I must begin my journal anew. There was apparently a fire while i was off to war, and i must begin it again. The war was a waste of my time, we have lost. It is only a matter of time before Lee is caught. Our troops were devastated by Gettysburg, and i doubt that they can recover. Our only hope is if the British lend us aid, and politically, i don't think it's possible. I lost my eye to the war, but it has brought me back home. Home to my August Belle. I have missed it, and it has missed me.
I Give thanks to God that my son, Reginald James III, was too young to take up the rifle for my beloved Georgia, and i am happy to come home and see him healthy. He has aquired an education during my absence, and might be going to university when he reaches 18, just 5 short years away...Lord, how much time have i lost?
I will have to get this plantation back in order if Reginald James III is to go away to college, though. My family's home is almost destroyed. The servants are all gone, i sent them away, they would be free soon enough anyway. The fields go untended now, and labor is sure to be expensive at the war's end. I hope that my beautiful home is back in order soon. Georgia has failed me, but i still love her.
The war for me is now to bring my world back up to the place i left it. I hope i have the strength, for there will be no one to help me besides Reginald James III and my beloved Elizabeth.
God look after us. RJJII
May 3, 1865
I received word today that General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union troops at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The war is over, officially. I do hope that I will be treated well by my conquerers.
God look after us. RJJII
February 12, 1866
The August Belle is now operating efficiently again. I will be nowhere near as wealthy as my daddy was, but i will make a modest living as a fair employer now. Things are looking bad for some of us, but i just might pull through unscathed.
God look after us. RJJII
January 7, 1867
Lincoln's assassin might have been a southern patriot, but i have to call him the devil. Lincoln's reconstruction plans were very generous to those of us who reside in the South. Now that he is gone, there is much strife here. Northern men out for their own interest rape the south by exploiting the government, and i have been forced to publicly refute their statements of my involvement with the war. They will not best me in my own home, on my own soil. I will defeat them wherever they may tread, and i will defeat them with their own weapons : words and money. I will stand firm.
God look after us. RJJII
March 14, 1867
I got a funny feeling this evening as i walked through my garden. I just felt like i was under scrutiny wherever i went. It is most disturbing in my own ancestral home. I must look into this. The matter bothers me like no other since i saw my August Belle after the war.
God look after us. RJJII
May 9, 1867
The feelings i am having in the evenings sometimes are of the strangest sort. I still cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching me. I may have to seek out a physician, but i cannot display any weakness to my Northern opponents. I hope that this will pass.
God look after us. RJJII
June 20, 1867
I entertained the strangest guest this evening. It was a man i only saw once before this night, and had never spoken to him. I saw him talk to one of our British advisors during the war. He hails from England, and his name is Marius. He talked about strange things with me this evening, almost as if he was feeling me out about something. I wonder what he wanted to know. He seemed nice enough, but i don't know why he would pay me a visit after all this time. He was very interested in my role during the war. I told more war stories this evening than i have the entire rest of my life. It's just a subject i usually avoid, but for some reason, i just felt the need to tell him it all.
God look after us. RJJII
June 27, 1867
Marius came back to me this night, asking even stranger questions. He asked about my faith in the Lord, my belief in the devil, and the reasons why. I usually don't question my faith, but Marius brought up several issues that cannot be ignored. He also asked if i believed in magic. I honestly don't know why i answered yes.
God look after us. RJJII
June 30, 1867
Marius arrived again, i must admit i am starting to like our little chats. The subject matter is interesting and i find myself thinking in new ways every day. Somehow i become more enlightened around the Englishman. I don't think he feels the same way, though. I believe his purpose is to enlighten me, and i don't know why. Stranger questions still from Marius, now about the walking dead...i wonder why all this is not disturbing to me. I just realized that feeling in the gardens is gone now...strange indeed.
God look after us. RJJII
July 4, 1867
I have been away from the August Belle for two days now. I cannot go back. I hope Reginald James III can handle it, and i will miss my Elizabeth. They will have to persevere without me, for i am no longer the man of the Jefferson house, but something much darker. It's all so odd. I don't believe i said yes...he asked me first...and i said yes. I still don't know if i am a fool or a king, only time will tell, and from what he has told me, i have all the time in the world.
