The Court of Houston

[Alex]

Known to itself as the Court of Sable and Gold, the Court of Houston and its Domain are the nearest neighbors and most bitter rivals of the Free City of New Orleans. Houston's first nights as a holding granted to the Anarchs by the Camarilla ended with the establishment of a Court by Magnus Alderidge. In its wake, the Anarchs and Camarilla made an uneasy peace in order to combat the Sabbat. Eventually the Anarchs would abandon Houston for an offensive against the weakened Sabbat Diocese of New Orleans, claiming it for themselves. And when the Camarilla sought to build the Court of Cajun Moonlight over the Free City of New Orleans, the Anarchs revolted and slew some of Houston's most prominent Vampires in the middle of Elysium.

After decades of internal squabbling and hiding from the Second Inquisition, the Court of Houston has begun to become active once again. Small snippets of information have let the Anarchs know the barest bits of what is going on in the Domain. but for the most part the Anarchs know little of what has transpired in their enemies' city in the last five decades. It is doubtless that the number of Kindred in the Domain has only grown. And it is a certainty that these neonates have been told of the horrors of New Orleans and rallied to arms against the Movement.

[Alex]

Name: Magnus Alderidge
Apparent Age: Older, perhaps in his early 60's
Years Undead: ~400
Clan: Ventrue
Title: Prince of Houston

Is there any among the damned of east Texas who do not live in the shadow of Magnus Alderidge, the undying Lord of Houston? Magnus' mortal days are well known compared to many of his contemporaries, as some records exist of him as an obscure industrialist in Scotland during the very beginning of the First Industrial Revolution. Magnus' talents - and his lack of scruples - were such that he caught the attention of an illustrious Ventrue and brought into the old monster's brood. According to the Kindred of those who remember him, the young Magnus took to the nights like a fly to honey. But the Court was much too stuffy and crowded to his liking, driving him to join many Kindred willing to take the risk of a journey to America for the treasure it could yield. Magnus flitted through many Domains, speculating, investing, and grifting in equal measure. He eventually found his way to Texas, where he was able to ply all three of those considerable talents in the Teas Oil Boom of the early 20th century. Magnus spent his nights on the frontier, in irregular contact with the Tower until 1950 when he claimed Praxis as the first Prince of Houston. Though young to wield such a title, Magnus was equal parts charming and vicious in turning rivals into allies and confining the city's small Anarch population. While some whisper that he's very much a pawn of his powerful Primogen - the radiant Lady Courtenay and the illustrious Lord Champlaigne - that they would never dare to do so where he can hear him is telling.

And Prince Alderidge hears much that goes on in the city, owning to a network of spies, patsies, and thralls, willing to work for a sip of his rich Ventrue Blood or a few pieces of gold from his limitless treasury. His Grace has no trace of his old Scottish accent by now, speaking in a boisterous Texan drawl that lets him fit right in with the old "Boys' Clubs" that he seems to spend most of his time among mortals in. Magnus seems to take a special delight in humiliating his inferiors, subjecting the poor, the poorly-dressed, and the female among humans and even neonates and Anarchs - to say nothing of the Clanless - through his words and actions. And all of it comes behind an air of chumminess that has a way of putting those unready for him at ease. Magnus spent much of his reign as the city's most visibly powerful Kindred, empowered to act on his own but careful to keep his powerful rivals - such as Lord Champlaigne and Lady Courtenay - close and on-sides.

While word out of Houston is hard to come by these nights, some rumors have traveled. Anarchs say that Prince Magnus nearly lost his Praxis in the wake of the fall of New Orleans to the Movement. Enraged by the Final Death of her husband, Lady Courtenay waged a brutal political war against him in the parlors and sitting rooms of the Court of Houston. The two came to an accord in the 2050's, with Magnus keeping much of the Court in place but accepting Lady Courtenay as his new Seneschal. It is thought that he can do nothing without her assent, lest their fragile truce be broken. But both are agreed on at least one thing. They must avenge themselves on the Anarchs of New Orleans.

