Henri's grandsire was a bitter ex-troubadeur of the Phaedymite Ravnos in the south of France who Embraced his sire because of the latter's religious conviction and purity, a spiteful act merely so that he could warp the priest to the Path of Paradox, just as he had been by circumstance. To his surprise, his childe proved to be a natural at sin and soon gave into his own lust just as his sire eventually had, when he relinquished the Path of Chivalry. Father Renard travelled the Cainite courts preaching his new philosophy and was quickly driven out of them all. Eventually, he was forced to flee to the new world and ended up in New Orleans.
It was here that be began to look for a prodigy to continue his line, one who already had the knack of sin and could follow his sire's Path with a diligency that the priest couldn't quite muster, conversion aside. Who he found was Henri, who was one of the rowdier and more vicious of Lafitte's pirates, and suffered from a tendency to indulge in all things. Taken with the man's gluttony, Father Renard Embraced him and set him upon the Path. Oddly, Henri took to a different sin than he had been disposed to in life; he inherited the sin of his father and began his unlife driven by an insatiable lust. For blood, for experience, for power, for money. He took what he wanted when he wanted it and then tossed it aside when he was done, moving on to his next obsession.
This behavior was bound to get him into trouble and was compounded by the fact that his sire's tendency to preach self-indulgence had already began to irritate Vicario, who was trying to enforce sect unity among the vampires of New Orleans. When hostilities between the Setites and Lasombra reached the level of violence, he took the opportunity to rid himself of the troublesome Ravnos priest. Henri, who had better instincts about such things, was able to avoid the killing blow and flee the city. In time, he was found by the Houma pack, who took him in and deposited him with their kin in Lafayette, for safekeeping. Never ones to pass up an ally with a flair for overindulgence, he was adopted by the pack and has been operating out of the city ever since. He is called 'Uncle Henri' by those too young to know his true lineage and comes and goes as he pleases. He still bears a dislike for the Lasombra of New Orleans, however, and there is some suspicion that he had a hand in Vicario's downfall, almost two hundred years after his sire's destruction.
A sinner in life, the Embrace changed much about the form his sins took. As a pirate, he indulged without any discretion, grabbing what he could, when he could, aware that each day, he might meet his fate. With the Embrace, his perspective changed. No longer fearful of death, he had all the time in the world to pursue its pleasures in a more refined fashion. Now, he cares only for new and unique distractions and pursues his obsession of the moment with the care and delight of a connoisseur. One year, he may indulge in an elaborate run as a serial killer. The next, he might seek out addicts of a particular drug, to sample their different vintages. His pursuits are then related to the family, who loves the 'stories' Uncle Henri tells whenever he is home. Even the elders find his appetites compelling at times, and will pursue him afterwards to question him on their merits.
Obsessions aside, Henri's behavior varies wildly. At times, he is driven and energetic, unable to stay in one place for more than a few days. At others, he is meticulous and patient, willing to tortue a victim for days in the most sublime manner to get a desired effect. He is able to be quite personable when he wants, but usually tends towards a faintly charming abusiveness which appeals to the weaker willed.
Henri respects the elders of the family, though he has little in common with them, and he tends to have little contact with them outside of the conversations wherein he relates intelligence to them or when they approach him about his activities. He would like to know more about Jean-Michel's pursuits, smelling something new there, but is unwilling to jeopardize his standing in the family by antagonizing the elder.
He is quite fond of the twins, for all their dim loyalty, and often takes them with him on short trips so that they can get away from their overbearing sire for a bit and experience the world outside. He is aware, however, that they aren't really fit to fend for themselves in the outside world, and so keeps a close eye on them and always makes sure they return home unharmed. Again, he'd rather not antagonize the elders.
His attitude towards Emma is a bit more ambivalent. When she was first Embraced, he was looking forward to taking her on trips to the cities and more distant locations that the twins couldn't go. He was also looking forward to the more intelligent conversation and refined sensibilities he felt sure she's bring. However, she seems to be kept on a short leash with whatever Jean-Michel has her working on and grows distant from the entire family, not just him. Thus, he's begun to feel a bit of resentment, even jealousy, at whatever it is she shares with the elders which he cannot. Should his lust take hold and force his hand, something unpleasant could occur.
Father Sicard is probably the elder to whom he is closest, particularly since the Nosferatu has taken to travelling outside of Lafayette. The two have been companions on a number of trips and have taken to sharing juicy gossip and intelligence when their paths intersect. While he is not a follower of the priest's path, their outlooks share enough similarity that they generally avoid getting into arguments, and Sicard usually manages to resist preaching.
He pays little mind to the revenants most of the time, though their 'antics' amuse him and he is fond of manipulating them into actions to sate his latest lusts. His flippant attitude towards toying with them in this fashion irritates the other kindred and generally evokes a rare lecture from Father Sicard. Usually, he makes himself scarce for a while after these episodes, as a preemptive action.
Henri is well acquainted with the family members throughout the region and is often the means by which they report news back to the elders. This function has made him rather valuable and also puts him in a very delicate position which causes the elders to tend to keep a close eye on him, in an attempt to discern the accuracy with which these reports are communicated. He is on good terms with all of the revenants, despite his flippancy, and is especially of Rotger, whom he feels shares his own fine taste in depravity. He's trying to think of a polite way to Embrace the man without insulting the Tzimisce, and hopes that doing so will help his prodigy better realize his fantasies in the flesh.
Henri is aware of Lafitte's embrace and has run into him, on occasion, while visiting the Castilles in Galveston. They've shared a bit of reminisence on these occasions, but in a wary sort of way. They both share an enmity for the New Orleans Lasombra, but the two men have taken radically different directions in the past two centuries and really have little in common, so they don't seek each other out.