Name: Barrett Art Richter
Nickname: Bear
Age: Real-43; Looks-29
Occupation: Domestic Abuse Counselor
Species: Vampire, Blooded
Nationality: German
Family: Aileen Richter-Mother; Herrick Richter-father
Faceclaim: Tyler Hoechlin

Self-Confident | Just | protective
Brooding | Coarse | Fatalistic

There has always ever been one royal family of vampires, one blessed line which came from the original vampire Valkyries. Over the centuries many have attempted to created their own culture and call themselves the rulers though a much larger power would always rule them all. Barrett Richter was born into one such family who believed riches and assumed power made you something you were not and could never be. Their community was small and was made of vampires and dhampir families to defend them but everyone within the community looked towards the Richter family and when Barrett was born that came with a heavy burden which he never asked for nor would he ever want.

It was difficult and rare for vampires to produce heirs but it was something that in a culture of their own making, was necessary. Aileen with her arranged marriage to Herrick had brought with her the favor of an Irish coven of vampires and bought even more wealth and power to the small community but if they couldn’t produce an heir it would all be for not and this was something that scared the couple. They spent years trying to conceive, the proverbial wolves howling at the door waiting to seize power if no heir could come of the union which would paint both Aileen and Herrick in a poor light.

After nearly ten years the happy proclamation was finally made, Aileen was pregnant and with that announcement came a shift in power. Herrick’s father promising stepping down once his grandchild was born since his son had proven to be a fertile leader at last. The pregnancy was not an easy one and towards the end Herrick began to fear he would lose not only his wife and the alliance made with their marriage, but his hire as well. It was a fear which festered inside of Herrick until the very day his wife went into labor which was far earlier than to be expected. It was touch and go for what seemed like hours and Herrick was not allowed in the room after an outburst which nearly took the life of one nurse. It was a sweet sound when finally the shrill cries of a newborn ripped through the silence and Barrett was finally welcomed into the world both mother and child pulling through.

The community was in high spirits and celebrated the birth to the fullest extent their glee of the newest addition to the Richter family evident in their displays. For many it was a day they never believe would come and for others it marked a new era which some wanted and others did not. Many however were caught in a struggle of power behind closed doors and Barrett’s birth complicated things more than a little.

As a baby he was dotted on and coddled his paternal grandmother holding him and speaking softly to him every chance she got. Something about her voice soothed Barrett like nothing else would but neither of his parents seemed to notice it was only his grandmother who could calm him down from his screaming and crying as most babies would do. The bond Barrett and his grandmother forged in these instrumental years was a bond which couldn’t be broken and one most didn't understand.

Before he began regular schooling his paternal grandmother taught him of their history telling it more like a bedtime story than anything else and he would sit at her feet listening in wonder. She spoke of Valkyries and the origin of the vampire race and of the dhampirs as well saying there could never be one without the other. His parents seemed to be ever absent from his life but his grandmother taught him the most important things including the worth of every life and the respect which should be shown to all no matter your station. It was these such teachings which gave birth to a kind, gentle and patience soul, all three traits being ones his father and grandfather sorely lacked.

When Barrett was five he began to play more with the children of the village learning each of them and considering them family. The saying that it takes a village to raise a child had never been more true and in his case without realizing it he helped to raise the village. He gave those of the community hope that the future would be far different than the past, that the dhampirs would one day be on equal footing and the ideals of a bygone era would disappear. Barrett began to attend regular schooling taking classes with the rest of those in the community which were his age. To everyone night classes were normal since that was the schedule they kept other than the few humans which did their farming so the dhampirs could eat.

Being the adventurous type Barrett often tested his limits when he was young and rarely got in trouble for it by anyone other than his grandmother who seemed to be the only one who really cared about him. One morning he wanted to see how the sun felt despite being warned against it for as long as he could remember. The pain of the sunlight on his arm was excruciating as his skin began to blister and he quickly closed the door behind him the scent of burned flesh lingering in the large mansion like home. His grandmother was the first to find him and tended to the nasty burns on his arm never calling him stupid only speaking in a gentle voice of how he was far too curious sometimes.

