During the course of the various stories of this chronicle the coterie has and will meet many characters so I'm therefore creating several profile pages for different groups within my version of kindred Los Angeles to help them keep track. I'll also amend these profiles as new information comes to light and old 'facts' turn out to be less factual than originally thought...
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The Gangrel Packs
As competition for the available kine heated up in the newly created Anarch Free states, clashes between the gangs increased in frequency and intensity. Finally, in nineteen fifty-six, Jeremy felt forced to step in and called a meeting of the gangs. Under his guarantee of safety, the gang lords came together and drew up a map of L.A. to designate the boundaries of each gang's hunting grounds, which became known as 'Baronies.'
The gangs carved up Los Angeles up like a medieval kingdom. This agreement did not entirely eliminate the gang wars, and many baronies have changed hands many times since, but it created a certain amount of stability. This system has worked well within a kindred community consisting mainly of Brujah and a smattering of other clans, but in recent times the influx of Gangrel to the Anarch cause has introduced a new type of organisation, The 'Pack'.
Difficulties arise as once a Gangrel or group of Gangrel decide a hunting ground is theirs they are notoriously difficult to dislodge. Even worse are those for whom borders are a completely alien concept and who see no reason why they cannot go where they please, and are more than willing to gut any kindred who tries to tell them otherwise.
'The Wilds Pack'
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| Myranda - Gangrel Pack Leader The Wilds Pack |
Myranda
Pack Members
Lezabel, Lola, Nicodemus and Samael.
Former Members
None
The Wilds Pack have their own detailed profile page HERE.
The first pack to establish themselves in Los Angeles took over the area known as 'The Wilds', itself an area already dominated by a single Gangrel Elder known as 'Nicodemus'. Though originally an unconnected group sharing only a hunting ground they were united by a charismatic individual called Myranda who put to them the potential benefits of working together.
The Wilds were inhabited by a number of other supernatural entities drawn there by a powerful magical nexus. With the raw power of Nicodemus, tactical know-how of Myranda and the abilities of Samael, Lola and Lezabel combined, they swept away all rivals and subsequently announced that any future intruders would be destroyed without mercy. It took the making of relatively few examples before the Barons of Los Angeles acknowledged 'The Wilds' as a Barony in it's own right.
With Lola's control over the creatures of the air and Lezabel's abilities with those of the ground it is almost impossible to make a move within their hunting ground without their knowledge. Sensible intruders leave after a single warning, anyone foolish enough to remain might be fortunate enough to be granted a swift death at the claws of Lola, Lezabel and their hordes of creatures. The less fortunate ones meet their final deaths in a much slower and more deliberate manner in the lairs of either Samael or Nicodemus.
In a recent change of direction regarding the exclusivity of their territory the Wilds Pack has allowed three other Packs to exist within their borders. Ultimately though, they answer to Myranda, if they value their un-lives that is.
'The Rejects'
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| The Rejects - Gangrel Pack Jamie, Flora, Nicholas, Tasha and Ryan |
Pack Leader
Jaime Nunez
Pack Members
Flora McKeown, Nicholas Garcia, Tasha Paterson and Ryan Stewart.
Former Members
Aaron Saxe (Destroyed), Eli Pope (Destroyed) and William Foxley (Destroyed)
Haven
Warehouse (Haven 3: Library 2, Security System 5)
Backgrounds
Resources 2 (Electronics Store and Warehouse), Retainer 2 (Jared Mustafa, Ghoul)
A detailed account of the Rejects past can be found in the story beginning HERE.
William's search for his first Childe Hope, whom he had failed to destroy in the past for the crime of daring to defy him, ultimately resulted in his destruction. With his final death and that of the favoured childe with which he'd replaced Hope, the rest of his brood were left leaderless and without purpose.
Jamie Nunez, a mortal embraced for his computer and electronics expertise, has now become their de-facto leader. Despite nominally being the least physically capable, he is the lowest in generation having being embraced after his sire had committed a number of diableries, and his blood is surprisingly potent for one of his brief unlife.
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| Jaime Nunez - Gangrel Pack Leader of 'The Rejects' |
It was his suggestion that they approach the Wilds Pack and offer their service in return for a place to stay despite being warned by his now destroyed sire that entering the area was tantamount to suicide. Jamie however was of the opinion that if they made sure to make their initial contact with one member of the Wilds Pack in particular that they would be in with a chance. Fortunately for the pack, the first member of the Wilds Pack they encountered was indeed Lezabel, herself the childe of an abusive sire and so as Jamie hoped had some sympathy for their plight. After speaking on their behalf to Myranda it was agreed that they would be given a hunting ground within the Wilds Packs WBarony as long as they agreed to maintain it in her name.
With the aid of Myranda's own contacts and the remainder of the packs ill-gotten funds, Jamie has acquired a small electronics business and between them the pack have ghouled the owner and blood bound the staff. The main appeal of this business was the large storage facility that it also owned, and it has become a communal Haven for The Rejects, protected with a state of the art security system courtesy of Jamie's expertise. Myranda is already taking advantage of the access she now has to a new set of skills though she rarely meets with the pack in person having assigned responsibility of them to Lezabel.
