Payne Hewett

Payne Hewett

Herald of Los Angeles

Cardinal of the Lancea Sanctum

Blood Potency: 6 

Background (What is Known)
The vampire who now calls himself Payne Hewett was born under a far different name. One of the ancient line of dhampyr servants to the modern-day true Prince of Los Angeles, Payne was a Crusader. Though blessed by th the power that is imbued to each of his father's children, he could not escape those bloody wars unscathed. Injured nigh unto death by a Saracen blade, Payne was Embraced by his eldest brother rather than be allowed to languish.

As one of the Damned, he traveled alongside his oldest friend, now called Evan Cord, journeying from the Holy Land to England. There he met Elizabeth, a woman of grace and compassion unlike any he had ever known. Smitten, the two became lovers, and eventually, though the same magics that permitted his own birth, they became parents. Though centuries have passed, he remembers the boy still and thinks fondly of those bygone days.

After more than a lifetime in England, Payne was eventually forced to flee when Papal hunters traced the slumbering Evan to his hideway beneath the city. Waking the Torpored elder with his own blood, Payne and his newest Childe, Henry, fled into France, where they took up residence in the castle of one Ruskin d'Auvergnon. Starved of paternal affection, it was a simple matter for the eloquent Ventrue to insinuate himself into the young noble's affection, garnering a home for himself and his compatriots. Though treachery eventually forced them all to return to their travels, Ruskin accomanied them, now Sired to Evan. After years spent traversing Europe, during which time their coterie grew to include the famed Daeva Giacomo Casanova and the Nosferatu Count Orlok, they were forced to leave the continent of their origin, sailing across the ocean to the New World.

In America, Payne chose to settle in the northern province of Quebec, where his advanced age and political acumen soon won him the position of Prince. Word of the gold rush eventually reached him, however, sparking a temptation to retake the wealth that was the right of nobility. Guided by some divine providence, the members of his old coterie had also gathered in the then newly-formed town of San Francisco. Together, they rose to prominence, becoming the Primogen of their new domain. The position was a short-lived one, as treachery on the part of their Prince slew one of Payne's brothers. When the ensuing fires and quakes cleared, he and the others found their city decimated, but an opportunity was offered. His father had established himself as the Prince of Los Angeles, and knowing that his son had played no part in the murder. he asked that the coterie serve him instead. They moved to the City of Angels, where he became the Herald of this domain.

Description
The Herald is at all times seen with a sword estimated to have been forged between eight and ten centuries ago, and more than a few upstart Kindred have met their end upon its blade. He fittingly lives in the building that was built as the original meeting place of the first Masonic Lodge in Los Angeles and is the head of Cross Investments LLC.

The voice of the Prince and his Seneshal, Payne is aristocratic even by the standards of his fellow Ventrue. His control of the city is unparalled in more ways than one, as his bloodline is that of the Architects of the Monolith, though as evidenced by the hint of Medieval French in his accent, he far predates their established creation. It is known, in fact, that their founder, Ermenjart la Charpentiè re, was sired from his own bloodline.