Juliet Parr
Appearance: Slender and short with flowing chestnut hair and delicate features, Juliet Parr is far from the normal image of a sheriff. In nightly unlife, she is polite and reserved, even a little shy. However, when she pushed, or when she is mocked about her size or gender, she can become angry - allowing her intense and forceful personality to come to the fore. As a personal affectation she prefers to wear male clothing for its ease of fit and durability when "working," but should the circumstances require it, she is not above wearing feminine attire, especially if it will aid her in achieving her objective. Since the dawn of the 20th century, she has affected the disguise of an emancipated young woman of means and occasionally as a feminist and or lesbian; in the most recent decades this is not strictly necessary, but the force of centuries long habit are difficult for Juliet to set aside. To the more traditional and or anachronistic Kindred of London, Juliet's eccentric choice of attire and lifestyle leaves something to be desired, but every complaint made to Queen Anne only reinforces the view that Juliet was the right choice for the appointed position.
Background: The apple of her father's eye, young Juliet Parr wanted for nothing, and was spoiled beyond imagining by her doting father. She had all the clothes, books and toys she desired, and was also allowed to hunt and explore the Parr's vast estate in Gloucestershire, dressed in boyish clothes. Lord Parr believed this was nothing more than a passing phase and indulged her, but Juliet was lonely and isolated, her adventures and books the only pleasure in her cloistered life. She felt marginalized by the restrictions society placed on women, and wished she had the same freedom of action as her male counterparts.
Shortly after her 15th birthday she attempted suicide, believing she would be reborn in a form better suited to the lifestyle she desired. Her father's retainers plucked Juliet from the River Severn and thenceforth kept her under close scrutiny. This only exacerbated Juliet's desire for freedom, and despite her chaperones, she made several more attempts to kill herself over the following months. Her father despaired, knowing that his line would end with her if Juliet succeeded, and arranging a hasty wedding to the son of a local landowner. The young man was beneath her station, but her father hoped that marriage and a family would provide her daughter with the anchor she needed. At first, it seemed to work, but shortly after the birth of her daughter Juliet began to relapse and frequently talked of "escaping her mortal prison."
One of those who heard of her plight was a young naturalist called Gregory who, unbeknownst to Juliet, was a childe of the baroness who claimed the Fief of Gloucester. He saw the encroaching madness and, without waiting for the approval of his lord, offered Juliet a way out, an entry to a hidden world where the restrictions of gender were less binding.
Her family believed she had committed suicide, her body lost, but Juliet began a nocturnal existence as a member of the Malkavian clan. She soon became a favorite of Baroness Seren, who sent her to Mithras's domain in 1790 as her eyes and ears. The baroness' increasingly erratic behavior after 1800 - she was blood bound to Mithras and the prince's absence removed what few restraints existed on her psychotic behavior - caused Juliet, though respectful of her grandsire, to foreswear Gloucester in favor of cosmopolitan London.
When the concept of women's suffrage came to the fore in the mid-19th century, Juliet involved herself in the National Society for Women's Suffrage, much to the consternation of Seneschal Valerius who saw it as undermining the established order. Anne Bowesley, however, recognized the potential of the suffrage movement and encouraged Juliet's involvement with the various members of the organization, notably Emily Davies and John Stuart Mill. It was also Anne who saw the potential of Juliet's combination of presence, knowledge and charm, proposing her as Sheriff of North London, a post she has held since 1879. Seemingly a strange choice of sheriff, her tenacity - a manifestation of her obsessive-compulsive disorder and ingenuity means she often succeeds where a more brute-force approach would not.
Juliet's principal haven is in Highgate, a short distance from the cemetery, but she has numerous secondary lairs across North London between Ealing and Walthamstow.
Personality: Juliet is quite capable of acting in accord with her persona, the coquettish young woman, but she despises it when others talk down to her. She rarely loses her temper, instead maintaining a polite appearance while resorting to cutting remarks. Many find her cold, clinical, matter-of-fact recitation of facts (particularly when they involve the prospective fate of someone who has offended her) rather disturbing. Though, in fact, it is part and parcel of her mental balancing act, a focus for her efforts to retain rational self-control.
