Clarise Ledford: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:18, 7 October 2023

Clarise Ledford is the current leader of the Veilkeepers of Offetstine and its main headquarters. She is married to a werewolf named Aron Ledford, and has two children: a human son, Philip Ledford, and a werewolf daughter, Abigail Ledford. Due to her background, she has a strong sense of duty and compassion for demi-humans and humans alike. Her style of leadership is lauded by many members of the Veilkeepers organization, but criticized by some other branches for being too lax about upholding the Masquerade.

History

Clarise Ledford, née Hollins, was born on 2 April 1964 in Offetstine and attended Offetstine Secondary School where she first met Aron and learned of his lycanthropic nature. She graduated from secondary school at sixteen and began studying business administration at university, which led to her employment at a local corporate firm. To her surprise, Aron had applied for the same firm, and their romance flourished over the course of several years after they reconvened. Eventually, they married and had two children together: Abigail, who was born in 1988, and Philip, who was born in 1990.

Ledford was eventually laid off from her position at the corporation following an economic downturn, and in the months to follow, she sent out a number of applications to various companies fairly indiscriminately out of desperation, noting she had children to care for and little in the way of savings. One such company was Sinagra-McCune PLC, the corporate front of the Veilkeepers, where she applied as a financial advisor. She was eventually admitted into the company as an employee, although she was eventually deemed privy to its internal affairs after she noted her familiarity with demi-humanity through her husband Aron. She eventually built a rapport with the inner members of the organization, including its then-leader Silvester McCune.

This familiarity with the organization primed her as one of the first targets for the magic that underpinned the Veilkeepers. Ledford explains she was initially formally indoctrinated to the organization by McCune on the night of his death. He had been fatally attacked by a renegade vampire and member of the Coalition, who claimed that the freedom of demi-humans to profess their identity before humans would be integral if demi-humans were ever to rule in human society. Ledford arrived too late to perform any first aid, but the former leader nonetheless bestowed his powers on her in hopes she would continue his legacy. When paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, he was declared dead on arrival.

McCune's partner, Miriana Sinagra, later recalls that she was devastated on learning about McCune's death, but confident the Veilkeepers of Offetstine were being left in good and caring hands. She notes that while she had always assumed she was willed the right to the leader of the organization, she feels no shame or envy that it was instead inherited by Ledford. As a vampire and thus an immortal, she jokes that she "only [has] to wait for Ledford to kick the bucket from old age, which is basically instantaneous". She notes that she has always wanted the Veilkeepers to be in control of a human, as she hypothesizes they are better capable of empathizing with the human and demi-human worlds alike, and internalizing the true meaning of the Masquerade.

In the decade after this experience, Ledford rose quickly through the ranks of the Veilkeepers, ultimately becoming the leader of the Offetstine branch after being elected in place of its provisional interim leader. As a result of her experiences with both the Coalition and the Veilkeepers, she remains intensely compassionate towards demi-humans and humans alike. She attempts to maintain a spry and cheerful demeanor and values the freedom to have interpersonal relationships over the de jure form of the Masquerade. Ledford explains she has since soured on the Veilkeepers, worrying if they do more harm than good, but notes she cannot resign so long as she is under the control of the magic she wields, and can only try to be a fair leader for those under her.

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 Clarise Ledford, née Hollins, was born on 2 April 1964 in [[Offetstine]] and attended [[Offetstine Secondary School]] where she first met Aron and learned of his [[Werewolf|lycanthropic]] nature. She graduated from secondary school at sixteen and began studying business administration at university, which led to her employment at a local corporate firm. To her surprise, Aron had applied for the same firm, and their romance flourished over the course of several years after they reconvened. Eventually, they married and had two children together: Abigail, who was born in 1988, and Philip, who was born in 1990.
-Ledford was eventually laid off from her position at the corporation following an economic downturn, and in the months to follow, she sent out a number of applications to various companies fairly indiscriminately out of desperation, noting she had children to care for and little in the way of savings. One such company was the corporate front of the Veilkeepers, where she applied as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_adviser financial advisor]. She was eventually admitted into the company as an employee, although she was eventually deemed privy to its internal affairs after she noted her familiarity with [[Demi-human|demi-humanity]] through her husband Aron. She eventually built a rapport with the inner members of the organization.
+Ledford was eventually laid off from her position at the corporation following an economic downturn, and in the months to follow, she sent out a number of applications to various companies fairly indiscriminately out of desperation, noting she had children to care for and little in the way of savings. One such company was Sinagra-McCune PLC, the corporate front of the Veilkeepers, where she applied as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_adviser financial advisor]. She was eventually admitted into the company as an employee, although she was eventually deemed privy to its internal affairs after she noted her familiarity with [[Demi-human|demi-humanity]] through her husband Aron. She eventually built a rapport with the inner members of the organization, including its then-leader Silvester McCune.
-This familiarity with the organization primed her as one of the first targets for the [[Will of the People|magic]] that underpinned the Veilkeepers. Ledford explains she was initially formally indoctrinated to the organization by the former leader on the night of his death. He had been fatally attacked by a renegade [[vampire]] and member of the [[Coalition]], who claimed that the freedom of demi-humans to profess their identity before humans would be integral if demi-humans were ever to rule in human society. Ledford arrived too late to perform any first aid, but the former leader nonetheless bestowed his powers on her in hopes she would continue his legacy. When paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, he was declared [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_on_arrival dead on arrival].
+This familiarity with the organization primed her as one of the first targets for the [[Will of the People|magic]] that underpinned the Veilkeepers. Ledford explains she was initially formally indoctrinated to the organization by McCune on the night of his death. He had been fatally attacked by a renegade [[vampire]] and member of the [[Coalition]], who claimed that the freedom of demi-humans to profess their identity before humans would be integral if demi-humans were ever to rule in human society. Ledford arrived too late to perform any first aid, but the former leader nonetheless bestowed his powers on her in hopes she would continue his legacy. When paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, he was declared [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_on_arrival dead on arrival].
+McCune's partner, Miriana Sinagra, later recalls that she was devastated on learning about McCune's death, but confident the Veilkeepers of Offetstine were being left in good and caring hands. She notes that while she had always assumed she was willed the right to the leader of the organization, she feels no shame or envy that it was instead inherited by Ledford. As a vampire and thus an [[Immortality|immortal]], she jokes that she "only [has] to wait for Ledford to kick the bucket from old age, which is basically instantaneous". She notes that she has always wanted the Veilkeepers to be in control of a human, as she hypothesizes they are better capable of empathizing with the human and demi-human worlds alike, and internalizing the true meaning of the Masquerade.
 In the decade after this experience, Ledford rose quickly through the ranks of the Veilkeepers, ultimately becoming the leader of the Offetstine branch after being elected in place of its provisional interim leader. As a result of her experiences with both the Coalition and the Veilkeepers, she remains intensely compassionate towards demi-humans and humans alike. She attempts to maintain a spry and cheerful demeanor and values the freedom to have interpersonal relationships over the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_jure de jure]'' form of the Masquerade. Ledford explains she has since soured on the Veilkeepers, worrying if they do more harm than good, but notes she cannot resign so long as she is under the control of the magic she wields, and can only try to be a fair leader for those under her.