Coterie: Sanguinus (WoD)

Sanguinus: Purpose

Sanguinus is a coterie formed by kindred of different clans that have an interest in science or medicine. Whilst individual motivations differ, the coterie's primary aim is to coordinate and assist each other in allowing the Kindred to better control Ashford's medical and scientific domains (including the Coroner's office) to best preserve the Masquerade. A close second aim (though, in practice, the one most actively practiced by the members) is the exchange of research and knowledge on medicine and science, specifically, to better learn to "understand the science behind the kindred condition" (and by extension, how to improve or alter it).

Sanguinus: Background

As a coterie, Sanguinus has been formed only recently as a result of the Sabbat Crusade; although the ties between most of the coterie members stretch back years or decades. This coterie all involve kindred who are involved in medical and scientific fields. It is interesting to note, that various members of the coterie, to put it mildly, do not like each other. Contempt may actually be a better word. The coterie is also made up of kindred from Clans that have even traditionally been enemies. When asked about this, the coterie presents a united front (to various degrees of believability and conviction) that they are all intelligent kindred with scientific/medical fields, and that the coterie's purpose is to help coordinate kindred activities in Ashford relating to their fields; Primarily, by pooling their resources and combining their efforts, they can act more effectively to preserve the Masquerade.

The basis for the coterie was formed over a decade ago by Helen Quinzel of Clan Malkavian and Nastya Romanova of Clan Senya, who along with Catherine Chase of Clan Ventrue worked closely together and were friends as well as allies (and, if the rumour were true, Catherine and Nastya were also kindred lovers). They began as simple business allies that would send patients to the other for things within each other's fields of expertise, and helping each other preserve the Masquerade in their domains and, from mutual respect, things evolved. The three kindred were a coterie in all but official name, at least until Catherine departed for Vancouver, Canada, seemingly for the foreseeable future for motivations unknown to all but her (it is suspected that Nastya or Braxton Donahoe of Clan Sena know but, if so, both are keeping her secret]].

Most of the present coterie members were aware of each other and, for the most part, stayed out of each other's way wherever possible, or were respectful to each other when their issues coincided; but the Sabbat Crusade's weakening of Camarilla (predominantly the Tremere and Ventrue clans') influence over mortal institutions, and raising awareness of the need for mutual support against the Sabbat and Cathayan threats in California so close to Ashford, prompted the two remaining kindred friends to formally reach out to the other kindred and form a Coterie. For varying individual reasons, all accepted. They actively keep an eye out for other potential members and are willing (to Dr Ford's chagrin) to extend the scope to include holistic or alternative forms of science/medicine. They also wish to try to establish/improve connections with Mages (either Tradition or Technocracy) or other Supernaturals with an interest, or influence, in the sciences.

At present, Sanguinus includes (by order of membership):

• Anastasia Nikolaevna, Clan Senya.
• Helen Quinzel, Clan Malkavian.
• Catherine Chase, Clan Ventrue (honourary member)
• Philip Ford, Clan Ventrue.
• Christian McMahon, Clan Senya.
• Eleanor Isley, Clan Tremere.
• Linda Taggart, Clan Malkavian.

Member Profile: Dr Ford

• Real/Birth Name: Unknown
  
• Known Name: Philip Ford
  
• Medical/Scientific Specialty: Pathology
  
• Place of Origin: Margam, Wales, UK
  
• Height: 5'9"
  
• Occupation: Semi-retired Pathologist
  
• Apparent Age: Late-70s
  
• Embraced: Unknown, presumed Regency era (circa 1800)
  
• Kindred Status: Elder (presumed)
  
• Sire: Unknown
  
• Clan: Ventrue
  
• Clan Status: No status
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: Known Elder

Appearance

Dr Ford (he only allows a very select few people call him by his first name) is a man of class and respectability. He appears as a well-preserved man in his late 70s, with short, white hair and widow's peak, and always cleanly shaven. His blue eyes have a piercing gaze and he carries himself with a noble bearing that overall cuts a fine figure, despite his apparent age. He is almost always impeccably dressed, usually in smart suits (though unlike most Ventrue, not usually tailor-made) and tuxedos when appropriate. The most casual he has been observed has still been pressed trousers and a shirt. When he is in his haven, it is common to see him wearing a laboratory coat.

Background & Education

No-one knows much about Dr Ford except for the fact that he was one of the Kindred that helped former Prince Kratus conquer Baksersfield (now Ashford) from the Sabbat. It is not known what role he played, but it is assumed he helped preserve the masquerade and possibly identify targets as for his part he was granted what would become Ashford's largest medical centre as his personal domain. As Kratus is now dead, his exact role is now unknown. If Prince Wingfield, Toreador Primogen Montclair, or Sheriff Evans or other kindred present in the takeover know his role; it is kept secret. Some suspect that Anastasia may have found out - there is an undeniable level of respect between the two, and an obvious layer of conspiratorial secrecy - but, if so, she is keping it secret as well.

