Grigori Rasputin

Name	Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin
Race	Vampire
Type	Mortem
Faction	Nightbred
Premiere	Desideratum: Blood Bonds
Relative(s)	N/A

Grigori Rasputin

"God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Fear not, the child will not die."

Biography

Pre-Desideratum: Blood Bonds

Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, and gained considerable influence in late imperial Russia. Rasputin was born to a peasant family in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye in the Tyumensky Uyezd of Tobolsk Governorate (now Yarkovsky District of Tyumen Oblast). He had a religious conversion experience after taking a pilgrimage to a monastery in 1897. Rasputin's departure was a radical life change: he was twenty-eight, had been married ten years, and had an infant son with another child on the way, but he had glimpsed the future and tried to defy fate. He has been described as a monk or as a “strannik” (wanderer or pilgrim), though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church. He traveled to St. Petersburg in the winter of 1904, where he captivated some church and social leaders. He became a society figure and met Emperor Nicholas and Empress Alexandra in November 1905.

In late 1906, Rasputin began acting as a healer for the imperial couple’s only son, Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. While he healed Alexi with light magicks, he also befriended the other children, including Anastasia. Rasputin became very close to the girl and her family. In time, they learned from his religious teachings, and grew even closer for it. He was a divisive figure at court, seen by some Russians as a mystic, visionary, and prophet, and by others as a religious charlatan. The high point of Rasputin’s power was in 1915 when Nicholas II left St. Petersburg to oversee Russian armies fighting World War I, increasing both Alexandra and Rasputin's influence. Russian defeats mounted during the war, however, and both Rasputin and Alexandra became increasingly unpopular.

However, not all in Russia were disillusioned by the war. A Nightbred known as Ivan Durak intervened. Ivan always followed his heart, and though he had become a varcolac vampire, he maintained an innocence and kindness. He refused to harm innocent people and only fed on the unjust and corrupt. He had watched Russia’s turmoil, and knew that something would happen soon. In the early morning of December 30th, 1916, Rasputin was assassinated by a group of conservative noblemen who opposed his influence over Alexandra and Nicholas. A group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich decided that Rasputin's influence over the tsarina had made him a threat to the empire, and they concocted a plan in December 1916 to kill him, apparently by luring him to the Yusupovs' Moika Palace. Yusupov invited Rasputin to his home shortly after midnight and ushered him into the basement. He then offered Rasputin tea and cakes which had been laced with cyanide. Rasputin initially refused the cakes but then began to eat them and, to Yusupov's surprise, he did not appear to be affected by the poison. Rasputin then asked for some Madeira wine (which had also been poisoned) and drank three glasses, but still showed no sign of distress due to his inherent link with the Inner Light.

At around 2:30 am, Yusupov excused himself to go upstairs, where his fellow conspirators were waiting. He took a revolver from Dmitry Pavlovich, then returned to the basement and told Rasputin that he'd “better look at the crucifix and say a prayer”, referring to a crucifix in the room. The poisoned Rasputin did the opposite, and the large man attacked, trying to take the gun away. Even as he tried fighting Yusupov with his bare hands, Rasputin asked why Yusupov would harm an unarmed man in such a way, if he believed in god, and if he understood that Rasputin’s murder would lead to a terrible fate for Russia. The man gave no answers, but a bullet finally caught Rasputin in the head, and his lifeless body dropped to the ground. Ivan had been outside, always watchful of Rasputin, and in the darkness, he entered the basement. He saw Rasputin’s corpse, and felt in his heart that he should help him, so he drained Rasputin of blood. Normally, it would take a day cycle before a mortem strain vampire would rise, but again due to the Inner Light, Rasputin began to stir.

