Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust?
And, live we how we can, yet die we must.
—Henry VI, Part Three, V,ii,27

Clan Ventrue

This page is dedicated to serving the Ventrue, and functions as a repository for information gathered about the most noble of all Kindred clans. An outline of clan history and Ventrue politics are offered, and character profiles are provided for the most important members of the clan. Because the Ventrue rely on a network of human ghouls and retainers more than any other clan, descriptions of the clan’s prominent retainers are included in their master’s profiles.

2018 Archive Note
I first began playing Vampire: The Masquerade in 1993, and ended my campaign in 2002. I no longer run a Vampire campaign, and New York by Night is essentially an archive of old material. Entries presented in “gray boldface” followed by a “Coming Soon” bracket will be restored after I’ve edited the old material. Entries presented in “black boldface” were never actually developed, and are unlikely to be expanded now. I’ve retained them because they help flesh out New York by Night, and may suggest ideas for other Storytellers to adapt for their own campaigns.

Background

New York City Camarilla
A brief description and history of the Prince, the Primogen Council, the Manhattan Cabal, and the general politics of the New York City Camarilla.

The True History of Clan Ventrue
A brief history of the Ventrue in New York City, detailing the struggle of a noble clan against the corruption of a decadent Primogen Council. [Coming Soon]

Personalities

The Venturi Business Association
Below are the most important members of Clan Ventrue, collectively known as the Venturi Business Association. The Ventrue are listed by age, in order of the date they were Embraced.

Marius Flavius Vespasianus
The undisputed head of Clan Ventrue, Marius is a two-thousand old Roman Methuselah who has achieved the dream of the Caesars—his eyes fixed on the stars, his hand shaping the destiny of his people, he has become a god. [Coming Soon]

Umberto Nazarine—A captain from the Italian Renaissance, this five-hundred-year-old ghoul serves as Marius’ security systems analyst, and entered the service of his master in a very curious manner.

Harmony Whittaker—Retained since the American Revolution, Whittaker serves as Marius’ trusted administrative assistant.

Senator Preston Walcott—A Republican in the U.S. Senate, this ambitious man is in the pocket of one special interest group he can’t afford to let down.

Bishop Aidan Patrick Mary MacLuhan—An intelligent, crafty, and thoughtful man, the Bishop is one of the few mortals allowed to beat Marius at chess, and one of the few humans he considers a friend.

Wolfgang von Gottlieb
A Prussian Elder, Gottlieb is a Romantic with the demeanor of a professor, the heart of a poet, and the will of a soldier. One of the most popular and influential Ventrue, Gottlieb is the Clan’s choice for the next Prince of New York City. [Coming Soon]

Werner Löwenzahn—A Bavarian dispatched by his family to act as a liaison between New York and Berlin, Löwenzahn a lawyer and a Christian mystic.

Dr. Alice Sheldon—The Ventrue’s contact with the pharmaceutical lobby, Dr. Sheldon writes award-winning science fiction in her spare time.

Aleister MacTaggart
A Scottish Elder steeped in Machiavellian realpolitik, MacTaggart represents the most ruthless aspects of the Ventrue. [Coming Soon]

Jim Connor
A corrupt former detective, Connor fled from the Prince’s side, and now plies his brutal trade in the name of the Clan. [Coming Soon]

Gavrilo Princip Jovanovic—A Bosnian terrorist who serves Connor with dog-like loyalty, Jovanovic is an irredeemable thug who acts as a Ventrue strongman.

Detective Larry Flynn—A warped homicide detective with a fetish for violence, Flynn provides a useful lever within the NYPD.

Jonas Howe
Proprietor of the Succubus Club, Jonas is a level-headed vampire who conceals many secrets behind a veneer of Western charm. [Coming Soon]

Duncan Fett—A human computer, Duncan acts as the Ventrue’s loyal courier.

Virgil Caine—In charge of managing the Succubus Club, Virgil is one of the sturdiest and most reliable ghouls in the employ of the VBA.

Antonio Spinozi
The former head of the Spinozi crime family, now Don Spinozi pulls the strings from behind the scenes. [Coming Soon]

Margaret Louise Jamison
Warm, stylish, and humane, Maggie has much to offer the clan besides her empire of theatrical properties; not the least of which is a conscience and a sense of humor. [Coming Soon]

Kana Takashima
This untrustworthy businesswoman lives a double life, and represents one of the thorns in the side of Clan Ventrue. [Coming Soon]

Levar Tuttle
A leading fashion designer, Tuttle is a cunning vampire willing to climb the ladder of power with a slow and steady hand, despite his often impulsive exterior. [Coming Soon]

Franz Drew—A model turned personal secretary, Franz nearly worships his undead employer.

G. Aspen Sleet
The hereditary head Sleet, Baker & Blood, the Ventrue’s legal firm, Sleet is the paragon of the apex predator; her cold exterior a reflection of her arctic heart. [Coming Soon]

Laura Le Fanu—Once a temporary secretary who bore a resemblance to Sleet’s first romantic obsession, Laura is a tragic figure, a ghoul dominated and kept against her will in the prison of a vampire’s broken heart.

Benjamin Baker—A calculating ladder-climber, Baker is being groomed as Sleet’s public husband—but what is the fate of a black widow’s mate?

R J. Williamson
This self-made millionaire and corporate tycoon is the newest member of the clan, and certainly one of the boldest and most adventuresome. [Coming Soon]