Walter Merrick

Walter Merrick

Pronouns	He/Him
Clan	Crusader
Sect	Camarilla
Social Class	Pretender Elder
Morality	Humanity
Coterie	Oderint Dum Metuant
Position(s)	Prince of Trenton

Further Information

Description

Lady Anne: No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.

Richard: But I know none, and therefore am no beast.

- Richard III. Shakespeare. Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 71-72

Bio

Mortal life and Embrace

Little verified information is available to clan historians about Walter Merrick's mortal life outside of the basics. It is theorized that while born in the American colonies himself, his parents traveled from Europe sometime before then, fleeing religious persecution. At some point after reaching adulthood he entered into military service, working as a ranger under Col. Benjamin Church. He took part in raids of Acadia during the wars on the late 17th century between England and France and it was during one such operation that his unit was set upon by vampires of the Sabbat. Reports have than Merrick was among four survivors of the encounter who was captured and forced into the Embrace. The four were locked into a mausoleum to awaken among The Undead, with only Merrick emerging before the following sunrise.

Unlife in the Sabbat and his Sire

Excerpt from debriefing conducted by -REDACTED- 1801

  “My sire, Durendal, had eagerly fought in the Anarch revolts and rejected the Convention of Thorns, joining the nascent Sabbat. He came over the American colonies along with some of the first French explorers into Canada and was tireless in promoting Sabbat expansion into the New World. Durendal was well suited for the work, eager to fight on the front lines, and he expected the same of me as his Childe, and he held contempt for my aptitude for strategy over brute force. He was not able to deny my successes however and after a harrowing five years, I was accepted as True Sabbat. The ritae by which one is acknowledged culminates with the Cainite being branded on the forehead. Durendal instead drove the heated sword meant for the task into my eye, searing me to the skull. He did this to teach me, and I made it a point to well learn the lesson. You see, his great failing was one which much of the Sabbat suffer from. He exalted sadism as the highest virtue. He did make me stronger, yes, but that was ultimately to his own detriment."

Formation of his Pack and conflict with the Camarilla

"Excerpt from debriefing conducted by -REDACTED- 1801"

  "My pack came together shortly after I was recognize as True Sabbat, around 1702 or 3. I attracted like minds, sect members who were thoughtful, more precise in our cruelties. Oh we were monsters who served monsters, certainly. However, I suspect we would not conform to Camarilla propaganda about Sabbat packs. We worked intelligence and counter intelligence from Maryland to Maine, disrupting your efforts in the colonies and in time in the nascent United States. When a Camarilla Elder feared travel from one city to another, it was our pack they feared. We aided in numerous Crusades and were active in Sabbat successes in the region. All the while, however, we found that while we were as sibling, brothers and sisters bound by unholy ritae, we had little affection for our sectmates. Our lot was wedded with lunatics and sadists without real purpose or direction beyond conquest for the sake of cruelty. It was uninspired and boring."

The Turn

Proving Loyalty

Rising through the ranks

Praxis of Trenton

Rumors

• Merrick killed his own sire to prove his new loyalties to the Camarilla.
• Merrick is not in fact a Ventrue at all. He is a Lasombra.
• Merrick did not have a hand in the disappearance of his predecessor, but he does know who is responsible and is blackmailing them.
• Merrick quite enjoys Karaoke but is at best a middling singer himself.
  

Quotes

• "I have heard that Prince Merrick is sometimes fond of sharing tales of various atrocities he committed while he served the Sabbat. I must praise him for having come so far, but also his listeners for their vast tolerance and patience." -- Zoltan Vancura
• "Walter is proof the line between Elders of the Sabbat and Elders of the Camarilla is thinner than the Camarilla wants to admit. He's better than you think....but he's worse, too. I will enjoy watching how he evolves over the next century or two, if either of us lives that long." --Bob
• "Prince Merrick is poorly understood by most Camarilla members. He cultivates a lot of this misunderstanding intentionally, I believe. I find that strangely charming rather than off-putting for reasons I'm not even sure of yet." - Agatha Palmerstone
  

Edit Quotes: Add your own!

OOC Information

Player	Adrian Berk
Pronouns	He/Him
MES #	US2018040053
Domain	NJ-007-D
Storyteller	Sean McKeown