James Howe

The U.C.A.S. Workers Party

The Dark Seldarine

James Howe is a ruthless 160 year old vampire in charge of a domestic terrorist splinter-cell organization and the 11th President of the United Canadian American States.

 Childhood

James grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, when the frustration with overcrowding led to the construction of the first underground transit system in North America. His father, Henry Howe, was a laborer for Ford Motor Company, while his mother, Elizabeth Howe, stayed at home.
Henry fought for worker's rights and was part of a labor union, teaching his son that the "Haves" do not simply surrender their power; it must be taken. He appreciated his son's strong and practical nature, tending to look the other way in circumstances other parents might not. Elizabeth was a caring woman, and tried to give her son a good life, teaching him compassion and encouraging him to stand up for what was right. She eventually gave up as James's lack of empathy intensified over the years, but she would still challenge his propensity for violent decisions, despite Henry frequently coming to his defense. James's younger sister, Kesiah "Kess", saw her brother without flaw. She would often comment on the benevolence of his choices. After all, a boy with a clean room and few possessions recognizes the value of what he has, and does not place himself above others. He just wanted to understand how that cockroach worked, each part, to end other cockroaches' suffering as painlessly as possible. That rabbit would have suffered anyway. James never thought much of Kess, but she didn't annoy him like most people did. As he got older, he came to appreciate the calmness in her eyes, not like the fear and disgust he received from others.
He was bullied in school, but only when he first arrived at a new one. The occasional girl in school would have a crush on him on account of his "uniqueness", but he was wholly uninterested in that. When James graduated high school, he immediately enlisted in the military. He was made an officer due to his involvement in ROTC, a decision that would be a topic of extensive debate for the remainder of his military career.

## History

In life James was a powerful young man who ruthlessly fought in the battlegrounds of Germany and Poland during the last few years of World War 2. After taking a german bunker single-handedly and discovering a cashe of cursed magical weapons inside he was pulled from the front lines and assigned to a secret team within the O.S.S. that was the rapid response to all things arcane or supernatural.

From 1945 to 1949 James Howe hunted the surviving members of Hitler's Black Circle alongside Lady Osterneth, Orsik Ironfist, and Jack Radigan. Although his mission was to capture and contain the Nazi Mages, he mercilessly executed any that he came across believing them to be too dangerous to be left alive. He killed all but their commanding officer Richter von Brandt who they eventually tracked to a secret Nazi bunker in Hamburg.

On October 3rd the O.S.S. assaulted the Rathausmarkt where von Brandt was hiding, believing it to be the final battle of their long shadow-war against the mad Nazi mage. However the team was betrayed by one of their own, Opal had warned Richter exactly where and when the attack was to take place and so he had turned the entire bunker into a lethal trap.

That day the entire team was ripped to shreds by a demonic force conjured by Richter; the last thing James Howe felt as a living man was the sensation of claws flaying his skin and teeth pulling his leg from his body. However this would not be the end of his fight against von Brandt.

## Military Service

James's superiors quickly noted two abnormally high traits during his officer evaluations: his mission success rate, and his squad member mortality rate. Even before his first mission, and long before he achieved the actual ranking, he was briefly known as "Major Execution". With the poisoned shadow of WWI fresh on their minds, and the steady rise of Germany clouding their vision, James superiors tended to ignore his severe tactics in favor of the results he produced. He initially progressed in rank at an accelerated rate, despite the effort of the enemies in high places he quickly made, who took every opportunity to besmirch and discredit him. He was assigned to the most dangerous missions, and harshly reprimanded for squad deaths he could have easily prevented. Unfortunately, Howe proved that his tactics produced results, and in a time where this was needed most, he was tolerated and accepted as a necessary evil. He became one of the youngest Majors in the Marines, and refused all promotions beyond that level.

An assignment to a Howe mission was seen for what it was. You were probably going to die, but you would be remembered as a hero. Recruits unfamiliar with Howe's reputation were promptly educated. There were several incidents where a recruit would attempt to assert their dominance over the major, sometimes on account of his height. There were a comparable amount of honerable dischrages due to "training accidents". Howe's ruthless tactics on and off the battlefield earned him the title of Major Wolf, or simply The Wolf. Howe was assigned to increasingly risky missions in WWII, paired with staggering sqaud deaths and injuries.

On his final mission before his assignment to the O.S.S., The Wolf led a team of highly skilled marines he'd trained himself, all of whom had survived several missions with him. They stormed a German bunker, taking heavy losses but gaining ground at an unnatural pace. By the time The Wolf reached the bunker, his entire team had been killed, but it was inconsequential. He killed every German in that Bunker with a combat knife. Officially, he was assigned to the mission alone, bolstering his fearsome reputation and earning him the title The Wolf of Warsaw.

## Resurrection

Over four decades would pass before Richter resurfaced as the Sandman Murderer to terrorize the people of New York. To combat Richter, the corpse of James Howe was unearthed by Strahd von Zarovich and slowly infused with the blood of the Vampire Dreadlord. Strahd resurrected Howe because in life James was the only person who Richter ever truly feared.

On the night of November 7th 1992, Jack Radigan, Vulco, Lugh Llaw Gyffus, Opal, and Howe infiltrated the Demiplane of Arkham and assaulted the safe-house of the Sandman in a final attempt to bring the Nazi to justice. They successfully defeated the mad mage and stopped him from opening a way for Vlaakith the Lich Queen.

After the fighting had ended Vulco took his holy weapon Speare and impaled Howe through the back with the greatsword in an attempt to remove a powerful vampire in the thrall of Strahd. Then the party left, hoping that James would be trapped in the demiplane of Arkham with no coffin to substantiate in. However they did not expect the soul of James Howe to be saved at the last minute by Madame Eva, a powerful witch who had been trapped in the demiplane of dread for countless centuries.