Peter Dorfman

Peter Dorfman
Clan: Tremere
Age: Elder
Sire: Simon Augustyn
Childer: None
Status: Acknowledged, Eminent, Faultless, Valued
Position: Pontifex of the Eastern United States

With the exception of the Prince, Peter Dorfman is arguably the most powerful single one of the Kindred in the greater Washington DC area, with a range that extends all the way across the country and even overseas, and a power base behind him that could topple the city if it chose to act in concert. Of course, the clan is not in favor of that sort of destabilization, so instead Peter's role is an administrative one, overseeing and coordinating Tremere efforts all across the eastern United States while he keeps a close eye on politics in the DC area. Very little happens in the city without Peter Dorfman being aware of it, and the other clans take care to make sure that he has no cause to interfere in their affairs.

Mortal Life

Peter was a dignitary in seventeenth century England, an age of upheaval as the Tudors lost control of the English throne, Scotland was officially incorporated into the country, and the Glorious Revolution, which made life for the nobility of the country much more difficult (in Peter's opinion) than it needed to be, occurred. From a family that had long served the House of Orange, it was Peter's duty to support the King's political agendas and root out dissension in the advisory noble councils, a task that he was proficient enough at to realize that there were very real threats to the royal house bubbling beneath the surface.

As William and Mary aged and continued to produce no heir, Peter began to fear that the throne would pass out of the hands of the House of Orange, leaving his beloved masters (and, not coincidentally, himself) removed from power. Aware that the Queen was probably barren and desperate to come up with an heir before the ailing King died, he began to dabble in the witchcraft, seeking an occult answer to the problem, or perhaps to be able to invent some sort of blood magic to trace the King's line and find a suitable successor.

Embrace

Although Peter was only a mortal and his experiments met with very limited success, his unique research focus and powerful political connections brought him to the attention of Clan Tremere, who first ghouled him to watch his progress and then eventually Embraced him as his attempts began to uncannily mirror some actual blood rituals that they were already developing. Peter was summarily placed in research, and spent the next two centuries exclusively working on rituals having to do with bloodlines, information gathering, and ancestry.

Move to the New World

Once it became clear that the New World was going to be an important staging ground for Kindred disputes and power grabs, Peter was dispatched with several other mid-ranked Tremere to establish a foothold for the clan, which they did first in Baltimore before moving on to Washington, DC. While his companions went about the tasks of solidifying Tremere power effectively but not very imaginatively, Peter distinguished himself and rose to Regent, then Lord, and finally to Pontifex of the United States, wielding power second to none on the new continent.

In the mid-twentieth century, the clan collectively determined that the middle portion of North America was too large to be administered by a single Pontifex, and instituted the new office of the Pontifex of the Western United States, reducing Peter's region of control to the eastern half of the country. Forced to share power with Abraham Powell of Sacramento, Peter was severely discommoded by this turn of events, and spent most of his time plotting to increase his own personal power in response afterward.

Politics in Washington, DC

Although Peter was never deeply invested in Marissa or her political moves as Prince of DC, he was extremely displeased by her execution and the subsequent loss of power to Marcus Vitel, even more so when it was revealed that Vitel was not Ventrue but in fact Lasombra. As a powerful and influential Kindred who outranked basically everyone else in the city, he was offended that the Princeship had not been offered to him, even though Clan Tremere continued to insist that they did not want his focus split and that his talents were better used to steward his half of the country unencumbered by the petty concerns of any one city.

Undaunted, Peter began to push for increased governmental control and military budget, preparing for the time when he would seize power from Vitel and potentially shape global events; much to his annoyance, Vitel kept calling him up to congratulate and thank him for his helpful efforts. Rather than succumb to this pressure, however, Peter continued to consolidate power, and to do his best to keep Camarilla officials out of the city to avoid any potentially messy conflicts of interest.

Trouble with the Technocracy

Peter became aware of the presence of a major faction of Mages in DC after a Tremere neonate accidentally frenzied in semi-public; although a Masquerade breach was prevented, the neonate's accounts and credit cards were all mysteriously frozen or canceled immediately thereafter, their associates all abruptly vanished, and eventually some kind of hunter destroyed the unfortunate young vampire in a back alley. Recognizing that the hunter was not human but apparently some sort of technological marvel, Peter investigated and was able to discover an almost-imperceptible trail of clearly magical influence.

Like most Kindred, Peter is not very well-versed in Mage affairs, and has so far avoided asking Helena Taylor for help to avoid involving her in matters he would rather resolve on his own.