Alexander Nathanial Morgan
Elder Protector of Toronto

by Jeff L. Orsini (1 Apr 95)

Ancient History

The year is 1763. England has just concluded a treaty of peace ending her seven-year war with France. On the north shore of Lake Ontario, a tiny trading outpost named Toronto has passed into British hands. Among the new residents of this tiny community (consisting of perhaps a dozen cottages and a small fort) is a young man, Alexander Morgan, who has arrived to make a new home in an untamed land. He sets up a small trading post at lake's edge, and does well. Within a year, he not only has the largest business within fifty miles, but has also taken a wife, Carolyn Foster. Life is a wonderful dream.

The year is 1772. The dream has shattered. With prosperity has come thieves and killers, those who are drawn by new wealth to take what they wish. Returning from Fort Niagara, a coach is set upon by highwaymen, not a half-mile from the gates of Toronto. Carolyn is killed, as is young Nathan, only four years old. Alex is left by the road for dead, the coachman slain beside him. All for a purse containing no more than 20 sovereign. Bleeding from a dozen cuts, Alex draws wolves...as well as a wolf who is more. With fading vision, Alex watches the wolf seem to shimmer, then become a woman. Naked, she approaches, and Alex receives the Embrace. She leaves as she came, with no explanation, no thanks or remorse, running off as a beast of the wild.

The year is 1793. Col. John Simcoe, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, has chosen Toronto for his capital. He finds it to be a town missing the crime so common in other frontier outposts. It seems that those who come to Toronto with less than honorable intent are soon compelled to leave, or worse. His new constable has no idea who is responsible for this, but is quite happy with the situation as stands. As if to remove all care from his job, a courthouse and jail have been constructed, courtesy of a generous donation by the community's reclusive business leader, Alexander Morgan.

The year is 1813; the army of the newly-formed United States has occupied the city, plundering with abandon. Within eleven days they are forced from Toronto by British forces. In that eleven days, however, fully one-third of the U.S. troops have been found dead, dumped at the city's edge. All appear to have bleed to death, many with terrible slashes upon their faces. An inquiry is held, with no results. Never again will foreign forces enter Toronto in anger.

The year is 1861. Toronto has become a haven for blacks escaping the great war that rages to the south in the U.S. Haven is found for many on Morgan Hill, home of the "heir" to one of the city's most valuable estates, Alexander Morgan "Jr." The city is still know as virtually crime free, even with the wave of refugees swelling overall population to nearly 50,000. Those who would take advantage of this disappear, often to appear again only as a newly-marked grave in the city cemetery.

The year is 1962. With the assistance of a financial gift from the Morgan estate, modern subways are built throughout Toronto. These, in addition to the new air terminal built the same year, keep Toronto as the economic centre of Ontario. Crime has finally managed to take hold in the city. It does not, however, arrive without price. Murderers and rapists not caught by the courts are often caught by a darker force of justice. Alex Morgan, now Alex Morgan "IV," makes certain of it. His close, and perhaps only, friend, Police Commissioner Bailey, turns a blind eye to these activities. He warns Alex, however, that the time will come when he can no longer protect him.

Recent Developments

Events in early 1988 drew Alexander away from Toronto to the Mediterranean island-state of Al-Amarja. Once there, he became intricately entangled with a group of Awakened souls such as himself. The group has become involved in matters that were far beyond Alex's original scope as a protector, dealing with things Umbral as well as mundane. Through the many trials undergone, he has developed something akin to a friendship with the members of the group, especially with a Kindred named Gryfon d'Argent.

Recently, Alexander has become a member of a mutual blood bond with a member of the group known to him only as Carol. The opportunity existed for Alex to remain the master in the bond, but he offered to be bonded as well; the idea of being a de facto slave-master was too vile to even consider.

A further complexity has entered Alexander's life. At the culmination of a recent ordeal, the discipline of Obeah was offered to him. He accepted, not fully realizing the penalty. He now has attained the second level of mastery in Obeah; he has also acquired, however, the Third Eye. He has, in effect, doomed himself to hatred within the Kindred, for the Third Eye is the mark of the Salubri, a clan despised and even feared by almost every vampire in existence. Alexander will accept this as the price he must pay to be able to heal as well as harm.

In midsummer of 1988, Alexander underwent what proved to be his most harrowing trial. On a lone "surgical strike" to rid Al-Amarja of the Sabbat, he encountered the local Sabbat lords, two 7th-generation Infernalists. Swiftly, he staked one and slew the other, for he had plans for a foul deed. Alex realized that to reach his true potential in the Obeah discipline, that of healing others at will, he would need a more potent essence than he possessed, an essence contained in the now-staked Sabbat. In a horrific display of sheer willpower, Alexander drained the now-helpless Infernalist of her blood pool, and then of her very essence. So great was the shock at the vile act he had committed, that he nearly lost a portion of his connection with mankind, his humanity so to speak; in addition, he was pushed to the brink of insanity. He could see the terrible pit of doom before him that he had condemned himself to by his deed. Only through his amazing strength of will and true remorse did he manage to avoid these twin fates, and emerge from the pit no longer eight generations removed from Caine, but now with the potency of a Kindred of the 7th-generation. Alexander knows now the mortal peril of the evil act known as Diablerie, and is resolved to never again be party to such wickedness.