Dr Ford is known to be a private man who prefers his solitude. Whilst he interacts with kindred and kine enough to control his domain, he otherwise prefers to be left alone in his haven; and as such little is known about him, except that he has an appreciation for opera, classical music and similar arts. He does not normally talk about his past, claiming it should be left where it is, the past but has revealed that he is originally from Margam, Wales, and that he was already an ancilla when he aided Kratus take Ashford - this would make him an elder, and amongst the eldest in Ashford. It is suspected that he is far older than he admits, but chooses to hide his age because he has stated a lack of desire to become involved in the games of political intrigue of Camarilla elders, which he finds an annoyance and unnecessary distraction. As withdrawal from mortal lives, and even from active kindred lives, is often common with elders, this adds credence to the theory. He is known to be extremely territorial, and entering his domain without permission is a good way to earn his enmity, and he is known to be vengeful.

Whatever his age, Dr Ford was already a master surgeon and scientist (to standards of the time) by the time Ashford was founded, when medical science was arguably still young; and he has retained his mastery of the medical and scientific arts ever since.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Dr Ford admits that when he learnt medicine there was no such thing as medical specialities or fields of focus, and the particular focus of any medical practitioner depended on their own fields of studies, expertise, and self-discovery. However, although he has in practice worked as a surgeon for most of his medical career (both before the Embrace and after), his focus interest field, which is the role he now served in Ashford, is that of pathology. He admits that after the embrace he lost interest in attempting to keep mortals alive (as they live such short lives anyhow) and more interested in how they died as well as the general nature of life, and death. He has expressed some interest and minor grudging respect for Linda Taggart since discovering that she has some Necromantic knowledge.

Dr Ford owns Kern Medical, Ashford's largest hospital and medical centre, and the only one to have a fully-equipped trauma centre and teaching hospital (it should be noted that Anastasia's heart hospital has a limited trauma centre, and teaching hospital for cardiology, whilst Kern Medical can cater for most specialities; Dr Ford and Anastasia have a respectful competitive rivalry about which of the two is better for cardiology). For this reason, it is typically to Kern Medical where the injured are delivered, which includes victims of kindred feeding, frenzy or other supernatural causes. With a full forensic pathology laboratory capable of carrying out autopsies, Kern Medical has (especially due to Prince Kratus' influence over Ashford's law enforcement) traditionally been the place of choice for the Coroner's office to carry out medical examinations; which means Dr Ford is well-positioned to help cover up suspicious deaths that may endanger the masquerade.

Signature Equipment

• Cane Sword
• BMW 730d xDrive (Chauffer-driven on the rare occasion he does leave his domain).

Member Profile: Dr Romanova

Full profile: Anastasia Nikolaevna

• Real/Birth Name: Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova
  
• Known Name: Anastasia Nikolaevna (Nastya to her friends)
  
• Mortal Alias Name: Anya Nikolaevna Romanov/ Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov
  
• Medical/Scientific Specialty: The Kindred Condition
  
• Place of Origin: St Petersburg, Russian Empire
  
• Height: 5'2"
  
• Occupation: Medical Director, Ashford Heart Hospital
  
• Apparent Age: Late-teens (Natural/Anastasia) / Mid-40s (Anya)
  
• Embraced: 1918
  
• Kindred Status: Ancilla
  
• Sire: Isabela (Bat-Zabbai)
  
• Clan: Senya (Childe of Light and Shadow)
  
• Clan Status: Lorekeeper
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: Respected Ancilla

Appearance

In her natural appearance Anastasia is well below average height, and quite slender, with her physique making her look younger than she is. She Has fair skin, long auburn hair and romanov-blue eyes. Anastasia, however, has a master of the Clan Senya signature Discipline of Apparitionem and can change any of this with barely a conscious thought. Like most Senya, Anastasia maintains more than one identity - Anya for use in mortal society, appearing as a cross between an older version of herself modelled after her own mother, and her "normal" appearance as a teenage girl, usually employed around Kindred or when not working at her hospital.

Background & Education

Anastasia is the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and was born and raised in the Peterhof palace in Saint Petersburg. She was raised as a royal grand duchess, but led a simple upbringing involving most of her time spent on education, sewing and knitting for charity, and unremarkable meals as her father desired for them to grow up unspoilt. During the Great War, Anastasia and her sisters became nurses at the Aleksander Palace which was turned into a hospital. Too young to do most of the hard work of nursing, she spent most of the time helping injured soldiers recover by reading to them, entertaining them and taking dictation from them to write letters home to their loved ones.

