Alberto Bianchi is a merciless, sinister, cunning hunter; an apex predator and consumate survivor. Despite this, Alberto is also an honorable, charming and somewhat noble person. He's a vampire hailing from Renaissance-era Italy. Though he is the youngest of the Bianchi brothers, he is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the lot. As of 2017, he is the only one of the three still alive.
Characteristics[]
Alberto is the definition of a predator: cunning, ruthless and powerful. He is a merciless and sinister killer, but he is also patient, meticulously planning elaborate plots that are often cruel and sadistic, drawn over periods of months or even years. He takes joy is tormenting those who wronged him. He will relentlessly pursue his targets to the ends of the Earth, unwilling to negotiate or give quarter to those unlucky few; he will not stop until he or his prey are dead.
He is well-connected, with many contacts and "friends" throughout the underworld. He is charming, despite his bestial nature, and is as adept at navigating through social situations as he is at snapping human necks.
Coming from the Renaissance-era, Alberto is still a man of honor. He believes in keeping promises and avenging the dead, but this only seems to apply to those he cares about/ respects. He despises being talked down to or patronized, and he also hates ignorance.
He has a tendency to lash out and overreact. An example is the deal he struck with Erica in Victorian England: he never intended to have her kill anybody, but due to Leon's reaction to the ordeal, in addition to Leon's insistence that Alberto had tricked her, Alberto fought back and decided to give Leon a reason to hate him.
Alberto is oozing with charisma and wit, with a history of smooth-talking and raw force of personality to get him through life. He has a way with diplomacy and negotiation, and is usually able to get others to cooperate without the need for compulsion. Alberto is also effective at intimidation and is very skilled as a torturer, brutally breaking his victims to get information or compliance. For Alberto, death is a promised release from the hell he puts them through.
He has a cool demeanor and his vast intellect and cunning is sometimes visible in his cat-like eyes. However, this veneer can drop when Alberto is moved to anger. He is not above lying, cheating, terrorizing and everything in between to get what he wants.
As the youngest son in a family of minor nobles, he grew up enjoying few responsibilities and he has enjoyed a life of relative freedom in the six centuries since. He is very cultured and is always informed about what is on the cutting edge of popular culture, something his oldest brother Dante never understood.
While Dante was an engine of destruction and Leon swore off human blood entirely, Alberto has perfected the fine line between the two. While he is an almost perfect, lethal hunter, he does not kill just anybody. He has a code of honor that keeps him from rape and killing children. He won't partake in either of the aforementioned activities and is hostile toward those who do. He believes that his brother Dante--without mercy, compassion or rules--died because he didn't know when to stop. Conversely, he believes Leon--with far too much morality, compassion, honesty and integrity--died because he couldn't fight what he hunted on their own level. His brothers represent opposite extremes and it got them killed, he figures. He's in the middle, he says, and he figures that's why he's the only one who's still alive.
Alberto enjoys a wide variety of music and he seems to be the only Bianchi brother to accept and adept to new technology. He loves literature most of all, and he has read literally thousands of different authors. While his favorite is British literature from the 1830's through the 1950's (particularly Charles Dickens), he also loves poetry, philosophy, history and both fiction and nonfiction from most time periods.
It's not just about having fun; the name of the game is survival. Alberto has become very, very good at surviving and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure he continues to do so. However, he has recently started finding things that are more important to him than survival, such as Erica.
On the hunt, he is very theatrical. He prefers the slow-kill; he makes his prey suffer, sometimes for years, before he kills them. Alberto enjoys large, elaborate traps and set-ups, crushing his foe's will with despair. Being a predator, Alberto is well aware that power is in numbers, so when his opponents have the advantage in numbers, Alberto will draw out individual members of the group and dispose of them. This has an added effect of driving the target to despair as they see their allies being picked off, one by one.
This was best demonstrated in London Calling, when he waylaid the carriage carrying Erica and her friends, shot Sam through the neck and separated her from the group with a rabble of compelled citizens. Alberto has always believed in the psychological power of fear and that the mind is infinitely stronger than the body. He is a meticulous planner and leaves little to chance. It is rare when anything catches him by surprise.
