1940s - 1960s

Dmitri Yurievich Rukov was born in Leningrad, Northwestern District, USSR, on August 19th, 1946. His mother, Arina Vladimirovna Rukova, worked as a doctor after serving as a nurse in WWII, while his father, Yuri Sergeevich Rukov, worked in the militsiya after serving as a soldier. His family was considered affluent and moderately influential. As a child, Dmitri was never the ambitious type; he was studious and intelligent, but not the type to want to stand out. His interest was mainly in literature, and though he excelled in learning English from his mother, to his father, he was a disappointment. He had two younger siblings, Ivan and Anya. He grew up close to his brother, but the two of them drifted apart as they got older – and it became clear Ivan was the favourite child, expected to carry the family mantle, especially after he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a soldier. His relationship with his sister was much less fraught, with the two of them remaining close; Anya was the type to get into mischief and Dmitri was often the one to reel her back.

He left home and attended Moscow State Institute of International Relations for college to study English. It was there he met his closest friend, Ilya Mikhailovich Kiselyov. Near graduation, he was approached with an offer to join the KGB, due to his fluency in English and family reputation. Despite himself, he agreed to join, in an effort to win back his father’s favour. He recommended Ilya – who was much more politically ambitious than him but lacked familiar connections – be offered a spot as well, mainly due to their closeness, but partially out of guilt. He attended the Academy of Foreign Intelligence in Chelebityevo in 1968. His expertise was in surveillance and infiltration; he never had much interest in combat training, though he was far from bad at it. He stayed relatively focused on his career relationships versus close friendships with his classmates, mostly staying close to Ilya. He remained at the top of his class, and was given the honour of joining the First Chief Directorate as an overseas spy.

1970s - PRESENT (1980s)

In 1972, Dmitri was deployed as an illegal resident spy in New Mexico, USA, under his handler Aleksei Nikolayevich Sokolov and the callsign Apollo. He originally resided near the border between New Mexico and Nevada. His task was gaining nuclear secrets; he spent the majority of his time acting as a secretary for nuclear projects, sneaking pictures of classified documents when he got the chance. However, in 1978, he was in Vegas for work when his curiosity and better nature got the best of him – after spotting a suspicious figure slink into an alleyway, he followed, only to encounter a vampire feeding upon a human. Having no method to defend himself, the vampire was quick to attack, and tore out his throat – only he awoke the next night in the same tucked away alley, confused and dazed, with no knowledge as to how or why. What he did know, though, was that he suddenly had an overwhelming lust for blood. It was after he came to his senses and realized he had killed someone for food that he took the opportunity to flee the city, and attempt to figure out what was going on. 

Never once in the past would he have considered the supernatural legitimate by any means; unfortunately, he was now at the mercy of “supernatural investigators” to sort out what had happened to him and perhaps, how to reverse it. He quickly learned that most of those with legitimate knowledge of the supernatural were monster hunters, and likely would not take kindly to him or his plight; he bounced between towns in the pacific northwest of America to gather what information he could, then leaving before any suspicions could come up. It was familiar, but he had to grapple with the fact he was now disconnected from everyone he knew before – and needed to keep his head down, in case his employers thought he had deserted his post and would potentially betray them. 

Dmitri eventually came to terms with the fact he likely could never return to how things were before – and for this, he held a deep seeded hatred of the supernatural. In the early 1980s, Dmitri took up hunter jobs as he wandered between different places, killing whatever monsters he was tasked with for pay. It was on one of these odd jobs that he ended up in Canada, on the outskirts of Edmonton, hunting a weredeer that had been spotted around the area. It was to his surprise, after hunting it down, that he knew this monster – it was his old friend, Ilya. The reunion was, of course, bittersweet, but Dmitri was not about to kill him. Instead, he convinced Ilya to join him in monster hunting rather than continuing a career in espionage, to which Ilya reluctantly agreed. Though they still do not totally trust one another – and yet refuse to leave the other’s side. 

MONSTER CURSE

As a vampire, Dmitri must subsist on living humans' blood. He needs to act under pressure to resist feeding whenever a perfect opportunity presents itself. He has a weakness to silver, crucifixes, holy water, and consecrated ground. His reflection appears in mirrors only during the night. He is sensitive to sunlight, but it is not fatal; staking and decapitation are the ways to kill him.

IMMORTAL

Dmitri does not age past 34, and does not sicken. Normal weaponry does minimal harm to him (1-harm less).

SEE, IT FITS TOGETHER

Dmitri uses logical reasoning, rather than overt charm, to manipulate people (+Sharp instead of +Charm).

SUSPICIOUS MIND

If someone lies to him, he will know it.

CONTRARY

Dmitri will seek out and receive someone’s honest advice on the best course of action, but then do something else instead (Mark experience in this circumstance). When doing the opposite of someone's advice, he will put extra effort in success to prove them wrong (+1 ongoing on any moves during course).

SNEAKY

Dmitri is especially deadly when attacking from ambush, or from behind (+2 harm).

SHAPESHIFTER

Dmitri may change his form into that of an Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo) at will. His senses and abilities likely change in this alternate form (+1 to investigate a mystery when using the form’s superior senses). 

TRUST YOUR GUT

Dmitri has a keen sense of instinct that he will often follow, even if it points him away from a specific task (when you consult your instincts about what to do next, roll +Weird). 

ADVANCED MOVES

Dmitri is especially adept at manipulating someone (subject must act under pressure to resist request and becomes an ally), acting under pressure (do something extra, or do something to absolute perfection), investigation (additional questions may be asked), and reading bad situations (additional questions may be asked).