THE PRIMOGEN Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste, Been around now for a long, long year; stole many a man's soul and grace." The Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil" The Primogen of the city are listed below, with a brief pen portrait. However, not all that you read is necessarily true... Rocky Johns. Johns is an seventh generation Brujah, and has risen to prominence very recently, after the infighting died down. Johns is very young for an Elder, having been Embraced in 1943. Rocky Johns was born Eric Johns, in the East End in 1919, of working class parents. After becoming involved in various minor criminal activities (smuggling, acting as an enforcer for gangs, pimping) and joining Moseley's Blackshirts, Johns' wish to be involved in complete violence, where he could do as he pleased, and maim and kill for pleasure finally came true in 1939. Johns joined the Army, served first in Norway, then France, then in North Africa, before joining the Commandos in 1942. Johns took part in several famous raids, including the attack on St Nazaire. He was always regarded with some suspicion, and was considered to be a borderline psychopath, but his effectiveness as a fighter kept the authorities off his back. Johns was in London early in 1943, recovering from a wound received in a raid on a harbour in Holland, when an argument with a man in a pub degenerated into a fight. Johns lost, but not before putting out one of his opponent's eyes and breaking his arm. Johns, lying bleeding to death, was Embraced, and joined the Brujah. Since then Johns has been part of the Brujah fighting machine. He had no political ambition, and seemed content to spend his Unlife simply proving how good a fighter he was. This seems to have changed abruptly. Johns' Sire, whom Johns thoroughly detested, disappeared about three years ago under mysterious circumstances, and Johns then began to advocate pushing the Gangrel from their position as power brokers. Johns' position as the only successful Brujah leader in the last conflicts, along with a strong arm and thick skin, have placed him in charge of a small, depleted and bitter clan. He wishes to Sire more neonates, but at present Llywellyn, whom Johns refers to as "That Old Woman" refuses to allow this, thus increasing the tension. What Johns will do cannot be predicted: whilst he is quite mad, he is not suicidal, and a continuing jockeying for position seems likely. Johns would have had no true powerbase, but for the fact that the now-dead Caitiff Armand St. Michel attempted to control London through the drug gangs. When Armand was killed, Johns attempted to push himself into the position as boss of all the narcotics trade in London. This has met with rather limited success. Johns is six feet tall, dark hair, heavily scarred and has small, dark, closely set eyes. John Albrecht. Albrecht is the sixth generation leader of the Gangrel, and the powerbroker in the Camarilla. Albrecht was born in 1696, and joined the army while very young. He fought in wars all across Europe, then 1729, whilst serving in the American Colonies, he came across one foe he could not defeat, and was Embraced. Albrecht spent the next seventy odd years in America, hiding, learning, and fighting the Sabbat. He learned from the Native American Kindred much of how to live out in the wild places, and he honed his already deadly fighting skills still further. Early in the nineteenth century, Albrecht returned to London, and rose rapidly through the Gangrel hierarchy until by around 1856 he was its leader. Albrecht is a staunch believer in the Masquerade, but is still at heart a direct action fighter. He is among the most deadly foes any Kindred could fight in a battle with guns or hand weapons. His prowess in unarmed combat is little less impressive: Albrecht fought and killed a Lupine in hand to hand combat, and wears a necklace of Lupine teeth to prove it. Many consider Albrecht to be stupid or naive. This could hardly be further from the truth. He affects an appearance of rough ignorance, but this conceals a sharp mind. He considers the actions of the Ventrue to be too Machiavellian, and he favours the approach of giving a person one direct warning, and one warning only, then letting them take the consequences. He is however, a highly principled person, and his given word is unbreakable. Albrecht stands close to seven feet tall, and is heavily built with it. He exudes a kind of menace that puts most people distinctly off their ease when he is close by. This is reinforced by the fact that he is altogether silent. Albrecht simply makes no sound at all when he moves. Over the centuries, his frenzies have brought him several animal features. He remains reasonably good looking however, and has begun to resemble more a bear than the wolf normally associated with the Gangrel. He has dark hair, and his skin is darker than most Kindred. He usually dresses in a simple, unaffected style, like a manual worker. He says little, but his words are carefully chosen for maximum effect. Albrecht's powerbase, aside from the Gangrel's huge number of entertainment establishments, comes from three main sources: the environmental lobby, which forced Llywellyn to act using contacts in government to clear up London, the press, which has lost much of its force through the Media Act, and finally, the protection rackets and vice rings. Through these latter two, Albrecht's influence spreads throughout the lower reaches of the city. There is no leader among the Malkavians, who simply drift aimlessly through their Unlives. This is not to say that there are not powerful members of that clan: they simply take no part in what is going on. Emily Smithwick. Smithwick, a sixth generation Nosferatu, is the antithesis of the other female Primogen. Born in 1409, she became a child prostitute in Whitechapel in 1422, and continued to ply her trade until 1433, when she was Embraced by what she thought was a potential customer. Smithwick is secretive, cautious and untrusting. She has survived for a very long time, and has lead the Nosferatu since the eighteenth century. In that time she has strengthened her network of contacts time and time again, until she is now