When the Russian Revolution occurred and her father was forced to abdicate, Anastasia and her family were placed initially under house arrest but later transferred to Tobolsk, then again to Yekaterinburg where her physical and mental health deteriorated under the monotonous inactivity and inability to go outside or get fresh air. On July 17 Anastasia and her family were led to the cellar, surprised with news that they were to be executed and slaughtered by gunfire. Anastasia did not die instantly, however, due to the diamonds she had sown into her dress to prevent family valuables being confiscated by the guards. As they loaded her family's body into stretchers and carried them out for dismemberment, mutilation by sulphuric acid and burial in a shallow grave, Anastasia cried out in pain. The man who had killed two of her sisters (and her dog) stabbed her through the chest with a bayonet, but when this still failed to kill Anastasia, took out his Nagant revolver and pressed it against her head. It was at this point that a clan Senya Elder overpowered the killer, then embraced Anastasia who's first feeding was draining dry the man who would have murdered her.

Anastasia and her sire then secreted away to Paris where Anastasia's sire, a warrior-queen during mortal life many centuries prior, began her education in the Clan disciplines, lore and combat techniques such as Savate, La Canne and fencing. Her time as a nurse during the war, combined with her family's medical conditions, caring for her haemophiliac brother, and the haemophilia-related effect on her own Embrace, inspired Anastasia to dedicate herself to specialising in the medical and scientific arts with focus on understanding the Kindred Condition and the clan's key discipline of Apparitionem which appeared connected symbolically,

In time Anastasia moved to America with the majority of her sire's other progeny and, at her request, set up residence in Ashford, California, where a few years later she opened the Ashford Heart Hospital, now rated one of the top ten cardiovascular and heart disease hospitals in the nation.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Anastasia's studies revolve around the metaphysics of the Kindred Condition as she calls it - studying the Embrace, the changes that occur, both physical and supernatural, and how it changes; for example why are there Caitiff, when the curse is supernatural - surely should not every kindred quickly realise their clan based on their clan's curse? Why are there no seemingly clear Nosferatu caitiff due to their clan curse? As a clan Lorekeeper, she studies kindred and noddist lore, and has focused her discipline training on mastering her clan discipline and experimenting greatly with it in scientific manner so as to understand it. To a lesser degree (mostly because of willing subjects) she also studies and theorises on other disciplines, especially the physical ones such as potence, celerity, fortitude, protean and vicissitude. Her medical speciality is therefore a form of kindred-focused haematology combined with occultism, spiritual and gnostic studies.

She and Philip Ford are acknowledged as the most intelligent, and most medically knowledgeable doctors (the fact that he is far older than she is, and she has matched his medical mastery is either a testament to her brilliance, or a point of mild ridicule for Ford depending on which kindred and clan tells it; although it is undenied that whilst Anastasia is a medical master and scientific expert, Ford is a master of all known medical and scientific fields). They both also have an interest in the underlying spirituality behind life and the embrace; but whilst Anastasia's focus is on the causes and metaphysics of unlife, doctor Ford's is on the causes and metaphysics of death. Still, they have realised that despite their differences, their fields do overlap in areas and have been spending much time in study together; with Ford almost appearing to taking a part time mentorship of the younger, fifted kindred. Although they initially strongly resented each other (passionately), their relationship has now improved to at least mutual respect. For kindred, that is often as good as it gets.

Anastasia has many contacts in the medical field even outside her own Hospital which, like the others in Sanguinus (especially since the coterie was formed), she uses to aid protect the Masquerade. As the leading heart hospital, and the only other hospital outside Ford's Kern Medical to have a limited trauma section (and unlike Kern Medical, a dedicated trauma section for cardiovascular emergencies), many of the suspicious accidents/deaths get passed to her hospital. It is frequent that some kindred may accidentally over-feed enough to not kill their victim, but leave them too drained of blood which can cause cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks. As the feeding incisions are licked and covered, the cause of the problem is not readily apparent but hospitalisation, and especially an autopsy carried out on too young and healthy heart attack victims can be a Masquerade risk, and Anastasia and her hospital are well positioned to help cover this. Whilst Anastasia deplores covering up sloppy or callous kindred's feeding because of the underlying inhumanity of the kindred feeder, she sees it as a necessary evil to protect the kindred as a whole. And the fact that she often manages to save the victim, is a great morale boost.

Signature Equipment

• Nagant M1895 revolver
• Shashka saber (at haven)
• Lexus ES 300h

Member Profile: Dr Quinzel

Full Profile: Helen Quinzel

• Real/Birth Name: Ellen Quinn
  
• Medical/Scientific Speciality: Psychiatry
  
• Place of Origin: Santa Ana, California, USA
  
• Height: 5'7"
  
• Occupation: Psychiatrist / Owner of Ashford Behavioural Healthcare Hospital
  
• Apparent Age: Mid-30s
  
• Embraced: 1929
  
• Kindred Status: Ancilla
  
• Sire: Damien Hobbs
  
• Clan: Malkavian
  
• Clan Status: Primogen
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: Primogen of Clan Malkavian

Appearance

Helen is light brunette with naturally wavy hair and clear blue eyes and features that give her a simple beauty, although Helen rarely appears to attempt to capitalize on this. Her hair is usually kept hanging loose and center-parted, with it only being styled when there is a special occasion or function that requires it. Likewise, she favours attire that gives a degree of professionalism, or sets others at ease, typically trousers or skirts and blouses or similar tops. When at rest, she will favour jeans or trousers and a blouse or t-shirt. She tends to wear her make-up simple and natural-looking.

