Don Ariel

Don Ariel

Pronouns	He/Him
Clan	Ventrue
Sect	Camarilla
Social Class	Ancilla
Morality	Humanity
Position(s)	Prince

Further Information

Description

Don Ariel is an upstart stockbroker turned start-up financier, embraced after the American Civil War to help his sire consolidate post-war wealth. He was born and raised in Saint Augustine, Florida, but sees Manhattan's wealthy Financial District as his one true home.

Having made more progress against the Financial District's shifters than anyone else who has ever tried and survived where so many others have died, Don Ariel has developed a reputation for being reliable under pressure.

Don Ariel has zero tolerance for aggression and is uncompromising in the face of wrongdoing.

Timeline

• 1825 — Don Ariel is born to indentured Italian servants in Saint Augustine, Florida.
• 1838 — Don’s parents die in a tropical storm while sailing off the east coast of Florida, leaving him to fend for himself.
• 1842-1865 — Don establishes high-volume smuggling routes, liberating slaves and guiding them northward. Northern abolitionists and military officers pay well for each freed slave. Don developes a habit of sticking to the shadows, employing others to be the face of his endeavors.
• 1851-1865 — A mutual business contact introduces Don and Eydís Hellasdöttir in a port-side Georgia bar. Sparks fly and Eydís invites Don to continue his enterprise aboard her “private charter.”
• 1866 — Antonio Michele Machiavelli (NPC) of Clan Ventrue embraces Don to add to the wealth of the lineage. The face of Don’s business, Dorian Hollen (NPC), becomes his broodmate.
• 1867 — Don moves to NYC with his sire, leaving Dorian to tend to the “family business” in the South. Don founds his first factory, specializing in the production of metal aglets, which sets him on a path of rapid expansion.
• 1877 — Through repeated influence attacks and widespread violence, Don manages to take much of the Financial District away from the White Wolves of Wall Street. He is promptly released from Accounting.
• 1902 — At Don’s request, Clan Ventrue calls Christian Whitechapel from London to NYC to help overthrow werewolf influences. The pair prove to be an unstoppable force.
• 1914-1918 — Don temporarily shifts production to bullets and military hardware for Allied forces. With guidance from Maxwell Berk, this venture sees extraordinary success.
• 1920s — Don’s newfound wealth and power draw the attention of NYC’s elites, including good friends Melissa Anaktoria, Pythia, Pandora Giovanni, and many others. They welcome him with open arms.
• 1929 — Don foresees the coming economic collapse and begins short-selling stocks.
• 1932 — When stocks reach only 20% of their 1929 value, Don cashes in his short-sales, multiplying his wealth five times over.
• 1939 — Don once again shifts production to military equipment to help support the war effort. He begins to take a more active role in the Camarilla, going so far as to finance forces during conflicts with the Sabat while expecting nothing in return.
• 1940s — Don Ariel puts his resources to work smuggling assets out of Nazi-controlled territory in exchange for subtle remuneration. He proves instrumental in preserving the wealth of House Melamed, European Ventrue, and other kindred.
• 1955 — Clan Ventrue brings in Lictor Lord Arbiter Nicodemus Lucre. to resolve the matter of a violator of clan law. Don meets him after Lucre "solves the problem" and the two bond over their mutual appreciation of the clan's edicts.
• 1960s — Don Ariel (motivated to eliminate the competition) and Samantha Blythe (motivated to eliminate heavy polluters) meet and begin working together to take out "problematic producers."
• 1989 — Contrary to the advice of his long-time rival, Paul Krugman, Don invests heavily in ARPANET and related technologies.
• 2001 — In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Don rallies his influences and helps to rebuild.
• 2011 — The Beckoning leaves Clan Ventrue without its local leaders. The White Wolves seize the opportunity to kill his sire, worsening the power vacuum. With help from elder Ventrue Andvari Aswamain, Don becomes the new Primogen and brings order to Clan Ventrue’s holdings in the city.
• 2014 — After hearing that Don had performed a similar feat for Christian Whitechapel in Boston the previous year, Ezekiel Levens reaches out to Don for help establishing a Camarilla Praxis in Des Moines.
• 2016 — Don gets word that his broodmate has been murdered by hunters. Don ensures the line’s holdings are accounted for.
• 2016 — While tending to his deceased broodmate's belongings, Don Ariel finds a trove of old archeological artifacts. Through connections, he is directed to Anthony Pinemont, who helps to verify, source, and tag those artifacts. Anthony's information helps Don sell those artifacts at auction for far higher than anticipated.
• 2018 — Long-time friend James Fairweather introduces Don to Evaline Mae Jackson, the previously unknown childe of Don’s deceased broodmate, reuniting more of the remaining members of their lineage.
• 2018 - December, 2020 — Don and Evaline search for Lord Guninn Erikksson, an esteemed elder who went into torpor in 1880 and whose body was lost when his keepers disappeared in the Beckoning. Don and Evaline chased every lead until they located and secured his body for revival, restoring much of the line’s former glory.

