Snapshot #
Dr. Gianni Parrini is the Site Director of the modern Pompeii excavation and a primary antagonist to Ulysses. Characterized by his "general-like" posture and authoritative rasp, he is a celebrated academic who has built his global reputation on the breakthroughs secretly facilitated by Ulysses and the Lydian Stone. He is a "paranoid gatekeeper" who protects his legacy with ruthless academic opportunisticism.
Biography #
Parrini rose to worldwide fame in 2025 by claiming full ownership of the "Predictive Stratigraphy" model that located high-value artifacts in previously sterile sectors. In reality, Parrini lacks the technical depth to understand the AI and radar models he champions, instead relying on the results produced by the "Shadow Architecture" of Ulysses and Lucia. His insecurity regarding the data led him to threaten a forensic audit in late 2025, forcing Ulysses to sabotage his own pipeline to maintain the lie.
Roles & Ranks #
- Site Director: The bureaucratic and public head of the Pompeii excavation.
- Academic Visionary: His manufactured public persona as the man who "solved archaeology."
- Paranoid Gatekeeper: His private role in obstructing and scrutinizing unauthorized site research.
Relationships #
- Ulysses: His "Golden Boy" researcher whose work he hijacked. Parrini is both a mentor figure and a jealous tyrant toward him.
- Lucia: He views her as a necessary technical specialist but underestimates her role in the project's successes.
Key Appearances/Events #
- The Victory Lap (2025): His global tour across media and academic circles following the first "lucky" finds.
- The Threat of the Forensic Audit: A moment of extreme tension where he nearly exposed the Lydian Stone connection through sheer bureaucratic persistence.