When Barrett’s formal education ended at the age of sixteen his father began to teach him about the community and how it ran. It was nothing like the world outside the community seeming to be frozen in time when it should be moving forward. There were many gears which had to be in place for the things to run smoothly and as they should. But the treatment of many of the lower family was astounding and cruel in Barrett’s eyes. The young vampire knew what was expected of him but he wasn’t a man like his grandfather or father, he was sympathetic to the needs of his people instead of placing himself first. This was something which causes contention early on, his grandmother often telling him just because this was the way things are now does not mean it’s the way they should be. She told him to pick his battles and fight smart instead of strong and together they began to create a better plan for the community. Though it was a plan which never saw the light of day.

When Barrett was in his twenties a new dhampir was born to his Aunt, the woman had never necessarily been kind to him but he decided to show kindness to her. With his father’s permission his Aunt with gifted with a large home and those to work in it along with a large sum of money. If he knew what this action would have caused he would have never done it, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. When the child was born Barrett’s Aunt named him Gunther and he was given anything and everything he could ever want in life, becoming spoiled at a young age. This was one of many actions which made the community see him as a man of the people and some liked it while others believed that made him weak. It was just the beginning of a larger plan to change things in his community and bring equality.

One day while out hunting his grandfather was killed by a group of rogue vampires or at least that was what Barrett’s father claimed. So he trained his son to fight and defend himself and then took him into the very same woods where the rogues had attacked. A few were found and killed but Barrett froze when he saw a young girl, she had a wild appearance about her but she didn’t seem dangerous. Putting down his weapon he had slowly moved towards her speaking in a soft and calm voice which she seemed to respond to. It was then he realized these vampires weren’t rogues they were outlying vampires who chose not to be part of the community. Before he could get her to come to him his father and their men showed up and the girl’s eyes changed to those of a hunted animal and she lunged at Barrett driving a knife into shoulder. He tried to yell for the men not to kill her but no one listened to him as her head fell to the ground. Anger filled him but he held it inside knowing now was not the time to lash out.

Upon his return to the mansion his grandmother had asked him what he saw and he explained it all in vivid detail for her no matter how much it hurt to do. She didn't seem surprised and said she was afraid that was what was happening but she didn’t have much time left. Those early hours of that morning were the last time he saw his grandmother, later that morning, as was tradition with a widowed ruler she walked out into the sunlight to meet her husband in whatever life came after. The community put on an air of grief but Barrett knew he was one of the few who truly missed her. Her death however caused both of his parents to begin pushing him towards marriage at a young age. Prospects were brought in from different vampire families but he didn’t want to follow tradition in such a manner. Conflict arose between himself and his parents but they couldn’t disinherit him since he was an only child. So prospective brides came and went, though he treated them all with respect he just didn't believe he was ready to take such a step.

That year on his birthday his grandmother’s most trusted friend gave him his final gift from his grandmother, a letter.

Mein Enkel,

You are a man beyond measure and a Richter I can be proud of. I know I am no longer here with you to talk over the problems which will arise or how you wish to deal with them and there will be many. You see things in a way which those before you have not.

My father, your great grandfather, was once a great man. He created a community many could be proud of but he allowed greed and ego to overtake kindness and consideration. I watched the change in him unable to do anything to help and I swore that when I one day took over I would not be like my father, I would listen and help the people. Aware of my soft heart my father entered me into an arranged marriage with a man who thought very much like him. The power I believed that I would get being given to him instead of me.

With your father I believed that I had a second chance to do right by our people. Your grandfather however quickly took to teaching him the way that things had been instead of the way they should be. I lost your father and refused to lose you my Little Bear. You are my pride and joy and that of our people as well. Things will not be easily changed but you must continue to try. Be your own man and create your own path.

I Love You,
Oma

These words came at a time when Barrett needed them most. He was feed up with the community he was meant to inherit along with his parents who refused to listen what he had to say. Three applications had been sent to Universities in the area and three acceptance letters had been received but after reading her letter he knew he couldn’t leave, at least not right now. His grandmother had always known what he needed and listened when he spoke so her words were taken to heart. The next day her most trusted friend came to see him again but this time with advice. The out laying vampires and dhampirs weren't part of the community due to treatment and they made a conscience choice to live their own life. If he really wanted freedom and to help his community that was where he should start.

To the young vampire it seemed crazy a community such as his could still exist since it was no longer the Middle Ages but some traditions seemed to have a way of clinging on. So in the dead of night he left the mansion he regrettably called his home and walked the woods. It wasn’t long before he came across what he was looking for, a small village which was full of life and light. Entering the small village tavern he felt many eyes on him those in attendance well aware he didn’t belong and wasn’t from there. Three of the men stood up and forcefully removed him from the building throwing him out into the street and provoking him into a fight though they backed off when they saw the glint of his fangs. At that point he was taken to a small and humble home where a man greeted him and apologized for any trouble the men who rounded him up may have caused then the men were dismissed and Barrett was alone with the older vampire.

