Theme: Feed the Machine
"All us kindred are monsters. Some of us just had more practice beforehand."
- Unknown Anarch
Name: Elias Warren Baker
Aliases: "Old Dixie", "Mr. Mazefield",
Sire: Jebediah Walker
Age: Appears 45 || 10th Generation (Embraced 1801)
Gender: Male || he/him
Clan: Ventrue
Bloodline: Architect of the Monolith
Sect: Southern Anarch [The Marble Moon]
Disciplines:
Auspex
Dominate
Gilded Cage
Bane: Rarefied Taste // Servants/low-class workers while having them over as guests to his residence
Compulsion: Arrogance // Need to command
Vampiric Philosophy: Albigensian [Path of Cathari]
Strengths & Weaknesses:
Roots Run Deep: Elias' roots in the American South and beyond have been cultivated through centuries of careful ties with political families and the sick underbelly of American culture and politics that the average citizen would rather forget existed in these modern nights. The shadow of Elias' mortal times is a long, dark thing that he leverages to his advantage - pulling on old, withered strings in the mortal government and leaning on old plantation money to do as he wills.
Industrial Suffering: The man who once was Elias was no better than the city stalking beast he has become. As a mortal, he traded in flesh, sugarcane and tobacco. He lived through the turbulent era of secession and the uphill battle of reconstruction - all the while playing games and learning to navigate and dominate the humans in ways beyond simple force of will. Not to speak of his dark and twisted experience with operating over a dozen cash crop plantations on the backs of slave labor. This experience makes Elias not only a patient and skilled manipulator, organizer and plotter...but a ruthless and cold beast that does not bat an eye at causing suffering.
The Rock on Which...: In exchange for never suffering the degradation of his humanity, Elias follows the Path of Cathari - one of many "path's of enlightenment" that shun the morals of humanity and replace them through focus and discipline. By walking this path, Elias has bound himself to work always towards the indulgence of his own vices, the corruption/temptation of others and the manipulation of others. He is compelled to follow these convictions by powerful urges - even if they may be to the detriment of carefully laid plans. To deny these urges to bring the beast one step closer to control.
Old Money, Old Face..: In these trying nights, mortal and wolf alike are on the prowl for the apex predators that walk among them. In order to hang onto his connections and old money, Elias has gone through great pains to play the part of his own descendants - avoiding pictures whenever possible and avoiding public life while maintaining connection and power. This is a difficult balance, maintained only through upmost adherence to secrecy...yet the pieces to his puzzle are out there, and in the modern nights it has become increasingly more difficult to fake the names and lives of descendants who never existed. Too careful a look by too curious a hunter could lead them directly to the right conclusions.
Personality Profile:
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Psychological Profile
Elias baker is a shadow of the past, a reminder of the Old South and its horrible practices just as much as its more pleasant aspects. He prides himself on providing old-fashioned southern hospitality and always wearing a courteous smile. He devotes himself so much to this that he often serves drinks, even to other kindred, out of tradition - himself preferring to enjoy the smell of Southern Comfort during conversations. Yet this mask of civility hides the predatory beast beneath, his invitations to partake in his luxuries and vices a guise to draw you closer...to make you feel as if he has your best interests are at the front of his mind, watching as you crave more of his slice of life and prestige...until he finally strikes.
It is a cat and mouse game that thrills the beast inside him.
To corrupt Kin and Kine away from their nature with subtle manipulation and kindness, only to watch them flounder when they realize they were being used...that they are "lesser" than him - it is a euphoria outmatched only by the taste of the blood from the mortals he preys on in such a way. The length at which he plays these games can be as short as a quick night of feeding - or as long as decade long plans, they are all equally enjoyable to him.
After all, he still believes in supremacy - of himself over others and of Kindred over humanity.
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StyleElias doesn't lack for taste in style - concealing himself in a web of class and sophistication represented by fitted suits in the style of a modern southern gentleman. Luckily for himself, unlike more unlucky Kindred, he was embraced with a style that still passes for these modern nights - yet he still takes time every evening to ensure that his hair and beard look their best.
