Fic: Inheritance, 1/?
Sep. 25th, 2005 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wiseheartAll right, this is the continuation to Daughter of the Night. As before, I'm posting it in smaller parts, as soon as I've written one part. Later, the whole thing will go to my website (see link in the User Info).
Inheritance
by Soledad
A “Pathways in the Dark” story
Part 02A of “The Anarch Chronicles”. Follows “Daughter of the Night”.
For disclaimer and background information see the Introduction.
Rating: Adults only, please. This is a particularly violent story, so be warned.
Summary: Salvador Garcia returns to the States and goes to San Francisco to pick up Valeria. She provides him with a surprise.
Author’s notes:
Archon Raine, the Prince of San Francisco, his bodyguard, his Enforcer and Juan Diego Sorrel are taken from the short-lived TV-series Kindred – The Embraced. Whenever RPG and TV-canon contradict, I go with the TV-canon, as the series was what made me interested in this particular universe to begin with.
The description of the events during the Spanish Civil War follows Salvador Garcia’s own words in An Anarch Manifesto, with a few modifications. My heartfelt thanks to Aislynn Crowdaughter who’s provided the original document.
Part One
It had been almost a year since Salvador Garcia had last seen his mortal protégée, the heiress of the enormous Velez wealth. He’d been informed about her well-being, of course. There were always ways, and even though relations between the Clans Brujah (his own) and Ventrue (the one to which the owners of the LA law firm belonged that handled the young woman’s affairs) were strained at best, business was business. Valeria had named Salvador as one of her guardians, and so the law firm Navital & Waters dutifully sent him quartal reports, poste restainte.
Besides, Phillipe Navital was surprisingly open-minded for a Ventrue, almost completely free of the usual Clan prejudices. Not exactly an Anarch, at least not formally, but definitely sympathetic to the cause. Such allies could be valuable, since they weren’t obvious ones and thus often overlooked.
One of those dutiful reports had informed Salvador that – after a lengthy counselling session with her lawyers in LA – Valeria had chosen to live in Manzanita, near San Francisco, where her father had gained partial ownership of the Old Mission Winery. The co-owner, one José Amendola Sorrel, was a personal friend of the late Don Ottavio, and a fatherly figure to Valeria, with a son of her own age. She had named him as her other guardian, and in exchange, she was willing to provide the winery with he necessary financial infusion – within reasonable limits.
Salvador found the decision a good one. Even if it meant that – in order to get to Valeria – he had to enter the Domain of the Prince of San Francisco. Said Prince was an old and cruel Ventrue, particularly hostile towards the Brujah, especially the Anarch ones. There wasn’t much Brujah presence in San Francisco, and those who were there in the first place, belonged to the lowest of the low. They particularly made up the local mob. Salvador despised them and mourned the fall of proud Brujah traditions. In his opinion, one had to fight and kill for a noble reason, like freedom or the protection of the poor and oppressed, not just because one liked to kill. So he didn’t even consider contacting his clansmen who lived out their unlives in the docks within Archon Raine’s Domain.
He’d come to Manzanita unannounced, which was a definite risk. Even though it didn’t lie within the city itself, Manzanita belonged to Archon’s Domain, and the laws of the Camarilla demanded tat every trespassing vampire presented himself to the Prince of the city, asking permission to stay and hunt within its borders. Not that Salvador would particularly care for Camarilla laws and the wishes of any Ventrue Prince, but he had to be careful. Breaking the law would entitle the Prince to have him destroyed – or, at the very least, banned from the city forever.
He took that risk anyway, since he didn’t intend to stay. He only wanted to pick up Valeria and drive with her back down to Los Angeles, where Alonzo was already preparing a safe haven for them. Valeria had intended to move to LA from the beginning, she only waited for Salvador to join her… and idea Salvador had firmly planted into her mind right after their encounter.
To tell the truth, Valeria hadn’t been an easy one to influence, but Salvador knew how to play her secret longing for freedom and independence. He couldn’t afford to let her slip from under his influence, though, since he’d also planned to groom her for the Clan, eventually. Even though that had to wait during the last year, as he’d been heavily occupied with Kindred politics, back in Europe.
