Gaius Augustine

Gaius Augustine, a character in the Bloodbound series, is a major figure in Vampire history and the former King of Vampires. He is the main antagonist of Book 2 and, in a sense, the entire story. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 2.

Appearance
Gaius has chin-length dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He wears a navy cape over a striped suit with a lavender ruff underneath. His eyes turn scarlet when he is in his vampire form.

His appearance changes dramatically as a result of his incarceration; his arms were amputated by the Council to prevent him from using his powers as an elder Vampire and he was imprisoned in the Onyx Sarcophagus in the Musea Sanguis under the supervision of Scholar Jameson. Unbeknownst to the Council, Jameson was working for Gaius in secret. When Jameson releases him from the Sarcophagus, Gaius appears different. His skin is pale and gray, his eyes are white, and his head is mostly bald.

In Book 2, he wears a black robe and a gold mask. After drinking the blood of the First Vampire in Chapter 6, he transforms back to his youthful and handsome appearance.

Personality
"'The most terrifying thing about Gaius wasn't his capacity for evil... but rather, his ability to make it so tempting. So dark and delicious that you wanted... no, needed... to take part in it.'- Kamilah to Your Character about Gaius in Book 2, Chapter 5."

Gaius is calm and collected, manipulative and charming. Adrian and Kamilah describe him as awe-inspiring, seductive, charismatic, powerful, brilliant, and cunning. He either instills fear in his subjects (such as Adrian, Kamilah, and the rest of the Council) or adoration (such as from Jameson). For most of his Vampire life, he shows little concern for humans and cares only for his kind, bringing the darkness out of them as he did not force Adrian to betray his morals but rather waited for the latter to betray them himself. When he released from the Sarcophagus, Gaius states that despite their betrayal, he can't bring himself to hate Adrian and Kamilah, going as far as to say that he loves them.

In Book 3, Gaius' personality shifts. When you remove Rheya's influence from his mind, he becomes lost. For almost three thousand years, he had a purpose: to see Rheya's dream of a world safe for Vampires come to fruition. He had a derogatory viewpoint towards humans, seeing them as prey while Vampires are the predators. Vampires are gods who shouldn't be forced to hide. He went so far as to plan to wipe out humanity with a biological weapon called The Reaper virus and create a New World where Vampires became the dominant species. However, all that becomes irrelevant when he realizes the truth. His new goal is to kill Rheya but after that, he does not know. You have the premium option to agree that he has nothing to live for or that he does which determines his fate.

Background
His name and his age suggest that he is of Latin heritage. It is revealed that he is from the 8th century, B.C., and the city-state of Mydiea, which resided in the Mediterranean. When he was a teenager, he fell in love with a girl named Ariadne and they eloped; unfortunately, she died of the "black cough" six months later. Afterwards, he became one of the guards of King Kaelisus and was assigned to escort Priestess Rheya to the caves. Pitying her, he cut her binds and gave her a dagger to use. When she returned, he witnessed her formidable power as she killed the king and his men. When Xenocrates pleaded for his life and promised to become her disciple, Gaius followed suit and became the "Second Son".

Because Xenocrates never Turned anyone, all Vampires descend from Gaius, including Adrian and Kamilah. Only Rheya as the First Vampire is stronger than Xenocrates and Gaius, who are in turn stronger than any of Gaius' progeny due to their blood being farther removed from the First Vampire. When Rheya was "killed" and Xenocrates fled, Gaius continued Rheya's legacy. As The Order of the Dawn grew in power and became more aggressive - such as attacking a Paris gala in the 16th century - Gaius came to a decision to create a better world for vampires and bring his followers to America to create his Shadow Kingdom.

