Arkham:Tristan Edward Westmoreland Vandervort

Back to the list of characters

Lord Tristan Morgan Westmoreland Vandervort, Viscount of Morpeth
Caucasian male, 28 years old, 6'1" and 195 lbs
Mystic archetype

Overview

Tristan's public persona is that of a rich playboy, and in truth he is a rich playboy. He was born into incredible wealth, and everything has come easily to him. He will inherit the noble title and the family's wealth upon his father's death, and has been groomed for that role from a young age. He has also been fully indoctrinated into the family's arcane dealings, and has discovered that he has a talent for it.

Both parents are still alive. His father, the Earl of Carlisle in England, is from one of the oldest noble families and owns about one third of the land in Cumbria and Northumberland counties.

Tristan was born in Hong Kong in 1901, while his parents were handling business there. He went to boarding school at a young age, and (barely) finished his studies at Cambridge. He is currently living in Arkham, Massachusetts, and was "fortunate" to get a visa despite the restrictive Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act).

He moved to Akham for the following reasons:

• Find a copy of the De Vermis Mysteriis tome, for his family.
• Discover if there is an Elder Thing located around Arkham, and if so offer his services to it.
• Recruit capable folks who can help fight against the Ancient Ones.
• Look over his younger brother, who just started as a resident doctor at St Mary's Hospital.

Tristan's Viscount of Morpeth title is a courtesy title, since he is the heir to the Earl title.

Character

Archetype: Mystic	Total XP Earned: 0
Personality: Ambitious	Unused XP: 0
Insight: 1	Money: $1

Skills
Agility	6	Knowledge	5+
Athletics:	6	Resolve	5+
Wits	6	Melee Combat	6
Presence	5+	Ranged Combat	6
Intuition	6	Lore	4+

Knacks
Blinding Light	Faith, Spell Complex action using Lore. Blinds all other people within 20'. It does 1 damage and the targets cannot take reactions. If you get 2+ successes then you pick who is blinded.

Gear
Lucky foot	Once per session, perform a simple action to recover one Insight. ($0)
Stick of gum	Once per session, perform a simple action to remove one Horror. ($1)
Cape	When performing a reaction to avoid a ranged attack, the wearer may reroll the result once. ($15)
Fine clothes	Acts as heavy clothing. The wearer reduces the damage taken from melee attacks by 1, to a minimum of 1. ($30 + $75)
Field Surgeon Kit	Perform a successful complex action to heal damage, and increase the number of successes by two. 3 uses. ($25)
Flashlight	Can see up to 40' in one direction. 3 uses. ($25)

Family

Tristan's parents support each other and the family, which means everything to them. They met in 1891 at the University of Cambridge, and a couple of years later they departed for Hong Kong. The family had significant holdings there, and Tristan's father decided to take a hands-on approach during this tumultuous time. In the next few years they conceived Tristan, Alistair, and his sister there.

Naworth Castle, the ancestral seat of the family since 1323, is still privately held by the family.

Wealth

The family's assets are mostly in leaseholds, which is a concept that dates back to feudal times. In England, among many other places, freehold is the most comprehensive form of land ownership, granting perpetual ownership of land and buildings, while leasehold involves owning the right to use a property for a limited period of time (such as 99 years), after which ownership of the land reverts to the freeholder. The Westmoreland Vandervort family owns about one third of the land in Cumbria and Northumberland counties.

The family had at one time owned a few companies in Hong Kong, most notably Dent Vandervort & Co. Major British mercantile companies known as "hongs" dominated Hong Kong during the 1800s, especially after the colony was ceded to Britain in 1842. Founded before Hong Kong's establishment, Dent Vandervort & Co. was known as the second largest British trading company in East Asia. The company bought one of the first plots of land at Hong Kong's initial land sale in 1841 and opened its headquarters there soon afterward. Like other "hongs", this company initially focused on the China trade and then from there expanded into finance, shipping, insurance, and real estate. Subsidiary firms were created to manage each of these areas of businesses.

In 1861 William Vandervort and his associates were pushed out of the main business, which was then renamed to Dent & Co or just Dent's, and instead spun off the real estate subsidiary into its own independent business. This later merged into Hongkong Land, with the Vandervort family owning a 20% stake in that business. With that settled Tristan's father returned home to England.

Occult Ties

... add info here...