As such, over the centuries, he has developed a knack for getting into his opponent's head through their loved ones, often attacking or straight-up murdering them in order to make his prey lash out at him without thinking, or else make them seize in fear. The less control his prey has, the more control Alberto gains.
In a fight, Alberto is vicious, brutal and efficient. He uses his environment, grabbing tools, furniture and/or debris as weapons. He is very fast and in battle, Alberto is constantly moving. He traveled the world for centuries and has picked upextensive hand-to-hand fighting techniques from all over Europe and Asia, and he has involved himself in most major western wars throughout the centuries. He prefers to end conflicts quickly and decisively; tearing out his victim's heart or snapping their necks are two of his favorite techniques. While he prefers using his bare hands or knives, he is not above using firearms. Indeed, sometimes they are the most efficient tool he has; while he rarely needs them, he always carries a set of twin-pistols with him.
Alberto is a dangerous vampire, and is one of the oldest and one of the most cruelest examples of his kind alive today. He was described by Leon as a "plague upon humanity", though he has recently started to show signs of goodness that he finds himself fighting for something he believes in more than himself.
Powers & Abilities[]
As a vampire, Alberto has all of the abilities of his kind. He's five centuries old, making him considerably powerful, even for his kind: he is faster, stronger and even more durable than most other vampires, if just by the virtue of his age. He's also quite adept with his vampiric abilities. His notable abilities, power and talents include:
- Archaic Weapons: Having been born in the late fifteenth century, Alberto is extremely adept at fighting with swords, spears, bows and other ancient weapons.
- Artist: Since before his transformation, Alberto has been an extremely talented poet and painter.
- Boxing & Kickboxing: Due to his longevity, Alberto has mastered Western unarmed fighting styles.
- Compulsion: Alberto's control over this ability is considerable and he is able to give longer, more complex commands that work directly against a target's well-being or best interests.
- Enhanced Durability: Alberto's tolerance for pain and injury is considerable; even other vampires and supernaturals are amazed and horrified by Alberto's will to continue on. He has survived direct exposure to fire on multiple occasions and has even survived exposure to an entire syringe of Artificial sunlight, though this did cause extensive and severe injuries that took a while to recover from.
- Horsemanship: His heritage as a noble and centuries of experience afterward have turned Alberto into a world-class Equestrian. He has been riding, breeding and showing horses for centuries.
- Interrogation: Alberto is extensively experienced with intimidation, blackmail, torture and interrogation.
- Marksman: His longevity has ensured that Alberto is no slouch with firearms.
- Martial Arts: Due to his extensive travels, Alberto has mastered more than a dozen forms of Eastern fighting styles.
- Multilingual: Alberto is fluent is Italian, Latin, English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Japanese, Catonese and Arabic.
- Music: Alberto is trained in singing, piano, violin, cello, harp, flute, drums and guitar,
- Politics & Diplomacy: He is well-versed in politics and methods of discussion and negotiation, derived from bother his heritage from a minor noble family and decades of study.
- Superhuman Speed: Alberto is so fast that vampires and even werewolves have trouble keeping track of him. This speed is put to good use, as Alberto is effective at surprise attacks.
- Superhuman Strength: Alberto's great age has granted him with strength that far surpasses a human and even outclasses most other vampires and other supernaturals. He lift a grown human with almost no effort, can rip the door off of a car like it were cardboard and has even lifted a car off the ground once.
Weaknesses[]
As a Vampire, Alberto possesses all of the standard weaknesses of his kind.
History[]
Early Life[]
Alberto was born in the late fifteenth century in Florence, Italy. During his time as a human, Alberto lived an easy and happy life. He was close with his brothers, especially his oldest brother Dante. However, he always had a bad relationship with his overbearing father, Marko, who never seemed happy with anything Alberto said or did. Marko was hardest on Alberto, though he never understood why.
