In
the main it will be found that the power of a man's support is the power over
his will.
Alexander Hamilton
Having
taken control of Baltimore in only the last century, the Ventrue have done an excellent
job of consolidating the current power base and expanding upon their regional
influences. Led by the oldest Kindred
in Baltimore and controlling a huge amount of mortals, the Ventrue are the
undisputed rulers of the city.
Prince
Viktor Albrecht
Viktor
Albrecht is said to be an eight-hundred year old crusader, but he has managed
to seamlessly integrate into modern society - no doubt due to his incredible
acute mind and his experiences throughout the world in many different guises,
from distinguished gentleman in Vienna during the musical renaissance to German
merchant prince in the fifteenth century.
He assumed the mantle of Prince after organizing the defeat of the
oncoming Sabbat in 1904, taking the place of his predecessor, Sebastiano
Garibaldi, and turning it into a much more rigid and strict position of
power. His only set back in recent
years has been the loss of his beloved childe, Elizabeth Poe, which has driven
him to a level of despair he has not known in his many lifetimes.
Michael Valentine
Once
the Seneschal of the city and perhaps the single most influential Kindred in
Baltimore, Michael Valentine inadvertently overstepped his boundaries in
plotting against the Prince and has found all of his machinations and plotting
have fallen into disarray and his efforts have come to naught. He has been made Ventrue 'Primogen' and
given an 'aide' who happens to also be a half-millennia old ghoul of Viktor
Albrecht's named Maximillian Kerschner.
He has been generously provided with a house that was once the Prince's,
and is monitored at all times for his safety.
In other words, he has a man whose nights are numbered, and whose every
step is analyzed. He must tread
carefully in order to avoid meeting the rays of the morning sun.
Jonathan Weigand
One of
the more quiet and also more influential Kindred in Baltimore, Jonathan Weigand
has an iron grip on the housing authority in Baltimore, and has worked for
decades to maintain the gulf, both financially and geographically, between the
which upper class whites and the poor black underbelly of Baltimore. He writes off his racism as the most
advantageous situation for the Kindred, citing incidents in other cities where
Princes where overthrown and the Masquerade shattered due to a commingling of
the working class and the white collar leaders of society. He is adamantly against the destruction of
any Projects (after all, they are excellent hunting grounds) and he rallies
against ethnic mixes in upper-class neighborhoods. Despite his obvious prejudices, he has managed to retain his
level of influence and power, and has maintained his controversial dictates.
Ethan Glass
Once
one of the most influential Kindred in Philadelphia, Ethan Glass was the childe
of the Prince there and was also one of the cities harpies. A Revolutionary War hero, Ethan was embraced
by his sire after being cut down on the battlefield. He rapidly became quite accustomed to unlife, and his world
remained, for the most part, static, until very recently when Salvador Ortega
came and overturned the Camarilla's foothold in Philadelphia. Thus, Ethan fled to Baltimore and has
remained there as a guest of Prince Albrecht, staying in the house that was
once occupied by the Seneschal of the city.
Heinrich Wagner
Once the
object of constant ridicule for his inaction - and failures when he did act -
Heinrich has recently attempted to cover up for his bad name and gain some more
respect for himself. He has shown his
abilities in battle against the Sabbat, facing down one of the most dangerous
foes of the Camarilla and demonstrating a previously unseen martial bent. What remains to be seen is whether the stock
broker can use his newfound sense of action and decisiveness to prove to his
many detractors that he is no longer simply a pawn in the large scheme of
things.
Ventrue
Holdings
The
Ventrue have more money than any other clan in the city, and their material
holdings are not far behind their finances.
The Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton Inner Harbor are both under the
control of the Ventrue, and are both huge moneymakers (as well as convenient
locations to house visiting Kindred).
The Baltimore Convention Center serves as the Ventrue meeting place,
easily large enough to hold a massive conclave (as if the meetings halls of the
Hyatt Regency were not large enough). The World Trade Center, ominously
towering over the Inner Harbor, acts as the most obvious sign of Ventrue power,
the lights on the top floor always flickering throughout the night, like the
constantly aware eye of the Prince whose office sits at the top of the tower.