Johann Stiltz

CLAN: Gangrel SIRE: Johann Stiltz GENERATION: APPARENT AGE: 30 ACTUAL AGE: 183 years DATE OF BIRTH: May 1, 1813 EMBRACED: 1947 RACE: Caucasian NATIONALITY: Prussian HAIR COLOR: EYE COLOR: HEIGHT: WEIGHT: NATURE: DEMEANOR: CHILDE: Ruzena Summerich, aka Rose Samms QUOTE: Party Hearty!

Drinks like a camel, prides himself on the fact that he looks like Ralph Fiennes in "The English Patient", and sings when he's soused. He also likes a good fight, but his partners has to stay out of his way--he tends to punch out people who's on his side as well as people on the other side. Due to his heritage as a Prussian, he can ride horses very well, and is fiercely loyal to his clan, and will be to Cash when he arrives in San Francisco.

Johann Stiltz was born on May 1, 1813 in Bransgrung to Maria and Josef Stiltz, who in later years would suspect their son was switched at birth. Johann did not act like a proper Prussian boy. Well, he did, but his definition of Prussian was vastly different from his parents'. An example is--at the age of 13, he whapped the boy down the street for picking on a girl. His parents were proud of him--until they discovered the girl was a Gypsy.

He went to Berlin in 1839 to be a student at the University of Berlin. It took his parents a long time to convince him to go, but when he finally did, he discovered he LOVED being in Berlin. For the first time in his life, he was among people who thought like he did. When the revolutions of the 1840's began, he was right there, fighting and drinking on the barricades. In 1843, he was Embraced by a Gangrel he punched out. The Gangrel had been part of a squad sent by the Prince of Berlin to quell the riots breaking out on the streets as the kine demanded more democracy and freedom among America's lines. When he climbed over the barricades that the students had enacted, he met Johann's fist. When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was that beer foam was on his face. The second thing was that he was behind the barricade, with a soused Johann. The Gangrel got the shock of his life when Johann grabbed a lager from another student and shoved it at him. He took it, drank it, and then progressed to getting throughly soused. Later that night, the Gangrel Primogen climbed over the barricades and found Johann and the Gangrel happily passed out. He shook his head, slinged the Gangrel over his shoulder, and disappeared into the night. Two nights later, the Gangrel returned and Embraced Johann. He figured that anyone that could drink HIM under the table should be Embraced.

Johann spent the next 15 years with his Sire, then went off on his own. There's a lot of his adventures that isn't mentioned here, but suffice it to say, they were at worst interesting, and at best, hair raising.

Sadly, most of the stupidest things he ever did were when he was soused. The most important one was when he Embraced Ruzena Summerich in 1947. One night, he staggered out of the inn where he had spent the eventing drinking, determined to find a deer to take the edge off so he could drive himself home and not fry the next day. Instead, he found Ruzena, who had been wandering across Europe since her liberation from Bergen-Belsen and the hospital. He thought she was a deer, and drank from her. Ruzena didn't like this, and started kicking him in the crotch. She made the mistake of biting him, which only drove him into a Frenzy. He Embraced her.

The next day, she was gone. And, despite the fact that he vaguely remembered what Ruzena looked like, Johann started looking for her. One clue--the only one he had-- was the tattoo on her forearm. It was difficult, because of the scarity of records. In the 1960's, he heard about a Caitliff in Israel, who was fighting the Assamites--and winning. Out of curiosity, he checked it out. The tattoo on the Caitliff's arm fit the number he remembered. The Caitliff was Ruzena Summerich. And she wasn't pleased to see him. Johann was shocked to see Ruzena the way she was. A very angry and determined woman. Determined to get the Blue Angel.

Johann went back to Europe and found his Sire. After the greetings, he told the old Gangrel about Ruzena. Curious, the grandsire went to Israel. He returned just as shocked as Johann had been, but more understanding. "The war scarred people--especially Jews," the grandsire told Johann. "She was hurt deeply at a young age. I think maybe it was Caine who sent you into the woods that night in 1947. You can help her--but only when she wants it. And right now, she doesn't want it."

Now, Johann has heard that Ruzena is in San Francisco, hunting the Blue Angel. He hopes that after the Blue Angel is dead, Ruzena will consent to learn the ways of the Gangrel. Towards this end, he has come to San Francisco.