I have joined the ranks of a family of vampires, called the Tremere. Marius was exiled from London, he says, and he decided to start fresh in the New World. Atlanta just happened to be the city he chose, and a name he heard and recognized from the war, was mine. The whole ordeal of the "Embrace" as he called it, was strange indeed.
He jumped from his seat during one of our talks and told me to follow him out to the garden. I questioned why, and he just looked me in the eye and ordered me to follow him. I refused and he seemed shocked, then pleased. He moved very quickly, and had the strength of two men as he dragged me outside. I am glad my family was already in slumber, as it was very late. He told me what he offered, and i accepted. He drained my blood from my neck, and as he cut his wrist and placed it to my mouth, i could hear my daddy's clock strike midnight through the open door. It may be the last time i ever hear that clock, and i savored every stroke as i savored every drop of his blood.
He finished, and cleaned himself up. He looked me in the eye and said, rather forcefully, "Stand!" I looked at him confusedly, then obeyed. He smiled slightly at me. Then he took me away from my August Belle. Away from my family. My body died soon after. I cleaned up at a building he calls the "chantry". He says that it will be my new home. Soon after i got to my new home, Marius gave me more blood, this time from a bowl. He said that it was the final indoctrination of the "House and Clan" Tremere. I was now one of them.
RJJII
July 12, 1867
I wonder how my family is doing, i have begun my "apprenticeship" to my new House and Clan. Marius is teaching me what it is to be one of the Tremere. Long nights in study seem to be one of the qualifications. Marius expects me to know Latin inside and out by Christmas. I will not disappoint him.
RJJII
August 25, 1867
I am learning how to manipulate blood, or so i am told. I have not yet gotten the knack of it all, but Marius has been very patient, and he is impressed with my powers of command. He tells me that the kindred call it the ability to dominate. I have excelled at it so far, hopefully i can master it in time.
RJJII
September 2, 1867
Marius sat me down this evening and told me a story. He told me a story about a society of kindred allied together for the common good. He called it the Camarilla, and said that he, and i, and most other kindred, are a part of it. He told me about six rules, or traditions, that the Camarilla was and is founded on. The most importantly stressed Tradition was the First, called the Masquerade. This is to ensure secrecy from the prying eyes of the mortals, making unlife easier for us all. It seems to be a good system, perhaps i'll be a bigger part of it someday.
RJJII
October 7, 1867
I have learned a ritual. Marius taught it to me over the course of the last week. He calls it "Engaging the Vessel of Transference", mainly because that is what it does. I made a container with a special rune upon it and placed a pint of my blood in it. When touched, the container removes a pint of vitae from the person touching it, and places the pint stored in the vessel in the touching person's system. Marius tells me this is very useful when learning the blood Path and using it to "Blood Bond" other kindred. I wonder what that is.
RJJII
October 31, 1867
Marius is lost to me tonight, as he was the night before. He is locked in a mystical trance, and says that he is in conference with the clan as a whole. He says that i have learned well and soon i will become an apprentice of the second circle of mysteries. I wonder what new knowledge that will bring.
RJJII
December 12, 1867
I cried tears of blood tonight. I miss my Elizabeth. It is her birthday. I had hoped it would not hurt this much. Such is the life i have chosen for myself. I am glad i am away from my family though, as i would hate to have to watch them all die. I wonder how Reginald James III is doing, and whether or not he'll have a good christmas.
RJJII
February 25, 1868
I have managed to achieve the second rank in the circle of mysteries, and my knowledge of the clan grows nightly. I was presented to a man named Timothy Crowley, who i am told is the Prince of Atlanta's kindred. Marius seems to get along with him well enough, despite the fact that Crowley is a Ventrue, the clan that ran Marius out of London and England as a whole as well. Marius told me to offer my services to the Prince as a gesture of goodwill. I asked him what service could i possibly offer a Prince, and he mentioned my affinity to dominate.
I did this, and Timothy seemed pleased. I wonder if he'll ever actually call on me to use my powers. I can now freely move about in Atlanta instead of living in the chantry. I have to be careful not to alert those who know who i am, and so i plan to lay rather low in the coming years.
RJJII
November 1, 1868
I participated in the Samhain ritual this year, entering a trance state to meld with the clan. I did not get much out of it. Marius says that i lack the proper training still, but that the powers are burning through my blood, and just require nurturing. I hope next year goes better for me.
