Robert

**Robert** is a Nagah.

## Biography

You shed your First Skin on a horrible mess that came later in your life and for no reason.

You and your wife were arguing about who would care for your aging parents, and your anger just exploded.

You remember her face as your claws picked her apart with cruel, vicious precision. you remember stopping up her screams by spraying bile and venom into mouth.

You coiled around her over and over, crushing her into submission as your fangs rent her flesh once, twice and again. Your argument was ridiculous, far out of proportion to the ferocity with which you destroyed her.

When you came your senses very shortly thereafter, she lay in your arms, and her blood soaked the tatters of your clothing. As you stirred, you became aware of two men standing above you. You tried to speak, but one pinned you with his eyes as the other lifted you roughly to your feet. They called you family and said that they had been watching and waiting.

They said this all without speaking to you or to each other, and an unknown but familiar coldness beneath your skin convinced you that they did not lie. They commanded that you trust them, and you did.

Immediately, one of them left and returned shortly with the fresh and much-abused corpse of a man roughly of a height with you. He wore your clothes, and his hair had been cut the same way. One of the two men knocked this dead man's teeth out with the butt of a knife--likely the one that had ravaged the unfortunates body--and collected the pieces as they fell.

The other turned on the gas vent in your fireplace. When all was done, they helped you fold down into your smallest shape and stuffed you into a bag one of them carried.

Three nights later, before they turned you over to Seisha and disappeared, they showed you a newspaper. It ran a story on page 3 about the brutal double-murder that had taken place in his former home. It told about how the vicious attackers who had done the crime had set the house on fire to cover their trail.

Witnesses had seen a vehicle leaving the scene as the fire began, but they could not identify the driver or passenger. The van had

been found abandoned nine miles away. The two Nagah, as they called themselves and you, commanded that you learn from what they had done and never forget. Thus far, you have not.

The Seisha has charged you with one of the most important duties possible. You help maintain the myth that the Nagah are extinct. Rather than rely on Gifts, you specialize in doctoring forensic evidence and dressing the scene of a disaster to tell a false but believable story. Your nestmates mislead human authorities and shelter indiscreet Nagah who need to lie low, but you handle potentially damning messes directly.

When time is of the essence, you can dress the site of a Nagah's vicious frenzy so that it looks like nothing so much as desperate robbery that got out of hand, but you prefer to simply make a corpse disappear without a trace. Regardless of how you clean up such a problem, though, you always make a note of who caused it. And you always report it back to the Seisha.

Let your experience and reputation speak for itself, rather than letting young fools second, guess what you're doing. Don't let your clients explain what they did wrong; don't let them try to justify their actions or lay blame for their mistakes. Remain professionally distant both from your work and from the careless ones who called you, so that you can get you job done faster.

Give orders that leave no room for discussion. Don't explain what you're doing or listen to suggestions. Be throughout and precise so that those who are watching can learn from you. Never scold, never patronize, and never offer suggestions that your actions can teach huts as effectively. Make your calm command of the situation plain for your clients to see, and let their shame teach them to be more careful in the future.

## Stats

**Breed:** Balaram

**Auspice:** Kamakshi

**Kin Species:** Death Adder

**Physical:** Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3

**Social:** Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2

**Mental:** Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits, 3

**Talents:** Alertness 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 1, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 1

**Skills:** Crafts 1, Drive 2, Firearms 1, Melee 1, Stealth 3

**Knowledges:** Computer 1, Investigation 4, Law 3, Linguistics 1, Medicine 2, Science 3

**Gifts:** Self Mastery, Resist Pain, Scent of Running Water

**Backgrounds:** Contacts 2, Kinfolk 2, Resources 1

**Rage:** 3

**Gnosis**: 1

**Willpower**: 7