Inez Villagrande, aka Nurse216, is a hunter of the Innocent Creed.
Overview[]
Inez has spent her whole life in San Diego, California, never having the means for anything other than trips up to Los Angeles or across the border to Tijuana. She followed a typical pattern by fleeing an abusive father to live with an abusive boyfriend, but broke out of the vicious circle when she became pregnant. Awareness of an innocent life growing within her snapped her out of her complacency. She wouldn't make the same mistake her mother had, bringing a child into a home where it would just be victimized. She couldn't deny the joy of motherhood, though. She had only one choice: to leave.
Inez stayed with her grandmother while dodging her boyfriend Carlo's efforts to reach her and "teach her a lesson." By the time little Jaime was born, Carlo's temper had gotten him into trouble with the law, and he served time for aggravated assault. Inez's grandmother Roberta saw in the 17-year-old single mother all the hopes she had for her own children, and dedicated herself to making sure Inez and Jaime had a genuine chance. Thanks to Roberta and help from friends and neighbors, Inez was able to complete high school and begin nursing school at night. By the time Jaime was 10, Inez was a registered nurse working at a major San Diego hospital.
Saved from the life of a victim that her mother had led, Inez tried to help those around her. Instead of becoming disheartened by the stream of drug- and gun-related cases she dealt with in the hospital, she became a friend to the poor who used the walk-in clinic. They came to her not only with medical problems, but for advice and help. Roberta, in her 80s, gained confidence that her granddaughter would assume the role as matron for their little part of San Diego.
Not everything was easy, though. Carlo didn't stay in jail forever. Despite the fact that Inez made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him, he didn't stay away. His insistence that he have access to Jaime finally wore her down, and she hoped against hope that contact would be good for father and son. Unfortunately, Jaime seemed to learn all the wrong things from his father and talked about "strength" and "respect" by the time he was 13. Inez never knew when it was that Jaime first got a gun, but he was arrested for possession of an illegal firearm at 15 and spent three months in a group home. A year later, he was back in for another two months.
Inez's life of simple triumphs and obstacles shattered on the night of Jaime's 17th birthday. Working a shift in the emergency room, she ran to assist paramedics and doctors as they wheeled in two young gunshot victims. She was headed toward the second one until the paramedic pronounced him dead. She was about to turn away when she recognized the boy's shirt - she had bought it for Jaime at Christmas.
Staring at the body of her son, Inez felt her world crumble and her head swim, until she heard the voice:
"YOU MUST RESPOND."
Through a glass partition, she saw the doctors hard at work to save the other boy. She also saw Jaime attacking the boy and no one was trying to stop him. That was when Inez Villagrande came to believe in ghosts.
The doctors, nurses and technicians thought she had lost her mind when she came in speaking to her "son," but Jaime listened. Her little boy, grown up to be a killer, let go of his intended victim. Her colleagues saved the other boy.
In the months since that night, Inez's life had transformed. She saw the dead everywhere. She discovered hunter-net by fiddling with a hospital computer, and has found other imbued in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas. She has even killed the creature and repelled many others. Jaime's spirit visits her every few days, and she is glad for it, but their conversations end with her in tears. Jaime seems satisfied by them.
Inez remains determined that her life will be good. Where others see monsters, she sees abusers and victims, people who might be receptive to help. The imbuing is another challenge, and she tries to use it to help herself and her community. Most of all, she tries to keep Jaime's ghost from becoming one of the wailing angry specters that she has encountered.
Character Sheet[]
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Charisma (Communicative) 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
Abilities: Academics 2, Alertness 1, Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 2, Dodge 1, Drive 1, Empathy (Bedside Manner) 4, Firearms 1, Investigation 2, Leadership 1, Linguistics (English) 1, Medicine 3, Science 1, Streetwise 2
Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 1, Continued Exposure 5, Resources 2, Roots (Neighborhood) 3
Edges: (Innocence) Hide, Ease, Illuminate
Mercy: 5, Conviction: 7, Willpower: 6
References[]
- HTR: Hunter Book: Innocent, p. 1, 5, 23-27, 32, 35, 38-39, 43-44, 49-51, 58-61, 63, 66, 93-94
- HTR: The Spellbound, p. 63
- HTR: Hunter: First Contact, p. 38
- WOD: World of Darkness: Time of Judgment, p. 97
- VTES: Nights of Reckoning