Background & Education

Like others in the coterie, Helen is reluctant to speak about her past as she says it has been painful due to her infamously sadistic sire. She began to study [the new and developing field of] psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles medical school, inspired by her father returning from the Great War a changed and broken man due to "Shell Shock" (what is now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) which was poorly understood, and often considered symptomatic of cowardice. She achieved her psychiatry residency in 1931 at age 27 and became a board-certified psychiatrist, working at the Alameda Insane Asylum where five years later she completed a PhD in Psychoanalytic Studies.

Three years later an individual was brought in after slaughtering a family in an apparently psychotic episode, and an aversion to sunlight. Helen quickly determined the man was a sociopath, but there was more to him - and she discovered what when a few months later he somehow slipped his bonds and murdered everyone in the Asylum, except for Helen who he tortured, Embraced, then kept prisoner and starved until her Hunger was too strong for the fledgling to restrain the Beast - upon which he would provide her one of her family members to exsanguinate.

She remained with her sire and his other progeny, Chloe, in a horribly abusive relationship for many years but through her understanding of psychology managed to deflect the worst of his abuses. Unfortunately, on their arrival at Ashford, Damien usurped the Primogeniture and began to inflict his sadistic tendencies on the other Malkavians, leading Helen to begin aiding his victims and, in time, the other Malkavians and effectively turning her clan in Ashford into patients. This would ultimately serve as the impetus for their support for her when she assumed the Primogen position by default after Damien's sudden disappearance.

For a while after their arrival in Ashford Helen and Anastasia both worked at Kern County Medical by request of the Pricne, officially to help them settle; but in reality both believe so that Philip Ford could scope them out and report about them to the Prince. They are ultimately grateful as those few years was how the three became acquainted (although Philip Ford was always distant) and would serve as the founding moments of what would become the Sanguinus coterie. After a few years, Helen opened the Ashford Behavioural Healthcare Hospital which she now run, although the day-to-day operations are handled by her blood-bound retainer.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Helen is a highly respected and influential psychiatric doctor, renown for her caring demeanour and psychiatric expertise. She is an both psychiatric medicine and psychology/psychotherapy, being highly trained and experienced with both aspects, as well as having a solid masters-level grounding in all the core sciences, especially biology and chemistry which underpin the physical and medicinal aspects of psychiatric medicine. She is known to be highly intelligent, patient, caring and pragmatic - she knows she can never cure her clanmates of their problems, but under her guidance the Malkavians have become high-functioning and highly coordinated and effective (scarily so if you ask the Tremere, Ventrue and Toreador who fear the power bloc that Helen has formed between the Malkavian and Nosferatu clans for mutual information sharing and protection).

Her role within the coterie functions much like the others - a vested interest in science and medicine. Like Anastasia, Helen is fascinated by how the blood of Malkav affects mortals. Some find pre-existing disorders lessening or changing after the embrace, others heightened, and many who were normal before the embrace developing derangements; and the simple fact that due to being biologically dead, many derangements (which in mortals are caused by brain physiology and chemistry) should not even be possible. Therefore Helen and Anastasia are like-minded in their interest as to how the Embrace functions metaphysically, although Helen is more concerned on the application of the knowledge, whilst Anastasia is more into the knowledge as a scholarly pursuit.

Whilst Ford and Anastasia both have the more blatantly direct role in helping preserve the Masquerade, Helen contributes greatly to this. A kindred caught by the police after a frenzy, or caught on camera is a masquerade risk; but a renown professional psychiatrist having that person committed for treatment and a declaration of insanity (temporary or otherwise) can greatly aid in bringing things down from monster kills innocents and drinks blood to man has psychotic delusional episode in the media can make all the difference in preserving the Masquerade and keeping vampire hunters away.

Helen also has secret facilities for kindred who are not functional, which can be extreme Malkavians, or kindred who are losing their struggle against their Beasts or suffering similar issues.