[Alex]

Name: Lady Evelyn Courtenay
Apparent Age: Early 40's
Years Undead: ~650
Clan: Ventrue
Title: Seneschal to Prince Alderidge

The Lady Evelyn Courtenay hails from the mortal courts of England in the waning days before colonialism took hold. Her mortal life is not a matter for discussion for the Lady - it's a trivial, irrelevant thing. A distraction from the business at hand. And business is always at hand. For while the Lady may have had an upbringing on a pastoral estate, she road the waves to the wealth and power that has put her Clan atop the Camarilla. Colonialism and then industrialization opened endless opportunities for profit, and her age was an asset. Young enough to be able to understand then-modern business, but old enough that she had the power to keep her rivals at bay. Lady Evelyn reaped the fortunes of the East India and South Sea Companies before many Kindred in Houston were even born, and commanded industry from the shadows while His Grace was acquiring his first sweatshop in Edinburgh. Lady Evelyn served as a Keeper in London, a job that never suited her, until the 1940's when the Nazis burned bombed her city. It was then that she and Devon Champlaigne - her scheming partner and lover by correspondence - made the move to North America. Lady Courtenay had already made a fair bit of money in oil, and so Houston was a natural choice.

Many expected the Lady to wrest Praxis from the comparatively youthful Alderidge upon her arrival, but the Elder surprised the Domain by fully supporting His Grace - as a Primogen. While Devon Champlaigne plies favors and connections, Lady Evelyn speaks in her preferred language of cold, hard cash. Their pairing was quietly recognized as the power behind Magnus Alderidge's throne, both allowing the outspoken younger Vampire to take on the public act of ruling as they pulled strings from the shadows.

Since the Third Anarch Revolt - and the murder of her husband by the Anarchs of New Orleans - there has been no more fervent an opponent of the Anarchs than Lady Courtenay. But word from Houston is that she has been distracted, engaging in a decades-long campaign to punish Magnus for the loss of her beloved Lord Champlaigne. The end of that conflict saw her rise to the position of Seneschal, and what little intelligence there is suggests she is essentially co-equal to the Prince. With this elevation in hand, there is little doubt that she intends to slake her thirst for revenge on New Orleans.

[Alex]

Name: Roger Scott
Apparent Age: Late 40's
Years Undead: 80
Clan: Toreador

The Blood of an Elder Kindred carries a powerful curse, but comes with its own blessings. Such is the defining feature of the unlife of Roger Scott. Scott is one of the myriad of childer of Devon Champlaigne, the ancient Parisian Primogen and scion of Elysium. The Blood of the Elder has blessed Roger. While Devon is not the doting sire that Henry is, he is a demanding one. And after thirty years, Roger has yet to be initiated by the Sect. For many childer this would be a blemish, but the Domain is willing to cut this one a little slack. Devon is a demanding man, they know. They also know that he would take an insult to his childer as an insult to his Blood, and none who ply the Jyhad at Court would dare render that insult without a plan. Roger comes from a surprising lineage from a Toreador. He's a businessman, a trust fund heir who grew into a fortune that he successfully invested across Houston during the prosperous 1980's. Fittingly, Primogen Champlaigne claims that he was first noticed by his Ventrue wife and presented to him as a gift of sorts. Or perhaps, as a child between the two. Nonetheless, Roger and his sire both would contend that finance is an art of its own. And Roger's silver tongue and good looks make him a formidable artist in his craft.

Roger is perhaps one of the better-known of the Camarilla of Houston to the Anarchs due to his direct involvement in the first, failed offensive into the city. In these nights Roger is a Primogen, elevated as part of the peace agreement between his adoptive mother and the Prince to put a friendly counselor at his side. He is also involved in Champlaigne Holdings, named for his sire, which he likely had a stake in forming upon inheriting the self-same Toreador's assets. While Roger's Ghoul Cal Steele was lost in the attack on New Orleans, it is doubtful that his death will be the last the Anarchs see of the young Toreador.

