Mages and Proximi

"Whim"
Ashley Saunders, Cassandra Rivière

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Hierarch's Mercy
Path: Moros
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Legacy: Resurrection Men
Paradigm: String-magic / Ideation and sympathy
Born: 1983 (stopped aging in 2007)

Virtue: Faith. The world works. It's a chain of deals and exchanges that stretches on into eternity, and so long as Whim fills her end of the bargain, the world will keep it's end of the deal.
Vice: Wrath. Not every exchange is nice, however. You mess with Whim, she will get you back. She doesn't forgive, and she doesn't forget. And she's got a lot of undead friends to help her settle scores.

Background: For someone so seemingly young, Whim has done a very thorough job of cutting away all links to her past. Cultivating mystery as though it were rose-bushes, Whim draws a veil of silence and misinformation over anything to do with her life prior to arriving in Britain. Still, for a sufficiently dedicated investigator, a few facts can be learned.

• Whim was born in 1983 in the United States, and lived most of her early life in the American South. She's of French Creole extraction and can slip from a vaguely generic British accent into a nigh-indecipherable Creole patois at will. Of her family or her parents Whim says nothing other than cryptic comments to the effect that they would not have approved of her current lifestyle.
  
• Whim arrived in Britain in 2001 on a student visa to study drama, and stayed in the country after dropping out some six months later. These days, Whim lives under the name of Ashley Saunders, and mostly survives off of odd jobs (research assistant, bartender, tourist guide) and some help from her fellow Guardians of the Veil. Presently, Whim lives in a cheap tenement in Camden as Ashley Saunders. She lives alone, her only companion being a three and a half-foot long snake named DC, a Water Moccasin that serves as her familiar.
  
• Already Awakened when she arrived, Whim sought out the Guardians of the Veil promptly upon coming to London, and has since positioned herself as a competent agent with a distinct lack of squeamishness. While still young and low-ranked, she's been noticed favorably by the Hierarch of London, one of the Guardians of the Veil. The day may come, not so far off, when Whim becomes the leader of one of the Guardians' Labyrinths.
  
• Whim is heavily involved in the local goth and heavy metal scene. She works twice-weekly as a bartender at Lucifer's, a faux-Satanist club in Lambeth, and unless on a job for the Guardians she can usually be found there or at some other club in her off-time.
  
• Whim maintains an on-again, off-again relationship with a brawny young man named Jayce Fortier, a fellow Creole expatriate, former Sleepwalker, and current Revenant who works as a bouncer at Lucifer's. Jayce died in a shoot-out when Whim was fourteen, taking a bullet to the jugular, and the Moros has been reviving and fixing him regularly in the years since. He's a comfortable presence, big, loyal, and not overwhelmingly bright.

Storytelling Hints/Personality: Understanding death, Whim embraces life. This is the key to understanding just what drives Whim forward. Like most necromancers, Whim holds a distinctly un-romantic view of death as a concept. It is The End, the end of pleasure, the end of vitality. It is rarely pleasant, usually messy, often frightening and painful. It comes without warning and without mercy.

This gives Whim a somewhat off-kilter perspective on what is important in life. For the time being, Whim wants, above all else, to enjoy herself. If life is so impermanent, why not take pleasure in it while you can? And so Whim parties the night away, losing herself in flesh, dancing to the music. She's young, she's pretty, and she's willing to try just about anything – or anyone – once. Whim is a social creature, and she revels in companionship.

This is not to say that Whim lives entirely in the present. On the contrary, Whim takes an unusually level-headed view of the future, impermanent and uncertain as it may be. God helps those who help themselves, after all, and so Whim plans out her life quite carefully, obscuring her past and securing her future with the Guardians of the Veil. She's ambitious, really, in that very pragmatic sense of knowing what she wants and fully intending to get it. She's quite protective of her body and her health, and takes full advantage of the fact that several of her friends are Life mages.

Likewise, it would be wrong to consider Whim completely immoral in her search for pleasure. She can be ruthless, certainly, and there is an under-current of power-hunger in her soul. But she's also a person who genuinely, truly likes other people. She's friendly and inimitably cheerful for a necromancer, with a piercing sense of humor. And life's just more fun when you have friends, isn't it?

Age: Late teens/early twenties
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Acid green with a streak of bleach white
Skin Tone/Complexion: Light-skinned
Hair Style: Frizzy, short layered bangs in front and on the top, with long hair down to the shoulder blades in the back.

Figure Notes: A slim and rather average sized girl, Whim can turn heads with a pretty face and even more with her bright green hair. Of white French Creole ancestry, she has an oval face with a petite chin, and a small dimple on her left cheek when she smiles. She has soft features more reminiscent of a schoolgirl than a model, but they are quite attractive, and her eyes are lively and pleasant. She often accentuates her striking hair color with similarly striking shade of lipstick; purple, bright red, or absinthe green. Whim has two piercings in the lobe of each ear, a piercing through her tongue, and a piercing just under her left clavicle. She has a black silhouette of a kris tattooed on her left shoulder blade, a Trisula on the right side of her back, and a serpent/naga with a twisting tongue curling to the right of her navel. Her nails are often colored with an eye catching shade of nail-polish.

Clothing Notes: Whim tends to dress casually in any times, her clothes matching the trends of the London club scene. While out at night she can wear brand t-shirts or tank tops, short skirts, tights or striped knee socks, and knee high boots. When more practical attire is required, she has a pair of cargo pants, sometimes fastened with a thick black belt, and more sensible boots. She has a leather bomber jacket to toss over the whole ensemble.

Other: Whim has a light, musical voice.

SMental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4
TPhysical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
PSocial Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 3

SMental Skills: Academics 3, Craft 1, Investigation 4, Medicine 2, Occult (Necromancy) 4, Politics 2, Science 1
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 2, Larceny 1, Stealth 4
PSocial Skills: Animal Ken 2, Empathy 3, Expression (Music) 3, Intimidation 2, Persuasion (Seduction) 4, Socialize 3, Streetwise (Club Scene) 3, Subterfuge 4

Merits: Allies (Local Ghosts) 3, Contacts 3, Familiar (DC) 4, Language (Creole French; Native is English) 1, New Identity (Ashley Saunders, Cassandra Rivière) 2 each, Resources 2, Shadow Cult (Harbingers) 2, Status (GotV; Epopt-in-Training) 3, Striking Looks 4
Lair: Small Flat; Size 1, Ritual Area (Mystery of Twilight) 1

Willpower: 7
Wisdom: 6

Initiative: 5 (8 w/ Glimpse)
Defense: 3 (6/3 w/ Schrodinger's Step)
Armor: 3/3 (Mystic Shield)
Mind Shield: 3 (Static)
Health: 8
Speed: 10 (30 w/ Hermes Stride)

Gnosis 3
Mysteries: Flesh ●, Foretelling ●, Lore ●●, Mind ●

Aura Read

●, Passion ●●, Shadow ●●●, Space ●

Schrodinger's Step

●●●●, Soul ●●●, Twilight ●●●●

Crossing the Threshhold

●
Magical Tools: Keris (Twilight 4: Command Appearance) 3, Jar of spices (Twilight 3: Necromantic Slave) 2
Mana/Per Turn: 12/3
Legacy Curse: Undead can always tell when an individual is a Resurrection Man -- a ghost or vampire can pick out a single Resurrection man out of a crowded auditorium. They also know in loose terms what the Resurrection Man is ("a necromancer"), and while they are not compelled to do anything with the knowledge, Resurrection Men are usually pestered by swarms of ghosts wherever they go.

Name: DC
Age: 18 (born in 1992)

Eye Color: Black
Figure Notes: DC is a Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma). He's about 95 centimeters long, just over three feet, and is rather muscular for a snake, with a broad body and a tapering tail. His neck narrows and gives the head a distinctive arrowhead shape, with a blunt snout. His coloration is almost entirely black, though close examination reveals a series of diamond patterns in dark brown. His head is a bit lighter, brownish and again with a diamond design, and his mouth is actually rather pale.

