The Quinzel Files: Psychiatrist's Forenote

Dear AJ,

Since the disappearance of my sire (may his soul rot in hell), it has been far easier for me to have proper access to the other children of Malkav in Ashford, and provide proper psychotherapy to those in need. Nevertheless, this is time-consuming and my position (and seemingly endless, and often pointless, meetings of the Council of Primogen) take up more of my time than I would like.

I appreciate you helping me in keeping an eye on some of them. The following files attempt to give a summary of my most up-to-date assessment and other important details on each of them. Primogen Marina Vasilyeva has been kind enough to grant us access to the Nosferatu's SchreckNET files - at least some of them (and likely redacted or limited versions - although every bit of information helps) and I have provided links to the files. Note that although the links are provided, I am told that it may take some time for all the files to be accessible as Marina is having some trouble getting her clanmates to make the necessary changes to the files and network access rights. I believe the SchreckNET files areas of biographic information and tips for diplomacy may be worth checking up.

To avoid the appearance of avoidance, I have included myself in this list - although I have asked Dr Schofield, a trusted colleague and ally, to carry out my evaluation, rather than perform a self-evaluation which could be biased or inaccurate. I believe she has attached a personal note to you in this file, which you can access via your digital signature but I myself cannot. At risk of offending you, I am giving you access to your own file - there shouldn't be any surprises there as obviously we discuss your situation during our counselling sessions.

The Quinzel Files: About the Malkavian "Clan Weakness"

Although I hate using the term clan weakness, it is un undeniable commonly-known fact that each and every child of Malkav suffers from some form of mental illness, dysfunction or derangement (if not multiple). This can vary from high-functional conditions such as Synesthesia; to extremely dangerous ones such as Schizophrenia, Self-Annihilation Impulse or Sociopathy (now technically classified as Antisocial Personality Disorder). Some learned kindred even realise that Malkavian derangements often defy conventional DSM-5 classification - there may be commonality and basis with Cainite mental health issues, but as Kindred are undead and no longer have body chemistry that affects the mind, they should not suffer from many of the mental health ailments that mortals do. Indeed, it is possible for Malkavians to have multiple derangements that would be biochemically impossible for a mortal. As such a Malkavian may not suffer a single overriding, clinically-analytical derangement, but one or more derangements from a mix of various, potentially unrelated, conditions. Most are aware that, like any kindred but more so, it is possible for Malkavians to gain additional derangements over time.

Few kindred, however, know that Malkavians may even change derangements over time - even Malkavians themselves. I have documented evidence of Elder Malkavians who began their unlives with one derangement (often ailments present before the Embrace, though typically they become more severe), then years later that derangement appears cured but a totally different and unrelated derangement has formed in its place. This chance can occur due to therapy, or just natural and unexplainable recourse, much like who we were as mortal teens are not who we are as adults psychologically or emotionally. In the case of psychotherapy, I have also recorded evidence that curing a Malkavian's derangement (in the rare case that is even possible, such as with phobias) results in the patient almost immediately developing a different derangement. It appears nature is not the only one to abhor a vacuum - the blood of Malkav does too. I have long studied this phenomenon, first highlighted by the respected Malkavian physician Dr Douglas Netchurch, and use this knowledge in the attempt to try to help Malkavians functionally live with their conditions, rather than attempting to cure their mental health issues, as psychologists often attempt. This is because I understand we cannot ever completely cure the children of Malkav and believe that, for certain conditions, it is better to live with a comparatively benign and high-functionality condition, than cure it only for a potentially far more debilitating one to take its place. As the expression goes, "better the devil you know."

The inverse applies only to those Malkavians with derangements that prohibit functionality or cause severe risk to themselves, other kindred or the Masquerade; in these cases, I am actively trying to provoke a switch in derangements - whether naturally, or by curing their derangement. As evidenced by my own sire, who's sociopathy I was at best able to mildly contain the worst excesses but never properly restrain or cure, I am not always successful. But I digress, we have an eternity to keep trying, succeeding, failing and learning, and an entire clan of patients to help and learn from and I am, quite literally, an eternal optimist.

The Quinzel Files: Active Patients

The following patients covered in this file are listed by real name, ie what they were born with or legally registered. The names they respond to, if different, are provided in brackets. Failure to use this name could inversely affect the ability to converse with them - potentially becoming hostile in some cases.

The Quinzel Files: Closed Cases

The following were acknowledged members of our clan that I either actively assisted, or secretly kept files on. All are now deceased (or at least officially considered by the Council of Primogen to be deceased).

The Quinzel Files: Case Profiles

Case Profile: Columban, Charlie

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Charles Marcellus Columban.
Preferred Name: Charlie Columban.
Mortal Alias: Charlie Columban.
Place of Origin: Costa Mesa, California, USA.
Height: 5'8" (174 cm)
Occupation: Civil Rights lawyer / Conspiracy blogger.
Apparent Age: Mid-40s.
Embraced: 1957
Sire: Ken Adachi.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Paranoia.

Prognosis

Considering how renown the patient is for his outlandish conspiracy theories, it is easy to misdiagnose the patient as suffering from Grandious Delusions or Schizotypal - but in fact, although there may possibly be elements of either, neither of these are his overriding derangement. The patient has been heavily invested in conspiracy theories his entire existence, but although he believes them, he is in sufficient enough control of his beliefs and thoughts (and more importantly, his reaction to them) to not be considered a mental illness. Or put another way, he may believe that the Camarilla is secretly a part of the Illuminati and controlled by Alien overlords (which, he does), but he doesn't run around wearing a tinfoil hat or sunglasses that he believes lets him see subliminal messages for control that the aliens have displayed. Ultimately, all his theories are based on investigation and "evidence."

His derangement is extreme paranoia which, I admit, can make the appearance seem moot to the outside observer. Whilst he is in control of his faculties, he is constantly worried that "they" are on to him and want to silence him. Although he believes in "fighting the fight" he is wary of everyone and everything and, therefore, extremely slow to trust. Attempting to use Disciplines such as Dominate or Presence to calm or sway him may work short-term, but will make him incredibly hostile the moment the effect ends - confirming in his mind that the kindred who affected him must be part of "them" because, why else would they be forced to coerce him? Even manipulation via normal non-supernatural means can backfire the same way if he perceives that he was manipulated to the benefit of the Illuminati (and their Alien allies). When things go wrong for him, he naturally attributes blames to others - believing they're out to get him. Considering how badly he's wound up the Ventrue (he believes the entire clan are Illuminati and controlled by Aliens), unfortunately, he's not always wrong - as the adage goes: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

Other Information

Charlie is an outspoken member of the Anarch Movement. In fact, he is one of the oldest publicly known Anarchs, as most Anarchs kept their true allegiances hidden during Prince Kratus' reign for fear of execution. But in life Charlie was a civil rights lawyer (and a good one) and, although he still does that within the kine community for income and the right causes, he was embraced in a domain that has been a conflict zone between the Anarchs and Camarilla (and now, the Cathayans) and believed in the Illuminati conspiracy - so he naturally politically gravitated towards the Anarchs as the Camarilla's methodology would have almost seemed like incontrovertible proof of his beliefs. Therefore, he quickly put his political and legal acumen into studying the Traditions of the Camarilla, and has become a very good lawyer in "kindred law" as a result. Because of this knowledge, he has walked a very fine line successfully during Kratus' reign and prevented any actions that could allow Kratus to legally execute him. Kratus may have been a vile despot, but he was still a Camarilla Prince and subject to the Traditions, else risk the ire of the Inner Council and a visit from a Justicar. With the new agreement with the Anarchs, and a pro-Anarch prince and Anarch supporters even amongst the Primogen, this would seem to be a golden age (security-wise) for Charlie.

Case Profile: Davis, Abigail

Full Article: Abi Davis

Real/Birth Name: Abigail Grace Davis.
Preferred Name: Abi Davis.
Mortal Alias: Abi Davis / @Ashfordabi_18 (online).
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Occupation: Waitress / Social Media Celebrity.
Apparent Age: Late teens.
Embraced: 2017
Sire: Paul Bairstow (deceased).
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder.

Prognosis

During her mortal life, the patient suffered from social anxiety and eating disorders, which led to depression, none of which was ever properly treated with therapy, but was managed via supportive family and friends. The Embrace appears to have suddenly ended both the depression and eating disorder, but some social anxiety remains, leading to a low self-image and innate desire for appreciation and admiration from others.

Since the Embrace, however, the patient has begun to suffer dissociative episodes and it is my opinion that she is suffering from a form of Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DPDR). An unusual disorder that falls under the spectrum of dissociative disorders, a close relative/variant of Dissociative Personality Disorder (commonly and formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder), DPDR is similar in that stressful situations can trigger dissociation. Unlike DPD in which an alternate personality takes over control, DPDR results in the individual entering a Fugue-like state, seemingly going into a form of sleepwalking. Unlike Fugue, however, in which individuals have no personality and go into a form of autopilot, DPDR sufferers are still aware and have their own personality, aims and so forth - except they feel like they are no longer in control of their body. The patient once described it to me as "Having a dissociative episode is like being a stranger in my own life, a tourist in my own body. I forget who I am, where I live, what I'm doing. Everything around me feels like a dream or like a movie happening to someone else. Sometimes, I even forget that I exist." This means that her actions are influenced by herself, but without direct control - therefore appearing to outside appearance to be somewhere between a fugue state and confusion.

