Henry Vasiliev was an entomologist with a promising career as a professor at the University of Maryland College Park. He was married to his best friend and making a life for himself, though his life was filled with half truths. He lived secretly as a gay man even as his wife lived buried in the closet despite having a loving girlfriend. Both of them were afraid of their parents.
Henry was presented with a strange specimen of a pilbug the size of a football. Something like this could make the career of a budding entomologist, but Henry was distracted with his crumbling homelife. His wife was baited into coming out when her overbearing conservative parents pushed her just one step too far. And so, the jig was up. Just as that was happening, a stalker came into Henry’s life. At first, Henry reacted with fear, but this soon melted away with the blood seeping into his system as Henry was ghouled against his will.
The stalker revealed himself as Bottleneck, the Nosferatu procurer who had been sent above ground to find a new Shepherd of the Deep for the Undercity Commune. Bottleneck took Henry to the Cloak Room deep beneath the city where he would go through the horrific change.
Following his embrace, Henry took to unlife among the Nosferatu in the Undercity remarkably well. He was an exceptional Shepherd and appreciated the rich culture and camaraderie of the denizens of darkness. He even fell in love with his murderer/stalker/sire, Bottleneck, and joined him in a mutual blood bond.
Years passed below and in many ways, Henry was happier than he had ever been. Yet Caius, the One Below and Prince of the Undercity, called Henry to his chamber one night to give him a new assignment: Henry was to become one of the Nosferatu’s famed Operatives. As an Operative, Henry — posing as “Henry Pine” — would need to go to the surface, make alliances, spy, procure and otherwise help the Clan in whatever way they deemed necessary. He took this mission with enthusiasm. But it would soon become clear that his sire’s jealousy at Henry’s newfound freedom would become a problem.
Henry is a dual citizen of the Domains of Georgetown and Alexandria, but is far more welcome in the court of Prince Elaine than in the court of Prince George. And, of course, Henry is always welcome in the Undercity among his Clan.
Statistics:
Died: October 9, 1985, aged 29 years
Generation: Tenth generation Nosferatu
Sire: Bottleneck (James), procurer for the Undercity Commune
Haven: Personal chamber in the Deep Undercity, shared set of rooms in the Near Undercity with Bottleneck
Alliances:
Operative in good stead with the Lykid Expeditionary External Forces (Nosferatu Operatives)
Many friends in the Commune, but closest to Droop the artist, Ariadne the Shepherd, SchreckNet Node Manager Jaime and grandsire Margolis: chief of the Shepherds
Henry’s duties are well known to the Nosferatu Primogen Cylus Pine, though Cylus poses as Henry’s sire while above ground
Mary Pine is Henry’s handler in the Undercity and the two have an amiable working relationship
In a coterie with Vitus of the Ventrue, Rose of the Gangrel and Jinx of the Malkavians, though Vitus and Rose are actually Henry’s assignment for the Operatives.
Ghouls: Henry has hundreds of ghouls from the tiny wasps and larvae which live inside him to shared ghouls he helps to create in the Spawning Pools: all animals. His most treasured ghouls are his insect companions, though they are feared dead at the moment, victims of jealous Bottleneck’s rage.
Special Abilities: Henry has an infestation of wasps within his head, and while they take a heavy toll upon his blood, they do provide him with many benefits, from defense to counterintelligence. Henry is practiced in Obfuscation and can commune with beasts. He is highly knowledgable about a number of academic points and technology. Finally, many small animals attempt to help Henry in whatever way they are able.
Weaknesses: Henry requires a lot of blood to sustain his ghouls and headspawn, and thus is nearly constantly hungry. Away from the safety of the Commune, he is learning how to feed before Frenzy sets in. More detrimentally, Henry is blood bound to his sire Bottleneck. Despite his sire/partner’s abusive behavior, Henry will do practically anything directly asked of him and requires a great feat of will to work against him or to hurt him in any way. Also, he’s a Nosferatu . . . so . . .
