BACKGROUND/HISTORY

Reginald was born in Britain during the post-war years of privation and re-building. While America was focused on building ‘the good life,’ Britain was focused on getting back up to standards. The Llewellyns were dysfunctional behind doors, but appeared very normal in public. Reginald’s mother, Elizabeth, was obsessed with Reginald and slightly unstable. His father, Nigel, was extremely demanding and traditional. Nigel was even slightly abusive of his family. Elizabeth took the physical blows while Reginald took the verbal ones.

As conservative Catholics, the Llewellyns sent their son to a parochial boarding school. St. John's Beaumont was close enough to London for Elizabeth to visit Reginald, but far enough away that Nigel didn't have to look at his sissy of a son. For the first couple of years at the school, Reginald made little impression on his classmates or teachers. He was too frail to be of much use in athletics and too shy to speak up in class or participate in extracurricular activities. Reginald’s frail health and shy nature made him the subject of frequent bullying by the other children. To escape this, Reginald would hide in the chapel or the choir room.

Eventually, an elderly priest discovered the boy crying in a prayer nook. Old Father James dried the Reginald’s tears with his sleeve and held him close. After some time, Father James managed to get the frightened youngster to open up. The weird home life and horrible school life came spilling out in a torrent. Along with the torrent, out came the fact that Reginald’s one love was music. As a musician himself, Father James resolved to heal the boy through that love of music.

Due to Reginald’s shyness, Father James decided to give the boy private lessons. Father James spent many hours working with Reginald, giving him formal music instruction. The old priest also worked to sell the idea of singing with the choir to Reginald. Once the youngster was comfortable with the idea of singing in front of others, Father James had him join the choir. The amazing sound that their shy classmate was capable of producing stunned the other boys. Finally, Reginald did something that his classmates could respect. It didn’t take long for the prodigy to become a featured soloist.

The old priest took the boy under his wing, since he could sense the young man's potential; not as a musician, but as an Awakened Mage. Once Reginald outgrew St. John's, Father James arranged for Reginald to receive a scholarship to Stonyhurst Boarding College. At that institution, other members of the Chorus could keep an eye on and guide Reginald. Using the connections of faith and music, they guided Reginald out of the Sleeping world and into the Awakened one. This had no impact on Reginald's distant and uncomfortable relationship with his father, nor his slightly disturbing one with his mother. As a result, Reginald distanced himself from his family and spent more time with the Chorus.

The Celestial Chorus not only welcomed the musical young man, they explicitly encouraged him in the things he loved. The flow of Magic weaving within his music was pure joy for Reginald. His teen years passed in a pleasant blur. The study of music and Magic became his world. Reginald dabbled in the drug and music culture of his rebellion with his classmates at the Royal Academy of Music, like any teen of his times. The only thing that Reginald truly struggled with was the religious and family implications of his attraction to other young men. He resolved to handle it by swearing to celibacy. Reginald even flirted with the idea of entering the Priesthood. Despite his use of drugs and internal struggles, the Choristers expected Reginald's star to rise far within their ranks. Not only was he extremely good at what he did, he was a genuinely likable person.

As Reginald became more comfortable with who and what he was, he began stepping out of his comfort zone. Expanding beyond the theological and the Magical views of the Chorus, Reginald began looking to understand how the other Traditions viewed Magic. He figured his best bet to start with were the Hermetics. It didn't take Reginald long to secure an invitation to attend Hermetic events and begin attending. Not all of these events were designed exclusively for Awakened individuals. Potential candidates have long been groomed and reviewed at slightly more open events.

Reginald knew to avoid garnering the attentions of the Mortal authorities, as they brought the forces of the Technocrats with them. It never occurred to him to be as cautious within occult circles. Unfortunately for Reginald, not all of these potential candidates were as ignorant as the Order of Hermes thought they were. The agent of an Elder Kindred, a Ghoul of some ability, had managed to garner himself an invite. The Hermetics were extremely rigid and cautious in their actions, thereby managed to avoid this agent's attentions. Reginald was not so careful, nor so lucky.

When word reached the ears of the Elder Tremere, Bartholomew, of an occultist with more than ordinary abilities the Elder's interest was piqued. The Ghoul was ordered to get close to what they thought was a Hedge Sorcerer. It didn’t take long for the Ghoul to figure out that Reginald was a serious closet case. Using this piece of information and Reginald’s social naivete, the Ghoul managed to seduce the young Mage. The Elder Tremere discovered that other than his target’s slightly unusual nature, he was desperately dull. Growing bored with the game, the Elder ordered his Ghoul to bring the Reginald in for closer examination by his Master.

