Dramatis -- Liam Stephens

[brujah_barkeep]

Name: Prince Liam Stephens

Age: Late 200s

Race: Vampire -- Ventrue

Liam Stephens was born in 1747, just outside of Dublin. He was the firstborn son of Seamus Stephens, a middle-class barrister with ambition and drive beyond his station. Liam’s mother, Mary, died two years later, giving birth to his younger sister, Margaret. With an eye on rising in society, Seamus immediately set about the task of wheeling and dealing, eventually marrying a silly, young girl named Betsy. Barely more than a child herself, Betsy gave very little thought to Liam and Margaret, who ended up being raised primarily by a nurse.

As a young boy, Liam was immensely protective of Margaret. She was a dreamy child, who paid very little attention to the world around her, in favor of her own bright imagination. Seamus immediately began to use his daughter as a bargaining chip, hoping to find her a landed husband. Liam hated seeing his sister used that way. He and his father would often have words and Liam grew up stubborn and pig-headed, ever Margaret’s knight in shining armor.

No amount of protection, however, could keep Margaret from being married off. In 1765, Margaret was sent to live with a low-ranking aristocrat in the city. Within a month, news came back home that she had died suddenly. Liam, of course, was furious, immediately blaming her new husband. In a blind rage, he stormed into Dublin and tried to choke the startled man to death. He was caught and thrown into jail. Furious, his father disowned him, leaving him to rot. Which is what he did for the next ten years. Prisoners did manual labor during the day. At night, something strange happened. The warden of the jail had a peculiar friendship with the local, Camarilla governing body. For a substantial exchange of coin, Camarilla vampires would be allowed to visit the prison at night to feed off of any of the prisoners they so desired.

Liam was of little interest to most of the vampires until 1775 when an English Ventrue named Ursela Walthingham arrived in Dublin. Still new to town, Ursela had not yet established feeding grounds for herself. The prison was only too convenient, especially since her Ventrue feeding restriction meant she could only feed off of young men in their twenties. She was immediately taken with Liam who, despite ten years’ of hardship, had grown into a handsome man. Every night, for a week, she visited his cell and fed off of him. For the first six nights, Liam said nothing. He barely acknowledged her existence. Ursela tried to goad him into conversation, asking about his crimes. He said nothing. Finally, on the seventh night, Ursela attempted mind control. This time, Liam told her exactly what he’d done to end up in prison. Once he realized that he’d been tricked, he tried to strangle her.

Impressed by his fire and by his ardent devotion to family, Ursela decided that she wanted to sire him. It was tricky for her, since she was descended from MacLeod family, a line of Ventrue with a nasty reputation in the Camarilla. She lied about her sire and eventually got permission from the Prince of Dublin. That very same night, she returned to the prison, used mind control on the guards, and Embraced Liam, dragging his body away.

When Liam woke, he didn’t know what to think. He knew that vampires existed, of course. Ten years in prison had taught him that much. But he had no idea what it meant to be one. To Ursela, it was a matter of power. To demonstrate this, she took Liam as her escort to a ball. The cream of the crop of society was there that night. Ever the grubber, Liam’s father and now third wife, Catherine, were there as well. To teach Liam how to use his new Ventrue abilities, Ursela turned him loose on his own father. Anxious for revenge, Liam learned mind control by causing mischief. No one, for years to come, when they spoke of that night, could ever understand why Seamus Stephens stood up on the top of one of the tables and started singing Green Sleeves. Nor why he tried to grope the Governor’s wife. Needless to say, his social climbing was brought to a swift end that night.

Drunk with the power, Liam was ready to take on the world. His little stunt was too conspicuous, however, and Ursela decided it would be best if they left Ireland. They decided a stint in London might be fun. The Camarilla of London, however, had their hands full with their own problems. It seemed than an elderly Malkavian, who had decided she was God and that it was her duty to recreate the Garden of Eden, had formed a cult called the Children of Eden. The Ventrue of London were getting very nervous about the power base this Malkavian, who called herself “the Father,” was building. Ursela smelled an opportunity to advance her status in the city and further distance herself from her shameful, MacLeod roots.

Liam was reluctant to get involved, the whole political aspect of Ursela’s ambition feeling too much like something his father would do. Liam, however, showed a remarkable gift for mind control. And when his temper flared, he could be quite intimidating. These two aspects of his personality alone made it all too easy for them to follow the trail of the Children of Eden and advance Ursela’s cause. Their first opportunity came in 1779. They tracked down one of the Father’s followers, a man named Adam York. Adam, as they came to understand the Father’s dogma, was destined to be the new Adam of her new Garden of Eden. He had three daughters, two who had already been Embraced. He was on his way to Notting Hill to Embrace his youngest daughter, Artemis. Ursela and Liam followed him.

