Furio Cabrini/Introduction
Furio Fulminatus Cabrini was born fifty years ago. His parents were the children of Sicilian immigrants who had fled Italy in the aftermath of World War II. His father also happened to be the capo for the local branch of the Cabrini Mafia family, specializing in illegal gambling and numbers running. His mother was a beloved socialite, the primadonna hostess of numerous gala balls and social events. But it was his grandfather, the Glass Walker Philodox Serge Lex Legio, from whence Fury's true potential comes.
Fury wanted for nothing as he grew up in his parents' palatial estate on the outskirts of New York City. He had the best tutors money could buy, the finest clothing, the best food, everything anyone could ever ask for. He attended the most prestigious private academy, where he matured into a large, strapping young man. He was popular with his peers and a hit on the football field. But though some might have taken him for an ignorant jock, his grades were top of the class. He was intelligent and witty, able to pass the most difficult tests in his sleep. With a full-ride scholarship to Harvard in the offing, it seemed like Fury's future was set.
He was only a few months into his first semester at college, however, when a mob war erupted between the Cabrinis and their bitter rivals, the Genoveses. It didn't take long for Fury to piece together the bits of the puzzle, and realize that there was more to the conflict than simple mob violence. It was a turf war between rival Glass Walker packs. As a Kinfolk soldier, his father was called to march with Lex Legio's pack. The notion terrified young Fury, and he refused to fight. His younger brother Julian, however, was all too excited to go, and experienced his First Change during the battle. That initial conflict would grow into a long-running feud between Lex Legio's pack and their rivals in the Genovese family. And though his brother was praised for his valor in combat, Fury himself was scorned, both for his refusal to fight and for the fact that he never Changed himself.
While the rival families feuded, Fury knuckled down and finished out his bachelor's degree in finances, graduating summa cum laude. It wasn't long afterward that the Genoveses turned the tables against his grandfather's pack, killing his father outright and maiming Lex Legio with silver blades. It was the final straw. Furio swore he would have nothing further to do with the family business. Instead, he would go on to found Paragon Banking, with his younger brother Julian assuming their father's duties as capo and alpha of Lex Legio's pack. The stigma of being a Cabrini would haunt Furio for the rest of his days, though he would go on to great success as a legitimate financier despite all the odds.
When the nascent Internet began to emerge across the world, Fury was instantly captivated. The ability to conduct business and exchange transactions instantly across the globe would open the door for a whole new means of doing business. But e-business was not without its perils and pitfalls, as he would find out just after his forty-fifth birthday. The back-and-forth feud between his brother's pack and the Genoveses still ran hot, and as the eldest and wealthiest Cabrini son, Fury made a ripe target. Their capo, Giorgio Genovese, ordered a vicious virtual attack against Paragon Banks, stripping Fury of his identity in one fell swoop.
As he stood on the brink of financial ruin, the fragility of identity and its implications drove Fury to the edge. He struggled to cope with the crushing losses his company suffered, all because everything that made him who he was was nothing more than a handful of 1s and 0s in a computer server. Though he could not hope to match the Genovese Theurges and their mastery over net spirits, he refused to be beaten. He delved into Internet lore with a will, determined to recover from this grievous setback. One evening, after nearly thirty straight hours of research, the answers came to Fury in a vivid flash of brilliant insight. His Avatar, which had Slept fitfully for many years, exploded into full awareness, opening his mind to the limitless possibilities embodied by the Internet, and what that really, truly meant.
With his newfound ability, Fury was able to turn the tables on his attackers. Now, he could match the Genovese Theurges on their own terms, with magick every bit as powerful as their own. With a few Internet attacks, he was able to eviscerate Giorgio Genovese' finances, leaving a data trail a mile wide that exposed his illicit dealings. When the FBI moved to arrest Giorgio, Fury realized that his journey to enlightenment had only just begun. He made a grave enemy that day, but he also discovered a potent weapon to defend himself and all he had worked for.
It wasn't long afterward that Fury was approached by Dante of the Virtual Adepts. He'd been watching Fury's progress with some interest, and wanted to bring him into the fold. At first, Fury balked. The more he learned about the Adepts, the less he liked them. To his mind, they were little more than teenaged anarchists, using their computer savvy and incredible gifts for nothing more than elaborate pranks. But then, he learned of the Technocratic Union, and their plan for world domination at the cost of the free will of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Given that choice, Fury went with the lesser of two evils, and threw his lot in with the Adepts.
That was five years ago. In the interim, Paragon Banking has become one of the premier financial institutions in the country. Millions of account holders all across the planet funnel their money through Paragon's ironclad servers, millions of dollars that exist completely within the virtual realms of the Net. Fury himself has continued to hone his gifts, seeking the hidden meanings behind the virtual symbols that make up the Net. He adheres strictly to the Rule of Shade, to protect his assets from his enemies in the Union. He has recently moved Paragon's headquarters to Prospect, so that he can stay one step ahead of the Genovese family, who still seek vengeance against him for putting Giorgio behind bars. He still has contact with his brother Julian, and has come into his own place in the Garou nation. Though still mistrusted by some Garou as a caern-raping mage, his Glass Walker heritage keeps the door open to him. Though he remains steadfastly separate from the Cabrini Mafia business, that door too is always open to him should his need ever be great enough.
As he strives ever forward on the pathway towards Ascension, Fury represents the more conservative, responsible side of a Tradition composed of anarchists and rebels. He stands with the Cyberpunk alt of the Tradition, representing rebels against the authority of the Technocratic Union and the Dark Future with which they threaten the whole of mankind. But if he must be a rebel to do what he knows is right, then so be it. There are worse things one could aspire to be.
