SchreckNet Data File
- Real/Birth Name: Idrissa Jaward Kamara
- Known Identity/Mortal Alias: Idris Kamara
- Place of Origin: Hackney, London, England, UK
- Height: 6'2"
- Occupation: Demon Hunter
- Apparent Age: Late-40s
- Embraced: 1888
- Kindred Status: Ancilla
- Sire: Mira Panikkar
- Clan: Assamite (Sorcerer Caste)
- Clan Status: Respected Sorcerer
- Sect: Camarilla
- Sect Status: None
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Idris is a handsome man of impressive height and imposing build due to having been in good physical shape at the time of his embrace. He aged gracefully and when he shaves can easily pass off as being younger than he is, with some grey in his beard and hair being the most visible signs of his mortal age. Those who know about the Assamite Curse of Growing Darkness often assume he is older than he really is due to his dark skin. Truthfully, although he is London-born, he was of mixed west-African descent and this was reflected in his naturally dark skin. His time as an Assamite has darkened this a little, but not overwhelmingly so. To those who look at him with otherworldly senses, the Curse of Prominence is apparent and sparkles of mystic power are reflected in his aura.
Idris usually dresses in smart suits that complement his "British gentleman" look and professionality, yet give enough room for him to conceal his signature weapons. When he is on the hunt, he has a leather overcoat that he likes to wear for its resiliency - though he is equally likely to wear it during rainy weather.
Background
Idris was born in London to a Father of Sierra Leonian descent and Ghanian mother who worked in one of Victorian-era London's many factories. He had a comfortable and loved childhood until, one night in late adolescence, he awoke to a strange sensation of unease. Creeping into his parents' room to see what it was, he saw a boy with red skin floating in mid-air over his parents' bed. The boy looked at him and giggled, then set his parents on fire. It was written off as an oil-lamp accident but Idris knew differently and devoted himself to learning everything he could about the supernatural evils of the world and swore to protect innocents from their evil. This drive ended with him becoming a Bobby - a policeman in London's Metropolitan Police force patrolling London's streets, helping those in need, enforcing the law, and positioning him to investigate "unusual" circumstances typically written off as strange, unexplained accidents, or whenever he received one of his "strange sensations".
He served in the MET for over 30 years, even achieving the rank of Inspector, until the famous 1888 Whitechapel murders. In an attempt to catch (or at least dissuade) Jack the Ripper, many bobbies were assigned to patrol or investigate, including Idris who detected signs of supernatural activity whilst aiding the investigation into Mary Ann Nichols' death. Although he never learnt the truth about Jack the Ripper, his investigations - aided by valuable insights given to him by a strange Indian woman named Mira that he encountered during his investigation - led to his discovery of a demon-worshipping blood-cult that served an infernal creature, who were taking innocent youths off the street for their blood rituals, with the bodies attributed to a Jack the Ripper Copycat killer or one more of the era's many serial killers.
Idris knew that this was something that needed to be stopped, but had to be done off the books as attempting to involve Scotland Yard would have at best endangered innocent Bobbies, and at worst endangered his job. Indeed, he had found over the years that whenever he attempted to alert his police superiors of supernatural activity, that it was either dismissed or shut down aggressively (he would, after his embrace, realise this was due to kindred influence to protect the Masquerade). Deciding to go on his own, he shadowed the cultists to the dockyard warehouse they were gathering in for a ritual, barred the gates and with the aid of petrol caused a conflagration that consumed the building, and the cultists within it. The demonic master, however, was hard to kill, It was seemingly resistant to the fire, but the fire and debris had weakened it - and he emptied all the rounds of his inspector's Webley revolver into it, weakening it further. Still, it did not die. Earlier that night, his cryptic Indian benefactor had gifted him a silver kukhri with strange markings, claiming that it would protect him against evil. This weapon was anathema to the beast, and it cut through his flesh leaving burning marks and quickly ended the creature's reign of evil.
In the aftermath, he learnt that the woman. Mira, was an Assamite Sorcerer. Although she had only been in London a short time on business, his investigations had brought him into her field of perception and piqued her interest. She had tested him by guiding him against his quarry, both in investigative skill and his otherworldly awareness, as well as his courage and commitment - and he had proven himself worthy. The Sorceress Mira Embraced him, then began teaching him the tools he would need to really fight the otherworldly threats of the night.
Mortal Society
Idris is known as a private investigator who is willing to take on "strange and unusual" cases that the police or other agencies won't - or when the trail goes cold. He tries to work with the police and not cause too many problems (or make himself seem crazy to mortals by informing the police that the missing child was actually taken by changelings). As he has connections and experience in areas the Ashford Police do not and a high success rate on these strange cases, he has managed to cultivate enough connections within the APD that he is often brought in as a consultant for strange cases, or has people referred to him by the police when their investigations grow cold or their hands are tied. This occupation allows him to investigate (and when necessary, deal with) supernatural activities - which could be as simple as aiding a masquerade cover-up, or hunting down an actual Demon. He has connections with the Kern Paranormal Society (if you can call 6 supernatural enthusiasts, most of who have other day jobs, a society) and, through them, to other connected paranormal societies which are useful for keeping an ear out for things that he deems worthy of investigation.
