Eloise Danford
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Eloise Danford
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Attributes
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| Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 | ||||||
Skills
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| • Mental: Academics 3 (Research), Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Occult 3, Politics 2 • Physical: Athletics 1, Drive 2, Stealth 2 • Social: Empathy 2 (Motives), Expression 1, Persuasion 2, Socialize 3 (Fundraisers), Subterfuge 2 | ||||||
Merits
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| • Social: Allies 1 (Dr. Meredith Davies), Hobbyist Clique 2 (Persuasion), Resources 3, Status (Society) 2; Contacts (Society, Industry) 2 • Mental: Esoteric Armory 1, Library (Occult) 2 (Spec: Vampiric Blood Magic), Professional Training (Socialite - Politics, Socialize) 2 | ||||||
Advantages
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| Health: 8, Willpower: 5, Size: 5, Speed: 8, Defense: 3 (Armor: None), Initiative: 5 | ||||||
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Current Conditions
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• Connected: East Coast Society.
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Dwelling: The Danford House
Journal: The Journal of Eloise Danford
Contents
Background
Age: 52 (January 19th, 1962)
- Born to a well-to-do Medshire society family out of New Hampshire.
- Attended various boarding and prep schools.
- When she was sixteen, she ran away to New York City with several of the other girls, including Candice and Allison.
- They were joined by a small group of boys (among them Malcolm, Candice's brother) who were also escaping from their school, and the whole crew spent a whole weekend in the big city.
- They were discovered on Sunday in the early evening.
- It created in her a love of the nightlife in New York, even though she was too young to experience it for a while.
- She attended university in Boston, at Harvard (acquired by family connections rather than any real academic talent), where she met Luther.
- He already had a business degree, with a successful industry business, and was sharpening up his skills in a good social environment.
- Though she was informally engaged to Malcom, her friend's brother, she fell for Luther and he for her, and the two ended up marrying before her 19th birthday. She completed her sophomore year and left to be with him, always intending on returning to finish, but never quite did.
- She became quite the society woman in Detroit, somewhat ruling the roost and bringing a sense of East Coast class to Detroit's society.
Rumors
Some people say...
- ...the only reason Eloise ended up marrying Luther was because she became pregnant from a fling with a man she had no business dallying with.
- ...Luther maintained several mistresses, who Eloise turned a blind eye to.
- ...Eloise secretly spent some time in a mental institution for the year following her daughter's birth. She's never quite been the same since.
- ...Eloise seduced the head of the local union when Danford Industries was having worker problems, and blackmailed him with the information to make those problems go away.
- ...Eloise worked with so many charities because she felt guilty for giving up a child into the foster system before she married Luther.
Personality
- Virtue: Nurturing
- Vice: Busybody
Aspirations
List three short-to-medium term goals for your character. These may be in any arena of his life she considers important.
- Investigate Rebecca's death. -> Avenge Rebecca's death.
- Expand our Occult library.
- xxx
Fulfilled Aspirations:
- Discover the true cause of Luther's death. The night of Eloise's BBQ, a conversation led to a revelation by Robert that Luther had not been killed in an industrial accident as she's been told, but had apparently died "hunting."
- Return to a place in society. Over the last few months, Eloise has spent time finding her way back into society as part of her hunt.
- Uncover Luther's legacy as a hunter.
Psyche
- Integrity: 6
Breaking Points:
- Striking a loved one: "I'm not one for guilt and recriminations, but I think the worst thing I've ever done was to strike my dear Becca. I was very angry with her, and she was in the midst of a full-blown teenage rebellion, and I suddenly struck her. I was immediately overcome - she simply stood there in shock, staring at me open-mouthed, while I was the one who fled the room. Simply terrible."
- Not meeting responsibilities to those I'm responsible for: "Though there have been times when I'm tempted, I simply never could imagine simply fleeing my responsibilities. I think that's why I can't bear to judge poor Oz's mother for her own flight - who hasn't dreamt of such an escape? But no - there are too many who are counting on me, and I can't bear the thought of failing them all."
- Seeing someone inflict deliberate physical injury: Though I know it is all around me, and I'm terribly sheltered for it, I cannot bear to thought of being in the same vicinity as someone striving to do someone else physical harm. God knows I've seen the after effects of such endeavors (and cleaned my Luther up more than once after his own such encounters), but to be near it? I simply shudder with revulsion."
- Having my home invaded by the unknown: "Sometimes...sometimes when I walk by a window in the house, I experience a tiny terror. I know it's my imagination running wild with me, but it never fails to elicit the same reaction in me: I imagine what it would be like if something were to come crashing through the window. I can hear the shattering of frame and glass, and feel the tiny shards of glass against my face. In particular, I can't bear to look at the window in the dining room...the fancy that strikes me of this vision in there is more like a terrible memory than a wild imagining. It's why I keep it shrouded in drapes year round."