Luckily for Bartholomew, he chose to have his Gargoyle follow the Ghoul that night. The Ghoul met Reginald for an evening of conversation and wine. As they were out for their evening walk, the Ghoul steered Reginald in the direction of Bartholomew's haven. Reginald was a little naive, but he wasn't a complete moron. The minute he saw his first Thaumaturgical rune, Reginald knew that he was in danger. One word came to his mind, Massasa! His reaction was instinctual and had been trained into him by the Chorus for years. The force of Reginald’s Prime attack annihilated from the Ghoul’s very Pattern within. The Gargoyle swooped down from Bartholomew's roof just in time to knock the terrified Mage out from behind.

Bartholomew had been observing from a window, to see his quarry brought in. Seeing the simple wave of Reginald's hand the quick flash of his Ghoul's incineration, the Tremere Elder knew that he had more than a Hedge Sorcerer on his hands. When the Gargoyle entered Bartholomew's haven with the unconscious body of Reginald, the Elder was in a quandary as to what to do with the young man. He couldn't just release the Mage, as his haven was now compromised. Killing Reginald would be complete waste of resources. Ghouling him would take several nights and there was the danger of the young Mage using his power to get free. With only one real option before him, Bartholomew violated his Oath and the Prince's law by Embracing.

Reginald's immediate reaction to the Embrace startled both Bartholomew and his Gargoyle. The ripping of his very soul into pieces woke the former Mage up. The screaming of his Awakened soul manifested in Reginald screaming. The absolute terror and unearthly anguish in that sound was unlike anything that either of them had ever heard. It reminded Bartholomew of something his own Sire had told him of the shattering experience of the Embrace for House Tremere. The stone heart of the Gargoyle moved. Pity was not something it was used to.

With his Gargoyle's help, Bartholomew managed to get the screaming and flailing fledgling locked into a room. Lack of blood forced Reginald into a rather quick hunger frenzy that ended in a self-inflicted Torpor. Over the next couple of nights, Bartholomew fed his distraught Childe from his own wrist. The bond that formed kept Reginald from attacking his Sire, but it took orders from Bartholomew to keep the fledgling from harming himself. Using the same information that the Ghoul had, Bartholomew portrayed Reginald's love as romantic and managed to tie the new Tremere himself further.

During those nights, Bartholomew thought about how to use his new resource without getting caught. More than his Clan for many of his actions would punish him. The knowledge so easily stuffed between the ears of the mewling Childe had always been beyond Bartholomew as a Mortal. As a Kindred, it could serve to increase his rank out of the Apprentice circles within the Clan. Bartholomew had been bashing his head against a glass ceiling for over a century. The Clan's entire Discipline was based upon the rituals and Magic of the Awakened. Reginald's knowledge could further Bartholomew's research into Thaumaturgy. Since the war between the Order of Hermes and Clan Tremere had never officially ended and Clan Tremere thought the Mages mostly gone, Bartholomew could possibly distract the Regent with information about a 'nest of Mages.'

Bartholomew kept Reginald in as much ignorance and as misinformed as he did the Gargoyle. Using a carrot and stick method, Bartholomew worked information out of the Neonate. Keeping Reginald dependent for love and Vitae, those served as his carrot. When Reginald's information failed to serve Bartholomew's purposes, the Elder would torture his Childe into Torpor; only to wake the young man for another round. Sometimes, the Gargoyle was used for brute force. This went on for several years, before Bartholomew felt comfortable enough with Reginald to allow the Childe to have his room's door unlocked. Access to areas that led outdoors as well as secure areas such as Bartholomew's sleeping chamber and the Elder's lab were barred from entry. Whenever the Elder had guests, Reginald was locked away and the Gargoyle was made to stay out of sight.

This limited freedom gave Reginald access to the parts of Bartholomew's library that didn't contain any actual Thaumaturgy. Ignorant even of his own lineage, Reginald learned some basics of Clan Tremere from those pages. He also learned that Bartholomew was probably breaking some rules and would be in big trouble if found out. The fact that a ghost story from the history of the Traditions was coming to life for him caused Reginald to be even more frightened.

Reginald periodically found himself being watched by the Gargoyle. The first few times, the Neonate ran and hid from the monster. After a few of these incidents, Reginald came to the slow realization that the creature had only hurt him when ordered to by Bartholomew. He tried ignoring it, but a huge, stone, Massasa was a bit hard to ignore. Giving up on that coping tactic, Reginald decided to talk to it. It had a really beautiful Irish accent. The accent reminded Reginald of a fellow Chorister named Sean. So when he discovered that Bartholomew had denied the creature a name, Reginald offered the Gargoyle the name Sean.