Just then, Ivan heard the men from upstairs coming down into the basement, and he hid in a corner. When the assassins entered the room, Rasputin suddenly leapt up and attacked Yusupov, who freed himself with some effort and fled upstairs. Rasputin followed and made it into the palace's courtyard. There all three men fired on him, and yet, Rasputin closed on them. He grabbed Yusupov, lifting the man from the ground and felt an urge to bite him, but suddenly realized that he was about to drink the man’s blood. The other two men fled, as Rasputin watched, his now glowing eyes returning to Yusupov. He dropped the coward, and fled from the palace. The three men never told the true tale of Rasputin because they feared ridicule. As Rasputin fled, Ivan followed in his wolfman form, and watched as Rasputin found an abandoned building and rushed inside. There, he fell to his knees and began praying, for he was confused and scared. Ivan came into the room in his human form and explained what Rasputin had become. Ivan explained that he felt that Rasputin should never have been murdered and that sparing Yusupov’s life showed that he had made the right decision in saving him.

Rasputin’s murder had a profound effect on Anastasia and she missed her friend. She had little time to grieve, as not long after, the Bolshevik revolution in October 1917, Russia quickly disintegrated into civil war. A group of these men, bloodthirsty and excited, burst into the room where she and her family hid, along with their servants. These ruthless men murdered the entire family on the spot, with Anastasia huddled in a corner, the last of her family, sobbing and holding an amulet that Rasputin had once given her, until they bayoneted her to death. And, that is where things became strange. She woke with a start in a dark tomb. It took her mind a moment to grasp that she was alive. And, then, a familiar voice called her name. She turned to see Rasputin, alive, but pale and his eyes glowed like fire. They embraced, and he held the crying woman as he explained that he could not raise her entire family, managing only to recover her body. He had been resurrected as a vampire, by Ivan Durak, and he did the same for her, unable to bear her death. They spent years avenging her family, killing the forces of Lenin, and draining them of their blood. They sabotaged things as well, sewing chaos for decades. Rasputin is a very unique vampire in that he wields light magicks. Whenever he casts his spells, it literally burns his undead flesh as the sun would do, but he has used his powers many times to heal and help those in need, even at his own detriment. Unlike most wounds that Nightbred receive, such burns from the Inner Light require a full day’s rest to regenerate. He also must be careful of usage when in proximity to other vampires. Anastasia covers almost all her body to protect her from Rasputin’s power.

In time, the pair ran afoul of the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, interrupting her own plans to summon Nuit, and generally being a thorn in her side. When Ivor sent word out about what he intended, the pair set sail for the U.S.A. Upon arrival, they tried to seek an audience with Ivor, and had planned to fight him on the spot in their usual daring, bold way, but Báthory refused them and had them sent away. Before their attempt on visiting Ivor, they had spent hours wandering the Shanghai Tunnels with the thousands of other vampires arriving, and heard plenty of gossip. From this, they learned of Brone Lorcan, a nosferatu that they had heard of as far away as Russia. They were pleased to find the legend to be true and sought his aid.

Desideratum: Blood Bonds

In Desideratum: Blood Bonds, Rasputin is one of the various vampires meeting in the Shanghai Tunnels. He and Anastasia first meet Brone at the museum, and tried to strike a deal with him, in the hopes of stopping Ivor, but were interrupted by assassins sent by Báthory. She had hoped to destroy all three upstarts and claim the Book of Thoth for herself so that she- not Ivor- could summon the goddess. However, Brone drew the assassins away and Rasputin and Anastasia managed to flee. Having no other choice, they decided to reach out to the Night Stalkers. They had heard the name Van Gothen enough times in their undead lives to know that this accord might be the last chance at stopping Ivor.

Thanks to Katerina Mordova, Brone Lorcan, and Absinthe Van Gothen choosing to side with the pair, they forged an alliance. Anastasia and Rasputin gave the Night Stalkers valuable information on where to hit the Nightbred and how to defeat them in battle. When the night finally arrived, Rasputin aided the Night Stalkers against the vampiric forces striving to save as many lives as possible. After the defeat of Ivor, the pair left Portland, following Báthory back to Europe to hound her again.

Appearance

Grigori is a large dark haired vampire. He's got a full beard and a square jaw.

Abilities

• Unholy Strength
• Light Magic

Notes and Trivia

Grigori and Anastasia will spend their time in the library when with the Night Stalkers.

Gallery

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  Rasputin and Anastasia

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  Meeting Katerina in the Library