Bio

Westin Snopes VI never really knew hunger during his mortal life.

The only son of a PR Consultant and a Congresswoman, Westin was raised by a highly paid nanny, went to the best schools, met all the highest quality people, and got invited to all the right parties. By the time he hit college, he hated everything that had to do with his parents’ life and world. He wanted to get away. And when he discovered his love for history and travel, he discovered his ticket to ride.

Westin become an anthrolopgist and archaeologist. He spent his trust fund buying plane tickets and chartering cargo jets to carry rare artifacts, and occasionally bribing customs officers or naive tribesmen. He traveled the world and saw many of its wonders, and eventually landed a plum job as an Assistant Director of Acquisitions for the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Although the desk job grated on him somewhat, he took it as an opportunity to slow down for a while, and to plan for his future. He even started writing a memoir. At this point, he had avoided contact with his family for nearly 20 years.

Then his Grandfather dropped in for a surprise visit. The elder Westin Snopes had always been an enigma in his grandson’s life. A wealthy jet-setter who traveled the world, he had been part of the younger man’s inspiration in choosing his own lifestyle. While the old man had been distant, never dropping in for more than a night before taking off again, Westin the younger had only fond memories of those visits, and the gifts that they usually entailed.

This time, his grandfather brought a different sort of gift: information. Revelations, really. He was not 90, but almost 200 years old. He was Westin Snopes I, the self-made oil man who created their dynasty. He was well-preserved because he drank human blood every night. He only visited at night because he was afraid the sun would burn him to death. He despised smokers because of a general phobia of fire. He had only grown wealthier over the last century because he could mystically influence minds of weak men, and sway their emotions. He was strong enough to hold his far younger descendant down on the floor, preventing him from dialing 9-1-1 because, in short, he was Vampire.

The younger man remained, however, stubbornly unconvinced even as his ancestor drank his blood, protesting right up to the point of death. When he rose again the next night, he was prepared to admit his mistake, but the old man was gone, true to his idiom. For his newly risen great-great-great grand childe, he had left only a brief letter detailing the Banes that Vampires suffered from, and the pitfalls that the newly made often fell into. He also included instructions on how to dispose of the body he had left in the next room.

Westin did not have a great first night, but he survived, and has kept on surviving since. He was forced to quit his position at the Smithsonian – he cited “health reasons” in his letter of resignation – and spent a few years wallowing in self-pity.

Eventually, rather more blood-stained and jaded than before, he crawled out of his emotional mire and decided that he might as well make a proper go of the undead life, since he seemed to be stuck. He finished his memoir (Chasing Indiana Jones: The Adventures of a Real Life Explorer and Archaeologist), and is currently looking for a publisher. To maintain his cover as a human, he took a red-eye flight to Chicago, where fewer people would recognize him, and a few weeks ago he accepted a curating position at the Field Museum. He also leads several study groups for graduate history students at nearby universities, and provides private fencing lessons.

In short, he’s staying busy, keeping himself fed, and things are finally looking up again.

PROPERTY

Home: The Gallery

• Westin owns a condo in an upper-middle class development not far from the museum. He’s recently done some work upgrading it – filling in the windows, and arranging for his personal collection of artifacts to be transported and stored. He’s also had some of the walls knocked out, so the condo now contains just two areas: the “bed” room and the gallery, where he displays and stores his collection.
  • Features: Intermediate Security System and a single access point to supplement Building Security; hidden cameras in the corners, sweeping the room; no windows; display cases containing a variety of small cultural artifacts Westin has obtained on his travels; bedroom with a wall-length closet that locks from the inside, and a desk containing a computer linked to the security system;

Transportation: The Lincoln Continental

• Westin has owned a 1986 Givenchy Lincoln Continental for almost a decade, now. He has retro-fitted it with heavily tinted windows and black visors that can be pulled down to block almost all light from entering the car.

Durability 3, Size 12, Structure 15, Acceleration 19 (26mph/turn), Top Safe Speed 110 (75mph), Top Speed 169 (115mph), Handling 2, Occupants 1+3, Luxury Features (+1 Presence or Manipulation in its presence among those who are impressed by such things.)

EMPLOYMENT

Primary: Westin is the Field Museum’s Curator of Anthropology for Africa, Europe, and the Near East.