Bartholomew discovered the fact that his Gargoyle and Childe were spending time together. As both were thoroughly under his control, this didn't worry the Elder. He even ignored the fact the Reginald was teaching the Gargoyle to read. It didn't even occur to the arrogant Tremere that the books they were using for this project contained Clan history, more Clan history than a Neonate or Gargoyle were supposed to ever look at.

Between the books and Reginald's knowledge from Awakened society, he began drawing some lines in between historical events. Those lines scared the bejeebus out of him. Sean didn't even pretend to understand Reginald's reactions.

Over the decades, Bartholomew's demands for information and the beatings became more infrequent. The quiet times became longer. Bartholomew even began using Reginald as a laboratory assistant. Reginald only earned beatings when he refused an order. The only times that the Neonate struggled up the willpower to refuse, were when the order involved hurting people. This willingness to be hurt for others was another curiosity for Sean.

Reginald and Sean found themselves spending more and more time together. Eventually, their friendship of convenience became something much closer. Reginald lost his dependence on Bartholomew for love and Sean got his first inklings that the love for Bartholomew wasn't natural. This was one secret that the two of them managed to keep from the Elder. They accomplished this by only acting on their feelings when Bartholomew was out of the haven. All Bartholomew ever saw was their friendship based around the books. During this entire time, Reginald never sung within anyone's earshot. He kept his music bottled up inside, for fear of Bartholomew's reaction. Sean first heard Reginald's music during one of these private nights. Reginald serenaded Sean with a simple love song.

The first clue that Reginald had that something drastic was about to happen in the household was when Sean suddenly came to him and pulled him into a reinforced side room. The calamitous sounds of the Tremere raid on Bartholomew's haven were evident outside the room's door. For the last time, Sean used physical force on Reginald. Sean restrained Reginald from acting to defend his Sire, as the blood bond demanded. When the Tremere entered the room, Sean allowed them to stake the struggling Reginald. The Gargoyle just kept telling Reginald over and over that this was to save him, during the restraint and the immobilization. The Tremere thought it odd that Sean wouldn't hand the body over to them, but shrugged it off and had the Gargoyle follow them out.

Once they were in the hands of London's Chantry Regent, Ian Campbell, the two of them were evidence. Perusing Bartholomew's papers Regent Campbell added to his knowledge of Bartholomew's violations of both Code and Traditions. This gave the Regent the excuse he had been looking for to nail the former Anti-tribu. Having the foul man attached to his Chantry was a black mark that Regent Campbell wanted removed.

The Tribunal was a cursory nod to the Code, as the evidence was so stacked against Bartholomew as to be insurmountable. To the newly unbound Reginald, what the Tremere considered the greatest crime was odd. By the Code; the violations earning Bartholomew death were his refusal to administer Reginald the Oath, not teaching his Childe Thaumaturgy, and hiding the Apprentice from the Regent. Making a Gargoyle without permission was worth some loss of rank, as well as loss of the Gargoyle. Embracing without permission was worth some loss of reputation. The foul experiments on Mortals and nomadic Kindred were considered in poor taste, as they could endanger the Masquerade or cause difficulties with the Prince.

As soon as the issue of Bartholomew was solved, Regent Campbell administered the Oath to Reginald. Bartholomew's notes were clear on the fact of Reginald being a former Mage. The Regent saw this as an exaggeration and that Reginald was most likely a Hedge Sorcerer. Regent Campbell filed the "Mage" information in Reginald's file, along with his views of the exaggeration. What it did mean was that the new Apprentice was already familiar with magical theory as well as practice. Training this one would be more a matter of modifying his view of how the energy worked, rather than just getting him used to the idea of magic being real.

Unfortunately for Regent Campbell, things did not go that smoothly. Sean stopped Reginald from hurting himself on numerous occasions and reported these incidents to the Regent, in the hopes of saving Reginald. When the Regent reported to his superiors that he may have to destroy the new Apprentice for weakness, extremely odd orders came in from on high. Regent Campbell was ordered to preserve Reginald by binding him to the Council and ordering to stop the self-damage. He was also ordered to officially assign Sean to Reginald. The implication from his Lord was that these orders came from even higher. The orders were complied with.