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 3, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 5, Stamina 1
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Investigation 3
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Stealth 4
Social Skills: Intimidation 5

Merits: Fighting Finesse (Bite)

Willpower: 7
Essence: 10/10

Size: 2
Health: 3

Initiative: 8
Defense: 5
Speed: 14 (Species Factor 9)

Influence: Transformation 2
Numina: Innocuous, Spirit Venom

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Bite................................... 1(L)................ 9................Toxicity 4 + Spirit Venom

"Seventeen"
Vincent Jeffries, 7th Viscount of Candlesby Hall

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Hierarch's Mercy
Path: Obrimos
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Legacy: The Jeffries Family
Paradigm: Techno-Hermeticism
Born: 1975



Virtue: Charity. Call it noblesse oblige, call it a certain disregard for his own worth, call it whatever you like, but Seventeen is a generous soul. Simply put, if there is something that needs doing, then Seventeen will try to do it, even if it's dangerous, or unpleasant, or not his job.
Vice: Sloth. Seventeen is good at stepping up for things, offering his time or his money, but he's not so good at stepping away from things. His life runs along inertia, a constant forward path that has been laid out for him by his birth, by his power, and by his great-grandfather, and Seventeen just hasn't the will to deviate from that course.

Background: Vincent Jeffries is a man who has absolutely everything in the world. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, with two doctors and a professional midwife in attendance, and his name was put down for Eton within the fortnight. Vincent grew up with a succession of tutors and governesses, boarding schools and quiet vacations at his family's roaming pile of an estate, Candlesby Hall. He also grew up with a succession of strange sounds in the dark, with uncanny urges at school, peculiar accidents and the grim and terrifying visits of his great-grandfather, Rupert Havelock Jeffries, the Earl of Rawcliffe.

The Jeffries are one of the Britain's oldest magical families, and they are also one of Britain's most secretive. They are a Veiled Dynasty, men who have Supernal blood flowing through their veins. For ages beyond counting, the Jeffries have given birth to Sleepwalkers, men who can see the world for what it is, and to Proximi, those who can wield just a sliver of Supernal power by virtue of their blood. And every so often, one of them Awakens, to become a full Mage.

For most of his early life, Vincent grew up utterly unaware of his preternatural heritage. He went to all the finest schools, Eton and Christ's College at Cambridge. He was always considered something of a dandy and an eccentric, charming and likable but always a little odd. A better lover than a scholar, Vincent emerged from college with a degree in business, and in short order secured a position as a stockbroker in the City. He moved to London, took a fashionable flat in Kensington, made scads of money and slept with very pretty girls. No more inhuman faces in the window, no more spidery whispers when he turned off the lights. Life was good.

Then he Awakened. After six months of in London, Vincent Jeffries was dragged right back into his huge and terrifying family. Taking the Shadow Name of Seventeen, Vincent became the third living Jeffries Mage in the Guardians of the Veil, alongside his uncle, Dominic, and his great-grandfather, Civitas, the Hierarch of London. It is Civitas who has taken Seventeen under his wing, guiding the young man's life guiding the young man's political rise, establishing him as heir to the Jeffries estates (complete with the courtesy title of Viscount) and directing Seventeen's magical training personally.

Presently, Seventeen lives in a small but incredibly lavish apartment in Kensington, with irregular visits to Candlesby Hall, and a manifestly luxurious lifestyle, even if all the money belongs to his grandfather. He has a job as a stockbroker with a small but prestigious firm in the City, and is on the board of two charitable trusts and a museum, although in all four cases his job description can best be summarized as "look pretty and let us have a Viscount on the letterhead." Guardian business and twice-weekly training sessions with his grandfather occupy the bulk of Seventeen's time. In his remaining free time, he engages in coin-collecting, amateur fencing, and studying physics, which he is now capable of teaching at a college level, should the matter ever come.

Seventeen is someone who has been shouldering an immense weight of expectations to the point that he is all but crushed by it, but hasn't quite the self-awareness to realize the situation. The essential paradox of Seventeen is that he's someone who is good at understanding other people, but very bad at understanding himself, and at understanding that he doesn't really want the power and prestige that is being thrust upon him by virtue of his birth. After all, he's never known anything but expectations.

Seventeen can be a little schizophrenic in his actions. On the one hand, he does try to live up to the standards set for him. Noblesse oblige, the protection of the weak and helpless, the destruction of the work of the Abyss, so on and so forth. He's really very generous with his time and his energies. If anything, his flaw is that he's not able not to be generous with his power, to the point that he is willing to work himself into a coma rather than admit that something is beyond his power.

At the same time, Seventeen is a Guardian of the Veil Interfector, and takes to the sometimes claustrophobic politics of the Guardians like a fish to water. Seventeen is actually very well suited to his role as heir-apparent. He's very charming, quite ruthless when it comes to the Guardians' mission, and more than a little manipulative. He's a bit of a jerk, really, though he means well.

Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Skin Tone/Complexion: Fair skinned and pale
Hair Style: Combed back over his head

Figure Notes: Tall and aristocratic, Seventeen is possessed of a very fine bone structure, and it's somewhat evident he's never had to do a hard day of physical work in his life. He has a rather elegant, handsome face, and he knows it. His cheeks are high, his face a bit thin, his nose long. His lips are possessed of a rather soft, sensuous curve, and are easily suited for smiling. His eyes are a bit sunken, leaving him prone to dark circles under them.

Clothing Notes: Seventeen doesn't appear to understand the meaning of "casual". He usually wears a well-made, dark grey three piece suit, with polished dark brown leather dress shoes. His idea of dressing down is to remove the suit jacket. If he's feeling very outlandish he'll take off the waistcoat. The only sign of oddity in the outfit is his tie, which appears grey, but is actually white with small black patterns set very close together - sometimes numbers, sometimes odd geometric patterns.

Accessories: A thin, black cane with a diamond shaped top (an imbued weapon from the 1840s), a thick gold ring bearing a coat of arms, an old gold George VI two pound piece set on a chain with a pentagram carved into the obverse (his dedicated magical tool), and a number of monogrammed handkerchiefs. He has a black and white cloth mask for Guardian assignments.

Path Obrimos
Order Guardians of the Veil

SMental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3
TPhysical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
PSocial Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 3

PMental Skills: Academics 1, Computer 2, Investigation 2, Occult (Casting the Towers) 4, Politics (London Consilium) 3, Sciences 4
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 4, Firearms 1, Stealth 1
SSocial Skills: Empathy 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion (Fast Talk) 3, Socialize (Breaking the Ice) 4, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Allies (Old Money) 3, Dragon's Tongue 1, Fast Reflexes 2, Luxury 2, Status (GotV; Hierarch's Heir) 3, Status (London Consilium; Provost) 4, Striking Looks 2
Lair Kensington Flat (Shared with Nicole Chavez); Size 2, Security 3, Hallow 2, Library (Criminology, Faerie Tales) 2

Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 6
Virtue: Charity
Vices: Sloth

Initiative: 9 (14 w/ Glimpse)
Defense: 3 (8/5 w/ Schrodinger's Step)
Armor: 5/5 (Mystic Shield)
Health: 8
Speed: 11 (33 w/ Hermes Stride)

Gnosis: 5
Mysteries: Elements (Fire) ●●

Command the Foundations

●●●, Electromagnetism ●●●●●, Foretelling ●, Lore ●●, Space ●

Schrodinger's Step

●, Supernal ●●
Magical Tool: Sword Cane engraved with the Jeffries Seal (Elements 4: Casting the Tower) 5; Engraved Silver Pocket-Watch (Electromagnetism 5: EMP) 2
Mana: 14/5
Legacy Curse: Paradox accumulates at -2 per spell, instead of -1.

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Casting the Tower (Fire).......5A..............19.................Minus Defense

"Cuchulainn"
Ian Tait

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Hierarch's Mercy
Path: Thyrsus
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Legacy: Uncrowned Kings
Paradigm: Potions and herbs
Born: 1958



Virtue: Fortitude. Cuchulainn tried running from his past, and that was something of a failure. Now he fights. For his life, for his mind, for his marriage, he fights. It's what the Guardians want from him, and that suits Cuchulainn just fine.
Vice: Wrath. But sometimes he fights even when he doesn't need to. Cuchulainn has the smouldering anger of his namesake, and when an explosion of temper is on him, he can do things he'll later regret.

Background: Ian Tait was born in Glasgow in 1958, the son of a factory foreman and his home-maker wife. Ian grew up a relatively normal child, quiet but bright. Ian passed out of the secondary school in the top quarter of his class, and went on to get a degree in journalism from the University of Dundee. He got a position as a cub reporter on the police beat with The Herald (Glasgow), under the editorship of Arnold Kemp, and even married his university sweet-heart, Lilian Kelly. In short, Ian was on the rise in life.

Then came 1983, and the arrival of the Other City.

