Fortunato Malvora

Overview
Fortunato Malvora is the head of the Malvora Family. The Malvora's are a family of White Court Vampires who feed on fear. They are also a powerful mafia family based in Sicily who have branched out into Canada and the United States of America.

Fortunato was sent (as a punishment) to be in charge of the Family's Western Canadian holdings in the 1950s. He moved to his Saskatoon location in 2000.

High Concept

 * White Court Businessman

Trouble

 * Failure is not tolerated.

Aspects

 * Trust the Family.
 * Immortality isn't a guarantee.
 * Don't forget who's in charge.
 * Big sharks have big hunger.
 * You scratch my back...

Early Life
Fortunato Malvora was the first son (and only child) born to Santino and Carmela Malvora, and the 5th grandson to Don Vittorio Malvora. His father named him "Fortunato" as he hoped it would bring his son good fortune in the future, and for the more selfish reason of considering himself "lucky" to finally have an heir.

A good number of the men in the Malvora Family were involved with the Cosa Nostra, and had benefited much in ways of wealth and influence from this.

The Malvora's had a large, extended family who all played a role in each others' lives and were always there for each other. Large gatherings were commonplace among them - there was always something to celebrate: births, christenings, promotions, weddings, successful business dealings, and even deaths. What better way to remember someone then by having a feast in their honor?

Social gatherings (which always included meals) in his grandfather's garden were one of young Fortunato's first memories. His mother, grandmother, and aunts would be gossiping and cooking together, he and his many cousins would play together in the gardens, and the men would be sitting out in the yard talking and drinking grandfather's home made wine. Uncle Vinnie always went inside after a time to make the spaghetti sauce because he didn't trust any of the women to spice it properly.

When he was 7, Fortunato was sent off to school and he was given the best education the family's money could provide. This was the case with all the children in the family, including the girls, which was somewhat rare for the time. While he didn't particularly enjoy school, he did apply himself and did rather well after his father and grandfather "explained" to him (with a cane) that goofing off and not doing well was a sign of disrespect. After all, did he want word to go around town the Don Vittorio's grandson was a fool and lackadaisical? Fortunato learned from this to always consider how his actions would reflect on his elders.

The remainder of his schooling was unremarkable - he got into fights (as all boys do), and enjoyed learning to box. He found he had a real knack for "wheeling and dealing" and became known unofficially as the guy to go to with a problem amongst the other boys and even some of the girls. They would, of course, do him a favour in return someday because they were so grateful.

Fortunato graduated from Grade 8 at the age of 15 and began working with his father, learning his business. Santino was a vintnar; he had learned the trade from his father, Don Vittorio. Fortunato worked long, hard days with his father learning how to tend the grapes, harvest them, and make them into wine. Then he learned the business of selling the product and how to choose good peasants to hire to do the manual labour and field work. Santino believed that to succeed at any business, one had to know how to do all parts of it. It gave you a better appreciation for the importance of all parts of the job, and the common labourers respected you even more the days that you worked in the dirt or squashing grapes with them. In this way, he also guaranteed that the product was of good quality, because a watchful eye was kept on it; and that the peasants were happy labouring for him.

Half of Fortunato's evenings were spend with his grandfather, learning about the "other" Family business. His grandfather was pleased that he was a natural at making deals with others, and began teaching him more subtleties and refinement that he lacked in this area. The other half of the week, when his grandfather was teaching his rival cousin Vinchenzo the interstices of the Family business, Fortunato was permitted to go out on the town with his friends. He was properly cautioned that if he planned on doing something too outrageous, it better be in some other town where he wasn't well known. Some mornings he'd come home covered in bruises from participating in unofficial fight clubs at the docks, some mornings he'd still be hung over - and was promptly sent out to work in the fields under the hot, blazing sun that day.

Other times he'd engage in more proper activities such as going to the theatre or to dances. Fortunato was quite self confident and did have a way with the young ladies he met at these events. He discovered that there were things he could bargain for with them that were much sweeter then the pastries the girls at school had baked for him in return for something like a pretty ribbon. After returning from one such dalliance quite late in the day, his father warned him again of disrespectful behaviour to the family. (Essentially "don't get caught" and "be careful or you're going to find yourself married in a hurry - and the Don will be disappointed because he has plans for you and marriage must be to a suitable woman.")