Signature Equipment

• S&W M60 revolver
• Mercedes-Benz AMG S65 Cabriolet

Member Profile: Eleanor Isley

• Real/Birth Name: Eleanor Arbuthnot-Isley
  
• Medical/Scientific Specialty: Naturopathy & Apothecary
  
• Place of Origin: Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
  
• Height: 5'6"
  
• Occupation: Owner of Sunrise Natural Medicine
  
• Apparent Age: Late-20s
  
• Embraced: 1895
  
• Kindred Status: Ancilla
  
• Sire: Alvina Vogl (deceased)
  
• Clan: Tremere
  
• Clan Status: Magister
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: Respected Ancilla

Appearance

Eleanor (known as Ella to her friends, which does not include Dr Ford) stands about average height and build, with what many consider classic Scottish features; she has what would be a fair complexion even during her mortal days, with hazel eyes and long, reddish-brown hair that she usually keeps straight though is naturally wavy towards the ends. She tends to not wear much makeup, with some light eyeliner and lipstick being the norm. Her dressing style can vary; she tends to wear casual clothing such as jeans, t-shirts and her signature leather jacket, even when at work, giving a relaxed new-age vibe especially with the numerous bangles, amulets, charms and similar jewellery she usually wears. When going to Elysium or more elegant occasions she is known to wear striking and often avant-garde dresses, usually with bright colours such as emerald or scarlet. When at the Tremere chantry (and likely, privately) she wears more classic (or some would say stereotypical) magus clothing - robes adorned with various symbols depicting arcane concepts, and her Tremere status and Thaumaturgical mastery levels. Whilst it may not mean much to a non-Tremere, any magus looking at her robes could quickly identify her status and Thaumaturigal capabilities.

Background & Education

Eleanor was born out of time - an independent-thinker with a fiery streak in the middle of the hypocritical and sexist Victorian era. She was born in Aberdeen to a family of lesser nobility, but her parents migrated the family to London when she was a young girl, disappointed with the limiting lack of opportunities in Scotland and wanting to expand the family's fortunes with opportunities in the booming London industries. She was raised to be a proper lady, educated at the Boarding School for Ladies in Blackheath, London where she was educated in arithmetic, literacy, English literature, Latin, French, Italian and German as well as deportment, but was disappointed at her arithmetic and sciences education, which although she found the most interesting subjects, were extremely sub-par in depth; leading her to begin studying the sciences via private tutors and own readings where possible.

As she grew up, Eleanor began increasingly resenting the limited role of woman in society and passively rebelled against it, joining the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women where she became interested in becoming an apothecary after learning about the trials and tribulations of the women apothecaries Susan Reeve Lyon and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Thanks to an 1876 medical act allowing British medical authorities to license all qualified applicants whatever their gender, she knew she was fortunate to have been born in time to have a less arduous path than her inspirations to become an apothecary. She went against her family (and society's) wishes, but managed to persuade her family to finance her going to Paris where she achieved her medical degree at the University of Sorbonne which was in favour of admitting women as medical students. As a result of this, she was able to join the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and practise as an apothecary, albeit disrespected by both Victorian and medical society, but at least tolerated. Whilst her family were unhappy at her choice of career, they were businessmen and figured that at least they would be investing in a new branch of family business that would either work out and be profitable in the end, or would fail and bring their daughter back into the mainstream fold having attempted her flight of fancy. Either way, her family believed she would come around in the end. But she was stubborn. Although not against the idea of marriage and children, which truthfully she did desire some day, she was simply in no hurry to do so. She was not so much of a rebel, feminist or a lady-lover that she wanted to rebel against and avoid those aspects of womanhood, she just simply wanted to be more than a respectable housewife.

Her life changed when she was raped by Jeremiah Marlowe, a business acquaintance of her father's. Justice ended up being her father taking the man to court, and receiving compensation for the loss of Eleanor's virginity equating to loss of marriageable property which, as Eleanor was now a working woman in her twenties, was apparently not worth much. Eleanor, of course, did not receive a penny of this compensation, and both society and her own family shunned her as fallen as though she had been the offender that brought shame on her family. She became the black sheep of the family, treated with sympathy and tolerance at best, and outright disdain at worst. She was considered to be completely unmarryable (mainly because of the public loss of her virginity, and her occupational independence lessened the chances of attracting any lower-status but respectable man who might overlook her virginal status) and destined to become a spinster with only devotion to her career as solace. However her rape cauised a chain of events to begin - the first being the discovery that she was Fianna kinfolk when her cousins, who read about what occurred to her in the papers, came and took bloody justice of their own on the man who had wronged her. This also brought her into the fold of Garou society as the London Fianna took care of her (or at least paid lip service to her, whilst their kinfolk did most of the work) and she learnt much about the Garou, the Fianna and spiritualism. This led her to her focusing her role as an apothecary with a deeper respect and understanding of the natural sciences; believing it was how to work with what Gaia provided, as opposed to the scientific chemistry of the Weaver's ways at the expense of Gaia and the Wyld.