What is the Other City? No one knows, not really. But once every few months, starting in the 1960s, a few blocks of Glasgow suddenly find themselves elsewhere, in a city that is altogether different, and altogether more alien. Stay in your homes, and you're safe. But Ian was a reporter, and he heard sounds, and he was curious. So he left his house and went out into the street, and the Other City took him.

The Other City was a place-that-was-not-a-place, a strange splitting off of reality where faceless thousands go about their business to the squeal of impossible engines and the strange shrieks of thousand-faced things that flew overhead. It was a nightmare, a place where logic and reality bore only a tenuous connection. The laws were cruel, where a man may be taken and hanged and no one ever eplained why. The other dangers were worse.

For over a year, Ian lived in the Other City, until for its own inscrutable reasons, it let him go. He emerged different. He was tougher than he had been, and perhaps a little brutal from surviving in this mad place. Certainly he'd put on muscle even as he lost weight. But his mind was fragile, and on his side was a perfect ring of pale, frostbitten flesh.

Ian spent the better part of two years bouncing between psychiatric assessments and the divorce courts, and it was only through sheer willpower that Ian managed to avoid being committed. He lost his job and he lost his wife, however, and he fled Glasgow. He got a new job in London, and some years past he married again, a paralegal named Elizabeth Drummond. For a while, it was almost as though Ian had escaped his past and the horrors of the Other City.

Then he stumbled across a spirit. It was just a small thing, really, a lesser crow-spirit that had pushed itself through the Gauntlet to feast on the energies of this world. It was found and banished by a werewolf twelve hours later, but for Ian Tait, the sight of this cloud of floating feathers, ripping the flesh from a dead squirrel without any claws or beak, was a sign from the Other City.

If Ian couldn't run from it, then he would fight it. For the next few years, Ian Tait was a man possessed. He managed to lose his job once again, and it strained his marriage almost to the breaking point. He followed up leads in obscure books, searched the tunnels beneath London, and met with the stranger denizens of the world he lived in. And mostly, he killed them.

Ian was a hunter, and the year of survival in the Other City had hardened him. He educated himself on the plundered libraries of mages and vampires, joined circles of dabblers and cultists. He found a great many frauds, but he found some who were real as well, and if he found them to be evil or harmful, he disposed them. Ian didn't have supernatural powers, but he was smart, he was tough, and he was paranoid as hell.

But fate was not done with Ian Tait. It was while reading the poached library of a vampire of the Ordo Dracul that something clicked in his mind. In that moment, Ian was transported into some place very, very far away, where for just a moment everything, from the monsters to the Other City, could be understood. Ian Tait signed his name in his own blood on the walls of a stone tower in that distant land, and when he returned to his body some days later, on the floor of that blood-bought library, he had Awakened.

On the whole, Cuchulainn has adapted to Awakened life admirably well. He joined the Guardians of the Veil, finding their dogma of separation of supernatural and mortal appealing, and in turn they helped order his life into something resembling sanity. Presently, Cuchulainn lives with his long-suffering wife, Elizabeth, in a nice house in Waltham Forest. He is a freelance reporter, and has made something of a name for himself disproving the many frauds he encountered in his hunting days, with the approval and fiscal support of the Guardians of the Veil (by means of the Jeffries Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts & Sciences). He owns two cats, Rebecca and David, and has no children, though several nieces and nephews are spoiled rotten.

Cuchulainn is an old hound, battle-scarred and tired, yet still fearsome enough to put fear into those who'd threaten what he holds dear. Cuchulainn tends to come off as gruff in his interactions with others. Some of that is due to the things he's seen, but more of it is simply a deeply-hidden shyness. When writing, Cuchulainn can be flowing, eloquent, passionate in his prose. But in person, he's all taciturn looks and short phrases. He opens up more with people he likes, and he can be at ease when talking about his work, but Cuchulainn does not do small talk.

It would be wrong to misinterpret this as coldness or indifference. Cuchulainn is a passionate man, though that passion's been weathered down a good deal over the years. He's a family man, with a wife, a good career, and a strong desire to keep it. But it's that basic spark of passion that started him as a crime reporter in the first place, and that's propelled him through life as a Hunter and as a Guardian of the Veil. Threaten what is truly important, be it his family or the ideals of the masquerade which he upholds, and Cuchulainn shows all the berserker rage of his namesake.

Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Grizzled red
Skin Tone/Complexion: Pale, weathered and beaten
Hair Style: Shortish, two to three inches all around, somewhat uneven and messy. Has a similarly messy beard.

Figure Notes: Cuchulainn is not a particularly tall man, but is a very solid one. Beneath a healthy layer of fat is a wall of thick muscle. Broad shoulders and thick bones complete the impression the Guardian could be made out of brick. His arms are more visibly muscled, his hands have prominently visible veins and are rather gnarled. His face is lined and rough, with a thick, crooked nose and a slightly pouchy jawline. He has thin lips and a grim set to his mouth.

Cu's face and hands bear a lot of small nicks, most prominently on his nose. He has a small scar over his left eyebrow. More recently, he has a pair of very brutal scars on the front and back of his torso, like someone had run barbed wire through his chest. Most peculiarly, he has a perfect ring of white flesh just under his left arm, six inches in diameter and half an inch wide, as though from frostbite.

Clothing Notes: Dressed as unobtrusively as possible. T-shirts or long sleeved shirts covered with a sweater, blue-jeans, and a pair of worn tennis shoes. He has a blue winter coat if the weather recommends it.

Accessories: A half-skull mask (bottom half, nose to jaws) he wears on business, and an obscenely large handgun.

Path: Thyrsus
Order: Guardians of the Veil

PMental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3
TPhysical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity

4+Perfection of the Form 3

7, Stamina

4+Perfection of the Form 2

6
SSocial Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 4

SMental Skills: Academics (Research) 3, Computer 2, Crafts 2, Investigation (Crime Scenes, Interview) 4, Medicine 2, Occult 3, Politics 2
PPhysical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Firearms (Pistol) 4, Stealth 2, Survival (Urban) 4, Weaponry 1
TSocial Skills: Animal Ken 2, Expression (Written) 4, Intimidate 3, Persuasion 1, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 2

Merits: Allies (Media) 3, Allies (Local Werewolves) 4, Fame 1, Fighting Style (

• Shoot First Add Firearms to initiative •• Tactical Reload Reload as a reflexive action

Combat Marksmanship) 2, Quick-Draw (Firearms) 1, Resources 3, Status (Guardians of the Veil; Veteran) 3, Status (Consilium; Emissary to the Werewolves) 3,
Lair: Suburban House; Size 3, Security 3

Willpower: 7
Wisdom: 6

Initiative: 11 (15 w/ Combat Marksmanship)
Defense: 3 (7/4 w/ Schrodinger's Step)
Armor: 4/4 (Mystic Shield)
Health: 11
Speed: 15 (45 w/ Hermes Stride)

Gnosis: 4
Mysteries: Flesh ●●●●●, Health ●●●, Hearth ●●●●, Lore ●●, Nature ●●, Space ●

Schrodinger's Step

●
Magical Tool: Druidic Herbal Salve (Health 3: Mend) 3, Baresark Potion (Flesh 5: Perfection of the Form) 2
Mana/Per Turn: 13/4
Legacy Curse: The Uncrowned King must have a calling -- something that involves both mind and body (alchemy is traditional, but martial training, auto-repair, book-binding, hand-crafting furniture, and so forth are all acceptable). The mage must work at his calling for at least twenty hours a week, or else suffer a -3 penalty on all Mystery rolls for one month. Cuchulainn's calling is writing.

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
.44 Magnum.......................3L..............15................9-again, Range 35/70/140, Clip 6

"Civitas"
The Hierarch of London, Rupert Havelock Jeffries "III", the 14th Earl of Rawcliffe (previously the 12th and 13th Earls as well)

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Order of the Seventh Seal
Path: Obrimos
Order: Guardians of the Veil
Legacy: The Jeffries Family
Paradigm: Ceremonial Magic (Enochian)
Born: 1798

Virtue: Temperance. Never too fast. Never too much. Civitas is most comfortable in the shadowy world of politics, where nothing is ever 'black' or 'white', but instead painted in a myriad shades of grey. He does his very best to be a reasonable man, listening to every side and weighing his decisions carefully.
Vice: Envy. Civitas is a man jealous of his prerogatives. He's the dog in the manger, because he's worked and waited and lived for too long to give it up. Civitas can be reasonable, he can be kind and merciful. But never forget that he is merciful because it is his choice to be merciful. Take him for granted, or worse, try and take away what he himself took away from Redcrosse, and matters will go ill indeed.

