James is an elven spike baby born in 1999 to human parents, Valerie Ameson and James Telstrian II, who he succeeded as President and CEO. He married Sarah Kyliseam, a fellow elf. They had two children, Timothy Telestrian and Mary-Louise Telestrian. He commissioned research into a method of damaging multiplanar creatures, such as Insect spirits. This substance was first successfully tested as he hired Harlequin and another Shadowrunner to stop the Seattle chapter of Universal Brotherhood cult (led by his sister Lynne and half sister Jessica Watts) from summoning a Queen insect in Seattle in 2054.