Around AD 40, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Caligula (AD 37-41), the Master, then only a few centuries old, served as his chief adviser under the name Thrax. In exchange for his counsel, the Emperor supplied Thrax with young women to feed on.

The Master insisted on these women being virgins for him, but in one "crop," a newly pregnant mother was mistakenly included. The Master sensed this as soon as he stung her, but she took advantage of his surprise to fight him off and escape. The Master demanded that she be hunted down and killed, but the palace guard was thrown into an uproar by Caligula's latest false alarm of assassins in his bedroom. The Master searched for the woman but was unable to locate her before she bore her child; one of the born.

As a hybrid, this child shared many attributes of the vampire race, but not their vulnerability to sunlight or the bloodworms. The physical appearance of the child was slightly different than that of a full Strigoi, as well. As the Master's "son," the child also shared a telepathic link with his father. This telepathic ability made him aware of the Master's whereabouts and actions, but unlike the rest of the Master's strain, he was not subject to his control.

In the Season 3 episode, 'First Born,' Quinlan was revealed to be held captive and was exhibited as a feral, human leech in a 58AD Roman freak show. His freedom was purchased by a woman, Ancharia, who was specialized in strigoi lore. She rehabilitated, named, and educated Quinlan. Two years later, the Master tracked them down, forcing Quinlan and Ancharia to evict their current residence, setting off on foot to another location. They stopped to rest in a cave, at which time the Master appeared, trapping them inside and forcing Quinlan to drain his adept foster mother for survival, attempting to cause Quinlan to question his affinity for humanity in regards to his true nature.

Carrying the given name signifying his status as the fifth Born, he became recruited as a gladiator and later served in the Roman legions as Quintus Sertorius. Evidently, over his long history traversing Europe, his name became Gallicized (former Roman territory that becomes France) into its modern usage, Quinlan, meaning "fit and strong." When they became aware of his existence, The Ancients tried to recruit him, but he wanted no part of their feud with the Master, and instead settled for a life as a farmer. However, this attitude changed after the Master murdered Quinlan's human wife and adopted daughter. Subsequently, Quinlan spent his entire life in search of the Master, seeking to destroy him.