Background: The history of Rupert Havelock Jeffries is the history of London, and the history of London is the history of the Empire. And the Jeffries lived through all of it.

R. H. Jeffries was born on September 22nd, 1798, a Proximus of the large and powerful Jeffries clan. There was never a time when R. H. did not know what he was. He was one of the Jeffries, and by dint of bloodline and willpower, he had powers that others never would. He would live longer than mortal men. He could trigger fear or lust with a glance. He was stronger, faster, better, and this was drilled into him by his family from the very first day.

But it wasn’t enough. A Proximus is a frightful thing, more than human, but it is not a Mage. Though R. H. was the most potent Proximus born in a generation, he was still only a tool to the Awakened elders of the family. This was something that R. H. could not stand. And so, when he was eighteen years old, he left.

R. H. Jeffries travelled first to France, still recovering in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars. He studied at the Sorbonne, learning rhetoric and grammar, but more than that, R. H. studied in the occult circles of France. Paris had always been one of the souls of the world, and there was no shortage of petty sorcerers and secret societies that offered to teach a young, wealthy English nobleman. R. H. sought them all out, and learned from every one. He travelled the catacombs beneath the city, and spoke with the white-robed priests who cast offerings of meat to the dead. For four years, he supped at the wrist of one La Charpentière’s childer. When Paris had given him all that he felt he could offer, he left it as well.

For the next eighty years, R. H. Jeffries made a slow pilgrimage across Europe. He went to Italy, studying for a time in Rome and gaining access to the Vatican archives. He studied old legends in Serbia and Montenegro, and spent nearly fifteen years in Constantinople. He had money enough, after all, and he never needed to worry about age. By 1890, when R. H. Jeffries finally returned to London, he was 92-years old, looked about 40, and had experienced more magical studies than most living mages. He had also Awakened.

R. H. Jeffries knew a good deal of the theory and mechanics of the Awakening, and he tried to force it in every fashion he knew how. Vision quests are frequent components of the awakening, and R. H. tried hypnosis, narcotics, ascetic self-denial and hedonistic indulgence both. Sharp stress was a common trigger, and R. H. tried an increasingly fool-hardy series of experiments in self-flagellation and near-suicide. He had himself nearly drowned twice, and one of his legs is still seared with the scars of a hot iron.

When the actual Awakening came, it was, of all things, an accident. R. H. was out riding in Syria when his horse reared, cast him off, and he hit his head on a rock. Brains thoroughly stirred about in his head, R. H. spent the next day and night in a coma, walking the Path of the Mighty and signing his name at the Golden Tower. When he awoke, he had gained two very valuable things. He gained the Awakening, and he gained a sense of humor about the caprices of the cosmos.

When R. H., now going by the Shadow Name of Plautus, returned to London, he was feted and welcomed into the Consilium, and soon joined the Guardians of the Veil due to his experience with secret societies and obscure religions. But the Edwardian era was a dark time for the Guardians of the Veil. The Mysterium was in command of the city, and in their casual approach to secrecy (or so the GotV saw it), they had let too many mortal occultists run rampant in London. This was the era of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Aleister Crowley, of Theosophy and the Golden Dawn.

For years, the Guardians of the Veil watched and waited, and when World War I erupted, they made their coup. The details of that shadowy night in mid-October of 1914 are lost to history, but in a way of extortion, assassination, and political maneuvering, the Mystagogues were cast down and the Guardians of the Veil took their place as rulers of London, with the Silver Ladder at their right hand. As the orchestrator of the coup, and with the potent backing that the name of Jeffries brought to the table, Plautus, now renaming himself Civitas, ascended to the position of Hierarch.

Path: Obrimos
Order: Guardians of the Veil

PMental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 4, Resolve 6
TPhysical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity

4+Perfection of the Form 4

8, Stamina

3+Perfection of the Form 4

7
SSocial Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 5, Composure 4

SMental Skills: Academics 3, Crafts 2, Investigation (Cui Bono?) 4, Medicine 3, Occult (Casting the Tower) 4, Politics (Bureaucratic Warfare, Herding Cats) 5
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 3, Stealth (Veiled by Shadows) 4, Survival 1, Weaponry 2
PSocial Skills: Animal Ken 2, Empathy 3, Expression 2, Intimidation (Menacing Mien) 4, Persuasion (Voice of Reason) 4, Socialize 1, Subterfuge (Misdirection) 4

Merits: Allies (Old Money) 4, Allies (Silver Ladder) 4, Contacts 5, Dragon’s Tongue 1, Languages (German, French, Italian, Turkish; Native is English) 4, Resources 6, Retainers (Charles & Olivia Jeffries) 5 each, Status (Consilium; Hierarch of London) 5, Status (Order; Ranking Famulus of London) 4
Lair: Candlesby Hall; Size 5, Secrecy 2, Security 1, Hallow 3, Library (The Abyss) 1; Innocuous

Willpower: 10
Wisdom: 5

Initiative: 12 (20 w/ Glimpse)
Defense: 4 (12/8 w/ Schrodinger's Step)
Armor: 8/8 (Mystic Shield)
Mind Shield 8 (Static)
Health: 12
Speed: 16 (48 w/ Hermes Stride)

Gnosis: 8
Mysteries: Elements (Air) ●●

Command the Foundations

●●●, Elements (Earth) ●●

Command the Foundations

●●, Elements (Fire) ●●

Command the Foundations

●●, Elements (Water) ●●

Command the Foundations

●●, Flesh ●●●●●, Foretelling ●●●, Health ●●●●●

Civitas's immortality spell; since casting it he ages at 1/6th mortal rate, is never ill, and heals all wounds at x6 mortal rate. Furthermore, the Hierarch can heal even from wounds that would normally be fatal -- only completely destroying the body (burning it to ash or submerging it in acid) will prevent this natural, albeit rapid healing.

●, Hearth ●, Lore ●●, Mind ●, Nature ●●●●, Shadow ●●●, Space ●

Schrodinger's Step

●, Supernal ●●●●
Magical Tool: Staff of the Hierarch (Supernal 4: Superiority) 5, Jeffries Signet Ring (Elements (Fire) 4: Casting the Tower) 5
Mana: 30/8
Legacy Curse: Paradox accumulates at -2 per spell, instead of -1.

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Casting the Tower (Air)........N/A..............18.................Minus Defense, Knock-Down & Breath-Loss
Casting the Tower (Fire).......4A..............22.................Minus Defense
Casting the Tower (Earth).......4B..............17.................Minus Defense, Stun
Casting the Tower (Water).......N/A..............17.................Minus Defense, Halves Speed, Lose Items

Charles Jeffries

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 2

Mental Skills: Investigation 1, Occult 2, Politics 1
Physical Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 3, Drive 3, Firearms 4, Stealth 4, Survival 2, Weaponry 1
Social Skills: Animal Ken 3, Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 1,

Merits: Enhanced Item (H&K MP7) 4, Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Style (

Can stand up as a reflexive action, lose defense to attempt an opposed grapple or throw, may also throw an opponent 5+Brawl successes feet on a successful attack

Aikido) 3, Masque (

+2 to Firearms,+2 to disguise oneself as a professional warrior, -1 to Manipulation rolls

The Eye of Mars) 1, Quick Draw (Firearms) 1, Status (Order: Private Aide of the Hierarch) 2

Willpower: 5
Morality: 5

Health: 8
Initiative: 8
Defense: 2 (3 base, -1 vest)
Armor: 4/5B (Kevlar Vest (2/3B) + Mystic Shield (2/2))
Speed: 13

Gifts: Darkened Countenance ●●●, Gaze of the Wise ●, Mystic Shield ●●, Dull the Pain ●, Mend ●●●

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Shihonage…………...........0B……….7…………..Throws the target 5+Successes feet and knocks them prone.
Enhanced H&K MP7……......6L……….16………AP2, 20 ammo, 40/80/160 range, fully automatic

Olivia Jeffries

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics 3, Crafts 1, Investigation 2, Occult 3, Politics 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Firearms 4, Stealth 3
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression 1, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Dream 2, Enhanced Item (H&K MP7) 4, Fighting Style (

Can stand up as a reflexive action, lose defense to attempt an opposed grapple or throw, may also throw an opponent 5+Brawl successes feet on a successful attack

Aikido) 3, Masque (

+2 to Firearms,+2 to disguise oneself as a professional warrior, -1 to Manipulation rolls

The Eye of Mars) 1, Quick Draw (Firearms) 1, Status (Order: Private Aide of the Hierarch) 2

Willpower: 7
Morality: 5

Health: 7
Initiative: 6
Defense: 2 (3 base, -1 vest)
Armor: 4/5B (Kevlar Vest (2/3B) + Mystic Shield (2/2))
Speed: 11

Gifts: Darkened Countenance ●●●, Gaze of the Wise ●, In the Cards ●●, Mystic Shield ●●, Nix ●●

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Shihonage…………...........0B……….6…………..Throws the target 5+Successes feet and knocks them prone.
Enhanced H&K MP7……......6L……….15………AP2, 20 ammo, 40/80/160 range, fully automatic

Magister "Aleph"
Albert Higgins

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Order of the Seventh Seal
Path: Thyrsus
Order: Adamantine Arrow
Paradigm: Western Alchemy
Born: 1890
Apparent Age: Somewhere in his 60s or 70s -- Old but healthy

Virtue: Justice Aleph has always seen himself as the hand of justice, protecting the weak and vanquishing the evil.
Vice: Wrath Aleph's temper is like that of an earthquake -- slow to trigger, but it leaves nothing standing in its wake.