Young Alberto spent most of his time flirting with girls, writing poetry and attending parties. A pleasant life, of course, but ultimately devoid of any real meaning.
Vampirism[]
Dante left for the Italian War of 1494 and remained away for seven years. He returned different, changed; a vampire. Dante was responsible for the Transition of both Alberto and Leon. During the transition, Alberto fed on their mother to the point of death.
Leon vanished soon after but Alberto remained with Dante, who taught Alberto how to hunt and how to use his vampiric powers. The two were run out of Florence in 1502 by known vampire hunter Leonardo da Vinci and hit the road disguised as monks or entertainers, hunting and feeding on travelers and village folk. The two reveled in it, though Alberto was never quite as bloodthirsty as Dante; he enjoyed the hunt but Dante seemed to enjoy causing suffering for its own sake.
Legion of the Damned[]
The pair eventually found their way to what would be known as Russia. Here, they would subtly influence politics and religion and turn many of the peasants into vampires. They ruled here for nearly two centuries, forming what they called The Legion of the Damned. During this time, Alberto fell in love with Hilda, a beautiful young woman who Alberto turned and eventually married.
In 1734, Leon caught up with them and brought along a group of vampire hunters and werewolves who tore through the vampires of the Legion. In the end, Dante betrayed Alberto which resulted in Leon staking Hilda. Alberto was nearly killed into the encounter, tossed into the unforgiving sea. He emerged in one piece but made no efforts to find Dante. Instead, he went his own way.
Wandering the World[]
Alberto spent many centuries wandering the world, never staying in one place for too long before moving on. He indulged in hunting and feeding, always staying one step ahead of Leon for decades. He was the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. He also fought in a number of wars, mostly as a means to easy prey; he fought in the American Civil War, where he fought for the Union Army and in both World Wars.
Plague Upon the Earth[]
The older Alberto got, the more ruthless he became. During World War II, he was feeding on members of the French Resistance when a soldier named Hiram Ford caught him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Ford though he'd killed Alberto and left him there. But the vampire hadn't died.
Instead, Alberto hunted Ford down to his home in Lawrence, Kansas where he tormented Ford's family for months. Eventually, Ford caught Alberto as the vampire was slaughtering his cows. In a decisive moment, Alberto charged Ford, who impaled Alberto on a pitchfork, killing him instantly and ending his "plague" once and for all.
Blast from the Past (Mental - Season 2)[]
Or at least, that's how it use to be.
After a warlock sent Erica, Sam and Elijah back in time, things changed. Meeting Erica altered the course of Alberto's life. The two held a friendly sort of antagonism for a short time, until Erica became responsible for a series of events that resulted in Alberto's second wife, Lucille, being sent to America for her own protection.
From there, Alberto declared war on Erica. He enacted a plan of revenge that nearly killed Erica and her friends, and he was only thwarted in the end thanks to the actions of Dr. Hiram Jones and Leon himself. Alberto retreated into the shadows though he emerged long enough to tell Erica that he was going to killer her, slowly and then he would torment her descendants for a hundred generations.
Much to his surprise, Erica and her friends all abruptly vanished (they returned to their own timeline, but he didn't know that). His desire for revenge, however, caused Alberto to become more careful and in a strange way, gave his life purpose.
Because of this, he did not become Jack the Ripper and, thus, there is no Jack the Ripper in the modern timeline.
See the Episode Guide for more information.
War of the Dragon[]
Alberto was involved in the war against Dracula that occurred in 1890, though to what extent is unclear. It's just known that he was there and that he doesn't hold a high opinion of Dracula.
Spooky Company[]
Alberto was active during the Second World War and he had some interaction with Spooky Company, the team of supernaturals put together by the Allies in an effort to combat Hitler's own SS Paranormal Squad. His brother Leon was a member of this team, as it were. It is unknown what capacity Alberto knew them, whether as friend or foe, as Alberto was known to have fought on both sides of the war at different times.