Her success, studious attitude, medical knowledge and growing expertise with the natural and botanical sciences got the attention of a Tremere who was arrogant (or stupid) enough to Embrace her without properly doing his homework. He took her as simply an ambitious, capable mortal and promising Acolyte, without ever considering she may be more. Her cousins made him regret that decision rather painfully, if briefly. Her embrace caused a rift with her cousins - sure at their best they had treated her like a distant cousin, but at least that was in a positive way. Now she was a Wyrm creature, and she found many former family wanting her dead. She found enough sympathy from those that knew her - and the fact that she did not carry the smell of Wyrm-taint - for them to (eventually) decide to allow her to exist. Eleanor finds that for all its faults, and elitism, at least the clan respects all its members who have ability in Thaumaturgy (to which Eleanor found herself quite capable with) to a degree greater than either Garou did with kinfolk, or Victorian society to its women; and the Clan may bicker and argue internally like the Garou, but even more so than the Garou, when push comes to shove they stand by and protect every one of their members. Since becoming an apprentice Eleanor works hard not just on her Thaumaturgy and natural sciences, working in mortal society as a botanist and modern-day apothecary of alternative medicine, but also to try to to improve relations between Garou and Kindred... although it's proving a long, slow and at times dangerous road.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Eleanor became an apothecary when medical education was only recently beginning to become specialised, and since then has self-focused in her areas of interest. Therefore her medical training originally qualified her to practice medicine as a general practitioner would these days, but her apothecary training would have specialised her into what these days would be the role of a pharmacist. However the discovery that she was Kinfolk, and learning about the Garou and their war to save Gaia, as well as of their enemies (both supernatural and in the mortal world) had a profound effect on her and she focused her studies, both medical and Thaumaturgical, on ways that involved working with Gaia, the spirit world and the natural way of things, instead of relying on the tools of the Weaver so predominant in most medical and scientific fields. Her current medical field and role is that of naturopathy, which eschews the use of modern chemical drugs and testing in lieu of natural, non-invasive, whole-body, self-healing practices.

Eleanor owns the Sunrise Natural Medicine clinic which has a team of three qualified naturopathic doctors and a receptionist. All of them are in fact Eleanor's ghouls, and whilst they operate the practise during the day, function as Eleanor's assistants after work hours, with the receptionist being the exception and being more of a personal servant. In true Tremere fashion, the three assistants are kept in a state of flux where each effectively vies for Eleanor's favour, believing that by being the best apprentice they will be rewarded with her vitae, allowed greater participation in Eleanor's Thaumaturgical rituals and magical learning, and someday be chosen for the Embrace and induction to Clan and House Tremere.

As Eleanor practises alternative medicine, Eleanor clashes with some others in the Coterie (especially Dr Ford) who believe that naturopathy is either pseudomedicine or quackery. Whatever their regard for her medical field, however, none can deny her understanding of the natural sciences; or her Thaumaturgical ability to influence the elements and natural world via spirit manipulation.

Signature Equipment

• Leather jacket
• Warded dagger - warded with symbols against ghouls, kindred, cathayans, lupines, ghosts, spirits and demons
• Toyota Prius Two Eco Hybrid

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Member Profile: Dr McMahon

• Real/Birth Name: Christian McMahon
  
• Medical/Scientific Speciality: Plastic Surgery
  
• Place of Origin: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  
• Height: 6'2"
  
• Occupation: Plastic Surgeon
  
• Apparent Age: Early-40s
  
• Embraced: 1959
  
• Kindred Status: Ancilla
  
• Sire: Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova
  
• Clan: Senya (Children of the Light)
  
• Clan Status: Brother
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: Known Ancilla

Appearance

Christian is a handsome man in his early forties, but appears younger than his physical age due to an active sporting lifestyle prior to the embrace. He has a tanned complexion with brown eyes and hair, which is kept short and styled fashionably. He enjoys dressing in fashionable suits, usually of designer make, with bright colour or accents; giving an air of being young, hip and friendly.

Background & Education

In high school Christian had a pretty science teacher called Lisa Ward (who he secretly crushed on). She was only a few years older than him, having graduated only a few years beforehandtaught him biology and inspired him to want to study medicine. One night a drunken driver left her scarred for life. Christian was upset: both by the fact that she was unable to get reconstructive surgery because she couldn't afford it (and the school's medical insurance didn't cover it), and that a few months later she was laid off "due to cutbacks" (even though they got a new teacher the next semester). Before she left, however, she told him that he had huge potential in the medical and scientific fields, and encouraged him to follow his dreams. This he did, and in time became a qualified plastic surgeon.

