VITAL STATISTICS: |
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GOALS:
HUMAN: To continue up the ranks of the SFPD, eventually becoming Chief of Police
KINDRED: To become Primogen of the Ventrue Clan.
BIOGRAPHY:
Sonny was born in Kentucky in 1895. He lived on a small family farm with his father, mother and two brothers. They were a proud and happy family, living off the land, selling the surplus crops. Eventually hard work and perseverance paid off, and the farm began to prosper. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with their success, which caused jealousy and animosity in some of their white neighbors.
One night, when Sonny was 16, he saw three of his neighbors set fire to the barn, in which the harvested crop was drying. As the family struggled to save the property, the roof of the barn collapsed killing Sonny's father. The barn and most of the farm house were destroyed. Sonny and his mother went to the police to tell them that the fire was intentionally set, but the sheriff just laughed at them. His reply was that the accused men were "outstanding members of the community", and that "Colored fo'k had no right spreading malicious lies about good white people". In a fit of rage, Sonny went home, grabbed his fathers rifle, and took justice into his own hands. He fled town that night.
In 1911, the fugitive Sonny ended up on a cattle ranch in west Texas, earning his keep, eventually taking part in round-ups and cattle drives. The job taught him to be tough, self-sufficient and good with a gun, as much of the land that he traversed was still quite wild, despite the advancing civilization. Sonny found that this new life was well-suited to him. He enjoyed the excitement of driving the cattle, as well as the solitude of the prairie. Only one thing kept him from finding peace within himself: He knew that he would never be able to see his home and his family again.
Unfortunately, his past eventually caught up with him, when someone from Kentucky recognized his face from a "Wanted" poster. Luckily, a friend warned him, and before the law could catch up, Sonny had headed north. Deciding that it was time for a change, he sold his horse and bought a train ticket to San Francisco. It was time to give city life a try.
Sonny arrived in San Francisco in 1918, and immediately landed a job on the docks. He soon developed a reputation as a hard worker, and incidentally, not someone that you'd want to mess around with. With his drive and ambition, (not to mention his knowledge of guns), he began to pick up extra jobs, many of them "less that legal". By the time prohibition was in full swing in 1919, Sonny had already established himself as a profitable bootlegger. Soon after, he quit his job on the docks, and turned his energies to his growing operations. After a time, it became obvious that Sonny's outfit was cutting into the profits of the other large bootlegging operations, the largest of which was bankrolled by Archon Raine.
One day Sonny was visited by several men, a few of whom he recognized from his work on (and off) the docks. The leader of this group, a man by the name of Stevie Ray came to convince Sonny to give up his operations, and go to work for his employer. If Sonny accepted the offer, he would be put in charge of their Northeastern territory, making a great deal more money, with less personal risk. Although Sonny really enjoyed being his own boss, he decided to join their operations, though not totally for the sake of the enticing offer; He had the feeling that an unspoken threat lay just beneath the surface of the deal, and that it might not be wise to refuse.
Sonny took to his job working for his new employers. It was filled with dangers and challenges. He soon branched out from his work as a bootlegger, undertaking any assignment that was given to him, handling it efficiently and discreetly. As time went by, he began noticing the presence of a man that he had never seen before. This person seemed dark and mysterious, and a sense of power seemed to radiate off of him. From time to time Sonny would catch this man watching him, assessing him. He eventually came to know him as Julian Luna.
Over the next decade, Sonny worked his way up in their world, taking on dangerous assignments, gaining their trust and confidence. In 1929, Sonny, Stevie Ray, and several others were sitting around in a speakeasy, slowly getting inebriated. Suddenly, a group of armed gunman rushed in, and opened fire on the table. They were finally able to fight the gunmen off, but not without heavy casualties to both sides. When the smoke had cleared, Sonny saw that Stevie Ray had taken two gunshot wounds to the chest. He tried to convince Stevie to go to the hospital, but two of the men grabbed him, and carried him away. Thinking that his friend couldn't possibly have survived those wounds, Sonny silently mourned his passing. Then, mysteriously, several days later he re-appeared, looking as if he hadn't been hurt at all.
Knowing that Sonny must suspect something, Julian finally decided to confide in him, and explained to Sonny the story of the Kindred. He had been watching Sonny carefully for over a decade, and felt that this man was exactly the type of person he wanted to help with operations, as well as aid them in the clan wars. He had proven himself resilient, and trust-worthy. Archon agreed to allow Julian to add to his line, and Sonny was embraced by Julian on October 29, 1929.
Sonny held various jobs for his sire, and the prince over the years, changing his alias and occupation frequently. With his chameleon-like skills, he has often acted as moles in various capacities, inside and outside of San Francisco. He spent several years infiltrating, and eventually working his way up to one of the top positions in the local labor unions, and later worked his way into a strategic position in the banking industry. Archon and Julian were determined to move the Ventrue, and other Kindred of the city away from illegal activities into legitimate ones. Sonny's connections helped to make this possible.
In 1986, Julian decided that it was important to have a Ventrue foothold in the SF police department. He convinced Sonny that he should spend a little time on "the other side of the law" for a spell. With Sonny's skills, and Julian's influence, he was accepted into the police academy, and quickly worked his way up the ladder.
In his present position of homicide detective, Sonny is paired up with the volatile Frank Kohanek. Frank has the unfortunate honor of being the only (non-ghoul) mortal in the city to know of the existence of the Kindred. Luckily, Julian had had the insight to use his influence to get Sonny paired up with Frank, when he had first gotten wind of Frank's investigation into Julian's affairs. Through this partnership, Sonny has been able to monitor Frank's activities, and thereby counter any damage that Frank could cause the Kindred, (mostly through hinting to fellow workers that Frank is slightly off-balance). He fears that someday soon Frank will come to recognize him as Kindred, and is greatly apprehensive about what will happen when that day arrives.
In addition to his job in the SFPD, Sonny is frequently called on to handle special assignments for the Prince. Julian will often entrust Sonny with dangerous assignments that he feels only Sonny can handle, and which are often highly confidential.