Arden Canty, is a Tremere residing in the Illinois area.
Biography[]
Mortal Days[]
Born in 1823/1843 on a coffin ship fleeing the “Great Starvation” of Ireland, Arden never knew the love of his family. His mother died in childbirth over the Atlantic, her body tossed overboard with nothing but a shawl and a prayer. As he was nameless and abandoned, the presiding priest baptized him with the name “Arden”, meaning “solitude” in some languages. The resilient boy grew, as many did, at the St. Patrick’s Boys Asylum, fighting for food and recognition. He was an intelligent child, one who enjoyed reading the bible and learning about the mysteries of the world. This drive pushed him toward the priesthood of the Catholic Church. He eventually took his vows and presided over a congregation rapidly falling into turmoil. While the American Civil War raged, draft riots over religious bigotry ignited in the summer of 1863. Arden, in his arrogance, attempted to quell a mob readying themselves to cause trouble. Someone, perhaps his unknown sire, shot off a pistol and the situation became an outright panic with screams of spies. The resulting riot lasted overnight, generating a tragic amount of fatalities. Father Arden Canty was confirmed as one of the fallen. The newly minted martyr’s body was never found, and it was rumored local Protestants absconded with it for their malicious rites.
The act of Embrace happened quickly in the ensuing panic. Shot defending a young woman with her child, a shadow poured over Arden. Thinking this was an angel of death, he beckoned it with open arms. Given the curse of unlife, Arden was left to fend for himself once again.
Kindred Nights[]
Not receiving formal training on his new condition was overbearing but not unendurable. He studied his new-found powers, joining a Sabbat pack and becoming a Noddist. He preached like before, but now his darkened liturgy told of the end times and the truth of Caine.
The wiles of the Sabbat did not fall upon Arden’s psyche kindly. Witnessing the atrocities and partaking in them occasionally drove him deeper into Noddist literature and his own twisted thaumaturgical designs. He began exploration of a thaumaturgical branch supposedly capable of starting a divine fire in the heart of an undead being. After poring over tomes he borrowed or stole from other blood sorcerers, he hypothesized such heat could become so intense it could resemble a flame. His research brought him to places of great immolation, wandering through cities desperate to find the key to unlock his blood’s potential.
Close to losing himself to the Beast and desperate for some sort of respite, Arden looked to the only stone unturned, the Catholic Church. Arden commanded the presiding priest to entomb him into the walls of his church. He secretly prayed that upon waking, his shattered soul would find some sort of solace.
Arden awoke to a dream of great calamity. He dreamt of the Pyramid breaking into multiple sections and one becoming a shadow of its former self. In a stupor only a hundred or more years could create, Arden rushed into the sanctuary desperate for blood. Finding and killing a family of three, he realized a small child sat huddled, terrified by witnessing the violence. Realizing he created a lifetime much like his own, Arden commanded the child to forget all she had seen. Disposing of the bodies in a local graveyard, he wove memories into the presiding priest, Father Raul Gonzalez, and used his newfound resources to help the small child.
Grief-stricken and desperate for knowledge, he realized the year was 2009. He secretly wandered Chicago for any Cainite who could possibly help his plight. By a pure stroke of luck, he located two Cainites, Abraham DuSable and Simon, the now-deceased leader of the Church of Caine of Joliet.
Simon told him of the Gehenna War, the destruction of his branch of the Tremere, and how the war left the Sabbat devastated. Arden wandered the United States a while, looking for evidence of Simon’s words and new meaning for his existence, before eventually returning to Joliet depressed. He found Simon’s haven burned out, and in the wreckage a leather-bound book of newly formed rites. His depression turned to motivation, as he realized this was a sign for him to carry the torch for his House and the Church of Caine.
Single-handedly, Arden organized the reformation of his branch of the Church, taking guidance from the Gnostics beyond Chicago and reviving his congregation with increasingly Protestant practice. He’s still uncertain as to whether he accepts the Gnostic view of Caine as an angel and as life on Earth as a form of hell, or whether he can bring himself to once again adopt his childhood Catholicism. For now, preaching the Cainite gospels as a form of evangelism will do, at least until the flock is strong.
Appearance[]
Arden’s Mask is weak, and he knows it. He is attempting to gain falsified documents with the help of his retainer. He has used the name Father Martin O’Connell since he began holding night masses at the Holy Family parish. Arden prefers the Roman cassock as his nightly wear. He is a thin, bald man, lanky and awkward with the body of an academic, but still tall at 6’2”. What he lacks in appearance, he makes up in bravado, walking straight-backed with commanding airs.
Character Sheet[]
Arden Canty
Sire: Frondator
Embraced: 1863 (Born 1823)
Ambition: Rebuild the Church of Caine
Convictions: Bow only to the divine
Touchstones: Father Raul Gonzales — retainer and confidante
Humanity: 3
Generation: 10th
Blood Potency: 3
Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3; Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4
Health: 5
Willpower: 7
Skills: Craft (Sermons) 3, Melee 2, Survival 2; Etiquette 2, Insight 1, Intimidation 3, Leadership 4, Performance 1, Persuasion (Confession) 4, Streetwise 1; Academics (Theology) 4, Finance 1, Occult (Thaumaturgical Theory) 4, Politics 2
Disciplines: Auspex 2, Blood Sorcery 4, Dominate 4, Presence 1
Trivia[]
Two different birth dates have been provided for Canty: 1823, given on his character sheet, and 1843, noted in his biography. Given the apparent age of his picture, however, 1823 is more likely.
References[]
- VTM: The Chicago Folios, p. 141-143
