James Rainsford

James Rainsford
Concept:	Philanthropistic Playboy
Clan:	Daeva •••••
Covenant:	Invictus •••
City:	Adelaide •••
Title:	Hydra of Australia, Baron, Adjudicator, Commissioner, Librettist, Player, Speaker, Toreador Patriarch and Viper of Adelaide
Sire:	Duke Arthur Reid
Bloodline:	Toreador
Group:	The Adelaide Society
Embraced:	1852
Player:	Mark Cole
Storyteller:	Adelaide VST

Personal Information

Appearance

James Rainsford is a Caucasian male standing approximately 1.85m tall and weighing around 85kg. He has short dark brown hair and very dark brown eyes. He tends to dress in stylish, yet somewhat conservative fashion. Sweaters, coats and collared shirts are the usual customs, though he is known to go all out on occasions and don very expensive tailored suits.

Personality

Usually smiling, laughing and making profitable deals with just about everyone, James likes to present himself as a playful, philanthropistic playboy. Though at the flick of a switch, he's all business and the rigid Invictus doctrine one would expect from an experienced Ancillae presents itself.

Mortal World

To the Mortal World, William Hawthorne is a successful businessman, playboy and philanthropist with a strong interest in the Arts; particularly music. He is the distant and usually absent Chairman of the Board for Encore Incorporated; a group of businesses which include an investment company, accounting firm and recruitment agency.

Known Aliases

• James Rainsford (In use from 1820 - 1893)
  
• Elias Hawke (In use from 1893 - 1950)
  
• Anthony Smith (In use from 1950 - 1979)
  
• William Hawthorne (In use from 2019 - Present)
  

Information Known by Kindred Society

England (1820 - 1849)

• 1820 - James Rainsford is born to Thomas and Patricia Rainsford in the quiet market town of Reading in the county of Berkshire, South East England.
  
• 1826 - James adopts a stray cat, names him Phineas, and attempts to conceal the fact from his mother, who soon finds out. After a brief scolding, she allows him to keep it.
  
• 1835 - Phineas passes away of natural causes. James is distraught and decides to bury him in the backyard of his family home.
  
• 1838 - After a successful education at Reading Grammar School, James begins studying Business, Economics and Finance at Oxford University.
  
• 1843 - James successfully graduates from Oxford. Later that year, he moves back to Reading and begins working at his father's bank as an accountant.
  
• 1847 - After his father falls ill and is unable to work, James is tasked with running the business.
  
• 1848 - James' father dies of pneumonia.
  
• 1849 - James' mother is murdered. James falls into a spiral of depression, sells his father's business and purchases a ticket to Australia in order to re-invent himself.
  

Australia (1850 - 1920)

• 1850 - James arrives in Adelaide, South Australia. Later that year, he becomes the Ghoul of Duke Arthur Reid and is brought into the service of the Invictus.
  
• 1852 - As a reward for his service, James is granted the Embrace and becomes the broodmate of Lady Marie Davenport.
  
• 1893 - ‘James Rainsford’, age 73, dies in a horrific house fire. The body, badly burned and beyond recognition, is privately cremated and his ashes spread across the River Torrens. In order to conceal his identity as a Kindred, James takes on the new alias of Elias Hawke.
  
• 1901 - Adelaide becomes a State Capital upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Duke and Duchess of York visit. James is present at the celebrations.
  
• 1905 – As tensions continue to rise as a possible war between Kindred looms, James works tirelessly to maintain his standing within the Court of Adelaide.
  
• 1914 – At the outbreak of World War I, James (as Elias) becomes reclusive and leaves his Ghouls to direct his fledgeling business, Adelaide Trusted Finance.
  
• 1918 – The War ends, and James sets up a small charity in Adelaide in order to provide relief for widows and fatherless children.
  
• 1920 – James meets Matthew Beaufort for the first time. He is impressed with his decorum, loyalty and dedication towards protecting the Masquerade.
  

The World Wars (1918 - 1945)

• 1921 - James takes a short, private trip to Europe where he tours the battlefields of France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Italy. He returns a changed man, a pacifist and philanthropist.
  
• 1926 - For his faithful service to the Invictus, James is awarded the title of Lord.
  
• 1935 - In light of his accomplishments and financial ambition, James is named Commissioner of the Adelaide All-Night Society.
  
• 1939 - 1945 - The World once again finds itself in conflict. James contributes to the morale of Adelaide as best he can, once again setting up a small anonymous relief fund and organizing uplifting musical performances for the poor through his company.
  

Post War Australia (1946 - 1978)

• 1946 – 1948 – James focuses on expanding the company. It undergoes a rebranding and emerges as Encore Investments.
  
• 1949 – Elias Hawke is killed in a motorcycle accident in rural South Australia.
• 1950 – James commissions Matthew Beaufort to remove all leftover traces of ‘James Rainsford’ from public life, save his immigration papers and death certificate. He emerges with a new alias, Anthony Smith.
• 1957 – James meets a young violinist named Amelia Dayne. He quickly becomes attached to her and the two fall in love.
• 1972 – James meets Georgiana Turpin and arranges the enrollment of several prospective Ghouls into her school.
  
