The Landau family operated a prosperous cattle ranch in Texas, just after it became a part of the United States. Robert was an intelligent and ambitious son, but unfortunately he was also the youngest of three and not the most favored, primarily because of his attraction to books over the day-to-day business of the ranch. However, he became vital to its operation as he slowly took over the business portion of things and made it even more lucrative. His efforts did not endear him to his brothers, nor did they change the reality of inheritance, and so he decided to take control of 'his' business by murdering his father and forging a new will. He is unsure, to this day, whether he failed because of fate or the mechanitions of his sire, but regardless of the cause, his failed coup left him fleeing for his life with nothing to his name.
It was in this state that his sire approached him and offered him not only the chance to get what was rightfully his, but much more. Between his keen sense for opportunities and his burning rage at failure, he accepted very quickly. After dealing with his family and taking over the business (which he lost interest in after he controlled it), he set about the task of helping his sire build up the new city of Houston, taking to the new challenge with a fierce vigor. Again, however, his enjoyment of success was spoiled by the realization that he was right back where he started. His sire would be in control and, unlike his father, would never die or relinquish command, and between the Blood Bond and his great age, Robert could not turn against him.
It was because of this that he started to show an interest in affairs in nearby states, particularly the Sabbat stronghold in Louisiana. When the Civil War through the state (and the rest of the nation) into chaos, Robert saw his chance. He convinced his sire to make a bid for the small city of Biloxi, which up until this point had remained unclaimed, though it saw use by the New Orleans Sabbat as a retreat and meeting place. Using his business contacts and acumen, he was able to quickly establish himself and dig in before the Sabbat were able to react. He quickly Embraced a childe, Kyle Anderson, to assist him and then began to insinuiate himself into the court of Orlando in Baton Rouge. By the 1920s, he was spending very little time in his city, allowing his childe to rule as regent while he pursued higher ambitions. Recognizing Orlando's frail sanity, he had hoped to make an eventual bid for the city itself.
However, whether because of actual evidence of his intentions or merely because of his growing paranoia, Orlando grew increasingly wary of the Ventrue and his presence. Tensions grew until Landau forced Orlando to concede him the right to Embrace a new childe, calling in boons and threatening to use his influence with his sire to retract promised aid from Houston. The affair went horribly awry when the new childe turned on him and almost diablerized them, fleeing afterwards to Shreveport where he joined the Sabbat. This stain on his reputation was all that the Prince needed to banish him from the state. Tail between his legs, Robert retreated to Biloxi to lick his wounds, convinced that his fate was primarily the work of Esteve, Orlando's childe and the other contender for the throne. Nor was his return to Biloxi joyful to his childe, who had grown used to being ruler of the city and resented his sire's return to claim 'his' throne.
Luckily for their relationship, Robert's childe was able to convince him to let him go to Baton Rouge himself, to act as his sire's spy and hand in Louisiana politics. This pleased Robert to no end and he readily agreed, meanwhile settling in to leverage his influence in Biloxi and Gulfport into a broader regional power. He began to compete in the high stakes game of Gulf shipping against Vicario and Lafitte, carving a piece out of it for himself through sheer diversification. However, as time progressed, he found himself growing out of touch with new technologies and industries. So, in 1986 he Embraced Shiela Packard, a self-made electronics CEO, and seven years later Embraced businessman Alan Parker. During this same period, Kyle was growing to be less useful to him due to his involvement in the war over Shreveport and eventual assumption of the princedom there, and so Shiela was sent to Baton Rouge to take his place as Robert's spy. These days, Robert is content that his star is again rising, and watches the events in Louisiana carefully, waiting to make his move.
Robert is a talented financier and businessman who is also possessed of a vanity which has limited his effectiveness over the years. Particularly since its reinforcement of late by the growing paranoia of Orlando, whose obsession with his ambition has given him something of an inflated sense of his own importance. His arrogance has, however, led to many of the area kindred underestimating his capabilities, which has been working to his advantage, particularly since his banishment.
He is very likeable in person, particularly when he is making an effort to be so. Prolonged interaction with him, however, tends to be spoiled by the emergence of his arrogance and the taint of artificiality about him. He can usually hide his uncharitable character traits in his business relations, but they come out over time, preventing him from having many close relationships.
Robert still maintains close contact with his sire and clan relations in Houston, though he still harbors a bit of bitterness that he is not prince of that city himself. He is also careful to keep close tabs on his childer. The betrayel of Dennis has made him somewhat paranoid about their motives, though he still tends to trust them more than perhaps he should. He isn't aware of the hatred Sheila has for him, nor the contempt Kyle does, mostly due to his vanity. He simply can't understand why his childer would not be loyal.
He's very disappointed with Alan, but is at a loss as to how to motivate him past his depression. Though he's had him watched closely, he hasn't discovered the significance of the relationship with Constansa yet, being unaware of her lineage. He may, however, interfere for an entirely different matter, as he sees the quaint patronage of a particular prostitute to be a final potential tool to manipulate his weak childe.
Robert has nothing of contempt for Orlando, whom he sees as a weak, tyrannical fossil of a dead age, though he's careful not to make this attitude well-known. In addition, his hatred for the elder's childe consumes him. He sees Esteve as his main barrier to fulfilling his ambitions and has convinced himself that the sheriff schemes against him. Thus, he's devoted significant time and effort to finding ways to ruin him, either by implicating him of treachery in his sire's eyes (which would almost assuredly be both fatal to Esteve and give Robert grounds to put a stop to the elder's insanity) or by undermining his support in Baton Rouge and Houston.
His emnity isn't reserved entirely for Esteve, however. He also hates his competitor in Biloxi with a rare passion. The reasons for this are manifold. First, he's always considered the city to be his safe haven, his fallback position. To have his control over it threatened risks the loss of the only real accomplishment he's been able to make on his own as a vampire. Further, the Giovanni's poise and education, not to mention his business skill, are a slap in the face to Robert, whose vanity suffers from his lack of formal education. Thus, he tends to take the matter of control over Biloxi very personally and is not above desperate or rash actions in order one up his competitor.
While he is aware of LaSalle's own ambitions for the throne, but doesn't take the man particularly seriously, though he takes any opportunity that presents itself to undermine or discredit him. He is, however, wary of the Tremere's magic and what it may be able to find out about him and his schemes, and so has been trying to keep LaSalle from suspecting that he is his enemy, making a point to be friendly whenever they meet and feign assistance and support to his bid for the throne.
Ironically, though he is bitter towards his sire, he is still capable of jealousy where his favor is concerned. The focus of his current ire on this score is Jean Lafitte, whose favored position in Houston (coupled with his dominance over the Gulf) has earned the Lasombra antitribu a special place in hell for him, where Landau is concerned. Part of his long-term plan is to see the Baron of Galveston disgraced as he was in Baton Rouge and his economic empire toppled. He has learned of his recent Embrace and is desperate to get more information on it so that he may use her against him.
Robert's attitude towards the rest of the Camarilla court in Baton Rouge is generally lukewarm. He gives very little thought to Macy or Chung, due to their apparent lack of political ambition, but does rather like Annalisa Degas, though he doesn't consider her much more than a talented and pleasant window-dressing for the Elysium.
Robert has managed to carve a niche for himself in the economic battlefield of the Gulf by diversifying his interests as much as possible and constantly exploring new markets and industries. To this end, he's been ghouling and Embracing promising people in modern industries, particularly areas where he's not well-informed himself, though he also tries to keep abreast of the new trends in business.