Things came to a head at St. Joseph’s church, just a little ways outside of Notting Hill. Liam and Ursela learned that Adam was using the church crypt as a haven. Right after sunset, one night, they arrived to ambush him. Liam, however, ran into Artemis first. Artemis, still human and particularly frail, was a sitting duck. Liam thought it almost too easy, as he approached the girl. He didn’t anticipate an ambush for his ambush. Half a dozen members of the Children of Eden leapt out of the shadows. An all-out brawl crashed through the church. Artemis was thrown out a window and managed to escape, with Adam. Ursela and Liam were both staked and deposited in a crypt.

For a full year, the two of them were left there. And they might have remained, but some of Ursela’s friends in the Camarilla implored the Sheriff to investigate their disappearance. They were found in early 1780. Liam was furious. He remembered his days in prison, helpless and no longer an active agent in his own life. His anger largely ended up being projected onto Adam, even though Adam had nothing to do with the events. Hot for revenge, Liam started a mad search to find Adam and destroy him for that lost year.

Adam had a household in London, which included Artemis and a few servants. Among the servants was a strange woman named Shauzia Merali. Shauzia was alone in the house, the night that Liam came bursting through the door. At first, he thought he’d kill Shauzia and wait for Adam. He beat her within an inch of her life, and violently raped her, but left her alive. He wanted Adam to feel the fear of being hunted, before he eventually died. Liam’s plan worked just a little too well. Adam packed up his household and moved them to Ireland that same night. Ursela and Liam followed after them, catching up with them a year later. This time, Liam didn’t waste a moment with fear tactics. He cornered Adam and Artemis on the street. When the fight broke out, he ripped Adam’s heart out with his bare hands. Artemis just barely managed to escape.

To celebrate his victory, he found a pub. And sitting in a corner of the pub, he saw his father. Seamus was drunk and staggering, only half recognizing his son. Liam gloated at his father, about how all his dreams had come true right away and how beautiful his life was. Seamus wearily warned his son that he had to learn to play a long game, the same way he had. To Liam, this seemed like an absurd thing to say. After all, in the end, Seamus’ long game had landed him forgotten and alone in a tavern. But the words would continue to haunt him for many, many decades to come.

Over the next few years, Ursela collected information about the Children of Eden, trying to track their movements. She and Liam traveled across Europe, putting down signs of their activity. Many of the Camarilla Princes of Europe were immensely grateful to Liam and Ursela for their service to protecting the vampire world. They garnered favor and boons everywhere they went. Ursela savored the newfound political clout. Liam, on the other hand, didn’t know what to make of it. Fearing that he’d become too much like his father, he tried his best to ignore his own reputation. In fact, he tried to play against it, passing himself off as a brute and a brawler, terrorizing pubs everywhere. Some people bought the act. Others did not.

Ursela took advantage of Liam’s efforts. She claimed him as a lover, although her affections were more or less one-sided. To Liam, she was little more than a prop. He felt mostly contempt for her. To him, their partnership was simply a matter of having nothing better to go on. He followed her in her mad quest to rid the world of the Children of Eden. And this quest eventually led them to France, in 1798. Rumor had spread that the Father would be in Paris for a wedding. Adam’s middle daughter, who went by the name of Diana Abel, would be marrying a mortal. Ursela saw this as some sort of step toward breeding half-vampire children to serve in the Father’s army. Since such a large number of the Children of Eden would be gathering for the ceremony, it was the perfect opportunity to strike a fatal blow to their ranks.

She was half-right.

Liam and Ursela crashed the party, right as the wedding was about to begin. Ursela pulled a dhampir boy out of the congregation, holding him hostage with an oil lamp. This left Liam free to barge inside. There, he first laid eyes on Diana Abel. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Although he’d originally planned to simply kill her in front of the Father and all the wedding guests, Liam lost his nerve. Diana’s intended, an Englishman named Joseph Penn, tried valiantly to defend her. To deal what he felt would be a terrible blow to the Children of Eden, he killed and sired Joseph. This led to complete pandemonium in the church.

Diana’s mind shattered and she fled. The Father and her followers tried to rescue the dhampir boy. Ursela started a series of fires in the church. And somehow, in the chaos, Liam found himself staked by several zealots who were furious on Diana’s behalf. When he woke, he was in a Children of Eden stronghold. The Father herself was there to greet him. And she was angry to the point of madness. Diana was her favorite follower and his crimes against her had cost the Children of Eden dearly. Which meant he had to suffer.

