FredRogers Posted July 22, 2022 Clone Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) Name: Casamir 'Chris' Wozniak Clan: Brujah Generation: Nineth Nature: Traditionalist | Demeanor: Caregiver Concept: Corrupt Detective, Homicide Description Chris looks like an aged athlete, well past the fighting trim of his days as a beat cop. His middle has expanded as much as his responsibilities, and now he actually looks at home behind a desk, frowning over paperwork instead of chasing a perp over a chain-link fence. His large build hides his height, a touch over six feet, and his habitually poor posture makes him look even shorter. He has a broad, friendly face, with the beginnings of gray in his brown, slightly thinning hair. He seems almost excessively ordinary, a man you'd welcome to your backyard cookout, his expression and body language comforting instead of imposing. His unconscious authority is stern but helpful. The cop that schools call on to talk about drugs. The surrogate dad that troubled teens end confiding in. A steady neighbor that you can rely on in a crisis. He has a habit of groaning his way to his feet, and moving slowly and carefully as he navigates a room that leads you to certain erroneous conclusions about his body and athletic ability. He frequently mops his brow with a worn handkerchief regardless of the temperature, and he wears ugly reading glasses around his neck on a plain cord. In an emergency, all of this vanishes in an instant. His friendly smile is replaced by the steely, accusing stare that has earned murder confessions all by itself. His eyes seem to take in the smallest detail in a glance. He straightens up, rolls his shoulders, and you're reminded just how large he is, how solid and imposing. His fists look huge, his knuckles hard and calloused, like he works out by boxing with a frozen side of beef instead of a heavy bag. He rolls up his sleeves, and you know he's about to accomplish his aim, no matter what you try. And he can still vault that chain-link fence, more gracefully than cops half his age. Personality Most of the time, Chris is the jovial senior detective, calmly experienced, back-slappingly friendly with colleagues, and fiercely protective of his subordinates when they're in trouble. He has a way with kids, especially those suffering shock from loss or trauma. When he flirts with the ladies, it comes off as friendly and non-threatening. In his time as a neonate, he's learned to curb his impulse to casual friendliness, although most of the time he still radiates a confidence and contentment that tends to soothe even the hangriest elder or prickly harpy. Once he realized how old and traditional it was, he fit into the Camarilla hierarchy like he was born to it, comfortable with the submission to authority, and ever shifting balance of power and authority that reminded him so much of the politics inherent in the upper levels of the Maryland State Police. Chris is one of those rare, goal oriented bureaucrats that isn't subordinate or authoritarian. He just sees the job that needs doing, and knows that more important than the job itself, is the way it gets done. There's the way things have always been done, and the wrong way. If someone's doing the job the right way, he'll take the lead or follow orders without complaint. If someone's going about things the wrong way, or with the wrong goals, that's when the trouble starts. Chris has a core of rage in him. He keeps it under an iron control most of the time, and he's well aware of the damage it can do when he lets his yoke slip. He finds it's much easier to contain his anger when he lets it off the leash in appropriate ways. Correcting an abusive father's behavior toward his children. Subduing a perp who is argumentative. Helping a witness change his mind about what he saw. Sending a message to the Sabbat that it's healthier to stay out of his town. He's watched this world change for the worse every year since he was young enough to ride around on his dad's shoulders. From his father, he learned that the good and the moral arise out of the way things have always been done. It's when you change things too fast, when you don't let tried and true methods lead you to the solution, that things go wrong. And the world has been changing so fast. It seems every time he turns around someone else is telling him that traditional things are bad, from new police 'sensitivity' trainings, to locking up criminals. He'd be damned if he let the commies and socialists wreck his country. Background