Robert Cornelius
Calm, Level-Headed, Calculating, Pleasant, Unflappable
Robert Cornelius was born in the mid 19th Century in rural northern America. As happened to many children of that time he ended up in the army and, when the American Civil War kicked in, fought on the side of the Union. Not a genius by any standards Cornelius was still very bright and although he spent several years as a footsoldier, applying his heavy build and unflappable calm to combat situations he soon rose through the ranks as a good NCO. By the age of 28 he’d met Major Harvey Norris, a well-regarded member of military intelligence. Major Norris saw in Sergeant Cornelius a wasted talent. His logical and methodical approach was perfectly suited to the area of intelligence as was his calm under pressure. He became a member of the Union’s fledgling military intelligence network.
In his early thirties, the newly promoted Captain Cornelius worked to direct many assaults on Confederate soil and was jointly responsible for many Union victories and the lives of many Union spies. His achievements did not go unnoticed and he advanced further through the ranks.
By the age of 52 Colonel Cornelius was one of the most respected and admired men in the field of military intelligence. In the industrial age of America’s rise to power he operated mostly in national security, protecting America’s investments and industry from overseas attack.
Approaching the age for military retirement Cornelius was dissatisfied. He felt he had more to offer the field but despite his rigorous protests he was forced to retire at 55. Deprived of his career Robert Cornelius realised his life amounted to little. He had never had the time for a wife or children and his parents had passed away without his notice. His brothers and sisters were scattered around the country and he barely knew them anymore.
Faced with long, empty days Cornelius turned to drink and gambling and soon the nest egg he had built up during his career was gone. Robert Cornelius could sink no lower. After a glorious career his life was in ruins and he loaded his sidearm for the final farewell to life.
It was at this time that Vernon Montsimmons, the then Duke of Brooklyn, decided to intervene. As Cornelius made his home in New York the Primogen was familiar with his career and capabilities and hated to see such a strategic, calculating mind go to waste, especially as he was a Mekhet. He received special dispensation from Karel Reznik to Embrace Cornelius.
When Robert Cornelius came to terms with his condition he was enthused with the second opportunity life had granted him. No more would age or infirmity be a barrier to his success. He immediately resumed his old work but applied to the area of the Kindred. He maintained his old ties to the intelligence network and built up new links in the government and Kindred politics. By the 1920s, when Montsimmons sank into torpor, Cornelius had quickly established himself as his obvious successor.
Since becoming Duke of Brooklyn Robert Cornelius has continued to build his power. He has stayed on top of all the developments in the field of espionage and has a small but high-tech network of mortal thrall spies spread throughout the city. He and Constance O’Day are in fairly direct competition in the intelligence stakes but with diametrically opposed methods. Where O’Day uses people and social manipulation to get her knowledge, Cornelius uses bugs and infiltration. Both are widely respected for their achievements and power and the two are considered to be the most powerful of New York’s primogen.
Cornelius is a calm, collected, reserved man. He rarely speaks or acts out of turn or in passion, always considering the effects his various options may have. A consummate strategist Cornelius’ actions can often seem incongruous with his goals but it usually turns out for his benefit in the long run. Cornelius rarely loses his temper but is known to be irritated by jumped-up, overtly power-hungry Kindred who rise in power to quickly (he is aware of the irony). He is a great advocate of patience and opposer of change. He is a staunch supporter of the Invictus, believing the old ways are the best and that those most suited to rule will do so. Having said that he deeply dislikes Tarquin Rhys and, to a lesser extent, Lucia Caprese. He sees them as hasty, impulsive, inexperienced, arrogant and dangerous and it is a poorly kept secret that he would like to be rid of Rhys.