And suffer, he did. Over the course of the next three years, Liam was kept prisoner of the Children of Eden, somewhere in Northumberland. Every night, he was subjected to painful and violent hallucinations, brought on by the Father’s own madness. She forced him to relive the most traumatic moments of his life, mortal and immortal, over and over again. Gradually, she began to superimpose memories of his murder of Joseph. It wasn’t really Joseph that started to build his guilt, however. It was Diana. Even though he barely knew her, witnessing the moment of her heartbreak over and over again, night after night, slowly began to transform Liam’s entire personality.

Vulnerable and open to suggestion, the Children of Eden rebuilt Liam in their image. When he was finally released from his captivity, he was ready to obey the Father’s every command. His first mission was to find Adam’s daughters and bring them together.

The most reliable gossip had it that Artemis was somewhere on the west coast of America. Liam booked himself passage, landing on the east coast in late 1801. The journey was the first time he’d been alone in a very long time. And he was aware of everything the Children of Eden had put him through. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn’t find it in himself to go against their wishes or to deviate from his course. He began to question how much of what he was doing was because of the torture and conditioning he’d endured and how much of it was because he felt the need to redeem himself, not just for what he did to Adam’s daughters, but also for the wasted years of his life with Ursela.

He arrived in New Orleans in 1802, on rumors that Diana and her older sister Selene were in town. It wasn’t hard to track them down. The first night Liam saw Diana, again, he lost his nerve. He was completely caught off guard, remembering how beautiful she was, so he shied away from making contact at first. It was only a few nights later that he finally did. Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t thrilled to see him. He tried to speak with her, but she was so horrified and angry that she screamed and just kept screaming until a Brujah, who had taken a shine to her sister, named Milton arrived. Milton rather valiantly defended Diana, fighting against Liam, but the Ventrue was by far stronger and older and Milton was nearly killed. It was Selene who pulled Milton away from the fight and though Liam kept desperately calling out for Diana, she ran away.

Discouraged by his first attempt with the sisters, Liam decided to try finding Artemis. As he crossed the new country, he found that his reputation from Europe had followed him. Every Camarilla city he visited welcomed him as a champion. He was offered positions in many, although he turned them down to keep moving. Falsely, many saw this refusal as deep humility, which only made the Camarilla love him more. Such a man would make a great Prince, they all whispered.

In 1851, Liam made it to the west coast, to the burgeoning world of California. It took some doing to track down Artemis, since there was no real Camarilla presence in the area. Fortunately, Artemis’ reputation as a lunatic was enough for him to make his way to her doorstep. What he discovered there was not what he’d expected. Artemis had started up a cult. They called themselves the Order of the Silver Crescent. Half of them were vampires who, for one reason or another, didn’t exactly fit in with vampiric society. The other half were mortals. Dhampir, to be specific. Artemis disliked the fact that the Father was breeding dhampir to form an army, so she’d taken to rescuing dhampir and bringing them to live with her. She was, in fact, fighting against the very group that rehabilitated Liam.

The leader of Artemis’ dhampir group was a girl named Nooria Merali. She was the granddaughter of Shauzia and through Artemis, Liam learned that she was also his granddaughter. The night that he raped Shauzia, she’d gotten pregnant with the first of the dhampir to join Artemis’ ranks. Liam’s daughter subsequently gave birth to a dhampir, Nooria, before dying of consumption a few years later.

Liam was overwhelmed with guilt, now not just for what he’d done to the sisters, but for what he’d caused with the Merali bloodline. He threw himself on Artemis’ mercy, begging her to take him in, to forgive him, to help him make amends. Artemis agreed, on the condition that Nooria would never know about his relation to her. Liam agreed, although it was a decision he would second guess many times over the next few decades.

To prove his loyalty to Artemis, Liam bought her an enormous estate, made of up of several houses and courtyards. This would become the headquarters of the Order of the Silver Crescent. Since they were out in the wilderness, there was little in the way of established order when it came to the vampire world. But Liam knew he needed to play a long game. Given all his clout and his fame in the Camarilla world, he decided to establish a Camarilla court in the new city of Los Angeles. He set himself up as the Prince, naming Artemis his Malkavian primogen and immediately making the Order completely off limits to all vampires. Only its members would ever know what was going on behind its gates, that dhampir were being protected there, trained to fight, and that vampires were traveling across the country and the world to save all of vampire kind from itself.

