Sebastian Juan Dominguez, commonly known as Don Sebastian, was the Camarilla-backed Toreador Prince of Los Angeles in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. During his time as prince, he helped codify Los Angeles into what it is in the Modern Nights.
Biography
In the early 1800s, Don Sebastian was a rancho owner near the San Pedro Bay. On December 25, 1828, an American brig, Danube became wrecked, and the twenty-eight survivors of the boat sought refuge from the locals. Don Sebastian took in an American named Jack Turpin, owner of a long, coffin-shaped box. The box contained the Don's soon-to-be sire, the Toreador Christopher Houghton, who had sought to flee to distant Cathay from his Boston peers who had forced him to flee the East Coast of the United States.
Awakened to find his plans ruined, Christopher frenzied and killed his ghoul Jack Turpin and Don Sebastian's family as the Don fled the house. Once under control again, Christopher sought out Don Sebastian and found him hiding with the chickens. Christopher explained to the Don that he was a vampire, and consequently turned the Don into his newest ghoul. For the following thirty-five years, Don Sebastian's rancho had become his master's new home, and the once-pristine site had become a den to Christopher's debauchery.
Princedom
In 1870, Christopher realized a new plan he wished to set into motion, but he was not ready to be known as the master of Los Angeles. On Christmas Day of that year, exactly forty-two years after landing accidentally in California, Christopher took Don Sebastian and gave him the gift of the Embrace, and installed him as Prince of Los Angeles. Working with Christopher and using his still considerable power, Don Sebastian turned Los Angeles from the nation's most debauched town into the city that it is in the Modern Nights.
The Don was seen as a tough yet civil Prince, and as long as the Kindred obeyed his rules, they were welcome to stay. The Camarilla recognized the Don's princedom, and continued to let him run the city, until 1927. An eighth-generation of Clan Tremere named Alonzo de Portola made a run for Don Sebastian's throne, and at first appeared mildly successful in his campaign. One night however, the Tremere and his supporters disappeared without a trace, and still have not been heard from since. Impressed and entirely flabbergasted, the Elders supported the Don's continued rule.
The Don was blood-bound to his sire before even his Embrace. As such, he deeply loved Christopher and found it hard when Christopher would develop crushes on the many men in his life. In 1943, the Brujah Jeremy MacNeil appeared in Los Angeles, and because of his reputation Don Sebastian wanted him gone as soon as possible. Fortunately for MacNeil, Christopher developed yet another crush, this time on MacNeil himself. Because of his admiration for MacNeil, Christopher would not let Don Sebastian remove him from his city.
At this point, Los Angeles had become known for the Kindred living in the city, particularly the rowdy Brujah and the debaucherous Torador. Though most other Princes were not content to let deposed Kindred drift into their cities from others, Don Sebastian let them come freely to L.A., convinced it would solidify his power.
In June of 1943, the Don's leadership began to falter in the eyes of the L.A. Kindred. In an incident with the Mexican Sabbat that led to the Zoot Suit Riots, the Anarch resentment against Don Sebastian grew considerably. The following year, Don Sebastian had reached his critical point concerning Jeremy MacNeil; while Christopher was in Sacramento, the Don had MacNeil savagely beaten and told him to leave L.A. and never return. This only served to solidify the hatred for Don Sebastian and his leadership.
On December 21, 1944, the Anarchs began their revolution, seeking and destroying every Camarilla elder in Los Angeles and the surround cities. Don Sebastian was a practical but strict leader as the Prince of Los Angeles, but was more concerned with the power that came with being the boss, rather than the politicking that was needed to keep the city stable.
Final Death
He met his Final Death in the revolution, and his end is the most well known tale from that night. As legend goes, Salvador García (a ninth generation Brujah), engaged Don Sebastian in single combat and emerged victorious over the vampire that was three generations below him. However, these were not the actual events of that night.
García did faced the Don leading an Anarch party on his rancho, but when they arrived they encountered a lone Malkavian muttering to himself about a golden-headed demon. García entered the rancho alone, but inside he found numerous vampires and ghouls who were already dead. He ventured forth, and in the Don's bathroom he found the remains of Dominguez.
The Don's body was the most mutilated one, and his head was found by García in the waste bin. Claiming the opportunity to solidify the victory for the Anarchs, García strode out of the rancho, claiming the Don's destruction as a feat of his own Beast while overwhelmed by a rampant Frenzy. García proceeded to set fire to the former prince's haven, effectively ending the Camarilla in Los Angeles and starting the rise of the Anarch Free State.
Speculation
It is strongly implied that Don Sebastian's Final Death, and that of his coterie stationed on the rancho, were caused by the Don's sire, Christopher – presumably after finding out about Don Sebastian's plan for Jeremy MacNeil and the Anarchs of L.A.
References
- VTM: Los Angeles by Night, p. 21-25, 82
- VTM: Clanbook: Brujah, p. 18
- VTM: Clanbook: Brujah Revised, p. 23, 26-27
- VTM: Guide to the Anarchs, p. 22-23
- VTM: Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 18