A few weeks later, Fortunato and a few of his cousins went to visit Palermo and take in the sights of the dockside city. Walking back to their hotel room after attending a dance one night, they were ambushed in alley by several angry men. One made a reference to him "stealing his betrothed's virtue" and pulled a knife. Another slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. The others had improvised clubs. Although he'd only had training in unarmed forms of combat, Fortunato was sure he'd be able to get out of this fine - after all, it was just five of them versus he and his two older cousins. It was then he noticed the three other men hidden in the shadows, pointing pistols at them. For the first time in his life, a real surge of fear went through him - he may be quick, but how would he avoid a bullet while fighting the others? His fear turned to anger - the edges of his vision turned red and his heart was pounding. How dare these hooligans attack him and his family! It certainly wasn't his fault that one of his conquests had been betrothed and not told him. What if it wasn't even him? What if they were attacking an innocent man, thinking he was someone else? How was he going to get out of this? Why did they take that shortcut through the alley? What would people think when three of Don Vittorio's grandsons were found dead in an alley? As he frantically looked at his attackers, the fear took hold again. He struggled to get himself under control and met the first gunman's eyes. His vision cleared as the man's eyes widened and then he sank to the ground. He felt a strange rush of endorphins hitting him and sank to the ground himself. What just happened? What a rush! He'd never felt so good before; so refreshed too! He looked around bewildered to see that the rest of the attackers were dead too. His cousins Vito and Sal were looking at him and grinning. This is how Fortunato learned the family's final secret - that most of them were also white court vampires who fed on fear.

After Fortunato "became a man," his two cousins who had been with him during the incident taught him how to use and control his newfound powers. They stayed in the larger city of Palermo for several months teaching him how to discipline his hunger and going out at night to feed on the dregs of society that frequented the docks. It was important to feed on those no one would miss in order to keep the secret. During this time he also learned of the other "courts" of vampires and their powers, as well as other supernatural beings. Once he had enough discipline to comport himself as the person he once was, Fortunato and his cousins returned home - to another celebration as he was recognized as a man amongst his family.

Fortunato continued to work in the family business, took up a new hobby in learning to become skilled with firearms, notably the lupara, which was commonly used for hunting wolves. His rivalry with cousin Vinchenzo continued as they competed against each other for everything. Both were vying for an important place as Capo in the Don's organization, and both realized that the other was too dangerous to have around if his plans of success were going to come to fruition. While both men were plotting against one another, as was the way of the white court - to be subtle in what you did, Fortunato had a close call with an assassin posing as a drunken peasant. The next morning he learned that the Don had sent Vinchenzo away on business to mainland Italy for an undetermined amount of time. Fortunato learned he had been indeed fortunate to escape this assassination attempt and that the immortality he now had as a vampire was not a guarantee that he would live forever. There will always be someone out there willing and able to kill you.

During the latter half of this century the current mafia in Italy had become too powerful and corrupt; Don Vittorio realized this, and that his family would have problems in the future, so he sent out his grandsons and other trusted men to establish the Family's presence in a new countries. In 1870, Fortunato and Vito were sent to Canada and established themselves in Little Italy in Toronto. Dante and Sal were sent to the United States for the same reason. The other cousins (grandsons of the Don) were similarly sent to countries were they could make inroads. (For more information on the corruption of the mafia in Sicily see chapter 23 of "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo).

Later Years
Fortunto worked expanding the Malvora Family interest for many years in the greater Toronto area. His cousin Vito did the same, but in Montreal. They traveled the country extensively once the railroad had been built, and had contacts in the larger settlements where the trains stopped. It was on one such trip, many years later the Fortunato met a young up-and-comer named Al Capone. They formed a partnership for a time during the Prohibition in the United States and it was quite successful. Fortunanto admired this man's sense of style and how he endured himself to the public. Sadly, this partnership had a falling out in 1928 when Capone decided he was big enough to take over the whole operation and bragging to his men that he had done all the work himself. While normal procedure for Fortunato would have been to arrange an unfortunate incident to befall Capone for this betrayal, he uncharacteristically felt a pang of sympathy to this man he'd once looked up to. Instead,with the help of his family in the United States, he alerted the government to the fact that he'd never paid taxes. Fortunato figured that some jail time would keep this man out of his way for a time, and that perhaps when he was released they could come to an understanding again. Unfortunately, by the time he was paroled, he had lost his mind to late-stage syphilis.

