Linus Walker
From SuspireWiki
The Right Honorable Alder Linus Walker, Speaker and Commissioner by training, Councilor by function, Marquis of Atlanta
childe of Alder Tyler Howe, deceased, Soldier, Speaker, and Advocate by training
childe of the honorable Sir Nelson Smith, Knight of the Thorned Wreath,
childe of Dame Anastasie Devereux, Knight of the Thorned Wreath,
childe of Dame Manon Everard, Knight of the Thorned Wreath
childe of Sir Charles d'Auvignon, Knight of the Thorned Wreath
St. Augustine
In 1763, the area that would become Florida was ceded from Spanish to British rule. After several sieges on St. Augustine and failed attempts to take the Castillo de San Marcos by force, the British managed to capture the fort through diplomacy at the Peace of Paris. As enterprising British colonists in the Carolinas moved south to try to settle and Anglicize the area, a relatively young Spina Invictus by the name of Tyler Howe, who was, in fact, the second cousin once removed of the British General WIlliam Howe, was at the forefront of the emigration. However, whereas the mortal government of Spain had ceded the territory to the British, the kindred populous of St. Augustine was not moved by this, and being a relatively well established court, Howe immediately found himself in trouble.
In less than a month in the city he was labeled aspiring by the Invictus, counted amongst heretics by the Lancea Sanctum, and just generally distrusted by most of the rest of the city, Howe felt his position to be tenuous at best. His iron will, sense of superiority, and the strictures of honor-or his particular brand of it at least-however, would not permit him to simply turn tail and run back the Carolinas. And even if that had been the wisest choice, travel in the 18th century was never a simple prospect, particularly for a vampire with no facility whatsoever in the Gangrel's Protean discipline.
For about the next ten years, a slow but consistent trickle of english speakers to St. Augustine, and a lot of legword on Howe's part, allowed him to move back from the brink of being run out of town, and begin to establish a viable existence there. He began to seek a childe to further dig his heels in, and was able to maneuver a few favors around to receive an indulgence from the Lancea Cardinal. A Spina's search for a childe is never easy, and ten more years passed without Howe actually using the permission. In 1783 St. Augustine, along with the rest of Florida, was returned to Spanish control after British defeat in the American Revolution, under the Treaty of Versailles. Where things had been looking up for Howe, he suddenly found his optimism dashed. He decided to embrace already before the permission is stripped, foreseeing the waning of his power in Florida.
It was at this time that a small cadre of sailors recently released from the nascent United States Navy, all of whom had served on the famed Bonhomme Richard, arrived in St. Augustine, Florida as part of a grand tour of the outlying areas surrounding their new nation. Stories of the courageous John Paul Jones and his battles against all odds, often greatly exaggerated, began to circulate through the city. Of the eight or so sailors that traveled as a group, one always seemed a bit aloof. He never bragged about his exploits. Though he wasn't shy per se, he lacked the boisterous streak of his companions. When he did speak he was unerringly polite, and any of his companions would attest to his courage under fire.
Howe watched the group their entire time in Florida. The night of their departure, he sent a Majesty-trained ghoul to convince that one quiet one to stay behind a little longer, and after another week of observation, Howe approached the childe. As was law in the heavily sanctified town, a priest witnessed the choice and the embrace. On a cold winter night in 1785, Linus Walker was embraced into the Spina.
Walker took remarkably well to his new condition, and to the Invictus as a whole. He had been born in England some twenty five years earlier, and soon thereafter transported the the American Colonies. He was the son of a land speculator who became exorbitantly wealthy, and as such was trained to be everything his merchant class father never could be. That is, the model British Gentleman and Aristocrat. Linus studied British history and military and naval strategy. He fenced and hunted and learned to ride from an early age, and picked up relevant lessons in etiquette, mode of dress, and behavior becoming to a gentleman as well.
He took easily to all of the education, being naturally a bright child and socially inclined as well. He saw, however, a streak of hypocrisy in his father, who had risen not by his own merits, but by luck and manipulation of the market system. He rebelled, and, at the age of 16 when the Colony of South Carolina joined with the other 12 British Colonies in the Americas in declaring independence, he elected to join the tiny American Navy by way of defying his father.
The strict hierarchy on the naval ship should have suited Walker well. He was reliable, and a better sailor than most men twice his age, but his privileged upbringing and polite manner made him stand out like a sore thumb amongst the enlisted men. It took as many hard fought battles as it did cold desperate starving nights to win the respect of his peers, but by the war's end in 1783 and his first extended stay on dry land in seven years, he was no longer a youth, and among the most well liked of the American sailors.
So, it was little surprise in 1785 when he slid quite naturally into his new role. Before the year turned over to 1786, after only 10 months as a fledgling, Walker was manumitted and entered into the Invictus. He immediately began to seek training in six different functions, deeming himself infinitely competent in all of them already. The inner circle quickly repremanded the aspiring neonate, and recalled his sire's own aspiring tendencies. Howe cuts his childe down, literally, in a very public fashion, raises him with his own vitae, and orders him to choose a single function and train in it. Defiant and headstrong, Walker, instead scales his requests back to three guilds, and trains as a Speaker, Soldier, and Commissioner. To keep from losing too much face over his childe in a city where white Englishman stand out more and more by the year, Howe curried favors and manages to get his childe the mentorships. Some time thereafter he abandons his soldier's training at the behest of the Cardinal, as increasing Invictus militarization begins to make the other covenants, including the Lancea Sanctum itself, nervous.