To his chagrin, whilst getting the assistance (in return for some training) from Vivian Gosiengfiao, Vivian jokingly referred to him as "Black Constantine" (a reference to the famous DC Comics and movie character) around some of his police contacts, and the nickname seems to have stuck as an in-joke amongst his police allies. Vivian has recently also nicknamed him "The Black Wolf" (this time a reference to "The White Wolf" - the nickname of the main character from the Witcher novels, Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter) as she is of-late obsessively sweeping through all the Witcher series of books.
Despite his reputation as a paranormal investigator, Idris works (and is licensed) as a normal paranormal investigator as he claims there are not sufficient paying supernatural-oriented jobs to pay the bills.
Personality
Although Idris is an imposing man with a gruff voice, and a demon hunter from a Clan of reputed vampire assassins, most are surprised to discover how friendly and amiable Idris is. Idris was raised in a loving home and spent three decades as a police officer during a time of respect and politeness - and whilst he's not a socialite in a Toreador or Ventrue sense, he is sociable enough to be easy to get along with. Driven since his mortal youth, he cares passionately for his cause of making the world a better place by destroying the evil monsters that prey on humanity (vampires obviously except, for the most part...) and is sympathetic and helpful to those affected by his quarry. Despite this, he knows that demon-hunting is both a dangerous job and that he has to care about the greater good - and sometimes that means he cannot save (or worse, must sacrifice) an innocent for the greater good. This has affected him over time and although he has hung onto his humanity, he is not the compassionate individual he once was and some fear that, if he does not find a way to connect to his humanity, in time he may become the type of monster he presently hunts. When not on the hunt, Idris enjoys jokes, dancing and music (he has developed a special fondness for R&B music).
Other Notes: Jade Kairouan
All who deal with Idris eventually meet Jade Kairouan who is officially Idris' research and personal assistant. Jade is a bright and hard-working girl seemingly in her early 20s, who's accent betrays her as also being from the United Kingdom, although her appearance betrays her middle-eastern descent. Jade typically dresses in comfortable or popular styles appropriate to young adults of the modern night and typically dyes her hair blonde or grey (or sometimes, rainbow to support the LGBTQ+ community of which she claims to be a proud ally, though not a member). She obviously has a good working relationship with Idris, and seems to anticipate his needs almost before he knows them himself.
To the kindred, it is not difficult to determine that Jade is Idris' ghoul retainer - but what is an open secret is that Jade is in fact not a ghoul, but a revenant of the Kairouan Brotherhood. The Kairouan Brotherhood were created by Assamite Sorcerers through experiments of Tzimisce Revenants to some degree of success - although clashing opinions over their creation and purpose led to the Brotherhood splintering all over the world, with he the three Assamite Castes struggling on how to make best use of the few remaining ones. As a revenant, Jade naturally produces kindred vitae, can access the use of Disciplines and ages slowly even without the regular infusion of kindred vitae from a domitor as ghouls rely on. Nonetheless, as normal to both empower their servants and ensure their loyalty, Idris does occasionally provide Jade with vitae both to create and maintain the blood bond over her, as well as to aid her when she may need the extra vitae. But her altered physiology and relative lack of need of his vitae makes their relationship different to that of conventional ghouls and she functions more like a loyal servant and intern, than the desperate and besotted blood slave. She serves Idris out of loyalty to the clan and because it is the purpose for which she, and her family, were bred - not out of vitae addiction and enforced blood bondage.
Not a lot is known about Jade outside of the Brotherhood (and presumably, Idris) but it is known that she has been with Idris since 1989, prior to which she achieved a Bachelor's degree in History (emphasis on Mesopotamian studies) from King's College London, followed by an MA degree in Victorian Gothic at Portsmouth University. These entries can be verified by University public records, which would put estimates of Jade's age at (as of 2020) around 63 years of age, with her being around 32 by the time she met Idris, who she claims is her first and only master and domitor and first infusion of kindred vitae - despite looking barely in her 20s.
Combat Style
Ironic for a demon hunter, Idris dislikes combat. He generally prefers to talk down those who mean him harm but, when pushed to action, relies on taking his opponents down hard and fast, typically by striking at known weaknesses.
Although Victorian police training was not what it is now, he was taught some basic boxing and self-defence, as well as how to use the truncheon, and spent a long career in the police force. Privately, he practised British boxing during his mortal days and would compete in inter-police events. After his embrace, his sire introduced him to Kalarippayattu and the use of blades, especially the khukuri (kukri). Later on he would become intrigued by the spread of Muay Thai, which used techniques borrowed from British Boxing, and became a practitioner. Overall this has made him highly competent at defending himself with unarmed combat, which is his preferred method of fighting against kine. When things get serious, however, he prefers to use his kukri (or other available weapons) as he is an expert with melee weapons since most of the supernatural creatures Idris fights usually require him to use a weapon. Taught how to use firearms during his mortal days, Idris carries a powerful revolver with him and is a decent shot, especially considering his precise hand-eye coordination, but he is not a soldier or highly experienced in extended shootouts and is, therefore, most likely to use his revolver either for suppressing fire or at the beginning of combat before engaging with his kukri. Although Idris does not have much in the way of physical Disciplines (as one of the Sorcerer caste, he does not have the innate connection with the traditional Assamite Discipline of Celerity, and has learnt only the rudiments of it to gain an edge over kine and slower supernaturals), he is in reasonable shape, quite dextrous and relatively skilled, especially when pairing his melee weapon with the Awakening of the Steel path which gives him a magical connection with his weapon, ehancing his ability, and so can hold his own.
