V5 - Faction Profiles - The Barony of Downtown (Ghouls)

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 Ghouls of Marius

Marius has many ghouls, accumulated over his centuries of unlife, and like the kindred in his service have all been selected for a particular purpose. Marius's large herd of Blood Dolls both mortal and kindred enables him to ensure that his ghouls are always well fed. They are also well looked after, as long as they remain useful. Money, power, protection and access to almost any excess you can imagine, as long as it doesn't effect their work that is. 

Marius's ghouls, like his childer and grandechilder have suffered a very high turnover over the centuries. There is no retirement plan. Those who fail, die.     

The majority of Marius's ghouls have apartments in the upper floors of Hallowbrook Apartments and benefit from access to it's significant resources and security. This security has recently been upgraded considerably and even Marius's roof garden is now covered and a number of additional security features both modern and mystical have been added.

Haven: Hallowbrook Apartments (Haven 5: Cell 3, Hidden Armoury 5+, Occult Library 5+, Laboratory, Luxury, Postern 5+, Security System 5+, Staff 5+, Surgery, Watchmen 5+, Warding 5+)

'Ancient' Ghouls

Though it is a rare occurrence, a few ghouls manage to survive against all odds for hundreds of years or more. These ancient ghouls often serve powerful Methuselahs, and together they have seen the rise and fall of civilizations many times over. At this point in their lifespan, ancient ghouls will have typically divorced themselves from reality to cope with the endless parade of days and nights serving their masters. 

Like any other vassal, an ancient ghoul is a representative serving her domitor, but still holds no status within vampire society, even above younger vampires and neonates. Due to their age, their master, and the experience that they’ve amassed throughout the years, however, ancient ghouls are frightening to many vampires even though they are still technically mortal.

These Ghouls have been in Marius's service for hundreds of years. Victoria is, in fact, older even than Marius as he is her second regnant.

Victoria Anne

Victoria Anne - Ancient Ghoul
Psychotic Personal Assistant

Role - Personal Assistant

Status - Ancient Ghoul

Backgrounds:
Victoria has access to any of Marius's own allies, contacts and resources and he has made it clear to all in his service that a request from her is a request from him.
Merits - Blood Empathy (Marius), Linguistics 4, Stunning
Flaws - Obvious Predator

Vicissitude Modifications - Appearance Management (Stunning), Armour (Internal Organs), Efficient Metabolism, Enhanced Senses (All), Improved Detoxification, Pheromones, Protractible Claws, Regeneration, Unihemispheric Sleep, Venom Glands (Necrotic).

Derangements - Antisocial Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder (Marius), Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Psychopathy.

Victoria was once the ghoul of a particularly sadistic Tzimisce who had taken her to use as a personal project to make himself a servant who was perfect on the outside and a monster within and had used his mastery of the discipline known as Vicissitude to accomplish it. When he first took her to his castle she was a slightly overweight, somewhat naïve third daughter. Sent to a nunnery at a young age like many others during those times.

Unknown to her at the time was the fact that her family were an early experiment by this Tzimisce in creating a line of revenant ghouls. It's possible that she was one of the earliest such creatures though this is entirely conjecture. Though this would explain the ease with which she uses a number of vampiric disciplines and possibly the similarity of some of her skills to gifts normally wielded by kinfolk of the Garou.

Her regnant altered her appearance to his taste with his clans unique discipline. Breaking her mind took longer, though eventually the constant depravities inflicted upon her and that she was forced to inflict on others turned her into the sadistic creature that she remains to this day.

It was on one of Marius's freelance missions against her regnant that he acquired Victoria as his first and for centuries, only Ghoul. After her four centuries of service she would have turned to ash without kindred blood to sustain her. After diablerizing her tormentor, Marius provided her with his vitae and from that night onwards she became his. Using thaumaturgy rituals learned during one of his many searches for occult knowledge he always ensured that she had enough of his vitae preserved to sustain her during his many absences. During this time she forged her own path indulging her whims as she saw fit using her masters funds which though he still acquired had no real interest in. She also spent the time perfecting her flesh-sculpting skills considerably.

