Jean-Michel was a trapper and hunter by day and a tireless warrior for the Sabbat by night. His diligence and stength of will drew the attention of the eldest of the kindred in Nova Scotia and he was sent for. Saying his goodbyes to his family, he left them to travel deep into the wilderness to meet with the ancient elder. Nicu was an Old World Tzimisce who had been driven out of his homeland many years before by the Tremere and had come to the New World to help the Sabbat fight his ancient enemies. He had grown tired of life, however, and wanted to give his life and his blood to the sect so that he might find peace. He offered to teach the young revenant all he knew before giving him his blood.
He accepted, of course, flush with the power it would bring to him and his family. The lessons he was taught, however, seared his soul. He was taught of the spirits of the world and the means to call upon them and force them to do his bidding. To the Albigensian, this meant even more than simple sorcerous power, it meant victory of the material world over the spirit, the subjugation of all that he and his fellow Cathari opposed. When the time came to take the elder's blood, he defied his wishes and drank until he stole even his memory and soul. When he returned to his family, he was much more than when he left. Telling none what had happened and not explaining his Embrace, he set about to take advantage of what he'd learned.
It proved to be a long and arduous process. He only grasped the basics of the sorcery he'd been taught and many of the rituals and fragments of information which appearaed after the diablerie didn't make sense or didn't work for him. Unwilling to give up his secret to seek help, he persevered. When the British gained Nova Scotia, he decided to throw in with Marie-Thérèse and the others and take his family south, deeming that the distance and isolation would give him time and opportunity to concentrate on his studies.
He quickly determined, unlike the other Tzimisce, that they were being manipulated by the Cathari saint, Malena, and no peace was to be expected when they arrived in Louisiana. Seeing no means to stop it, he resigned himself to things to come and did his part to fight the war with the Camarilla when they arrived in the swamps. He did, however, use both Sabbat Civil Wars as excuses to sever ties with the Lasombra, to no avail. He did, however, get his time to himself as the years went by and the Lasombra were able to better defend themselves. Embracing two of his kin so that he might have more time, he set himself to mastering his power.
The Civil War interupted him and led to the destruction of both of his childer. In frustration, he Embraced another and threw himself and his family against the Camarilla, sacrificing many lives to his rage under the pretext of aiding their allies. This dovetailed into the Second Sabbat Civil War, after which there was finally some peace. Keeping his people out of the war between the Brujah and the Lasombra, for the most part, he was able to finally make some progress. When his family was decimated by the Camarilla raid in 1970, he enjoyed the opportunity to call up and converse with the dead and commanding them to new tasks, at his own individual discretion.
He quickly came to the decision, however, that a student would help his efforts greatly, and allow him to continue to weild influence over the family without interupting his studies. So he took Emma Ambre and showed her all he had discovered and all he could do, seeing in her the intelligence and will needed to command such forces. She took to it naturally and he Embraced her and set her to gathering as much lore as she could to assist their quest. Surprisingly, she showed no difficulty in switching from mother and wife to research assistant and the two have made considerable progress, particularly in decoding the many rituals he remembers.
Jean-Michel is not merely gripped by an obsession, all that drives him is in accordance to his ambition to rule. It is difficult to surmise if this is his own inclination or one absorbed from the old Fiend he diablerized, but it matters little to him. What is important is that he has a focused dedication and powerful will which has led him to essentially teach himself Koldunic Sorcery and he stands on the brink of grasping the other paths which the stolen, fragmented memory of his sire offer him. Should he manage to do so, he will swiftly become a very powerful player in Louisiana kindred politics.
Jean-Michel has a highly intimidating presence, though he lacks the charisma or fine looks of some of his family. Instead, he relies on the almost tangible power of his resolve to make the required impression, and it is quite effective. He speaks little, preferring to lurk in the background and tend to his own affairs. When confronted, he is mysterious and non-commital, never volunteering an opinion or giving a clue to his motives. This has made him very frustrating to deal with for the more powerful members of the family and an outright enigma to the rest.
Jean-Michel is only close to one person, his childe. To all others, even the other elders, he has remained intentionally distant and kept to himself, except when concerns matters of Sabbat politics, when he is the consummate warlord. This has made him out to be very much a 'monster in the basement' for much of the family, some of whom threaten misbehaving children with his wrath. All but the most astute write him off as an old Fiend unable to relate to anything but the war.
Jean-Michel's own opinion of them is a bit more complex. He is fiercely territorial and this includes his bloodline. While he isn't fond of any person in particular, he would fight to the death to prevent any from disrupting it or destroying it. It, and Lafayette, are his kingdom and, in the old Tzimisce style, he rules it with an iron fist.