Even after high school and college he kept occasional contact with her, and once he had become successful enough to open his own practise, he approached her and offered her pro-bono reconstructive surgery, as well as a job as his assistant. The damage was extensive, however, so there was only so much he could do, but she was grateful for what he had managed to do. She wasn't his only charity case, however, and in fact he did so many pro bono charity cases that it kept him being only moderately successful instead of being as wealthy as he could have otherwise been. However this got him the attention of Anastasia Romanova, a Clan Senya kindred and doctor, who began to support and sponsor him, and mentored him in surgical techniques that even he did not know. He was so busy and dedicated to his career, and using it as a means to help those who deserved it, that he just took the headaches as stress and lack of sleep, until it was too late. The headaches turned out to be a brain tumour; one which he had neglected so long that that even the slim chance of successful treatment would have lifelong-debilitating effects. His mentor, however, immediately ghouled him to put his tumour into remission, then a few days later gave him the Embrace..

Whilst many Senya neonates take their 20 year adoption period as an unnecessary, often-demeaning chore, Christian thinks of it as one long residency, learning how to use his disciplines to support his medical practice and preserve the masquerade. Shortly after his embrace Christian ghouled his assistant/former teacher, preventing her ageing further and once he had learnt enough about Apparitionem to affect others, Christian used his powers to not only restore Lisa's former beauty, and grant her a more youthful appearance.

They have been together for many years, with her becoming a effective custodian and surgical assistant to him, and he is aware that she has romantic notions towards him, but is unsure if she truly feels that way about him, or if it is simply the blood bond, and he feels it would be wrong to take advantage. He is conscious that she has been a ghoul long enough to be beyond her natural lifespan, and that if something were to happen to him, she would begin ageing ten times faster than normal and would die of old age within a few years. He is considering embracing her now that he is old enough as a kindred that he can likely be successful in claiming the right; but he knows this is a serious decision, and is concerned that once she is Embraced she will change, and likely so will their relationship. He knows that Embracing because of emotional attachments almost always leads to failure, but as long as she is a Ghoul, will never be safe from other kindred who may try to steal her, or use her against him.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Christian was an acknowledged gifted plastic surgeon even during his mortal days, and decades practising it and learning from his mentor has only honed this further and is now a leader in the field. Considering his age, his understanding of medicine rivals that of his elder coterie mates and his mentor, but unlike them his knowledge of other, more in-depth, science is far more limited and therefore he is the least scientific (especially in supernatural-related science) and most purely medical of the coterie. Whilst he has the ability, and a passion for medical practise, he is not the scientist-at-heart that others such as Philip Ford and Anastasia are who almost devote themselves to the pursuit of science. Philip Ford things that this means he limits himself and the application of his potential, but Anastasia simply points out that he is young, and his interests may change in time.

As he has the ability to use his Disciplines to alter appearances far beyond the scope of mundane medicine, some kindred believe he uses this to cheat when he operates on mortals. Whilst it is true that he does often employ his discipline, it is usually to small scale and selectively, as Christian is aware that if he was to use his power to change someone in a way that mortal medicine is incapable of, that this could become a masquerade risk if people begin to ask questions. Therefore his most dramatic changes are typically only done for those kine he believes he can trust and deserve or require it. Most Senya use their clan discipline for their own purposes, typically espionage, keeping the masquerade and to influence mortal society, but Christian actually markets it to the other clans. As kindred are unable to make permanent change to their bodies, and after long years many regret this fact, Christian has various Kindred clients (predominantly Toreador and Ventrue) who seek his services to alter these unchangeable aspects, such as changing the length of their hair, adding or removing facial hair, or other changes - to the vain kindred this gives them options for how they may style themselves, and for other kindred it can serve as an aid to preserve the masquerade; or to set up net identities when needed.

In the case of suspicious deaths due to kindred fangs, or lupine claws, Christian also aids in covering the masquerade by making these wounds seem more likely to be caused by mortal weapons or natural animals, rather than supernatural in origin.

Signature Equipment

• Glock 17
• Lexus IS C

Member Profile: Nurse Taggart

• Real/Birth Name: Linda Taggart
  
• Medical/Scientific Specialty: Critical Care
  
• Place of Origin: Arvin, Kern County, California, USA
  
• Height: 5'3"
  
• Occupation: Charge Nurse, Ashford Heart Hospital
  
• Apparent Age: Late-20s
  
• Embraced: 2008
  
• Kindred Status: Neonate
  
• Sire: Carlota Kaspar (deceased)
  
• Clan: Malkavian
  
• Clan Status: Known
  
• Sect: Camarilla
  
• Sect Status: No status

Appearance

Linda is short of stature and average of build, although in good physical shape due to a rough family background, working long hours from an early age in order to pay for her education, and a lifelong enthusiast of martial arts; although this doesn't tend to be apparent most of the time as Linda is usually seen wearing either nurse slacks, or comfortable and often baggy clothing. Linda has a certain girl-next-door prettiness, with shoulder-length, naturally wavy dirty blonde hair, deep brown eyes and plump lips.