Book 1

 * Chapter 2: The Vampire
 * Chapter 5: The Coffin (Determinant)
 * Chapter 10: The Massacre (Determinant)
 * Chapter 12: The Tribunal (Determinant)
 * Chapter 13: The Dungeon (Determinant)
 * Chapter 16: The Dawn (Determinant)

Bloodbound: Dark Solstice

 * Chapter 1: 'Twas The Night Before Solstice (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 2: He Knows When You're Awake (Determinant)
 * Chapter 4: And To All An Endless Night (Mentioned, Physical Appearance Determinant)

Book 2

 * Chapter 2: The Bloodkeeper
 * Chapter 3: The Collector  (Determinant)
 * Chapter 4: The Collected (Determinant)
 * Chapter 5: The Summons
 * Chapter 6: The Ambush
 * Chapter 8: The Crypts (Determinant)
 * Chapter 9: The Slaughter (Determinant)
 * Chapter 10: The Plan (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 11: The Legend
 * Chapter 13: The Compound (Determinant)
 * Chapter 14: The First (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 15: The Devastation (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 16: The End

Book 3

 * Chapter 1: The Hunger
 * Chapter 2: The Unchained
 * Chapter 3: The Mission
 * Chapter 4: The Return (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 5: The First (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 6: The Legend (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 7: The Bacchanalia (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Truth
 * Chapter 9: The Five
 * Chapter 10: The Test
 * Chapter 11: The Mentor
 * Chapter 12: The Nemesis
 * Chapter 13: The Ally
 * Chapter 14: The Revelation

Adrian Raines
In Book 1, Chapter 2, Gaius is hinted to have Turned Adrian into a vampire in the 1700's. He acted as his mentor, teaching him basic vampire facts such as bloodthirst and superhuman powers. In Book 2, Chapter 2, Adrian states that Gaius liked to give everyone roles to fulfill and his role was Gaius' soldier. Gaius honed Adrian's skill until he became a beast on the battlefield. In Book 3, Chapter 13, Adrian does not trust Gaius but time is running short with New York being under Rheya's control. Like Kamilah, if he is your love interest, he says he cannot forgive Gaius for killing Your Character. He vows that if Gaius betrays him, he will make sure Gaius is dead at the risk of his life.

British Soldier
In Book 1, Chapter 2, he goaded Adrian into killing this unnamed British Soldier, disregarding his life by claiming that he was going to die anyway. Also, when Adrian hesitated, Gaius told Adrian that things would be different if he was in the soldier's place. The soldier proved Gaius correct and triggered Adrian's vampire instinct to kill him.

Kamilah Sayeed
Gaius Turned Kamilah during what was most likely the Last War of the Roman Republic (~32 BCE). At that time, Gaius was known as "The Undying Centurion" and her soldiers had captured him, bringing him to her. He was impressed by her wit and strength, and after killing her men, he Turned her and made her his Queen. They became lovers for a while and she admits that she loved him and he loved her. They fled Europe with Banner Westbrook and Marcel Lafayette to come to America and try to build a life without the threat of The Order hunting them.

In Book 2, Kamilah admits to fearing Gaius more than anything else. In Book 3, Chapter 13, if Kamilah is your love interest, the relationship between them becomes broken after she sees him kill you in front of her. She vows that if he attempts anything funny, she will kill him.

Banner Westbrook
Banner was one of Gaius's soldiers. However, when Banner objected to calling Gaius their "king" since they left European monarchies behind, Gaius instructed Adrian to kill him, feeling Banner was being disloyal.

The Baron
The Baron was working as Gaius' bodyguard during the flashback to the 1920s in the fifth portrait fragment. In Book 2, Chapter 2, it is revealed that Gaius was responsible for the Baron's Turning.

Rheya
"'I will love her until the world crumbles around us, until I am nothing but ash. She made me who I am. What I am. Without her, I would be nothing.'- Gaius to Kamilah about Rheya in Book 2, Chapter 11."

