Richard de Worde
Biography
Richard was born into a large family, with 11 siblings and two struggling parents all living in a farmhouse outside Warwick in the early 11th century. Both of his parents were peasants and lived off whatever the earth provided for them and their children. Early into his childhood, Richard’s father passed away, leaving his mother unable to take care of all 12 children. After developing a severe depression, she sent her children away to fend for themselves.
He developed his first skills in social manipulation and sneaking as he struggled to survive as a young boy on the streets of Warwick. It did not take him long before he had a local townswoman, who was unable to conceive herself, take him and some of his younger siblings under her wing. He grew up cleaning streets, running errands, and escorting wares and goods from vendor to vendor, until he was offered the job of royal rat exterminator in Warwick Castle. From this, he gained a great sense of direction in even the darkest environments, and also knowledge of animal behavior.
On the night of Richard’s 18th birthday, his mother appeared outside his chamber window. She had been embraced by a feral vampire in the countryside and had come to reclaim her family. With speed unlike anything Richard had seen before, she flung him to the floor and plunged her teeth deep into his shoulder. Richard awoke a vampire, his mother nowhere in sight – embracing him was all she sought to make him “her boy” again.
Kindred Nights
De Worde spent most of the first decades of his unlife in the dungeons of the castle, feeding off rats and other vermin, not understanding what he had become. As he grew more and more disfigured due to the Bane of his clan, the dungeons became his hiding place, yet he yearned to be a part of high society. He often observed the brightly dyed dresses worn by the ladies in the castle, and the jewelry and long capes worn by their husbands and lovers. When a servant fell ill before an annual gathering of local lords, he did not hesitate to say yes when he was invited to clear the tables for the night. Although he had to wear a mask, he was thrilled to be included in the company of others.
Slowly, de Worde made his way through the ranks of the castle. From rat-catcher, to kitchen servant, to stable master, chamber servant, and at last the lord’s adviser. He built his own empire despite his garish looks and his vampiric needs. He quickly learned how to master manipulation, since his looks would not lead the way for social interaction. He became an excellent speaker, and would often be the center of attention at dinners and parties. Mortals fell in love with his words, and this was enough to get them alone in his chamber and use them to satisfy his Hunger.
De Worde’s existence seemed complete. He had all the wealth, connections, and reputation he could hope for, but a deeply rooted need to explore his identity never left his mind. He had yet to see any of his kind. It was only when Mithras came to visit Warwick Castle that de Worde truly realized what he was. Mithras had stared at de Worde and his mask during dinner, so much so that other guests joked about it around them, but this did not make his piercing eyes take leave. De Worde understood the meaning of his intrusive glare, and pulled Mithras aside after the dinner. This was where Mithras told de Worde what he was, and asked him to join his side in London. Having finally found someone of his own kind, de Worde left Warwick that very night with Mithras, never to return.
De Worde knew what his position in Mithras’ London would be, as the undisputed master of disguises and stealth, gathering information. He took it upon himself to become Mithras’ spymaster, using kine and Kindred alike to get the information his master needed. He served Mithras’ faithfully for hundreds of years, and assisted him in building his empire in London. He became a devout initiate in the Mithraic Mysteries, developing a talent for blood sorcery under Mithras’ tutelage.
In 1356 De Worde faked his own death by Black Plague and went to the mainland in an effort to explore some plots he had uncovered against his master. De Worde took on the name "Cavendish" and lived in most of the major cities of Europe for the next four hundred years. De Worde made ties to some of the most powerful Nosferatu of Europe, and created ties to other kindred in various cities. He often found himself appalled by the changing times through the Industrial Revolution. In 1608 Hamburg he drank the blood of an elder who had fallen to wassail, lowering his generation. It took him some time to come to grips with his crime and get control of himself. He wandered Europe until repulsion grew to indifference. He stopped caring what happened outside his small circle of powerful Kindred, failing in his duties as spymaster, and developed a toxic sense of self-importance and arrogance. He distanced himself from his clan, often calling them “dirty” and not wishing to be in the company of such “unwashed animals.” In 1730 he returned to London, appalled at the city that he loved. De Worde withdrew from kindred society and treated all new arrivals to London with similar disdain.
In the beginning of the 1800s,de Worde began a plan to create shell companies to create the London Underground. De Worde used many pawns and several ghouls to manipulate the city planners into creating a warren worthy of an elder of his age. Rachel Greymond, the eldest Nosferatu of the city next to de Worde discovered de Worde's existence and involvement in the underground. In order to preserve his anonymity he made sure that the diggers penetrated her warren. At the time there were two other Nosferatu sleeping there, Albert Rodden, and Black Michael. Once they were killed de Worde took his leave into the newly-built London Underground system and vanished. He kept a constant eye on the growing system, mapping every single nook and cranny while sequestering bits off for his own use, and began to create an underworld empire where he could finally do as he pleased. Had de Worde still been an excellent spy master, Mithras may have forgiven this little show of freedom – but as it was, the master had hard words and punishments for his wayward servant. This provided Valerius, another of Mithras’ disenchanted servants, with the opening to sway de Worde to his side. Other than Valerius no one breathing knows he is in the city.
When it is convenient to be seen as a vampire, de Worde still uses the sobriquet "Cavendish". He poses as a neonate Nosferatu moving through the city. He claims to have presented himself to the Prince in 1875. He also poses as the Sabbat member "Hogarth" in order to infiltrate that organization. "David Hamilton" is his American sobriquet. He sometimes poses as David in order to interact with vampires who meet him on the trains.
Violet Mary has seen traces of this elder Nosferatu, though never spoken to him. She is convinced his is a Nictuku come to cleanse London of the Hag's descendants.