Family Grandfather: Valentin Wozniak: 8th gen Brujah out of Brooklyn, NY In 1910, his grandfather, Valentin Wozniak, was a Starszy posterunkowy, a senior constable in the Straż Miejska, the Polish municipal police. When World War 1 broke out, Valentin and his wife emigrated from Poland to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, where he became a traffic cop, and his wife, Mela, a nurse. Grandmother: Mela Wozniak, died 1993 Her son, Antoni, was born the year after arriving in America. Swept up in the struggles of immigrants to gain traction in local politics, Valentin was embraced by a local Brujah, and faked his own death to give his family closure. Mela and Antoni lived well on her nurse's salary, his pension and death benefits, and she raised her son on stories of his hero policeman father. Father: Antoni Wozniak, Retired from Brooklyn Police, died of a heart attack in 2004 Never rising above patrolman, Antoni tried to live up to the heroic stories his mother told him, but he had an unremarkable career and struggled with alcohol and debt. He transferred to Baltimore PD under a cloud of suspicion after the disappearance of cash seized from a drug bust. He married Julia Kaschak, and when he retired they opened a coffee house and patisserie. The next year he died of a heart attack. Mother: Julia Wozniak nee Kaschak, Baltimore Julia lives in Baltimore, and still dabbles at baking for her patisserie, although she has long ago turned the business over to her employees to run. She is close to Chris, and he tries to eat a late dinner at her apartment every couple of weeks. He lives in fear that she will discover what has happened to him before she dies, and does his best to keep up appearances. Wife: Valerie Casale, Pikesville Maryland Angry at the amount of time Chris spends away from the family in Baltimore, she signed divorce papers in 2003. They are still working out the details of raising children while divorced, but they keep in regular contact, and Chris spends time with his kids every other weekend. Julia has started dating again, but hasn't met anyone serious. Daughter: Alina Wozniak, 15 years old, Pikesville Maryland Alina is a Cadet Second Lieutenant in the Marines JROTC program at Chesapeake High School. She plans to enter the police academy right out of high school, and it's a long standing argument with her mother that she doesn't plan to attend college first. Son: Aleksy Wozniak, 14 years old, Pikesville Maryland Aleksy plays football for Chesapeake High School junior varsity, and his current plan is to major in political science in college. In 1910, his grandfather, Valentin Wozniak, was a Starszy posterunkowy, a senior constable in the Straż Miejska, the Polish municipal police. When World War 1 broke out, Valentin and his wife emigrated from Poland to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, where he became a traffic cop, and his wife, Mela, a nurse. Their son, Antoni, was born the next year. Swept up in the struggles of immigrants to gain traction in local politics, Valentin was embraced by a local Brujah, and faked his own death to give his family closure. Antoni married Julia in 1958, and together they moved to Baltimore Maryland, where Casimir was born in 1960. 1980 - At age 20, Chris joins the Baltimore PD. Fed on a steady diet of stories about his grandfather Valentin's time as a constable in Poland, he throws himself into his career with passion. Despite high marks on his reviews, he is unable to earn promotions and he (correctly) concludes that some unknown high ranking person is preventing his rise. The truth is that the Tremere hold the BPD, and are aware of Chris's status as family of a powerful Brujah (Valentin) from out of town. 1987 - Chris transfers to the Maryland State Police, moves to Pikesville, and meets his wife Valerie 1990 - His daughter Alina is born 1991 - His son Aleksy is born 1992 - Chris is promoted to Detective, assigned to Homicide. He shows a remarkable ability to work with the family members of victims to get evidence for his cases. He makes a name for himself easily, combining a fierce work ethic with his charm and networking skills. 1997 - Promoted to Detective Sergeant, and his grandfather Valentin reveals himself, ghouling Chris and beginning to teach him about the Masquerade. 2001 - Embraced by his grandfather, for a number of reasons. Valentin recognized that as his humanity dropped, he was unable to maintain his attachment to his family, and decided to find someone to do it for him. He recognized strong family and community ties in his grandson, in addition to his advantageous position with the police, able to counter the growing Tremere influence. 