As the Tremere of London spent more time around the new Apprentice, they found more things to bother them. Reginald understood magical theory and the use of magical energy on an instinctual level that baffled his assigned teacher. With new Apprentices it was normal to put them through a painful ritual to open them to the magical energies of Thaumaturgy. For Reginald, Thaumaturgy just worked. Reginald's working of Thaumaturgy was also odd at best. They had never seen anyone perform music to accomplish magical goals. Not understanding how to teach such a student in Thaumaturgy, Reginald's teacher gave up and just directed the new Apprentice into the Chantry library.

Reginald's Clan-mates discovered the absolutely most disturbing thing about him at one point when he was going through an extremely stressful period of training. Before his teach had given up on teaching Reginald traditional Blood Thaumaturgy, the Senior Apprentice had been hammer at him. During one of these sessions in the library, Reginald had a very drastic and public meltdown. Everything that came out of his mouth was pure magic. He spoke in terms and symbols that nobody in the room could understand. Regent Campbell's response was to have any Tremere in the Chantry who witnessed it attempt to transcribe what they heard. When this new development was reported, orders came down for Sean to carry an audio recorder. Should it happen again, the Gargoyle was to record it.

The Senior Apprentice was able to educate Reginald in other areas. Reginald learned the basics of how to hunt and feed. He was also educated in the Clan's views on the sects and the other Clans. The Code and Traditions were also pounded into Reginald's memory. Once the Regent felt that Reginald wouldn't make a fool of himself or the Clan, he was formally introduced to the Prince. Sean and Reginald were presented together as older Kindred, but new to the Chantry.

Officially Acknowledged and safely guarded by Sean, Reginald was allowed to participate in Kindred society. He was limited in his interactions based on the fact that he still hated Massasa and the hours he dedicated to his studies. The Court just viewed him as this pitiful little figure who sometimes lurked in the corners at events. There was just something about him that broke the hearts of the more tenderhearted members of the Court. The only thing that kept them from approaching him was the looming bulk of Sean, always at his side.

When Reginald expressed an interest in getting himself financially established, Regent Campbell helped Reginald establish an alternate identity. Thus, Reginald Dewin was born. Having the exact same name as a known missing person was not healthy for the Masquerade, nor would it be healthy for Clan Tremere should Reginald's spell casting friends catch wind of his continued existence. Even if they were Hedge Sorcerers, the notes about them listed them as very dangerous and very organized. The thought of this bothered Regent Campbell enough that he began investigating the option to move Reginald to a different Chantry. Normally, this was a difficult and long process. In Reginald's case, his superiors came through with a great transfer in record time. High Regent Aisling Sturbridge of New York City would take the Apprentice in.

Reginald accepted his new orders and prepared for the trip. Traveling as a Kindred was very different than any travel he'd made as a Mortal or as a Mage. Poor Sean was packed in a light proof crate and labeled as fragile statuary. Reginald was hidden in a crate of books. Luckily for them, Kindred don't get twisted necks or leg cramps. Reginald did sneak in some reading on the trip.

When the Chantry of the Five Burroughs took possession of the shipment and the two of them released, they discovered a whole new world. In New York, their histories and lineages were unknown to all, other than Regent Sturbridge. She kept these little secrets to herself. Regent Sturbridge also pushed Reginald to keep his focus on Thaumaturgy, as that was his greatest strength. Despite her dislike of Reginald and Sean's very non-standard relationship, Regent Sturbridge left the two of them alone on that account. As long as it didn't interfere with Reginald's duties, it was just a minor deviancy.

Within the cultural life of New York, the musician in Reginald finally began to sneak back out into the world. Avoiding anything resembling true fame, he played small coffee shops and published his written pieces for other, more famous musicians to use. As a result of this, many Kindred of New York mistook Reginald for a member of Clan Toreador and were genuinely surprised to find out that he was a Tremere. This reveal usually happened as a result of him being at a Court event with Sean and other members of Clan Tremere.

During this time, Sean began to feel confident enough in his abilities to not fear for dropping Reginald. It took some convincing for Reginald to allow Sean to leave the ground with him. It only took once for Reginald to discover that he liked to fly. The two of them spent many a romantic night watching and listening to the city from the rooftops. The Mortals only ever heard the sound of ghostly singing coming from above and sometimes the flap of wings.

Reginald had found a small measure of happiness and never thought of applying for a transfer. So, when Regent Sturbridge received his and Sean's orders to Las Vegas, she was caught completely off guard. To say that Reginald was surprised would be an understatement. It didn't stop him from following orders and packing up a newly acquired Econoline van and heading west with Sean.