Investigator's name: Hector Pollonius LaFey

Age: 28

Sex: Male

Nationality: American

Place of Birth: New Orleans

Degrees: MA in Metaphysical Philosophy, BA in Linguistics & Philosophy

Occupation: Dilettante

 

Background: Ê Life History: Hector's parents were decidedly eccentric representitives of the urbanised southern gentry of New Orleans. His father was a playboy, drinker and gambler of French extraction who also liked to invent bizarre mechanical contraptions. He killed himself with a shotgun when Hector was only 12. His mother on the other hand was a theatrically flamboyant socialite, always gadding from one party to the next. Even now, she spends her autumn years playing the high society tourist around the Caribbean, and rarely sees her son. Unsurprisingly therefore, Hector's few memories of childhood warmth and care are those associated with the black housemaid employed by the family. Hector's further education was conducted at Atlanta University in Georgia, where he soon drifted into the family tradition of indulging all manner of odd and impractical pursuits. His meandering 'university career' was punctuated by frequent diversions, and he only completed his MA very recently.

Always attracted to philosophical abstraction, mysticism and the occult, he constantly dabbles in these areas without ever adopting a fixed set of beliefs. He has significant knowledge of the following cults and practices: Theosophy, Buddhism, Numerology and Qabbalism, plus a limited knowledge of Voodoo derived from his New Orleans environment. He is a member of several esoteric 'orders' and 'societies'. He has also attempted to write a 'numerological analysis' of the Mayan Codices, but this remains a rambling, unfinished manuscript.

Hector Pollonius finds the ponderous forenames inflicted on him by his parents embarrassing, and prefers it if friends and accquaintances call him 'HP'. Coming from a long line of semi-aristocratic wastrels, it can be safely said that HP has never done a day's proper work in his life, though it is now obvious that the family estates are dwindling at a rapid pace of knots. Recently, he has become more dependent on loans - private or legal, and the odd 'donation' from his mother. His vices are many, but more self-damaging than anything else. These include gambling, prostitution, and drugs. Highly sensitive, largely confined to 'outsider' social circles, and unable to properly ground himself in reality or settle down, Hector continues to drift through life. He has currently moved to New England to escape debts. Appearance: Hector stands 5'10 or thereabouts, with a slight, undeveloped build and sallow complexion. His thin, straight brown hair is worn 'long' for the 1920s (ie. covering his ears), and tends to flop down over his eyes. His eyes are green. His facial appearance is reasonably handsome but although he owns a fair selection of evening wear, his wardrobe is limited for most other occasions and it is not unusual for his inappropriate clothes to attract discreet amusement - being attired in, say, a maroon smoking jacket for a visit to the bank. A close examination of his facial expression reveals it to be languid and distant, with unusually sunken features. Anyone with the relevant experience would deduct that this indicated probable close involvement with narcotic substances, particularly those of the opiate variety...