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Amor Fati - "Love thy Fate"
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Lineage
History
Mortal Life
Bellamy's father, Alastor Degas, was a charismatic man who was well prepared to commandeer the family's wine business when his father (Alastor's grand father) passed away in 1881. Although Alastor was only twenty years of age he had been prepared for the task of running the winery since he had turned eighteen. Within a few short years Alastor had expanded the once small scope of the wine business, which in turn brought him wealth. He married Francine Delacroix in 1887 and bought a mansion in the Bayou of Louisiana. When Bellamy was born in 1890 the family's wealth had grown even higher and as such he was given all the amenities of high society even from a young age.
Bellamy's education was secondary only to his preparation to aid his father in running the company. Degas' wine had become a popular brand in Louisiana, but Alastor's goals had always been higher. Bellamy was groomed to be just as charismatic and business minded as his father and when Bellamy turned 16 in 1906 he began to accompany his father on business meetings and every day to the winery for its day-to-day upkeep. He caught on very quickly and was rewarded.
Bellamy's mother, Francine, also had her share to teach her son. She was responsible for teaching the young man etiquette and show him how to mingle with the patrons of high society. This task was crucial to spreading the business, for without potential buyers in a given area it would be impossible to expand the business. It was Francine and Bellamy's task to mingle with the masses in various cities, and they were well received. The business began to expand into Mississippi with the help of Bellamy and his Mother. As the business became bigger and more winery's were required Alastor and his family moved from place to place, staying no longer than a year or so in each location.
Bellamy felt right at home at the parties and lounges he visited as a spokesperson for his Father's wine. However there was a storm brewing for the family just over the horizon. Not all things can last, can they? In 1915 talks began in United States congress about the possibility of passing a prohibition against alcohol in the united states. The movement had been slow moving since the early 1800's and some states were quicker to take up the prohibition but with the talks moving into national legislation it showed a problem that might not be easily avoided. Bellamy, in his mid twenties now, began to look to the future. He pleaded with his father to liquidate the company for fear of losing everything in the future. When his father refused, Bellamy began to think of other ways to preserve his wealth. He loved Father very much but not as much as he loved the lifestyle he was living in thanks to Alastor.
In 1916 Bellamy met a man named Carl Franklin. Carl, whose family was also french, had expressed desire in buying the winery from a very early point. Bellamy quickly learned that Carl also did not see the talks in congress as a threat and still wished to buy the company for a healthy amount of money, more than what Bellamy had even become accustomed to. He knew the only way that he could sell the company is if his father passed away so he set out to overcome that obstacle. He hired an assassin to do the dirty work for him, but gave the assassin specific details to make it look like an accident. Two weeks later, Alastor Degas was crushed by a device in one of the winery's he owned.
Mildly shaken by his brazen coup, many mistook Bellamy's internal struggle with his deeds as sadness for his loss. His mother became horribly depressed, which also tolled on Bellamy's mind. However, with the life insurance money from his father's death and a wine company in his pocket Bellamy's greed once again took over.
In 1918 Bellamy sold the entire company to Carl Franklin. He spent a small amount of his money to send his mother home to her parents in New Orleans and the rest to move himself away from any place that reminded him of his heinous crime. He eventually settled into Atlanta Georgia right before the Prohibition law was passed. he found it someone comforting that he had been right about it becoming a problem, and so again began to enjoy life living amongst the wealthy in Atlanta.
Bellamy's plight was not unseen, however. Carl Franklin's interest in the winery business was not for monetary profit. He was a retainer for the Kindred known as Amiel Degas, Bellamy's great great grandfather. Amiel had been watching the young man for a long time and realized his potential. When Bellamy moved to Atlanta, so did Amiel. Amiel's affiliations lied with the Invictus, however, when he came to Atlanta the Invictus had no real backbone in the city. Amiel made a few connections with the Invictus in the city at the time but remained mostly uninvolved in city wide politics and instead chose to strengthen the ranks through embrace.
In 1922 Bellamy was sent a formal request to meet with Carl Franklin in Atlanta. He was amused, hoping that Carl had came to put a angry word in about the fate of his winery. However when Bellamy showed up at the mentioned address, a mansion of great magnitude, he was shocked to find, not Carl, but Amiel waiting for him. Amiel's commanding mien drew Bellamy in and he found himself hanging on Amiel's every word. Bellamy became Amiel's retainer at that point, not ghouled but now being further groomed for the new life he would lead.
The Requiem
In the time between 1922 and Bellamy's embrace in 1928, Amiel introduced him to the world of the Kindred. By using a viniculum and majesty Amiel assured Bellamy's compliance. Over the course of his years as a retainer Bellamy learned his place in the world and developed a sense of respect for Amiel for elevating his status within it. In 1928 Amiel received the right to embrace Bellamy from the Prince and carried out the familial ritual of embrace. The Degas' bloodline accepts only the most talented of its mortal ancestors into its lineage, and again Bellamy found himself grateful to Amiel for choosing him.
As an unreleased Kindred Bellamy did his best to keep his mouth shut and his ears and eyes open. He visited the elysium with his sire to learn more about the nightly affairs of prominent Kindred. Every time they would go to a social gathering or a party Amiel would give Bellamy a task to complete while their. Each task was a lesson to be learned about the Danse Macabre and Bellamy soaked in the knowledge gained from the lessons like a sponge. Bellamy did his very best to impress his sire and other kindred, which pleased Amiel a great deal as he was given accolades for his childe's success.
In 1940 Bellamy received his manumission and began unlife on his own. Amiel, appeased by a member of the Invictus taking the seat as Seneschal, returned to Louisiana but offered his childe any aid he might require. Bellamy started to make connections with the other Kindred in the city and spread out his influence with the mortal sectors in Atlanta. Other Kindred in the city start to notice Bellamy as he rises in popularity within the Invictus and the city as a whole though he doesn't over step his bounds at such a young age. He exchanged monetary investments with kindred for favors later. Using this system he was able to pull quite a few strings within the danse macabre of Atlanta.
In 1945 Bellamy was granted the title of Librettist after hosting a ball for the kindred of Atlanta. The event was extrodinary and lavish and Bellamy himself performed a musical piece on the violin for the gathered Kindred. Artwork and decorations were brought in from Germany, Japan, Rome as a Celebration to the end of the world war. Other than Bellamy's performance a Orchestra was hired to fill the ballroom with eloquent and beautiful music. Other events followed this one that only worked to strengthen Bellamy's reputation. Many kindred also requested Bellamy to play at their own parties.
Bellamy started to gain a small modicum of status within the city and used it to further his own goals. Bellamy also became known as a Bon Vivant amongst the kindred of Atlanta. He became a well known face in the various bars and clubs in Atlanta which worked to his benefit for the most part. It was easier to hunt prey when they flock to your presence. However, around 1975, his popularity got the better of him when he attracted the attention of a hunter named Jessica Brandt. Jessica had just enough knowledge of vampires to spot Bellamy and target him for attack. She visited one of the clubs he was a patron of and put on her best act to seduce him. Once Bellamy had her back at his place she dropped the coy girl act and plunged a 8" wooden stake directly through his heart. Luckily for Bellamy she didn't know enough about vampires to know that the stake wasn't enough to finish him off. She left his house and fled the scene.
Bellamy's retainer was the one who found him and contacted Amiel. Amiel was not pleased with his childe's predicament and decided that the best course of action was to keep his childe in torpor until he would be less remembered by the mortal world. Amiel informed the other kindred of Bellamy's eclipse before returning to New Orleans.
Recently Bellamy has arisen once again to join the ranks of the kindred in Atlanta. to be continued...
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