Henry Rourke

* Dr. Rourke
* In Class
* Henry's Office

* IC Info
* Appearance
* OOC Info

## Personality

Fairly soft-spoken for the most part, and clearly one of those people that prefers his books to going out and wild parties. Get him going on something he's passionate about though, and you're getting a drink from the firehose...

## History

Professor Henry Rourke has been a fixture at the New Albion University for a little over two years now, teaching anthropology primarily and other humanities as they relate. He's a little odd in that he only teaches night classes, but on a university campus that's likely the least odd thing you'll see.

However, as a Tremere, Henry's time in New Albion has been a bit more exciting than just lecturing about ancient cultures to caffeine-riddled students. The investigation of an arcane containment breach, the discovery of unlicensed experiments performed on fellow Kindred, and most recently the destruction of Vienna Chantry itself.

Poor nerd just can't catch a break.

## Sheet

**Attributes**
*Physical:* Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2
*Social:* Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2
*Mental:* Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 2
**Abilities**
*Talents:* Alertness 1, Awareness 3, Empathy 2, Expression 3, Intimidation 1, Leadership 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3
*Skills:* Drive 1, Etiquette 3, Firearms 1, Larceny 1, Stealth 2, Survival 1
*Knowledges:* Academics 5, Computer 1, Investigation 3, Occult 4, Politics 2, Science 2, Technology 1, Expert Knowledges: Early Indo-European Cultures 3, Archaeology 2, German 2, French 1, Latin 1, Greek 1
**Advantages**
*Virtues:* Conscience 3, Courage 3, Self Control 4
*Disciplines:* Auspex 3, Dominate 3, Thaumaturgy: Path of the Focused Mind 4, Path of Blood 3
*Humanity:* 6
*Backgrounds:* Generation 1, Resources 2, Herd 1, Status 2, Haven 2 (Library, Occult), Retainers 1
*Willpower:* 7
*Merits:* Friendly Face (1), Introspection (1), Harmless (1)
*Flaws:* Special Responsibility: Tremere Auditor (1)
### Backgrounds

**Herd**
Grad students. Who's going to notice a few of them looking pale and wan anyway?
**Resources**
He actually does teach at the university, it's not just a cover identity.
**Status**
Tremere Whip and general city analyst/record-keeper.
**Haven**
Henry has rooms within the Chantry that are as secure as any Tremere holding, not to mention being stocked with his own personal library of Weird Tomes.
**Retainers**
Largely just to help keep what's left of the Chantry working properly, Henry retained one of the ghouled attendants after the rest of the local Tremere shipped out.
### Specialties

**Academics (Social Anthropology)**
Anthropology is the scientific study of humans, human behavior, and societies in the past and present. Henry's particular expertise is specifically the study of human behavior patterns.
**Investigation (Research)**
You don't get a doctorate without knowing how to chase down obscure references and check your facts.
**Manipulation (Persona)**
Henry comes across as an incredibly dull, uninteresting and generally forgettable person. This is entirely on purpose and carefully engineered on his part.
**Occult (Mythology)**
Folklore and legend can hold a surprising amount of real information, for those who know what to look for.
**Perception (Systems Analysis)**
Being able to notice all the pieces of a system, no matter how small, is almost as important as...
**Intelligence (Systems Analysis)**
...being able to understand how all those pieces interact with each other to produce the final product.
### Techniques

**For the Archives (Auspex 2, Dominate 2, Path of the Focused Mind 2)**
Henry has developed a technique to assist his gathering of information for his records which is kind of a combination-discipline, kind of hypnosis, and kind of a thaumaturgic ritual. Namely, through the usage of Dominate in combination with the Path of the Focused Mind, he sets up the structure of the interview and prompts the subject to "Please, be accurate." The Path helps keep the subject calm, centered, and focused, while the Dominate (on those it can affect at any rate) provides motivation that might otherwise not be there.
He goes about it so casually that most people don't even realize he's doing it.
### Thaumaturgy

**Path of the Focused Mind**
Practitioners of the Focused Mind greatly enhance their mental alacrity and readiness, allowing better comprehension of problems and situations.
1. Readiness
2. Centering
3. One-Tracked Mind
4. Dual Thought

**Path of Blood**
Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as her primary path. It encompasses some of the most fundamental principles of Thaumaturgy, based as it is on the manipulation of Kindred vitae.
1. A Taste for Blood
2. Blood Rage
3. Blood of Potency

#### Rituals

* Chime of Unseen Spirits (1)
* Defense of the Sacred Haven (1)
* Domino of Life (1)
* Incantation of the Shepherd (1)
* Wake with Evening's Freshness (1)
* Principal Focus of Vitae Infusion (2)
* Seal Egress (2)
* Ward Versus Ghouls (2)
* Warding Circle versus Ghouls (2)
* Sanguine Assistant (3)
* Ward versus Lupines (3)
* Warding Circle versus Lupines (3)
* Ward versus Kindred (4)
* Warding Circle versus Kindred (4)

## References

1. ↑ Rites of the Blood pg. 139
2. ↑ V20 pg. 213
3. ↑ Rites of the Blood pg. 23
4. ↑ V20 pg. 230
5. ↑ V20 pg. 231
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 V20 pg. 232
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 V20 pg. 234
8. ↑ Rites of the Blood pg. 25
9. ↑ V20 pg. 236
10. ↑ V20 pg. 237