Quiet Years[]
At some point between 1881 and 2014, a time-traveling Hiram Jones told Alberto about Erica and her friends' status as time travelers as well as exactly when and where Erica would return. Jones explained that it was important Alberto find them, as the fate of the world was at stake. Alberto certainly made plans to find her there but not to save her.
In the years after World War II, Alberto entered a period of low profile. He purchased properties around Europe and the United States and made a number of investments that increased his already considerable wealth.
He eventually managed to track down Erica when she only seven years old with the intention of killing her before she could grow old enough to travel back in time and cause him so much trouble. He found, however, that he couldn't bring himself to do it; she was too young, too innocent. So he decided to come back the next year. And then the next, then the next. He never found the strength to actually kill her, despite returning to do that every year for the next decade.
Then, 2013 came and before long, Erica vanished.
The Lich[]
From 2011 - 2013, Alberto heard whispers of a new player amassing a considerable amount of wealth and influence and he heard this new player could do things no other supernatural could. Things started getting worse as news of entire communities of vampires were vaporized. Much to Alberto's horror, he eventually discovered his brother Dante had been pressed into serving the Lich.
Alberto constantly moved around and always just managed to stay out of Clive's radar. As things got worse and worse, Alberto finally understood Dr. Jones' pleas. Alberto wouldn't be able to evade Clive forever; he was going to need some help. And he knew exactly when and where he'd find it.
Mental - Season 3[]
Alberto was exactly where he needed to be to find Erica, Elijah and Sam, freshly arrived in the present from 1881. For them it had been a matter of weeks since they'd seen him last and needless to say, things didn't start well. However, over time, Erica grew to trust Alberto and the vampire played a vital role in Clive's eventual defeat.
See the Episode Guide for more information.
After the Final Battle, Alberto left North Salem in order to find and kill Abbaddon. He's been off the radar since 2014; nobody has heard from him in three years.
Major Relationships[]
Alberto does not get close to people. Friends and loved ones slow you down, they make you vulnerable and overall hinder your chances at survival. He was, of course, close to Dante in centuries past but they drifted apart as Dante grew more violent and unpredictable and almost severed completely when Alberto's connection to his oldest brother got his first wife Hilda killed.
Since then, he has never had any real friends. Lucille, his second wife, was the closest he got in centuries but she was the exception rather than the rule. Alberto has casual, professional relationships or else he engages in casual, meaningless interactions either because he's bored or hungry. Recently, however, Alberto has found the group of friends surrounding Erica to be good company and he's slowly come to consider them all his friends as well, on some level. While he once swore to destroy Erica and everything/everyone she held dear, she and her group have grown to mean a lot to them and he greatly plays down how important they are to him.
Erica Bridges[]
Alberto's relationship with Erica is a strange one. In the Victorian era, he went from a killer to a tenuous ally and back to a merciless hunter who would stop at nothing to tear her throat out. In the present day, due to their mutual enemy in Clive Talbot, the two found themselves reluctant allies. His true intentions were vague for a long time; while he teased her and generally acted like an ass toward her, he was also very protective of her, utterly destroying anything that threatened her (such as his demonstration to Papa Hero in Bad Voodoo). He eventually realized that he loved her despite everything that had happened between them: 124 years of constant hate had turned to love. He rarely acted on these "nice" instincts, instead doing what he had to do in order to protect her.
As time wore on, though, he started playing dirty and was responsible for Sam being mind-wiped and put into hiding so he could have time alone with Erica. He went on to throw philosophy about opposites attracting, buying her gifts and continuing to protect her and they grew very close. As time went on, however, his sense of honor prevailed over his roguish instincts, keeping him from pursuing anything physical without her first leaving Sam (this was mostly due to her pregnancy; he felt it would be a disservice to her honor, given that Sam was the father). This cost him, however, and things went back to normal between them. He's vowed to always protect her and keep her safe, doing whatever he has to from the shadows to make sure stays alive.
During his time with her, he started drinking from blood bags, and thus stopped hunting, for her and he risked his life on several occasions in order to keep her safe. He was always stern with her, and perhaps a little too hard on her, but he knew that she needed him to be because she needed to hear it and nobody else would say what she needed to hear.
