]

Alda Rizzo
Viscountess Rizzo
RL-meika woollard

Alda was born in 1998. Her father is Emperor Marco and her mother Livia Rizzo, the daughter of the Count of Bergcastro.

At the time of her birth her mother had recently ended a relationship with the future Emperor and he denied being Alda's father. This lead to Emperor Luca V stepping in and ensuring his grand-daughter was well looked after. He even went so far as threatening his son Marco with having a blood sample taken by force. When she was just three months old Luca V died however Marco's brother ensured she was kept in touch with the rest of the family. Between her own noble family and the Imperial one she was privileged to have a good upbringing.

She was enrolled at the age of four at the St. Thomas Aquinas Academy in Bergcastro. She enjoyed horse riding and music. By the age of eight she was attending lessons on show jumping at the National Equine Academy. By the time she graduated high school she was a hard working student with a reputation for being involved in "literally everything" ranging from a netball, orchestra, drama club and the school newspaper.

In 2016 she attended Bergcastro University for Performing Arts where she studied Music. There she formed a indie rock band with several of her friends in which she played bass guitar. They even experienced some minor chart success with them reaching No.12 in the national charts. In 2018 however the band had "artistic differences" and disbanded. A year later Alda graduated and found a job in the capital Abertone as a session musician and music tutor. Following her estranged father becoming Emperor however her uncle Graziano insisted she come under protection from the Imperial Security Service and she found herself becoming closer to him.

She currently hosts a music podcast, writes music for a recording label and helps organise concerts for Graziano's various charitable endeavours. 

[Abertone]

Carmela De Angelis
Stefanie Giesinger

Carmela was born in Crociale in 1996. Her father was Duke Luca De Angelis and her mother is Imelda De Angelis, a former ballerina. Carmela is the eldest of two sisters (has a younger sister born in 2000 called Miranda) and as such the heir to the title Duke De Angelis.

At a young age she was sent to a private school in the countryside of the Eastern part of the Empire. She was considered rather arrogant by his classmates and several would have described her as a bully. She was very driven to succeed and represented the school in a variety of activities including choir, academic quizzes and netball.

 At the age of 18 she went to University in Faidello to study Economics. While at University she became a member of a "Secret Society" called "The Onyx Club", the clubs exists to ensure the privledged classes retain their status in the Empire. This invitation lead to greater arrogance. Membership of the Onyx Club also ensured she graduated with exceptionally high grades.

In 2017 as is expected of noble daughters she opted into national service and once again her membership of The Onyx Club saw her given preferential treatment and she served as an officer in the General Staff Corps. As soon as the mandatory service period was over she left in order to establish her own business trading antiques, especially jewellery. In 2021 she became a millionare in her own right and helped establish a philothranpic bank called the MicroCreditBank (MCB) which specialises in giving out small (less than $100,000) loans to new start up businesses. This in effect allowed her to also offer personal finance to the same businesses and has seen her able to amass financial interests in several up and coming industries.

[Abertone]

Princess Kivuli (Gulia) of Nzuri
RL-Maya Jama

Kivuli was born in the capital of the Eastern part of the Empire in 2001. She is the grand-daughter of Prince Mwadimu who died in May 2023. Traditionally the title of Prince or Princess of their tribe (a title that replaced Chief in 1783) is passed directly down the bloodline however Prince Mwadimu outlived his two sons, including Kivuli's father. As a result the passing of the title to Kivuli was never expected and slightly opposed by some of the tribal elders who voted 30-28 in favour of granting her the title.

As is Nzuri tradition girls are brought up as part of a communal child care system where all women of the tribe are considered mother until the age of six. At that point she moved from one of the tribes many rural holdings to the capital of the Eastern part of the empire, Lafiagi. There her father, who had expected her to have to forge an independent path through the world, began having her privately educated. She enjoyed traditional dance and story telling and even as a child began making traditional looking manuscripts by hand. At the age of 13 her father packed her off to the city of Abertone to attending boarding school.

While in the Western part of the Empire she faced some discrimination however her connections ensured she was never really held back by stereotypes. She took part in many school musicals and dance shows, often choosing to showcase some of her tribes traditions. At this point she adopted a Abertonian language name "Gulia" mainly because she believed it shared similar sounds to her own traditional name.

Following her secondary education she enrolled at Pavagona University where she studied Development Economics gaining a 2:1 in 2022. She also was part of the Universities small but active Nzuri Cultural Association. She then returned to Lafiagi where she became active working for the Nzuri Land Development Fund, an organisation that has helped ensure land remains in the possession of the tribe and is developed for modern agricultural use. Her main duties involved identifying land for purchase by the tribe and then creating business plans for its use. Since becoming Princess she has hoped that the tribe can economically acquire much more land and turn it to profit. She then wants to use these profits to provide scholarships to young people within the tribe.

She is considered pro-Empire. The Nzuri were quick to adapt to the coming of the Empire to the East and as such have become the only tribe to really maintain its semblance of unity and identity.