- Being covered in blood: "My dear Luther came home one night, very late. He was breathing hard in the kitchen, and when I turned on the light, I saw he was covered in blood. He stopped me from phoning an ambulance, however. He made me help him extract a bullet from his hip, and then made me clean the wound and sew it up! It was horrible. I was covered in blood and shaking like a leaf by the time all was said and done."
Conditions
- Connected (Persistent): East Coast High Society. Though she has become something of a recluse, Eloise still has her connections. Her girlhood friends, the many friends she made while Luther was alive, captains of industry who regarded her husband fondly and loved the parties she threw. Though it has its benefits, she is still bound up in many of the expectations of those society, and she lives in mortal terror of them finding out the truth about her.
- Obsession (Persistent): Researching New Monsters. Seeing the devastation she and her team put a family through after not taking their research into the abilities of new monsters seriously, she has become unhealthily fervent in her research. She is tireless and driven, sometimes to the detriment of her health, when she feels that there is something to hand she must know.
- Swooning (Persistent): Marc Lindstrom. Marc is an old associate of Luther's. Not only does this do nothing to lessen the attraction Eloise feels for the handsome man, but it in fact increases it, as he has strong affectionate memories of Luther as well.
Equipment
- Possessions: Eloise keeps a small clutch purse with her most of the time, in which she stores her cigarettes, keys, medications and the myriad things that she needs on a day-to-day basis. She has begun to update her wardrobe, mostly with help from Oz in finding good deals online, which she has added to her already extensive (but somewhat timeless) wardrobe from before. She has also begun buying back jewelry and other accouterments - none anywhere near the haute couture she once owned and then sold to get through the bad times, though. Now her material is all tasteful and classy without being obviously too expensive. She does still wear her St. George medallion (+1 to resist possession).
- Weapons: Silver Knife: Dam 0, Init -1, Str 1, Size 1
- Vehicle:
- Mid-Sized Car (Sedan): Durability 3, Size 12, Structure 15, Acceleration 14, Safe Speed 110 (75 mph), Maximum Speed 183 (125 mph), Handling 3
- Large Panel Van: Durability x, Size x, Structure x, Acceleration x, Safe Speed x (x mph), Maximum Speed x (x mph), Handling x
Merit Details
Social
- Ally 1: Meredith Davies, MD. A lady-doctor who could use the extra work, Eloise employs Meredith to occasionally come around and patch up some of the team. She seems to believe that we are vigilantes of some sort.
- Hobbyist Clique: Detroit Society Ladies (Persuasion). Eloise has managed to once again make herself the center of Detroit's society - admittedly, not a difficult task by the standards she used to hold, but it is good for getting herself back into the swing of such things again...and in getting things done around the town.
- Resources 3: Though she considers herself somewhat destitute, the truth is that for most of the people around her, Eloise is still quite well off. Even with the sparse maintenance she manages to see done around Danford House, she still lives comfortably.
- Status 2: High Society. With a recent Fourth of July in the Hamptons and some reconnecting with old friends, Eloise has stepped back out into the outskirts of high society, remaining at its fringes as someone who has recently emerged from a protracted mourning.
Mental
- Esoteric Armory 1: Eloise has taken control of the limited resources Luther's old hunting team left behind, a bewildering collection of strange arrowheads, shotgun shells, medallions and bottles of substances.
- Library 2: Occult. Made up of Luther's old "spooks and myths readers" as well as some more serious books on occultism, this library has been a great boon for the group's Hunt.
- Specialty - Vampiric Blood Magic: There is an incredible selection of the strange blood-sorceries practiced by vampires in and among this collection.
- Professional Training 2: Socialite (Politics, Socialize). Though she's never held a job for a single day in her life, Eloise is as highly trained in her arena of expertise as any college grad. Quite simply, Eloise understands the nature of favor trading, politics and managing public perception and expectations. Though she used to be much more adept, her ten years of mourning and seclusion have taken their toll to some extent.
- Contacts 2: As a result of her skill as a socialite, Eloise maintains contacts with High Society and the world of Industry.