capable of finding out almost anything. She regards Llywellyn with a good deal of dislike, considering him over-ambitous, grasping and arrogant. She is thus unwilling to help him unless it is demonstrable that the Nosferatu are either in real danger or likely to really benefit. This is largely due to Llywellyn's work in reducing the power of the trade unions, where Smithwick's power was centred. Once, this allowed her to paralyse London almost at will, but this power is much weakened. However, a few recent episodes have shown that Emily's union allies are by no means as finished as was thought. She regards the actions of the younger members of the clan in participating actively in the Camarilla as a worrying trend. Emily Smithwick is potentially powerful enough to cause Llywellyn real problems, but since she prefers to be left alone she has little interest in playing at politics. She generally supports whichever side seems likely to most further her own and the Nosferatu's ends. In the last hundred or so years this has been the Ventrue, but if the circumstances were different, she would swing herself behind another faction. That faction would probably learn quite quickly that she does nothing without payment, and it is thus that much of her property has come to her. Most of the rest she has stolen herself. Emily Smithwick is of medium height, and has the truly horrible face typical of a Nosferatu. However, her figure remains rather voluptuous, and her hair is still blonde, although it now grows in rather more places than it did in her life. Smithwick's presence is rather disturbing, and she tends to be intimidating. She lives in a secluded section of sewer tunnel, hidden by material and mystical means. This small haven is beautifully furnished, and contains many interesting and unusual items that she has acquired in her long Unlife. Elizabeth Raphael. Raphael is of the sixth generation and is the de facto leader of the Toreador. Since the death of the traitor Martin Dean, the faction of the clan that supported him has swung itself firmly behind Raphael, and now for the first time this century the clan Toreador is united. How long this state of affairs will last is anyone's guess. Elizabeth Raphael was born in Italy in 1696, to a wealthy merchant family. Whilst on a Grand Tour of Europe, she discovered that she had a curious power over men, and when she was Embraced, a bare six months later, in Paris, she began to strengthen her abilities in this field. Raphael is the youngest of the clan leaders except Albrecht, but like him has gained great power through an active Unlife. Raphael has honed her talents as a seductress over the centuries, and is now capable of getting any man who is not a eunuch and a great many women to do almost anything for her in return for her "affection". Raphael has lived all over Europe and has a distinctly cosmopolitan outlook on most subjects. She is a genuine artist, so is thought an Artiste, not a Poseur, within the clan. Her media are oil paints and the violin: she has exhibited paintings under false names in Europe's major galleries, and given recitals in London. Raphael is not particularly evil, merely self centred and rather absorbed. Her influences with local government, the lower courts and the prosperous middle class "new industrialists" allow her to push against Llywellyn, and the often bitter disputes between local and national government arise through this. She actually has enough power to challenge Llywellyn, largely as a result of the Kine who would die for her, and although she leads the principle opposition faction, she has no plans for a coup, merely to make life hard for Llywellyn. Some say this is because Llywellyn would not betray Margaret Percy for her, but this is unconfirmed. Elizabeth Raphael is close to six feet tall, with a breathtaking figure, long jet black hair, and appears to be around twenty. Her clothes, whether formal or informal, are invariably of exquisite quality and are highly revealing. She is rather a classic "Vamp", exuding aggressive sexuality at all times, although even her enemies find it difficult to contemplate harming her. Margaret Percy. Percy is usually referred to as "My Lady of the Tremere", or simply "the witch". She is one of the oldest vampires in London, and although her Chantry is small, her personal power is huge. This derives from her control of the telecommunications media, allowing her to subtly influence a great many people. Her standing among the New Age movement has brought her into contact with some true mages, none of whom so far suspect her true nature, but give her access to powers beyond the norm even for her clan. She was born in London in 1432, of aristocratic parentage, and as a bored rich girl looking for some excitement became embroiled in the arts of magic. She studied hard, and soon became a power in her own right. This brought the attention of the Tremere, whom she saw as a threat and in 1460, she became embroiled in a power struggle against them. Inevitably, this lasted little time, but the Tremere saw that Margaret Percy was more use to them alive than dead, and rather than being killed she was Embraced in 1461. Continuing her magical studies in Vienna, Percy returned to London in 1750 to take over the Chantry, when the previous Regent was removed on a charge of treason. Over time she has built up her power as much as possible, although the strength of the Ventrue have prevented any takeover. Percy has considered allying herself with the Toreador in the past to overthrow the Ventrue hegemony, but considers that as a clan the Toreador are too divisive and butterfly-like to prove useful allies in the long term, and that she would soon find herself on the receiving end of the worst behaviour of the Ventrue. Her relationship with Llywellyn is strange: she dislikes the Ventrue's assumption that they are the best qualified to rule, whilst having strong feelings for Llywellyn. Over the centuries they have been enemies, rivals, allies, friends and even lovers. At present, their relationship is passionate but dignified and formal. Margaret Percy is attractive, very powerful and rather secretive. She is short and very slim, with white skin, blue eyes