As these episodes are typically triggered by stress and the individuals are typically aware of what is occurring around them (if unable to make proper sense of it), when the patient suffers a dissociative episode she can often be helped by talking calmly to her and trying to calm her, reassociate her sense of self, and trying to assuage regarding or remove the source of stress. She is mostly a danger to herself in these episodes, so simply being escorted to a safe place and monitored is greatly helpful in itself, even if no further action is taken to pull her out of her dissociation. Typically, even after recovering from an episode, the patient remains a little confused and disoriented for a period - although no longer fugue-like.

Other Information

Abi is of the 14th generation and suffers from the condition known as "thin blood." Whilst this has little medical relevance, it is important to note that prior to the Sabbat Crusade the Scourge would have killed her on sight, without any mercy or need for justification. Indeed, the Scourge has killed many of our clanmates without remorse or hesitation, as many of our clan have been "illegally Embraced" as often the Embrace is done as a reaction to a bad feeding or death caused as a result of a child of Malkav's derangement - typically resulting in the deaths of both the childe and the sire. On occasion, when we have learnt about one of these cases before the Scourge, we have managed to make representation to the Prince. In some cases, if we have proven mental incompetence not likely to be repeated, this has resulted in only the destruction of the childe; but Kratus' stance was that if the Malkavians were too unstable to be trusted to uphold the Traditions, then they deserved execution anyhow. As part of the Crusade alliance pact between the Camarilla and the Anarchs, the position of Scourge has not been reinstated since the Scourge's death in the Crusade. Additionally, as part of the agreement between our Clan and the new Prince, Malkavians have increased Embrace rights and will not be summarily executed for spontaneous Embraces (though they may still be executed or exiled, just not arbitrarily). You will recall that I argued in Abi's defence - that she was not a willing recruit to the Sabbat, and hates her sire (who brought shame on our Clan by defecting to and aiding the Sabbat in their assault) because he killed her family then Embraced and abandoned her - and she was allowed to exist despite the conditions surrounding her Embrace. However, as she is of the 14th generation, she is effectively Outcast - not considered a full member of the Camarilla and, ironically, lower on the rights and social totem pole than Independent clans or those who associate with the Anarch Movement. This means that as far as the Camarilla is concerned, she is effectively considered an Independent (at least, when it suits their convenience - I would be willing to wager that they'll remind her she is of a Camarilla clan when it suits them to do so) and has no say or defence. Quite literally, Camarilla kindred could assault her with little fear of repercussion but, if she defended herself too effectively, she could receive punishment. She will never be allowed domain, status or Embrace rights, and will often be barred from Elysium events. The Camarilla's attitude has effectively forced her to become an Anarch - and at least they seem to support her, as much as that bunch is capable, anyhow.

However you look at her status, to me the bottom line is that she is a child of Malkav, as are we - and I refuse to allow an innocent victim of our Clan to be thrown to the curb because of social discrimination by the Ivory Tower and their Gehenna-paranoia. I hope that you feel the same way.

Case Profile: Holgain, Tobias

Full Article: Ipsissimus Satanus

Real/Birth Name: Holgain, Tobias
Preferred Name: Ipsissimus Satanus
Mortal Alias: Ipsissimus Satanus
Place of Origin: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Occupation: High Priest of Yidhra (Cultist).
Apparent Age: Early 30s.
Embraced: Unknown (believed to be around 1940s).
Sire: "Madam Yi"
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Schizophrenia.

Prognosis

The patient suffers from schizophrenia, which manifests as a withdrawal from reality, violent changes in behaviour, and hallucinations. Not much is known about his past, but patient claims to have been embraced by Madam Yi, an avatar of Yidhra, the Mother of Darkness, an Outer God in the Cthulhu Mythos. The fact that the Cthulhu Mythos was a fiction invented by H.P.Lovecraft and not a traditional religion (even to pagans, Satanic cults or other extremist beliefs) is completely lost on him (and should not be pushed - like all religious fanatics, intense challenges against his "faith" will quickly provoke anger). Whilst other schizophrenics create hallucinations or thoughts based on desire, trauma or circumstance, in this case, he has melded a form of Grandious Delusions with his schizophrenic beliefs.

Nonetheless, as schizophrenics go, Ipsissimus is relatively "stable." His activities and beliefs, although twisted (see below), are kept within a framework that is "sustainable" at least as far as the Camarilla is concerned. One Million Moms and virtually every Christian religion may decry him as a lunatic and his activities as improper, but ultimately he has not broken any laws (or at least, none proven) that could be used to get the authorities to take action against him.

Other Information

The patient's beliefs might be considered humorous were it not for the fact that Ipsissimus is a highly charismatic and influential figure - and an ancilla, if his claims of being embraced around 1940 are correct. Although he arrived in Ashford in 1990, he quickly established a Cult of Yidhra, which has now survived and grown over the three decades since its inception. The cult are open about their existence, but secretive about who is a member, their number, or their activities. Various organisations have attempted to take action against them, but the same legal arguments that allow the Masonic Temples of the Freemasons to protect their privacy and activities, also protect the Cult of Yidhra. Many people simply believe the cult is a BDSM alternative to the Freemasons - and truthfully, there is little evidence to the contrary as visible practitioners resemble a cross between heavy bondage enthusiasts and emos - and so most dismiss them as irrelevant. But the cult has grown and has tendrils reaching out subtly that Ipsissimus can use to his own ends. The problem is, he does not reveal what those ends are. So far, his activities have not broken the masquerade, but the Camarilla watches him and his blood cult carefully as they are one step away from getting us all into trouble. And if his cult blows up the Masquerade, all the goodwill our clan has built up during and after the Crusade will be all for nought.

Personal note: he gives me the creeps. I get a distinct impression that he is playing a role as much as he believes it; there's something else underneath, perhaps more sinister being hidden in plain sight. He's proven not to be Sabbat but, I can't help but wonder, if there may be something far worse underneath yet to be revealed. Be careful, lest you find yourself being seduced into his cult too.

Case Profile: Kliethermes, Christoph

Full Article: Christoph Kliethermes

Real/Birth Name: Christoph Xaver Gruber.
Preferred Name: Christoph Kliethermes.
Mortal Alias: Christoph Kliethermes.
Place of Origin: Vienna, Austria.
Height: 170 cm (5'7")
Occupation: Civil Engineer.
Apparent Age: Late-40s.
Embraced: 1948.
Sire: Earl Williams.
Malkavian Type: Carrier
Prognosis: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Prognosis

It is tempting to make jokes about the famous German reputation for precision engineering when talking about this patient, who is an Austrian (of German nationality) and a Civil Engineer, who suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Christoph became a Civil Engineer in Germany after being impressed by Central Powers' trench engineering and fortifications when he served in the Great War, and was one of the initial members of Organisation Todt (OT) which worked on Germany's new Autobahn and then many of the Third Reich's projects, especially in occupied France and Russia. A career in which precision is important and mistakes could cost lives. Christoph admits to always being good with mathematics and an eye for detail even when human. It appears that becoming a child of Malkav has turned this from being careful into an outright obsession fear to ensure that everything is right (to prevent discomfort or harm occurring from a lack of due vigilance or proper care) which duels the compulsion for symmetry and detail. Whilst this can have benefits for his occupation - making his projects very detailed, safe and brilliant, it also limits his creativity and, especially, his ability to meet deadlines and work reliably as he easily becomes obsessed with minor details. When a draft proposal is required, Christoph will likely make several - and probably not be properly satisfied - and so it is common that projects he personally overseas will have to have open timescales or easily run behind schedule.

Comparatively, however, Christoph's derangement is quite benign. It consumes a lot of his attention and energy, but otherwise has little harmful effect - perhaps on occasion some social problems, such as retelling a joke or statement multiple times until he feels it was "done right." Many believe that those of our Clan who did not convert back to the original Clan Discipline of Dementation during the Great Prank and remained with Dominate, known colloquially as Carriers, suffer less severe derangements than those of us who reverted - and Christoph is certainly a case that adds credence to the argument.

Other Information

Another popular theory regarding Carriers is that of the phenomenon that has come to be known as the Malkavian Madness Network (alternatively, Malkavian Time, or simply the Network) that seems to link all children of Malkav. Whilst there are many theories about what the Network is, it appears that it is somehow linked to the Discipline of Dementation. Although it is possible for Carriers to be taught Dementation (as could any non-Malkavian), Carriers appear to lack the "unexplained insight" that non-Carriers have. Certainly, whenever I have purposefully sent messages out on the network (something I am pleased to see you have started being able to do yourself), Christoph never seems to get the message. This should be remembered, as he will need to be communicated and informed in more normal means. He has an eidetic memory, so he can be trusted on to be given information once and remember it - even if that is an appointment several months ahead of time, mentioned in passing in conversation.

