Ash Rivers is a character in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. He is a Toreador celebrity living in Hollywood. He is the proprietor of the nightclub Asp Hole, given to him by his sire Isaac Abrams, the Baron of Hollywood.
Background[]
Early life[]
Abrams took a liking to the young star, Ash Rivers. After Negative Zero's amazing success, Ash began to live recklessly. He began to do drugs, drink, and party in excess, all the while ignoring Isaac's worry for him. One night, Isaac went to Ash's home to discuss his new role and found Ash had OD'd from drugs. "I acted on impulse", Isaac tells the fledgling. "I had seen so many others die before their time. But with Ash I had a chance to prevent that." He Embraced Ash in order to save his life.
Ash was devastated, as he could not act anymore. Abrams gave Ash the nightclub the Asp Hole and tried to make amends and facilitate Ash's Embrace as best he could; although he calls the club the "compressed essence of everything that's wrong with the film industry today."
Events of Bloodlines[]
Ash started acting reckless and suicidal, which got him the attention of vampire hunters. He had two car accidents in the last year and, due to his vampiric nature, escaped unharmed from both, amazing the media. He escapes the hunters twice with the help of the fledgling, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
The first time the fledgling meets him, you can assist him by either fooling the hunters or fighting through them, both giving Ash time to escape.
Regardless, he is captured and taken by the Society of Leopold to be questioned under torture. The fledgling can find him inside a cage under their monastery hideout and free him. After that he will escape "somewhere where no one will ever see this face again". If the player is Malkavian or Tremere (or others), they have the option to wish him luck in Canada, but if this is just a guess or actual insight is debatable.
Personality and traits[]
Isaac refers to Ash as having "the looks, the charisma, allure... that undefinable quality that makes a film legend."
He is unhappy with becoming a vampire, as he had to leave everything of his former life behind: his friends, his career, and his ability to love. The only thing left for him was to "fade into obscurity". Ash wishes for death, and in a way, to "get back" at Isaac for embracing him in the first place. "It would break Isaac's heart. It's good to know some good would come from my death."
He also romanticizes his own death, saying: "The biographers would eat it up; the studios would sell more copies of my movies; they'd probably put up a statue of me somewhere... 'Die young, live forever.' I'd be one handsome pile of dust."
Abilities[]
As a Toreador vampire, Ash is skilled in using his clan's Disciplines.
Related quests[]
Trivia[]
- Ash is called a "suicidal pretty boy" when the fledgling first meets him (unless they’re Toreador).
- The character Ash Rivers may be a reference to the deceased Hollywood actor River Phoenix, who was also a young and successful actor struggling with drug addiction, and had died of a drug intoxication at the age of 23 in 1993, on Halloween night outside the night club named 'The Viper Room', similar in name to the Asp Hole.
- Supporting this possible reference, the Malkavian fledgling will refer to Ash as "The Dead Phoenix".
- The fledgling can ask Isaac Abrams about Ash only after the completion of the quest Dead Ex.
- The fledgling can ask Velvet Velour about Ash only after meeting him personally or if talked about him with Isaac Abrams first.
- He can be asked about snuff films while the quest Snuff Is Enough is active and after the completion of the quest Dead Ex.
See Also[]
External links[]
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