Because of his reasonable physicality and combat training, it is also easy to forget that Idris is a Sorcerer and, as such, in combat would rely on sorcery over mundane weapons. His primary Assamite Sorcery path, of which he is a master, is the Hand of the Magi (a path analogous to the Tremere Thaumaturgical path known as "Lure of Flames") and is capable of summoning conflagrations of mystical fire (the Tremere accusatorially state it as "hellfire") that can quickly reduce most kindred and other supernatural creatures to ash. He is also powerful enough with telekinesis to be able to restrain enemies, levitate them (or himself), or use objects in the area as weapons against targets - making anything large or sharp in the vicinity a potentially deadly weapon.
Social Style
Idris is unique compared to many other kindred in that he cares little for kindred politics and status. He is dedicated to his cause and that is his primary motivator. Of course, if demons and spiritual entities were that easy to notice, then even the kine would have noticed by now - so those who expect him to be a swashbuckling monster-hunter all the time would be disappointed to learn that most of his time is spent carrying out research and investigation, networking with connections in the paranormal world and separating true supernatural phenomena from rumours, myths and urban legends. This actually makes him both surprisingly sociable, and also gives those wanting to deal with him various avenues they can explore.
He is very unpopular with the Tremere clan who publicly proclaim him as being dangerous to the Camarilla, the Masquerade and in league with the Baali (the latter not within Idris' earshot, as they are guaranteed to provoke a violent reaction from him - or any Assamite for that matter). He claims this is because the Tremere have, until now, had a monopoly on blood sorcery services to the Camarilla - and they always charge a high price. Now with both the Assamite having a seat on the Primogen council, being Camarilla members and the Tremere licking their grievous wounds from the destruction of their Chantry during the Sabbat Crusade, he is not just a thorn in their side - but direct competion against their services. And unlike the Tremere - he usually has few, if any, strings attached to his help. If kindred can provide him enough evidence to convince him there is something supernatural and terribly evil at work, he will provide his assistance willingly and without expectation of payment or boons (some have pointed out that his "assistance" will be provided whether or not it is desired - once his attention is gained, he has a singular focus and is not easily swayed to abandon his intended course of actions). If the cause is less dire, then kindred may need to pay for his services - but they are usually more reasonable than that of the Tremere - or at least have less strings attached.
Even if not seeking his assistance, it is wise to remember that to Idris knowledge is power. Many of the entities he has slain have been more powerful than he, and he has prevailed due to careful planning and thorough research and investigation into his quarry and its weakness. Some believe this to be a form of cowardice (especially the Tremere, who in their arrogance often believe they can simply magically overpower any threat they face using raw personal power) or lack of honour - but Idris will insist that if he better plans and prepares there is greater likelihood of his survival and success, which makes the world a safer place both from the current quarry, and future ones he will slay - whilst ill-advised bravado-fuelled charges that lead to failure and death keep not only the evil of his quarry in the world, but all those that may have someday been slain by his hand. In a world of darkness, he needs to survive to make it less dark - although that sometimes has a cost in the blood of innocents. This means that he is always looking for occult, supernatural and historical information which may be useful in his hunts. This may seem mundane to some, but even things such as histories of old buildings with rumours of past dark events can provide information that may shed light or reveal glimmers of secrets. Rumours and urban legends are simply that, however, so the more useful, verifiable and valuable the information offered to him, the more he will appreciate it and reciprocate or accept as payment.
Unlike the Warrior caste (and others of the Vizier and Sorcerer caste), Idris never takes on assassination contracts unless there is evidence that the target is an entity he would hunt - and he considers it highly insulting to be approached and asked to perform an assassination.
Unsurprisingly, it is hard for him to deal with the Tremere. This is predominantly because the Tremere have him marked as an enemy, and few but the most rebellious or desperate Tremere will associate with him (and most that do, intend to betray him or otherwise somehow earn points with the Regent). As such he is naturally wary around them and any Tremere who does employ his services will invariably have to endure ribbing about the fact they (Tremere) needed to approach him (an Assamite) because they could not handle the situation themselves. If approached with an angle of his help annoying the Tremere, it is likely to influence his disposition favourably.
Signature Equipment
- Leather overcoat
- Smith & Wesson Classic revolver (.357 Magnum)
- Silver Kukri (both an enchanted Talisman as well as warded against ghouls, kindred, lupines, spirits, ghosts and demons)
- Obsidian Dagger with iron handle
- Totota Avalon
Signature Quotes
- "Waking up in truth is so much better than living in a lie."
- "What we like to think of ourselves and what we really are, rarely have much in common."
Gallery
Idris Kamara
Idris Kamara
Jade Kairouan