It is worth noting that Christoph's ghoul, and the CFO of his business, is his actual wife since his mortal days. One of those cases of a kindred ghouling someone out of love. She has been a ghoul long enough that if she were to miss a feeding would begin aging about ten times faster than normal. Christoph is actually a kind and compassionate man (for a kindred), and does appear to care for his wife Cecylia dearly.

Case Profile: Ledger, Arthur

Full Article: AJ

Real/Birth Name: Arthur James Ledger.
Preferred Name: AJ.
Mortal Alias: Arthur James Ledger.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Occupation: Musician.
Apparent Age: Mid-20s
Embraced: 2006.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Sire: Helen Quinzel
Prognosis: Schizophrenia.

Prognosis

Patient suffers from a form of Schizophrenia that typically manifests as subconcious thoughts, impulses and desires - sometimes mundane, othertimes darker - manifested as hallucinations. These hallucinations are, to the patient, his reality. His mind creates figments, or imaginary characters, which often have different roles - one character may be that friend who always gives sensible, caring advice; whilst another might be that friend always encouraging you to do something that may be fun but likely to get you into trouble. There are times that the hallucinations are obvious and overpowering - such as one of his most disturbing ones of an adolescent girl, seemingly the victim of some tragedy, who appears seemingly randomly to torment AJ, often with blood-curdling screams or disturbing imagery. As this figment has appeared at times he has been with other kindred, they can confirm the non-presence of the girl and therefore the presumption that it is a Figment. Unfortunately many of the patient's other figments are unknown. Unless he was to quite literally ensure that everyone he speaks to at any point, he asks a third party (who he knows not to be a figment) if they can see the other, he can never be completely sure if anyone he speaks to is a real person or a figment. Other than the perception to others of seeing the patient potentially having conversations or arguments with apparently no-one (an obvious sign of madness), this can also be potentially risky as he may follow the advice, lead or do favours for figments, which could lead to him getting into trouble.

Other Information

Keeping a diary where you enter information about people you know and converse with - who, location, date and time, and if anyone else was involved in the conversation and can testify to the presence/absence of the other, may help identify who is a figment. Ignoring the figments even after knowing that's what they are, is a different matter. Some figments you may be able to make arrangements with to find a way to live with them whilst others may become aggressive if you learn they are figments and attempt to get rid of them.

Case Profile: Kunis, Lilian

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Lilian Kunis.
Preferred Name: Lolth.
Mortal Alias: Lilian Kunis.
Place of Origin: San Diego, California, USA.
Height: 5'4" (162 cm)
Occupation: Musician.
Apparent Age: Mid-20s.
Embraced: Unknown (believed 2010).
Sire: Unknown
Malkavian Type: Carrier
Prognosis: Grandiose Delusions; plus either Antisocial Personality Disorder or Desensitization

Prognosis

Little is known about Lolth other than that her birth name was Lilian (a name she has discarded and acknowledges only as a fact of her past) and that she arrived in Ashford not long ago. She is reluctant to speak about her past (states it is no-ones business but her own) though as admitted to having effectively fled from San Diego because her birth parents were/are actively searching for her after she disappeared one night, with her boyfriend being found exsanguinated. Though she won't speak about the incident, it is believed that she was embraced recently and likely lost control during the feeding, exsanguinating her boyfriend, and was then forced to go into hiding to preserve the Masquerade - as well as hide from kindred repercussions. Certainly, since arriving in Ashford she has been very careful in her feeding.

The interesting thing is that she suffers from what I believe is a Grandious Delusion (and one found occasionally even to kindred outside the clan) that she believes she is still mortal. Whenever she is spoken to about being kindred, she will abjectly state "I'm not a vampire" despite the fact she's been witnessed feeding and moving as quick as could be expected by a neonate employing Celerity. Nonetheless, she appears to "humour" us and quite enjoy our company if we are intellectually stimulating to her.

She has shown an incredible lack of empathy and social emotion, however. This inclines me to believe she may either have Desensitization, perhaps brought by the curse of Malkav or as a coping mechanism by her derangement to cope with the "horror" of becoming Kindred and having to feed on others (that is to say, to not feel guilt for her actions, her mind shuts off the ability to feel emotion). Another possible diagnosis, possibly more concerning and one I think more probable, is that she has developed Antisocial Personality Disorder - what would have been called Sociopathy prior to the recent DSM-V manual reclassification. Certainly, she exhibits the classic symptoms - a lack of social emotions regarding others, especially the kine, who are there simply as tools to be used, for her entertainment, or as lunch. Even kindred she has little feeling towards beyond how they may entertain her, be useful to her or otherwise have value in bothering to socialise with. She appears to show little remorse for any actions, such as when she accidentally over-drinks and kills during feeding - making me concerned for her humanitas. However she does exhibit emotions for things she finds interesting, entertaining and gratifying - as is common for sociopaths. And most especially typical for sociopaths, she is easily angered when she doesn't get what she wants, and prone to getting violent (often in a cold, calculated vengeful way rather than immediate lashing out violently).

Other Information

Lolth appears to be a Carrier and therefore does not receive messages from the Network. She needs to be contacted directly. After much nagging she has agreed to accepting a mobile phone I provided for us to contact her, but it's a proverbial toss of the dice if she has it on her, or if she has even remembered/bothered to put it on charge. Effectively Lolth is content to just be left alone to do her own thing. For the most part, we can respect this, but the Camarilla rarely lets neonates do what they want - and are twitchy about them stepping on elder's toes such as hunting in their domains, and Lolth seems to show no respect at all for the Camarilla's Traditions as regards elders, domains and the like. She is a natural member of the Anarch Movement, and considered as such by the Anarchs, although she is so completely apathetic about any kind of social contact with other kindred - Camarilla, Anarch or Independent - that even this is more of a defacto position based on her attitude, than an outspoken political stance.

Case Profile: Landsdale, Zachary

Full Article: Kelsar

Real/Birth Name: Zachary Landsdale.
Preferred Name: Kelsar.
Mortal Alias: Kelsar.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Occupation: Comic/Graphic Novel Artist.
Apparent Age: Early 30s.
Embraced: 2009.
Sire: Dane Rouselle.
Malkavian Type: Carrier
Prognosis: Grandiose Delusions; plus Self-Annihilation Impulse.

Prognosis

Almost immediately after his Embrace, the patient adopted the identity of "Kelsar" - a Vulcan from the Star Trek tv series. Unsurprisingly, in the early first few days his wife became concerned about his strange, obsessive behaviour and it which led to an argument that caused him to frenzy. He would have certainly killed his wife, had it not been for the intervention of "Tribble" their family dog - who ended up exsanguinated instead, but bought his wife time to flee and seek help - which was how I was, fortunately, able to intercede in time to both protect the Masquerade and prevent Kelsar's destruction. Had Kelsar been Embraced by a local kindred, he would have certainly been destroyed - but as he was Embraced during the San Diego Comic Con, and therefore by a likely Anarch it was actually possible to convince Kratus to offer some leniency in this case.

Because of the adoption of this persona, it would be easy to diagnose the patient with Grandious Delusions, but I do not believe this to be the case. I believe the patient suffers from a derangement unique to the kindred condition (including outside of our Clan) known as Self-Annihilation Impulse. This stems from a deep sense of revulsion for the newly embraced kindred as to their new condition, and terror at the thought of immortality. The revulsion is entirely unconscious, however, but results in a death wish (and often, a morbid streak) to end their condition - although direct suicide is not typical, as the survival part of the individual's personality fights the revulsion, often by creating delusions, disconnection or dissociation as a coping mechanism: such is the case with this patient, who has clung to the belief that he is a "Vulcan" as a way to internally justify the change in his condition as Vulcans are much stronger and longer-lived than humans, and acting on logic intrinsically helps resist the urges of the beast. However any basic knowledge of Star Trek would know that Vulcans have no issues with eating food or daylight, and therefore these are gaping holes in the patient's protective delusion that can be exploited by others - dangerously so. Using these (or any other "evidence") to prove he is not a Vulcan but kindred causes the personality clash and revulsion to go from subtle and internal conflict, to outright overriding horror. When this occurs, the patient will become self-destructive - again, not directly suicidal, but close enough such as breaching the masquerade by talking to a mortal with authority or ability to spread the information, or causing conflict with the Sheriff or in Elysium. Actions that would not directly get him killed, but would have consequences that could quite easily result in his death.

For now, the best approach is to humour his delusion. We all find it hard to adjust to being kindred and having to prey on humanity at first, but it becomes hard to hold on to our humanitas as we age. I would expect that, as Kelsar maturates, in time he will become accustomed to the same impulses that currently terrify him. When this happens, I would expect that the curse of Malkav will cause his Self-Annihilation Impulse to change to something else. The question is, when will this occur and will it be something less high-functioning than his current derangement? In many ways, keeping him in his current status quo which, although often a cause of ridicule in Elysium, ultimately allows him high-functionality especially within the mortal world (the rise of pop culture and the Cosplay phenomenon serve him well in this case) and therefore overall quite benign.