Accusations about being aspiring slipped away as Walker proved again to be a diligent and able student, and ruthlessly adept, in particular, at Commissioning. He earns a reputation for being able to view investments, gains, and losses of resources with a startling clarity. In truth, the cause of this was quite simply, that he was willing to speak to and consult with kindred on all sides of an issue, and as such tended to have a clearer view than most of the more prideful, secluded, or paranoid kindred around him. The years passed by monotonously for a time, and Howe entered into a 50 year torpor to ease his hand at the hunt, entrusting his affairs to the increasingly capable Linus Walker.
Atlanta
1836
Walker learns that Atlanta is to be the terminus of the new trans continental railroad. Howe is due to wake up in two years, but Walker decides the opportunity cannot wait, and moves along with his torpid sire to the outskirts of Atlanta. He spends nearly all of his time fortifying his haven and negotiating hunting rights with the 9 more established kindred there. The next year Atlanta's mortal population begins to rapidly grow, and Walker, by dint of his early migration, is able to garner himself a reasonably secure existence somewhere in the strange middle ground between the 9 kindred who had arrived and lain down roots previous to him, and the hordes that would come after.
1839
Walker accepts an Oath of Fealty for one year from Anthony Anderson
1840
Howe wakes up, furious that he's been moved in his sleep, and immediately departs for Florida once more. Notably, he torpors and raises Walker a second time before he leaves. Walker's concentration on security and seclusion vanishes along with his responsibility for his sire's wellbeing, and it is now, four years after he came to Atlanta, and three years after the start of mass immigration to Atlanta, that Walker begins to interact with the city on a more notable scale.
Walker sponsors Catherine Jung for her manumission, in lieu of a sire. After she passes he takes on an eight year oath from the young kindred.
1847
Walker attempts to gain ground amongst the local Invictus who are rapidly outstripping him by supporting Catherine Jung's ridiculous attempt at forming an Inner Circle, in the hopes of gaining a spot on it. He is thoroughly unsuccessful.
1850
The up until now quiet and mild mannered Linus Walker, observing the currents of mortal politics, begins to expand his sway over the state legislature and push support for the overwhelmingly unpopular abolitionist movement. The rest of the Invictus tends to think it at best a waste of influence, which is probably accurate at the time, and at worst an incursion on tradition. After being publicly called out and humiliated for his wasteful actions, Walker is forced to be considerably more discreet, though he does not cease making strong ties with the abolitionist white, free black, and slave populations in the area
The Civil War
Walker opts to remain awake for the war, less out of any real bravery than out of the simple belief that he had a better chance of surviving if he had his wits about him than in some deep sleep. He takes advantage of the sudden loss of several kindred who enter the eclipse to garner their abandoned influence, but loses all his gains when Sherman burns the city to the ground. He does manage to earn something of a reputation for valor amongst the estates during Hood's evacuation, by standing vigil for two days and nights just inside the entrance to a vital Invictus storehouse alongside a number of other Daeva, who are collectively able to use both martial force their clan's gifts to keep Confederate soldiers out long enough for the important wares to be hidden, removed, or otherwise secured.
1867
Because of his (now) longstanding ties to the black population, initially Linus Walker has a large swath of the new Georgian government in his pocket. Over the coming decades, his inability to protect them from violence causes this influence to rapidly wane. Kindred throughout the city comment on his poor execution, and failure to foresee reactionary white violence, but it's not entirely unnoticed that he had recognized the potential for a repressed body of people to rise to power.
1877
Catherine Jung manages to finally form an Inner Circle, with Walker as one of the three members. Councilor supercedes his previous functions.
1890
Still embittered by his near success at courting the potential of a repressed ethnic group, he turns his attention to the emerging Ghost Dance movement amongst native Americans. It's a high profile embarrassment for the usually placid Linus Walker when he realizes that they genuinely believe themselves impervious to bullets, and it becomes obvious that the American Army is not exactly going to be forced to the negotiating table.
1905
Still seeking to get in on the ground floor of an emerging political movement, Walker studies the Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World) carefully and, having learned from his most recent endeavor, takes measured steps to not only gain influence amongst them, but to keep Carthians out. The organization wields some power for a couple of decades, and Walker considers his reputation after the Ghost Dancer debacle redeemed.
1911
Walker keeps intentionally silent when questioned about the Jacques DuPont scandal, and it's taken by most to be tacit support of the bishop.
1921
Walker's one time vassal, and covenant mate in Atlanta for the past 83 years, Anthony Anderson, defects to the Carthian Experiment. Walker is livid and is rumored to have frenzied on hearing the news. The defection engenders a long lasting bitterness from Walker, who aside from being irritated about the defection, feels personally betrayed.