The two spoke freely and Barrett explained where he was from and why he had come to the small village, he didn’t want to force anyone under his rule but wanted to see how things were run in the rest of the world. The other man was named Dietrich and he was more than happy to show Barrett the way they lived since it was easy and stress free. For a month Barrett would slip away and visit the other village and Dietrich, the man handing Barrett off to his dhampir daughter Lilli who showed him how the village worked and the freedom everyone had. The vampires and dhampirs working together and protecting one another, it was amazing to see the kinship which his community was sorely lacking. The longer he visited the more he learned and the closer he got to Lilli but he knew there was no way his family would ever accept him being with a dhampir since they believed dhampirs to be far below them which was stupid in his opinion.

Barrett was getting close to telling his parents about Lilli since he, Lilli and Dietrich had been discussing how best to merge both lifestyles and cultures.The night Barrett was meant to meet Lilli to finish discussing wedding plans he found the small village empty, there was no signs of struggle or distress, everyone was just gone. Nothing was packed up at the homes, everything was still there it had been so it seemed as if everyone had just disappeared. Barrett searched for any sort of clues and found nothing, he was forced to return home when the sun would soon rise. The next day he returned to the village only to see that it had been burned to the ground. None of it made sense and his heart was broken since Lilli and Dietrich had been the first to see him for the person he was since his grandmother’s death.

Neither of Barrett’s parents ever knew he has been in love with a dhampir let alone was engaged to one. So they didn’t understand the change in his personality or why he became so withdrawn. He began spending more hours in the gym and on physical training along with bettering his knowledge of weapons, particularly handguns. He still attempted to help his community but he began to realize he was fighting an uphill battle, nothing would change as long as his parents were in charge and the only way to change that was to get married and have a child and that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

In this way his life continued for the next few years, during this time his family continued to gain in power and influence including his Aunt Helga who became the Matriarch of the German Elite with the power and backing of his parents. It wasn’t something he had a personal hand in since he no longer cared but he had set it all into motion years ago when he had given Helga just a taste of what she could have and be. It was a decision which would forever haunt him due to the catastrophe it created. Helga had been approached by a lower Italian dhampir family and arranged a marriage between her son Gunther and the daughter of the Italian dhampir. Something about the idea of the marriage didn’t sit right with Barrett and it wasn’t just the fact that it was arranged, there was something bothering him which he couldn’t put his finger on.

That summer was when Barrett met Ember Rinaldi, a vibrant young woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and seemed less than thrilled with her current position. Gunther had been late to meet Ember and so Barrett took it upon himself to introduce himself and offer his assistance should she need anything while in Germany. His cousin didn’t take too kindly to the offer even though it was only made out of kindness and not with the intention of undermining his cousin. Gunther however got it into his head that Barrett wanted Ember for himself which lead to a confrontation in which Gunther told Barrett that the Richter family needed him which angered the young vampire so he responded that the Heidrich family would be nothing without him because he made them.

It was a short time after that encounter that he began to see a change in Ember, she was no longer the woman who had first come to Germany and seemed to hide in on herself. Something was going on but she wouldn’t tell him what and he could tell that something or someone was really scaring her. There was one night when he was over at his Aunt’s for the evening when he passed by Ember’s room and heard Gunther yelling at her and it all came tumbling into place and it was a stunning reality. Reaching for the door his Aunt beckoned him away and told him that it wasn’t his place to worry over poor, lowly dhampirs, this would be a better life for her than anything else. At some point during the day Ember had fled Germany and there was only one place he could think of that she would go, home.

Gunther apparently had the same idea since he could see the man beginning to panic as he left the community for the airport. The moment the plane touched down in Italy he had to figure out exactly where to go, the Rinaldi’s weren’t particularly well known but the fact that they were dhampir merchants did help to narrow down the search. However by the time he reached the Rinaldi home Gunther was already there, silently moving into the house he saw and heard everything her mother had said and kept a listening ear as he spoke to the maids in a hushed and hurried tone telling them to get Ember out of the house and for her never to return to Italy, German or her school since those were the places he was sure his family and her own would look for her. The last thing he hand to them was an envelope with some currency and a small letter of apology, he truly wished that he could have done more before it got to this point but he hadn’t known. It also told her to reach out to him should she ever need him but for now she needed to leave.

