Ivan Fontane's birth was average. Born second of a pair twins, he and his sister Scarlett were welcomed to the world three days after the due date, large, bouncing, healthy babies. His father, accountant Allen Fontane, was so delighted he named them right on the spot, taking their middle names from Greek mythology, where his ancestors hailed from: Scarlett Athena and Ivan Artemis. With the passing of time, housewife Giselle would proceed to pop out two other bundles of joy - Trey Apollo and Helen Diane. All seemed at ease with the Fontanes. All seemed wonderful, and perfect, and normal. They were the picture of the perfect American family.
But behind closed doors, this image would change. Behind closed doors, the Fontanes would prove to be exceptional people, living exceptional lives with the help of magic. Their mother, Giselle, had grown a practicing member of the Umbra coven, on account of the fact that her father, Gregory, was one of its most notorious members.
The Umbra coven was a very tight-knit, inclusive group, with exceptional ambitions. With a past rooted in the Midwest and an unhealthy tradition for using their abilities to their advantage, they became notorious as a coven of nomadic witches, traveling across the United States in search of somewhere to stick their roots into. Gregory Umbra Jr. wasn't the first to make his move, but he was the most influential. Inspired by luck, a bit of magic, and drive, he settled down in the city of Chicago as an unassuming threat. Playing the stocks was easy for Gregory, for he was a gambling man, and before soon, he had amassed the wealth necessary to buy unimportant pieces of real estate. That real estate would multiply over the years of Giselle's childhood, and by the time she was a young woman, Gregory found himself quite well to do. They moved into a suburb, where Gregory found himself becoming actively interested and involved with the power and prestige mayors acquired. By rigging the election, he won the position. And, with this attitude of Social Darwinism leading him to ruthless malpractice, deceitful trickery, and downright cheating, he found his power and influence growing, growing until finally, he became a senator of the state. And it was all so smooth, the process, until the Niveus coven, the witches originally found in the area, began to rise against. In a single stroke, Gregory had them shot down - once the McCullough's had been eliminated, the rival coven seemed to whither, and whenever they did threaten to uprise, the Umbras would use their political power to put them to rest.
And Giselle was offered a first hand vision of all of this. Though she did not completely disagree with her family's ways, she did find herself tormented by the cruelty her father could display, and once of age, she sought to escape. The escape lead her into the arms of Allen, an unassuming human, who then fell in love with the witch and together, they escaped the clutches of her father by moving to Baltimore, Maryland. And it was in this atmosphere that Ivan grew up in, isolated from his family with the exception of his immediate family, kept away from his coven, except for the glimpses of them he would see during holidays. He did not know much of their gruesome tendencies, for he only saw Gregory, the grey-haired old man with perpetual presents and cookies served with a smile.
And so he grew. He grew to be an alarming bright young man, though prone to fits of extreme laziness. He grew to be a social creature, only preoccupied with furthering himself with The Popular Crowd and the ladies. He grew to be the mastermind behind Baltimore High's hockey team, leading them to victory after victory as Captain Fontane. And this was all possible, due in part, to his prowess in illusionary magic. People would find him look flawless and attractive after every occasion, find them duped by his fancy footwork on the ice - and yet, none of it was very real. By utilizing his magic, he was able to further himself in society, and he loved it.
At the University of Maryland, he was a regular Belle of the Ball, and majored in Political Science. Inspired by his 'political' grandfather, he aspired to be a campaign manager, and due to his adeptness at manipulating images, turned out to be mighty fine. Fine enough for Mayor McNaab of Dallas, Texas to hire him as an image consultant. And so here he is. In a new city, with new possibilities, waiting to be grabbed.
And Ivan intends to grab them all. All he needs to do is use a bit of magic…
UPDATE:
And turns out, grab it he did. Climbing in the ranks in terms of trust and responsibility within the reign of McNaab, Ivan now, four-to-five years later, acts as something of a second in command. McNaab trusts him explicitly, despite the shortcomings that sometimes come with his youth and spontaneity. He has somehow, unintentionally, assumed the role of liaison between the vampiric authorities and the human authorities within Dallas, often appealing for the other side, despite his clear pro-human tendencies.
Having returned from a family scare, during which his mother nearly died, Ivan is almost a new man. Emphasis on the word man. His quirks and his mirths seem to have died out in favor of practicality and efficiency, and very rarely does this new manifestation of himself do something that does not involve work. Lately, with McNaab's reign possibly coming to an end, there has been mutterings that Ivan might enter the race himself as a candidate.