Other Information

Whilst in the case of other patients not using their preferred names could incur difficulties in dealing with them, in Kelsar's case, it can contribute towards provoking self-annihilation impulses. He should only be referred to when possible as Kelsar, although it can be ok to refer to him as "Zachary Landsdale" (his true name) when around the kine as a "human cover to protect the prime directive" - ie although he believes he is Vulcan, he needs to protect "Starfleet's Prime Directive" and prevent unprepared 21st Century humanity from learning of his true Vulcan existence. This is a rationale I have managed to convince him of, which means that his delusion is believed but he actually pretends to be human amongst mortals and prevent them learning the truth of what he is - which therefore protects the Masquerade (and himself). This could lead to him appearing to be "normal" around humans (though in milder impulse moments he may "pretend to be in Cosplay" at inopportune times, subconsciously attempting to attract attention that could lead to a masquerade breach), whilst he will rarely hide "his true form" around kindred. Therefore around the kine he will respond to the use of his real name, but it should not be treated as though Zachary is his real name and Kelsar a pretend name. This is really not much different to many kindred (myself included) changing their name after their Embrace, except that he believes Kelsar is his true name and Zachary the false name he's taken post-Embrace for dealing with the kine.

His wife Alice is his ghoul and works well with us to protect and care for her husband, so it may be worth dealing with her as first-line rather than Kelsar directly if done suddenly with little warning. She was a high school science teacher and sci-fi enthusiast who met Kelsar at a local Sci-Fi convention. As she has now been a ghoul for over 10 years, her youthfulness is beginning to get noticed by work colleagues and so she has been increasingly getting involved with Kelsar's art business as an assistant and writer in preparation for when the time comes when she will have to leave her job to preserve the Masquerade (as if she does not, the Camarilla may decide that Kelsar is endangering the masquerade and at the least kill her to preserve it, if not him as well).

Case Profile: Lantry, Andrew

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Andrew Lantry.
Preferred Name: According to dominant personality.
Mortal Alias: According to dominant personality.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Occupation: Artist, Fiction Author, Agent
Apparent Age: Mid-20s.
Embraced: 1994
Sire: Christoph Kliethermes
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Dissociative Personality Disorder

Prognosis

The patient is typically one of the easiest and most stable of our clan to deal with. Andrew suffers from Disassociative Personality Disorder, commonly known as "Multiple Personality Disorder" and therefore has several personalities that alternate in which takes dominance. The condition has been of late popularised by movies such as "Split" and in tv series such as the character Jane in "The Doom Patrol." Whilst those media have helped to bring awareness to the public of the disorder they are, to be blunt, complete shit when it comes to accuracy. They all seem to imply that the patient's mind is some form of clubhouse where multiple personalities reside, communicate with each other, and "take the light" - this is completely untrue. To the patient, the switch in personality is typically sudden and as a reaction to a stimulus - typically stress. The dominant personality has no clue what the previous one was up to or what has occurred since they were last dominant. In the case of some personalilties, this could be very long periods. This means they experience "blackouts" from their perspective.

The average patient with DPD has between 3-10 personalities. Some are permanent throughout, whilst others can come and go over time. Personalities are created as a coping mechanism by the original personality to either handle situations they feel they cannot or to be able to disassociate from it - much like other forms of disassociative disorders such as fugue, except in this case they can literally claim it was effectively "another person controlling my body" taking the actions. It is important to note that the Camarilla does not acknowledge the differences in the personality - and so all it takes is one errant action or Masquerade breach from a random personality, and they could all be made to greet the sun. Fortunately, our new Prince is somewhat more learned and understanding, but there is only so far that can be done.

In Andrew's case, he has 4 primary personalities, 1 of which is the most dominant; although he has been known to manifest others, sometimes spontaneously - I have registered 8 others over time, although most appear to have become inactive. Each personality has varying identity, character personality, likes and dislikes, sexuality, gender identification, knowledges and skills, virtues, hobbies and interests, and even occupations. Some personalities even manifest different Disciplines (which adds credence to the theory that all Kindred have potential access to all the Disciplines through the blood, we just need to be able to learn how to unlock it).

Andrew has typically been known as Andy by his friends. He recognised he was gay from an early age and was outed in high school - which led to him becoming the topic of ridicule and often bullied by other teenagers. A common mock was to call him "Mandy" - in life he handled this relatively well, although it did drive him to become socially meek and introvert - but no real mental illness issues that I can find evidence of.

He was embraced by Christoph Kliethermes, another Ashfordian Malkavian, who was impressed by Andrew's artistic skills when he took a commission for Christoph (and we know how hard Christoph can be to satisfy because of his OCD). Almost immediately after the Embrace, Andrew began to manifest personalities. Perhaps, like Kelsar, it was done to dissociate from the horror of immortality and drinking blood, or perhaps it triggered something in him. The first personality to manifest identifies as female and calls herself "Mandy" - I suspect that his childhood bullying and the mock use of this name likely has influenced this somehow. Mandy is the most dominant personality and more likely to be encountered than Andrew himself, at least in any social environment. His secondary personalities are Tommy Atkins (who goes by the name "Brick" to his friends) and Johannes Van der Walt. His lesser personalities are too far flung and fleeting in duration to be of main concern, but should be kept in mind. Because these 4 personalities (especially that of Mandy) are quite stable, it has become easy over the last two decades that I have worked with them to make them aware of the existence of each other, and find ways for them to "live with each other" - to the point that they see each other as a form of family. Each of them keeps a diary of sorts - some in written form, such as Mandy's diary which tends to ramble on about her crushes, celebrities and have doodles; or Andrew's digital documents - whilst others in non-written form such as Brick's "vines" (short videos) or "post-its", or Johanne's concise and perfectly organised audio recordings. This allows each to know at least the generals of what has happened since they last became dominant - which helps them be coordinated somewhat. The main personalities are:

Original personality: Andrew Lantry: Andy works as a freelance artist, and is a conformist. Introvert and shy, he is not very sociable and prefers to stay at home working on his art - typically only seen socially when he is with his long-time boyfriend Ryan Polson, who was his boyfriend since University and has been his ghoul as long as Andrew has been kindred (it would not surprise me if, at some point, Andrew or Many seeks to Embrace Ryan - which I fear, without the blood bond, could be bad for Andrew and possible make his situation worse). Andrew usually becomes the dominant personality when things are non-stressful and quiet - typically once at his haven.

Dominant personality: Mandy Lantry: Mandy identifies as female and works as a writer of Young Adult novels, of which she has achieved some success. Note: Mandy does not identify as transgender - she truly believes that she is female and her self-belief is effectively manifested into "reality" by instinctual and incredible use of a self-manifested combination discipline that combines the effect of the "Mask of a Thousand Faces" Obfuscate power with the Presence discipline means that only kindred with high Auspex will even have the possibility to see her as anything other than a woman. The metaphysics of how this works when Mandy is sexual with another male is not something I care to go into - but it has been a source of amusement to the Toreadors to introduce "Mandy" to unwitting male neonates (especially homophobes) who may take her fancy, then reveal the "truth" to them after a sexual encounter. As Obfuscate and Presence both influence the mind by skewering perceptions and emotions, they likely make this somehow possible to rationalise. Many is the total opposite in personality of Andrew - outgoing, bon vivant and free spirited, she lives every moment to the max. She is highly active socially, a natural people person with a good fashion sense. She's also a little vainglorious and is naturally receptive to those who flirt with her or feed her vanity. She is more likely to be found dominant than Andy, especially whenever he leaves the house. Mandy thinks of herself as Andy's sister and has a mischievous streak - she often pretends to be Andy to seduce Andy's boyfriend as a way to trick him into "cheating" on Andrew sometimes even, somewhat bizarrely, letting Andrew take dominance in the middle of a sexual encounter and stealing control back, as a form of strange threesome. Although she identifies as bisexual and occasionally has her fun with Ryan, she does not consider him her boyfriend, but enjoys the "naughty kink" of stealing Ryan from Andy (and as Ryan is blood bound, he is unable to resist). Although Mandy has retained some ability with the Dominate discipline, she does have access to the Network.