The Mano Negra, the Anarch movement, had decided to use the mortal uprising against General Franco’s rule of terror for an all-out war to break Camarilla power in Spain. That had been a vicious fight, added by their mortal brothers, many of them aware of the existence of vampires but not caring at all. They knew, as did the Anarch vampires, the real enemy: fascist authority, aided by the Prince and his Ventrue followers. It was in the fight, the rush of activity and action, that Salvador could sometimes forget his pain, the tragedy of his life, from poverty to painful death... and the resurrection as an undead warrior.
It had been during this fight that his Sire, Ferdinand, finally attacked the Prince of Barcelona. He’d been killed, but succeeded in destroying the Prince as he went. They tore each other apart, drinking each other’s powerful blood as they struggled. It had been Ferdinand who won, and had the last draught of blood, but the Prince’s progeny had descended on him. He’d been too weak from loss of his own Vitae, and they’d finished him off.
Salvador had hunted down the bastard with the forcibly taken Vitae of his Sire in his veins. He’d hunted the Ventrue bastard down, beaten him to bloody pulp and drained him completely. This savage act of vengeance had gained him a generation, as his opponent had been of Ancillae Blood – now he was even stronger, even more powerful than he’d been before, despite his relatively short time spent in the Dark. But he also had to realize that he and his compadres had seriously underestimated the strength of the Camarilla in the Old World. It was time to seek out new hunting grounds.
He had chosen Los Angeles as his new home. It had been a logical choice. Nominally, the city was under Camarilla rule – more or less – ever since Don Sebastian Dominguez, a Toreador of the sixth generation, had proclaimed himself the Prince of the City, back in 1870. He’s established his Domain as a Mecca for artists, and Kindred from every Clan had come to the city in droves. But as Don Sebastian’s rule was practically limited to Downtown, the historical city centre, while other parts, like Hollywood for example, were firmly under Anarch control, LA had gradually become a harbour for Anarch Brujah who had overstayed their welcome in Europe; but also that of the more "elite" Kindred (usually Toreador) who could never find a social or artistic niche in other cities, especially in the Ventrue-dominated San Francisco.
Salvador had chosen East Los Angeles as his future Domain. The central east areas of the city, including Montebello, Pico Rivera, Monterey Park, South El Monte, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Rosemead, El Monte, Arcadia, and Temple City, were some of the poorest portions of L.A. and is mostly populated by immigrants from Central and South America and Mexico. There lived his natural followers, the ones he could recruit for the cause or even for the Clan. The revolution was most certainly not dead, just because they had suffered a crushing defeat in Spain. It was just about to get relocated. And Los Angeles would be the headquarters of the movement, now directed to the countries in Central America.
Thanks to the financial aid of Valeria, Salvador had managed to put aside a small amount of money – just enough to pay for his and Alonzo’s journey to America and to buy a club in East LA. A Taste of LA he named it, and he intended to operate it as a combination of an European-style coffee house (with coffee that actually tasted as coffee, unlike the horrible blend preferred in the States) and as a travellers aid station for Kindred newly arrived to the city. It would also serve as a recruiting centre, for humans and Kindred alike, as Salvador hoped that Los Angeles could become a new Carthage, eventually – a place where Kindred and Kine could live in peace again, with no need for fear. It was probably an idealistic idea, but what was a man without dreams?
For the near future, he intended to keep his haven in the club, until he could acquire a proper estate for Valeria in one of the communities close his Domain, in the suburbs housing the middle class and wealthy. In Pasadena. Or in Glendale. Or in Burbank. Somewhere where she could lead the live she was accustomed to. Once he’d Embraced her, such a location would also provide him with an additional haven – one where he’d be less likely to be sought for.
Currently, Alonzo was working on all those projects, with the professional – and very effective – help of Phillipe Navital. Salvador would have preferred to oversee the actions personally, but firstly, he needed to pick up Valeria – who had come of age during his long absence and was now the rightful heiress of an almost obscene amount of wealth – and secondly, Alonzo needed the distraction. Ferdinand’s death had hit him hard. He’d begun to drift, and for a while Salvador was even afraid that he’d take a walk in the sun.
They were close, of course, closer than brood brothers, but Salvador knew he’d never be able to provide the fatherly presence Alonzo had had in Ferdinand. So, it was better to overload Alonzo with work and heap responsibility upon him to the breaking point, until they had a home of their own and Alonzo could begin to heal.
Not much for the beginning, I know. But there's more where this comes from.
Inheritance
by Soledad
A “Pathways in the Dark” story
Part 02A of “The Anarch Chronicles”. Follows “Daughter of the Night”.
For disclaimer and background information see the Introduction.
Rating: Adults only, please. This is a particularly violent story, so be warned.
Summary: Salvador Garcia returns to the States and goes to San Francisco to pick up Valeria. She provides him with a surprise.
Author’s notes:
Archon Raine, the Prince of San Francisco, his bodyguard, his Enforcer and Juan Diego Sorrel are taken from the short-lived TV-series Kindred – The Embraced. Whenever RPG and TV-canon contradict, I go with the TV-canon, as the series was what made me interested in this particular universe to begin with.
The description of the events during the Spanish Civil War follows Salvador Garcia’s own words in An Anarch Manifesto, with a few modifications. My heartfelt thanks to Aislynn Crowdaughter who’s provided the original document.
Part One
It had been almost a year since Salvador Garcia had last seen his mortal protégée, the heiress of the enormous Velez wealth. He’d been informed about her well-being, of course. There were always ways, and even though relations between the Clans Brujah (his own) and Ventrue (the one to which the owners of the LA law firm belonged that handled the young woman’s affairs) were strained at best, business was business. Valeria had named Salvador as one of her guardians, and so the law firm Navital & Waters dutifully sent him quartal reports, poste restainte.
Besides, Phillipe Navital was surprisingly open-minded for a Ventrue, almost completely free of the usual Clan prejudices. Not exactly an Anarch, at least not formally, but definitely sympathetic to the cause. Such allies could be valuable, since they weren’t obvious ones and thus often overlooked.
One of those dutiful reports had informed Salvador that – after a lengthy counselling session with her lawyers in LA – Valeria had chosen to live in Manzanita, near San Francisco, where her father had gained partial ownership of the Old Mission Winery. The co-owner, one José Amendola Sorrel, was a personal friend of the late Don Ottavio, and a fatherly figure to Valeria, with a son of her own age. She had named him as her other guardian, and in exchange, she was willing to provide the winery with he necessary financial infusion – within reasonable limits.
Salvador found the decision a good one. Even if it meant that – in order to get to Valeria – he had to enter the Domain of the Prince of San Francisco. Said Prince was an old and cruel Ventrue, particularly hostile towards the Brujah, especially the Anarch ones. There wasn’t much Brujah presence in San Francisco, and those who were there in the first place, belonged to the lowest of the low. They particularly made up the local mob. Salvador despised them and mourned the fall of proud Brujah traditions. In his opinion, one had to fight and kill for a noble reason, like freedom or the protection of the poor and oppressed, not just because one liked to kill. So he didn’t even consider contacting his clansmen who lived out their unlives in the docks within Archon Raine’s Domain.
He’d come to Manzanita unannounced, which was a definite risk. Even though it didn’t lie within the city itself, Manzanita belonged to Archon’s Domain, and the laws of the Camarilla demanded tat every trespassing vampire presented himself to the Prince of the city, asking permission to stay and hunt within its borders. Not that Salvador would particularly care for Camarilla laws and the wishes of any Ventrue Prince, but he had to be careful. Breaking the law would entitle the Prince to have him destroyed – or, at the very least, banned from the city forever.
He took that risk anyway, since he didn’t intend to stay. He only wanted to pick up Valeria and drive with her back down to Los Angeles, where Alonzo was already preparing a safe haven for them. Valeria had intended to move to LA from the beginning, she only waited for Salvador to join her… and idea Salvador had firmly planted into her mind right after their encounter.
To tell the truth, Valeria hadn’t been an easy one to influence, but Salvador knew how to play her secret longing for freedom and independence. He couldn’t afford to let her slip from under his influence, though, since he’d also planned to groom her for the Clan, eventually. Even though that had to wait during the last year, as he’d been heavily occupied with Kindred politics, back in Europe.