Background: Albert “Al” Higgins awakened in 1908, at the age of 18, while he and his fellow Irish navvies were digging a tunnel for the expansion of the London Underground. As near as anyone else could tell, Al Higgins had a fit or stroke of some sort, but the young wizard remembered something altogether different. He remembered being led down a subterranean path by a chthonic entity of black soil with eyes like flaming pits, all horns and scales and curious nodules. He went beneath London, through the ruins of a dozen cities and empires – the empire of Elizabeth II, and of Richard Lionhearted, and of Arthur, and of the Emperor Claudius, and of long-ago peoples who left no names or kings to know them by. There, beneath the twelve ruins and the one living city, stepping over the bones of the ages, Albert Higgins signed his name into a book of stone with his own chisel, and his mind Awakened to the universe.

Al Higgins, calling himself Aleph now after the fashion of the time, joined the Consilium of Albion and became a foot soldier in the Adamantine Arrow, the only Order interested in accepting him. That was a different time, and the cold fact was that neither the Mysterium, nor the Guardians of the Veil, nor the Silver Ladder showed much interest in a poorly educated Irish laborer. And the Free Council? Well, Aleph considered them a bunch of nancy-boys, and precious little has happened in the last hundred years to change his mind. Anyway, the Arrow always needed warm bodies, and the young Al Higgins had the kind of build that logically develops from digging ditches since one is eight years old.

Compared to most of his contemporaries, and indeed compared to most wizards, Aleph had two notable advantages – he knew when to keep his head down, and he knew when to take a risk. The first meant that despite being in a career that tends to see one murdered by Abyssal horrors or mad Left-Hand mages, Aleph kept surviving his assignments, largely by having a very good instinct for when to duck and always preferring to hit the other guy when they weren’t looking. The second meant that when the Guardians of the Veil staged their coup in 1914, Aleph took a chance and joined them. He was still a young wizard then, but he’d seen the kind of havoc that wizards without limits could cause, most notably when he was part of the group that put down the ‘angel’ or whatever-it-was that Councilor Sandalaphon of the Silver Ladder summoned for his private cult.

After the coup, Aleph stayed in the Arrow, and over the years he slowly rose in the ranks, mostly by virtue of being the last man standing when the dust settled – Aleph was a very good earth mage, and while earth magic wasn’t flashy or exciting like shooting fireballs or lightning bolts, there’s something to be said for constructing an instant rampart of rock two yards thick. Since his Awakening, Aleph fought renegade mages, rabid werewolves, manifested demons, German mages in both World Wars, things from the Abyss… he dueled a Scion of Itzpapalotl in Central America once, still has the scars from it, or that time in Syria when a pack of ghuls took offense and tried to carve his thighs for steaks, still limps a little from that.

Really, if two words can summarize Magister Aleph today (he was named Magister in 1952), it’s scars and service. In his prime, Aleph was one of the Adamantine Arrow’s greats. He was a hard-driving, intensely pragmatic man well-suited to cutting Gordian Knots by means of broad-spectrum destruction, who subsumed himself in his work. There were always things that needed doing, and as Aleph grew older, work seemed a way to ignore the flow of time instead of a way to rise in the ranks. Aleph could always tell himself that he was doing valuable work, and he was. It eventually consumed him.

He’d married, back in the twenties, and been happy then right up until Margaret died in 1971. There were two children, both now dead of time, and there were grandchildren and great-grandchildren who know Aleph only as the vague figure of family lore. Most think him dead. Aleph prefers it that way.

Nowadays, Aleph is simply damaged. Compared to entire generations of his contemporaries, Albert Higgins survived – but not without marks. Some are purely physical. He limps in wet weather, his face looks faintly melted as a result of an obsidian butterfly’s venom, he’s half-deaf from a lifetime of being at ground zero of earthquakes and explosions. Other marks are mental. He sleeps uneasily, and watching so many others die has left him both profoundly lonely and severely paranoid. He’s been embroiled in the arcane world for so long that he’s sometimes forgets that magic isn’t normal – he can make his kettle boil by looking at it, he mutters in Enochian, any place he lives in tends to become seismically active.

Aleph retired from active duty following a particularly brutal Paradox backlash in 1988. He brought half a mountainside down on an open portal to the Abyss, and absorbed the magical energies rather than risk bringing the rest of the mountain down on himself and his team. The effort burned countless tiny holes in Aleph’s brain and smashed his psyche into atoms. Despite the best efforts of some very skilled mind-mages, Aleph suffers from low-grade aphasia – his ability to use language seems to come and go, with common words being the hardest to use, paradoxically – and reduced ability to form short-term memories. He can recall in perfect detail an assignment in British Palestine during WWII, but struggles to remember what he had for breakfast.

He’s usually good at remembering people, though, and his bluff friendliness causes people to think of him as a loveable old duffer, which actually suits Aleph fine. Better an object of fun than an object of fear, after all. He putters about mostly, letting other people do the actual work, though the truth is that while Aleph is a bit mad he is far from senile.

In person, Magister Aleph is an old, doddering man who shows every one of his hundred-plus years. He’s a broad-shouldered man who had once been enormously physically powerful, but has mostly withered away from the years. He still has all his hair, which forms an enormous white mane, and a grey, drooping walrus mustache that combined with his sagging skin gives him a rather melted look. Aleph stopped caring about fashion when his wife died, so most of his clothing consists of ratty suits, ratty robes, and ratty mackintoshes. He always has a large collection of vials containing all manner of alchemical concoctions for his magic, and tie-pin with a seven-legged symbol that has a distressing tendency to write in public.

"Kore"
The Councilor for the Silver Ladder, Lady Evelyn Manning

Type: Mage
Cabal: The Order of the Seventh Seal
Path: Moros
Order: Silver Ladder
Legacy: Bene Ashmedai
Paradigm: Ceremonial Magic (Ars Goetia)
Born: 1878 (stopped aging in 1941)

Virtue: Fortitude. No matter what the adversity, Evelyn finds some way to overcome it. Of course, occasionally this means that sometimes she ends up paying a far greater price than one would wish to, but such things happen.
Vice: Pride. Evelyn has a very bad habit of overestimating her capabilities. That she is in fact, intrinsically very capable makes it all the worse when she overestimates things.

Background: Lady Evelyn is older than the British Empire. Lady Evelyn was the victim of Saucy Jack who escaped. Lady Evelyn called the Great Beast Aleister Crowley a fatty and made him cry. Lady Evelyn had a torrid sapphic affair with Tallulah Bankhead that was barely kept from the papers. Lady Evelyn only tells the truth. Lady Evelyn lies like a dog and you don't want to play poker with her. Which of these statements are true? All of them? None of them?

Lady Evelyn isn't telling. In fact, when confronted with questions about her past, her usual answer is a sweet sort of smile, the kind a grandmother gives before a gentle scolding, followed by "When one reaches my age, having a past that's multiple choice is a fringe benefit one grows extremely fond of."

What is known for certain however, paints a rather interesting picture. Before the October Coup, she was barely a blip on the radar. After the October Coup, she was the Councilor of the Silver Ladder, and Civitas was in power. If these two events are related in any way, no one's been exactly brave enough to mention that relationship near either magus.