2002 - Sent to Baltimore as liaison to BPD from the Maryland State Police 2003 - Divorced from Valerie, still keeps in regular contact with her and his children 2004 - Antoni died of a massive heart attack, he was 68, an increasingly weak and confused Julia moved to a nursing home near Chris's appartment in Baltimore. 2005 - The Year of Thin Blood, and the Second Inquisition: Despite being in regular contact, Valentin stops responding to messages. Goals Major Motivation: Restore the Camarilla Terrorists have struck a huge blow against the Camarilla, and the United States of America. Chris doesn't know if it was ISIS, the Sabbat, or some flag burning hippy liberal Greenpeace assholes. All he knows is that the Elders are freaking out, the deep state has struck down the Camarilla, and everything that he knows and loves has turned upside down. Chris wants to help rebuild the Camarilla. Eventually. He doesn't care who the Prince is, or whos orders he has to follow. He just wants that magnificent institution restored to its former glory. First he has to clamp down on the wave of crime and disorder that's swept the city, and help protect the people (police, conservatives, allies) who think the way he does about things. Also whatever bullshit his sire wants him to do. Moderate Motivation: Watch over and protect his mortal family. His ex-wife Valerie, and his daughter and son, Alina and Aleksy. Alina is a plans to enter the police academy right out of high-school. Aleksy plays football in high-school and might go to college for political science. Julia has started dating again. Minor Motivation: Change Baltimore Mortal Politics Baltimore is much too liberal. He doesn't dislike the mortal government, he has worked successfully with them for years, but he feels the city as a whole would be better off with more conservative leadership. He'll be meddling in mortal politics as much as he can without running into opposition from other kindred. Minor Motivation: Fortify His Own Position in Baltimore Chris is starting to think longer term. Ever since the world exploded, it's become increasingly clear to him that he needs to be a part of its restoration, and that it will take time. He wants to work on his own holdings and resources, establishing a domain, and figuring out what his life looks like when he's forced to retire from the Police. How can he continue to involve himself in mortal affairs if he's supposed to be dead of old age? Minor Motivation: Get a Girlfriend? In addition to his nesting instinct, he's thinking about finding companionship. He figures that the Prince, whoever that ends up being, will owe him, and he can ghoul someone special, or maybe even embrace them. A good, family man needs a family after all. Edited August 22, 2022 by FredRogers Fleshing out family (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredRogers Posted July 22, 2022 Author Clone Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) Name: Casimir "Chris" Wozniak Nature: Traditionalist Generation: Nineth Player: FredRogers Demeanor: Caregiver Concept: Detective Chronicle: Dark Harbor Clan: Brujah Sire: Valentin Wozniak PHYSICAL Strength ●●●○○ Dexterity ●●●○○ Stamina ●●○○○ 5/0/0 SOCIAL Charisma ●●●●○ Manipulation ●●●●○ Appearance ●●○○○ 7/0/0 MENTAL Perception ●●○○○ Intelligence ●●○○○ Wits ●●○○○ 3/0/0 TALENTS Alertness ●●●○○ Athletics ●●○○○ Awareness ○○○○○ Brawl ●●○○○ Empathy ●●●○○ Expression ○○○○○ Intimidation ●●○○○ Leadership ●○○○○ Streetwise ●●○○○ Subterfuge ●●○○○ 13/0/9xp SKILLS Animal Ken ○○○○○ Crafts ○○○○○ Drive ●○○○○ Firearms ●●○○○ Etiquette ○○○○○ Melee ●○○○○ Performance ○○○○○ Larceny ●○○○○ Stealth ●●○○○ Survival ○○○○○ 5/0/5xp KNOWLEDGES Academics ●○○○○ Computers ●○○○○ Finance ○○○○○ Investigation ●●●○○ Law ●●○○○ Medicine ○○○○○ Occult ●○○○○ Politics ●●○○○ Science○○○○○ Technology ○○○○○ 9/0/3xp DISCIPLINES Potence ●●○○○ Auspex ●○○○○ Fortitude ●●●●○ Discipline ○○○○○ Discipline ○○○○○ 3/0/35xp BACKGROUNDS Allies ●●●○○ Domain ○○○○○ Contacts ●●●○○ Generation ●●●●○ Influence ●●○○○ Herd ●●●○○ [*]Safehouse ●●●○○ Retainers ○○○○○ Resources ●●○○○ Status ●○○○○ 5/13/3 VIRTUES Conscience/Conviction ●●●○○ Self-Control/Instinct ●●●●● Courage ●●●○○ 7/0/8xp MERITS/FLAWS Blush of HealthYou look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human society much more easily. You still retain the color of a living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool to the touch. (2pt) Eat FoodYou have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability will serve you well in pretending to be human. Of course, you can’t digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you have to heave it back up. (1pt) Prey Exclusion (Police)Police Personnel (not just officers) You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. You might refuse to feed on drug dealers, policemen, accountants, or rich people — if you accidentally feed upon such an individual, you automatically frenzy and must make a roll to prevent Humanity or Path loss (difficulty 7). Witnessing other Kindred feeding on the object of your exclusion might also provoke a frenzy, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Ventrue, owing to the limitations already imposed on their feeding by their Clan weakness, may not take this Flaw. (-1pt) ImpatientYou have no patience for standing around and waiting. You want to do things now — **** those slowpokes trying to hold you back. Every time you are forced to wait around instead of acting, a Self-Control roll is required to see if you go tearing off on your own instead. (-1pt) Former GhoulYou were introduced to the Blood long before you were made Kindred. Your long experience as a ghoul gives you insight into and comfort with vampiric society. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls when in the presence of other neonates (particularly those who haven’t been educated by their sires), and have a -1 difficulty on all rolls relating to vampiric knowledge. (1pt) (4 Merits-2 Flaws=2 Background) ROAD Humanity ●●●●● ●●○○○ Aura: Aura ( ) WILLPOWER ●●●●● ○○○○○ □□□□□ □□□□□ BLOOD POOL □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ Blood Per Turn: ■ HEALTH Bruised □ Hurt -1 □ Injured -1 □ Wounded -2 □ Mauled -2 □ Crippled -5 □ Incapacitated □ WEAKNESS Weakness EXPERIENCE 2 Edited August 14, 2022 by FredRogers Generation and Sire (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredRogers Posted July 25, 2022 Author Clone Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) Backgrounds Allies: 3 dots David Lawrence Ruelle, Chief of Maryland State Police Criminal Investigation Bureau David Ruelle Lieutenant Colonel Maryland State Police Chief of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, which contains Homicide, in addition to other criminal task forces. Chris is godfather to David's son, and they stood up for each other at their weddings. Amelia Chayce Washington, Chief of Staff, Maryland Governor's Office Amelia Washington Chief of Staff, Maryland Governor's Office Amelia is good people, for all that she's as liberal as they come. She knows how to work with both sides so that no one walks away feeling slighted. That attitude of respect for law enforcement has endeared her to Chris, and he's made sure to make her look good to her boss, the Governor. Jessica Anderton, Criminal Justice Reporter, Baltimore Sun Jessica Anderton Criminal Justice Reporter, Baltimore Sun Jessica is the rare conservative reporter working for the Baltimore Sun. Chris met her over drinks while she was reporting on a homicide, and they hit it off. He was married at the time, and nothing happened, but they've stayed friends since then. Contacts: 3 dots Dr. Pamela Elizabeth Westhall, Acting Chief Medical Examiner, Maryland Department of Health Dr. Pamela Westhall Acting Chief Medical Examiner, Maryland Department of Health As a Sergeant of Homicide, Chris is in frequent contact with Dr. Westhall. He finds her cold and too apolitical to be successful as Chief Medical Examiner, and fully expects her to be replaced when the Governor has time to review other candidates. Marcus Nagle, FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore Field Office Marcus Nagle FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore Field Office Marcus is less arrogant than most FBI agents that Chris has had the misfortune to deal with. He seems to understand that willing cooperation from local law enforcement is worth a little time working with the police instead of barking orders at them. He and Chris get along like cats and dogs, but they're able to be professional about it. Kurt Berkland, Deputy State’s Attorney, Major Crimes, Maryland District Attorney's Office Kurt Berkland Deputy State's Attorney in the Major Crimes office Kurt has shown an unfortunate willingness to convict cops, and show mercy to perps. The only reason Chris is willing to work with him is he's old school, and he's as