RJJII
August 26, 1870
Reginald James III should be entering college soon, within a few weeks, if he goes. Hopefully i haven't hurt his education by leaving him to help run the household. I miss my son. I wish i could be a father to him still, but i have been forbidden to associate with my mortal family. Marius says that it is better that way. I'm not so sure.
RJJII
September 23, 1875
Marius asked me to erase a servant's memory today, and i don't know how, but i did it. He led her in, introduced her to me, and told me to erase the fact that she had met me. Then he proceeded to take her outside, then re-enter and re-introduce her to me. She didn't seem to notice. Marius was surprised at the degree her memory was erased. He says that this power is another facet of dominate, and that he is impressed by my usage. I also recently mastered the beginnings of the blood path.
RJJII
March 3, 1884
Timothy Crowley sent word to the chantry today, and asked me to do him a favor. He asked me to go down to the jailhouse and erase some events from the sheriff's mind. I agreed to do just that. I went to the jailhouse and entered it casually, then proceeded to use my abilities. I apparently did well, because Marius told me that the Prince spoke with him again after the fact, and thanked me again.
RJJII
September 13, 1897
I just got word that my sweet Elizabeth has died. Now i have two days a year to light a candle for her. She died of old age, natural causes, and my son has ascended as the leader of the household. Hopefully he can fill his daddy's shoes well. I wish him luck, and wish that i could talk to him. I have seen him before, and he is definitely the product of my heritage. He looks like his father's father, my daddy. Memories of my mortal existence will continue to haunt me until i rectify the situation.
RJJII
August 20, 1899
I went back to the August Belle this evening, i spoke with my son, and i am relieved to hear that the family is doing well. My son has proven to be my better at administrating the family holdings. Perhaps my decision was for the best for us all. Unfortunately, my family doesn't know that i came back, for i erased the memories of my passage. I do wish that things weren't like this, but such is the existence that i have chosen. Then i waited until they all went to sleep and just sat in my old chair and listened to that clock strike midnight. The strokes rolled out like peels of thunder in my head, and it took a long time for me to leave that chair.
RJJII
April 5, 1908
Marius taught me something new this evening, the ability he calls celerity. The ability to move at a terrible speed. It took all night, but i finally caught on. Marius said something to the fact that it would help in many situations, but that i could use up my blood reserves quickly if i don't watch myself. Afterwards, i was hungrier than i'd been in years.
RJJII
August 24, 1912
Reginald James III died on this day, after a long illness. I knew that his time had come when i visited the house a few days ago. I believe that his sons, Edward Montgomery and Patrick Henry Jefferson, will make better landowners than even i or my daddy could ever have been. They are both highly educated from Universities, and i doubt that the land has ever been in better hands. I still wish that my son had not died, not as i can still sit here writing, in the same health i was forty-five years ago.
RJJII
July 2, 1917
I have been a vampire for 50 years now, to this night. It does not seem like it has been that long. Time passes quickly when your only world is darkness. The eternal night condemns me here in Georgia, as the days are very long here in summer. I have wasted not a moment of that 50 years though, in study, in contemplation, and in becoming what i am now. I achieved the 4th circle of mysteries the other day, and am now a rising star in the chantry. The other neonates are slightly jealous, but then, Marius is not their sire. I am glad that he chose me, and i would never reverse my decision. I am here for the duration, and someday i hope to bring more of my lineage into the folds of the clan. My blood is obviously worthy.
RJJII
September 5, 1933
This country is going through a period of economic turmoil, and it looks like agriculture will be hurt the worst. There is just not enough to go around, and yet still too much. There are no buyers for the cotton that the Belle yields this year, and i worry for my family. Edward Montgomery has fallen into poor health, and i believe that he may die soon. Patrick Henry will have to take up the reins soon. I wish then all the best of luck.
RJJII
April 15, 1935
There is talk of unionizing the sharecroppers and tenants that work on the plantations. I do hope that the Belle can stand the stress that these unions will probably bring. There are communists about, telling both the black and the white working farmers that they have more rights. The strain was evident last i saw Patrick Henry, running the Belle though his brother is on his deathbed.
