Alternate New Orleans V

Chapter Five: The Gangrel

 
Jesse Twin Hawk (7th)     (Gabriel) (9th)
         |                       |               (Billy) (8th)
  Rev. Mitchell (D)        Jordan (10th)              |
         |                       |                Beagle (9th)
    Charlie (9th)         Millarca (11th)
 

The Gangrel are a wildly varied clan. Some of them are important elders, others are members of various coteries, others independent. The Gangrel make up a sizable portion of the Wrecking Krewe, a group of environmentally oriented vampires.

Jesse

Jesse was a Choctaw shaman, and was one of the first people the powerful Gangrel Inyanga met after she rose from torpor in the new world. She found a kindred spirit in the young Indian, and embraced him to be her guide in the new world. For a short time they traveled together, but Jesse became concerned about the white man's war on his people. He chose to follow their migration to Louisiana, while Inyanga headed north.

With Jesse's support, the Choctaw did well for a time in Louisiana. Unfortunately, in 1844 Jesse got into a fight with some mysterious Gangrel (in fact Ahrimanes) and was driven into torpor. By the time he awoke, the Choctaw were destroyed as a people. Bitter, Jesse wandered the wilderness for decades. At last, his hatred of the Europeans was so great that he returned to civilization, this time as an avenging angel. Again, other vampires countered him, but this time they drew him into their society, rather than trying to slay him.

Accou and Annie had recently driven out Alejandro, and appealed to Jesse as fellow non-Europeans. They directed his attention to the newly formed racist groups like the KKK, and he vented his rage there for a time. Starved for some company, Jesse began to spend more and more time with Annie, and eventually, they became lovers. Jesse's rage against the white man slowly ebbed. When Annie's ghoul Marie Laveau was embraced by the Tremere Bristol, Jesse immediately returned to New Orleans to help her fight. Even after Accou, whom Jesse still respected, brokered a peace, Jesse didn't feel safe leaving Annie to face the city alone, and stayed.

In the city, Jesse was forced to adopt more typical vampiric ways. He made a few ghouls, cultivated a herd, and even embraced a childe of his own to help counterbalance the number of Tremere, Ventrue and Toreadors in the city. Without quite realizing what was happening, he became enmeshed in the politics of the city, taking a place among the elders of the city. He is still fiercely protective of the land and its native people, however, and sometimes takes violent action against the more environmentally destructive industries.

Age: "25", 7th Generation, born 1737, embraced 1765 by Inyanga

Image: Jesse still maintains his traditional Choctaw dress. He is a tall proud warrior, speaking quietly, but expecting to be heard. Inwardly, he is disturbed at what he has become, but feels that he is a vampire now, and a Choctaw no more. In fact, he is feeling a growing remorse for his inability to save them, and may soon be paralyzed with guilt. Jesse is the current "project" of the aged Setite Lafitte, who is slowly wearing at his will to live.

Influence: Jesse has become enmeshed in New Orleans politics, but prefers breadth to depth. Thus, he has a few ghouls in many different agencies, including local and state government, the police and fire department, and local hospitals. He uses them mostly for information, but would not hesitate to sacrifice them if needed. He also has contacts with the American Indian Movement, and occasionally leaves town to work with them. He has the respect of most of the other Gangrel, but is careful not to abuse this. Jesse and Annie have been lovers on and off for a century, and they often support each other.

Secrets: B

Habitat: Jesse prefers to Earth Meld in parks when in New Orleans, and is familiar with most of the surrounding wilderness. He feeds mostly on animals, though he will occasionally take out his frustration by capturing and tormenting Europeans, feeding on them when he's done.

Goals: Jesse would like to disengage from New Orleans, but his pride tells them that this would be giving up to the Europeans. He doesn't want to abandon Annie either, since he is her only support against the other elders. Still, he would love to find some way he could leave with honor. Recently, he has heard rumors of a group of Gangrel secretly living in the Bayous that have translated some Native American rituals into vampiric life. He is curious but cautious, fearing who these Gangrel might be connected too.

Reverend Mitchell

An environmentalist inspired by Teddy Roosevelt's conservation policies, Reverend Mitchell was embraced in 1912 by Jesse Twin Hawk to help him conserve Louisiana's wilderness. He was killed in 1967 by a Setite.

Charlie

Charles "Charlie" Harrison was a career army man who fought in the Korea war. He found it difficult to reintegrate into civilian life, suffering in much the same way Vietnam veterans were to suffer a decade later. He took to hunting and roughing it in the wilds as a way of maintaining his skills, but was always dissatisfied and missed the thrill of battle. It was in the wilderness that he met Reverend Mitchell, a Gangrel impressed by his survival skills. Mitchell befriended Charlie, helping him to develop a love of the wilderness and giving him something new to live for. When Mitchell offered the embrace, Charles left behind his mortal life without hesitation.

