Lelouch Lamperouge is the title character and protagonist of the series. He was born as Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family and seventeenth in line for the throne. His father is the Britannian Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, and his mother was Marianne vi Britannia. He was sent to Japan as a political hostage for questioning his father's cold regard for his mother's assassination and the crippling of his blind sister Nunnally. When Britannia invaded, he went into hiding with his sister, taking refuge with the Ashford family. Seven years later, he discovers an enigmatic girl known as C.C., who grants him an ability called Geass, which allows him to command others to behave as he wishes. Seeking to build a peaceful world for his sister, he pursues the destruction of Britannia under the guise of his masked alter-ego Zero.