Ever since the night Fortunato had given into the demon and become a white court vampire, his aging had slowed considerably. He moved around every few decades with new aliases and identification, which was becoming more of an issue as technology advanced. He kept his education up to date and learned to change with the times, so as not to become an anachronism.

And so it was that during the year of his 100th birthday, he still appeared to be in his 20's. He was summoned home for a celebration of his birthday which should have been a joyous occasion. During the month-long celebration and reuniting with his parents and family, his cousin Vinchenzo showed up. While the two were polite to each other, Fortunato should have been more cautious in making sure he had an alibi that night. There was an attack made on the Don, and plenty of evidence was produced showing that Fortunato had instigated it.

Fortunato was ordered by Don Vittorio to take over the Family's western Canadian holdings permanently and never return to Sicily unless he was summoned. He was to establish a permanent base of operations in Canada and "better do well for the Family in the next 50 years." He complied with the wishes of the Family, any protest would have assured an accident befell him before he left the city. Unknown to him at the time, the same fate befell Vinchenzo, only he was sent to Brazil.

Setting up base in Vancouver, Fortunato prospered in Canada as a beloved businessman in whatever community he stayed in. He gave back to the people with generous donations to civic projects such as playgrounds or swimming pools, donated to local hospitals and had wings named after his family, and occasionally dabbled in local politics. All the while while he was carefully crafting his public image, he was making inroads for the family through various business ventures to numerous to list. He was a lawful man, but there are a lot of unlawful things the law lets people get away with.

In early 2000, Fortunato received a short letter from his Don informing him that he had done well, and was now to move to Saskatoon and establish himself there. There was a small Red Court presence looking to settle and he was to make sure that it didn't take root.

The Squad
Fortunato's first encounter with the Spook Squad was in 2014 when he was contacted by James, Tyveck, a police officer who was in the know about the supernatural. The current Spook Squad was planning an assault on a warehouse that was a known Red Court base, and a deal was struck where Fortunato provided a strike team of his men to assist. The assault was successful, and left a power vacuum that Malvora quickly appropriated.

Later that year, Tyveck once against approached Malvora about joining the Squad itself, in exchange for his family being left alone by the authorities. This arrangement suited him and he found himself "fighting crime" with a rag-tag group of people with different magical talents.

During his years spent with the "Spook Squad" he managed to clean up a lot of the bad element of the city, helped the group stop supernatural threats, meet interesting and powerful creatures, and have a final showdown with cousin Vinchenzo - who had this time framed him for murder of a Black Court vampire - he had doctored video evidence and everything. As a hit was put out on Fortunato, he was forced to rely on his young teammates for help. This ended as a battle of wills on the Broadway Bridge, and Fortunato used his gift of inciting emotion to destroy his cousin by swallowing the demon that inhabited him. This made Malvora much more powerful.

During the season finale at an abandoned church, Fortunato was extremely injured when a Red Court vampire mangled his jaw. A lot of his men were also killed because of the betrayal of former teammate Alexis Crowshaw and her use of the Unholy Grail. After this combat was ended, he and his remaining men were picked up by a black helicopter and flown away. Malvora severed his ties with the remaining squad, put out a hit on Alexis, and has since been summoned back to Sicily. He underwent jaw surgery in Saskatoon before going back to Sicily, and has been undergoing an intensive physical therapy treatment for the past few years to learn to speak properly again; as the jaw injury severed several nerves as well as shattering bone. Fortunato took over as the Don in Sicily soon after his arrival; his grandfather is now his consiglieare.