honest as the day is long. Chris doesn't know how you get to be a top prosecutor if you're so soft on criminals. Only in Baltimore. Generation: 4 dots Ninth Generation: 14 Blood Pool, can spend 2 points per turn Herd: 3 dots 15 Vessels: In his duties as a police officer, Chris has gathered a stable of vulnerable people (prostitutes, minor dealers, runaways, etc.) on the edges of society who "owe" him. He has gathered or created evidence on each of them that could land them in a great deal of trouble, and made sure they know it. In return for blood "donations", he provides occasional shelter or protection, and they can come to him with rumors or problems for minor rewards. Influence: 2 dots Chris is well known as someone with whom its easy to work, and even genuinely liked by Maryland power brokers and their senior staff. Whenever someone needs to work with the State Police, their first call is to the Commissioner's office, and their second call is to Chris. Chris knows how the game is played, and he's earned a lot of favors smoothing the way for the staff that support the offices of government. Resources: 2 dots Chris has a comfortable, middle class existence on his cop's salary. He donates to various patriotic causes, and spends a decent amount taking care of his contacts and herd. Status: 1 dot Known: a neonate. Chris has gained a reputation as someone who can act as a liaison to mortal government. For those who understand the value of well placed contacts and allies, he is respected as a power broker. Merits & Flaws Blush of Health: 2 points Chris looks normal. One of the first things he did when it finally sunk in that he was dead, was run to the mirror and peer into his own face searching for evidence of decay. His sire told him that it might take a few months to manifest, but it's been a year now, and he still passes for mortal even under the harsh fluorescent office lighting that can make almost anyone look like a corpse. He is careful to keep up appearances, and he's been trying out some gentle gray wash for his hair. He wants to be ready for the future. Eat Food: 1 point Chris knows the score. No more eating to live, it's all blood now. Still, he knows that so much of police business is done over food: Everything from Stakeout Takeout, to the Bureau meetings in the back room at Sotto Sopra over giant trays of fettuccine bolognese, to say nothing of the gallons of coffee that cops drink. He's gotten pretty good at pretending to enjoy things, but he lives in fear that his guys will play a prank on him, salting his coffee or something, and he won't notice. Prey Exclusion: (Police) -1 point You don't hurt cops and get away with it. Even if one was willing, Chris is pretty sure he would vomit up any cop blood he knowingly ingested, and he does his best to make sure that everyone else knows that the thin blue line is not to be crossed, too. Impatient: -1 point Chris doesn't have to rush out and do things without planning, but he doesn't see the reason not to start planning right away. One of the ways you can screw something up is to let less important things get in the way. He hates laziness, and he'll be damned if anyone thinks of him as lazy. Former Ghoul: 1 point Chris spent two years as a ghoul for Valentin and he understands what an honor and a privilege it was. He knows that it was more than nepotism that raised him to that level, and he's worked hard not only to maintain and deepen his ties to the power structure of Maryland, but expand his network. In return he gained a soft landing into the Court, and an education into the Masquerade, and vampire politics. When his sire unexpectedly embraced him, Chris knew basically what to expect, and he was ready for the changes. No embrace is easy, but Chris has much less trauma to deal with than most. Points Spent Freebie Points Merits Eat Food (1pt) Former Ghoul (1pt) Backgrounds Allies (2pt) Contacts (1pt) Influence (2pt) Generation (4pt) Herd (3pt) Status (1pt) Total: 15 Experience Points Abilities (New: 3, Current Rating: x2) Athletics: 0->2 (5pt) Brawl: 1->2 (2pt) Subterfuge 1->2 (2pt) Stealth 0->2 (5pt) Occult 0->1 (3pt) Disciplines (New: 10, Clan Current Rating: x5, Other Current Rating x7) Potence: 1 -> 2 (5pt) Fortitude: 1 -> 2 (5pt) Fortitude: 2 -> 3 (10pt) Fortitude: 3 -> 4 (15pt) Virtues (Current Rating: x2) Self Control: 4->5 (8pt) Backgrounds (1 per) Shared Safehouse 0 -> 3 (3pt) Total: 63 Edited August 14, 2022 by FredRogers Allies and Contacts (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts