Stephen Norton

Steve Norton was the type of person who blends into the backdrop of life. He dutifully went to his job every day, and though he worked hard, he was never assigned a project that allowed him to demonstrate his talents. In a crowd, he was the face that no one would remember. He was always part of the audience, never up on stage. However, unlike other people who live quiet, unassuming lives, Steve Norton realized just how boring his life was, and refused to accept that he would be known for nothing better than having the best-growing E. Coli cultures in his lab at NIH (the National Institute of Health). So, Dr. Norton spent his downtime becoming the world’s greatest jewel thief. As long as Steve could remember, he wanted to be an internationally feared jewel thief. He wanted to do something cool with his life, to be able to look in the mirror and see someone who wasn’t a geek. He imagined that when he assumed the wealth and romance of the jewel thief persona he would have the last laugh on everyone. He’d be able to go wherever he wanted and buy anything he desired.

Most kids give up on their fantasies, but not Steve - he committed himself. He pursued his goal with such single-minded devotion that he became alienated from the social world. Steve Norton had no friends until he reached college. His freshman year roommate, Jeffrey Granger, was a psych major who got invited to all the parties and generally got along with everyone, even Steve. The two developed a strong friendship, which amazed them both. It was Jeff who taught Steve the intricacies of dealing with people. Eventually Steve got his doctorate in biochemistry, and pulled off a few heists along the way. He secured an extremely boring job at NIH, researching microorganisms. The only bright spot of NIH was Dr. Susan Williams, a fellow employee, who saw something more than the quiet image Steve cultivated. In light of Steve’s knowledge of electronics and chemistry, his incredible agility and his formidable research abilities, no security system was wholly safe. Steve would drive to distant cities without telling anyone, just to try a new vault or repository. All of these were practice efforts for what he planned to be his biggest job: the theft of the Hope Diamond from the Smithsonian Institute. But fate had other plans for Steve Norton. After he broke into the residence of a woman who’s beautiful emerald necklace had caught his eye, Steve’s car was spotted by a policeman cruising the neighborhood.

Two detectives came to his home the next evening, one of whom was the Malkavian Jasper Creed, a crazed member of the Bethesda police. Jasper demanded to know where the jewels were hidden, but Steve proved uncooperative. Luckily for him, Jasper had never learned the Dominate Discipline. After Steve lied to him about the location of his stash, Creed shot him twice at close range. Steve lost consciousness lying in a pool of his own blood, bitterly cursing fate. He was going to die, but he hadn’t lost the game. This nutcase detective had cheated. When Creed failed to find the jewels, he came back to Norton and Embraced him before interrogating him again. Steve gave Creed a new location, this time a few miles away instead of inside his house. Jasper left Steve to rot in near torpor in a bathroom, confident that the fledgling wouldn’t escape during the day. Steve Norton proved him wrong. By the next evening Steve had escaped, and the next he managed to contact Prince Vitel. Norton’s resourcefulness impressed Vitel, and while the Prince “dealt” with Jasper Creed, he made sure that Steve was spared. While Steve might not have been the world’s greatest jewel thief before his Embrace, he has improved since. Steve Norton resigned from his job at NIH and joined up with Art Morgan’s coterie. He also grabbed a cat named Spots from Melissa to be his sidekick. Steve spends his nights driving through the city in a motorcycle with Spots, loot and possibly another vampire in a sidecar. If Marcus Vitel regrets anything about his reign, it is sparing Stephen Norton. Since Steve’s Embrace, Vitel has rarely glimpsed the thief, but the Prince knows that the Malkavian has shared blood with his “daughter” Monica. He worries about what else this crazed Malkavian has discovered. The Prince also knows that Steve Norton has a weakness - the mortal Susan Williams. If anything can derail this Malkavian’s quest for knowledge, then it may be a threat to the woman.

Steve is a nondescript fellow who prefers black clothing with spandex bodysuits beneath. He’s about 5’10” with brown hair and brown eyes that scan carefully any room he enters.

Character Sheet
Clan: Malkavian

Sire: Jasper Creed

Nature: Perfectionist

Demeanor: Thrill-Seeker

Generation: 11th

Embrace: 1965

Apparent Age: 33

Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4

Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3

Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 5, Wits 5

Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Dodge 1

Skills: Animal Ken 2, Drive 4, Etiquette 2, Firearms 3, Melee 2, Repair 2, Security 5, Stealth 5

Knowledges: Bureaucracy 2, Computer 4, Investigation 2, Medicine 3, Occult 2, Science 4

Disciplines: Animalism 1, Auspex 2, Celerity 1, Obfuscate 4

Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 2, Mentor 4, Retainer 1, Resources 5

Virtues: Conscience 5, Self-Control 4, Courage 5

Humanity: 7

Willpower: 8

Notes: Steve suffers from delusions. He sees his life as part of series of novels about a great jewel thief. Everything has some sort of melodramatic symbolism to Steve. See that bum on the street corner? He’s an FBI agent planning to capture Steve - at least that’s how Dr. Norton sees things. The woman who accidentally meets his eyes is his fence, or a romantic fling from years past.

==  References == D.C. by Night, p. 56-58