The Mano Negra, the Anarch movement, had decided to use the mortal uprising against General Franco’s rule of terror for an all-out war to break Camarilla power in Spain. That had been a vicious fight, added by their mortal brothers, many of them aware of the existence of vampires but not caring at all. They knew, as did the Anarch vampires, the real enemy: fascist authority, aided by the Prince and his Ventrue followers. It was in the fight, the rush of activity and action, that Salvador could sometimes forget his pain, the tragedy of his life, from poverty to painful death... and the resurrection as an undead warrior.
It had been during this fight that his Sire, Ferdinand, finally attacked the Prince of Barcelona. He’d been killed, but succeeded in destroying the Prince as he went. They tore each other apart, drinking each other’s powerful blood as they struggled. It had been Ferdinand who won, and had the last draught of blood, but the Prince’s progeny had descended on him. He’d been too weak from loss of his own Vitae, and they’d finished him off.
Salvador had hunted down the bastard with the forcibly taken Vitae of his Sire in his veins. He’d hunted the Ventrue bastard down, beaten him to bloody pulp and drained him completely. This savage act of vengeance had gained him a generation, as his opponent had been of Ancillae Blood – now he was even stronger, even more powerful than he’d been before, despite his relatively short time spent in the Dark. But he also had to realize that he and his compadres had seriously underestimated the strength of the Camarilla in the Old World. It was time to seek out new hunting grounds.
He had chosen Los Angeles as his new home. It had been a logical choice. Nominally, the city was under Camarilla rule – more or less – ever since Don Sebastian Dominguez, a Toreador of the sixth generation, had proclaimed himself the Prince of the City, back in 1870. He’s established his Domain as a Mecca for artists, and Kindred from every Clan had come to the city in droves. But as Don Sebastian’s rule was practically limited to Downtown, the historical city centre, while other parts, like Hollywood for example, were firmly under Anarch control, LA had gradually become a harbour for Anarch Brujah who had overstayed their welcome in Europe; but also that of the more "elite" Kindred (usually Toreador) who could never find a social or artistic niche in other cities, especially in the Ventrue-dominated San Francisco.
Salvador had chosen East Los Angeles as his future Domain. The central east areas of the city, including Montebello, Pico Rivera, Monterey Park, South El Monte, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Rosemead, El Monte, Arcadia, and Temple City, were some of the poorest portions of L.A. and is mostly populated by immigrants from Central and South America and Mexico. There lived his natural followers, the ones he could recruit for the cause or even for the Clan. The revolution was most certainly not dead, just because they had suffered a crushing defeat in Spain. It was just about to get relocated. And Los Angeles would be the headquarters of the movement, now directed to the countries in Central America.
Thanks to the financial aid of Valeria, Salvador had managed to put aside a small amount of money – just enough to pay for his and Alonzo’s journey to America and to buy a club in East LA. A Taste of LA he named it, and he intended to operate it as a combination of an European-style coffee house (with coffee that actually tasted as coffee, unlike the horrible blend preferred in the States) and as a travellers aid station for Kindred newly arrived to the city. It would also serve as a recruiting centre, for humans and Kindred alike, as Salvador hoped that Los Angeles could become a new Carthage, eventually – a place where Kindred and Kine could live in peace again, with no need for fear. It was probably an idealistic idea, but what was a man without dreams?
For the near future, he intended to keep his haven in the club, until he could acquire a proper estate for Valeria in one of the communities close his Domain, in the suburbs housing the middle class and wealthy. In Pasadena. Or in Glendale. Or in Burbank. Somewhere where she could lead the live she was accustomed to. Once he’d Embraced her, such a location would also provide him with an additional haven – one where he’d be less likely to be sought for.
Currently, Alonzo was working on all those projects, with the professional – and very effective – help of Phillipe Navital. Salvador would have preferred to oversee the actions personally, but firstly, he needed to pick up Valeria – who had come of age during his long absence and was now the rightful heiress of an almost obscene amount of wealth – and secondly, Alonzo needed the distraction. Ferdinand’s death had hit him hard. He’d begun to drift, and for a while Salvador was even afraid that he’d take a walk in the sun.
They were close, of course, closer than brood brothers, but Salvador knew he’d never be able to provide the fatherly presence Alonzo had had in Ferdinand. So, it was better to overload Alonzo with work and heap responsibility upon him to the breaking point, until they had a home of their own and Alonzo could begin to heal.
Not much for the beginning, I know. But there's more where this comes from.
