Jaromír Černý

Jaromír Černý is one of the younger Old Clan Tzimisce. Originally Embraced to stave off dangers for his sire during the Velvet Revolution, he is now a very unpopular inhabitant of Prague, with several enemies around and a sire that comes to see him as more and more dismissable.

Despite not having access to the flesh-shaping arts of his Clan, he appears ungendered, alien, and not even altogether organic. Like an icon to a brutish and forgotten spirit — or demon — of the land, his features become coarse and otherworldly, a creature forged for a more primitive time, implying ties to the Gargoyles used by the Tremere.

Biography[]

Born as the son of two popular dissidents in Czechoslovakia during the slow separation from the Soviet Union, Černý was raised with the anti-communist sentiments and was treated as a mascot by some of his parents' friends; a symbol of the generation that would overthrow the Soviets. Spending a great deal of time in theaters, young Černý followed in his parents' footsteps and appeared in plays across the city.

At first most of his shows were comedic or simple fare that drew no attention beyond the theater crowd, but by his teens he had taken roles in plays that were not so easily overlooked by the government. When most of Dubček's reforms were rolled back during the 1970s, his parents continued involvement in dissident expression and organizations led to their arrest after the final curtain call of one of their more inflammatory performances in the fall of 1976. They were escorted into a black sedan and, like so many others they knew, were never seen again.

After that incident, young Černý invested himself heavily into the underground opposition movement. He was among those who signed the Charter 77 and joined Havel and his compatriots in VONS, but escaped a prison term. Despite his best intentions, he found himself unable to resist the StB secret police interrogators who abducted him from his home in the middle of the night and questioned him about his involvement in the Committee.

He could not remember what happened that night, but for weeks he was haunted by nightmares dominated by a pair of piercing, inhuman eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul and leave a legacy of physical pain with the merest glance. Afterward, he found himself shunned and ostracized by his compatriots for his perceived betrayal.

During the 1980s, Černý was able to redeem some measure of his reputation as a devoted dissident, although he avoided the limelight and begun to support those who were more adept at leading the movement. After 1989, Černý prepared himself for the Revolution that would now surely come to his homeland. In a winter night, however, he was captured by a black sedan, whose driver had the same eyes as those who still haunted his dreams. Černý was compelled to take a seat in the car and the two drove to Kokořín Castle, a an impressive and recently restored fortress rising high above the surrounding countryside on a nearly insurmountable outcropping of rock.

Inside, Černý was greeted by Janek Ritka, the Voivode of Kokorin. The ancient Tzimisce had seen the change within the mortal population and wanted to use the young revolutionary as a means to cement his hold over his domain once the communists had been deposed. Fearful of the alternative, Černý complied and was made one of the Damned. After a brief introduction into the basics of unlife, he was sent back to Prague, using the Blood Bond to ensnare his compatriots and keeping them under the sway of his master. He, however, made the mistake of headbutting with the local Kindred, earning him the enmity of various vampires within the city.

More than two decades later, Jaromír still serves his master's whim in the Magic City. The idealism that he once believed defined him has been replaced by a far more pragmatic instinct that has grown out of his need to compete for control of the city's most useful pawns and the power they possess. Prince Vasily was outraged at the fledgling Tzimisce's intrusive campaign during the Velvet Revolution and scribed a grievance to Janek, requesting that it punish its rogue childe. Furthermore, the Prince forbade Jaromír from entering Prague, enumerating his violations of the Traditions and the pact between Janek Ritka and the Camarilla of Prague to justify this exile.

Both sire and childe find these threats laughable, but as Černý's worth for his sire decreases more and more, Kindred point out that it is unlikely that Ritka would defend his childe. Černý himself, however, has immersed himself in computer science, hoping to stave off potential hunters and to flee into another domain if the situation should escalate that much. His activity on the Internet now outstrips his face-to-face interaction, and rarely does a night go by that he is not discovering secrets, distributing misinformation, increasing his wealth, or plundering someone's fortune.

Appearance[]

Jaromir appears in one of two distinct guises. In his most common and most socially accessible aspects, he looks like a stereotypical Gen-Y technology geek in his dark hoodie, blue jeans, sneakers, and backpack. Clean-shaven, with tousled black hair and a slender build, he is usually mistaken for a student. His experience on stage serves him well and permits him to easily transform himself to better suit his audience and his intent. Upon occasion, however, he appears ungendered, alien, and not even altogether organic. Like an ikon to a brutish and forgotten spirit — or demon — of the land, his features become coarse and otherworldly, a creature forged for a more primitive time. Those who don’t know his background assume that, like many Tzimisce, Jaromir has simply manipulated his appearance with Vicissitude. In truth, Jaromir has no idea why he sometimes rises from the day-sleep in this form. In his more paranoid moments, he suspects that it’s a psychological trial imposed on him by the old Fiend, or perhaps by the jealous brother in blood Sebirov, though he has no idea how they’d accomplish it. On the other hand, he has heard of the brood known as Gargoyles, and wonders if something in their makeup still calls to the Tzimisce blood from which the wretched Tremere supposedly crafted them.

Character Sheet[]