[Alex]

Name: Robin Lauraine Saint Claire
Apparent Age: Late 20's
Years Undead: ~100
Clan: Toreador
Title: Primogen of Houston

Robin St. Claire was every bit the statuesque magazine covergirl she looks. The young socialite grew up in post-war Houston, booming from new births and a thriving local economy. But Robin's sights lay west. Like so many young girls, she wanted to be a star. And she was well on her way when the night snuffed that light right out. Robin was making waves in local magazines, publications, and events when the Toreador Vincent Galloway Embraced her to preserve her beauty forever. But while her appearance survived her death, her career did not. Robin gave up the camera flashes and spotlights, turning instead to the magazines she modeled in. Robin became influential behind the scenes of Houston's media, learning to preserve the Masquerade and how to turn print space into favors at Court. Robin's sire was claimed by the Sabbat in their sieges in the 90's, his soul claimed by a warpack. While the still-young Kindred wept at Court, she became more powerful than ever freed from his prying eye. Robin is an oddity in the Domain, as she has been consistently critical of bad faith against the Anarchs. This act has won her no friends at Elysium, but has instilled in the Baron and those close to him enough trust to speak openly to Robin when trouble arises. Whispers abound that it was she who somehow convinced the Prince to offer New Orleans to the Anarchs, and some once hoped that she secretly supports the Movement and plans to join it in a new city.

But those hopes were dashed when Robin helped Prince Henry Mitchell of New Orleans lure Baron Richard Dupuis into a trap. The Baron died trusting Robin, and for her efforts she was rewarded with a seat at the Prince's table as his Primogen. Robin is now hailed as a hero among the Camarilla, and the foulest of their kind by the Anarchs. Whatever she may have thought before, her course is now set and her die is cast. No Kindred was more surprised, or perhaps unfortunate, than Robin when the Anarchs survived Richard Dupuis and went on to expel the Camarilla from New Orleans. And despite the failure of the Camarilla to hold New Orleans, Robin retained her position as Primogen, where she now sits as only one of two known to the Anarchs. Little is known of Robin's doings in these night, but the Anarchs' promises to kill her in retribution for her betrayal are certainly not far from her mind.

[Alex]

Name: Dr. Oliver Klein
Apparent Age: Late 30's
Years Undead: ~150
Clan: Malkavian
Title: Keeper of Elysium of Houston

All the world's a stage to Dr. Oliver Klein, and all its players exist for his own amusement. Before he was a doctor, Oliver was the son of New York socialites who were among the first wealthy families to settle in the Hamptons. And while Dr. Klein has told many stories of his upbringing, his dramatic flair makes it impossible to know which ones are true. Are stories of his mortal father's stern words and hash fists meant to tell the store of a young man driven to greatness? Or did they actually happen? What is known is that he was one of the first Americans to dabble in the budding field of Psychology, where his sire found him. The motives Dr. Klein has given for his sire's Embrace vary from telling to telling - a madman captured by the irony of Embracing a doctor of the mind? A lech desirous of the Klein family fortune? An accident or an act of passion? It all depends on which story Dr. Klein has chosen to tell. Whatever the case, Dr. Klein's practice of psychology became nothing more than a way to harvest Blood and build an identity compared to his real passion. Dr. Klein often tells other Kindred he's a storyteller, and he enjoys human dramas. Which dramas these are, like his own stories about himself, have varied. For a time it was society figures. For a bit longer it was as a playwright. In the 90's he attempted architecture.

This last endeavor led him to his current fad - politics. Dr. Klein has become something of a baron of mortal politics in Houston, deciding which Democrats and Republicans should win and lose. The mortal leaders of the city unknowingly play his game, and those who find a way out don't make it much longer. This obsession with stories and appearances has made him an ideal Keeper of Elysium, a rigid enforcer of the laws of that hallowed place. And his interest in politics made him an ideal facilitator for the schemes and contrivances that take place within his treasured Elysium's halls.

