Father Walter Stanford is a Monsignor of the Society of Leopold, responsible for leading the efforts to eliminate the Kindred presence in Boston. He is protected by the True Faith from vampires and their powers.
Biography[]
Childhood[]
Walter Stanford, Jr. was born in Boston in the fall of 1963. His mother died in childbirth, making him the last child of the family. His father, Walter Stanford, Sr., refused to remarry, becoming more and more absorbed in his work and neglecting his duty as a single parent. Instead, he occupied himself by working to expand the family textile factory. Both his parents were of Irish Catholic stock. Walter grew up in a rather affluent environment marked by the absence of a feminine presence, apart from his older sister Mary.
Walter Jr. had three brothers as well, but their age difference made it difficult for them to form a deep bond. Walter was different, unlike the other boys. He had other, less material, concerns. He seemed to be growing up in the fringe of his prestigious family. As a child, he was particularly influenced by the charisma and personality of his uncle, Pierce Stanford, a priest and confessor for the Catholic elite throughout Massachusetts. It was the same uncle who took him to Saint John's Seminary in Boston, where his true calling would be revealed.
Rome[]
Francis Olsmont, a prelate of the Church, noticed Stanford during his early years at Seminary and quickly took him under his wing. He asked Walter to accompany him to Rome on several occasions. During the first trip, in the summer of 1984, Olsmont left young Walter to study and explore the city on his own. Stanford was thrilled by the wealth of manuscripts, places of worship, and scholars ready to share their wisdom. One night, his wanderings took him to the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, where a charming woman approached him. Her name was Caterina Landriani. Their impassioned and impromptu conversation about the question of redemption ended with the break of day. Walter did not mention this encounter to anyone.
Olsmont, being directly involved with the affairs of the papacy, returned to Rome with Walter regularly. Each time, Caterina Landriani reappeared, always in the same manner. Little by little, the young man began to feel a certain affection in addition to the immense respect he had for the learned woman. In turn, he came to confide in her, to tell her about his mentor.
It was the same year that Walter learned of his father's death in Boston. He himself said the funeral Mass. He watched as his family was torn apart by the question of an inheritance that had been reduced to nothing more than a paltry sum due to the debts amassed by his father and three brothers. After taking over the business, Mary cut all ties with her family, including Walter Jr., who would never speak to her again.
Society of Saint Leopold[]
In January 1986, Francis Olsmont informed Walter Stanford that he would be bringing him along to one of those secret meetings he always attended whenever they came to Rome. He told him that he was part of a secret order, and that he intended to nominate him to be recruited. Thus, Standford attended his first meeting with an organization dedicated to the fight against supernatural creatures, the Society of Saint Leopold. At the end of a solemn ceremony, he was inducted as a Novice. In no time, Stanford proved to be a promising new member. He spent a great deal of time traveling with his mentor, learning about this new world whose very existence he had known nothing about.
Passing through Rome, he once again met with Caterina, whose behavior had changed. She was more direct and ordered him to bring Olsmont to one of their night meetings. Stanford was unsure as to what prompted him to obey, but he used a ruse to convince his mentor to follow him that very evening. The two men fell into her trap. Caterina revealed that she was a vampire, and took the opportunity to drain Francis Olsmont of his blood before the eyes of a petrified Stanford. He fell to his knees and prayed with a fervor he had never before felt, convinced his life was to end there, alongside his mentor. However, when he dared open his eyes again, the creature had mysteriously vanished without laying even a finger on him.
Inquisitor[]
From that moment on, he has tirelessly tried to understand the events that took place that ill-fated evening. He tracked Caterina Landriani relentlessly but never managed to find her. He focused all his efforts on eradicating the vampire menace wherever he went. Carrying the weight of Olsmont's death, he strove to have the most irreproachable conduct, which catapulted him through the ranks to become one of the youngest Abbés in the history of the Society of St. Leopold. Today, his successes are innumerable. He is a central pillar of the Vatican, a peerless diplomat who believes evil must be treated like an epidemic: kill the virus and heal the victims.
He is extremely methodical, leaving his adversaries no chance, but takes no pleasure in his victories. Rare are the Kindred who can claim to have survived an encounter with Walter Stanford.