Since then she has served loyally in his service mainly fulfilling the role of what in a normal business arrangement would be a personal assistant. Efficient, aloof and when provoked, exhibiting a sadistic streak of terrifying proportions, she manages her masters business interests and is by many considered responsible for some of the cleverer opportunities created by his activities. For many she is the first point of contact and also manages the day to day activities of Marius's considerable quantity of ghoul operatives. When engaged in activities that may be more dangerous than usual she is invariably accompanied by Yukio though when called upon to extract information from unwilling subjects she prefers to work alone, though sometimes Marius likes to watch.

She is an utterly amoral, sadistic, psychopath who even some of the worst monsters in Los Angeles avoid if they can help it. Her loyalty to Marius however borders on the obsessive and any who question that loyalty rarely live to regret their mistake.

Recently she discovered the remnants of the revenant family that had escaped her first master after he was destroyed by Marius. They had been the servants of a cult of Verbena Mages and later served the whims of four members of House Tremere. Though they currently serve Marius's childe 'Mary', their first loyalty is now to Victoria. Perhaps it always was.

Yukio Hayashi

Yukio Hayashi - Ancient Ghoul
Assassin

Role - Assassin and Enforcer

Status - Ancient Ghoul

Backgrounds:
Allies (Multiple Hallowbrook Security Teams: Effectiveness 5, Reliability 3), Resources 4, Retainer 3 (Head of Security)

Merits - Beautiful, Linguistics 2

Vicissitude Modifications - Armour (Internal Organs), Efficient Metabolism, Enhanced Senses (Sight, Hearing), Improved Detoxification, Regeneration.

Marius's second ghoul Yukio was recruited almost a century later and was the daughter of an Onna-bugeisha, trained in martial arts in spite of the significant transformation of the social acceptance of women samurai in Japan at the time.

When the stranger assured Yukio and her mother that in his service he could ensure that she would always be able to act as a warrior, free from the restrictions now enforced on the female samurai, both accepted his offer and she has served him loyally ever since. She is Marius's enforcer and assassin with a prolific body count of mortal enemies and has despatched several vampires, mages and also at least one werewolf.

Surprisingly cheerful given her trade she is known to dress to accentuate her youth when working as an assassin in order to lure her targets into a false sense of security and is never without a small armoury of weapons about her person. Victoria and Yukio in particular have on more than one occasion exhibited the use of disciplines far beyond that normally used by the ghouls of Neonates and Ancillae leaving some to speculate that their master may actually be far older than any-one suspects. They are, of course, quite correct.

Recently it was discovered in conversation with Yukio by an inquisitive Toreador that she had been offered the role as ghoul and warrior in the service of Marius at a period in Japanese history that marked a significant transformation in the social acceptance of women. It is the Toreadors opinion that this would be somewhere in the Edo period which started in the 17th century (1600-1868 to be exact) which would put Yukio at at one hundred and fifty years old at the very least and possibly much older. Yukio has in fact served Marius for nearly four centuries.

'Elder' Ghouls
Ghouls who survive longer than a century or two are rare, but they do exist. Some domitors continue the maintenance of a specific ghoul out of habit, favouritism, or necessity. Unlike young or experienced ghouls, elder ghouls may also be familiar with the ins and outs of vampire society. Unfortunately, regardless of their age, elder ghouls enjoy none of the status that a freshly Embraced neonate does.

Elder ghouls are highly skilled, and are often more knowledgeable about how to survive in modern society than most younger vampires are. Most of them are, for all intents and purposes, experts in the role they have been practicing and perfecting for years. Some elder ghouls are in great physical shape, and are typically fit enough to put their skills into practice. Subject to their experiences and training, they might have high levels in physical Disciplines as well. For these reasons and more, an elder ghoul will likely be able to hold his or her own in a fight.