His hair is thick and black, a touch of grey accenting the otherwise dark thicket. It is straight and swept back, hanging loosely at about neck height, with ends of locks that curl. His beard is groomed and well-kept, and his eyes are a piercing green that look almost emerald in the moonlight. Most noticeably, he is marked by deep puncture scars on both sides of his cheeks, as if his head had been placed in the mouth of some enormous beast.
The vampire stands at 5'10 with broad shoulders and the beginnings of a paunch made in his years of mortal luxury. His body is mostly hairless, with exception to the chest and back, both of which are also marked by deep laceration scars like those made by a wild animal. A large musket ball wound scar spiders out from its exit point near his heart, with its smaller entry scar higher up and near his spine.
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Historical Films / Books: He is nostalgic for the times he once lived in and enjoys consuming everything from westerns to period pieces based on the revolution or civil wars. He particularly enjoys the Three Musketeers, Les Misérables, The Patriot, Song of the South and Gettysberg.
Conversation: As a child of old dixie, Elias was taught to enjoy slow paced conversation shared over fine food and drink. Of course nowadays that means over a good fine course of blood fresh from the veins.
Nightly strolls: Even before the embrace, Elias enjoyed strolls through the southern countryside. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to find that sort of open wild in the modern nights, but he takes them where he can.
Architecture: Having been a architectual student of the ]College of William and Mary - one who designed several of his own residences - Elias still has an obsesssion with the art of buildings into the modern day. -
Religiously Faithful/Morally Sound: Elias takes great pleasure in corrupting the most "moral" among the populaces of both the kin and kine...but he detests those who have a strong moral conviction. Those who do not drink, smoke or gamble are an irritation beyond any measure a mortal could comprehend.
Rock/Pop/Rap: Though not above listening to modern music, Elias hates the sound of most of it, with few exceptions. He prefers instrumental, folk and handfuls of modern songs.
The Camarilla & Sabat: Elias has never had a good relationship with either the Ivory Tower nor the Sabat, seeing both as obstacles to his own progression and generally a nuisance to the goals he sets himself to accomplishing.
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WIP -
Weapons
Custom 40 cal. Colt Single Action Army Revolver (bought at auction)
Side 1 - Side 2 - Engraving 1 - Engraving 2 - Engraving 3
Hunting Knife
Utility/Functional
Android Galaxy Smartphone
Fake South Carolina ID created by dominated DMV employee
(Under name Elias Warren Baker VI, aged 38)
Several wallets with cash, prepaid gift cards and three bank cards
Several changes of clothes
(mostly casual and business suits)
Other
Several genuine antique firearms, swords & memorabilia
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WIP
History:
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The Early Years
Elias was born in Dorchester, South Carolina Colony - a town founded some years prior by dozens of families who'd relocated from the Massachusetts colony. Elias' father, a merchant by trade, had moved himself and his wife to Dorchester in a gambit to become involved in the fledgling plantation system in the Colonial South. It was his father's hope that he could use his mercantile experience to land a career negotiating prices and trade between the plantation owners and their foreign buyers. The living his father made working for plantation owners was below average for the times, but his father saw the real pay being in the knowledge he obtained from the owners on how to run a successful operation.
Unfortunately for the family, the town of Dorchester had to be completely abandoned only weeks after Elias' birth. While most of the townsfolk returned to Massachusetts, his father decided to move the family to Charleston to continue the pursuit of breaking into the plantation business. But disaster had not yet passed for the Bakers. Elias' mother began showing signs of tuberculosis on the way to Charleston and would die just under two months after arriving into the city. Now without a wife and with a small child to raise, Elias' father was more determined than ever to not have made the relocation of his family in vain.