For now, the "Lady" makes her living as a Grand Dame of London high society, equal parts Queen Mum, and Betty White dropping the F bomb because old ladies swearing like sailors is high comedy. Of course, when she isn't busy being wealthy because she's wealthy, she's busy as one of the premier rumormongers, scandalmongers, and blackmailers of the London Consilium. Despite running the local Silver Ladder with an attitude that can only be described as laissez-faire, she's the sort who remembers every little indiscretion, every slight slip that she was kind enough to let by. And if she should need a favor, she's also kind enough to politely remind you of it, and collect on that favor with interest.

Despite letting things slide usually, she can be rather conservative in her mindset. With age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes knowing when something is a terrible idea. Of course, her ideas are never quite as terrible as others, but she hasn't quite hit the point where being "promoted" to the Magisters is in her future. Yet.

For right now, Lady Evelyn, or Kore as she prefers in "interesting" society is content with what she has, with a great many of the Ghosts of London, old and young both bringing secrets to her ears. Should waves be made, she'll work to calm them.

Unless of course, they benefit her.

Description: To all appearances, Evelyn Manning is a short (5'5'') woman in her early sixties, an austere, icy woman in whose face one can see the remnants of what had once been a great beauty. Her face has a kind of aristocratic grandeur to it, her features sharp and elfin, her skin like finely-aged parchment stretched over a skeleton of steel. Her once dark hair has gone silver, though her hazel eyes continue to flicker with life and joie de vivre. She is always dressed immaculately, in exquisitely tailored gowns and with her hair elaborately coiffed, with a somewhat ecletic collection of jewelry made of human bone and spent bullet casings. Only periodically does there seem to be something off about her appearance, a whiff of ashes, or a glimpse of a dark eyes burning with blue fire out of the corner of one's vision.

The truth is that while everyone knows that Kore stopped aging sometime in World War II, few know that she actually died during the war, committing suicide as part of an immortality ritual (she drank hemlock, it's not something she cares to do again). Her present appearance is partially illusory, and under certain circumstances (if pushed onto holy ground or confronted with a holy symbol forcibly presented, under the light of the full moon, or under powerful magics) one can see her true appearance -- that of pale, translucent woman with eyes burning with blue balefire, smelling of ash and hemlock. Revealing Kore's true appearance, or even hinting that one knows of its existence, is an excellent way to get an enemy for the rest of your life -- brief as it is likely to be.

Kore is usually attended by her valet/bodyguard/rumored lover/undead slave, a blond man named Dietrich who's face is always in shadows, and by her black cat, a lazy, malevolent beast she calls Lucifer.

Path: Moros
Order: Silver Ladder

PMental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 4
TPhysical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
SSocial Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 5, Composure 5

SMental Skills: Academics (Lex Magica) 3, Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Occult (Necromancy) 3, Politics (Blackmail) 4
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 1, Firearms 1, Larceny 2, Stealth 2
PSocial Skills: Empathy (Blackmail) 3, Expression 2, Intimidation (Blackmail) 4, Persuasion (Voice of Reason) 4, Socialize (High Society) 3, Subterfuge (Urbane Deceit) 3

Merits: Allies (Local Ghosts) 5, Allies (Old Money) 4, Familiar (Lucifer the Black Cat) 4, Languages (French, German, Hebrew; Native is English) 3, Retainer (War-Wight) 5, Resources 5, Status (Silver Ladder; Councilor) 5, Status (Consilium; Councilor) 5
Lair: Upscale Townhouse; Size 2, Security 3

Willpower: 9
Wisdom: 6

Initiative: 8 (15 w/ Glimpse)
Defense: 3 (10/7 w/ Schrodinger's Step)
Armor: 7/7 (Mystic Shield)
Mind Shield 7 (Static)
Health: 7
Speed: 10 (30 w/ Hermes Stride)

Gnosis: 7
Mysteries: Lore ●●, Foretelling ●, Mind ●

Aura Read

●, Passion ●●●●●, Shadow ●●●●●, Space ●

Schrodinger's Step

●, Twilight ●●●●

Crossing the Threshold

●

With this spell, Kore becomes one of the undead. Essentially she's a corporeal ghost. She does not have a heartbeat or other life-signs, does not eat or drink or breathe, nor does she require sleep (though some manner of quiet time to recharge her mental batteries is necessary). She expends 1 Mana per day in order to keep going, otherwise she takes 2 points of Aggravated damage. If killed, she returns so long as one of her anchors is still intact -- she cannot move away from her anchors beyond about 30 feet, but at least one of her anchors is small and she can carry it with her for effective mobility. Kore originally had a number of Anchors equal to her Gnosis, but if she is unable to make more Anchors to replace destroyed ones. The only way for her to get more Anchors is to raise her Gnosis, which is difficult. It is unknown how many Anchors she has at present.

●
Magical Tool: Ars Goetia bound in human skin (Shadow 4: Banish/Summon Demon) 3, Necklace of spent bullets (Twilight 4: Command Appearance) 3, Bracelet of gilded human fingerbones (Passion 3: Obsession) 3
Mana: 20/7
Legacy Curse: The Diabolist is unable to cast magic upon hallowed ground; they further take a -(Gnosis) penalty to cast magic against anyone bearing a holy symbol of any religion (this only applies to purposefully constructed holy symbols, however -- two pieces of wood that happen to form a cross do not count).

Dietrich Muller
War-Wight

Type: Revenant

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics 1, Crafts 2, Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Politics (Military Strategy) 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Drive 2, Firearms (Rifle) 4, Stealth (Ambush) 4, Survival 2, Weaponry 2
Social Skills: Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 1

Merits: Danger Sense 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Finesse (Knife) 2, Fighting Style (

• Shoot First Add Firearms to initiative •• Tactical Reload Reload as a reflexive action

Combat Marksmanship) 2, Indomitable 4, Quick-Draw (Firearms) 1

Willpower: 7
Passion: Protect Kore
Passion: Acquire weapon and equipment from its era of origin (WWII Germany)
Passion: Obey the Kore

Health: 9
Initiative: 9 (13 w/ drawn firearm)
Defense:

2-Armor

1
Armor: 2/3B (Flak Jacket)
Speed: 12

Numina:

Spend 1E (up to 5) to increase Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina by 1 for the remainder of the scene. Attributes may be raised above 5.

Spirit Prowess,

Spend 1E to heal 1B; spend 1WP to be able to heal lethal or aggravated damage for the rest of the scene (at 1E per wound)

Regeneration,

Spend 1E, roll Presence+Intimidate (7) versus Composure+Supernatural Tolerance; target is forced to flee for (successes difference) turns

Terrify,

Spend 1E, so long as the revenant is stationary, attempts to find it receive a penalty equal to (Dexterity).

Camouflage,

Spend 3E and 1WP, touch a corpse, and create a zombie.

Zombify
Essence: 10

Attacks...........................Damage.............Dice Pool...........Special
Combat Knife...........…………1L………………….8-13………………Spirit Prowess
Luger Pistol........................2L....................10-15................ Spirit Prowess, 8 ammo, 15/30/60 range
Sturmgewehr 44........……..4L……......…......13-18................. Spirit Prowess , 30 ammo, 125/250/500 range, fully-automatic 2(2/3/4)

Name: Lucifer

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 1
Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 1, Composure 4

Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Occult 4
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 4
Social Skills: Intimidation 3

Willpower: 5

Initiative: 8
Defense: 4
Size: 2
Health: 5
Speed: 12 (Species Factor 7)

Influence: Misfortune 2
Numina: Innocuous,

As the Fortune 3 spell

Fickle
Essence: 10/10

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Fickle....................................................8...............Minus Composure
Strengthen Misfortune............................8...............Increases penalties in an area at a 1-to-1 rate

Edwin Talbot
Polydegmon, 23rd Baron of Bollington

Type: Mage
Cabal: None
Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium
Legacy: The Talbot Family
Paradigm: Medieval Necromancy (the summoning of ghosts to produce all effects)
Born: 1946

Virtue: Charity Strange and erratic though he may be, Edwin can be surprisingly generous.
Vice: Gluttony Edwin has simple desires -- peace, quiet, warm beds, good food.

Background: Edwin Talbot was first possessed when he was four years old. No one noticed, and three days later the spirit left of its own accord. This would not be the last time that Edwin was a prisoner in his own mind.

It was a different time then, and a different world. The Talbot family had always been, well, strange, their attitudes towards the living and the dead not entirely in alignment with those of more mundane families. Their ancestral home, Bollington Estate, was a place where the dead walked, where ghosts flitted by on the night winds and the ragged corpses of their long-dead forefathers kept up a nightly patrol on the grounds. It was a time when the patriarch of the family was Charles Talbot, the 22nd Baron, who dwelled in London, and it was a time when a small, quiet child like Edwin simply fell through the cracks.