Within the year of Liam’s bid for power, Diana, Selene, and Milton came to California. Liam tracked Diana down again. This time, Diana did not scream. She was past the point of caring about anything and because of this, Liam was able to get a chance to speak with her. He told her of his guilt over the horrible things he had done to her. Then he started to say something about Artemis when Milton showed up. Again, Liam and Milton brawled, Milton managing to get the upper hand. Diana broke up the fight, but Selene arrived and attempted to kill Liam. Much to everyone's surprise, Diana saved Liam and the two of them left together, leaving behind a confused Selene and Milton.

Liam brought Diana to the Order of the Silver Crescent, reuniting the younger York sisters for the first time since they were both human. With that, Liam completed his task for the Father and was free. Free, he decided, to serve Artemis and Diana. The three of them carefully began to lay out a series of plans to thwart the Father’s efforts to build a dhampir army. During this time, Liam began teaching Diana how to handle the modern world. The two of them would be together for long stretches of time and gradually, Liam started falling in love with Diana. There was an innate goodness to her that he couldn’t quite understand, but he found himself craving her company more and more. Unfortunately, Diana handled him warily at first and, as time went on, with a platonic distance.

In 1855, California was becoming a bastion of civilization. For the vampires, anyway. Liam’s court was largely filled with people he trusted. As a Prince, he was fair, but very much by-the-book. All new Embraces had to go through him. Anyone caught breaking the Masquerade within city limits was sanctioned. All rules and communications needed to go through the appropriate channels. Liam was surprised at how easily leadership came to him. He was, it turned out his father’s child, after all. Artemis, his new Margaret, was no damsel in distress, however. And he began to rely on her to keep him honest. When that failed, there was also Diana, who he could not help but desire.

This desire led to some trouble, however, when Ursela visited Los Angeles. She was immensely proud of the little empire that her progeny had created. And, as his sire and someone deeply in love with him, she wanted her piece of it. Liam, however, would have nothing to do with her. This could reception she blamed on Diana, vowing that she would have her revenge. Liam banished her from his domain. She was just a reminder of a time in his life when he was a person that he hated.

As Civil War broke out in the farthest reaches of the continent, Diana, Artemis, and Liam decided it was time to institute their underground railroad, smuggling dhampir to the compound. Diana volunteered to go east, along with Selene. It hurt Liam to see her go, but it was the most practical solution. And there were troubles on the homefront to keep Liam from missing Diana too much.

Nooria, who had grown up by this point, decided that it was her duty to continue the Merali bloodline. Since both she and her mother were dhampir, she decided that she would have to allow herself to bear the child of a vampire, so that her daughter could be just as powerful and just as capable of protecting Artemis. Liam and Artemis didn’t know what she was planning or how she did it until after the fact, but not long after her decision, she announced that she was pregnant. Liam was furious at her decision, but Artemis reminded him that he was not her grandfather and could have no say in her life. She privately admitted that she wasn’t happy about it either, but that she had to allow her dhampir to have free will. That was the point of the Order and everything they’d done. After that, it became a peculiar rite that every girl in the Merali line would take part in.

By the end of the 1800s, the dhampir railroad was in place and working beautifully. Artemis' compound was filled with followers, both dhampir and vampire. Liam's Camarilla court was thriving and he even represented the west coast at a New World conclave, accompanied by Diana. Given the relative success of the Order's efforts, Artemis left responsibilities in the hands of Liam and her retainers for a time in the early 1900s and returned to London, hoping to find the Father. Rumors began to swirl that the Garden of Eden had been destroyed by Eve and Milton and a new one was being created. Artemis had no luck locating the new garden, however. Liam was quietly relieved. He feared the day that the Father would return and reactivate whatever sort of conditioning she’d put him through.

Things were quiet for Liam for the next few decades. There were many ups and downs that came with being a Camarilla Prince, but all things considered, it was a surprisingly uneventful time in his life. Diana would visit on occasion, which made him incredibly happy. He was less happy when he learned that the Father was still alive, spreading rumors that Diana was now the vampire messiah. Liam did his best to quell whispers, but his influence only extended so far. In 1989, the head of the Merali family, Parvana, gave birth to a daughter named Fatima. Liam was taken with Fatima in a way that he hadn’t been with any of the other girls in the family. There were rumors in the Order that he was actually her father. Rumors he greeted with snorts of derision. But it was clear that he had a special bond with the girl as she grew up. He taught her how to use vampire disciplines. And when Parvana wasn’t available, it was Liam who wiped away her tears and sat up with her to keep the nightmares at bay.