Most of Elias' early childhood was spent juggled between wetnurses and his father, who made a successful case to the British Crown to sell him a modertly sized piece of land in South Carolina (a common practice for the British who wished to promote the growth of the colonies through the indentured servitude plantations offered in exchange for passage). His father would continue to work as a merchant partner for nearby plantations, leveraging his relationships with other owners to get support in upstarting his own. By 1763 the Elvira Hills Plantation (named after Elias' late mother) was operating at full capacity and turning profits large enough for his father to devote his full attention to its day-to-day.
Elias, however, was devoting his attention to much different matters. Though only 13, Elias had become accutely aware of the growing political tensions thanks to his father having insisted on his son's apprenticeship to a carpenter in Charleston. His master was a vocal critic of the 1764 Sugar Act and even began holding meetings of the Sons of Liberty in his home after the implementation of the 1765 Stamp Act. Elias was always invited to these meetings as long as he remained quiet and attentive, which he made a point to always be. Elias further watched as tensions grew higher and higher across the colonies over the next few years, becoming an avid patriot and supporter of westward expansion. All the while his father grew and expanded their plantation whilist becoming ever more the skeptic of American Independence due to his reliance on British support to grow his own fortune.
Elias refused to remain loyal to the crown and began training secretly with the Boston Militia - soon he would find himself taking part in the Siege of Boston. -
Freedom, Death & Unlife
Elias survived the war and used his pay to attend the College of William & Mary for architecture, spending the years of 1786 - 1791 as a student as a paid architect designing several residences and buildings in the growing United States. He didn't keep in much contact with his father, who he still hadn't forgiven for not supporting the revolution, but returned home at mid-year 1791 after hearing his father had fallen ill. On his death bed, his father passed on the plantation - which had its business ruined by his father's lack of support for the revolution - to Elias. The young man didn't waste any time making improvements to the plantation. One of the many "improvements" Elias made to the plantation business was doing away with the indetured servitude the farm worked on to appease it's British Supporters - instead he turned to the 65% of the 1785 South Carolina population...black slaves.
Slavery completely replaced the indentured servitude of the Baker's plantation, most of the indentured servants being released early in favor of the slave labor. This shift in tactics was just in time for Elias to capitalize on the looser trade laws of the new United States, earning enough capital to start an Indigo plantation in 1792 - which he designed from the ground up himself. This success on the backs of slave labor only rolled into itself and by 1800 Elias was the owner of 4 Tobacco Plantations, 3 Indigo Plantations and 6 Rice Plantations - all of which had houses designed by Elias himself. This growth caught the attention of other plantation lords in the former colonies and by 1801 he had gained the specific attention of Jebediah Walker, a wealthy plantation owner with great influence in the Southern States.
In the summer months of 1801, Walker was invited to tour Elias' plantations where the two discussed what Walker called Elias' "potential". Walker insisted the tour take place at night as he "had business" in the morning that could not be put off. Relunctantly Elias agreed and the two toured an area in which dozens of African born slaves were being put to work in the Tobacoo fields by lantern light so that Elias could indulge his guest with an explanation of how he managed to train the slaves so quickly in the delicate art of harvesting tobacco. However, as they were looking over the group, Walker approached a young slave boy who suddenly began shaking violently.
The young slave was an Ajaba and the presence of Walker sparked his first transformation. The Ajaba struck violently and quickly, slaughtering several slave keepers attempting to flee...then it turned its righteous retribution on Elias himself. The Ajaba's maw buried deep into his face and claws tore his entrails from his belly in a symphony of agony. During the tussel a horrified slave handler attempted to hit the Ajaba with a musket, but instead shot Elias whose agony was ended instantly.
When Elias awoke, the agony had been turned to orgasmic bliss and he found himself surrounded by the tattered corpses of slaves and white employees...and above him was the fang filled smile of Jebediah Walker. -
Learning the Night
Elias was not happy about his new unlife, nor has he ever truly forgiven his sire. The lack of going into the sun or tasting a cool drink drove him nearly mad but - much like countless others before him - eventually submitted to the new life he was forced to lead. Jebediah explained the world of Kindred to him and explained that he belonged to a faction who'd taken to being called "Marble Moon Anarchs". Much like the broader Anarch movement, his sect denied the rule of The Camarilla and Sabat - but they were not happy with loose, disorganized way in which Anarchs conducted themselves.