RJJII
April 23, 1935
I went back to the Belle again today, and found that Edward Montgomery has died. This was not the biggest event of the evening, however. My sire had forbidden me to associate with my descendants, and tonight he caught me doing just that. I have been put on a house arrest of sorts. I cannot feed for 10 days, and if i lose control of myself, i will meet my end at my sire's hands. He has told me that he doesn't want to do this. I hope my will is strong enough, as i still have plans for this lifetime. I am afraid. I am a little hungry already, and the hunger will only get worse. I will stop going to the Belle for a while, hopefully all will be well soon.
RJJII
May 4, 1935
I have survived my trial, with my sanity barely intact. At many times i thought i would fall to the Hunger, but i had the resolve to hold it back. I gorged myself this evening, and almost killed my first vessel of the night, a woman of some status. Luckily, my will averted disaster, and i did not take too much of her vitae. I must have hunted for hours, and getting out of the chantry walls was good. I will soon get my second haven out of the chantry.
RJJII
December 20, 1941
Marius has left me. He is going back to Europe to help his sire escape the Nazi purges, and to meet with the clan elders to discuss the situation here in the New World. He has told me to mind Ith, one of the other chantry members. I am sure that she is more powerful than i with magic, but i am no farther removed from Caine than she. Marius said that he would return as soon as the war in Europe ends.
RJJII
October 4, 1944
Crowley called on me for my abilities again this evening. It all seemed like a normal outing to me, but when i returned to the chantry, i found Ith furious at me. She yelled at me for aiding the Ventrue, and said that i was not to help him again. I told her that Marius said i should offer my help to the Prince, and she just scoffed. Ith has forbidden me to help the Prince any longer. I am not sure what to do, or who to listen to. Hopefully the war ends soon, so that my sire can help me straighten things out.
RJJII
June 6, 1946
It has been two years since the D-day invasion that stopped the war. There is still no sign of Marius. I have written a letter to the Council, asking his whereabouts. I hope that it returns soon, i am still facing harsh treatment by Ith. She is very frustrated that her dominate attempts on me only work half the time, and that even when they do, they are not strong. I believe that she thinks i am a threat to her leadership of the chantry. She just may be right.
RJJII
September 20, 1946
The Council has returned my letter, and it seems that my sire has disappeared. He was last seen in Copenhagen, where his ship had dropped him off. German forces occupied Copenhagen shortly after, and Marius never made it to the Council. They have installed Ith as the new permanent chantry regent here. I showed Ith the letter, as i was told. I have never seen a woman who looked so much like the devil as i did tonight. I hope i can persevere.
RJJII
April 14, 1953
I have begun to look towards my mortal lineage again. I wonder how the Belle is doing, and whether they survived the Great Depression. I will have to look into these things soon. Timothy Crowley asked me to do him another favor this evening, and i helped him only under the condition that word of it can never reach Ith. He agreed.
RJJII
June 20, 1953
I am overjoyed at the news i have gotten tonight. My lineage has multiplied threefold since last i checked. There were many sons and daughters of Patrick Henry, and they have many sons and daughters as well. They are prospering, and they are a little less rich after my visit this evening. They don't know the better though, and that is just the way it has to be for now. The Belle looked different than when i last saw it. There were automobiles parked outside it, and a television in the den. Things are changing rather rapidly. Perhaps time is not always on my side, as i am being passed by technologically. I will have to try harder to keep up with the times, or i will be their casualty.
RJJII
January 1, 1961
It is a brand new year, and i have accomplished much. I work more for Crowley than for Ith, and my reputation sometimes precedes me. It is a wonder why Ith has not attacked me yet. Perhaps she sees that i have found a new ally in Crowley. I know not what she thinks. I hardly ever visit the chantry anymore, which is a shame. I am lagging behind in my mystical studies, and have not garnered any occult knowledge in several months now. Marius would not have been pleased. But he has left me to contend with her, and i can only be myself.
RJJII
January 7, 1965
I met a very strange kindred tonight. His name is Anvil. Anvil is a Brujah, and an elder. He was set before the Prince for announcement. He's been recognized as a Brujah and possibly as an elder. I wonder how old he is. He's a blacksmith, or was. I talked to him for quite some time. He fought with the Unions against big Steel and lost. In Philadelphia, the Sabbat took control and forced Anvil out. He's been offered sanctuary by Rake, the Brujah elder here. The Prince is a fool for allowing two powerful Brujah together in his city. Crowley would be a difficult foe for either one of them, but together they can win the long game. I kind of like this new Brujah. He's better than Rake, and seems to know Elysium well. Perhaps i should speak with him more.