Ranging in service from just under a century to several hundred years, these ghouls are considered valuable parts of Marius's organisation and can expect a certain level of consideration based on that.

Clara, Sylvia and Diedre Drake

Diedre Drake - Elder Ghoul
Verbena Mage, Bahari

Role - Mages and Occult Consultants

Status - Elder Ghouls

Backgrounds (All):
Allies (Cultists: Effectiveness 3, Reliability 3), Resources 4

Backgrounds (Diedre):

Allies (Security Team: Effectiveness 5, Reliability 3)

Merits - Linguistics 3 (Diedre 4)

Vicissitude Modifications - Efficient Metabolism, Improved Detoxification, Regeneration.

The sisters are of the Verbena tradition dedicated to preserving the ancient crafts and wisdom passed down over the ages by witches and warlocks, druids and druidesses, shamans, mystics, and priests and priestesses of the Old Gods. All three sisters are the unfortunate inheritors of a rare blood disorder that can emerge at any time and despite extensive research could find no magical method that permanently removed it's potential for emergence. This has led them to suspect that the condition might in fact be a supernatural curse, rather than a natural disorder.

Becoming increasingly desperate their research moved from their own traditions into the magic of other supernatural creatures particularly vampires due to the obvious connection to blood. Learning of the kindred servants known as ghouls they came to the conclusion that if they couldn't cure the condition then never reaching the age at which it effected them would be the next best thing. Taking the dangerous path of approaching such creatures directly they used their contacts within the occult community where they eventually encountered a ghoul called Victoria and through her the Gangrel Marius. Though the event is discussed as if it was only recent, they have in fact been in his service for over ninety years. Though it's often rumoured amongst mages that kindred blood erodes a recipients ability to manipulate magical forces, the Drakes have suffered no such issues. In fact they are stronger with his vitae in them than they ever were without.

Sylvia and Carla Drake - Elder Ghouls, Verbena Mages, Bahari

The arrangement has suited both parties with the Drakes gaining both unlimited time in which to find a cure and access to financial and occult resources that would have been extremely difficult to obtain through their own machinations. They also have a base of operations where even their most unusual experiments can be carried out unobserved and without judgement. Also as their particular tradition highly values blood as an ingredient they have ready access to significant quantities of raw materials due to the ease with which their host can acquire such things.

Victoria has also used her talents with Vicissitude to modify the sisters bodies in a number of ways to further help them mitigate their curse.

Marius for his part now has three extremely capable and knowledgeable practitioners of magic to serve as consultants on occult matters and with abilities that kindred blood magicians would find difficult to counter. He uses them against other kindred on only the rarest of occasions however in order to reduce the chances of a reprisal removing this valuable resource from his arsenal.

Deidre uses Marius's resources to travel the world seeking knowledge to help both him and her own sisters, returning periodically to collect the preserved blood she needs to maintain her immortality. When travelling she has a small but effective entourage of guards, trained by Yukio and mentally conditioned by Leanna to be completely loyal.

Alice

Role - Assassin

Status - Elder Ghoul

Backgrounds:

Mask 3 (Cobbler), Resources 4

Vicissitude Modifications - Unknown, though probably extensive

Alice is a source of some debate for those aware of her existence as though the individual most commonly referred to by the name is a tall, muscular, Caucasian woman there have also been others seen referred to by the same nomenclature. Both Victoria and Yukio have been seen using the name in conjunction with both women and men of a variety of ethnicities and ages. Either the name is a generic code referring to a wide variety of ghouls in Marius's service, Alice is a master of Obfuscate or she is something different entirely...

Whatever her (or their) origin, Alice is the sledgehammer to Yukio's scalpel. Whereas Yukio kills quietly and with precision it is Alice who is selected when a more brutal message needs to be sent. They have also been known to cover up murders by taking on the role of a serial killer or mass murderer and it's possible that they may have been over two dozen such killers over at least the last century, possibly longer.