Barrett wished that there was more he could have done and he knew that Gunther wasn’t going to allow this to be the end of it, he had been made a fool of and his ego wouldn’t let this go. Returning home well before his cousin he was able to keep up appearances and keep an eye on him over the next few years. It was clear that to Gunther, Ember had become an obsession and the dhampir wanted to make her suffer before death. It seemed that Gunther blamed Barrett but it was only because of his own jealousy not because he ever had any sort of proof that he had helped the redhead. It never seemed to occur to Gunther that maybe he himself was the cause of Ember’s leaving, not Barrett. The vampire would often make comments about how people didn’t tend to stick around when they were mistreated. The dhampir always claimed he never mistreated or mishandled Ember faulting the young woman for being independent and wild, a horse in need of breaking were his words. They always caused such rage within Barrett since no one deserved to be forced into such treatment when they gained nothing and others gained everything.

After another few years he had expected Gunther to chalk Ember up to being lost and stop wasting resources. Every time Gunther seemed to be close to giving up Rita, Ember’s mother, would pull him back in with some story of Ember insulting and jesting about Gunther’s cruelty to all who would listen. That he was becoming the butt of some sort of joke and the Heidrich family name was being drug through the mud. During this time Rita decided to set her sights on another to bring to her cause, speaking to Barrett and apologizing for all the grief her daughter had caused. Playing the part of enraged family was easier than he had expected since his hatred for Rita and Gunther grew more and more everyday and that rage was mistakenly thought to be directed at Ember. His ability to so easily play that role was what ended up gaining him the knowledge that a group of Initia had found and incapacitated Ember.

It wasn’t long before she was back in Germany and when the Initia had asked for payment Gunther had allowed Barrett to carry the knocked out dhampir inside. The knots he used weren’t anywhere near as sturdy as they should have been but she needed every advantage she could get. This was not Barrett’s fight and one way or another tonight this obsession was going to come to an end. Before leaving the room he adjusted the butterfly sword on the table positioning them so they would be easier to use. Ember should have the right to kill Gunther and if it sounded like she was losing the fight, then Barrett would step in but he had the feeling there was enough resentment within her to fuel her on and give her the strength she needed.

Leaving the room he waited down stairs, silently listening as Ember came to, the tell tale sounds of fighting reaching his ears along with the slight scent of iron which clung to the air since both were bleeding and wounded. After a couple more minutes there was a victor, the moment Ember walked down the stairs she pointed the twin butterfly swords at him, “I’m not going to hurt you or hunt you. I just needed to make sure you survived and if you want to continue doing so you needed to leave now. Your mother and my family aren’t going to stop hunting for you, not now that you killed a member of the family. If you ever see me again take it as a warning not a threat, something bad will be coming.” She seemed to understand before she fled from the house and Barrett was forced to clean up the mess and explain what had happened to his parents and Aunt. She shrieked for retribution but there was no way to find Ember, not right now but his parents did give in and agreed to help Helga find her son’s killer.

It seemed as if Ember had fallen off the face of the earth no information about her whereabouts coming into the family. So Barrett took the time to try and fix his community while his parents continued trying to get him to consider marriage, it would be no benefit to him and of very little of a benefit to them. Every decision Barrett made for the community seemed to cause conflict and was placed under a microscope but he crossed the point of no return when he became fed up one day and finally blurted out the truth of Lilli to his parents. Both were shocked but his father was furious that he had no intention of keeping the line pure. The younger vampire tried to make his parents see reason but it only seemed to anger them more until his father disinherited him. It was the best thing that could have happened to Barrett but the worst thing which could have happened to the community. It had been a bad move on his father’s part since Barrett was well loved in the community and as a parting jab he was very loud and very clear that if the people here wanted a better life they needed to leave because he could no longer help them. To his parent’s surprise and disgust many did leave the community seeking the life that was waiting for them away from the oppression they have suffered.

The young vampire didn't hesitate to leave the community taking only what he could pack and carry along with his Camero which he threw everything into. He found a man outside Berlin who was willing to forge him a passport and transcripts to help get him into college. The price was high but to Barrett it was well worth it. Going from a charmed life to nothing might hit some people hard but it had never been the material possessions he was interested in. Getting a job at a twenty-four hour campus coffee shop he worked nights in order to save up on cash. He sold his car and rented an apartment not far from campus boarding up the windows to keep him safe from the sun. Those in the building assumed it was to help him sleep better during the day since he worked nights.

