Jasper Heartwood is a Nosferatu known for operating in the Los Angeles area.
Biography[]
Jasper was originally born in New York, where he grew up well-off as a self-described "spoiled rich kid". Fascinated by the occult from an early age, he'd eventually fall in with a group of high-society amateur occultists known as the Blind League. It was during his tenure within the League where Jasper would get into a heated argument with one of his fellow members, the situation escalating to the point where Jasper - out of anger - stabbed the man with a ceremonial dagger. Fearing discovery, he fled to the West Coast, finding work in LA as a bartender. It was during this time that Jasper met Chloe Hudson, a Communications Major at Griffith College, and the two began dating.
The exact circumstances of Jasper's Embrace are unclear, though he claims that he "made someone angry" to the point where his Embrace at the hands of an unknown Nosferatu was likely a form of payback. Shortly after waking up he'd flee into the depths of the city in a haze hunger and panic, eventually finding himself in a strange, otherworldly labyrinth of tunnels underneath LA's streets. Wandering through the maze, he eventually discovered the torpid body of Zelios, and at last slaked his thirst on the Elder's vitae. While he stopped short of diablerizing Zelios, this would be the first of many future feedings on fellow Kindred, as Jasper - out of loathing for both himself and other vampires - adamantly refuses to feed on humans.
While the world above - including Chloe - presumed Jasper Heartwood to be deceased, below the city the fledgeling established a haven at an entrance to the subterranean labyrinth near the LA River in Hollywood. He'd eventually make his presence known to Baron Isaac Abrams, who employed the Nosferatu as a sort of vampiric hitman, usually dispatching him to capture or destroy "problems" in his domain. In return, Isaac left Jasper more or less to his own devices, allowing him to pursue his own personal studies into the labyrinth and the occult in general.
At some point, Jasper would make the acquaintance of his clanmate Gary Golden and his childer, Imalia and Mitnick. Golden was somewhat fond of Jasper, referring to him as "cousin".
When Tara Kearney defected from the Anarch Movement and was abducted from San Diego by the vengeful Unbound, it was Jasper who was tasked with serving as the former Baron's jailer - one of many Kindred unfortunate enough to find themselves imprisoned in the Nosferatu's underground lair. After Tara nearly escaped confinement in 2018, Baron Abrams decided her stay in Hollywood was over: delivering a box full of her ashes to the doorstep of Vannevar Thomas.
In the events surrounding the unauthorized Embrace of Annabelle Li, Jasper would meet the Tremere Eva. While his interest in the "Witch of Griffith Observatory" was at first purely academic, the two would find themselves working together often, and they eventually grew quite close. Eva would even teach Jasper Blood Sorcery in exchange for access to the labyrinth and its secrets. Eva would also be the one to point Jasper and his coterie in the direction of a trio of fellow House Carna Tremere fleeing San Diego, resulting in the standoff against Camarilla forces at The Grove. In the ensuing battle it was Jasper who ended the brief tenure of Prince Thomas' first Sheriff, the Gangrel Marcos, by decapitating him in the Grove's parking lot.
Despite his contempt for Kindred politics in general, this act put him solidly on the side of the Anarchs of LA in the opening phases of their conflict against the Ivory Tower. However, while his coterie-mates rose to prominence and gained power bases of their own, Jasper only seemed to suffer one personal tragedy after another. His former partner Chloe discovered his existence and became a ghoul against his wishes, Eva would throw herself on the "mercy" of House Tremere in order to spare him the wrath of Maximillian Strauss, his home would be invaded by the Ivory Tower in order to exploit its unique connection to Los Angeles' Ley Lines, and so on and so forth for the better part of three years. At one point in 2019, he would even be captured by the Lasombra Scourge Aurora - his torpid body strung up from the Hollywood Sign as a warning to his "fellow Anarchs". His coterie only barely managed to save him from being incinerated by the dawn.
Ultimately, there are only so many blows a lick can weather. Though he'd assist in the counter-offensive against in the Second Inquisition in 2021, Jasper eventually decided to quit the city entirely. Just before his departure, however, he did serve as a guide for none other than Cuthbert Beckett through the depths of the LA Labyrinth. Jasper's current whereabouts are unknown.
Description[]
The enigmatic Jasper declines to offer much detail about his life before the Embrace, saying only that he came from “back East” a few years ago. A master of stealth and ambush, tonight he earns his place in the city by helping his coterie protect its turf – and by providing muscle and information to any vampire who will meet his price. Among his frequent employers is the Baron of Hollywood.
Jasper makes his haven in a subterranean lair running deep under Griffith Park. The vast, complex labyrinth fascinates and terrifies Jasper, and he spends much of his time mapping safe routes and cataloging its weird contents. The Nosferatu's mortal life came back to haunt him when he allowed a mortal lover who thought him dead to learn otherwise. His feelings toward Eva, the Tremere White Witch of Griffith Park, make things even more complex.
Loresheet[]
Now You See Him...: At some point, you have met Jasper in person, something few Kindred can say with any certainty. And you even managed to make a good impression! Difficulties for all Social rolls involving Jasper or anyone connected to him, in any domain, are reduced by 1.- ...Now You Don't: Similar to Jasper, you have made a personal and exceptional study of how to remain unseen, even in very difficult circumstances. Gain two dice on all your Obfuscate rolls to resist detection, including those made by vampires using Sense the Unseen or other supernatural talents. Alternatively, gain two dice in any rolls involving surveillance or clandestine gathering of information (your choice).
- Library Card: Because of a past or current association with you or someone close to you, Jasper allows you to borrow (not keep) books from his occult library. This gives you the equivalent of 3 dots in the Haven (Library) Merit. If you are not in Los Angeles physically, the Storyteller determines how much time is required for you to receive the books you're borrowing.
- Security Measures: If there is one thing Jasper values, it is his privacy. Because you know him or one of his associates, he will give you the benefit of his personal experience in keeping your haven secure. Add three dots to your Domain's Portillon to represent the benefit of his knowledge, which includes guidance on how to construct escape routes, concealed entrances, and defenses against intruders.
- Labyrinthine: Though highly reclusive and famously taciturn, it is possible to earn Jasper's trust, and you have done so through means that you and your Storyteller determine together. In repayment, Jasper has made you aware of a secret entrance to his Labyrinth beneath Griffith Park. Provided that you do not mar, harm, or remove any of its contents, you are allowed access to this strange and mysterious location. Rescue service is not included, should you become lost or trapped within the maze.
Trivia[]
- Jasper Heartwood is the player character of actor Alexander Ward, a member of the main cast and coterie of the live-play chronicle Vampire: The Masquerade: L.A. By Night. Alexander also portrays Prince François Villon in the special Memoriam episode S3E6: Beauty and Decay.
- Alexander Ward is a well-known creature actor, having portrayed various monsters in a number of TV shows and movies, such as Annabelle Comes Home, Army of the Dead, Sleepy Hollow, and American Horror Story, just to name a few.
- Jasper is one of several L.A. By Night characters who possesses their own official Loresheet, released as part of special promotional deal with Dog Might Games.
- Jasper is a descendant of Zelios, as confirmed by his use of the Descendant of Zelios Loresheet 1-Dot Merit: Sanctuary and the 2-Dot Merit Saboteur. Given how many of LA by Night's plots revolve around the LA labyrinth and its secrets, he may potentially have more Merits allocated from this Loresheet.
- Zelios himself actually confirms Jasper's descent from his bloodline in the episode: S5E6: Cry Havoc.