Secondary: Westin hosts a weekly late night study group at The Gallery for graduate history and anthropology students from local universities. Every Thursday night, a select group of students gathers to share their work, critique each others’ projects, and receive feedback and advice from Westin.

Tertiary: Westin also lists himself in the phone book as a Private Fencing Instructor – he was quite talented in college, although he never pursued it afterward. So far, he doesn’t have any clients in Chicago.

REQUIEM The Carthian Movement: Westin is a recognized member of the Carthian Movement, although he tends to keep a low profile. He generally shows up at monthly meetings, but avoids social functions and political activity. While he maintains a few friendly acquaintances within the movement, and is able to use some of those connections to minor personal advantage, his seclusion means that he has no particular enemies or friends among the local Vampires.

Magus: Since his death and rebirth, Westin has begun to cultivate an interest in the supernatural. Primarily, this means his familiarity with historical beliefs about magic and monsters has been on the rise of late, but he has some familiarity with modern conceptions as well. While he hasn’t learned anything concrete, his contact with other Vampires has helped him to learn that there are, indeed, more things in Heaven and Earth than were dreamt of in his previous philosophy.

Goals:

• Westin really misses his old jet-setting lifestyle: traveling the world in search of rare artifacts, seeing the great wonders of nature and history, mingling with strange cultures. Unfortunately, the limitations of his new life are even more daunting than his advancing age was in his old one. He hopes to build up the resources and skills required to resume that life in some manner.
• Westin looks back on much of the last five years with regret as time not merely lost, but truly wasted. He longs to regain some of his lost humanity, and is working to reform the violent habits he initially developed as a new Vampire. He also longs for social connection, but tends to find the company of other Vampires distasteful. He wants human companionship, but isn’t sure who to trust.
• Westin’s most prized possession is his collection of artifacts. He plans to slowly build up his haven (and security) to house a collection which will continue to grow indefinitely during his immortal life.

Discipline Powers:

• Resisting Majesty
  • Anyone can resist Majesty by paying 1 Willpower and rolling Composure+Blood Potency/Gnosis. The Willpower does not add to the roll. The roll is Reflexive, and any success provides a single turn of resistance before the power reasserts itself.
• Awe: The character gains exceptional charisma and magnetism
  • Cost: None; Dice Pool: Presence+Expression+Majesty; Action: Instant
  • Successes rolled by the Vampire are compared to the Composure of those affected; equal or higher Composure resists the power, lower Composure succumbs. Those who are Awed by the Vampire fawn raptly over him, and he gains a bonus on social rolls with them equal to the successes rolled to activate the power. Awe can be used against more than one person, but you suffer a –1 penalty for affecting two people, and –2 for affecting 3 to 6. Anyone can shake off the effects of Awe for one turn by spending a Willpower point.
  • Awed individuals remember the Vampire later, and may react very positively due to a good first impression. Awe can be used on them again, as well.
• Revelation: A kind word or heartfelt glance can draw forth a person’s deepest secrets.
  • Cost: 1 Vitae; Dice Pool: Manipulation+Persuasion+Majesty versus Composure+Blood Potency/Gnosis; Action: Contested – Resistance is Reflexive
  • A Dramatic Failure means the target cannot be affected again this night. Success means that the target bares his soul to the Vampire. Exceptional Success means the subject bares his soul until every sin or crime he can think of is revealed. No Willpower may be spent to roll Composure to resist an Exceptional Success. Manipulation+Socialize may be rolled to steer the confession to a subject of interest; otherwise the Vampire must hear the person out entirely to be sure of getting the right information.
  • The victim remembers making the confession, but cannot explain it, and may make efforts to correct the indiscretion.
• Entrancement: An individual becomes exceedingly taken by the character, and acts as a willing servant.
  • Cost: None; Dice Pool: Manipulation+Empathy+Majesty versus Composure+Bloodpotency/Gnosis; Action: Contested – Resistance is Reflexive
  • Dramatic Failure grants immunity to the target for 1 night. Success brings the target under the Vampire’s sway for an hour or so. Exceptional success indentures the target for at least a week, and up to a month or more. After the effect wears off, the subject does not necessarily bear the Vampire ill will, but simply no longer feels “in love” with him, and returns to his life. This Power suffers -3 when targeting someone who was previously Entranced within the last week or so.