Demosthenes Monk

Clan	Followers of Set
Position	None
Status	6
Domain	San Diego, CA
Coterie	???
Society	???
Path	Humanity 00
Player	Dan B

Overview

Demosthenes Monk circa February, 2012

Alias(es): Oscar Monk, Oskarina

Real Name: Unknown

Apparent Age: 40's

Concept: Dilettante Archeologist

Physical description: Varies. Debonair, elegant, and frequently charming; usually well dressed in couture clothing and often looking professorial. Dark hair, glasses, smooth complexion. Occasionally uses English phrases or idioms due to schooling there.

Detailed Status:
Acknowledged by Prince Gino Delvonte of St. Louis, January 18, 2006
Wise by Prince Gregori Nicholatai of St. Louis, (prior to May 13, 2008)
Knowledgeable by Prince Robert Johnson of St. Louis, (prior to May 13, 2008)
Loyal by Prince Marcus Alexander of St. Louis, (prior to May 13, 2008)
Trustworthy by Prince Verity Valerious of Springfield, (prior to May 13, 2008)
Dignified per Cam packet, approved 2018
(Not counting Diligent awarded prior to May 13, 2008, by Prince Jakob Harris of St. Louis removed because of packet)
(Not counting Loyal awarded by Prince Jaden Cage of St. Louis prior to May 13, 2008 and relinquished on July 1, 2010 to allow awarding of Diligent by Prince Harris noted above)
(Not counting Resourceful awarded by Prince Nicholatai of St. Louis and relenquished to allow awarding of Trustworthy by Prince Valarious noted above)

Character Information

Timeline of Camarilla Involvement

• November 5, 2005 -- First appeared in a Camarilla court in St. Louis, Missouri
• January 18, 2006 -- Was acknowledged by Prince Gino Delvonte of St. Louis, Missouri
• June, 2006 - January, 2007 -- Became sub-harpy to Verity Valerious in St. Louis, Missouri
• January, 2007 - February, 2007 -- Remained sub-harpy to Teegan in St. Louis, Missouri
• March, 2007 -- Elected Harpy of St. Louis, Missouri
• March, 2011 -- Resigned as Harpy of St. Louis to go on sabatical
• March, 2011 - November, 2012 -- On sabbatical to participate in an archaeological dig
• November, 2012 - present -- Resident in San Diego after battling demons there alongside Prince Jessica Kesch.
• July, 2018 -- Began being seen in Georgia

Known History

The Setite calling himself Dr. Demosthenes Monk, an amateur archaeologist, first arrived in St. Louis around Halloween, 2005, and shortly thereafter opened up a bridal shop. Articulate, urbane, and somewhat Victorian at times, he hosted a black-tie Ragtime Mardi Gras gala for his first February in the city, the first of three annual such galas. He soon found himself asked to be the Sub-harpy to Verity Valerious. When she moved on, he was asked to be the Sub-harpy to Teegan. When Teegan resigned after a very brief stint in office, the Primogen asked Demosthenes to be the Harpy of St. Louis, a position and a confidence he ended up holding for four years and through several princes.

In July and August of 2007, Demosthenes had a very public feud with a Tampa Malkavian named Magister Thoren after Thoren accused Demosthenes of sending him a letter requesting support for a Setite Justicar. Demosthenes denied supporting such an idea, especially to someone like Thoren, requested a copy of the "letter" be produced for examination, and chastised Thoren for ignoring Demosthenes's status. Thoren replied that a harpy's status only applied when the harpy was conducting harpy duties. Monk corrected that there was a difference between positional status and positional authority and, while any city officer's authority had some geographic limits, status for holding positions was universal. The other harpies of the Camarilla backed Demosthenes up on this point. The dispute about Demosthenes's political views ended when Archon Jessica Kesch stated:

I, Jessica Kesch, Archon to Justicar Maris Streck of Clan Malkavian, have investigated the loyalties of Demontheses Monk to the best of my ability. I have found him to be an intelligent and detail-driven individual, and not one stupid enough as to seek private support with someone like Magister Thoren - certainly not about something as controversial as pleading for a Justicar's seat for the Setite Clan. As far as I know, Demontheses Monk has never publically or privately supported the concept of adding a Setite Justicar to the Camarilla's leadership...and he has not done so with any kindred of the Camarilla, much less an idiot like Magister Thoren.

Thoren never prodcued the "letter" he received for examination, but Demosthenes at least got Kesch's recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

In 2009, Demosthenes, Alexander Cainan, and the rest of the St. Louis Domain battled a teleporting demon Demosthenes dubbed "Captain Brimstone." After much working tracking the demon, and aided by notable kindred from other domains such as Archon Saul Good, Ein Selerno, Jakob Phuridae, and Julianna of Clan Malkavian, Captain Brimstone was defeated on March 10, 2010. However, this was only a taste of the earthquake that was to rock the Kindred world the next year.

In March, 2011, Demosthenes resigned as the Harpy of St. Louis in order to go out of town on a six month archaeological dig. Shortly thereafter the Columbus Conclave ruled that members of his faith who will not renounce that faith cannot hold Camarilla offices, preventing Monk from resuming his office upon his return. In November, 2011, he answered Prince Jessica Kesch's call for citizens to populate the newly reclaimed Domain of San Diego. Shortly thereafter, with the Year of Fire blazing wildly all around, Demosthenes lent the weight of his mortal sway to defend that Domain against a Baali/Neo-Carths attack in January, 2012.

Since the battle to defend San Diego, Demosthenes has not been seen much in public, opting instead to quietly wile away his nights in his study reading his books or in his studio sculpting statuary. Possibly he's sulking in response to the Columbus Conclave's edict about his faith or possibly brooding over new plans. He might even be planning another Black-Tie Mardi Gras Gala.