RJJII
March 31, 1967
I have not been to the chantry for anything but meetings for over five years now. I enforce the masquerade for the Prince, and he has given me many favors in return. Still he refuses to let me sire or even ghoul, and i so desire to bring another of my line into this world of darkness. The shadow world could use a few more Jeffersons, and someday i hope to bring them to it.
RJJII
June 8, 1970
The Prince of Atlanta contacted me tonight, and i met him at his haven. He told me a story of a city under siege, siege by the dread Sabbat. I had heard much about them, but my experience was nil, so my curiosity took control of me. He told me that Sir Walter Nash, a friend of his, needed help. Nash wanted kindred to help him defend his city of Dallas. He has offered rewards for those who do. I have decided to help out. Ith even wished me luck; i believe that she has always wanted to see me go. Only her and her childer reside at the chantry now. This will prove to be something new, and i think that a war may do me some good this time. Perhaps this time i will be on the side of the victor.
RJJII
June 20, 1970
I have arrived in Dallas, an I have met several kindred important to the city's defense. Sir Walter Nash is the Prince here, and he seems fair enough. But i did not talk to Nash tonight as much as I talked to his sheriff, Chadwick. Chadwick is a giant of a man, apparently from America's western frontier settlements of the 19th century. He and I discussed plans for the Sabbat assaulting the city, and his ideas on stopping them. He told me he'd like to talk to me more later.
RJJII
June 25, 1970
I have been assigned to a war party of Tremere and Gangrel. It consists of myself, the Tremere neonate Ignatius, the Gangrel neonates Anastasia and Mathew, and our leader, the Gangrel ancillae Bear Paw. Bear Paw is surprisingly charismatic for a Gangrel, and I hope we do well against our fearsome opponents. There has been a large influx of Camarilla kindred to Dallas of late, and the war effort looks good.
RJJII
July 30, 1970
We encountered several Sabbat this evening, and were almost destroyed. Mathew did not make it, and is currently resting in torpor. Chadwick is taking care of him. We were beset on all sides by a dozen kindred, all dirty and lacking any vestige of humanity. My skill at the Blood Path served me well this evening, and my Burning Blade cost several Sabbat their lives. The first dozen went down relatively easy. Then the tough Sabbat came out. Shadows danced and jumped at us, and a gigantic and hideous spiny horror leapt from the roof of a nearby building at us. None of them looked close to being human. Not that they would, the beastly villains. Their mastery of combat disciplines amazed me as well. If not for luck, I do not think we would have survived.
Now I am ready for the next assault, however.
RJJII
August 12, 1970
The Battle for Dallas is still raging in the streets, and my war party is now numbered among the casualties. Surprisingly enough, the Tremere survived the attack, perhaps only due to our thaumaturgy. Mathew, recently back from torpor, survived as well. I cannot speak the same for Bear Paw and Anastasia. We were attacked by a pack of Gangrel, and they were masters of close combat. Only by my celerity did I manage to sustain few wounds. I dodged most attacks made against me. My saber, glowing green with my magic, cut three of them in half. There was one particularly fast Sabbat, faster than I. He struck down Anastasia and mauled Mathew badly. Ignatius was blasting away at him with his shotgun, and it looked like he was hurt. I reasoned that his mastery of celerity had forced him to overlook fortitude. He was my second victim.
His packmates proved to be lions, however, and took Bear Paw down and diablerized him. Mathew and Ignatius avenged his death. The last I cut to pieces, but left alive. We staked him and carried him to the Prince and Chadwick. Apparently, nothing much could be salvaged from his mind. The Prince found that he had been embraced only recently. I have taken command of my unit since Bear Paw's untimely Final Death.
RJJII
August 24, 1970
I have a new member of my war party, a Gangrel named Jake Sabre. He's a warrior from Vietnam. I think he'll help us out immensely. His mastery of firearms is second to none, and it looks as though he has an extensive collection considering what he had with him tonight. It had to be the biggest rifle I have ever seen. That gives me some ideas.