Friends and Family
Family
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Luther Danford Husband (Deceased) Once the literal center of Eloise's world, she is only now starting to come back from his death. Since discovering out about his career as a Hunter, she has taken to thinking of him in a wistful light, wishing he could have shared that life with her. He is not only her inspiration as a Hunter, but also the one to whom she addresses her journal entries. |
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Rebecca Finnian Daughter (Deceased) Good friends with Becca (Oz's younger sister) and Jo, Rebecca was Eloise's pride and joy. Hard-headed, smart, and prone to getting her way (all traits she inherited from both her parents), Rebecca's life was cut short too early. Though Eloise thought she'd been killed in random Detroit violence, she discovered that she was killed while undertaking a Hunt of her own, investigating her father's death. Eloise is not sure which version of her death has been worse to endure. |
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Robert Finnian Son-in-Law Though she had tremendous reservations about Robert (he was Irish for Gods' sake!), those are long since gone. He has been strong not only through the death of Rebecca, but also through Luther's death, sticking around to support her. He is very much her rock, and she secretly fears the day when he finds someone else in his life and leaves to go and make a new life somewhere away from her. Though she was angry with him when she discovered he was aware of Hunting, and knew the truths of how both Luther and Rebecca were killed, she has since forgiven him, understanding he did what he did out of fear for her safety. |
Friends
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Allison Prescott Society Friend Allison and Eloise were once quite close. They were part of the same bridge club, and frequently luncheoned and flew out to New York to see the season's Broadway shows together. Eloise wasn't precisely shocked when Allison disappeared nearly twenty years ago, but she was appalled. Eloise made a point of keeping in close contact with Allison's children, even though they were being raised by their grandmother Helena. When Luther died, Allison found out somehow, and called her immediately. Though she hasn't mentioned it to Oz or his sisters, they've maintained something of a long-distance relationship with infrequent phone calls and letters. Indeed, Eloise recently spent a summer month in Florida with Allison, and the two have reconnected to some degree. |
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Candice Engalls Girlhood and Society Friend Candice and Eloise attended boarding school together as girls and were inseparable. Indeed, Eloise very nearly married Malcolm, the brother of Candice's own husband Paul Engalls, but she met Luther and he swept her off her feet. Her relationship with Candice is long-distance, and deliberately so on both their parts, allowing them to both maintain the fiction that Eloise isn't practically destitute by society standards. |
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Murphy Stylist & Confidant Androgynous and a former model, Eloise was a client of Murphy's for years. He helped her plan her look for the season, tended to her hair and cosmetics and in general was the person she turned to when she needed both a manicure and someone to talk to. Though he lives in New York these days, the two still occasionally chat. He has been her staunchest supporter in coming back out into society, too, and has done some updating of her look. |
The Phoenix Foundation
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Taniqa Shaw Administration A business graduate with an eye toward social justice concerns, Taniqa is a Detroit native who recently graduated from a local university. Her family is in the area, and she comes from a very rough neighborhood. She is all fire and inspiration, and exactly what the Phoenix Foundation needs to be successful. |
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Fergus Whitehall Finances Fergus is an accountant who comes highly recommended by those on various philanthropic committee boards and the like. He's charismatic and very likeable, and pays very close attention to the numbers. He flirts outrageously with nearly every woman he encounters, but he's clearly just being charming - he's the consummate gentleman (much to Taniqa's apparent frustration). |
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Jaye Hardwick Technology Tall and scare-crow thin, Jaye is something of a recluse. He is a freelance programmer, writing code from his rooms for clients who hire him over the internet. It is at his insistence that the house has internet access at all, and he himself maintains and pays for it. It is not uncommon to go for days without seeing Jaye, who frequently sleeps through the day, and wanders down to scavenge food well after everyone else has gone to bed. |
Other Connections
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Daniel Frost The Might-Have-Been-Olympian Daniel's father was a foreman at the Danford factory, until he was injured. When shady dealings on the part of business partners caused his father to lose his pension in the wake of the factory's closing and bankruptcy, Eloise was aghast. She has secretly assisted his family over the years in the little ways she can: anonymous "church donations" of school clothes and supplies at the beginning of the school year, invitations to Thanksgiving dinners for former employees and their families, Easter gatherings on the Danford House lawns for former employees and their children, and the like. Though the Frosts know that she is responsible, and she knows that they know, no one really talks about it, out of a desire for dignity and discretion. |