Gaius was the soldier who was tasked to bring Priestess Rheya to the caves outside of the ancient city of Mydiea where she was forced into exile. Gaius took pity on the priestess and cut her restraints and gave her a dagger. When she returned as the First Vampire, Xenocrates and Gaius pledged loyalty to her and believed she would do good things. That was short-lived, however, as her descent into darkness began with the death of her family. When she found the village where the Sons of Ares lived, she ordered Gaius to destroy it. He refused, believing there were also innocent civilians amongst them. This prompted Rheya to reach deep into Gaius' soul, alter him, bend him to her will. She didn't change much, just enough. She smothered his compassion for humans, his empathy, his capacity for understanding, closed off just enough of his decency. When she has finished, she ordered Gaius to kill them all and he complied. She suppressed his goodness, his memories of Ariadne, and if you spend time with him in Book 3, Chapter 14, he says that he wasn't Rheya's puppet and that she did not "brainwash" him. She made him the worst version of himself, trapping him at his lowest, cruelest point for three thousand years.

Under her influence, he referred to Rheya as his "Goddess", never questioning her. He believed she loved him just as he loved her, and told most of his progeny about her. This all changes in Book 3, Chapter 12 when he realizes the truth. His devotion to Rheya turns to anger and his new purpose in life becomes to kill her.

Vlad Tepes
In Book 2, Chapter 10, it is first mentioned by Adrian that Gaius and Vlad Tepes used to get into all kinds of debaucheries. In Chapter 11's premium scene, Adrian also reveals that Vlad was a close disciple of Gaius and one of his first. Through him, Vlad became obsessed of Rheya, the First.

Your Character
In Book 2, Chapter 1, Gaius comes to your apartment and abducts you. In Chapter 2, you do not see his face as it is covered by a mask, but he has Scholar Jameson extract information from your memories as to where the vial of Rheya's blood might be. When you tell your friends that he has returned, you and your friends race to find the vial first but doing so and bringing it back to New York was his plan all along. At the end of Chapter 5, he ambushes you and your friends, and you all manage to escape in Chapter 6. After finding the means to "kill" him -a stake made from the Tree of Life- you and your friends take the fight to him in Chapter 16. You are able to stake him and he transforms into a Tree, but he kills you with Jax's katana. Your love interest Turns you to prevent your "death".

In Book 3, Chapter 8, Gaius shows up freed from the Tree and attacks you and your friends on the plane. You are able to overcome him with your psychic powers, diving into his memories and feelings from long ago, which stun him and give your friends enough time to push him out of the plane. In Chapter 9, you tell Kamilah that you think you saw a glimpse of who Gaius truly is, more like the origin of the monster, the things that twisted and unmade him. You saw a chasm of loneliness, pain, and fear inside of him.

In Chapter 12, he appears in Tokyo and attacks your group again, killing Takeshi Watanabe in the process. With your friends safe with The Five of Japan, you decide to confront him alone and during the fight, you reach into his mind. You find his memories clouded by Rheya’s control, and use your psychic powers to break her hold on him. When he realizes the truth about Rheya, he stops you from killing him, saying he's the only one who knows how to end the First for good. In Chapter 13, you can choose to trust him or not trust him at all, but whichever you decide, you need him to take you to the Tree of Eternal Death.

In Chapter 14, after you and your friends fight round after round of Spiderferals flocking the island in the South Pacific, he saves your life and finishes killing a final batch of them. Your trek leads you to the Tree of Eternal Death and Demetrius, and you leave with sap from the tree to use against Rheya. On your way back to New York, you can choose to talk to Gaius in a premium scene. If you do, he tells you that once Rheya is dead, he won't have anything to live for. You can agree or disagree with him, the second option showing him a part of kindness and decency that he has forgotten.