When not following the pattern of some contrived serial killer, Alice prefers brutal close combat, heavy bladed weaponry and high calibre guns. Anything that makes it obvious that the target has definitely upset the wrong person.

'Experienced' Ghouls
A ghoul who has served for the duration of a human lifetime might be considered experienced by many domitors. 

While they might not understand their limitations, experienced ghouls will likely have mastered their new abilities and may have learned other physical Disciplines. Though an experienced ghoul is no match for a werewolf, some can and do successfully hunt and capture lone vampires without the help of their masters. Typically, however, experienced ghouls who continue performing services for their domitors remain by their side and enjoy the perks of their position.

These servants of Marius have been in his employ for decades rather than centuries but have proven to be worth the effort to maintain.

Venus Dare

Venus Dare - Ghoul
Club Manager and Dominatrix

Role - Manager of Club Confession, The Asp Hole and Glaze

Status - Experienced Ghoul

Backgrounds:
Allies (Door Crew: Effectiveness 3, Reliability 3), Contacts 3 (Various Club Patrons), Contacts 3 (Various Submissives including 'Fat' Larry) Resources 3, Retainer 3 (Head Doorman), Retainer 3 (Doorman 'Heavy')
Merits - Beautiful

Formally Club Confession was under the thumb of a particularly unpleasant and violent Russian mobster whose demands for protection money had steadily increased to the point that as each month went by she became further and further in debt to him.

Desperately looking for a solution, one of the customers of her sideline as a dominatrix let slip that he'd been selling a lot of hardware to a dangerous and skilled individual. After some 'prompting' he admitted that this man had successfully performed several near impossible jobs for him seemingly without significant effort and that he'd be happy to arrange an introduction between him and his mistress. The meeting would however have to be at night as he always seemed to be busy during the day.

A simple deal was arranged. Venus would make him a partner and split all the profits with him straight down the middle if he could make her problem go away. The three Russian enforcers who came to collect that months protection money found their way barred by a slightly built oriental girl who promptly executed all three while Marius personally paid a visit to the home of their boss.

The next day the club was in a new partnership and the news was full of stories about the gruesome massacre of three dozen mobsters, their leader and his family presumably at the hands of a rival criminal gang.

Club Confession - Downtown Los Angeles

Marius promptly ghouled Venus and then had some of the clubs upstairs converted to private rooms where he could conduct business or grant feeding rights to those willing to pay the price. A special membership card is given to those who are to be taken care of in a particular manner so Venus recognises them and the doorman don't get in their way and certain 'vintage' wines are also available to clients with the correct palate. She is also responsible for the running of Marius's other clubs 'The Asp Hole' in Hollywood and 'Glaze' in Chinatown. Each of the clubs has it's own membership card though very few kindred have ever been refused membership. A ban from one is, however, a ban from them all. Punishments for troublemakers are more often than not, quite permanent.

The Asp Hole - Hollywood, Club Glaze - Chinatown

Outside of these requirements Venus is left to run the business as she pleases and without the extortion she suffered previously is now beginning to enjoy the financial results of the clubs success. The majority of her doormen and women are former military or law enforcement personnel for which she pays a premium in order to ensure that the club is trouble free for it's more discerning clients.

Of all of the organisations ghouls she is the closest thing Victoria has to a friend though what interests they have in common might not be the healthiest of things to look into.

Mercurio

Mercurio - Ghoul
Formally Unbound, Now Marius's

Role - Arms Dealer

Status - Experienced Ghoul

Backgrounds:

Allies (Security Team: Effectiveness 4, Reliability 3), Contacts 1-5 (Various arms manufacturers and dealers), Influence 4, Mask 4 (Cobbler, Zeroed) 

Mercurio had served the Camarilla since 1974 and worked as the then Prince LaCroix's main contact in Santa Monica. He was variously an information broker, a fence and an arms dealer, and claimed to be able to "Get anything anybody wants at any time..." He specialized in acquiring contraband goods such as high-grade explosives or weaponry. His regnant was Sebastian LaCroix himself and once a month Mercurio would visit Venture Tower for his next fix of vitae.

