Kevin Jackson is the current Prince of Chicago, a descendant of Lodin and leader of the Bloods. As the youngest Prince in the United States, he describes himself as the new face of the Camarilla in the 21st century. His goal is to inspire other Camarilla domains to follow his example, creating a city where vampires must adapt to the modern era, or risk losing the protection and benefits offered by the Camarilla.
Biography[]
Mortal Days[]
Major Isaiah and Professor Pamela Jackson were a 1960s, upper-middle-class Chicago family surviving in a poor neighborhood. The couple had tried to move multiple times over the years, only to be denied bank loans, not be shown available housing, and suffer under the government-sanctioned industry of redlining. Given little choice, they raised their family of five there and taught them right from wrong, to help people in need, and to fight for those without a voice.
The Jacksons made protest signs, marched for equal rights, and practiced activism every day, ingraining it in their children. As the children got older, they played family games and practiced schoolwork at night in attempts to keep the kids off the streets. For all the love, warmth, and shelter a family can provide, the real world’s crushing weight cannot be avoided.
Medgar was tormented, tortured, and terrorized in the neighborhood. He needed allies, a crew to watch his back, and so he made a decision that would protect the family. He joined the Bloods and was followed in short order by Langston when he was old enough. The brothers thrived and rose in rank.
Like his older brothers, Kevin had to make a choice. He knew what his parents would want, and they warned him not to be like his brothers, but what did they know? They didn’t have to walk to school, ride the bus, and survive in this new world. Medgar and Langston joining the Bloods made him a target of the Playboys and Crips. It was a no-brainer, and he joined the Bloods.
Medgar moved to Los Angeles to become a leader among the West Coast Bloods, while Kevin rose through the Chicago ranks, surpassing Langston. By 1984, Kevin was the most powerful Blood in the Windy City, controlling the cocaine trade. The Jacksons were aware of the three oldest children’s activities and sent the younger two abroad—Zora to Paris and Bayard to Ireland.
The parents would argue endlessly with Kevin about the damage he was doing to the community, saying they did not march with MLK to watch their son destroy the dream. His response was always the same: “What good is the dream if you’re dead or a slave? You need the power to make a change and have to do anything to survive.”
Lodin, no longer happy with Capone, came to Kevin one night at Cabrini Green. He offered Kevin the Embrace, immortality, and a chance to become one of his lieutenants. Kevin saw a chance for real power and accepted. Kevin knew with eternity he could replace Lodin and secure a better Chicago… in time. Until that time, he would be what Lodin and so many others saw—a mindless drone to be ordered around, a disposable black body to be thrown away when no longer useful.
Kindred Nights[]
During his first year as a vampire, Kevin told his siblings about the Embrace, Kindred society, the power, and his plan. Once they agreed, he turned Medgar, Langston, and Zora into his childer and addicted the rest of the family to his vitae.
Medgar returned to lead the West Coast Bloods, Zora began securing a power base in Paris, and Langston headed to Puerto Rico. Kevin addicted vital members of the Chicago Bloods to his vitae and crushed any opposing gangs. He consolidated his power until he became one of the most influential Bloods, with reach across the United States, France, and Central America. Kevin understood that power was for taking and accumulating; relying on the hereditary drip-feed of Clan Ventrue would not serve his ambitions.
Kevin did as asked, masquerading as Lodin’s enforcer while secretly building an army. When Maldavis challenged Lodin, the Prince feared what Kevin might do, but the Caitiff’s backing was too uncertain. Kevin continued playing the long game, covertly aiding the Anarchs to secure allies while publicly supporting his sire. Over the years, Kevin’s army grew to triple the size of what anyone suspected.
Kevin played his part during the War of Chicago. Suspecting his sire would fall, he headed to Lodin’s secured haven to steal his computer and gain control of the older Ventrue’s assets. Upon entering, Kevin found werewolves killing vampires, including a few city elders. Unsure of the outcome, he attacked to “save” his Camarilla peers. Grabbing a broadsword off the wall, Kevin helped hold off the invaders. He slew the Sabbat pack leader in battle, but it was his two dozen armed Bloods who ensured survival. That fight earned him the nickname “Paladin,” influence, and access to Lodin’s accounts.