Secondary personality: Tommy "Brick" Atkins: Brick, as he likes to be called, is strange in that he has a self-invented background story. He does not believe that he is a personality created in Andy's body, although he knows they share a physical body. He thinks of it as some kind of strange magic but isn't overly concerned with the what's and how's. He likely wouldn't understand it either, as Brick is the least intelligent of all of Andrew's personalities. Brick believes he is a cousin of Andy/Mandy and comes from Wolverhampton in England and a former "squaddie" in the British army. He is a big soccer fan (which he insists on calling "football" and, if pushed, could frenzy). Brick actually believes he is a Brujah, and this is backed by the fact he appears to have access to the Brujah Disciplies of Celerity, Potence and Presence (in addition to seemingly being naturally stronger than the other personalities, adding credence to the "mind over matter" theory), along with a short temper to match. He identifies as purely heterosexual male and, in fact, is somewhat of a homophobe, constantly referring to Andrew as a "poofter" and irated by them sharing a body. Nevertheless, he tends to become dominant whenever Andrew/Mandy is in danger or made angry. Andrew's switch to Brick tends to be instinctive and sudden, but Mandy has been known to "summon" Brick much as a human female might call over her big cousin when she needs help. Brick otherwise gets triggered into dominance whenever it's soccer season and there's a match on (especially if his "home team" Wolverhampton FC is playing), or in an environment where a self-admitted "lager lout" and "football hooligan" (as Johannes refers to Brick) would prosper. Brick is unemployed as he's not usually dominant long enough to have obtained a job, though he has been known to moonlight as a bouncer in a rowdy bar. When Brick is dominant, he also loses access to the Network.

Secondary personality: Johannes Van der Walt: Pronounced "Yó-hann", Johannes believes he is from Copenhagen and of Dutch-Afrikaans descent; he can speak English and Afrikaans fluently (his English with a South African accent) along with Dutch and German - languages none of the other personalities can access. How Andrew's mind learnt these is unknown, but my theory is some kind of subconcious access to the Malkavian Madness Network has allowed him to download this information from another. Indeed, it may even be possible that Brick and Johannes may not be "alternate personalities" but perhaps Malkavian personalities downloaded from the Network. So much is unknown about the Network, but it is fascinating. Johannes believes he is a Ventrue and a managing agent - specifically, he thinks of Andrew and Mandy as his clients, and he their agent, accountant and somewhat legal advisor. Like Brick, Johannes does not have access to the Network, but instead has access to Dominate (like Mandy) and even greater access to the Presence Discipline. In addition to being their agent and lawyer, Johannes is also their troubleshooter. Like a good PR manager and agent, he often becomes dominant whenever one of the other personalities has gotten into trouble - such as Brick getting arrested or into fights, Mandy upsetting someone with her pranks, or one of them accidentally causing a potential Masquerade breach. Johannes will step in, diffuse the situation with logic, calm words, negotiated settlements, or outright rewriting of kine minds with Dominate. He is quite fond of Andrew (respecting his art) and Mandy (who he find amusingly jovial, and her books "childish but entertaining"). Johannes identifies as male and asexual - that is to say, he would likely identify as either heterosexual or pansexual as he finds women attractive and is attracted to minds and personalities over looks, but has no sexual attractions to others (even moreso than normal kindred). He mostly cares about keeping things in order and representing his clients the best he can - though he appreciates art, music and good literature. Unsurprisingly, he finds Brick boorish and exasperating. In another form of "mind over matter" Johannes requires glasses to be able to see anything more than about a foot away. Johannes has a separate bank account from Andrew/Mandy and takes a percentage of their income as commission for his services.

Other Information

Most of the other lesser personalities are not as extreme and vary more in personality than ability - manifesting infrequently as, between them, Mandy, Brick and Johannes cover most of the situations than Andrew innately feels incapable of handling. Andrew and Mandy are the only dominant personalities to be able to access the Network, although most of the lesser ones can also - so he/she can usually be relied on to receive the Call or messages but old-fashioned communication is advised, just in case of simple unlucky timing. Whenever these lesser personalities have become dominant, it may through the others into confusion as only these 4 personalities have been stable enough to "introduce to each other" as it were and help them find ways to cope with and coordinate with each other. So a lesser personality taking control would be a blackout for all of them.

Case Profile: Lundgren, Maxim

Full Article: Maxim Lundgren

Real/Birth Name: Maxim Lundgren.
Preferred Name: Maxim Lundgren.
Mortal Alias: Maxim Lundgren.
Place of Origin: Spånga, Stockholm, Sweden.
Height: 6'5" (197 cm)
Occupation: Martial arts instructor / Bouncer.
Apparent Age: Mid-30s.
Embraced: 1819
Sire: Linnea Akerman.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Anomic Aphasia.

Prognosis

For as long as I have known him, Maxim has suffered from obsession and power-object fixation for hats, with hoarding inclinations. He has amassed a collection of thousands of hats and would never be seen without one (feeling powerless without one). But synonymous with him reaching his seconds century of unlife, Maxim's derangement changed suddenly. Although there is no normal psychological or physiological reason for this, perhaps the shift from Ancilla to Elder caused some subtle change in his vitae, or internal outlook, but he has achieved a level of calm and stability that has had a pronounced effect by making him one of the most "normal" Malkavians in the eyes of most, who are more likely to believe Maxim uneducated rather than deranged.

Maxim now suffers from a form of Aphasia known as Anomic Aphasia, which is a (fairly random) inability to remember nouns and verbs - more predominantly nouns than verbs, in Maxim's case, though occasionally verbs too. Although his thoughts are clear, the words just don't make it from his mind to his tongue when he needs them - especially when under stress or needing to describe things. Therefore instead of saying "the Sabbat went up the fire escape ladder" he would typically say something like "the one we are chasing went up the metal thing with the rungs." This does not affect or impair his ability to read or understand in any way, but can sometimes make conversing with him tricky, especially in emergencies. It affects his ability to be creative and descriptive. At times, when it matters, his inability to form the words in his mind can become extremely frustrating and, especially if he sees it is also frustrating those he is conversing with, can frustrate him to the point of frenzy. The best tactic is to simply be patient and understanding, and help him with his linguistic difficulties. Otherwise, Maxim is a "gentle giant" who is extremely protective of our clan members - especially the neonates. He is actually the person who taught Kelsar and Linda Taggart karate (and using swords and other weapons along with it) even before the Embrace in Kelsar's case.

Other Information

Maxim is an "Ashford Original", one of the kindred that was part of Prince Kratus' Camarilla force that conquered Bakersfield from the Sabbat, which led to the reincorporation as Ashford, for which he was granted a small Domain - one of the few Malkavians, to date, to be afforded that right.

Although it is not a derangement per se, it is important to note that Maxim was from a military family and spent most of his mortal lives in the army and raised to protect his people which, back then, was the population and interests of Sweden but has since evolved to be other Malkavians (especially neonates and fledgelings) from the cruelty and abuse of other kindred, as well as protecting the kine from other kine that are "unkind" (abusers, criminals, etc...) although it is unclear (likely, even to Maxim) what criteria "unkind" means - but he has self-appointed himself as judge, jury and executioner for those that step out of his line. Whilst he rarely kills (though this attitude made him scarily deadly against the Sabbat in the recent Crusade), he has few qualms about hospitalising or permanently maiming the kin, or beating kindred into torpor. This attitude, curiously, has led to him developing good relations with the Brujah clan who treat him almost as an honorary member. Although he is not himself an Anarch, he has long sympathised with their plight and sheltered or aided them subtly, leading him to have some respect amongst them.

Maxim is one of the most highly respected Malkavians in Ashford (within the Clan) and could have taken the position of Primogen if he'd chosen to, but he sees himself as a Sergeant, not an Officer, so chooses not to. But this is helpful to know as he considers the Primogen and the Whip to, effectively, be his commanding officers.

Case Profile: Chloe

Full Article: Chloe

Real/Birth Name: "Emily" (unconfirmed).
Preferred Name: Chloe.
Mortal Alias: Chloe Kohlver.
Place of Origin: Worsley, Greater Manchester, England.
Height: 4'5" (135 cm)
Occupation: None/Mental health patient.
Apparent Age: Lady Childhood (embraced aged 11).
Embraced: Unknown (believed early-18th Century.
Sire: Damien Hobbs.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Regression.

Prognosis

Patient's complete background and medical history are unknown, but her Embrace was a tragic and more horrifying experience than most, which may have influenced the development of Regressive disorder. During her lucid moments the patient is clearly an Elder in a young body, wise and powerful. But moments of stress, or those that recall her past traumas or, sometimes, simply randomly, she enters a regressive state. When in these states she has much the same personality as she would have when she was a child, albeit a highly charismatic and intelligent one, much more self-centred and fearful of the unknown. She becomes reliant on strong "parent" figures, although she won't typically be aware of this - honest and receptive to those who are kind and entertaining towards her, and visibly disliking and antagonistic to those that are not. During these regressive periods, observation and confinement are recommended. Although this may seem unnecessary, her child mentality is too immature to comprehend right or wrong, or have a sense of discipline for the sake of discipline. Just as a young child may play games adults would consider cruel, such as cooking an ant under a magnifying glass, throwing rocks at squirrels, or shooting birds with BB guns, a regressive kindred would see the kine in much the same way - but is still Kindred and her "playing" can easily result in grievous or fatal injuries, or potential masquerade breaches. Regressive kindred still have the Beast like any other, but not self-aware enough to control it, and so are at greater likelihood of entering frenzy. Guidance by a strong parental figure with a good sense of empathy can help avert potential disaster. The patient's regressive episodes could last anywhere from minutes, to years. Her sire kept her in a near-constant state of regression for centuries, directing her to suit his sociopathic whims.