He was last seen in Saskatoon in 2017 aboard the Prairie Lily with his aide Frederico Rattzino, a one-time betrayer who had in the past worked for his cousin Vinchenzo. Frederico is fiercely loyal and does not know that Fortunato knows about his betrayal but suspects it. He acts as Malvora's mouthpiece for the time being. During this meeting, Fortunato Malvora signed over his control of the city over to the Grimmaldi brothers - white court vampires who have started a small house of vampires who have no family.

Personality
Fortunato comes across as quite intimidating when he wants to. He has a commanding presence, and while his charisma and rapport are average, he often tempers them with intimidation. He sees himself as a businessman and he is not afraid to go after what he wants. He is fiercely loyal to his family (and his Family) and will do his utmost to protect anyone working for or with him.

Hobbies/Talents
From a young age, Fortunato enjoying wrestling, boxing, and bare-knuckle fighting. Has is quite skilled with firearms (especially the lupara), but his favorite weapon is the (brass) knuckles. He has several sets of custom made brass knuckles which are made of iron and inlaid with silver to deal with supernatural threats. He has kept up his skills in these areas.

Fortunato is also a pilot, having obtained his license sometime after planes were invented, and he owns a few small WWII era planes.

He is quite a talented businessman, and knows how to make a good bargain. This has taken him far in life.

Since returning home to Sicily, Fortunato has found the time to work in the vineyards again; it is a nostalgic indulgence he allows himself, as it reminds him of a simpler time when he was much younger.

Relationships
It is unknown whether Fortunato has ever married or had children. There are no records, but records could easily be destroyed or altered. After all, Fortunato has to make himself new credentials every few decades and change the older ones to show he has died. He is known to spend time with female companions, but again, it is unknown whether any children resulted from these unions.

There are also no records of Fortunato's military service.

Spook Squad
While Fortunato never developed any close friendships with the Spook Squad, he maintained a friendly work relationship with most of them. John Norton's leap off the deep end when he perfected the Hyde potion was unfortunate and led to more dangerous situations later on. Alexis Crowshaw's betrayal of hurting her teammates (Fortunato saw all people working together during the final battle as teammates, and when Alexis recklessly used the Unholy Grail and destroyed several of his men (by accident), he still saw it as a betrayal). There is a standing contract out on Alexis Crowshaw's head, but as many would be assassins have not returned, it is still up as a matter of pride. Fortunato will not call it off, but it is an unspoken fact among mercenaries that it is just there for show now, since trying to fill it is seen as suicidal. Young recruits eager to please have been warned not to try for this hit.

Notebook
The following are some excerpts from Fortunato's notebooks.

Favours I Owe
(the rest of the favours are business related)
 * 1) Lady Evelyn Summers
 * 2) White Court Family (England)
 * 3) Adelassia

The "Spook Squad"
Roland Carter

...shapeshifter? The Templars have been chasing him for decades...

...became active in Saskatoon around the time they tracked the creature here...

...he did provide us with a blood sample that did not fit the profile of being extremely flammable when not in the body...

....must look into his background. What exactly is he?...

John Norton

...HAD the Tolpa!! It's free now. Note: Mia Henderson has found it... what now...

...has become the Hyde Creature and is going off on his own. Must be wary of his return. Extremely dangerous. Very likely to show up and cause destruction...

Evelyn Summers

Red Court Vampire. Sister to Evander Summers.

...she is suspiciously aware of goings on in the city - from warning the Spook Squad of enemy attacks and swooping in to save us right when our doom is at hand...

...confirmed the doppelganger rumor surrounding Mark Manners - they are surveilling each other...

Freddy the Rat (Frederico Rattzini)

...doesn't know that I know... has been fiercely loyal ever since Vinchenzo's final betrayal...he will be very useful to me for the time being...perhaps long-term...

Miscellaneous

...learn maneuver to use guns defensively - I've seen a few others do this and it looks to be quite a handy skill.

...would be nice to have time to plant a small vineyard here...climate not suited...miss the Vancouver weather because of that...would be nice to make wine again.

...Anthony's christening May 27 - to stand Godfather for him...

...must look into better electronic surveillance systems in the new year...

...considering running for mayor in the next Saskatoon election...I know what secrets he's hiding...

...Adelassia - perhaps I should [redacted] when I see her again...am I getting to sentimental in my old age?...

(the rest of the notes are business related).