Mercurio is very reliable and trustworthy, both traits admired by LaCroix. His style of dress and speech is reminiscent of wise guys and mafioso. He has a strong Brooklyn accent, and claims to be "Heat bait." due to a police record "Back East.". Even though his master was a Camarilla Prince, he respects the Anarchs, especially Isaac Abrams.

He has a particular fear of the Sabbat as in around 2001, Mercurio was on guard duty for an elder, with a couple of other ghouls and some neonates. The Sabbat took them completely by surprise and only Mercurio and the Elder escaped.

After the abrupt and explosive demise of LaCroix, Mercurio found himself both a likely target for Anarch reprisals and in imminent danger of returning to his true age, that of a man in his sixties. Edging his bets and not wishing to be enslaved to a single master or mistress he made arrangements with three of the cities Barons to provide them with his services in exchange for the vitae he needed to retain his youth.

With their support, and using insider knowledge gained while in LaCroix's service he formed an arms and security consulting business, with remnants of the destroyed princes own businesses and finances. Over the next fifteen years he developed this business into one of the top twenty enterprises in it's particular field.

Edward Vignes, 'Amethyst', David Geduld - Destroyed Anarch Barons

Unfortunately he has had some recent issues as changes within the cities kindred leadership first resulted in the destruction of his first regnant Edward Vignes and then in rapid succession his second and third suppliers of vitae, Amethyst and David Geduld. Fortunately for him, he still had the contact details of a kindred mercenary utilised by Prince LaCroix, named Marius.

Marius was more than happy to help out his old acquaintance Mercurio. Unsurprisingly though, he had no intention whatsoever of sharing him with another kindred. Mercury Security Solutions has quietly become a subsidiary of Aegis, a fact they fail to publicise due to the negative publicity associated with that particular trade.

'Young' Ghouls

Newly-created ghouls are indistinguishable from any other human. They maintain the same appearance as they always have and, while they have enhanced strength, they are not superhuman. Even so, the Blood can make young ghouls dangerously overconfident, even in the presence of other vampires. Most young ghouls have no idea how dangerous and powerful many of the 'people' they meet actually are.

These ghouls serve an immediate need though whether they have a long-term future with Marius will depend on that need continuing.

Heather Taylor

Heather Taylor - Ghoul
Blood Doll, Touchstone

Role - Blood Doll, Touchstone

Status - Young Ghoul

Backgrounds:
Contacts 3 (Interior Designers), Contacts 3 (Fashion Industry), Resources 1 (Galerie Sanguine), Resources 4 (Kept Woman)
Merits - Beautiful

Why Marius took on a student with no connections, trade-able skills or discernible talents is a mystery to every-one who knows of him, yet his ghoul she is. Some have theorised that he did so as a way of keeping in touch with his dwindling humanity and to keep a connection to a constantly changing modern world. Though quite knowledgeable in the fields of interior design, fashion and with a newfound interest in art prompted by a conversation with the Toreador Michael she is primarily left to her own devices unless Victoria gets involved.

If involved in actual company business she is mainly seen transporting unimportant messages between minor contacts or performing trivial tasks for Victoria and is considered to be one of the few weak points in his organisation. When not accompanying Victoria or performing her own duties Yukio has been given the tertiary task of keeping Heather out of trouble and on the one occasion that an impulsive group of licks attempted to use her against her domitor, this was reacted to with such overwhelming and brutal levels of violence and collateral damage that no-one has been yet willing to make a second attempt. Her superficial resemblance to Victoria has also raised a few eyebrows.