Edwin was not part of the main branch of the family, raised in glory and expectations. His father had died when Edwin was young, in a hunting accident, and his mother paid scant attention to him. Most of Edwin's companions as a youth were the dead, and while many of the honored dead of the Talbots had the best of intentions, he was possessed intermittently throughout his youth and adolescence, the ghosts following him to Eton and then to Oxford.

Edwin grew up a rather peculiar youth. Simply put, Edwin's bouts of possession, when he was still very young, meant that Edwin missed out on a fair amount of important childhood development. While frightfully intelligent, even by the high standards of the Talbots, Edwin's also dyslexic, prone to bouts of aphasia, and is given to ritualistic and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. He started studying maths, and had in him the fair makings of a savant... until he Awakened on his 21st birthday. The campus police at Oxford found him wandering around Holywell Cemetery, arguing with Francis Edgeworth (8 February 1845 – 13 February 1926; philosopher and political economist) and George Rolleston (30 July 1829 – 16 June 1881; physician and zoologist). He spent a good week in a mental institution following that event.

Of course, Awakening meant that Edwin automatically became next in line for the Barony, and became heir to become Councilor for the Mysterium in the London Consilium. Even among the Proximi of the Talbots, Mages were simply not that common, and the Talbots had reigned over London's Mysterium for long enough that the two were nearly synonymous. To be an Awakened Talbot was to be a Mystagogue, and to be Councilor of the Mysterium was to be a Talbot. Not everyone agrees with this, but revolutionaries join the Free Council, not the ancient mystery cult of the Alae Draconis.

Somehow, Edwin's managed to stay in charge of the Mysterium, despite being charitably referred to as 'eccentric'. Not that there haven't been a few abortive coups and assassination attempts (mage politics can be vigorous), but the Awakening of his children has eased the pressure, and when push comes to shove, Civitas prefers Edwin as the Loyal Opposition more than most other candidates, which helps. Edwin is also not nearly the fire-breather that his daughter Lyla is, being more similar in temperament to his son Cedric.

Description: Edwin is a short, round-bellied looking man in his mid-sixties, an ivory-haired fellow with watery blue eyes and a weak chin. He dresses simply, in black and grey suits, or in academic tweed, and is a professor of mathematics at Oxford's Worcester College, commuting in to London for Consilium business. He's not an absent-minded professor; his memory is nearly perfect. At the same time, he still has all the developmental issues that plagued him in his youth -- dyslexia, intermittent aphasia, obsessive-compulsive tendencies (everything in Bollington House is organized by prime numbers, and Edwin is a staunch germophobe who dislikes touching other people). He prefers dealing with mathematics, or by writing letters or (nowadays) emails -- people are much easier to handle when they're somewhere else.

Except sometimes... he turns into a powerful, commanding personality, with rhetorical skills that surprise the other Councilors. He still gets possessed periodically these days, the ghosts filling the gaps in his mind, and when he does, his natural genius combined with the experience of generations of Talbots make him a force to be reckoned with. Strictly speaking, any ghost or spirit can possess Edwin with minimal effort, but the Talbot ghosts are very territorial about him.

Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium

PMental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 3, Resolve 3
SPhysical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
TSocial Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

PMental Skills: Academics 4, Computer 2, Crafts 3, Investigation (Mathematics) 5, Medicine 2, Occult (Numerology, Psychic Blow) 4, Politics 2, Science (Mathematics) 5
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 1, Stealth (Fade into the Background) 4
SSocial Skills: Expression (Written) 4, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 1, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Allies (Talbot Ghosts) 5,

Edwin can forgo the contesting roll versus any possession attempt, allowing the spirit or ghost to possess him as long as it gets a single success on the activation roll. Edwin remains aware of what is happening during possession, and may either allow the entity to possess him for longer than a scene, or eject it later (forcing the contested roll he had previously ignored). Unfortunately, he receives a -2 penalty on those contested rolls.

Easy Ride 2, Eidetic Memory 2,

Edwin can be possessed even by ghosts that lack the Possession Numina. The ghost merely needs to have Edwin hold its anchor (or in the case of Talbot ghosts, he already counts as an anchor), and roll Power+Finesse versus Edwin's Resolve+Composure.

Hollow Soul 2, Language (Greek, Latin, French; Native is English) 3, Resources 5, Status (Mysterium; Eccentric Councilor) 4, Status (Consilium; Councilor) 5,
Lair: Bollington Estate; Size 5, Hallow 1, Secrecy 1, Library (Necromancy, History) 2

Willpower: 4
Wisdom: 6
Derangements: Dyslexia (Mild), Aphasia (Mild), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Severe; Fascination with Primes)

Initiative: 5
Defense: 3 + 1 w/ Backflow
Armor: 6/6 (Mystic Shield)
Mind Shield 6 (Static)
Health: 8
Speed: 10

Gnosis: 6
Mysteries: Lore ●●, Mind ●

Aura Read

●●●, Shadow ●●●, Time ●●●●●, Twilight ●●●●

Crossing the Threshold

●,
Ancestral Possession: Edwin can allow himself to be possessed by a sort of gestalt of the previous Talbot mages; He rolls Intelligence+Resolve+Allies (Talbot Ghosts) and distributes the successes as the ghosts please among his Presence, Manipulation, or his mental or social skills -- however no attribute may be brought above 4, and no skill may be brought above 3. Edwin may do this once per adventure, the controlled aspects last for the scene -- though the possession continues until Edwin manages to kick out his visitors.
Magical Tool: Black Hickory Cane (Twilight 4: Command Appearance) 4, Signet Ring of the Talbots (Mind 4: Telekinesis) 4
Mana: 15/6
Legacy Curse: Non-Paradigm spells are cast at a penalty of -11 instead of -5.

Attacks..............................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Psychic Blow.........................4B..............18.............Ignores Armor and Defense

Lyla Talbot
Reitia

Type: Mage
Cabal: Diogenes' Lamp
Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium
Legacy: The Talbot Family
Paradigm:
Born:

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Pride Lyla comes from a very old family with very deep and longstanding traditions. She, like most Talbots, is very proud of her family’s history and is not willing to surrender that pride.

Lyla Talbot is a brilliant, attractive woman from a family full of brilliant people with rich traditions. She and her twin brother Cedric were afforded every benefit and luxury the deep pockets of the Talbot family could muster. They received the finest educations at boarding schools and grew up with some of Britain’s most noted academics. They also grew up surrounded by their ancestors: the ghosts and skeletons of great members of the Talbot family. It was a life that most others would consider odd at best, and disturbing at worst.

Unlike the Jeffries family, Talbots are immersed in the supernatural from an early age. Some are raised by ghostly nannies or taught by undead tutors. All Talbots in the direct line are made into Sleepwalkers as soon as possible, and a healthy number become Proximi. So Lyla was surrounded by magic and the supernatural her entire life, and was trained to understand the Awakened arts, even if she could not actually cast them.

She was also brought up in the Talbots’ rich academic tradition and went to the finest schools, eventually pursuing higher education at Oxford. She earned her master’s in public history and a doctorate in archaeology. Through her connections, her family’s reputation, her dissertation (on the origins of small Mediterranean subcultures like the Veneti from which she derives her Shadow Name), and her honors, she landed a post as a curator at the British Museum. There, she studies ancient artifacts, but she also has an excellent excuse to go in search of lost Awakened artifacts.

Lyla and Cedric Awakened simultaneously shortly after college. Unlike many Mages, their Awakening was less startling. They had grown up surrounded by the supernatural, immersed in the Mysteries, so their Awakening was less of a sudden realization and more putting the final pieces into the puzzle. Plus, being around the living dead most of one’s life makes a Talbot’s Awakening as a Moros less disturbing than many.

Lyla currently lives in a comfortable flat in Greenwich, but she frequently returns to Bollington Estates, the Talbot family stronghold not far from Oxford. She does field work for the Museum and the Mysterium as often as not, sometimes going out on great digs — especially where Awakened artifacts could be found.

The Talbots’ Proximus curse requires a solid link between themselves and the history they hold so dearly. As a result, they rely heavily on dedicated family artifacts to maintain a solid connection with their spellcasting powers. Lyla wears a large pectoral cross necklace that serves as her special, dedicated casting item.