The patient resides with Kevin Kohlver, her ghoul and registered foster parent. Although there is no actual evidence to legally implicate him in mortal society, use of Disciplines and the patient's blood bond over him have revealed that he is an active paedophile. The patient uses this, combined with her being stuck in the body of a child, to feed his depraved desires and simultaneously emotionally punish him, whilst keeping him loyal. She uses him as a connection with the mortal world - not the least of which is transportation (the patient cannot drive) and financial resources, as well as a mortal adult to use as a legal guardian if required due to complications caused by her child form in mortal society.

Addendum

Since around the time of the sudden disappearance of the patient's sire, Damien, there has been a subtle shift. The patient's regressive episodes do not appear to occur quite as unpredictably, nor randomly, as previous and, when they occur, the extent of harm Chloe can inflict due to the change of mentality is typically not as severe. Although it is too early to tell for sure, I am beginning to suspend that she is actually faking regressive episodes. If this is the case it presents two concerns: 1) Why she is doing this? And 2) If she is no longer regressive, what affliction has replaced it, and might this be worse and something to fear?

Other Information

Although her true age is unknown, it is estimated she was embraced in the early 1700s, as Nosferatu in Camarilla domains have identified Damien and Chloe travelling together across the United States since 1722,. This makes her the oldest known Malkavians in Ashford at approximately 300+ years of kindred age, as well as in Ashford's "top-20" eldest list. When she is not suffering regression, her age, wisdom and power should be respected. When she is regressing, it should be feared.

Case Profile: Quinzel, Helen

Full Article: Helen Quinzel

Real/Birth Name: Ellen Pfeiffer.
Preferred Name: Helen Quinzel.
Mortal Alias: Dr Helen Quinzel.
Place of Origin: Santa Ana, California, USA.
Height: 5'7" (171 cm)
Occupation: Psychiatrist / Owner, Ashford Behavioural Healthcare Hospital.
Apparent Age: Mid-30s.
Embraced: 1939.
Sire: Damien Hobbs.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Power-Object Fixation (Seal of Solomon); of late, also possibly Fugue, Memory Lapses or Dissociative Personality Disorder.

Prognosis

Foreword by H.Quinzel: Because self-diagnosis is both unethical and unreliable, rather than conceptualise as to my own condition, I have requested the assistance of Dr Alexa Schofield, a physician and magus of the Order of Hermes, whose own father is Kindred. Her speciality area is in Neurology, which she has extensively studied both the science of neurology as well as the magical metaphysics of magic that affects the mind. Therefore, I feel, is qualified to give a fair assessment.

Assessment by Dr A.Schofield: Although this is my first formal assessment of the subject, the subject has been known to me for many years. At the time, the diagnosis presented by Dr A. Romanova stated that the subject clearly suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder relating to obsession for knowledge and accuracy of information and compulsion for researching - typically presented during oral conversation as an compulsion to ask constant questions probing for further information in order to satisfy the obsession to be in control and not have facts left out. Whilst I was not licensed back then, this diagnosis was apparent during this time and all the time I have known the subject.

Until now. Although the subject still maintains a desire to know as much as possible, it is no longer a compulsive obsession to do so that must be actively monitored and treated. Her control and responses to testing as to this condition show her to now be within the neurotypical range. A remarked change that would be difficult, if not impossible, for Cainille without magickal or supernatural influence.

Subject now instead suffers from [Malkavian_Derangements_(WoD)#Power-Object_Fixation|Power-Object Fixation (POF)]], specifically for her silver pendant of the Seal of Solomon (alternatively known to the lay population, especially the Jewish community, as the Star of David). Subjects with POF become invested in an external object to the point where they believe (sometimes not consciously) that they cannot function properly without its presence. This fixation, in the Cainille, is typically linked to some past trauma in which the object played a role. In the case of subject Quinzel, the pendant was a gift from her quite superstitious mother - a "good luck charm." I find this an odd choice, as neither the subject nor her mother were Jewish. This makes me wonder if perhaps the mother may have had Hermetic associations as the Seal of Solomon is a common magickal tool for my Order as it is symbolically known to ward of evil spirits, curses and trap demons). This might help explain why the subject has greater awareness (the "sixth sense" as it is commonly known) than most, even without the use of the Auspex Discipline. Alas with the murder of her family by the subject's sire over a century ago, this will be a question that will likely never be answered. Nonetheless, subject has suffered over a century of physical and, predominantly, psychological abuse at the hands of her sociopathic sire - and the pendant has been with her all this time. With the disappearance (and presumed death) of her sire in 2013, this could validate her belief that the pendant managed to protect her from demons - ie her sire - as ultimately, she has persevered and survived, and the demon has gone.

The subject's fixation is relatively benign, at least as regards ability to function in society. Although she will argue that the pendant is just a good luck charm and decorative piece, the subject is constantly touching the pendant, checking to ensure it is with her and will become notably agitated if she removes it from her person. She will only allow those within her circle of trust to even touch it, abjectly refusing to allow those outside to touch it. If it is removed from her against her consent, this will trigger panic and insecurity at best, and anger at worst depending on how the item was taken (such as "as a prank" or accidentally by another, or as theft), by who, and if it is quickly returned or not. It is very possible that over extended periods, or in the right circumstances, this could actually trigger the subject to "Frenzy." Forcible removal is therefore inadvisable.

Of late, however, the subject has been suffering from memory loss. There are periods of which the subject is not aware of, but there are witnesses that she has been active. This could potentially be Memory Lapses, although that diagnosis typically results in random memory loss at inopportune times, whilst these memory lapses - though random in their occurrence - are losses about specific and consistent periods of (recent) time. That is to say, ML sufferers may lose a memory of an activity one moment, but regain the memory a few hours later; whilst the subject will remember her activities with perfect clarity (especially as she has eidetic memory) but not remember a specific time period, and that memory will never return. This would make the condition more similar to Fugue, except Fugue is typically triggered by stress and results in individuals taking on a form of "autopilot" similar to sleepwalking - whilst those who have witnessed the subject during these periods state that she is lucid and active. They have also stated that, during these periods, the subject has appeared to manifest a "darker" personality - more aggressive, ambitious, and less compassionate. Notably, during these periods the subject has been witnessed consistently without her pendant, and instead carrying a silver Bowie knife - once owned by her sire and which had been used as a tool to inflict physical and psychological torture on Helen for many years. I therefore am beginning to suspect that the subject may be in the early stages of developing Dissociative Personality Disorder, developing a personality that is "tougher" in character than her natural one - perhaps to cope with stress or adversity. When this personality is dominant, I believe her power-object fixation is "transferred" to the Bowie knife, with the tool that once signified her torture now becoming a symbol of her new personality's strength and dominance. Attempting to separate the subject from this knife is also inadvisable.

Other Information

Personal note from Alexa to AJ: Hi AJ. We've never met in person, but Helen has spoken of you a lot. I've known her most of my life, as my father was a kindred of Clan Senya (a long story for another time) and Dr Romanova - Helen's best friend - was my mentor and practically godmother growing up in Ashford. Unfortunately, these days I am based in Vancouver (Canada) and I'm doing important work here both scientifically and magickally, as well as helping keep the compact working and preventing the Kindred and Lupines from going after each other's throats - but I will try to come down occasionally if I get the chance. However, if things "hit crisis point" regarding Helen's Fugue/Memory Lapses/Disassociative Personality Disorder (sorry I cannot give more information or accurate prognosis, but it's hard from this end of the continent and limited exposure - I would appreciate updates on this) then give me a call and I'll do whatever I can to get there and help. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I did not point this out: the information I have provided is for YOUR benefit ONLY. Do not share this information with anyone, possibly excepting Nastya (Dr Romanova) or the Nosferatu Primogen (who I have not met in person, but know Helen trusts). These are the only two kindred that can be trusted will move the heavens to protect Helen if need be. Your sire has many enemies, and until we know what her blackouts are (and more immediately important, what she does during these blackouts) that needs to be kept very close. If this information gets out to Helen's detriment I will not be happy. I will go to Ashford personally. I will find you. And paradox-be-damned I will engulf you in a magical conflagration of such intensity that it'll pop up on the radar of every Iteration X satellite in the hemisphere! So, let's not let it come to that?

Case Profile: Taggart, Linda

Full Article: Sanguinus: Linda Taggart

Real/Birth Name: Linda Taggart
Preferred Name: Linda Taggart
Mortal Alias: Linda Taggart
Place of Origin: Arvin, Kern County, California, USA
Height: 5'3"
Occupation: Charge Nurse, Ashford Heart Hospital
Apparent Age: Late-20s
Embraced: 2008
Sire: Carlota Kaspar (deceased)
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Sanguinary Animism; possibly Schizophrenia

Prognosis

It is important to note that Linda is one of these cases where she suffers from a disorder that is only possible for Kindred to have, and that she neither considers it a disorder nor can she be convinced of the fact.