In recent years, Inyanga, the former Gangrel Primogen, brokered a new peace treaty with the Lupines, delineating vampire and werewolf territories. When she presented it to the city elders, they demanded to know who authorized it. Kevin seized the moment, claiming it was a joint decision between himself and Inyanga. Ventrue and Gangrel united in silence, and Kevin demanded the Primogen council call for a new Prince. The council did not oppose his rise, toppling Joseph Peterson’s unsteady paper reign.
Once in power, Kevin reflected on the endless arguments with his family, who were all named after activists, change-makers, and dreamers. His first instinct was to eradicate gangs in Chicago. Though not ashamed of his past, he believed others didn’t need to live that life. Kevin loved the idea until reality set in: crime would always exist, fueled by poverty, greed, and power. He realized that the Bloods were his power base, and without them, his reign would be short-lived. Instead, he ruled the underworld with a firm hand, taking from both Kindred and kine alike.
Kevin believes education is power, for both mortals and Kindred. Today, he immerses himself in science and technology, determined not to become an anachronistic Prince of a city trapped in a bygone era. His mantra is “STEM” — education for everyone and a chance at success, the American Dream — but strictly enforced. Critias acts as a tutor for fledgling Kindred, with mandatory lessons on sect laws. Failure in these lessons results in destruction. Kevin’s Chicago has no room for failures.
Kevin is determined to make Chicago the North American crown jewel of the Camarilla, where ignorance among Kindred is inexcusable. What began as a reign of hope and upward mobility has morphed into one where the Prince is eager to crush the Anarch Movement, hunt the clanless and Duskborn, and silence dissent by sending Hounds to burn out entire havens of problematic vampires.
Jackson is the future of the Camarilla. In his domain, you get one chance to succeed.
Description[]
Kevin Jackson is one of Lodin’s younger childer, a lieutenant Embraced to reorient the then-Prince’s influence over Chicago’s criminal underground. He was expected to succeed where Capone’s grip was beginning to fail and to bring those operations into the future where they belonged.
These nights, Jackson is principally focused on solidifying his own powerbase, building alliances, and establishing his personal diplomatic credibility. He has forged and maintained peace with the local Lupines and may be about to strike a deal with the Lasombra that, if successful, will establish him as a force to be reckoned with among the Camarilla as a whole.Getting in on the ground level with him could be just the sort of leg-up an ambitious young lick needs to get ahead in the Second City.
Loresheet[]
New Blood: A newcomer to the Prince’s service, possibly a recent arrival from another domain. You have access to a specially constructed Mask worth two dots for use once per story, created using Jackson’s Influence. If you cause a breach of the Masquerade using that Mask, you suffer no adverse consequences beyond a stern talking-to by the Sheriff or the vocal disdain of Harpies in Elysium.- Recent Graduate: You have emerged from one of the Prince’s new “finishing schools,” devoted to his cause and ready to help him achieve his goals of unity and justice. You have been granted the assistance of one of his ghouls, equivalent to Retainers (••), who schools you in Chicago and its workings and is tasked with assisting you in whatever duties the Prince assigns you.
- Up and Comer: The Prince has granted you provisional access to one of his non-criminal areas of interest, equivalent to Influence (•••). Once per story, you may invoke Jackson’s name to automatically succeed in a Social test with a Kindred SPC whose interests overlap with those of the Prince.
- Adjutant: The Prince knows your capabilities and values them. He has granted you access to the core of his personal power, the gangs he spent years developing into his personal army. Once per story, you may call upon the Bloods to assist in an upcoming scene, where they count as an effective Allies (Bloods) ••• and Contacts (Bloods) •• Background.