'The Jackals'
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| Connor - Gangrel Pack Leader Protean 'Shape Change' |
Connor
Pack Members
Kade, Kenzie and Pope
Former Members
Kendrick
Haven
Scrap Yard (Haven 2: Hidden Armoury 3, Postern 1, Security System 1)
Backgrounds
Herd 2 (Local Homeless), Retainer 2 (Aubrey, Ghoul)
The pack known as The Jackals were formerly residents of the Barony of the Angels before it was divided up between the neighbouring Baronies. Originally the pack consisted of five members, one of which was a Nosferatu known as Kendrick. Most presumed the Nosferatu to be the 'brains' of the outfit but since he left and threw his lot in with Gary Golden, the rest of the group has functioned more than adequately without him.
Though a casual observer would be forgiven for presuming that the pack now consisted solely of Gangrel, only their leader Connor is of that clan, though very few people ever meet him in person. The other three are Caitiff who Connor has been training in his own disciplines aided by regular infusions of his own Vitae.
As a result all three are blood bound to him, though their loyalty is seemingly quite genuine. The pack gained their name from Connor's animal form, which his three fellow pack members also utilise now their grasp of the Discipline known as Protean is advanced enough for them to assume it.
They have been given a moderate sized hunting ground by Myranda in return for patrolling it's borders and reporting any unusual activity to one of her people. The Jackals communal haven is beneath an abandoned office in a long disused scrap yard. This is maintained by a single ghoul created originally by Kendrick but who is now supplied blood by Connor alone. A number of homeless people also make their home within the area who act as a sauce of blood in-between hunts.
Responsibility for keeping an eye on the Jackals has been given to The Wilds Pack member Lola.
'The Covina Brujah'
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| Tabatha Meyer - Brujah The Covina Brujah Pack Leader |
Pack Leader
Tabatha Meyer
Pack Members
Emma Cochran, Finlay Morales, Luciano Rutledge, Steven Fritz and Tamzin Barrett
Former Members
None
Haven
Covina Shopping Mall (Haven 3: Hidden Armoury 5, Location, Postern 3, Security System 2, Watchmen 3)
Backgrounds
Herd 3, Retainer 3 (Angus Ramsay, Ghoul, Night Shift Manager), Retainer 3 (Winifred Wise, Ghoul, Day Shift Manager), Resources 3
When an ignored call for aid drove a wedge between the kindred of Covina and their allies in El Hermandad they instead received aid from an unexpected source. Members of The Wilds Pack were pursuing the remnants of a group of Jenna Cross's thin-blood rebels as they headed for the border with Covina and it was there that the they encountered the Brujah of Covina.
The five Brujah and the single Gangrel of their group were waiting for long overdue aid before assaulting a large group of thin-bloods who had infiltrated their own domain. After an initially less than cordial greeting an agreement was made which would allow the Gangrel of The Wilds to continue into Covina to destroy their own prey on the condition that they assisted Covina with the removal of their own thin-blood problem. With their relationship with El Hermandad shattered and realising that they were now vulnerable and without allies they approached Myranda with an offer.
The de-facto leader of these Brujah, Tabatha Meyer now acts as a sort of Seneschal for Myranda freeing her from the tedious business of actually having to deal with other Baronies though still spends any spare time with her fellow Brujah. A tough but notoriously pragmatic individual, Tabatha has become a perfect front-person for the kindred of The Wilds. Finlay Morales, the only Gangrel of the group has often been described as "An honorary Brujah" by his coterie but given the make-up of the Barony he counters this by pointing out that the others are in fact "Honorary Gangrel."
Of concern to the other Baronies are rumours that the Gangrel and Brujah of The Wilds have been engaged in a skill exchange of sorts and have been actively training one another in the use of their respective Clan disciplines. Some have even gone as far as accusing Myranda of building an army in anticipation of expanding her domain even further. Tabatha has been doing her best to downplay these concerns, but the rumours do unfortunately seem more than plausible.
During Tabatha's absences, the Brujah's contact with the Wilds Pack is Samael. His direct attitude and love for fighting has made him an ideal liaison with the Covina Brujah and often 'spars' with the more aggressive members of Tabatha's 'Pack' when bored.
Other Packs
Gangrel 'Packs' within Los Angeles are not confined merely to the Wilds and several others exist within the city.
'The Hunters'
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| Vinicius Santos - Gangrel Pack Leader of the Hunters, Bahari |
Pack Leader
Vinicius Santos
Pack Members
Daryl McKinney, Filip Bolton, Fiona Galindo and Gilbert Brandt
Former Members
None
Haven
Huntington Logistics (Haven 3: Cell 2, Hidden Armoury 5, Location, Postern 1, Security System 3, Surgery, Watchmen 3)
Backgrounds
Herd 1, Influence 1, Mawla 3 ('Mary'), Resources 3, Status 2.
