Ballard Industries
With a healthy mix of administrative businesses, trust funds, financial firms, and industrial companies, Ballard Industries is one of the pillars of Chicago’s economy. It is also one of the largest conglomerates in the country, with significant holdings in companies in other fields.
Horatio Ballard still runs his corporate empire in secret, either through his direct descendants or employ-ees that only exist on paper. The company provides the Camarilla of Chicago with a significant amount of its funding, ensuring that Elysium is lavish and secure. In addition, it provides the Kindred with legal services.
As a member of Ballard Industries, you have access to a share of Horatio’s wealth and power. Whether you’re just a trusted employee or his childe, you rarely find yourself in a state of need. As long as you maintain your loyalty to Ballard, the world is yours.
| • | Deep Pockets: Ballard knows better than to screw you out of your hard-earned pay. You’ve saved enough of it to weather the very rainy days to come. Once per story, after any event that causes a reduction in your Resources, you may choose to immediately restore your Resources to their original value |
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| • • | Where the In-Crowd Goes: As an agent of Horatio Ballard, you carry a surprising amount of authority in the business world. If you let them know who you are and who you work for, they’ll let you do just about anything. Once per story, you may invoke one of Ballard’s false identities to receive three extra dice on a Social test in a corporate environment. If you choose to invoke Ballard’s real name instead, you will automatically succeed the test, but it may be declared a Masquerade breach at the Storyteller’s discretion. |
| • • • | I Fought the Law, and I Won: Ballard Industries owns some of the best law firms in the country, and where legitimate legislation doesn’t work, bribery certainly will. A number of law-enforcement officers dance to Ballard’s tune, and they might not even know it. You can be their conductor. No matter what crimes you commit, you will always have access to Influence: Police (•••) in your home state or district. |
| • • • • | Favors for Favors: Ballard taught you that no one gets ahead in business without a little quid pro quo. If you can make sure you come out with the better end of the bargain, even better. You know how to wield this on the desperate, and make them bend to your will. If you spend your resources for an SPC’s benefit, you may declare they owe you a debt and have two additional dice to add to an Intimidation or Persuasion roll if this proves a hard pill for the SPC to swallow. If they agree to repay the debt, from the next scene onward, you may call in that character’s debt at any time. The debt can be anything within the character’s natural ability and morality. They are not obliged to repay, of course, but will suffer social backlash among the Ventrue if they do not. You can hold as many debts as your total Status at any one time. Note that this Lore is not equivalent to Kindred boons, as these debts are only considered sacrosanct in Ventrue and financial circles. |
| • • • • • | The View from the Top: You have earned Horatio Ballard’s respect — or his fear. Whichever the case, he has chosen to place you in charge of a piece of his empire. Name your company and state what it does, then choose one of the following Backgrounds at (••••) and the other at (•••): Haven, Herd, Influences, Resources, or Retainers. This is what your company provides you. You will earn an Enemy (••) who represents a major business rival and another Enemy (•) who is an employee you leapfrogged to seize your piece of Ballard Industries. |