RJJII
September 1, 1970
The trap was sprung successfully, and it went without a hitch. Jake's efforts have to be lauded more than my own, however. We set a trap for the Sabbat this week, and tonight they finally fell for it. Jake was positioned on a building and the rest of us patrolled only near that building this week. We lured the Sabbat into an alley. Jake had a clear shot on the enemy at all times. All we had to do was hold them off. I told Ignatius to concentrate his vitae and use it on his toughness to make sure we did not fall. We were attacked this evening by monstrous creatures, some 9-foot tall oily black bone-plated behemoths, others were too weird to describe. It was a difficult fight, but by dodging with my speed and not taking too much damage from their attacks, It gave Jake enough time to take aim and riddle the things with bullets. He shoots abnormally fast, and it only took him one or two shots to drop most of the beasts. The giants were difficult, but they could not last forever. Mathew also did very well, and he summoned creatures for us to feed upon after we staked the beasts. We decapitated three of them, and left the giants alive but staked. Hopefully, the Prince can glean much from them.
RJJII
September 2, 1970
It turns out those two Sabbat were fairly high along the status chain for their vile sect. The Prince's powers of persuasion were too much for them, and they were forced to tell Sir Walter some of their plans and the location of their staging base. We strike at their haven tomorrow night. Chadwick will lead us. I do hope I can lend a hand to destroy this menace. Perhaps I can win enough status to attain a higher rank, either in the clan or in the Camarilla. I shall do my best, as always.
RJJII
September 3, 1970
Over two dozen kindred met their Final Deaths tonight. Some were from our ranks, But most were retched Sabbat. I took my team in through the roof. Ignatius levitated us to the third floor, then he stayed outside with his shotgun. The Malkavian elder, Maddie Hatfield, had mind-linked myself and all the team leaders (and a few lone wolves-Gangrel, literally wolves). So I was in constant communication with Chadwick, who coordinated our effort until the fighting started. I had suggested we have a team on the upper floors and how to get there, and Chadwick agreed it was a good idea. He even added a member to my team, a Gangrel ancillae named Blackpaw. Blackpaw didn't need to be levitated up, he flew with his own two wings-bat wings. He was mind-linked as well, as he intended to follow us in case we had some trouble, then go off on his own. We entered through a door on the roof.
We swept the third floor quickly, and found no one. We moved down a floor and again found nothing. We met up with Chadwick, Ignatius, and the rest of our people on the first floor. I had no idea where Blackpaw had gone off to by this point, but he was pretty close by, I think. Maddie, "The Mad Hatter" Hatfield was there as well. She apparently found a psychic trail of impressions the Sabbat had left. She mentioned "bad vibes". We came to a door in the basement. Maddie said that beyond it lay "glory and blood, death for some, honor for others, a taste of things to come." I prepared for the worst, activating my Burning Blade and concentrating my vitae. Chadwick told us to wait and changed into a mist. He slid through the cracks in the door and was gone for several minutes. He returned with the layout of the Sabbat haven, which was actually in the sewers. The door was supposed to be closet of some kind, but it led to the sewers, right into the middle of the haven.
We geared up and moved out, and as we reached the chamber we spread out and split into combat teams. My team was fairly large at four members. Chadwick, Blackpaw, and a Brujah named Kasiel all went off by themselves, each of them in a different part of the room. I gathered my force and waited for the carnage to start. There wasn't much of a wait. Black-leather vampires threw themselves at us all. I saw Chadwick tear through 3 of them in the span of a few moments. My team surgically struck and moved back, guarding the exit so that Sabbat couldn't escape. We only moved from our defensive posture to finish off wounded Sabbat. Jake had to have killed 4 of them by the time it was over. I think I killed a pair of them. Mathew died during the fighting, however. One of the spiny horrors leapt at him and broke his neck, then tore the bone out while Jake and I killed it. Mathew's corpse decayed slightly, becoming dry and withered. I knew he'd met the Final Death. I will miss him, we'd grown to be friends during the fighting.
Chadwick himself killed a half-dozen Sabbat. Very few Camarilla kindred died tonight. Only Mathew and a Toreador named Kim met the Final Death. There are a few in torpor as well, but they will survive. The battle for Dallas is close to an end. There shouldn't be much to clean up.