and dark hair. Her voice is quite beautiful, and entrances those that hear it. Richard Llywellyn. Llywellyn is Prince of London, and is a fifth- generation Ventrue. He claims to be Elizabethan, and to have been an actor. To those who know him better, he claims to have been born in 1111 near the Welsh border. In truth, he is older than this by over three centuries. In his early years he fought in France and Spain, before returning to England and becoming an actor. He was Embraced by a fan in 843, and was heavily involved in the fighting of the Anarch Revolt. Llywellyn's Sire was killed early in the Sabbat-Camarilla wars, and it is this that has made him a strong proponent of both the "Active Masquerade" (that is to say, disinformation, spying and duplicity rather than a wall of silence) and strong active measures against both the Sabbat and Witchhunters. Llywellyn lived in London for the next four centuries, supporting the Prince, Gloriana, and gradually building his own influence and power. He was heavily involved in repulsing Sabbat assassins during the American War of Independence, and in driving off a Lupine invasion in the last century. Llywellyn was appointed Ventrue Justicar around the turn of the century, and served for two terms. He was instrumental in preventing a resurgence of Tzimices power in the Balkans after the First World War, and in setting up the modern lines of communication between princes. Llywellyn became Prince in 1937, after the previous Prince mysteriously disappeared. Although some suspect Llywellyn of involvement, in fact he left to pursue his plans with the Inconnu. Llywellyn himself remains a committed Camarilla member, although the Inconnu have approached him several times. Llywellyn appears to be around forty, with reddish hair, cut short and brushed back and a short beard. He is greying at the temples, but is close to six feet tall and appears strong and vital. He normally dresses in expensive grey suits or sports jackets, with more formal attire for evenings. Llywellyn is a passionate believer in the Camarilla's role in getting clans to work together. He genuinely believes that the Camarilla's role should be to help all Kindred, not merely to be a debating society or a means to extend one's personal power. He has near-endless patience, an iron will and an absolute conviction in his own capabilities. He is able to inspire and drive people to act together in ways other Kindred find at once fantastic and fearful. He is totally ruthless in dealing with his own or the Camarilla's enemies, but is willing to go a long way out of his way to help his friends or allies. His influences in the judiciary, police, national government and business run very, very deep, as do his contacts with the powerful Kindred in cities across the World. He even has friends among the Security Council of the United Nations. He has used these contacts and influences to break the power of other cities and even other Elders in the city. The Media Act, curbing the power of the press, and hence that of Albrecht, and the various laws against the unions which eroded Smithwick's powerbase, were to a large extent of his design. Llywellyn is respected and liked by his friends, feared and hated by his enemies. He is all a Prince should be, but all too seldom is. The following two are considered part of the Primogen in the hierarchy of London's court, but are not members of any accepted clan. Saul Bendracht. Bendracht is a seventh Generation Caitiff. Born in Krakow in 1503, he was Embraced in Warsaw sixty three years later. He left Warsaw early in the nineteenth century, coming to London with the waves of eastern European Jews who immigrated at that time. An accomplished Cabbalist in life, Bendracht has continued his magical studies in his Unlife, and is a formidable sorcerer. Llywellyn discovered this early on, and has always been friendly with Bendracht. It is thus that Bendracht has achieved his influence: without Llywellyn's patronage, he would be powerful but not respected. As it is, he is regarded with suspicion by most clans, but is at least given his due. Bendracht stands a little over five and a half feet tall, and is thin in the extreme. He dresses like a Hassidim, with earlocks, frock coat and Tarboosh hat. He affects the manners and behaviour of a Hassid, even speaking Yiddish. He has a truly breathtaking selection of allies and contacts among the Jewish community, which allows him to find out a great many hidden things. He is rumoured to have some sort of "Arrangement" with a number of Rabbis, although the nature of this is unknown. Bendracht is a staunch supporter of Llywellyn, although he is not above a little good natured ribbing in public. Bendracht is humorous, humane and considerate, but powerful all the same. Maureen O'Brien O'Brien is a seventh generation Keenai, and leader of the small Keenai faction in London. She was born in the Hebrides in 1694 and was Embraced in 1725. After several decades in the court of Edinburgh, she left for London. For the next century, she proclaimed herself a Caitiff, only revealing her true identity early in the twentieth century. Maureen O'Brien appears a gentle being, but with a harsh side, evidenced in cruel jokes, and her close binding of promises. It is worth check all the small print when dealing with her. It is said that this results from her long contact with the UnSeelie Court, but no one can confirm this. O'Brien is at best ambivalent about the Tremere, and likes nothing better than seeing their plans foiled. For their part, the Tremere would dearly love to investigate her powers, but realise that this might have unfortunate, unforeseen circumstances. Tall, thin and beautiful with long dark red hair, O'Brien looks like any man's dream lover. She is more than capable of defending herself against any physical and magical threat. O'Brien tends to keep a low profile in Kindred politics, usually serving only herself or her clan but she has helped to warn of magical intruders before. This results both from her own powers and her large numbers of allies and contacts, some of whom have more than a touch of the "Second Sight". Her Herd, and her supporters are concentrated among the Irish in Kilburn.