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. 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, but her strong religious faith gave her the strength to endure, believing she would one day reunite with Annabelle, who now watched over her from Heaven. But this was the impetus for her to leave home and work double-shifts to pay her way through Nursing School until she became a registered nurse, then later a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical Care, which is what led to her falling to the hunger-frenzied fangs of a badly wounded Malkavian brought in as a victim, who Embraced her out of regret immediately after. This act of kindness led to her sire's execution, but thanks to my intervention I managed to persuade the Prince not to execute Linda too.

But the new existence as a "creature of evil" preying on the blood of the living was, I believe, too much for Linda's religious and hippocratic beliefs. Learning that kindred lore claims that the first vampire, Caine, was cursed by God and made the first vampire did not help. As such she believes she is cursed by God, and that only living a good existence (and resisting the Beast) now will lead to her forgiveness and entering Heaven when she meets Final Death. I digress that all this is simply belief and not mental illness, but it does form the basis behind her actual conditions. Linda believes that when she feeds, she absorbs a portion of her victim's soul through their vitae. Although this may seem ludicrous to most, it is believed that the act of Diablerie consumes not just the vitae of another kindred, but their soul (and evidence of this is provided by the fact that weak kindred who somehow diablerise elders have found the elder taking control or influencing their body) - so is this really so different? The actual effect of this is that whenever she feeds, she believes that she becomes posessed by the soul she has absorbed for a time. Of course, there is little evidence of any actual posession and I believe it is, in essence, a selective form of Disassociative Personality Disorder, whereby she manifests [what she believes to be] the personality of her victim. She therefore takes great pains to feed from kine in as painless a way as possible, typically via seduction or whilst asleep. This means the soul shards absorbed are content and passive and may not manifest or, if they do, will be docile. Coerced victims (even those not aware of what happened, such as is the norm for those who succumb to The Kiss when we pray, or may Dominate into forgetting) will result in the assumed personality being vengeful and wanting to punish Linda for the theft. Linda is therefore very likely to attempt to feed off blood bags or that off corpses - less nourishing, but "soul shard free" according to her. She once, in desperation, fed off a stray dog - resulting in her spending several hours running around the hospital chasing after stretchers, panting, and barking at patients, seeking belly-rubs.

A possibly more disturbing development is that since shortly after her Embrace Linda claims to be able to see her sister Annabelle, who has apparently been mentoring Linda and guides and suggests her actions. I would take this as possibly a form of Schizophrenia, but it is complicated by the fact that Linda has learnt the arts of Necromancy without any apparent formal tuition. She is capable of seeing and conversing with spirits, which has become evident and actually led to Linda developing a friendship with a "Euthanatos" mage ""Sin" that works in the forensic examiner's office - a necromancer - who has attested to this ability. So unfortunately, only Sin or Linda can say whether Annabelle really is a ghostly presence, or a figment of Annabelle's imagination (or worse, if neither - in which case might she be some kind of manifestation of Malkav's will, or some otherworldly entity guiding Linda to unknown ends?). Perhaps one of the Giovanni clan may be able to answer this question, but I have no desire to neither incur debts from them, nor direct their attention towards Linda - if they're anywhere near as obsessive about guarding their Necromantic authority as the Tremere are blood sorcery, Linda would surely be endangered if her ability with Necromancy were to come to their attention.

Other Information

A perspective as Primogen: although I dislike politics as you know, and feel her "Annabelle" situation needs to be monitored, I cannot deny that having one of us with knowledge of Necromancy (albeit a novice) is of benefit to the clan; as is her connection with the mage "Sin" both because of her connection in the coroner's office as well as the greater Mage community as a whole - and this is something that, although I'm loath to say it, would be good for us to foster.

Case Profile: Zingmark, Kathleen

Full Article: Evelina Astridsdotter

Real/Birth Name: Zingmark, Kathleen
Preferred Name: Astridsdotter, Evelina
Mortal Alias: Astridsdotter, Evelina
Place of Origin: Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Occupation: Librarian II at Kern County Library (Beale Memorial Library)
Apparent Age: Early-20s
Embraced: 1979
Sire: Viktoria Engdahl
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Bipolar Disorder

Prognosis

Evelina suffers from an extreme case of Bipolar Disorder (although it has elements of Borderline Personality Disorder). I believe that she may have suffered this (or a similar condition such as depression or borderline personality disorder) since before the embrace, as the condition is typically brought on by abuse or trauma - both of which she suffered during her mortal youth. As a bipolar sufferer, Evelina suffers from severe mood swings and may be upbeat and confident one moment, then uncontrollably lethargic and pessimistic the next. Although bipolar swings are typically diagnosed by the number of events per year, in the case of the kine, for Malkavians like Evelina the swings could potentially even be hourly. She is constantly on a hair trigger, never knowing when the next mood swing will strike.

Whilst most of the time Evelina is a friendly, level-headed and helpful and caring girl, when her mood swings (and it can do so unpredictably) she can become so depressive and insufferable that she regularly drives off those she has managed to get close to. In these depressive episodes, she has been known to self-harm as a way to "feel something, anything" or release valve for suicidal thoughts. Upon emerging from the depressive state, Evelina is energetic, relentlessly upbeat and active (obsessively so) for approximately the same amount of time as she spent in depression. In this manic state, she is actually more likely to succumb to frenzy because of her heightened emotional state.

Other Information

Evelina is an incredibly intelligent girl with a passion for books and learning and, due to her eidetic memory, absorbs book knowledge very quickly. She has amassed an impressive knowledge and personal library of academia, science and even occult knowledge that would put to shame the average elder. This esoteric knowledge has let to her being one of the few of our clan with knowledge of blood sorcery (she refers to it as "New Age Blood Magic"), a form of Thaumaturgy. This should be kept between us, as the Tremere do not take kindly to those outside their clan challenging their monopoly on blood magic and might make life difficult for her (or worse, she might disappear without a trace) and we don't have the physical clout to protect her like the Assamite do their own Sorcerers. But a blood sorcerer (albeit a relative novice) in our clan is useful. She has found good friends, allies and emotional support since becoming a member of the coterie known as "The 1337 5kw4d (pronounced "the Leet Squad")".

The Quinzel Files: Closed Cases

Case Profile: Bairstow, Paul

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Paul Bairstow.
Preferred Name: Paul Bairstow.
Mortal Alias: Paul Bairstow.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 5'8"
Occupation: Escort/Bodyguard.
Apparent Age: Late-20s.
Embraced: 1977.
Sire: Aliyah Shaw.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Borderline Personality Disorder; Power-Object Fixation

Prognosis

Paul suffered from a fixation for guns which I always suspected bordered on Power-Object Fixation. He was a gun-enthusiast during his mortal days, and being a kindred only accented this - he certainly was always moodier whenever he did not have at least one handgun around, and there was no such thing as too many firearms, or too large. His borderline personality disorder meant that he was generally a friendly and sociable man - in fact he worked as a male escort - but at a moment's notice could become hysterical and angry, often violent. It really should not have been a surprise that he defected to the Sabbat and turned traitor to the Camarilla, as he often found the Camarilla's rules stifling.

Although he rarely caused major issues when histrionic, there was one notable incident when it did. He was on the California State University Ashford campus (the domain of the now-Prince) when an issue caused him to become histrionic and inadvertently break the Masquerade. Lacking the Dominate discipline after the reversal of the Great Prank, to "cover it" he instead retrieved an M4 carbine from his vehicle and proceeded to kill the witnesses of the breach, and any in the areas who had seen him, resulting in the deaths of over a dozen students and two faculty members (one of which was a security guard); followed by a car chase where his escape was made possible thanks to the assistance of his frantic coterie-mates. Although the Brujah then-Primogen Wingfield was enraged to almost frenzy, Paul was lucky to escape serious punishment because, ultimately, the Prince did not consider the random death of a dozen kine a serious issue, the Masquerade had been successfully covered as "one more nutjob school shooting" and the massacre done under the guise of Obfuscate's "Mask of a Thousand Faces" which prevented firm identification of Paul as the perpetrator.

Other Information

As you know (as you dealt him the killing blow AJ), Paul was killed during the Sabbat Crusade. Good riddance to him.

Case Profile: Cohan, Graciela

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Claimed: Graciéla Cohan;Actual: Grace Williams.
Preferred Name: Grace.
Mortal Alias: Graciéla Cohan.
Place of Origin: Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA.
Height: 5'7"
Occupation: Claimed: Chauffer; Actual: Black Hand Assassin.
Apparent Age: Late 20s.
Embraced: Claimed: 2011; Actual: 1927.
Sire: Claimed: Unknown; Actual: Santiago Nocera (Sabbat).
Malkavian Type: Carrier (false)
Prognosis: Paranoia (faked).

Prognosis

Patient had struck me as strange from the beginning. She was highly reluctant to receive therapy, obfuscating this as part of her paranoia and claiming that I was "an Illuminati stooge" seeking to keep tabs on her for the Illuminati. She was reluctant to talk about herself under this claim, although she always attempted to steer the conversation towards learning about other kindred - at times being difficult to keep professional and confidentiality due to the subtle nature she was able to steer conversations to extract the information she wanted - a lesser psychologist would have likely have been successfully manipulated. I believe she attempted to Dominate me on at least one occasion but was unsuccessful - leading to her frustration and faking paranoia episodes to cut the sessions short.