• 1977 – On their way home from the evening premiere of Star Wars, James and Amelia are involved in a motor accident. Amelia later passes away in the Royal Adelaide Hospital from her wounds.
• 1978 - James disappears from Kindred society and goes into mourning.

Eclipse (1979 - 2019)

• 1979 – Struggling through languidity, and after spitefully ruining a dinner function hosted by Duke Arthur Reid, James finally descends into Eclipse following the loss of his mortal lover, Amelia Dayne, two years prior.
• 1995 - Encore Investments acquires the family-owned Greenhill Accounting Firm, rebranding it as Greenhill Financial Services later that year.
  
• 2007 - In the midst of the recession, Encore Investments purchases Headstart Recruitment after it goes into receivership, adding it to James' already successful portfolio. Headstart is relaunched later that year with increased government funding and subsidies for skilled job seekers.
  

Resurgence (2019 - Present)

• 2019 - James wakes from Torpor. He takes on a new look and another new alias, reborn as the playboy philanthropist, William Hawthorne.
  
• 2019 - James attends his first Court session in fifty years and meets several old friends and many new faces. He expresses an interest in Frank Wilson's ambitious entrepreneurial endeavours, and the two Kindred discuss potential business ties.
  
• 2019 - James is introduced to Magus Helena of the Crone and Prince Margarete Wulfhild, soon after the three Kindred have an intellectual discussion about the events of the last five decades.
  
• 2019 - Matthew Beaufort makes a re-appearance as the recently-appointed Director of Adelaide, as well as Georgiana Turpin who re-extends her offer of quality training and education for any new prospective Ghouls that James may find.
  
• 2019 - It is revealed that the Promethean named Sofie had still been in contact with Duke Arthur Reid and was exceptionally likely to have caused his descent into madness.
  
• 2019 - James is snubbed for a chance at claiming Praxis. He is instead offered the position of Adjudicator (Prince's Harpy), which he accepts.
• 2019 - James swears the Oath of Serfdom to Margarete Wulfhild in exchange for access to his territory. He is not pleased with this arrangement.
• 2019 - James swears the Oath of Fealty to Matthew Beaufort in exchange for being appointed to the role of Deputy Director of the Adelaide Invictus.
• 2020 - James takes the young Ventrue Logan Marshall under his tutelage. He soon releases him from his care and into the world as a full Kindred.
• 2020 - Having renewed his faith, James joins the Laity of the Lancea et Sanctum.
• 2020 - James is awarded the title of Baron by Director Matthew Beaufort.
• 2020 - James claims the titles of Librettist, Player, and Speaker.
• 2020 - James develops several new Devotions which he intends to use to his utmost advantage.
• 2020 - At the National Conclave in Canberra, James defeats Gahbrielle Chou and is elected Hydra of Australia after promising the Serpents everything they've ever wanted. Whether or not he can fulfil this lofty promise remains to be seen...

Lineage

Known Sire

• Duke Arthur Reid, previous Chairman of Adelaide.

Known Siblings

• Lady Marie Davenport

Quotes and Conversations

Quotes By

"To the gathered members of the Invictus, specifically His Majesty Prince Beaufort, I would like to announce that as of tonight, the 21st of April in the year of our Lord 2020, I have decided to release Mr Logan Marshall, formerly of the Invictus, presently of the Lancea et Sanctum, from my care.

"I believe that he should be allowed to embarrass himself however he wishes, insult as many Alders as he likes, and make as many enemies as he pleases, free from my guardianship and as a full and proper member of the Adelaide All-Night Society. While his penchant for drama and talent for shifting the blame onto others both impresses and concerns me, I believe that he should be allowed to conduct his Requiem free from my guidance and independent of any parental assistance that I should wish to offer him. As he is now a Brother of the Lancea et Sanctum, he is no longer my primary responsibility and I have other matters to which I would rather dedicate my time, effort and energy towards that are deserving of an Ancillae Lord of the Invictus."

"I regret that my teachings could not sway him from his present course, but I do formally wish him well within the ranks of the Lancea et Sanctum. Perhaps the teachings of Longinus will do what those of the Invictus could not, and give him a meaningful purpose to which he can guide his arrogance, egotism and pride towards."

- James Rainsford, declaring the release of Logan Marshall from his tutelage to the Adelaide Invictus.

"It only takes one mistake, Margarete. You went a long time before you made it. As Adjudicator, I would suggest that you be more cautious from now on. The decisions you make, they reflect on you in more ways than you know."

- James Rainsford, giving some advice to Margarete Wulfhild after a particularly tense discussion..

"What do I offer? Nothing. What do I promise? Everything. As an experienced Ancillae of reputable age, I offer the chance to establish dominance over the other Clans and further build upon our legacy and role within Kindred Society."

- James Rainsford, putting in his bid for Hydra of Clan Daeva

Rumours

• Witnessed the horrors of war and decided to become a pacifist.
• Has a long-standing wager with Matthew Beaufort.
• Sold his soul to the Devil.
• Delphi's new juicebox.

Inspirations and Soundtrack

• La Campanella - Niccolò Paganini (Performed by David Garrett) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZIW5co3go
• Caprice No.24 - Niccolò Paganini (Performed by David Garrett) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg0dG6pIs2Y

OOC Information

Member Information
Player:	Mark Cole
Number:	2016030008
Domain:	Adelaide