Powers and Abilities

 * Immortality: In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian confirms that he does not age. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Gaius.
 * Super Strength: In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian confirms that he is strong enough to lift a car. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Gaius. In Book 1, Chapter 5, a flashback revealed that he once punched through a Knight's armored chest and removed his still beating heart.
 * Healing Factor: Accelerated healing is an ability that vampires possess that allows them to heal from physical injuries at supernatural speeds. If a vampire uses their blood such as when Adrian was done feeding on Nicole, they can heal the bite mark as well. Thus we can assume the same can be said for Gaius.
 * Heightened Senses: In Book 1, Chapter 6, Lily mentions how she can feel the slightest air currents, how she can even see the tiniest pores in Your Character's skin and can hear the water running through the pipes three stories up... Thus we can assume the same can be said for Gaius.
 * The Mark: Gaius is an elder vampire and is referred to as the "Second son" of the first vampire in Book 1, Chapter 9. This means he is much more powerful than the six council members. For those who have his blood flowing through their veins, Gaius is able to control their bodily movements telekinetically, stopping them in place or mangling their limbs. This is shown in Chapter 10 when he froze Banner Westbrook, preventing him from moving when Banner refused to recognize Gaius as king of the vampires, and again in Chapter 16 when he fought Adrian and the Baron, vampires who bear his mark.
 * Pyrokinesis: Gaius has the ability to conjure blue fire from his hands as seen in a flashback scene in Book 1, Chapter 10. As of now, he is the only seen vampire to wield this ability. Another vampire with this ability is only mentioned in Jameson's notes in Book 2, Chapter 2.

Weaknesses

 * Sunlight: Sunlight is one of a vampire's known weaknesses. As Adrian stated, sunlight hurts his kind, describing it as painful and fatal if exposed to it within a half an hour or so. Its effects to vampires are akin to hypersensitivity or accelerated heatstroke.
 * Decapitation: Dismembering or manually removing the head of a vampire will result in instant and permanent death.
 * Heart Extraction: Removing and subsequently destroying the heart of a vampire will also result in permanent death.
 * Unquenched Bloodlust: When Adrian first became a vampire, he felt the powerful thirst for blood which no amount of water can relieve. In the brief period where he resisted the urge, Adrian experienced severe discomfort whereby he eventually gave in to his instincts. It is unknown yet how long a vampire can remain thirsty or what the extent of pain is when this need is unmet. When vampires don't consume blood for extended periods of time, they tend to give in to their instincts and attack the nearest human nearby in order to suppress their thirst. Newly turned Vampires like Lily are the ones mostly affected by this problem.
 * A Feral's Bite: A bite from a feral vampire is infectious to regular vampires because it can turn them feral too.

Trivia

 * In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian mentions that garlic gives him a minor distaste, rather than kill him. This, in turn, means that it is not a real weakness for vampires as a whole and we can assume Gaius has a similar distaste for it.
 * He bears a resemblance to American actor Billy Zane.
 * Adrian and Kamilah both have the mark of Gaius's brand.
 * If the player collects all six of the portrait fragments in Book 1, the bonus scene reveals that through Scholar Jameson, Gaius was behind several of the major events throughout Bloodbound, Book 1, thus cementing him as the series' big bad.
 * On April 26, 2019, during the livestream, it was stated that Gaius’s name was originally going to be Gaius Constantine, but they changed it because of the king in The Royal Romance.
 * His crimes include murder, conspiracy, and kidnapping.
 * In a premium scene of Book 2, Chapter 9, in files that Serafine took from The Order of the Dawn, Gaius is referred to as "father of abominations" and called "the greatest evil this world has ever known".
 * In Book 2, Chapter 10, it is revealed that he is bisexual when Adrian mentions that he used to hook up with Dracula.
 * In Book 2, Chapter 14, Xenocrates confirms that he never Turned anyone and that all vampires save himself and Rheya trace their existence back to Gaius.
 * In Book 2, Chapter 16, he is staked in the heart with a branch carved from the Tree of Life. This petrifies him.
 * In Book 3, Chapter 6, Rheya revealed that Gaius is still alive, but trapped in the Tree of Life.
 * It is revealed in Book 3, Chapter 8, that Rheya had freed him from the Tree of Life.