- The Prince’s Lieutenant: You are the Prince’s strong right hand, the vampire he turns to for decisive action and wise counsel alike. You possess Mawla •••• (Kevin Jackson). Once per story, you may request the opportunity to gift the mortal of your choosing the Embrace, and the Prince will approve that request.
Appearence[]
Kevin is an athletic man appearing in his early 20s with a constant look of cool composure. His dark brown skin retains its original color of a man that has spent years outside. He wears a pressed white suit with a light blue shirt, tie, and brown dress boots. He carries a knife, silenced pistol, and different types of ammunition to combat Lupines or Kindred.
Character Sheets[]
CbN 1st & 2nd Ed[]
Notes: Kevin himself never carries weapons. However, the gang members who accompany him everywhere are always heavily armed.
Image: Kevin is always in style. Covered in gold, hairstyle changed weekly and dressed to kill, he makes a notable figure anywhere he goes. Though whenever he is with the "homeboys" he dresses flamboyantly, he also favors double-breasted suits or the tucked-in polo shirt style, in the right circumstances.
Roleplaying Hints: Since you almost always travel with a retinue, let them do most of the talking. When you do speak, make it a command.
Haven: Project in Cabrini Green. His Haven itself is an armed fortress with regular sentries, patrols and checkpoints. The gang members have orders to listen to any hint of Kindred presence. Guards listen to children's tales of monsters and thus have a good chance of spotting someone using Obfuscate. For special occasions, the gang has stocked up on flam ethrowers and white phosphorus grenades.
Secrets: B
Influence: He controls the Bloods in Chicago, and has great influence over them nationwide. Most of the drugs now sold in Chicago have passed through hi s hands and he has taken his cut out of them. There are a large number of very-well armed gang members under his control, and if need be, he could bring a hundred more into town on a few days' notice. It could be said that he has the best trained, largest and most deadly paramilitary force of any Kindred in Chicago. He is highly dangerous, and should not be provoked at any cost.
Fifth Edition[]
Blood Requirement: Kevin feeds exclusively from gang members. Specifically, his feeding preference applies to mortals who have sworn allegiance to a criminal group. For whatever reason, his palate can’t tolerate hangers-or.
Note: What Kevin Jackson lacks in raw power, he makes up for in potential Backgrounds. Jackson can theoretically call on his Hounds, Sheriff, and mortal accomplices when facing danger, and has access to over a dozen properties in which to plan or hide if necessary. He is a monster built from diversified assets, not merely the potency of his vitae.
Note about Werewolfs: The Lupines allied with Jackson largely remain beyond Chicago's limits, as vampires are prohibited from harming their kinfolk within the city. However, the Prince has permitted them to claim all streets below 79th as their territory, declaring that vampires below this marker are outside his protection.
Background Sheet[]
Chicago (Herd 5, Influence 5, Resources 5). Kevin views the entire city as his domain, Jackson prefers to feed from members of the Folk Nation, Tiny Rascal Gang, and Italian or Russian organized-crime outfits, due to their frequent conflicts with his allies among the Bloods.
Diversified Investments (Influence 5, Resources 5). Kevin maintains his influence by diversifying across technology, the university, the underworld, and city politics. He employs servants, informants, and at least one ghoul in each sector. The Prince believes in tyranny as an effective method of governance, but only if the tyrant understands his people.
Personal Guards (Allies 4, Contacts 3, Retainers 2). Kevin is always escorted by four armed bodyguards (former Navy SEALs and FBI agents), consisting of two vampires and two ghouls, all dressed in expensive black suits. His protective detail operates on a rotating shift and is coordinated by former federal agent Olivia Soto (Retainers 3). If her service continues to excel, Jackson plans to Embrace this tactical powerhouse.
Gallery[]
References[]
- VTM: Chicago by Night, p. 135-136
- VTM: Chicago by Night Second Edition, p. 129-131
- VTM: Chicago by Night 5th Edition, p. 209-211
- ↑ VTM: Under a Blood Red Moon, p. 53