Tobias Rieff

Tobias Rieff is a Daeva in Chicago.

Overview

In his breathing days, Rieff was an attractive, if obnoxious, lothario and stalker. This was a side effect, for the most part, of a wealthy and somewhat dissolute childhood; not only did he have the spare time to focus on whatever woman caught his fancy, but he also had the money to spend on her and his rich father's political clout to shield him from the worst of his well-earned consequences.

Rieff was little more than a serial seducer. He would fall in lover (or lust) with women he encountered in his daily routine, and he would woo (or stalk) them until they succumbed to his relentless charm (or intimidation). Once he had had them physically, he would become bored with them and move on to the next.

One of the women Rieff became obsessed with, the last one in fact, was more than she seemed. She also showed remarkable immunity to his formidable charm. He became more enthralled with her than with any woman he had ever seen. She was an incredibly difficult woman to stalk, however, because she kept odd, late hours. Rieff persevered, however, and eventually he discovered what she was. Around the same time, she became aware of the fact that he'd been following her. Impressed by both his passion and his daring, she Embraced him, and cursed others with his presence for many more years than his natural span would ever have allowed.

His sire, Juliana Powell, was the Daeva Priscus at the time and taught her childe well about the subtleties of existence among the Kindred. He learned some of her lessons better than others.

Rieff has an almost predatory fascination with others' existences. He revels in both the gathering and sharing of gossip, particularly if he can use it to boost his own standing. He is an unapologetic voyeur and busy-body. Understanding how others conduct their Requiems is his fascination and his passion, and he's more than happy to pull others' secrets out of them with Majesty, if that's what it takes, but he's equally content to snoop around until he has his answers. Rieff doesn't do this to gain power over others, although he's willing to use it that way of it gets him something he wants more. This perverse little obsession with others is the misbegotten product of curiosity combined with an enduring sense of entitlement; he wants to know what others are doing with their Requiems, and he's quite certain that he deserves to know. And so he pries. He investigates. He asks questions, and he has others ask questions, and he listens to the gossip and, on occasion, he'll break into another's haven just to make sure he has evidence to support his suppositions. He follows people and takes notes of where they go and who they go there with. And, once he has his answers, he moves on to the next burning question.

One of his early targets was the Ventrue named Maxwell. Rieff gathered a great deal of dirt on Maxwell and almost forgot about it until Maxwell became Prince. Some of that dirt Rieff collected kept quite well over the years. It would have served Rieff in good stead - and imperiled some of Maxwell's key alliances - were it to get out. Prince Maxwell knew blackmail when he saw it. He asked Rieff what he wanted in exchange for silence. Rieff wanted nothing less than permission to spy on everyone and anyone in the city.

And so Maxwell made him the Harpy.

Rarely have character and social role been so intimately connected. Since becoming Chicago's primary Harpy, Rieff has pushed himself as never before to know the scuttlebutt on everyone. Rieff is not a spy, exactly; he's not seeking out the deeply hidden, dangerous facts on others, just the general information, the embarrassing truths, the eyebrow-raising connections and shocking peccadilloes that others would rather have go unnoticed. From time to time, Rieff's rampant curiosity gets him in trouble, but the Prince has, thus far, smoothed everything over. In exchange, Rieff keeps Maxwell particularly well informed about what's happening among the Kindred of Chicago. The Prince asks Rieff whom a Kindred met with, Rieff tells the Prince. Rieff gives it to the Prince. What Rieff doesn't know, he's happy to find out. With Rieff's rampant voyeurism, along with Norris' constant intelligence gathering, there's very little Maxwell can't find out.

Stats

Clan: Daeva
Covenant: Lancea Sanctum
Embrace: 1902
Apparent Age: 25
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 2
Mental Skills: Academics 2, Computer 4, Investigation 5, Occult 1, Politics 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Drive 2, Larceny 1, Stealth 3
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression 2, Intimidation 1, Persuasion 3, Socialize 5, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 4
Merits: Allies 2, Contacts 5, Eidetic Memory, Haven 4, Herd 4, City Status (Chicago) 3
Willpower: 6
Humanity: 6
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Greed
Health: 8
Initiative: 6
Defense: 4
Speed: 12
Blood Potency: 3 (Vitae/Turn: 12/1)
Disciplines: Celerity 4, Majesty 4, Vigor 2

References

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