During the Al-Amarjan ordeal, a change developed in Alexander's spiritual outlook. Before his Embrace, there was little room in his life for much in the way of spirituality; his days were filled with living a young life in the frontier. After his Embrace, Alex sank into a dark world, a place defined by a fanatical drive against the criminal elements that had so change his existance. Now, however, he has seen places more spiritual than real. He has run with Garou, and seen the ongoing war between Gaia and the Wyrm. Alexander has grown spiritually, and has developed a sense of faith.

Given these recent events, Alex decided to take a "long walk home"--from San Fancisco, where the group was once again involved in world-shaking events. On his journey, he encountered a group of Uktena garou on a reservation in Utau, trying to fight off Wyrm-tainted FBI agents. Alex helped to track the source of the corruption--a wyrm cairn in a radioactive waste site--and risked his existance protecting the Uktena shaman who performed the rite to close the cairn. In return for his aid, the Uktena assisted Alex on a spirit quest, at the culmination of which he attained Golconda.

It is now today. Alexander Morgan, master of Morgan Hill, owner of Morgan Industries, reclusive multi-millionaire, continues to hunt those who would bring crime to his city, despite increasing cries by "social scientists" and citizens' groups to end "frontier justice" and find those responsible for vigilante action in Toronto. He will do this thankless task forever, for Carolyn and for Gaia. It is his existence.

Player: J. Orsini           Clan: Caitiff           Sex: Male
Chronicle: Al-Amarja        Generation: 7th         Ht/Wt: 6'3''/200 lbs.
Nature: Cavalier/Protector  Haven: Morgan Hill      Hair: Dark Brown
Demeanor: Vigilante         Concept: "Dark-Knight"  Eyes: Ice Blue, 3rd Eye

Attributes

Physical                   Social                Mental
4 Strength (Able-Bodied)   3 Charisma            3 Perception
4 Dexterity (Athletic)     3 Manipulation        4 Intelligence (Pragmatic)
3 Stamina                  3 Appearance          4 Wits (Level-Headed)

Abilities

Talents                    Skills                Knowledges
4 Alertness (City)         2 Climbing            2 Chemical Analysis
4 Athletics (Acrobatics)   1 Crossbow Archery    2 Computer
1 Brawl                    2 Driving             3 Criminology
4 Dodge (Sidestep)         4 Melee (Disarms)     2 Electronics
4 Empathy (Truths)         2 Lockpicking         4 Investigation (Search)
2 Interrogation            2 Police Proceedure   1 Medicine
3 Intimidation             3 Research            2 Science
3 Search                   3 Stealth             5 Toronto (Crime Zones)
3 Streetwise                                     2 Toxicology
                                                 1 Weaverlore
                                                 1 Wyldlore  
                                                 5 Wyrmlore (Malfeas)
                
Advantages

Disciplines             Backgrounds             Virtues
1 Auspex               1 Age                  6 Conscience
6 Obeah                1 Allies (2)           5 Self-Control
2 Obfuscate            2 Contacts             5 Courage
1 Presence (1)         6 Generation           
3 Protean              5 Resources (3)         
1 Thaumaturgy          1 Retainers (4)                        
  1 Spirit Thaumaturgy 2 Clan Prestige: Gangrel      
4 Vicissitude  
 
Other Traits

Flaws                   Merits                  Humanity--10
Blood Bond (5)          Blasé   
Clan Enmity: Tremere    Code of Honor (9)                       
  (due to Third Eye)    Golconda                Willpower--10   
Driving Goal (6)        Immune to Wyrm                  
Frenzy Difficulty +2    Emanations                      
Nightmares (7)          Pawn (5)                Blood Pool--20
Prey Exclusion (8)              
                        True Faith--3   


Notes

(1) This is a modified Presence that can better be described as "larger
than life" or "spine-tingling" rather than "awe."
(2) Police Commissioner James Bailey.
(3) Extensive resources, including:  Morgan Hill (a 20-room manor on
80-acre hill in north Toronto); Morgan Industries, including Morgan
Laboratories (medical research), Morgan Technologies (high-tech
electronics), Eaton Centre (shopping mall) and Yonge Chemicals;
Rolls-Royce; private jet; extensive library; assorted works of art (canvas
and sculpture); liquid assets of roughly 2 million Canadian dollars.
(4) Butler/Chaufeur/Cook/Secretary/Medic "Richard."
(5) Mutual bloodbond with "Carol", a young Malkavian whom Alexander has
"taken under his wing."
(6) Fights to rid Toronto of crime.
(7) Repeatedly dreams of Carolyn's death.
(8) Feeds only upon stores drawn from Morgan Laboratories, from Carol (see
Blood Bond), or upon criminals (as deemed by Alex; must also comply with
Obeah strictures [i.e. unconcious or willing]).  
(9) Will only attack, feed upon (exceptions are in note 3), or kill
criminals (as deemed by Alex).  Never uses guns (they're "sloppy").