Charlie would probably have become a typical Gangrel, except that shortly after his embrace, Mitchell was killed by a group of Setites. Charlie was enraged, and ruthlessly hunted them down, killing them all. The rush he got from the hunt was unlike anything he had felt since the war. Charlie had an enemy again, and that enemy was clearly evil. Since that time, he has destroyed Setites wherever he can find them. Charlie never stops to question where they might be coming from, or why there never seems to be an end to them. He is too carried away with the joys of the hunt.
Charlie is also one of the few New Orleans vampires willing to risk leaving the safety of the city. He has run into shape-shifters and Sabbat in the past, and the experience exhilarated him. He knows he's outclassed at the moment, but has begun studying them with the possibility of expanding his hunt. He would be shocked to learn that two of his fellow Snake Hunters are in fact Sabbat.

Age: "30", 9th Generation, born 1930, embraced 1962 by Reverend Mitchell

Image: Charlie has short brown hair which he keeps hidden under a hunting cap. He usually wears khaki or other hunting dress. He is generally disgusted by vampire politics, and is rather vocal about how it is a waste of time. He tends to be straight-forward and gruff in conversation, but can be quite enthusiastic when discussing the hunt.

Influence: Charlie is too involved in the hunt to care. He does know a great deal about the local wilderness, however.

Secrets: D (little is more important than the hunt)

Habitat: Charlie controls and sleeps in an Elk's lodge just out of town, which he uses as a base for his expeditions. He feeds on Setites and their ghouls when he can, and animals when he cannot. He hunts his animal prey using only Protean and stealth.

Goals: Charlie lives for the thrill of the hunt. When he runs out of Setites, he looks for other prey. He hates vampiric politics, but still enjoys the company of his kind.

Dr. Jordan Petrowski (Jordan)

Dr. Jordan Petrowski has always been amazed at the wonders of nature. He went on extended trips into the field and did his best to have no impact on the ecosystems he was studying. His love of nature was the primary reason for his heavy involvement in the burgeoning environmental movement. A young Gangrel, impressed with his environmental knowledge, embraced him, and in typical Gangrel fashion left him to fend for himself.

Jordan was both terrified and fascinated at his change. Exploring his abilities, he felt that he was some sort of primal, animalistic creature, with a deep attachment to the wilderness. He reveled in it for a year, but quickly began to yearn for human company. He reasoned with himself that he should return to civilization to protect the wilderness from human depredation. Once the land was safe, he would return. After all, if the myths of vampires were true, he had forever.

Jordan returned to the University in Baton Rouge where he had worked, where he encountered a young woman, Millie, who had been his student, and an environmentalist as well. He embraced her, ostensibly to help him with his cause, but actually to assuage his loneliness. She was horrified, and fled, but shortly returned and agreed to help him.

They both traveled to the New Orleans area, where the worst pollution in the state took place. There Jordan encountered other vampires for the first time, and was shocked to learn that most of them were (to his mind) grasping bloodthirsty beasts, not the primal creature of nature he thought them to be. The only vampires he could stand were Gangrel.

Jordan worked with Millarca on his cause, and became more and more desperate as little was accomplished. Finally, he decided that direct action was necessary, and formed the Wrecking Krewe to take the fight to the polluters themselves. By attacking polluting corporations, Jordan, at last, feels he is doing something to protect his beloved wilds.

Age: "40", 10th Generation, born 1935, embraced 1976 by Gabriel, arrived 1978

Image: Jordan dresses in white button-down shirts and brown or grey slacks. He can be bad about changing his clothes, so they can get rather tattered before he steals new ones. He is uncomfortable with speaking to people, and tends to ramble about the evils of corporate America and the importance of preserving the environment.

Influence: Petrowski has gained extensive knowledge of the local corporations and corporate law, but his disgust for them prevents him from taking advantage of it.
Secrets: D (he's too busy with his cause).

Habitat: Jordan generally Earth Melds outside of town, near the industrial parks that he studies at night. He feeds mostly on animals, though he relishes the occasional company executive.

Goals: Stopping the pollution, at any cost.

Millarca

Millie was always a romantic, raised on the works of Victorian poets, Byron, Shelley, and American Transcendentalists. It was the abundance and joy of nature expressed in these works that led Millie to join an environmental group in college. She was especially taken by one of her more eloquent professors, Dr. Jordan Petrowski.

She was somewhat upset when Petrowski disappeared, but was completely distraught when he returned as a vampire and embraced her. She felt her life had been ripped from her, and she fled. After a few weeks on her own, however, she returned, because living on her own was even more unbearable. She promised to help him in his struggle to protect the wilderness because she needed some reason to go on living.

She and Petrowski went to New Orleans to get at the worst of the polluters, and Millie was amazed at what she found. The depth and complexity of vampiric society appealed to her literary side, and she found it deeply attractive. She was tempted several times to leave Jordan and immerse herself in the splendor of it all. She took to calling herself Millarca, which seemed more exotic. For the first time, she could appreciate being a vampire.