The Anarchs likely thought Klein's career - and maybe his unlife - was over after his complete failure to hold Elysium during his brief stint in New Orleans. Imagine their shock, then, when rumor held that Klein not only survived but was granted back his old position. It is suspected that Klein was appointed to the position in exchange for his absolute loyalty to the Prince in his conflict with Lady Courtenay, and his talents may have helped His Grace hold on to power. It is certain, however, that he has not remained within those walls. Klein is the most likely suspect in the gruesome murder of one of his childe's mortal thralls. With the civil war in Houston ended, he may consider it time to finally take his revenge on his treacherous blood.

[Alex]

Name: Conrad Chesterfield
Apparent Age: Late 30's
Years Undead: ~80
Clan: Tremere

In these darkest nights for Clan Tremere, only the most capable and crafty of their Clan have survived to carry on their stolen Blood. And Conrad Chesterfield, despite his youth, has honored the tradition of the Tremere and continued their fight for survival. Conrad was the youngest of the Tremere in the city, Embraced in the late 1980's from Rice University's history department. His involvement with a local left-hand Pagan cult had brought him to the Warlocks' attention, and once fueled by their Blood he did not disappoint. Conrad was a capable Blood Mage, serving the Prince himself on many occasions as the Clan's golden childe. It was likely the connections he made during his time rendering services to his Elders that allowed him to survive the Second Inquisition. For while the Tremere of Houston died standing, Conrad had friends in high places to spirit him away. Now he stands as the last Tremere in the city, and his abilities have become even more powerful in these dire nights. Conrad himself is a surprisingly capable politician for his Blood and age both, and many think he's destined for brighter things. Any who ask, though, would find Conrad has only one desire. To see his Clan returned to glory. And when it comes to the Anarchs, to see the renegade Blood Mage hidden in their midst punished for his transgressions against House and Clan.

Conrad had always been a quietly-valued member of the Domain, but rose to new prominence with the fall of New Orleans to the Anarch Movement. Word from infiltrators and a few minor offenses into Houston by independent Anarchs indicated that Conrad has taken up the position of Scourge vacated by Thaddeus Rucker. It is an unusual position for a Tremere to hold, but one that Conrad seems to relish. Word is that he found himself on the side of Prince Alderidge in the drama that consumed the Court for decades after the Final Death of Lord Champlaigne. That political gamble seems to have paid off, as by all accounts Conrad remains in his position and wields great influence in a position usually seen as lowly at Court. And that's to say noting of the sordid rumors floating from Houston, rumors of monsters and pograms that always seem to lead back to the scion of a new Clan Tremere.

[Alex]

Name: Chuck Wilcox
Apparent Age: Early 60's
Years Undead: ~120
Clan: Brujah
Title: Deputy to the Scourge

Few Kindred will ever know the indignity of their childe attaining a title before they do, and it's one of many that Chuck has endured. Wilcox lived his mortal life in poverty and struggle. He grew up on the streets of Chicago, was shipped off to World War I as a young man, and wound up a petty police officer in Houston after the war. He was on a call to investigate a disturbance when everything went black, a Brujah's blow caving his skull in before the monster decided to curse him with the Embrace. His own sire never came forward to introduce himself, leaving Chuck to be picked up by the Scourge and forced to beg for his unlife to His Grace, Prince Alderidge. Alderidge granted him his life, on the condition that he serve the Domain for its duration. Chuck took the deal, and has worn that chip on his shoulder every night. Despite his low standing, however, he has made good on his promise to the Prince. Using his contacts from the Houston PD in life, Chuck wields substantial influence in the police force and puts it to the Domain's use. And while having his childe earn a higher post than him is humiliating to a degree, Chuck has earned accolades from his choice in the matter. Chuck considers it quite likely it an Anarch who brought him into the night, and holds a deep grudge against the Movement for this slight. He finally got to take his revenge in New Orleans, where he helped Prince Henry Mitchell lay a trap that would ultimately end in the slaying of Baron Richard Dupuis. For his efforts, Chuck has finally been given power and appointed to the role of Sheriff.

Chuck's exit from the political wilderness was brief, however, as the fall of New Orleans robbed him of both his bloodline and his Title. Chuck returned to Houston in disgrace, with no prior Standing or favors to fall back on. From what little is known of him in Houston, he now knuckles under the Scourge as a Deputy - serving the man who took his beloved Progeny's position. Chuck's political position at Court is unclear, but that fact alone would indicate that he is a Kindred of little importance in the nightly doings of the Court of Houston. One wonders, then, how he spends his nights plotting revenge against the Anarchs for taking everything from him.