1930
Linus once more opts to stay awake and face impending catastrophe. He tends more towards the duties of a commissioner than he had in some time, and proves equal to the task. Though heavy losses are unavoidable, he manages to minimize the worst of the damage to what assets are entrusted to him. Throughout the decade he receives some criticism for wasting large amounts of money on relief for the mortal poor.
Walker applauds Bridget Connelly for her seizure of the assets of Arthur Britmann as a means of minimizing the total net loss of Invictus Assets.
1935
Criticism of Walker's "wasteful" charity declines as the depression deepens and, though monetarily hurting, Linus seems to be profiting from it. His personal stables reach the peak of their size, and he controls a veritable army of disenfranchised poor.
1939
The start of World War II and end of the Depression mean an end to Walker's army of the poor, though he seems to maintain a high reputation with local charitable organizations and an ability to move freely in the city's society in general.
1947
He embraces his first and only known childe, William Crenshaw, without having obtained the prior permission of Anthony Anderson, and it's taken by many to be an indirect challenge to the defector's right to rule. The move by the habitually moderate Walker catches many offguard with it's potentially dangerous implications, and it's only through the machinations of Bridget Connelly that things are smoothed over without violence. The embrace also irritates Bishop Jacques DuPont and the two feud over Walker's refusal to allow creation rites for several years.
1953
Still a paige, Crenshaw causes a series of somewhat public incidents, including deriding and insulting the Gangrel Invictus James William Hopkins in public. Tired of the disappointment, Walker publicly tells Hopkins he's free to destroy the impudent childe. Since paiges cannot participate in Monomacy, and Gangrel have sharp claws, the fight is short and unceremonious.
1960
As the "counterculture" begins to form, Walker finds himself at odds with a fringe movement for once, and some of the more observant heads turn when he doesn't make any play at garnering influence among them.
1966
Noting the upcoming bicentennial, Walker purchases a significant amount of stock in various commemorative producers, such as the Franklin Mint. Many kindred find the obscure company which sells fake coins via infomercial to be, at best, an odd investment.
1975
Questions about Walker's sanity briefly surface when he goes on a 45 minute tirade in Elysium about just how terrible Disco music is. The nomad who sparked the outcry from him was less than sure of what exactly to do during the long and rambling speech, and, really it just made everyone uncomfortable. Nothing ever really comes of the event, and most kindred eventually come to accept that disco really was bad enough to warrant that.
1976
The Franklin Mint investment pays off, and Walker takes the money and invests it in real banks. For once, he makes a move that doesn't make those who witness it say "huh?"
1984 - 1986
Walker seems to withdraw from society, and questions arise as to whether he's just avoiding Connelly's acid tongue, or is dead or torpored, or has left the city. He is seen sporadically at major kindred events, and scrupulously attends Inner Circle functions, but is apart from that, a ghost. It's only when he's threatened with the loss of his seat on the inner circle that he begins to reassert himself in society.
1987
News of the death of Tyler Howe three years earlier reaches Atlanta. Having been under a nearly compete vinculum to his sire, Walker had known for some time, and speculation is that this caused his withdrawal from society. Most kindred, however, have been smart enough not to bring the subject up to him.
1990
Walker begins to hear rumblings about "the internets" and returns to his old habit of trying to get in on the ground floor of things. Many, many Invictus scoff at the 200 year old kindred bent over a keyboard trying to learn what html and http mean, but as per usual he's more than willing to depart from their advice and follow his undead gut.
1991
Having failed to learn what the hell html means, or anything else about computers, he elects to simply invest in computer companies instead of actually learning anything about the series of tubes that would become the internet. This strategy meets with less skepticism, and more success.
2001
A kindred by the name of Guage and a pair of dogs assault Walker outside of the Elysium. Walker escapes without being hurt too terribly and reports the incident to the State, though, he doesn't expect much out of Anthony Anderson. Guage is promptly (and unsurprisingly) disappeared, despite Anderson wanting to question him.
The dotcom bubble bursts, and Walker loses much of the profit he'd reaped over the previous years. Many Invictus scoff that that's the price for involving oneself with all this new innovation, and Walker offers what profit he still has to local charities, including the UNCF (United Negro College Fund), which by now, no longer phases anyone whose been in the city more than a week.
2003
A sign of changing times, or perhaps old wounds healed, Walker approaches Prince Anthony Anderson and seeks the open ended right to embrace a single childe. The answer comes in the affirmative, and Walker seems at least marginally pacified, or maybe just preoccupied, as he seeks a childe.
Later That year, however, Eveline Carre is granted the domain of downtown by Prince Anthony Anderson. Walker has kept a public haven there for over 2 centuries at this point, and takes it as a personal insult. He refuses to offer Carre any compensation, and refuses to leave the area. Tension is high for a few years between the two.
2006
Linus takes up correspondence with some of the elders in surrounding cities. He loses not one but three different retainers attempting to deliver letters to distant, dispersed, or paranoid elders, and promptly ceases the overtures, unwilling to risk what remains of his servants.
2007
Walker and Carre come to an agreement for the benefit of Downtown, and tensions ease between the two, though rumors of a new government and expansion of the power of domain holders threaten the nascent pact.