She was not well accepted by other kindred, because of her clan and age, however. By this time most of her original fear and resentment of her sire had faded, and she began to realize how much he needed her. She doesn't exactly like Petrowski, but she still feels some loyalty towards him, and admires in his ideals.

Age: "20", 11th Generation, born 1957, embraced 1977 by Jordan, arrived 1978

Image: Millarca often wears what she considers "vampire garb", that is lots of black, red and silk. Otherwise, she is given to wearing gauzy white cotton blouses and skirts. If she is going on a raid with the Wrecking Krewe, she will wear a dark T-shirt and jeans. She keeps her wavy auburn hair up or down, as is appropriate to the circumstances. She tends to be outgoing when interacting with other vampires, and is enthusiastic when talking about history and culture. She is reserved in the presence of Petrowski, however.

Influence: Millarca is liked in Anarch circles, and the Creoles think she has potential, for a Gangrel. Her main advantage is that she has no real enemies. This might change if her activities with the Wrecking Krewe were to become known.

Secrets: C+

Habitat: Millarca keeps a small apartment, mostly for her book collection, which is becoming very extensive. She generally feeds on animals, but enjoys seducing and feeding on humans occasionally; it makes her feel "deliciously wicked".

Goals: Millarca wants to enjoy all unlife can offer: night life, culture and romance. She has mixed feeling about Petrowski; she feels some loyalty, and half-way believes in his cause, but finds him stifling as well. At the moment, Millarca is trying to work her way into Madame Marguerite's entourage. So far, Marguerite doesn't know what to make of it.

Beagle

Terrence Oswald was an officer on the HMS Beagle during its historic voyage. He became good friends with Charles Darwin, and had many conversations late into the night about nature and evolution. Upon returning to England, he and Darwin drifted apart, but Terrence was a strong supporter of the theory of evolution, and would often argue about it in pubs. One evening his soliloquy attracted the attention of a British Gangrel, who found his ideas fascinating. Terrence was embraced, given the basics of vampirism, and then left on his own, as is the Gangrel tradition.

In shock, Terrence looked up his old friend, Darwin, and revealed his condition to him. Though Darwin took some convincing, he eventually accepted the fact the Terrence was a vampire. By this point Terrence had learned of the masquerade, so neither of them spoke about it to anyone else. Terrence's friendship with the naturalist helped him through his early years of unlife. Eventually, Terrence offered the embrace to him, but Darwin preferred to die a natural death, and declined.
After Darwin's death, Terrence traveled the world, adopting the name Beagle to disguise his origins, and honor his friend. He became disturbed at the territorial expansion of mankind, and the disappearance of many species. He started collecting rare creatures to preserve them. In the end, he began feeding them his blood to prolong their lives.

As his collection grew larger, Beagle decided he needed to settle somewhere, and chose New Orleans as a major port city. He found that the Audubon Zoo was not under the control of any other kindred, and took it as his territory. He imported the creatures he had collected, and used Zoo officials to collect more. He has avoided vampiric politics, but has lately taken to quietly supporting the Wrecking Krewe, whose goals he agrees with.

Age: "30", 9th Generation, born 1811, embraced 1842 by Billy, arrived 1932

Image: Beagle is a picture of a British officer and a gentleman, with clean cropped brown hair. He is often quiet and philosophical, in those rare times he interacts with others.

Influence: Beagle considers the Audubon Zoo his domain, and brooks no meddling there. Because the zoo animals are a large source of easy vitae, he has earned favors over the years by letting desperate kindred feed there. He has yet to use any of these favors. He has several hidden menageries where he keeps his rare and extinct animals. Some of them have been ghouls for a century, and have become quite intelligent and powerful. The pride of his collection is a pair of aged Tasmanian wolves. All the animals are loyal to Beagle.

Secrets: D (he takes little time to study the city).

Habitat: Beagle rarely leaves the zoo, and feeds on the more ordinary animals kept there. It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain his ghouled creatures.

Goals: Beagle is still seeking to preserve species before they become extinct. He often wishes he had a greater knowledge of genetics when he began his efforts, because he only has a single breeding pair for most of his older species. He has no real idea whether or not he will ever try to repopulate the world with his animals.

June and Cleo

Both of these young "Gangrel" are snake hunters. They spend most of their time out in the bayous, hunting for Setites that might have slipped out of the city. They come into the city when the other snake hunters (Isis and Charlie) have found evidence of Setite activity. June is outspoken, and is the leader of the pair, and Cleo is more reserved. Both of them are quite happy to help the Wrecking Krewe occasionally as well. Neither associate much with the clan, or any of the Camarilla of the city.
In actuality, neither of the pair are truly Gangrel any longer.

They are both Ahrimanes, Sabbat Gangrel that have undergone a special ritual to awaken spiritual powers. They are careful to avoid displaying these powers when in the city. They part of that bloodline's ongoing battle with the Setites.