Will Ashford
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Contents |
Background
William Ashford was born the second child to Edward and Elaine Ashford. While being only the runner up for inheriting the Ashford Brokerage Firm would be somewhat depressing to the average person, William discovered at an early age that he had no problems with letting his older brother Gregory worry about carrying on the family business. Though he had a naturally keen intellect, he found he much preferred dealing with people to dealing with stocks and bookkeeping, and his true passion was his talent for music.
Unfortunately, while his mother was always supportive of her children, Edward Ashford was a staunch traditionalist, and would not hear of his son forgoing a “real” career to become some “trashy” guitarist. As much as he loved his music, William also thoroughly enjoyed his family’s lifestyle, and being able to go out and have a life. The prospect of being cut off from funds and grounded for life was a bleak one, so he gave in to his father’s expectations, more or less.
With his mother working frantically to keep her husband and their son from each other’s throats, William made something of a career out of pushing his father just shy of the limit with whatever acts of rebellion he could get away with on the side while growing up. He did go to college and take up political science to put on the “respectable” face, but at the same time, he took up fast cars and an interest in the party scene. He even took the occasional gig, which pushed Edward to nearly disown him more than once.
Despite his rebellious streak, William managed to graduate with honors, and even discovered an aptitude for politics. Within a few years, he had worked himself up to becoming a professional consultant to various political campaigns. Despite the potential for a political career of his own, William found the strictures of a politician’s life too reminiscent of his father’s constraining ideals, and preferred the aspiring kingmaker role behind the scenes, where he could still indulge his own interests. Also, nothing would make his father happier than seeing him with a successful political career, bringing glory to the family name, and William refused to give the old man the satisfaction.
It was at a benefit put on by one of his clients that William first met Clementine Beaumont. Introduced by a mutual colleague at the party, things began as simply as he was attractive and she was hungry. She took an interest in him after that first night, though, and he became a frequent conversation partner (and meal, though her skills with Dominate ensured he never remembered that part).
Around this same time, William’s conversion of one of the rooms in his apartment to a home studio, and thoughts of starting an actual band on the side, became the straw that broke the camel’s back. Capable of supporting himself by now, and fed up with his father, William effectively broke off ties with the family after a big fight. The sudden loss of close relations could not have been timed better for Clementine.
As the new Prefect of a Carthian Movement suffering from social embarrassment and dead weight, she found herself with a need for new recruits. In a rare act of impulsive behavior, she decided William would make a fitting protégé and Embraced him.
Early Requiem
The beginning of Will's Requiem was a rocky period. Though publicly accepting of his new state and the Kindred way of doing things, he privately chaffed at the numerous rules and social restrictions, which he felt left him with even less freedom than he had enjoyed as a mortal. The isolation of not being able to trust other vampires, and not being able to be honest with mortals, left him in a state of quasi-depression, compounded by a near total collapse of the previous relationship he had enjoyed with Clementine due to her constant distractions with Prefect business.
Looking for someone to relate to, he became involved in a somewhat unconventional relationship with fellow Carthian childe Heather Coleman. Despite differing outlooks on many things, and a mutual lack of exclusivity, the pair provided a degree of stability for each other that eased the transition for a time. However, her sire’s decision to send Heather off to her grandsire for a period of training and evaluation soon left Will alone again.
After an abortive decision to release him early, and several arguments on the state of things, Clementine decided to focus more attention on her childe, and the relationship between Will and his sire began a gradual recovery towards the previous friendship they had shared. Will, in turn, slowly began to accept his new life, though he was still left with the glaring question of what exactly he wanted to do with it.
Heather's return to Atlanta prompted a brief renewal of the pair's relationship but, after her decision to join the Circle of the Crone, things quickly soured. Experiences with the Circle in general, and Marissa Carisle and Carter Raleigh in particular had given him a firm image of the covenant as a group of depraved monsters. Will's personal grudge against Carter, who had become Heather's mentor, complicated things further. The couple drifted apart almost immediately, with Heather slipping into her studies and Will developing an unlikely relationship with Fei-Lin Thorne, who had become a friend and protector during Heather's absence.
Bridget Connelly's coup that seized praxis from Carthian Prince Anthony Anderson had surpisingly little effect on the unreleased fledgeling, aside from a small, short-term oath to the new Prince. As his lack of rights was largely unchanged between governments, he considered the whole affair to be a case of "met the new boss, same as the old boss," though he would never say it to either ruler. He had hopes that the sharp reversal of fortunes would rouse the Carthians from what was, in his mind, a state of complacency and total disorganization, though his faith in the greatly weakened Experiment was still lacking.
Prefect
Shortly after Will's release, in an classic example of "be careful what you wish for," a few suggestions for improving the inner workings of the Carthians led to Anthony nominating him to be the new Prefect, which the others quickly endorsed. Despite seeing it as a way to push his ideas for improving the Movement, Will initially accepted the job only reluctantly, finding the constant restrictions and ultimatums set on the role by Anderson to be both stifling and irritating. Some progress was made in streamlining the Carthian decision making system, but little else changed until the next big shakeup for the Movement.
When Anthony left the Carthians to return to the Invictus, it came as no surprise to Will, who had found his loyalties to the Carthian ideals to be suspect for some time. It did, however, free Will from the restrictions Anderson's status had let him unilaterally set on the Prefect role. Throwing off the former Prince's ideas for the Movement entirely, Will began working to restructure the group from the ground up with a new focus on basic rights and principles as a foundation for a new government system.
The rebuilding had barely begun, though, when the Carthians, and Will in particular, were stunned by yet another defection. When Clementine announced she was leaving the Movement for the Invictus, Will was incensed, and felt personally betrayed. Expecting an attack on his resources as a test of her new loyalties, he settled in for a fight, and bitterly warned Clementine that he would not give up what he had built for himself, not even for her.
Outfits
 Aloha shirt for Naomi's Tiki Party |
 Shorts for Naomi's Tiki Party |
 Puka shell necklace for Naomi's Tiki Party |
 Sandals for Naomi's Tiki Party |
 Victorian suit |
 Coat and tails |
Possessions
 Will's 2007 Ford Mustang GT |