“ | Rich bastards screwed the country – but did they suffer? No, the little people suffered. ―Nines Rodriguez | ” |
Nines Rodriguez is a character in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
He is the Brujah leader of the weakened Anarch Movement in Los Angeles, and the presumed successor of former leader Jeremy MacNeil. He is based in The Last Round, in Downtown LA. Nines eschews titles as part of his populist rejection of the Camarilla and the old world-style politics it represents, but he's still functionally the head of the Anarchs.
Background[]
Early life[]
Nines was alive during the Great Depression and, from then on, had developed a hatred for people in power, meaning the likes of Sebastian LaCroix and Ming Xiao. By 2003, the Anarch Movement's power in the free states had weakened considerably. Los Angeles had gained a prince, and the Kuei-jin invasion was beginning. Barons such as Therese Voerman, Gloria Martinez, and Tara were favoring the Camarilla over California's Anarch position.
The major remaining loyal Anarchs in the city were Nines himself, Smiling Jack, Isaac Abrams, Skelter, Jeanette Voerman, and Damsel.
Events of Bloodlines[]
He assists the fledgling at two points: first by halting their potential execution during the intro, then by dissolving a Sabbat ambush. While Rodriguez offers no quests, he is deeply embroiled in the main plot, which culminates with a Blood Hunt and the apparent murder of Malkavian primogen Dr. Alistair Grout.
Personality and Traits[]
Nines is rebellious, but also compassionate, as he was willing to save the fledgling twice. His mercy was such that he was willing to let three Sabbat vampires go without hurting them, killing one of them only in self-defense. Nines is someone the young Anarchs can look up to, but he does not consider himself to be the de facto leader, as he promotes equality of rights above all else. Despite his compassionate and charismatic personality, he tends to show a certain level of condescendance towards the fledling, probably thinking the fledling might be a very weak neonate that needs guidance, often addressing them as "kid".
Nines hates the Camarilla and especially Sebastian LaCroix, as he represents everything Nines hates: politics, underhanded tactics, and tyranny. He seems to hold grudges as, if the fledgling offends him, he will not speak with or help them until very late in the game.
Abilities[]
Nines is an extremely powerful vampire, possessing enough stamina to defeat a werewolf and escape with only a few injuries. He is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. Also, when the situation calls, he makes great use of his pistols, being able to kill a vampire with one gunshot.
Related Quests[]
- Jyhad for Beginners
- Nines saves the fledgling from the Sabbat, while also warning them that Downtown was far more dangerous than what they've experienced prior.
- The Enemy of My Enemy
- Nines supposedly dies after being snatched by a charging werewolf, leaving the fledgling to fend for themselves against a very powerful enemy.
- Ming Must Die!
- If the fledgling chooses to side with the Anarchs then Nines will provide this quest.
- Royal Flush
- If the fledgling chooses the independent ending (siding with no faction) and does not open the Ankaran Sarcophagus then Nines will appear at the end but the fledgling will ignore him and walk away.
Trivia[]
- The fledgling, should they avoid offending Nines and have a Combat skill level of 1-5, may obtain combat skill points from him via dialog.
- +1 to Brawl after the conclusion of Explosive Beginning (up to Brawl level 3).
- +1 to Melee after the conclusion of Elizabethan Rendezvous (up to Melee level 5).
- Nines stated that when he was human, he came to California to escape the Dust Bowl. This would imply that he is originally either from Oklahoma or Texas.
- The name "Nines" is a reference to how 9mm pistol guns are used in a firearm "tag" scenario commonly referred to as "game of nines".
- It's also a trick-taking game played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards, played by three people with the objective to lower your score from 9 to zero. This can be seen as an unintentional, but possible metaphor for the triple threat between the leaders of the Camarilla, Anarchs, and Kuei-jin in their bid for power over Los Angeles.
- Nines is mentioned in the novel Gehenna: The Final Night. His haven was burned to the ground by a gang of Anarchs called the MacNeils, named in honor of Jeremy MacNeil. He survived the incident and is still active in the LA Anarchs as recently as 2018.[1]
- A Malkavian fledgling may ask him "what happened to numbers one to eight". Nines responds in a manner that implies someone like that actually existed but died, implying he's the ninth leader of the Anarch Free State.
- It's also possible he is simply playing along.
- It has been revealed on LA By Night that the werewolf Nines killed was very young, and he referred to it as "a pup."
- In the Lone Wolf ending, Nines will meet up with, and attempt to recruit the PC to the Anarch cause, only to be coldly shunned via the player's middle finger.
- He works on vintage motorcycles as a hobby, and rides a Harley named Galileo.
Gallery[]
See also[]
External links[]
References[]
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