| “ | Don't mistake candor for weakness, my lad. I've spent a millennium playing with an open hand. Esau plays with his closed. He denies the Jyhad exists. We're both still extant, both still dogging one another. Jerusalem, Athens, Tunis, Milwaukee. Once we've done the full circuit and get back to Jerusalem, we might shake and make up. | ” |
Jacob, sometimes known as Esau, is an insane but quite powerful 5th generation Malkavian of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Biography[]
| “ | Jyhad? What Jyhad? There is no such thing. Of course, some Cainites fight each other. What else could you expect?
Just because two lions battle in the jungle does not mean there has to be some grand conspiracy behind it all. We, the greatest of predators, must surely fight amongst ourselves. He lies and knows he lies. He knows his role in the great games of death and plays it willingly, sending the innocent to their deaths and destroying all that is good. Some Licks are fools, preferring to see grand games behind everything that happens instead of accepting the fact that, despite our supernatural natures, our existences can be as mundane as that of any of the Canaille. Take my brother Esau, for instance. When we were slaves in the land of Islam many centuries ago, he saw the hand of the heretics behind all the evil in the world. Avoid his games. His insanity will bring you down with him. Jacob hopes to trick you into becoming his pawn. We became slaves because of his stupidity. I was the one who freed us, despite his insanity. Oh yes, he is quite mad. Mad for power. Something happened to him when we were slaves. Now all he wants is power. I know all this. I was Embraced for my intelligence, after all. From slave to master, so to speak. Things would have been wonderful had it not been for my damnable brother. He ruined it all, just like he ruins everything. But together, we can end it. With your help, we can destroy him. Don't listen to him. If you join with Jacob, you will soon find yourself but a piece in an ancient war you could never hope to understand. Join me, and we will hunt him down, putting an end to his corruptions. |
” |
Jacob (obviously not his original name) is a distinguished looking gentleman that seems almost harmless to people who first met him. Enslaved by Arabs while a teenager, he grew up in Muslim lands, where he learned his only dignity could come from his appearance.
He (as one of his personalities, Jacob) wrote the Book of the Grave-War "under the supervision of a vampire more adept in manipulation and control than any other"[1].
In Modern Nights, he spends most of his unlife in a house on the border of the Kindred-dominated region in the suburb of Greensdale, Wisconsin. His madness subtly but undeniably permeates his domain. As a childe of Abd ar-Rahman, he has a Middle Eastern look and actually thinks he is both the biblical Jacob as well as his brother and archenemy, Esau; both are personalities he created when he was Embraced. The two have waged a war lasting at least a thousand years, unaware that one is a personality of the other[1]. Esau denies the Jyhad's existence[2], but Jacob talks about it as an active game and cites "the game's champion" to be Mithras of London[3] (who is, presumably, dead by that time).
Sheet[]
Note: Milwaukee's natural craziness has been heightened by the presence of Jacob. Possessing a split personality, Jacob created the persona of Esau when he was first Embraced. Now, the two personalities war constantly, trying to eliminate each other. Individuals who become involved in their battles die quickly, as for some reason, each side always seems to know what the other is up to.
Jacob's extra level of Auspex gives him a power he terms Insight of the Mad. It allows him to intuitively understand the fears and desires of those around him—something that comes in handy with his sixth level of Presence, Coax.His ability to Coax brings those fears and desires to the forefront of those around him. In game terms, have the characters make appropriate resisted Virtue rolls (generally Self-Control) against a difficulty of 8 to resist doing what Jacob says when he makes them offers. Jacob rolls his Manipulation + Empathy against their Willpower. The one with more successes wins.
This is a subtle power, and you may want to make the rolls yourself to keep the players unaware of what is happening. When they try to do something opposed to what Jacob has asked of them, however, enjoy telling them they cannot.
Image: Jacob (obviously not his original name), a distinguished-looking gentleman, seems almost harmless to people who first meet him. Enslaved by Arabs while a teenager, he grew up in Muslim lands, where he learned that his only dignity could come from his appearance. Thus, he walks strong and tall, seeming more like a father figure than an insane killer. When in his Esau guise, the primary change is that he seems hairier and more threatening, both thanks to his high Obfuscate.
Roleplaying Hints: You will have the characters on your side in the war against your brother, and nothing they say will sway you. Flatter them, coax them, and threaten them—anything to get them to join you. However, keep in mind that you are nuts, and your conversation can quickly become very disjointed.
Haven: As Jacob, he keeps a mansion on the very edge of Kindred-controlled territory in Greendale. As Esau, he has an expensive condo just north of downtown.
Influence: In his long war against himself, Jacob has gained a significant amount of power over other Kindred, but he uses it sparingly. He has learned that those who become directly involved on either side invariably die quickly, so he prefers to act quietly through his pawns. Many of the Kindred of Milwaukee have become involved in this war, though they know it not.
Trivia[]
- Milwaukee by Night has listed Jacob's childe (Jason) as a member of the 7th generation. But, since Jacob himself is described as a 5th generation vampire, that would mean that Jacob has committed diablerie after Jason's Embrace, thus lowering his own generation at some point after the year of 1903. This information is contradicted by the Encyclopaedia Vampirica, that says Jason is actually a 6th generation vampire. It should be noted, however, that Encyclopaedia Vampirica is a book written in character, and has been widely known as an unreliable source of information. But then again, there's also the possibility that the authors of Milwaukee by Night have simply made a mistake regarding Jason's generation, and that Encyclopaedia Vampirica has corrected that mistake.
- In Beckett's Jyhad Diary it is heavily implied that Jacob/Esau is the sire of Therese/Jeanette Voerman. He claims he Embraced one while Esau Embraced the other sister: it is unclear based on his statement, but likely that Therese was Embraced by Jacob and Jeanette by Esau.[2]
- Jacob told Beckett that he and Esau "have witnessed Gehenna at least three times"[2].
Gallery[]
References[]
- VTM: Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 95
- VTM: Milwaukee by Night, p. 41-42
- VTM: Anarch, p. 161
- VTM: Beckett's Jyhad Diary
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 VTM: Beckett's Jyhad Diary, p.17
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 VTM: Beckett's Jyhad Diary, p. 14
- ↑ VTM: Beckett's Jyhad Diary, p. 17