Raine, commonly known as Archon Raine, is a vampire featured in the short-lived Fox Network TV series Kindred: The Embraced where he was played by actor Patrick Bauchau. He was presented as a vampire elder from clan Ventrue holding the title of Archon.
As the former Prince of San Francisco, Raine allowed his childe Julian Luna to rule in his stead, while serving as his advisor. Julian held a deep respect for Archon Raine and looked upon him as a father figure. Once known for this ruthlessness, Archon was responsible for the unjust slaughter of several Brujah vampires in Manzanita Springs – a crime that would one day come back to haunt him.
Biography
Archon Raine was a vampire of Clan Ventrue and the former Prince of the territory of San Francisco. Around the year 1856, he embraced a man named Julian Luna, shortly following the death of Luna's wife Evelyn.
Despite his calm demeanor, Archon could also be a ruthless Prince, though this reputation was not so strong to prevent bitter disputes between the clans. He was quick to use Julian as his personal enforcer, sending him to carry out gangland-style executions. Occasionally, these assignments were conducted outside the letter of Kindred law as a means of satisfying Archon's personal prejudices. One such instance took place at Manzanita Springs in 1985. Archon possessed a fierce resentment of the Brujah living in that region, and those these vampires had not violated Kindred law, Archon saw it as an opportunity to rid himself of these perpetual thorns in his side. Julian however, was unaware of his sire's personal vendetta and carried out his orders to the letter. Although Luna's efforts succeeded in burning out an entire pack of Brujah, several of the angry vampires survived and bided their time, waiting for the day when they would take their vengeance.
Following this affair, Archon's demeanor changed dramatically. Feeling as if he had lost his soul, he retired from his position as Prince and handed control of the city over to Julian Luna. He remained a central figure in Kindred politics, often serving as Luna's mentor and conscience.
In 1996, Raine learned that the San Francisco police department had taken a special interest in Julian Luna's business affairs and through his consultation with Julian, convinced him that one of their own in the SFPD had betrayed them. He later discovered that Luna had his progeny Sonny Toussaint (also a detective) infiltrate the gang of vampire rival Eddie Fiori and was manipulating the San Francisco Police Department to aim their attention towards Fiori and away from Luna's affairs.
Raine was also present when Julian Luna declared a blood hunt on Julian's childe Alexandra Serris for breaking the Masquerade.
Archon attended a conclave of the Primogen to determine which Kindred was responsible for the murder of a human named Paulie Boyle. Julian Luna had recovered a ring that had belonged to Paulie and each of the clan elders used their post-cognitive abilities to perceive the history of the item. Through it, they learned that one of Eddie Fiori's Brujah, a vampire named Nino Donelli had impaled Paulie with a metal instrument. A vote was cast to determine if Eddie Fiori should bear responsibility for his progeny's actions. Archon perceived Fiori as a dire threat to Julian's reign and voted to have him executed. The final vote was in Eddie's favor however and he was spared.
Archon also grew concerned when he found that Julian had developed an interest in a human investigative reporter named Caitlin Byrne. Well-informed of his childe's attraction to women, he warned him that sometimes being a Prince means sacrificing personal desires.
Archon attended a function at The Haven, along with his Kindred brethren, to see an up-and-coming singer Elaine Robb perform on stage. He witnessed a fight break out between the Gangrel Primogen Cash and a neophyte vampire known as Starkweather. When Starkweather later began committing a string of murders, Raine encouraged Julian to let the Kindred take care of the matter, before his actions drew too much attention from the human population.
Raine later had a private meeting with Julian in which he indicated that he would be leaving soon. Julian didn't care for the ominous suggestion and said that he would be unable to lead the Kindred without his guidance. Archon however, had total confidence in Julian's ability to be a strong leader.
As clan rivalries grew more heated, Raine accompanied Julian and several other vampires for a standoff against Eddie Fiori and his Brujah. Julian wanted revenge against the Brujah for the unpardonable embracing of his niece Sasha. He watched stoically as Daedalus' Nosferatu brethren arrived to tip the scales in Julian's favor.
A short time later, Eddie Fiori mistakenly believed that he had succeeded in killing Julian Luna. He declared himself the new Prince of San Francisco and called a conclave of the city's Primogen at his office at the Dock Worker's Union. Archon told Eddie that despite his violent bid for power, a Prince is only powerful so long as he has the support of the Primogen (which Eddie clearly did not). As it turned out, Julian Luna was still alive and resumed his position as Prince following Eddie's demise.
Another foe appeared in the city, threatening to unseat Julian's power - a renegade Nosferatu named Goth. Archon knew of Goth's past and knew how dangerous he was. He advised Julian on how to deal with him and told the rest of the Primogen of Goth's history.
It wasn't long before Archon's past came back to haunt him. Three surviving vampires from the 1985 Manzanita Springs massacre named Sorel, Cameron and Clyde began plotting against him and Julian. They managed to ambush Luna outside the Old Mission Winery and Archon could feel his childe's life force slipping away. Cognizant of what was happening, he confided in Daedalus and told him about ordering the unjust slaughter of the Brujah.
Cameron came to San Francisco and quickly announced himself the new Primogen of Clan Brujah, replacing the late Eddie Fiori. Cameron came to Luna's mansion to confront Archon and the two met one another out in the courtyard near a fountain. Overcome with guilt, Archon handed his weapon over and explained how Julian should not be made to pay for his sins. He added, "All these years I've been failing to reach the light. I never realized what held me back. It was not lack of age or wisdom, but the weight of my past. The bloodshed. The killings. The vendettas, like the one I called against your clansmen." He allowed Cameron the chance to avenge his clan and the Brujah fired the shotgun at Archon, killing him. Funeral services were held shortly thereafter and all of the city's Primogen were in attendance (as well as Sonny Toussaint, Frank Kohanek and Sasha Luna). Archon's remains were buried at the site of his original grave near the winery.
Trivia
- The term "Archon" is actually a title and not a name, though the series confuses the two.
- The Archon's death is inconsistent with known vampire lore, even that supplied by the television series. A gunshot wound should not prove fatal to any vampire. However, previous episodes have presented characters armed with weapons that fired phosphorous shells, which is in fact fatal. Whether these shells were loaded into the gun that killed Archon was never revealed.