Background & Education

Linda was raised in a family of unrepentant drunks and had to learn to take care of herself and her little sister, Annabelle, from an early age. She'll admit that her family weren't abusive or anything, as might be expected from drunks, but she will say they were simply never there, or could never be relied upon. Her only joy was her love and bond for her sister Annabelle, who was bright and beautiful ("and for sure a damn sight smarter than I am"). Unfortunately at just 14 years of age Annabelle developed high-risk Neuroblastoma - a very deadly form of cancer, which was detected later than it should have due to their inattentive and neglectful parents. Despite a lot of very painful Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that Linda was glad to provide, chemotherapy and radiation therapy (along with continuous complaining about the cost by their parents), Annabelle passed away a few months later, just a few days before she would have turned 15.

Linda was traumatised by her sister's death, and her parents drinking their sorrows away brought no comfort. Her only comfort was a letter her sister wrote shortly before her death, stating that she had been the best sister in the world, an angel sent by God to give her strength, and encouraging her to "be that angel for others."

So she did. She left home as soon as she finished high school and turned 18. She got a waitressing job and worked constant double-shifts just to be able to pay her way through College, often studying at work during quiet hours. Fortunately, her friendly and hard-working nature led to good tips and a helpful attitude from her boss, so she managed to fund her education, although she ran up serious debt in loans that would take her years to pay off. In the end, however, she gained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc) degree at California State University Ashford's (CSUA), then achieved her Registered Nurse (RN) license doing a nurse residency at Kern Medical in Ashford. A few years later, whilst working at Kern Medical as an RN, she underwent an RN to MSN program and obtained a Masters Degree in Nursing, specialising in Critical Care, granting her ability to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist in her specialist field. She wept for the first time in years as she prayed to give her sister thanks, believing that it had been her who had given Linda the strength to succeed.

Throughout her training and residency, she was renown for being a very capable nurse at the ER Department at Kern Medical. Linda cared about each and every patient she had - and that led to her downfall when one night an old woman was brought in during the night shift after an assault. In a moment when they were alone, the woman pounced on Linda, and a mixed feeling of terror and euphoria filled Linda before darkness took her. When Linda awoke, there was another woman present who Linda had seen around assisting in the psychiatric wards. The woman introduced herself as the renown psychiatrist Dr Helen Quinzel. She told Linda that the elderly woman had in fact been a vampire named Carlota. Carlota had been hurt in a fight and had frenzied due to her hunger, and accidentally killed Linda by over-feeding. In a moment of remorse, Carlota had tried to save Linda by embracing her.

Linda would not know her sire long, as for embracing illegally Carlota was made to greet the sun by Prince Kratus, although Linda was spared thanks to Helen's pleas, and was given employment at the Ashford Heart Hospital run by an ally of Helen's after the Kindred owner of Kern Medical had the lunatic banned from his domain (asshole). It's kinda ironic that she ended up in Sanguinus with him.

Now Linda is torn by the fact she wants to help people, but the Beast wants her to devour the very people she helps.

Medical/Scientific Speciality & Coterie Role

Linda is the only member of Sanguinus who is not a doctor and also the youngest, so unsurprisingly is the least knowledgeable in medial or scientific matters. This being said, Linda is a highly qualified nurse, with sufficient experience and ability to become a Charge nurse, trained with new medical standards - which in a way gives her an edge over her coterie mates most of whom learnt the medical sciences long ago and have slowly developed their medical knowledge and been forced to learn and adapt to modern medicine/science, which has changed and advanced considerably since their time. She is highly qualified in trauma-related medicine and the sciences, particularly chemistry as pharmacology fits into her duty responsibilities, and also psychology-trained. She also has knowledge of modern medical technology, which is something that some of her older coterie mates are unable to grasp.

As a neonate, Linda has few contacts or influence of her own which she can bring to bear for the good of the coterie. Working as the charge nurse for the night shift at the Ashford Heart Hospital, however, and with some contacts with the nursing community, Linda provides support to Anastasia's operations at the hospital. As a Malkavian, she also helps Helen with clan-related aims; and at times serves as a go-between the two doctors. She does not get along well with Philip Ford, partly because of a little resentment towards the fact that although she'd worked for several years at his hospital the moment he learnt she had been Embraced by a Malkavian he had her barred. Although as per the coterie agreement this bar has been effectively lifted, the relationship has not really warmed as Philip makes obvious his distaste towards her. He has stated that she is not even worthy of being considered as an assistant, much the less a coterie member; and he still has some disdain for her clan (he is somewhat more polite to Helen because she has apparently proven herself worthy of it despite her clan). Although, recently, Philip has grudgingly been showing some respect for the fact that, somehow, Linda appears to be learning the art of Necromancy. He disbelieves her assertions that she is being taught it by her long-dead sister; but there is empirical evidence to back up her claims that she is capable of conversing with the dead, and as this is Necromancy, anything is possible...

Signature Equipment

• Silver heart locket with pictures of Linda and Annabelle.
• Kia Rio