Instead, the so called "Marble Moons" spoke a philosophy of Vampiric Meritocracy based on the ability of individual kindred to garner influence and control over the mortal world. The goal of this being the subtle corruption and control of mortal society so as to be able to directly and indirectly guide them - promoting fear and spite among human governments and peoples so as to distract them from the supernatural and allow them to develop along lines the kindred desired. The sect promoted the ridgid adherrence to The Masquerade and the respect of Domain - but differed heavily from the Camarilla in their methods of controlling mortals and their ideas of how they may be used (even going as far as suggesting that mortal populations, under enough control, could be used as extended weapons of the Kindred against enemies).
The Camarilla and Sabat expelled followers of this sect for obvious reasons. Their fellow Anarchs also did not want anything to do with them for several reasons. For one, the Marble Moons were primarily comprised of Free Ventrue and those in the Anarchs saw it as little more than a Ventrue Dictatorship wrapped in a ideological veil. Secondly, they saw the the proposed meritocracy is simply a way to establish a new aristocracy not so different than the old feudal ways of the Camarilla. They were not completely wrong as most of the Marble Moons found their foothold in the American South where they could easily gain control over large populations through the financial stranglehold of the plantation industry.
While this bed of mortal corruption was laid in the American South, Elias was taught the Path of Cathari by his sire - something that became increasingly popular throughout the movement (now becoming to be known as Southern Anarchs to American Kindred) to allow them the resolve to do what they saw as necessary. In 1842 The Sabat's patience with the Southern Anarchs ran dry and they started taking direct action against the unruly kindred - going as far as to use mortal ghouls to help bolster the abolitionist movement to cripple the Anarch's power in The South. The plantation kindred struck back, stoking passions of seccession among their mortal populaces and soon enough Kindred found themselves killing one another while their mortal thralls bit at each other's throats.
The American Civil War soon became a perfect cover for the devestation the Sabbat and Southern Anarchs did upon each other. The Sabbat, however, were far more powerful and numerous than their enemies and it was not difficult for them to cut through the weaker faction. Elias and his sire both fought in the "Shattered Nights" and both would have met the Final Death if it were not for the outbreak of the Second Sabat Civil War n 1863. Even though this effectively ended hostilities against the Marble Moon, the damage had been done and their mission unsalvagable. Some managed to find homes among Anarchs, other grovled to the feet of the Camarilla and most died. Elias and his sire decided to maintain as much neutrality as they could - using what was left of their influence to salvage their own powerbases.
At the end of the war they managed to hold onto their power...but The Sabbat were still active and when a contingent caught wind of this they attemtpted to assassinate both Kindred. Together they were able to hold off the onslaught but Elias' sire was badly injured during the attack. Elias took this oppetunity to take revenge on the one who cursed him with this life and staked his sire before ripping him apart, sending him to The Final Death. -
Reconstructing Alone
After slaying his sire it was time for Elias to discover how to continue on alone and with his own plans. He spent a year on his plantation mostly struggling against the Garu and Gangrel's who'd gotten bolder in the American South since the war. His next step was purchasing a residence in Charleston where he could use the full extent of his Gilded Cage powers while attempting to corrupt the reconstruction South.
Elias knew that his would not be to last, so he prepared for the times to come by retrieving all of his assets and preparing false paperrs to begin playing his "next of kin" in a new city. When martial law was brought to the south in response to confederate undermining, Elias packed up, sold his land and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
The next several years was a practice in slowly grinding ones way to the top - though the sheer amount of powerful blood pooling into Atlanta made it impossible for Elias to ever truly become prince or barron of his own city. Instead he found himself in moderate positions of power, using the Gilded Cage to stay one step ahead of the Final Death.
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