In 1992, the peace Liam had grown comfortable with was taken away. The entire vampire population of Oakland, California vanished. Liam went to go investigate and managed to find a single, surviving ghoul. The ghoul reported that early one morning, an army of mortals marched through town, opening windows and doors to vampire havens all across the city. Liam, Artemis, and Diana realized that the Father had finally built her dhampir army and was on the move. It was a crushing blow, but the trio elected to continue with their work. They didn’t feel that the Order was nearly powerful enough to stand against what the Father had apparently built. The best they could do was keep her at bay for the time being.

They had other problems that began to show up. One was Ursela, who continued to try to kill Diana for the perceived theft of Liam’s heart. Eve and Milton popped up from time to time to cause mischief for the Order. It was also around then when a new dhampir moved into the compound. Her name was Emily. She was a startling contrast to Liam’s beloved Fatima: dour, secluded, a Goth, and reluctant to accept what she was. At the age of ten, she and her twin sister, Samantha, spent three nights trapped in a nether realm by some vampires seeking to do away with dhampir children (a vampiric sign of the Apocalypse, according to legend). Emily was haunted by nightmares of her experience there, though she refused to tell anyone. That is until one night, when she went to Liam and asked if he would wipe her memories of it. Fatima overheard the conversation and was quickly caught. She and Emily got into a fight that ended with Emily punching Fatima. Fatima used the Fortitude Liam taught her, revealing that Liam had been training her in secret. Liam broke up the fight and told the girls that they now knew each other's secrets. That made them sisters. And after that night, their bond grew strong.

The whole dhampir coven had grown quite powerful and many times had lent their abilities to aid Liam as he dealt with running the city. One night, in early 2004, one of Liam's enemies—he never knew which one—found out about the coven. Learning that they were going to cast a spell on Liam's behalf, the enemy attacked, slaughtering many dhampir, including Parvana. Fatima survived the attack. She was suicidal with grief and was only brought home by Liam. Although young and stubborn, Artemis saw incredible potential in Fatima and elevated her to leadership, despite the fact that she was only sixteen years old. Liam, however, was not so convinced. He tested her and worked her hard to prove herself. Artemis, Liam, and Fatima took several years to settle into a comfortable arrangement, but Liam loved Fatima like a daughter and soon enough, they'd found a routine.

When the entire vampire population of Phoenix, Arizona was reported missing in 2008, Liam and his allies immediately suspected the Father's hand and decided to investigate. Liam, Fatima, and Artemis chose to send Diana and Selene to the scene. Although they knew Selene was just itching for a fight with the Father, they also reasoned that going to Phoenix might benefit the railroad. Surely, many misfits in vampiric society would make their way to fill in the power vacuum, after all. And among them, they might find people they could help.

Phoenix turned out to be a huge disaster. Working with magic beyond their comprehension, several vampires investigating the disappearances managed to create a Wyrm, which destroyed all technology in the surrounding area. Artemis ordered Diana and Selene to leave. Selene escaped to Mexico. Still close enough to suffer the effects of this magic, Diana's van broke down. She got out to walk to the nearest gas station and was immediately attacked by a handful of the Father's fringe followers. Their leader, baptized as Solomon by the Father, had Sabbat leanings which he impressed upon the entire group. Among them, they practiced feeding off of vampires. He convinced the others that the best way to protect Diana, the vampire messiah, was to keep tabs on her at all time. Diana was therefore strung up in their safe haven and a nightly ritual of feeding was established, each of Solomon's followers becoming blood bound to Diana while she continued to suffer an unending amount of aggravated damage from their teeth.

As Liam and Artemis began to realize that Diana was missing, Artemis happened to run into a Ventrue named Joseph. He was Joseph Penn, Liam's childe from Liam’s wickeder days. When Joseph learned who Artemis was and that Diana was missing, he immediately insisted on joining Artemis and Liam in their attempt to find and rescue her. This caused a lot of tension in the Order, especially given the fact that Liam’s love for Diana was well-known. Nevertheless, the three of them finally managed to track Diana down to Solomon's stronghold. Liam ripped Solomon's heart out with his bare hands and carried Diana off, Artemis and Joseph trailing after him.

In a hotel in Nevada, Liam tried to nurse Diana back to health. She was weak, not only because of her broken body, but also her broken spirit. He sensed that she was ready to give up on life, so he forced her to drink his blood. It started to revive her, but more importantly, it bound her to him. By the time they returned to California, Diana was able to walk and talk almost like new. Artemis found out about the bond and was furious with Liam, accusing him of manipulating Diana before she could reunite with Joseph. Joseph, too, felt betrayed. And as the three of them argued the point, Diana appeared in the doorway. As she was reunited with her True Love, Liam could only watch from the side of the room.