During the Final Battle, Alberto was willing to stay behind and keep the mob of vampires, cultists, orcs and other monsters occupied, to buy his friends time to make their escape. He was nearly killed while fighting the demon Baal, right-hand of Avernus and only the thought of Erica's survival kept him going long enough to disable Baal and make his escape, despite serious injuries. His actions during the final confrontation between Erica and Clive (attacking and distracting Barry so Sam could escape) resulted in Sam being killed. Alberto was horrified when he discovered Sam's death, and he partially blames himself for the tragedy. He feels like he tore Erica's world away from her and has now gone on his quest to hunt Abbaddon in order to make up for what he did. After three years, this hunt has become more than personal to Alberto.
Sam Hudson[]
Sam, who Alberto calls "the Cowboy", was Erica's fiancee before his death as well as the father of her son. Sam was a thorn in Alberto's side for quite a long time; he disregarded Sam as a dim-witted thug with a sad, sappy little crush on Erica when first they met, and never took Sam seriously as a threat. However, Sam surprised the vampire when he allowed Alberto to begin feeding on him so he could get close enough to inject him with a syringe filled with artificial sunlight. The concoction burned and seared Alberto from the inside out, nearly killing him.
From then on, Sam had earned Alberto's begrudging respect. He found Sam tenacious and much more clever than his "neanderthal-like exterior" would imply, and he eventually learned to never count Sam out: underestimating the "little guy" could get someone killed (which is exactly how Dante died, incidentally). While he never much liked Sam, he did respect him and he honored the bond he and Erica shared in the end. He feels his death was unjust and needless.
Dave Dixon[]
Dave Dixon is a walking underdog story. The drunk, redneck daredevil has gone from gas station janitor to first-class Hunter and, perhaps strangest of all, is Alberto's best friend. Sure, he sees Dave as a little simple and more than a little ignorant, he also doesn't see that as a problem. The world needs simple men.
He admires Dave's earnestness and ability to enjoy the simple pleasures in life in spite of the darkness of the world; things like drinking beer, talking with friends, sleeping with strange women, enjoying time in nature and getting an adrenaline rush from killing a monster much bigger than he is. Dave honestly reminds Alberto of an ancient, viking hero from the dim days of the dark past. In a scrape, there's few people Alberto wants on his side as much as Dave Dixon.
Eddie "Rowan" Ford[]
Leon's final protegee and the victim of Dante's campaign of horror from the 1950's. Rowan has a lot of Leon's habits, like "talking" about their problems and trying to "help" other vampires live their hippie-baby lifestyle of blood bags and forest critters. This is all concerning, since he definitely doesn't want another Leon on his hands. Rowan seems more practical than Leon was, however, and is willing to take a life if need be. He respects Rowan's ability to survive and willingness to go to great lengths to protect Erica, but he does not approve of his continuing Leon's "fool errand". He believes doing so will get Rowan killed, and in this day and age, it'll be sooner rather than later.
Dante Bianchi[]
Alberto's oldest brother, as well as quite possibly the most brutal, feral, and animal-like vampire to have ever walked the earth. Dante was a former knight when they were humans and was also the one who sired both Leon and Alberto into vampirism. Dante forced his younger brothers to complete their transformations by draining their parents of blood and feeding from them. Leon resented Dante for it, but Alberto was secretly thankful because of the power it gave him. When Leon disappeared (presumably to burn himself in the sun), Alberto and Dante cut a swath of death and blood through Eastern Europe for about two hundred years.
During the subsequent assault by Leon and his cadre of vampire hunters, Dante betrayed Alberto and nearly got him killed. Since then, Alberto and Dante drifted apart; Dante was insane, brutal, cannibalistic and Alberto know that Dante's utter disregard for subtlety and love of killing, torture and blood would get them both killed. They remained in contact with each other through letters and eventually telephone. When news of Clive's rise to power began to circulate, Alberto found out that Dante had signed up with him, which worried Alberto. This helped, in part, to spur on his efforts to defeat Clive: anything powerful and evil enough to make Dante bend his knee was obviously bad news.
