11th Hour Gehenna NPC: Anatole (Malkavian)

The lord works in mysterious ways, and this is particularly true concerning the Malkavian Anatole. Recently Embraced in France, Anatole was chosen for his ability to see the movements of God on Earth; or at least, his sire thought so.

In any event, Anatole is devoutly Christian, and spends much of his time in contemplation of the Cainite's place in God's world. His Derangement, a tendency for random hallucination, often causes him to see symbols, people and objects that do not exist, though to Anatole's mind, these hallucinations are quite real and reveal God's presence. Exactly what powers the Malkavian neonate possesses is unknown, but he has been known to repel Cainites with powers resembling True Faith by calling out to angels whom he sees in his fractured mind. A former guardsman on his city watch, Anatole has also picked up appreciable skill with sword and shield, which, when combined with his impressive array of Disciplines, make him quite physically adept. Those Cainite elders who observe his actions are concerned that a disproportionate number of his Disciplines are not within the province of the Malkavian clan. As to where he learns them, Anatole isn't telling.

Anatole typically keeps the company of the Lasombra Lucita, and acts as a strong right arm to her as they move through Dark Medieval Europe. He has also been seen with an entourage of monklike pilgrims, who are commonly believed to be either ghouls in his service or his herd.

Destiny: Anatole undergoes a period of religious fervor wherein he believes God has instructed him to find and diablerize vampires. He entertains this behavior for almost a century, which has many European princes up in arms, and he makes numerous foes among them. By the end of the eighteenth century, Anatole gets involved with the French Revolution and the lay mysticism it engendered, and changes the focus of his zealotry from Christianity to the Jyhad. With his newfound spiritual motivation, Anatole finds himself in the New World, where he spreads the word of Gehenna's approach.

Born as a 12th century French man, Anatole was a devoutly religious man in life. His faith carried on when he was embraced and given the visions, claiming they were signs from the Father (God, Caine, Malkav...no one knows which Father he meant.)

He gained infamy and fame for his prophetic visions which kept many of Princes from investigating Anatole's probable diablerizing of elders. Anatole was known as the Prophet of Gehenna when he started preaching about the end of kindred existence. However, his prophecies were too cryptic to understand.

Background: Even as a mortal, spiritual matters fascinated Anatole. The prophetic visions that visited Anatole after his Embrace indicated that Anatole had a mission in his unlife as a conduit to express God's purpose for the Children of Caine. Led down strange paths by his dreams, Anatole committed diablerie on other vampires in an attempt to absorb their insights. Many of his visions concerned Gehenna; others told him of the demon Kupala's restless dormancy beneath the soil of Transylvania. During the French Revolution, Anatole experienced a transformation of his visionary goal, drawing him away from attempts to reconcile Kindred existence with the will of God. Instead he became a harbinger of the Final Nights. His meeting with Octavio, another mad prophet who claimed to be the mouthpiece of the demon Kupala, led to a fateful turn in Anatole's unlife.

Unwilling to bear his burden any longer, Octavio sought to pass his legacy to Anatole through diablerie. Since that time, Anatole has carried within him a double curse. Octavio's spirit continues to dwell within Anatole's body, providing him with more profound insights into the coming darkness of Gehenna. In addition, Kupala now speaks through Anatole, who incorporates the demon's perverse omens and directives into his utterances. Anatole's attachment to Lucita provides him with a faithful companion who can sometimes interpret his visions for others. He considers himself Lucita's protector and, in fact, demonstrates a fair degree of competency as a warrior. For the last two centuries, Anatole has kept company with Beckett, another seeker of the truth of Kindred existence and a noted commentator on the Book of Nod.

Image: Due primarily to Lucita's insistence, Anatole has changed his appearance to conform to modern fashions. His matted blond dreadlocks give him the appearance of a Rastafarian and his piecemeal clothing gives him the look of a vagrant. Of medium height and unremarkable features, Anatole has the face of a fanatic. His eyes burn with the fire of his visions.

Roleplaying Hints: Your inner torment drives you to the edge of despair as you see clearly what will happen but cannot express your visions except in symbols that mean little to others. Now that you harbor within you the soul of your mentor and the voice of a demon, your insights draw you ever closer to the truth. Sooner or later, the future must manifest to you with the brilliance of a long-forgotten sunrise. Your respite comes only when the eight signs pass and your voices and visions trouble you no more.

Secrets: Anatole has an ability akin to True Faith, although it does not seem connected with any recognizable religious belief. His ability to repel unwanted Kindred and other supernatural creatures defies explanation. He can also perform miraculous deeds at critical moments.

Influence: While Anatole lacks traditional "status" among Kindred, those who have met him cannot deny his conviction. He has acquired a following of ghouls and human acolytes who believe he is a holy man.

Destiny: In the late 20th century, Anatole grows more desperate to communicate the urgency of his visions. He travels frantically from place to place, in the Americas, in Europe and in parts of Asia and Africa, searching for Kindred who might believe and act upon his prophecies. Finally, just before the turn of the millennium, Anatole pours out his visions into a stream-of-consciousness epic and meets his Final Death.

[TbN,p80] [TC1,p82] [TC2] [TC3] [TC4,p88] [CbR-M] [CN-Tz] [CN-M] [web VDA] [web VtM] [CN-Br]

Clan: Malkavian
Sire: Pierre l'Imbecile
Nature: Visionary
Demeanor: Penitent
Generation: 6th (due to his diablerie of Octavio)
Embrace: 1193
Apparent Age: early 20s

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Other pictures used to represent Anatole above are primarily of singer Iggy Pop, whose look fits the archetype.

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