Svein Fortinbras, although he is known in the Modern Nights under his self-given name Azrael, is a Black Metal musician and Kindred mercenary from the Norwegian branch of the Followers of Set. He is currently missing and many Kindred wondering about his whereabouts and plans.
Biography[]
Born to a poor family in 1970 in Bergen, Svein was early disgusted by the religious piety his parents had, although they worked themselves to death for what little money they possessed. He hated the government that allowed poverty, hated the world that created such a situation, and hated the God who got all the credit for the things his parents labored to earn. School offered him only more of the same, so he became quiet and insular, losing himself in his love of heavy metal and reading book after book on paganism, particularly those about the old Norse pantheon. When he turned 20, he went to Oslo, hoping to find someone who would understand him. After performing a sequence of poor and underrated jobs, a co-worker and fellow metalhead introduced him to black metal bands like Mayhem and Burzum, and the music's aggressive individuality, anti-authoritarian stance, and burning hatred for Christianity spoke to him. He began to call himself Azrael and became part of the “Black Circle”, a group of metalheads that met in a record shop called Helvete. His sincere passion, sharp wit, and strangely quiet nature drew the attention of Brynjar, a Setite of the Old Norse strain and a bitter enemy of the Oslo Camarilla. He gave him the Embrace and after that, Azrael's interests in the “normal” activities of the Circle began to fade, concentrating only on the most extreme and dark activities of the scene.
One of this was the burning of various churches in Norway. He quickly got involved, excited at the prospect of doing something tangible against a God he hated so much. It was not until the arsons were national news before Brynjar even realized Azrael was involved, but word quickly spread to the rest of Kindred society. Before Brynjar could even get a chance to talk to Azrael, the Malkavian Primogen demanded that Azrael be brought before a Camarilla Conclave to answer for the arsons. Brynjar, unwilling to suffer a staking for his reckless childe's zeal, tricked Azrael into heeding the Prince's demand for satisfaction, claiming that he was to receive the Hall of Jörmungandr's foulest rites of initiation. Azrael appeared, dressed in his stage makeup and dressed like a satanic viking. Because it came to light that one of the churches had been headquarters to the Society of Leopold, Azrael was forgiven and even made Hound for the Sheriff. But because of this attack, the Society grew more attentive to supernatural acts in Norway and soon, witch-hunters and Inquisitors swarmed across the cities and destroyed many vampires including the Prince of Oslo. Facing the blame for the attack, he came to see the intrigues of the Malkavian and left Norway for good.
In exile, he formed his own band, Ynglinga, who abandoned the satanic trappings and instead focused on Scandinavia's pagan past. After a couple of years, he eventually ended up on the outs with his former idols, who regularly threatened his life in letters and interviews over his perceived abandonment of the Dark Lord Satan. A spate of murders and suicides among their ranks has never been officially tied to Azrael, but he has gleefully claimed credit and threatened more of the same. When he got a record deal with a company in New York, he left Scandinavia and went to the USA, insinuating himself as a mercenary and Autarkis. The Setites of New York find him alienating and disgusting, far from the more traditional Serpent backgrounds and Egyptian-influenced temples of the main branch of the clan. Azrael has been known to work for the Camarilla and the Anarchs, and even a short term of pre-station with the New York Giovanni, though the two ended up on hostile terms. All the while wearing his stylized makeup and “gothic Viking” outfit, he has rapidly gained a name among the Damned and the black metal subculture. The only sect he will not work for is the Sword of Caine, but he refuses to explain why. Some Kindred gadflies speculate that the Sabbat's Caine-revering form of Christianity is too repulsive to him. Further, Azrael's role in the murder of members of the Society of Leopold has made him an enemy to the rest of the Inquisition. More than once, he is using his band's touring schedule as an excuse to skip town before the hunters catch up to him.
In recent nights, Azrael has disappeared. Rumors run rampant as to what happened to him. Some theorize that the Inquisition finally got back at him, while others claim the Sabbat have hunted him for some crime against them. Still others believe that he has returned to Norway and subverted the Cult of Jormungand. A few suggest that he’s just tired of all of the bullshit within the Jyhad and he’s lying low to work on his next album. Whatever the reason, Azrael has captured the imagination (and paranoia) of the Kindred populace, and the most curious won’t be comfortable until know for certain what he’s planning.
Character Sheet[]
References[]
- VTM: Children of the Revolution, p. 34-38