Bio

STATUS

• Acknowledged (Accepted)
• Confirmed (Abiding)
• Authority (Abiding)
• Commander (Abiding)
• Sovereign (Abiding)
• Acclaimed (Fleeting)
• Favored (Fleeting)
• Favored (Fleeting)
• Favored (Fleeting)

Rumors

In 2013, Don Ariel succeeded in confiscating Bob's wealth. He had her haven in her own domain (Gloucester) foreclosed on and then bought it with her own money. He was and is very public about this, seeing Bob as functionally Sabbat despite her well known status as Unaligned.
Edit Rumors: Add your own!

Quotes

• "A strong adversary is nearly as valuable as a loyal friend, for as steel sharpens steel, they will demand the best of you. Don Ariel and I fought for many years over the underworld of New York City and he proved himself a cunning and talented strategist. After the end of the Sabbat, I was finally able to meet him face to face and I was not disappointed by him. Now we laugh over those battles which seemed so important years ago and I consider him a comrade. Such is the value of time and perspective in our existence." - Alex Krowe
  
• "Don Ariel is one of the wisest and yet, most ethical Kindred I have ever met. An intriguing combination for one so young." - Melissa Anaktoria

• "I have only had mild interactions with this one, but I am agreeable with what I have learned. If this keeps up, I may call them a friend." - Durendal

• "He's really into wearing suits and like I get it, he's a Ventrue, but surely there has to be some by-law somewhere that lets him have a casual day or you know some sort of fun that doesn't require a three piece suit, right?" - Kenneth Bilge

• "Yeah, I would steal from him again. I kid! I would steal FOR him again. Of course, of course..." - Gabriella

• "My sire is a serious guy who doesn't usually understand my pop culture references but he has taught me a lot about the great game that is being a Kindred. I need to continue making sure he realizes that he made the right choice in embracing me. And one day I'll convince him to sit through Star Wars with me! I get he's older but I know they still had books back in his day. Just saying with the fullest respect!" - Meir Cohen

• "Don Ariel. Where do I even begin? Ah yes, keep the liquor away from him or your stores will be dry before you know it," - Pandora Giovanni
• "Sometimes a woman will look back on what she had, not because she wants to go there but to motivate her to do better. You have really proved to be better for my friend Pandora, and I hope she remains happy. Do right by her. Revinaka
• I suspect many of us are currently deciding how we might wager upon the Don Ariel phenomenon. Is he a rising star in our firmament, or is he a bit of space junk that is burning up in the atmosphere?" - Claude de Bourbon, Master Harpy of New York City
• "A Ventrue that you don't want to pass over. He is worth more than a second look." - Ophelia Valentine
  

Edit Quotes: Add your own!

OOC Information

Player	Hunter Amato
Pronouns	He/Him
MES #	US2020120012
Domain	FL-001-D
Storyteller	Matt Rockhold