The Masquerade

A middle-aged Chippewa-Cree Garou with deep russet-brown skin worn like leather, and long graying black hair tied in a braid. He wears a battered denim jacket covered in patches, worn combat boots, thrift-store flannel over a threadbare tee, and adorns feathers, bone beads, and fetishes on his belt and clothing. Scars line his arms and hands.

Lester is gruff, introspective, and extremely guarded. He is a natural loner, distrustful of Kindred and kine alike. He views the Kindred’s obsession with power and politics as a sick joke. His loyalty is to the land, the old ways, and the memory of his people. He is deeply connected to the spiritual undercurrents of Chicago and is wary of the American Indian Center, believing it to be a nexus of dangerous ancient forces.

Born in the 1940s on Montana’s Rocky Boy Reservation, Lester Knife grew up in poverty, hardened by silence and shadow. A quiet, wary child from a Chippewa-Cree family, he believed the old stories of spirits and monsters—because he saw them. At 16, pushed by the Indian Relocation Act, he left for Chicago in search of work and dignity. Instead, he found cold alleys and broken promises. Falling in with Native street crews and gangbangers, Lester became a survivor shaped by violence and instinct. By the time he found the American Indian Center, his name already carried weight—and fear. Then, one winter night, something ancient found him in a storm drain. What rose wasn’t quite human anymore. Now a Gangrel, Lester walks between city and spirit, predator and protector. He avoids the AIC after dark, claiming the building pulses with dangerous energy. He warns others too—but not everyone listens.