In a recent attempt to get her out from under her feet Victoria has suggested to her that she's wasting her creative talents and that perhaps she should seek suitable employment giving the 'Galerie Sanguine' of Michael Tomassio and his coterie as a likely candidate. Michael has indeed offered her a position which she has accepted and has surpassed expectations of all by actually excelling in the role. Though Michael is well aware that she is certainly reporting on their activities to Marius and Victoria her employment has other advantages than her creative abilities. Most importantly those kindred aware of the soft spot that the Gangrel 'Fixer' has for Heather are far less likely to act directly against the Gallery knowing that should she become collateral damage, Marius would no doubt overreact considerably.

After a recent altercation with three muggers who Marius believes were in the employ of a rival, Victoria has offered to 'improve' Heather for him. He has however declined, concerned that the very humanity for which he ghouled her may be eroded by making her less human within.

Dr Melissa Russell

Dr Melissa Russell - Ghoul
Director of Aegis Medical

Role - Surgeon

Status - Young Ghoul

Backgrounds: 

Allies (Surgical Team/Staff: Effectiveness 3, Reliability 3), Laboratory, Resources 3, Surgery, Watchmen 2 (Private Security Firm)
Merits - Beautiful, Linguistics 3 (German, Latin, Spanish)

With the kindred Dr Daniel Matthews now effectively a full time member of the coterie of Michael Tomassio the 'Fixer' Marius has decided he needs some-one with medical training to fulfil the medical aspect of that role. Melissa Russell was a well regarded surgeon who worked at several hospitals in Los Angeles and came to Marius's attention while his operatives were observing Daniel Matthews at work during the early part of his stay in LA.

Whether she was selected to make some kind of point to Daniel or whether it was mere coincidence there's no doubt that she's a highly skilled doctor, surgeon and administrator.

She has been given a state of the art laboratory and surgical suite, highly trained staff and access to a considerable budget and her department is now effectively the in-house medical team for the Aegis group's various companies.

Immortality and enhances senses were of course interesting but unforeseen bonuses.

Roxanne Weaver

Role - CEO Aegis Acquisitions

Status - Young Ghoul

Backgrounds:

Allies (Aegis Employees: Effectiveness 1-5, Reliability 3), Contacts 1-5 (Multiple), Fame 3, Influence 4.

The current CEO of Aegis Acquisitions is Roxanne Weaver, whose financial acumen has enabled the company to reach new heights, though this expansion has been also driven by a considerable new investment of money from the Walker families own considerable personal wealth. As these constant infusions of new capital enable the company to continue it's aggressive expansion, Miss Weaver is more than willing to expedite the occasional unusual investment or purchase required by the somewhat eccentric Walker family via their personal accountant Victoria Ann.

In recent times the rapid expansion of the company and Marius's increasing involvement in the activities of the kindred of Los Angeles has required Miss Weaver to be made aware of the darker and more hidden aspects of the world in which she exists. The presence of Marius's blood in her veins has, if anything enhanced the aspects of her character that enabled her to reach the top of the corporate ladder.

With Roxanne now being part of the family, Marius's own foreknowledge of deaths, disasters and misfortunes caused by his own activities and monitoring of the schemes of others can be passed on to her directly. This enables properties to be bought when their values are at their lowest, those who can be blamed for illegal activities are blackmailed, construction contracts are ready the moment a mysterious explosion occurs and so on.

With these new sources of information at her disposal she foresees an even brighter future for Aegis, with herself at the top.

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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

Some of the Vicissitude Modifications are taken from 'Vicissitude Expanded' which is available HERE

I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Victoria Anne is Lilith May, Yukio Hayashi is Jamie Chung, Diedre Drake is Daedra, Sylvia Drake is Elisanth and Carla Drake is Absentia, Alice is Gina Carano, Venus Dare is Sophie Howard, Mercurio is Taylor Kitsch, Amethyst is Paula Patton, David Geduld is Zachary Quinto, Heather Taylor is Liz Vicious and Roxanne Weaver is Gina Torres.
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