Ben was a migrant worker in San Francisco during the railroad days. His body broken and twisted by the excruciatingly hard labor, he was prepared to end his painfule days when Yellow Fever swept through the shanty town which would become Chinatown. It was not to be, however, for his sire saw a deep nobility in him and sought to preserve it. While his Embrace was painful, as it is for all of his clan, it was nothing he was not used to, and unlike the agony of his life, it would not last. Reborn with new strength and vitality and freed from the necessary toil of life, his visage seemed almost too small a price to pay, or so he told himself as the nights drew on. He did grow used to his condition, however, and took advantage of the first truly idle time he had in his life to avail himself of his mentor's offers at education. The long nights before he learned to cloak his appearance thus passed quickly, sowing in him a new appreciation for the beauty in the world.
Once he did master the ability to cloud minds, he took to wandering the city, seeing it for the first time with new eyes able to appreciate its beauty. He began to create persona in the mortal world once he was able, so that he might interact with them. He also spent time with the other kindred of the city, picking their brains for stories of the things they had seen. He found some of the Toreador as sharing his appreciation, though he grew a bit cynical of the clan in general due to the frequent shallowness of their aesthetic vision and the way many avoided his company. His true calling seemed to come during the 50s, with the beat poets. He found an unknown talent within himself for poetry, which he enjoyed through several personas throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s. He even saw publication of many works and established a reliable income for himself from these, as well as becoming an established figure in the literary world.
Towards the end of the 70s, he began to get restless and wished to see more of the world. He asked his sire if he might travel to New Orleans, a city of similar culture and aesthetic sensibility as San Francisco, but was told it was in the control of the Sabbat. His sire countered, asking if he might be willing to go to Baton Rouge to report to him (and others in the clan) who were concerned that poor management of the war would see both cities lost to the other sect. Anxious to travel, Ben agreed and has spent the last two decades in Baton Rouge. At first, he had little real interest in the war or sect politics in general, but has become increasingly of the conviction that such a fine city should not be in the hands of degenerate monsters. However, he sees Orlando as highly ineffective and so has been urging Esteve to take the reins of power for himself, even suggesting that he try and get the support of an Archon (being unaware of Horace's position).
Ben is, at heart, a very kind and compassionate person. He tends to be honest and has little interest in the usual preoccupations of kindred (violence and power), preferring to look for beauty in the world. He sees his condition as a unique opportunity to experience all that life has to offer and is thankful of the chances it has given him. He tends to encourage other vampires to do the same, which has brought him into a few conflicts with kindred who don't like being told that the obsessive acquisition of power is a waste of time.
Annalisa is Ben's current pet project (if you don't count the succession). He is sad to see her lose touch with her artistic side, which he blames on her rage and has been trying to help her come to terms with her new existence so that she might get past it. He isn't fully aware of the extent of her hatred of the kindred, but is wary what she might do if pushed. He's unhappy with her interest in politics, though, and thinks that such pursuits won't remedy her problem.
He has little contact with Sheila, as they just don't tend to travel in the same circles or have anything in common, though he respects her sense of self. He is fond of Esteve, whom he sees as forthright and honest, and thinks that the Brujah would be a fine replacement for his sire, certainly better than the two other contenders. He dislikes Robert, though he's only met the Ventrue on a few occasions (it was enough) and finds LaSalle distasteful in that he seems to be wasting eternity with meaningless conniving.
He wasn't very fond of Kyle Anderson, finding the man's lack of ethics and laziness deeply repugnant, and he is honestly glad to see him go, even if he was good for the war effort. He's been quietly supportive of his "sister" Sheila and hopes that she might prove to be as useful to the Prince, thus removing the necessity of Anderson's return.
There's something about Horace which he isn't sure about and he's been trying to convince the man to adopt something of his own aesthetic appreciation out of a niggling suspicion that there is no principle currently driving him. He isn't fully aware of the form of his insanity, nor his role in the city, but does think that it is important that he find out.
As stated prior, he finds Orlando to be a weak leader and a grossly ineffective warlord and hopes that his childe will usurp him. Since he has little experience with politics, all he can do is urge on Esteve and ask his sire for advice. Thus far, the elder Nosferatu and his collegues have yet to offer a course of action, though they insist Ben continue to send back news.
Ben has a respectable following as a poet, but tends to be the sort read more in universities than without. Still, it provides him with an income and a recognizable name in literary circles.