Ultimately my suspicions proved correct, though she managed to deceive me nonetheless. I came to suspect she was not actually a child of Malkav and that her paranoia was a (very well faked) act to deflect probing into her background, which I assumed may have been likely that she was a Caitiff or perhaps had gone rogue from a clan that dominates and supervises its cainites, such as the Tremere. However in the end it was revealed that her real name was actually Grace Williams and that she was a Lasombra as well as the Sabbat Black Hand war-leader of the Crusade in Ashford.

Other Information

I can't help but feel that had I perhaps been less concerned about diagnosing and treating her paranoia I may have got some hint of the truth - and perhaps unlives could have been saved. But ultimately I am grateful simply that my clan suffered less than most, and that she did not kill me when she had (many) opportunities to do so. Nonetheless, I feel a degree of shame and guilt as to my self-perceived failings, which I suspect I may now be suffering from "survivor's guilt."

Grace was killed at the end of the Sabbat Crusade; although the actual killing blow that ended the Crusade was dealt by Valerie Leigh of Clan Senya, the childe of the Senya Primogen, I take pride and satisfaction in knowing that the attack was led by my childe AJ (at least insofar as the Camarilla kindred involved were concerned) and made possible by the assistance of former-Autarkis (and Grace's former mentor) Tatjana who he tracked down and convinced to negotiate with the Camarilla to provide the assistance and information that ultimately ended the war.

As for Grace - may the Abyss take her soul and consume it utterly.

Case Profile: Hobbs, Damien

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Unknown.
Preferred Name: Damien Hobbs.
Mortal Alias: Damien Hobbs.
Place of Origin: England, UK (believed Worsley, Lancashire).
Height: 5'9"
Occupation: Business entrepreneur.
Apparent Age: Early 50s.
Embraced: 1590.
Sire: Unknown.
Malkavian Type: Carrier
Prognosis: Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Prognosis

Although the term has now fallen out of favour since the publication of the DSM-5, Damien was a textbook sociopath (now known as Antisocial Personality Disorder). I suspect he may have been a natural psychopath (a term that is contested to be an inherited form of ASPD rather than developed social form of ASPD, commonly referred to as Sociopathy) even before his embrace, but have no empirical evidence to support this hypothesis.

Other Information

Damien admits to having been a former Camarilla ghoul to a Ventrue who's sire abandoned him - as this could endanger the Masquerade, I suspect that Damien had been a ghoul for long enough that his domitor expected him to crumble to ash after a missed feeding, which would make Damien about a century older than his already claimed 400 or so years of unlife. Regardless, he was cunning enough that he claims he not only managed to secure a new domitor in the brief time remaining after his domitor's refusal to re-infuse him with vitae, but convincing this new domitor to embrace him.

Damien disappeared in 2013.

Case Profile: Nowack, Seth

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Seth Nowack.
Preferred Name: Seth Nowack.
Mortal Alias: Seth Nowack.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 5'9"
Occupation: Private Security.
Apparent Age: Mid-20s.
Embraced: 1968.
Sire: Unknown.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Grandiose Delusions.

Prognosis

Patient suffered from Grandiose Delusions. Perhaps as a result of being a former Toreador ghoul, and the events surrounding his Embrace (see other notes), patient believed he was a Toreador. Although he was courteous to the Malkavian Clan, he was adamant that he was a Toreador and Genevieve Montclair was his sire - and if pushed too hard or given evidence to the contrary could get hostile; although he was otherwise a popular and likable man.

Other Information

Patient used to be a US Marine during his mortal days, enrolling at the minimum statutory age and serving two tours with distinction. He retired from the military to get into private security. This led to him becoming one of Genevieve Montclair's security details and ghoul. He was embraced during one of Montclair's PR PR events by an unknown kindred - likely a feeding gone wrong, or perhaps a stalker/troublemaker he had to handle and was overpowered. He has no recollection of the actual Embrace (likely due to Dominate reprogramming of his memories by his sire to cover the illegal embrace) and believes that he was Embraced by Genevieve herself (see prognosis). He developed an enfatuation for her that came close to obsessive, and was constantly with her as security or a groupie.

Unfortunately, the patient was with Genevieve Montclair during the Opera House massacre and gave his life to protect her from the Sabbat Attack. Although Ms Montclair seems to have little qualms or grief over Seth's sacrifice for her, it would at least have made Seth happy to know that his sacrifice did enable Ms Montclair to escape unscathed.

Personal Addendum: I think the wrong kindred died that day.

Case Profile: Weston, Laurence

Full Article: Not Available

Real/Birth Name: Laurence Weston.
Preferred Name: Larry.
Mortal Alias: Laurence Weston.
Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA.
Height: 5'8"
Occupation: Night Auditor, Emerald Inn.
Apparent Age: Late 30s.
Embraced: 1985.
Sire: Allan Nolton.
Malkavian Type: Normal
Prognosis: Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Prognosis

Laurence is a sad case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was a city hall tax auditor, and a good one - the kind that would be sent to audit your business but then, on finding a problem, would help you resolve it legally rather than simply slap a fine that would likely only make the situation for a small business worse. He was also so dedicated to his job that he would work ungodly hours - and one such case led to his embrace by a Malkavian impressed by his grasp of numbers and high-functioning autism (what used to be known as Asperger's).

His sire didn't give him much proper guidance, made worse by his sire stepping on some Ventrue toes which ended with him socially and financially crushed, and fleeing Ashford for a better life in the Anarch Free States. Lacking proper guidance Laurence struggled and found kindred society unsympathetic - and severe Generalised Anxiety Disorder brought on after his Embrace only made it a constant uphill struggle to do anything. He ended up losing his job and nearly financially bankrupt before finally managing to get enough help in our sessions to be able to overcome is anxieties in order to establish a fixed routine and enough clientele (among kindred, especially other Malkavians, Caitiff and Brujah) as a night auditor to eke a living, which is how he came across Sarah Polarine and Braxton Donahoe. Braxton was masquerading as one of his aliases at the time and had become lovers with Sarah Polarine, considered a disgrace to her Ventrue blood. Sarah was undergoing financial problems (partly due to influence from "The Board" - the Ventrue hierarchy) and Braxton wanted to help, but could not send his usual accountant to help her without revealing his cover, and ended up sending Laurence, who he had employed to do the auditing for his cover identity's (a tattoo artist) local business. He helped her resolve the problems and find ways to make it difficult for the Board to continue messing with her. In the end Braxton would purchase Sarah's apartment block and renovate it as the first of his now-successful Emerald Inn chain of hotels, establishing Sarah as the manager not only of the hotel, but CEO of the chain as a whole, with Laurence as her principal auditor. This gave him stability and regular income - with Braxton and Sarah both being understanding and supportive to Laurence, which helped keep his GAD manageable.

Other Information

Unfortunately, Laurence's coping mechanism for his GAD - routine and stability, also made him highly predictable. This meant when the Sabbat Crusade begun the Sabbat knew exactly where and when to find him - and although we attempted to warn him first, his inability to deal with the situation led to him failing to get away in time.

On a personal level - it was obvious to all that Laurence was romantically enamoured with me (Laurence admitted this openly to almost everyone - except me, I presume anxious about my response) and, although I could not have returned his affections the way he would have liked, nonetheless had my affection for him.

He was a good man and a spectacular accountant - and the clan, and I, feel his loss.

Gallery

Columban, Charles
Malkavian - Abi Davis1.jpg

Davis, Abigail (Abi)
Holgain, Tobias (Ipsissimus)
Kliethermes, Christoph
Ledger, Arthur (AJ)
Kunis, Lilian (Lolth)
Landsdale, Zachary (Kelsar)
Lantry, Andrew (Andy/Mandy/Brick/Johannes)
Lundgren, Maxim
Oswig, Chloe
Quinzel, Helen
Taggart, Linda
Zingmark, Kathleen (Astridsdotter, Evelina)

Bairstow, Paul
Cohan, Graciela (Grace Williams)
Hobbs, Damien
Nowack, Seth
Weston, Laurence

The Quinzel Files (WoD)

The Quinzel Files: Psychiatrist's Forenote

The Quinzel Files: About the Malkavian "Clan Weakness"

The Quinzel Files: Active Patients

The Quinzel Files: Closed Cases

The Quinzel Files: Case Profiles

Case Profile: Columban, Charlie

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Davis, Abigail

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Holgain, Tobias

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Kliethermes, Christoph

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Ledger, Arthur

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Kunis, Lilian

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Landsdale, Zachary

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Lantry, Andrew

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Lundgren, Maxim

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Chloe

Prognosis

Addendum

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Case Profile: Quinzel, Helen

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Taggart, Linda

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Zingmark, Kathleen

Prognosis

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The Quinzel Files: Closed Cases

Case Profile: Bairstow, Paul

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Cohan, Graciela

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Hobbs, Damien

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Nowack, Seth

Prognosis

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Case Profile: Weston, Laurence

Prognosis

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