Adeline Truchon
Sobrequiet: Prince (Formal), "Her Grace(less)" (usually mockingly, heard among the Toreador of Paris), Adeline (from comrades in arms).
History: Adeline Truchon was embraced on a whim by a martyred grandchilde of Prince Francois Villon after witnessing the pretty barmaid rebuff a would-be rapist. His breach of protocol was forgiven when Adeline began to help Villon and the Toreador regain control of Paris and France during the French Revolution. Rumors suggest that she pursued the Prince's enemies with a effectiveness and creativity that earned her the respect and accolades - and envy - of the Prince's court. After decades of war against Anarchs and Sabbat, peace was finally reestablished, Adeline quickly found that the brood of THE Toreador Prince were expected to become effete artists, and give up pursuits such as war and overt (she thinks "practical") paranoia. She was ridiculed for her brutishness, practicality, the willingness to speak "bastard" languages, and utter lack of "artistry." Most of the court believed that the Prince would find a way to "retire" her, and honor her contributions in death. More than once, the suggestion was made to her face in Elysium.
Prince Francois assigned her to be an assistant to the Sheriff of Paris. The position gave her a valuable reprieve from the social combat of Paris' Elysium and a new focus for her life. For the next fifty years, she was almost never seen except on the streets. By the time she reappeared in Elysium, enough of the harpies owed her significantly enough that she seemed to move in a bubble, though the elders of her clan still despaired over her inelegance. For more than a century, Adeline had been the heir apparent to the Sheriff of Paris - and the harpies had begun trying to turn the situation into a conflict out of sheer boredom.
Of course, Paris does not exist in a vacuum, and, sometime at the beginning of the new millennium, Rafael de Corazon swooped in and offered her an opportunity she couldn't turn down: Organize and coordinate the siege of Zagreb,and become the city's new Prince.
Her initial attack was a spectacular success: In June 2007, 40 Camarilla vampires of all 7 clans, and an untold number of ghoul warriors appeared overnight, striking key positions, driving the Sabbat into their communal haven, and destroying them. Within a week, three resident packs were burnt out and destroyed, and two visiting nomadic packs were decimated and routed. Most of the combatants went home, glad to have paid their boons so easily. A picked cadre remained to make the city their new home. Zagreb's mortals hardly had time to notice.
Unfortunately, the Balkans are crawling with nomadic Sabbat, and retribution has been fierce. If not for the appearance of the Brujah Tihana, the city probably would have been lost. But never mind that: Adeline Truchon leads a city united in its opposition to the chaos and anarchy that surrounds it.
Appearance: Despite the centuries, Adeline still doesn't fit the effete ideal required of Toreador of the Courts of Love. Where her contemporaries are willowy, graceful and lithe, Adeline is voluptuous and has a peasant's larger-boned build. While none could ever accuse her of clumsiness, she moves with solidity. In truth, she blends better with Slavic people than with the denizens of Versailles.
In the modern nights, Adeline wears expensively tailored modest dresses and women's suits from Italy (a thumb in the nose of her Parisian siblings), carefully designed to conceal her body armor and weaponry, and allow for ease of movement. She favors muted greys and pastels.
Demeanor: Adeline is gracious to newcomers, but practical and ruthless when it concerns the safety of her city. She very politely makes demands of visitors that would not be tolerated in more peaceful cities: Newcomers with low status will find themselves subjected to mind reading or other mystical tests to determine their loyalties and agendas. To those who earn her trust, Adeline shows a remarkable degree of favor.