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James Jacobson The Quiet Engineer In its heyday, Danford Industries provided extensive scholarships to young local talent, and James was one of the recipients of that university aid. The investment proved quite sound. James and Eloise haven't interacted a whole lot, though she has done occasional dinners where those who've gotten the scholarships can meet one another and possibly help keep their talent in Detroit. They can basically recognize one another on sight, and she usually remembers his name. |
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Oz Carmichael My Fairy Godson The son of Allison Prescott. Eloise made a point of keeping in contact with him, and his sister was a friend of Rebecca's. Eloise sort of became a "fairy godmother" for them, often swooping in to make a big deal on Christmases and birthdays when funds were tight growing up. Oz now owns an antique shop that Eloise has sold many of her house's furnishings to in order to make ends meet over the years. When he came out to her, she made a point of introducing him to her fabulous gay friend Murphy, and has supported him in his coming out process, including intervening with his very religious grandmother Helena on his behalf. |
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Jo Masters The Markswoman Young Josephine practically grew up at Danford House, running amuck with Eloise's daughter Rebecca, and Oz's younger sister, Becca (or "The Two Rebeccas" as they were sometimes jokingly called). Eloise regards Josephine very fondly - in some ways, she's the last vestige of her daughter that she has, and has in some ways transferred a good deal of her affection to the strong young woman. She tries to assist Josephine in whatever ways she can, as she would her own daughter, but the Masters girl is very intent on making her own way in the world, which Eloise respects a great deal. |
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Meredith Davies Doctor (Ally •) r. Davies is a doctor and junior surgeon at Kindred Hospital, a local hospital with which Eloise maintains contacts through David Edelstein, who sits on its board. During her time visiting her band of hunters, Eloise met Dr. Davies and appreciated her skill and no-nonsense attitude. Unfortunately, Meredith is struggling to get enough hours to make it through (a common state of affairs at the hospital where she works), and so Eloise has engaged her confidence, eventually getting her to agree to see to emergency medical treatment for her group if it becomes necessary one day in return for money. |
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Officer Clara Belloni The Lifesaver xxx |
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Mark Lindstrom Former Hunter & Academic xxx |
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David Edelstein Kindred Hospital Board of Directors (Contact) xxx |
Lifestyle
A description of your characters day to day life.
- Money: Keeps about a hundred in cash on her, though tucked away among her things and most never touched. She runs very close to the line in her finances.
- Clothing & Jewelry: Though she retains a fair wardrobe, it's all fairly old. Fortunately, she has a timeless sense of style. She's sold off the majority of her shoe collection. She has a few small pieces of jewelry, mostly a cross necklace, a few pairs of simple earrings and her wedding band.
- Communication: She has a home phone. There is wifi in her house, but she doesn't actually know that.
- Food: When April or Tina cook, she eats their cooking (although Tina's cooking is sometimes too spicy). For the most part, though she eats food out of cans. Cheap cans.
- Housing: Though she used to own more, Eloise's waning fortune has left her with the first house she and Luther bought together: the decaying but sizeable stand-alone house on the other side of Danford Park (named for her husband, who donated a sizable swathe of their land to the city for use as a park). Everyone's always called it the Danford House, and though it used to have a fair-sized staff, now it's Eloise, Robert and a handful of boarders, who practically haunt the place like ghosts sometimes.
- Days: Though she once woke early, she often wakes mid-morning. She often doesn't get out of bed until noon or so. Eloise spends much of her days in a bit of a shiftless wander. Very few weeks, she goes into the factory, but recognizes she's in everyone's way more than anything else.
- Evenings: Eloise spends most of her evenings at home, visiting with boarders. She tend to remain up quite late.
Experience
Wishlist
- Beginning the Hunt: Eloise is going to have to find useful ways to contribute to the Hunt, even if she's somewhat physically feeble.
- Strengthen her Will: Resolve 3-4, Composure 4, Indomitable 2, Resolve 4, Iron Will 2
- Provide a Headquarters: Esoteric Armory 2-5, Safe Place (Danford House) 1-4, Library (Occult) 3
- Team Driver: Drive 3, Crack Driver 2
- Defend Myself: Athletics 2-3
- Mark Lindstrom: Mentor 2 or 3
- The Return to Society: I'd like Eloise to eventually make a return to society, even though she'll have to do a lot of "fake it til you make it" approaches.
- Become Known in Society Again: Professional Training (Socialite) 3-4, Fame 1, Status (East Coast Society) 3
- Establish Local Ties: Allies (City Government) 3, Allies (Police) 3
- Improve Intrigue Ability: Manipulation 3-4, Subterfuge 3, Fast-Talking 1-5, Pusher 1, Sympathetic 2
- Becoming a Business Woman: I'd like Eloise to eventually find a way to reinvigorate her husband's old business once she's found her way back into society, and thus can create the opportunities to do so.
- Raise Some Capital: Resources 4
- Establish a New Company: Status (Corporate) 1-3, Staff 1-3
Experiences
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| • Current Beats: 3 • Unspent Experiences: 2 • Spent Experiences: 9 |
Practical Experiences
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| • Current Practical Beats: 3 • Unspent Practical Experiences: 0 • Spent Practical Experiences: 1 |
Experiences Earned
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| Season One: 58 beats, 8 practical beats • S02E01: x |
Purchases
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| Library 2 (1), Allies 1 (1), Status (Society) 2 (1), Hobbyist Clique 2 (2), Athletics 1 (2), Drive 2 (2) |