RJJII
September 12,1970
The reward for surviving kindred for fighting off the enemy is sweet indeed. We have been give domain here in Dallas, and some have been given permission to sire. Jake has a new childerm I've been given the right to ghoul. I believe that Sheryl Jefferson, the lawyer of the family, would be a welcome addition to my clan. I will bring her into the fold one step at a time.
July 4, 1980
I have finally set events into motion that will ensure my progeny's survival in Atlanta without me. It took several years of careful planning, but things are going smoothly. I am forced to trust Anvil in this endeavor, but he has given me his word of honor. I am afraid I trust him, but I'm not sure just how far. I have given him all he needs to be a force in Atlanta. He will soon prove more powerful than the Prince. I wonder if and when he will make his power play. I will be there, watching.
RJJII
August 5, 1980
Sheryl is alone without me in Atlanta. I hope she prospers. She is young, but she is strong. Her will is not as strong as my own, but it is close. She is my hope for the future, the shining star of my Georgia nights. I fear that Atlanta may no longer be my home. I am now traveling far and wide for the Justicar, and spend almost no time here. My Dallas years prepared me for this dark future, but still I am unsure what my true calling is. For now, being an Archon is all I could ever dream of. This is true adventure, adventure that the war couldn't give me, adventure I needed when I blindly fought for Georgia. The folly of my relative youth is clear to me now. I fought for something I thought would be exciting, but found more enjoyment later defending my plantation against opportunists after the war. I am not the man I used to be, but still I remain the same. Some would say I am no longer a man. They are wrong.
RJJII
December 7, 1980
I dreamed a strange dream this night as I lay in the chantry here in Richmond. The regent here, Elaine is very hospitable. I dreamed of odd things, of chains breaking away and coffins opening. I saw with both of my eyes Atlanta, from above. I saw the whole of the city, during the day. The brightness of the sun astounded me. I had forgotten its beauty. I marveled for a while, but things shifted rapidly, and I was once again here, laying, but dreaming. Cacophony fell upon my ears but I fought through the madness to hear the one thing I needed. How I knew, I don't know. But I found it, the crying of a newborn. The sound reached my ears and I knew that Lyda had had her baby, the latest addition to my family. My great-great-great-great grandchild will be strong. He is somehow important, as this dream suggests. I will meet him as soon as possible.
June 9, 1989
Dreams again haunt my sleep. I saw the specter of death walk past me without a glance, and I saw his hands upon my family. There is fear for me, I guess. I need to conquer it. There is no way to save all of my descendants and still preserve the Traditions. I am torn again by this, a problem that has plagued me for over a hundred years. How can I love them all, and watch most of them die? Death stalks all but those who have escaped him, and though he no longer seeks me or the Kindred, he still hungers for us. The archons are meeting with Grimes soon, and we will be together again. I must find my strength.
RJJII
June 11, 1989
The archons have met, and assignments given. I will travel to Seattle tomorrow and seek out the Prince there. I am going to find out if the anrachs in California are staging attacks deeper than Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. For some reason, the anarchs don't seem to want to bother the Sabbat in Mexico. This deserves some investigation.
RJJII
July 20, 1996
The Justicar has sent me to investigate the Olympic Games in Atlanta. I am to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings. Grimes seems to think that someone will strike out at the Camarilla during the Games. I tend to agree, but so far, there is no suspects or leads, only rumors.
RJJII
July 24, 1996
I have had another dream this one very odd indeed. Kasiel and I were wearing the uniforms of the Union army at the site of Lee's ultimate defeat. We chased confederates through a throng of people, and ended up in a large room filled with chains. There was a little girl present, as well. It was very odd. I hope to decipher it before anything happens to the city.
RJJII
July 28, 1996
A bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park last night. Kasiel and I chased the perpetrator through the park, let him keep ahead of us to lead us somewhere. He led us to a Ravnos, the anarch leader. She was stubborn and rather opinionated, but she's not around to complain anymore anyway. The thing that interests me is the girl who followed us to the school we fought the anarchs in. Sheryl is teaching her the ways of a retainer in the chantry here. I think she'll be a nice addition to it. I wonder what is in store for her.
RJJII