Maria Vanderhoff

Maria Vanderhoff

Character sheet (link)

sheet by Brentt Fease

Name: Maria Vanderhoff

Date of birth: 20th of April, 1948
Date of death: 4th of August, 1975
Clan: Ventrue
Place of Birth: Aerdenhout, The Netherlands
Current place of residence: Prince's Tower, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Current occupation: Prince of Amsterdam
Favorite bloodtype: AB-
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite holiday destination: I do not have time for such.. ventures.

Maria Vanderhoff was born and raised in a very wealthy family. Owning a large mansion in Aerdenhout (a posh area 20~ minutes away from Amsterdam), she never had want for anything whilst growing up. She was however, quite sheltered. Though a rare occurrence in Holland, she was home schooled up until high-school, when she went to a expensive private school in Haarlem.

Here she had a bit of a wild period, which she was able to hide from her parents for the most part. While drug use definitely wasn't unheard of for the rich kids in this area, Maria took it quite a few steps further. She fell in with the 'wrong' crowd and became addicted to morphine. It wasn't until she OD'd and had to be rushed to the hospital that her parents took notice and pulled her out of school.

Since then she was in and out of rehab, and was all but hidden from the public eye. It was in a rehab facility in Amsterdam that she was noticed by Van Leuwen, the current Prince of Amsterdam. Van Leuwen, a sadist through and through, thought it would be hilariously appropriate to take on Maria, fallen from grace, as his Ghoul.

Surprisingly, she was a great match to the sadistic ruler; he eventually Sired her and officially made her Keeper of Elysium for one of his nightclubs, Club Amon. Their relationship wasn't strictly professional, but this was all hidden from the public.

During Maria's trips around Europe from one rehab to the next, she also met a girl named Lorey. Their true relationship is known only to them, but Van Leuwen did grant her permission to keep the girl around and train her as a lackey.

After Van Leuwens recent, unfortunate demise, she lobbied hard for the title, and was named Prince of Amsterdam.

First video appearance

"Ventrue culture places a heavy emphasis on dignitas, the Latin word for "dignity." In modern days, it's often described as "Face". Ventrue are completely aware of the unsavory aspects of power, and while a Ventrue leader is just as likely to lead organized crime as he is a Fortune 500 company (the Ventrue really don't object to theft, so much as petty theft), he must always comport himself with dignity, with grace and with honor. At least publically. Ventrue take assaults on their stature very seriously. Spreading rumors, taking credit for another’s work and insulting a Ventrue without just cause (publicly or privately) are just a few of the ways one can diminish dignitas. Doing so is a sure way to make an enemy for all unlife, and it can indeed be cause for severe punishment or discipline.

Perhaps no tradition sets the Ventrue more apart from other clans than their Ethic Succor. While other clans, such as the Tremere, are closely knit and often support members, no clan has the same “no excuses, no exceptions” practice of coming to each other’s assistance in times of need. Many Blue Bloods credit this tradition as the foundation for the clan’s continuing strength. Respecting other Ventrue means not violating their territory, not competing with them in their established holdings and, most importantly, not impugning their dignitas. It also means that a Ventrue gives aid to a fellow when in need, no matter how damned inconvenient doing so might prove be.

As the products of five millennia of noble upbringing, class and culture, the Ventrue place great importance on gentility. Ventrue etiquette can become quite complex, especially in Europe where deathless standards persist unto the modern nights. Things are often less formal in the New World, but only by comparison. Even the most casual of Old World cities usually seems stodgy and overly polite by modern standards. For the Ventrue, politeness means more than just carrying on with traditional ways and means. It serves some very important functions, especially when it comes to making sure that individual clan members can overcome their petty personal differences and respect the social structure. By nature, Kindred are excitable creatures, prone to holding grudges and overreacting to insults. Add in the average Ventrue’s regard for his dignitas, and politeness becomes not only a matter of manners but a matter of survival. Interacting with one another in a sophisticated, polite and admittedly distant manner helps alleviate the threat of flaring tempers. As a clan devoted to proud detail and tradition, the Ventrue have managed to accumulate a code of conduct large enough to fill several weighty tomes (not that they have ever collected them thus). “Suggestions” can be found that govern everything from what color clothing to wear at Board meetings to what kinds of presents to give at deathnight celebration.
Due to their inherent clan weakness, Ventrue have exacting and rarefied tastes, even when it comes to blood. The player must pick a restriction on the type of blood their character can feed upon, e.g. only young men, only senators, nude children, only virgins, etc.


A Ventrue will not feed on any other type of blood, not even if she is starving or under duress (if a Ventrue would feed on another type of blood, then she would still not be nourished by that blood). A vampire may feed on vampiric vitae, however, with no restrictions."

Source

by BlackBirdInk

by Elwinne