Post by James Shaw on May 1, 2018 20:59:20 GMT
Character Name: James Shaw
Player Screen Name: Strigus
Character Type: Tertiary
Supernatural Type: Ghoul
Concept: Dirty cop
Nature: Conniver
Demeanor: Capitalist
Morality: Path of Humanity: 5
Clan: Independent
Sect: Unaligned
Titles: Police Captain
Physical Appearance:
Personality:
To Shaw, nothing is sacred and everything has its price. His station is a reflection of this, and appeals to a sense of duty won't see him rally his police forces nearly as well as money, information, or, best of all, a fix of vitae will. While he certainly enjoys using his power, both supernatural and authoritarian, to bully those beneath him, he has enough restraint to withhold doing so if there's even the faintest chance it will keep him from securing more money, information, or power, and, by extension, the precious vitae they provide him.
Biography:
As time wore on, however, Shaw became increasingly less idealistic. What started as accepting bribes eventually escalated into turning a blind eye and actively informing the criminal elements for the right price. In turn, he received insider information on rival activities, allowing him to bring an impressive amount of criminals, impress his higher ups, and receive promotions. Things were moving along pretty comfortably, until one night in 1987.
The carnival in August of 1987 drew in tourists and investors, which in turn ramped up criminal activity, from petty pickpocketing of tourists to sophisticated frauds on the new business agreements. Busy with his actual duties as a police officer, Shaw was called to speak to a woman who was threatening tourists. What was expected to be a fairly mundane conversation about appropriate behavior quickly escalated when the woman noted that she liked Shaw's skin, overpowered him, then forcibly fed him her blood. Though he knew he should have been horrified by her, he immediately felt an overwhelming love for her that wasn't broken until her death.
His sire, known simply as Epona, used his connections through the police to clean up any masquerade violations she created, which he was all to happy to do, but otherwise she had him continue his old life as usual. Proving skilled in dominate, she helped him further master his gift until he was skilled enough to pluck memories out of the minds of his fellow kine. Once this was achieved, he was able to cover-up nearly any breach, and even offered his services to other kindred in exchange for favors owed to Epona. As time wore on, she became increasingly sloppy, and though this ability allowed him to cover up each potential breach, the Prince eventually stepped in. Having multiple favors owed to her, and thus multiple political enemies, what could have been a simple exile was heightened to an execution when accusations of working with the Sabbat were made, though their validity remains a question in Shaw's mind. Nevertheless, none saw fit to deal with him after his lady's death, and so he simply continued existing.
Eventually, his craving for vitae returned, though he now could feel the falsehood of his former love, and grew to hate his previous lady. With a few contacts among the Kindred, he continued offering his services in covering up potential masquerade breaches, along with other services through the criminal network he had cultivated or his more legitimate ties to the authorities of the mortal world. At the same time, he made contact to a group of hunters when one was arrested for ownership of dangerous and illegal weapons. After a talk, Shaw showed the hunter he was sympathetic to their plight, letting him go and setting up contact with his cohort. This conversation also taught him of the bloodbond, and he has been careful never to feed from the same vampire twice in a row at all possible, even bottling blood as payment for a service and keeping it to break up feedings.
After some concern that his agelessness might be recognized in the 90s, he briefly retired and worked with the criminal network he had established. He learned from the hunters how to learn of Kindred activities, and spent this time honing his criminal contacts to look out for similar warning signs, using them as blackmail against the Cainites he caught, or as a source of blackmail for other vampires when he didn't know who the responsible party was. After a decade underground furthering his connections and potential sources of vitae, he decided to rejoin the police force to increase his influence and maximize his profits on those sources. With a few well-placed uses of Dominate, both to make old colleague misremember his old self and to rise rapidly through the ranks, Shaw quickly became Police Captain of Oddhaven, a position which he abuses constantly in his unending hunger for vitae.
Attributes:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Stamina: 2
Charisma: 3
Manipulation (Salesman): 4
Appearance: 2
Perception: 3
Intelligence: 2
Wits: 2
Abilities:
Alertness: 2
Athletics: 2
Awareness: 1
Brawl: 2
Bureaucracy: 1
Drive: 1
Etiquette: 1
Firearms: 2
Intimidation: 3
Investigation: 3
Larceny: 1
Law: 2
Leadership: 2
Linguistics: 1 (English, Portuguese)
Lip Reading: 1
Stealth: 1
Streetwise: 1
Subterfuge: 2
Persuasion: 2
Politics: 1
Bureaucracy: 1
Backgrounds:
Armed Force 5: Oddhaven Police Department
As head of the Oddhaven Police Department, Shaw can rally the police for official business. The occasional use of dominate over the years has earned him a high level of loyalty from his men, and in a pinch he could field them for unofficial business as well, though the paperwork to legitimize it after the fact keep this as a last resort when less violent means are available.
Armory 5: Oddhaven Police Department
Likewise, his role as captain provides him with access to riot control equipment and powerful weaponry, with which he can "keep the peace" himself or through his department.
High Influence 3: Forlorn Isles Police Force, Oddhaven Courthouse, Oddhaven City Hall
As police captain, Shaw has rubbed elbows with other police departments on the Isles many times, and can pull strings with them if his own department isn't enough or if a situation leaves his jurisdiction. His job has also brought him to the courthouse, where he's engendered himself not only to various lawyers and judges over the years, but with also with the clerks that keep the various arms of the Oddhaven legal system running smoothly. He's also made an appearance for talks on various policy changes affecting the police, allowing him some connection to the political system of the city.
Low Influence 2: Druggies, Hunters
His job also gives him run-ins with less savory types, including petty criminals whose activities he'll overlook for a price. Notably among them are drug addicts with access to clean blood that allows them to avoid detection, from whom he can gain blood for his dealings with Kindred in exchange for overlooking their crimes. Shaw also deals with Vampire Hunters, unbeknownst to either the hunters or the kindred with whom he deals, who keep him informed of any strange happenings in exchange for him overlooking their activities and disposing of the bodies they create. Though they don't know he is a ghoul, he this supplies him with some Cainite blood he can use to continue his condition if times get desperate.
Resources 3
In addition to his pay as a police captain, his corrupt dealings and favors from various Kindred allow Shaw to live quite comfortably.
Disciplines:
Potence: 1
Dominate: 3
Fortitude: 1
Virtues:
Conscience: 2
Self-Control: 3
Courage: 5
Willpower: 6
Maximum Blood Points/Blood per turn: 2/1
Current Experience: 0
Flaws:
Sleeping with the Enemy (3)
Dealing with both Kindred and Vampire Hunters is a dangerous balancing act. Though he's kept either from learning of the other, and he has a policy of keeping any plans relayed to him from one party to another, if either learned of his interactions with the other, or if the Hunters learned of his condition as a ghoul, the results would be disastrous to his reputation as an information dealer at best, and very likely include violent retribution.