Robert Shackleton

Background

Shackleton was a typical junior infantry officer during the Great War. He served through the whole war until his embrace in 1917. He was wounded on several occasions. The last time he was shot through the thigh (which leaves him with a slight limp) and returned home to convalesce.

Whilst on leave he developed some close friends at the convalescent home in Dorset and in the village. He argued forcibly that the war was a disasterous slaughter-house, not the heroic struggle depicted by the media. His passionate speech and demonstrable bravery caught the attention of his Brujah sire.

Shackleton has several very strange habits. His mental health never really recovered from the war. Most importantly Shackleton will not enter into any argument or dispute unless it is extremely important to him. In practice this means never, as Robert sees himself set apart from the world in the same way that an audience is irrevocably separated from a play. Robert's real world is the camraderie and fatalism of the trenches.

In some ways he has an attractive personality. He is exactly what he appears to be. He never lies and if he agrees to do something then he will not cease until the task is complete. It was this attitude that took him back to the trenches so many times.

Shackleton has always searched for the perfect woman, one who would accept his adoration without question and not violate his privacy. Ever since his embrace he has associated himself with one or more beautiful mortal women. He never blood bonded them as this would contradict his purpose. This was to have a symbol of beauty to worship. He loved them as long as they were willing to subsume their desires and personalities in his, then he discarded them.

This worship ended recently when he came across a dark, serious girl by the name of Suzanne Wakelin. He first met her in Florence when she was on a round the world trip and he followed her to Berlin and San Francisco. Suzanne is physically attractive and Shackleton intended her to be the next icon for his worship. As he tried to mold her to his image he found that she wouldn't budge from her own personality. She spurned all his attempts to put her on a pedastal and refused any gift that had strings attached. He was forced to use his Presence to cloud her judgement and reactions to him. However, Suzanne proved more resistant than any other mortal he had known. Finally, she fled San Francisco during the day. It was then that Shackleton fell in love with her. He had found a woman whom he could only treat as an equal and who was sufficiently distant from his past not to be seen as a reflection of one long dead.

Robert now faced a terrible dilemma. She could not be a real equal unless she was one of the Kindred and he could not murder someone he loved. He eventually tracked her down to her parents' home in Bradford. For a few weeks he tried to continue a mortal relationship with her, abandonning the Presence with which he had tried to mould her. However, in his heart he knew that the charade was doomed without using his powers to control her curiosity. Robert was working himself up to leaving her when she asked him to explain why he never met her during the day. He couldn't lie. When he had finished the tale of his life Suzanne burst into tears. What she heard only confirmed what she had already guessed. She asked to join him and was Embraced.

Since Suzanne's embrace in 1987 Robert has been like a new man. Although his character is essentially unchanged his has taken a much greater interest in Kindred life. He is regularly seen at Toreador parties with the love of his life.

Even before Suzanne's Embrace, Robert had a couple of close friends in the fief, Christopher Rainhan and Father Michael Donaldson. All were Embraced around the same time and have always been 'on the same wavelength'. Although Rainham is a bit flamboyant and actorly for his taste, Robert repects his intellect and his willingness to seriously discuss all points of view with an open mind. Robert feels very sorry for Donaldson. Robert too was damaged by his experiences in the first world war so he understands something of what Michael is going through. He tries to keep an eye on him and is always willing to help cover up any problems after Michael's binges.

Both Michael Donaldson and particularly Christopher Rainham were rather put out by Suzanne's arrival. Like all Kindred, they are creatures of habit and were annoyed to find their routines disturbed by their friend's 'infatuation'. However, over the years they have begun to warm to her, especially since Robert is now more willing to attend Kindred functions.

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Ultimate Goal

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