Alberto regrettably fought against Dante in Attack the Gas Station and witnessed Dante's death at the hands of Sam Hudson (who killed him with a syringe of artificial sunlight). Alberto was heartbroken to see his oldest brother, teacher and friend immolated. However, he also knew that Dante had chosen his side and Alberto chose his. There are casualties in war, though Dante's death spurred Alberto on even more to stop Clive's campaign in a twisted attempt to avenge his brother. He hasn't talked about Dante or his death since that night, playing it off like it didn't matter or that it has never happened. However, his anger when it's brought up seems to betray his deeper feelings about it, suggesting that Dante's death affected Alberto more than he lets on.
Alberto always saw Dante as his big, invincible brother; an unstoppable engine of twisted death and blood. With his death, Alberto knows that if death could take Dante it could come for him one day, too.
Leon Bianchi[]
Leonardo "Leon" Bianchi is Alberto's older brother and the former bane of Alberto's existence; they shared a very strange, strained history that blended violence, aggression and brotherly care. While Alberto embraced what he was from the start, Leon abhorred it. After a century or two, Leon came at his brothers with a vengeance, hunting them down with a fervor bordering on religious. While their battles were always brutal and bloody, Alberto never killed Leon, and Leon never killed Alberto.
Deep down, Alberto knew that despite their mutual hatred, as brothers, they couldn't kill each other. He saw Leon as a bleeding heart that was too weak to survive in the world of shadows. So they fought for centuries, occasionally finding themselves on the same side of a conflict if the situation was desperate enough, until Leon's weakness cost him; he was finally staked by Dante and Barry Finn in early 2014. Alberto was saddened to hear of Leon's demise but he didn't shed a tear; he always knew it was coming. Honestly, he was surprised it took as long as it did.
Elijah Porter[]
The werewolf. Elijah, who he calls "Rover" or "Spot", was at one time Erica's best friend. Of all of Erica's companions, Alberto respected him the least. He sees Elijah as a pushover; far too nice and incapable of doing what needs to be done to keep Erica safe. Elijah is also far too soft on Erica, cutting her slack where she can't afford to have any. The werewolf might be a decent man, he doesn't respect him; he refers to him as "Erica's Dog", and usually calls him "the dog" when he's talking to Erica.
Clive Talbot[]
Throughout his long life, Alberto has never really been afraid of anything; he's always known that he is the apex predator and that, one way or another, he'll survive and live to fight another day. That being said, he was terrified of Clive Talbot; terrified enough that he went to Erica Bridges for help in destroying him. Knowing Clive's immense power, Alberto was well aware that he couldn't stop the lich by himself, and that was the scariest realization he has ever had. He only met Clive the once, during the Final Battle, but just the sight of him filled Alberto's stomach with unease as waves of terror shot through the vampire's body. A small part of him fleetingly wondered if that was what humans felt when they saw a vampire.
Equipment[]
Alberto carries a small number of items both mundane and magical on his person:
- Daylight Ring: This enchanted lapis lazuli ring allows Alberto to walk in the sun without harm. It is his second Daylight Ring, the first having been taken from him in 1881 by Dr. Jones.
- Flask: An enchanted silver flask that carries blood, for emergencies. The enchantment keeps the blood from turning into Dead Man's Blood.
- Knives: Alberto usually has a number of knives with him, many of them hidden.
- Twin Baretta Pistols: Alberto always has these guns on him. He doesn't use them often, but when he does, he's shown to be a talented marksman.
- Silver Bullets: Alberto has quite a few silver bullets on him, mostly for werewolves.
- Wooden Stake: Just in case, Alberto usually carries a wooden stake with him.
Trivia[]
- His favorite book is Wuthering Heights. He always carried a first-edition copy with him in his bag.
- Favorite color is black.
- Alberto's favorite genre of music is classical, but his favorite band is The Beatles. He can't stand Nirvana.