[Alex]

Name: Dustin Richards
Apparent Age: Early 20's
Years Undead: ~30
Clan: Brujah
Title: Deputy to the Sheriff

Dustin is a rare sight in these nights - an Anarch defector to the Camarilla, rather than the other way around. Cleopatra tells the Anarchs that Dustin came to the city from Phoenix, having been Embraced into the Movement by a gang kingpin named Ana Maria Vasquez and forced to act as cannon fodder against the Camarilla. He claims to have sought an escape from the constant violence of Phoenix's Anarchs, and surrendered himself to Chuck Wilcox to throw himself upon the mercy of the Court. The Court of Houston accepted this propaganda coup, in its own mind, accepting Dustin - but relegating him to the Limits with other Kindred who held no Domain. This, perhaps surprisingly, suited Dustin just fine. The Brujah settled into the Limits, eventually being appointed a Deputy to the Sheriff.

Perhaps fittingly for a Sheriff's Deputy, Dustin acts as an information broker both for Victor and his immediate gang boss Rodney Colombo. Dustin's hold over his gang - the Timber Ridge Kids - isn't as solid as some other Kindred's. But this allows him independence and freedom of movement that his patrons find valuable. Cleopatra says that Dustin is one of the smartest Kindred in the Domain and that he likely knows a fair bit about Xavier's territory. One wonders what kind of plans he's cooking up for the new Anarchs in their new home turf.

[Alex]

Name: Alistair Baron
Apparent Age: Early 40's
Years Undead: ~150
Clan: Toreador
Title: Herald

Alistair Baron is a mystery to the Free City of New Orleans, known only through the accounts of his childe Cleopatra Reynard. To hear her tell it, Alistair's life was spent in show business. She's produced the names of a few small films that he starred in under the name Thomas Powell. It seems likely that was his mortal identity, as the Alistair of tonight bares no relation to the actor on the screen. Cleo knows little more of his life and early unlife, but the Anarchs have pieced together bits from his public history. Thomas Powell was one of the earliest actors to take part in the studio system of the then-fledgling LA-area film industry. His film credits drop off abruptly in the late 20's, suggesting an Embrace around this time. Alistair is thought, then, to have been a neonate when the Anarchs seized Los Angeles in the Second Anarch Revolt. He likely fled East during that time and took the name and demeanor of he smooth-talking Southern gentleman Alistair Baron.

Cleo describes Alistair's personality and style of leadership as two-faced. The actor is suave and accommodating in public, but ruthless and cruel in private. He's obsessed with his social status, and was willing to cast his childe into the Limits for a moderate infraction at Elysium - a few words spoken edgewise in response to an insult. This ruthless streak extends to his plotting, allowing him to take the post of Herald - chief of the Harpies - in the first place. In the last decades of her absence from him Cleo has heard little of his activities. But he's sure to become an adversary of the Movement - and one with many faces.

[Alex]

Name: Vladimir Sokolsky
Apparent Age: Late 40's
Years Undead: Unknown
Clan: Tzimisce
Title: Unknown

Of all the Camarilla Kindred known to the Anarchs, Vladimir Sokolsky is perhaps the most mysterious. Cleopatra, the only one of the new Anarchs who could remember unlife in the city proper, recalled him as a friend of her sire Alistair. She described him as awkward and aloof, with a face full of scars - despite his mastery of the flesh - but enthusiastic when conversation turned to his passions. Cleopatra found most of his passions flying over her head. But she remembered that he had entrenched himself in BioNetics, a bio-technological firm operating in downtown Houston. A search of the company's website reveals that it works in real-time genetic engineering, cloning, and micro-biological augmentation through the use of nanotechnology. It's safe to assume that Vladimir's "interests" rest somewhere in that lane. The kind of threat he could represent, though, is as elusive as this oddity of Clan himself.