Flaws
Infamy 1
The Hunters, or The Huntington Gangrel as they were originally known, consist in the majority of those Gangrel who abandoned Amethyst in her ill-fated attempt to wipe out her neighbours, and expand her borders in two different directions. This withdrawal from the conflict was done on the proviso that they would in no way be held responsible for past actions of Amethysts in which they may have been involved. Amethyst's gang was well equipped, funded and trained, making these four Gangrel a considerable threat. They however pale in comparison to Vinicius.
Their leader Vinicius took control of the Hunters after massacring his former employers at the behest of 'Mary', so-called 'Mother' of the Bahari cult, sometimes known as the Children of the Wolf, and quickly spread his beliefs amongst the rest of his new pack.
After Vinicius's extermination of Hugo Snyder's Kindred mercenary group, of which he had once been a member, his pack inherited their base of operations and equipment. This Huntington distribution hub is the packs home base when not on patrol and the area around it has been granted to them as a feeding ground. Not that his new Baron had much choice in the matter if he wished their cooperation.
Hugo's group had extensive military connections, so as well as a secure haven 'The Hunters' also have access to several armoured vehicles, an extensive armoury, three speedboats previously used for smuggling and if Hugo's boasts were true, at least one submarine. Effectively a self contained unit they are honouring their agreements and have shown themselves to be very effective in their new role. With Vinicius own extensive combat experience, and the training that the other Gangrel received under Amethyst, they could easily be mistaken for a professional military unit when pursuing a particular target.
They are also been utilised on occasion by the Ventrue Harvey Caplan who currently runs both of Los Angeles Southern dockyards on behalf of Steve Booth. The Hunters have eliminated a number of mortal smuggler gangs for Harvey, enabling him to take over their operations with people of his own choosing. This was apparently in exchange for secure storage for the Hunters various sea going vessels and a small percentage of the additional income Harvey now has acquired via the expansion of his own gang.
During the meeting of Barons that preceded the dividing of the South and South East, Marius Walker was forced to take responsibility for any Gangrel packs that might "Go rogue" despite trying to get out of the commitment several times. How seriously he and the other packs take this agreement is open to debate as neither side seem to have taken any further actions that might indicate agreements between them.
'The Coyotes'
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| Kellan Best - Gangrel Pack Leader of 'The Coyotes' |
Pack Leader
Kellan Best
Pack Members
Logan Velez, Harry Tran, Hilary Spooner, Tyler-James Stubbs.
Former Members
None
Haven
Armoured RV (Haven 1: Cell 2, Hidden Armoury 3, Security System 1, Watchmen 1), Also a number of additional Havens and bases along their usual transport routes.
Backgrounds
Herd 3, Mawla 4 (Marius Walker), Resources 3.
David Geduld, former Baron of Torrance, had very little regard for any Kindred who were not Ventrue like himself, or Brujah whom he considered to be a clan of warrior philosophers (with some exceptions of course). This meant that the Gangrel within his gang were generally looked down upon and given the jobs that he deemed not important enough to bother his more respected followers with. When he inherited several Caitiff during the splitting up of the Barony of the Angels he immediately gave responsibility of them to Kellan and Logan, his two Gangrel Sweepers. He then promptly forgot all about them.
Finding that unlife in the aforementioned Barony had already endowed the Caitiff with strong survival instincts, the Gangrel pair eventually began to see some potential in the new recruits and then started to pass onto them some of their own survival knowledge and skills. When Geduld was destroyed and his Barony was invaded, the Gangrel retreated to the Madrona Marshes in Torrance. They took their Caitiff charges along with them, as by then Kellan and Logan considered them to be part of their own pack, and therefore under their protection.
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| 'The Coyotes' Transport and Occasional Haven |
The Coyotes, as they came to be known, have been given security responsibilities for one of Marius's lesser known criminal enterprises, namely people smuggling. Though he tends to avoid trafficking people against their will (Though no doubt does so if required), his 'Fixer' operations often required moving kindred from one place to another in secret. Utilising these resources for traditional criminal activities in-between such ventures only made economic sense.
The Coyotes have a access to a large RV to facilitate their work which acts as their Haven in between jobs and is housed in a secure unit provided by Marius when not 'on the road'. So far the arrangement seems to be satisfactory to both parties as the pack has freed up a number of Marius's operatives for other duties. The Coyotes for their part now have a haven, a modicum of resources and easy access to feeding. As long as they limit themselves to a bite or two that is.
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Should you be interested in the chronicles and stories associated with these pages then links to them all can be found HERE.
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Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Myranda is Shannyn Visceral, 'The Rejects' are characters from the John Carpenter film Vampires, Tabatha Meyer is Michelle Rodriguez, Vinicius is Liev Schreiber and Kellan Best is Benicio del Toro
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Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Myranda is Shannyn Visceral, 'The Rejects' are characters from the John Carpenter film Vampires, Tabatha Meyer is Michelle Rodriguez, Vinicius is Liev Schreiber and Kellan Best is Benicio del Toro
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