The coffee shop was actually where he ran into Lilli again for the first time in close to ten years. She looked exactly the same and seemed to be in shock when she saw him but what caught his attention was the gold wedding band on her left hand. Barrett’s jaw had clenched as he gulped down all the emotion which tried to overtake him. For years he had wondered what had happened to her and if she were even alive but it seemed she had started a new life. “Barrett…” His name sounded wrong on her lips, like a betrayal as he stepped away from the counter and told his manager he needed a minute. Walking into the back alley he leaned back against the brick of the building trying to work through the anger, pain and betrayal.

Mere moments later there she was standing in the alley with him, “I’m sorry Bear…you weren't ever supposed to know.” Turning towards her there was pain in his eyes his lips curved into a snarl at the very idea that she would apologize to him now that she was found out. “It’s not what you think Barrett, we didn't have a choice! Your parents knew everything and they threatened the whole village. You and your community were fighters Barrett, we weren't. If I’d stayed they would have killed everyone including you. You were their child but they could always try for more and I couldn't be responsible for that.”

The explanation caught him off guard especially after the shock and rage his parents had shown when he told them the truth. It was something however that couldn't be put past them, they would never seen anyone but another vampire as a suitable partner. “You could have told me Lilli, I would have left just as you all did.” As he thought of the years between then and now and what he had accomplished he was glad he had stayed. Things had been less than perfect but they were tolerable and he had made some sort of difference no matter how small. He often thought back to his grandmother’s finally letter telling him to create his own path though he doubted this was what she had in mind.

“I made a choice for my village Barrett and it hurt but you needed to stay. I know all the plans you had and they needed you.” They reached an understanding and it was awkward at first but Barrett once more made friends with Lilli and her husband. The two were so in love and it made him wonder if he and Lilli had ever really loved one another or if it had just seemed right at the time. She was happier this way and part of him realized maybe, just maybe he could be happier too. In the fall he started working only part time at the coffee shop and taking classes at the university he studied journalism first, then changed his major to English, and finally he settled on psychology. It was a hard degree program but he knew he wanted to help people and that was the way to do it.

Barrett often thought of Ember and how powerless he had been to help her. The sad part was he had the power to stop everything back then he just hadn’t known how. So his main focus in the psychology field was domestic abuse counseling wanting to help those who didn’t believe there was a way out or had been so mentally beaten down that they saw the treatment they were receiving as something they deserved. After graduating and gaining his degree he began to work nights at a domestic abuse hotline center gaining experience in the field and hearing stories which would break the heart of any who listened.

Two months after he graduated Rita approached him saying she had found Ember. Those she sent after her daughter had yet to return from a town called Evermore, Colorado. Given the way Ember had severed his cousin’s head from his body and the grief and rage he had displayed for Rita’s benefit she believed he was the man for the task. Two months was the amount of time she was giving him to get set up in America and find Ember, after that he would have a month to bring her back to Italy. Apparently there were people in Evermore who were fond of Ember and wanted to keep her safe. That of course was no surprise to Barrett from what he remembered of her she had the sort of personality that pulled people in.

Relocating to Evermore, Colorado he began to apply for jobs as a councilor and ended up employed by the state to help those in domestic abuse situations. That meant he was often in court testifying to the mental condition of those he worked with, the DA who often spoke out against supernaturals seeing the good he wanted to do and made sure he was able to testify at night to make sure bad people were put away no matter their species. It was a tough job and some of the things he heard and saw stuck with him long after the case was gone, the cruelty of people was astounding to him. After renting an apartment in the section of the city he was told that the vampires and dhampirs resided he began to look for Ember. It didn't surprise him that she was living in a different portion of the city and she seemed to be doing well for herself with co-owning a security firm.

She was no longer the lively young woman he had met that first summer but a capable woman who always seemed to be looking over her shoulder. There was so much she had to fear and Barretted hated that his family and her own had changed her in such away but life was rarely fair and those who were good often got hurt. Time seemed to have changed them both but his time was beginning to run out when I came to the timeline Rita had given him. How did you save someone who didn’t know the dangers she faced and save yourself in the process? He wasn’t sure but that was something they would both have to figure out.