In July, 2018, Demosthenes suddenly appeared in the Camarilla courts of Middle Georgia and Griffin, apparently seeking Ivan Sjekna who apparently owed the Setite a trivial boon. Although that search proved unsuccessful, Demosthenes did engage in several salon-style discussions of various matters including ontology, sociolinguistics, and Camarilla philosophy and law.

Demosthenes is an oft-cited exception to seemingly every "rule" about Setites by Archons, Princes, and other members of the Camarilla who know him (to the point of having his clan questioned). Like Lorenzo de' Medici, Monk maintains that, properly understood, his religion does not necessarily conflict with the conduct, Traditions, or the ideals of the Camarilla any more than any other religion.

Coterie

None known

Allies

• Cassandra Sumner (deceased)
• Eva Luna (deceased)
• Lorenzo de' Medici
• Luciferia Bellwether
• Verity Valerious

Enemies

• "Magister" Thoren
• Urial Legatio

Sire

Eva Rochester

Childer

• Mei Li
• Quintilian 'Quin' Abbott
• Katya Stroganov
• Thuvia Nunn

(There could be others, at least one prince of St. Louis gave Monk blanket Right of Progeny. Who knows what he did with it.)

Inspirations

• Cary Grant in His Girl Friday and The Philadelphia Story
• Bayushi Yojiro and Bayushi Kachiko

Soundtrack

Nobody's Side, Chess (English version) Alt.
One Night in Bangkok, Chess (English version)
McCavity, Cats Part 2 "When the crime's discovered then McCavity's not there!"
Music of the Night, Phantom of the Opera
With a Little Bit of Luck, My Fair Lady "Oh you can walk the straight and narrow, but with a little bit of luck you'll run amok!"
Why Can't the English Learn to Speak, My Fair Lady
Holy Ground by Wolfstone
It's a Sin by the Pet Shop Boys
Opportunities by the Pet Shop Boys
Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top
My Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades by Timbuk 3
Would I Lie to You by the Eurythmics
Missionary Man by the Eurythmics
Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics
Our Lips Are Sealed by the Go-Gos
Bad is Bad by Huey Lewis & the News
Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel
We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
Nortorious by Duran Duran
The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga
Messiahs Die Young by Men Without Hats
The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby & the Range
I Can't Break Away by Big Pig
Outlaw Blues by Pat Benatar
Who Will Save Your Soul by Jewel
Walk like An Egyptian by the Bangels (It's trite, but how could I not add this one?)

And lately, Mountain Duet, Chess (English version)
Florence: Nothing I say will convince him this isn't a trick.
Russian: ...I relax, she smiles. There's something peculiar going on.
...
Florence: This is the one situation I wanted most to avoid.
Russian: My dear opponent -- I really can't imagine why.
Florence: So I am not dangerous then? -- what a shame!
Russian: Oh, you're not dangerous -- who could think that of you?
Both: You -- you are so strange -- why can't you be what you ought to be? You should be scheming, intriguing, too clever by half. ... I don't know why I can't think of anything I would rather do than be wasting my time on mountains with you.

Quotes

"That Jesus guy already has enough followers, we should spread this around." - Discussing a plan to deal with a problematic cult by redirecting its adherents into other religious pursuits.

"I hate Setites."
Monk clears throat.
"Not you. You're not a Setite; you're Camarilla."

"So let me get this straight. You're saying that those who can, rule, and those who can't become Archons? Are you sure you want to say that in front of a harpy?"

"A Setite Headmaster? Somehow that just sounds... dirty."

"Drugs? Really? Do I look like a vending machine? How about a nice, hot cup of coffee? With a little half-and-half? Or maybe a good brandy? Something with an aroma'?"

"You drive on the right side of the road, correct? Because it is the rule. I too drive in the right lane. I do not do it because it is the rule. I do it because head-enders are bad for me, bad for my car, and I have more important things to do than making a juvenile show of my rebellion by driving the wrong way in the left lanes just because the normal procedure is to drive in the right-side lanes. That is the difference between a Setite and an Anarch by the way. The Anarch is just as chained by his or her rebellion as someone who drives a certain way simply because it is a rule. A chain is to do something mindlessly, for no other reason than because it is so, without questioning it or more importantly seeking knowledge of how and why it is so."

"However unwillingly a person who has a strong opinion may admit the possibility that his opinion may be false, he ought to be moved by the consideration that however true it may be, if it is not fully, frequently, and fearlessly discussed, it will be held as a dead dogma, not a living truth. ... (E)ven if the received opinion be not only true, but the whole truth; unless it is suffered to be, and actually is, vigorously and earnestly contested,... the meaning of the doctrine itself will be in danger of being lost, or enfeebled, and deprived of its vital effect on the character and conduct: the dogma becoming a mere formal profession, inefficacious for good, but cumbering the ground, and preventing the growth of any real and heartfelt conviction, from reason or personal experience." - John Stuart Mill

Rumors

• He owns a bridal shop -- No, really, he does
• He's the worst Setite ever. He doesn't push drugs or orgies or anything. His clanmates hate him.
• He's not a Setite by blood, that's why he doesn't act like a Setite
• Saul Good claimed Monk is his second favorite Setite after Miles Longshaft
• Continuously served as Harpy of St. Louis, MO for about four years
• He is a master sculptor and jeweler
• He used to own a church.
• Has declared himself to be the defender of the Queen's English
• Ran with some Archons for a while (but they're all dead now)
• The only 'okay' Setite Tatiyana "Anya" Pyotrevna knows.
• The Camarilla waited until he resigned before barring Followers of Set from holding Camarilla positions.
• He's been seen having some really long discussions with Rachel Dubhan lately. Is he crazy or suicidal?!