Tarquin Rhys
Self-Obsessed, Spiteful, Clever, Determined, Treacherous
Tarquin Rhys is all you might expect from a Ventrue Primogen of the Invictus. Born into the Ivy League of New England he was educated to the highest level and went on to study Economics at Princeton. With a sharp mind and a mean streak a mile long he soon found his natural home in Wall Street and was one of the stars of the stockmarket in the 1910s. His wealth and meteoric rise to prominence in this area got him involved in the New York high life and it was here that he, unwittingly, first started to mingle with the Kindred.
Moving in high circles Tarquin had met Robert Cornelius, Lucia Caprese and Constance O’Day before he was even Embraced and Cornelius was heard to remark at the time that he considered it only a matter of when one of the Kindred would choose to Embrace this bright, young thing rather than if they would. Indeed it wasn’t long before Solomon Curry, the Baron of Chelsea, Embraced the young stockbroker.
Tarquin found the transition to the Kindred life easy enough. He continued to move on the stockmarket, operating through mortal foils, and amassed wealth and influence in the financial sector of the city. He was an active participant in Kindred politics, firmly standing for the meritocratic Invictus system of government. Coming from the upper classes of the kine he could see the advantages to this system as well as knowing how to play it.
By the 50s Rhys had become the Baron of the Financial District and wielded a lot of power for his relatively young age. He had made allies as well as a fair number of enemies but those around him had been impressed with the callous, ruthless and quiet ways he had dispatched of those enemies, never resorting to direct violence. This was indeed a Kindred after their own hearts.
Rhys’s reputation grew and grew over the next forty years and, when Reznik decided t o do away with the last Duke of New York in 1991, Rhys was in a prime position to ascend to Primogen. Having had the time to plan for this eventuality for many years Tarquin moved quickly, discrediting and humiliating his opponents in a devastating display of long-term planning. Duly impressed, Reznik approved Tarquin’s ascension to Primogen.
Since that time Rhys has continued to build his assets and power, consolidating his position. However, as happens to nearly all Dukes of Manhattan, he has given way to paranoia and insecurity. The position is traditionally a short-lived one and, knowing this, the Dukes often react in similar ways. As usual, Rhys is determined to be the first Duke of Manhattan to make it to thirty years in power though he has a long way to go yet. He feels the pressure of the situation quite heavily and it is widely considered only a matter of time before he makes a terrible mistake or amasses too much power for Reznik to be comfortable with.
A good looking man, Rhys lacks the subtle charm of the seducer. Whilst he is a consummate diplomat and persuader he is an impatient man given to fits of pique and hasty words. His sharp tongue has brought him close to blows several times with other Kindred though he often picks his occasions well, choosing to do his best insulting in Elysium, where reprisals will be met with dire consequences. Almost universally respected and detested Rhys is not a popular Duke, unable to see past what his subjects can do for him. He is vain, self-obsessed and power hungry. This alone does not set him apart from many other Kindred but he possesses the drive and determination to act on these feelings. Rhys is not a Kindred to be trusted unless you have his signature on a legal document.