Like all Awakened Talbots, Lyla has an ancestor ghost bonded to her as a familiar. Lyla’s ghost familiar is Rosalyn Talbot. A kindred spirit from the Renaissance, Rosalyn herself was an artist and a patron of the arts. Her first-hand expertise has proven invaluable to Lyla over the years in both her studies and her work as curator. The two think on similar wavelengths and get along very, very well — even if the sins and iniquities of the modern world (and Lyla’s wardrobe) sometimes offend Rosalyn’s sensibilities.

Personality: Very strong, professional mien. Lyla is usually on-the-go and busy, and seems to enjoy taking large tasks. As a curator, she’s very confident, professional, and very smart. As an adventuress, she’s cheeky, headstrong, and clever. She can be a imperious and arrogant, though, as the combination of her upbringing, education, and connections to the past sometimes gives her a big head. She can also be very pushy; part of her headstrong, professional demeanor. She is used to healthy debate with colleagues and sometimes carries that over to personal life.

Unlike Cedric, Lyla tends to keep more “presentable” company. Where Cedric spends much of his off-time in ritzy gothic-themed clubs, Lyla prefers fancy restaurants, theaters, and art galleries. She and Cedric both enjoy the wining and dining, but Lyla greatly enjoys going to galas and balls. Few of Cedric’s friends are his colleagues. Lyla is quite the opposite, and counts many of her colleagues as friends.

Lyla is passionate about history and anthropology. As smart as she is pretty, she knows a tremendous amount of history of ancient cultures, and uses this knowledge frequently to illustrate her points or make comparisons.

Cedric Talbot
Oitosyros

Type: Mage
Cabal: Diogenes' Lamp
Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium
Legacy: The Talbot Family
Paradigm: Object-focused animism
Born:

Virtue: Charity. Cedric's a good guy. He doesn't mind helping out if asked, though sometimes he has to be prompted. But even despite his occasional cluelessness, he'd never intentionally do anything to hurt someone.
Vice: Sloth. Cedric's lazy. He did well at college because he was genuinely interested in the topics, but also because it was easy. He doesn't want any real responsibility. No Councilor position, no roles as dean, nothing that would make him take on extra work on a long-term basis.

Cedric is a smart, savvy, handsome nobleman and academic from the long-standing, illustrious Talbot family. He grew up in the lap of luxury, but also in the Talbots’ rigorous academic professions and magical traditions. Because Lyla Awakened first, it seemed like Cedric was destined to be a Proximus. But a few days later, he finally made his own journey across Stygia to the Watchtower of the Lead Coin.

Awakening had an impact on Cedric that Lyla didn’t quite have. Cedric was always smart and clever, but he was prone to anxiety and nervousness to a fault. Whatever he witnessed in Stygia cured him of his anxiety. He emerged from his Awakening more serene and knowing. Some kind of understanding touched his brain and his worries were gone. To this day, he still doesn’t talk about it.

Cedric received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Oxford and has masters degrees in history and forensic anthropology. He’s become an associate professor in Oxford’s anthropology department thanks to his family connections and his own knowledge. He spent some time in Central America, South America, and the Middle East for both Mysterium and professorial/intern work. His dissertation was an analysis of Scythian burial practices.

Currently, Cedric lives in Oxford, but frequently visits London. He works as a professor, but occasionally runs off on expeditions for both the Mysterium and the university.

Like all Talbots, Cedric has a family heirloom he has to use in his spellcasting. Cedric’s is a polished, smooth, black-lacquered cane with a silver skull on the tip.

Like all Awakened Talbots, Cedric has an ancestor ghost bonded to him as a familiar. Cedric’s familiar is Warwick Talbot, a noble and a writer from the days of Queen Elizabeth I. Though Warwick’s writings are not well-known outside the family, he wrote several plays and pamphlets. Warwick also patronized several London publishers and considers himself a major player in the transformation of Great Britain into a very literate culture. Warwick claims to have known Shakespeare personally.

Cedric's paradigm is centered on understanding the sociological and cultural power imbued into objects. In other words, he deals with the idea that "belief is power," but specific to objects. He draws his power by wielding ritual implements that have developed cultural significance due to a collective belief and understanding of what those objects are supposed to achieve -- whether they actually perform the task or not.

Path: Moros
Order: Mysterium

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics (Anthropology, Research) 4, Computer 1, Investigation 3, Occult 4, Science 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 4 (Running), Stealth 3, Survival 2
Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression (Lecture) 3, Persuasion 2, Socialize 2

Merits: Allies (Academia) 4, Athletics Dodge, Ghost Familiar (Warwick Talbot) 5, Languages (Greek, Latin, Russian; Native is English) 4, Resources 4, Status (Consilium; Historian) 2, Status (Mysterium; Talbot) 3
Lair: Flat filled with History; Size 2, Library 2, Security 2, Guardian Ghost 2

Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 7

Initiative: 5
Defense: 2 + 1 w/ Backflow
Armor: 3/3 (Mystic Shield)
Mind Shield: 3 (Static)
Health: 8
Speed: 9

Gnosis: 3
Mysteries: Lore ●●, Mind ●, Time ●●●, Transmutation ●●●, Twilight ●●●●
Magical Tools: Charon's Obol -- two ancient Greek coins on a necklace (Time 3: Postcognition) 2, Black Hickory Cane (Twilight 4: Command Appearance) 3
Mana: 12/3
Legacy Curse: Non-Paradigm spells are cast at a penalty of -8 instead of -5.

Warwick

Power: 4
Finesse: 5
Resistance: 5

Essence: 10/10

Initiative: 9
Defense: 5
Speed: 11
Size: 5
Corpus: 10
Numina: Left-Handed Spanner, Magnetic Disruption, Telekinesis, Terrify

Pietro Esposito
Peregrine, Piotr Vladimirovich Skolov

Type: Mage
Cabal: Diogenes' Lamp
Path: Mastigos
Order: Mysterium
Legacy: The Eleventh Question
Paradigm:
Born:

Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride Pietro is determined and skilled but refuses to take help when he's in over his head.

Appearance: Pietro the Italian dark hair and eyes, but the Russian jaw, including perpetual stubble. He could cut a striking figure but he comes across as a little unkempt, though handsome instead. He looks the part of the private eye. He wears the trenchcoat (which is usually neat and pressed despite his mussed up short hair and stubbly jaw) and the fedora. His pants are usually a little ratty, though, and he rarely gets his shirt pressed or buttoned up all the way, so when the coat comes off, he can seem a little sloppy. He prefers hiking boots to shoes, which sometimes makes a bizarre contrast with the rest of his look.

Background:Pietro comes from a long line of Russian psychics and telepaths. Every male born in his family develops some kind of psychic power, from thought reading to projection. Occasionally someone in the family Awakens but these events are few and far between. The family keeps these abilities secret, especially since its origins lie in traces of mystical Romani heritage. Pietro's own talents could've landed him a job in any number of industries. His ancestors were revolutionaries and early members of the Cheka, and later the OGPU who excelled because of their ability to probe deep into a person's psyche to encourage confessions.

He was born Piotr Sokolov in 1974 to a Russian father and Italian mother. Piotr's family lived in the Moscow suburbs, where his father and uncle worked for the KGB.

Piotr's mother was shot and killed during a brief uprising in Moscow in 1985. An anti-Soviet resistance movement launched an assault on a government function. The brief rebellion was swiftly and brutally put down, but Piotr was devastated. It was hard enough with his father gone on secret business as often as not, but with his mother dead, Piotr had to learn quickly how to take care of himself. The need to raise himself at home quickly squelched his grief, but also made him more independent and caused friction with his father when the two were home together.

Their relationship got worse as the years went on. Piotr got used to being on his own and handling household affairs that he got frustrated when his father came home and tried to disrupt things. He longed for his mother's presence, and felt stifled by his father's ever-tightening vice grip of authority. The fact that both were telepaths made matters worse. The mind wars caused noticeable friction as each tried to shore up his defenses against the other's powers.

In 1990, Piotr's father was sent as a spy to England. Before long, the two were off to London. The pair had a rocky period of settling in. Piotr's father was home much more often and by then the two had such different ideas of how home should be that it seemed impossible to reconcile. The only thing that kept them together was that they were strangers in a strange land.

It didn't last long. A year after Piotr and his father moved to London, his father got shot and killed in a Security Service sting. Piotr went underground and vanished as soon as he found out. He feared the MI5 or other agencies might come after him, looking to prosecute him as a spy instead of cultivating him as an asset, and he had no desire to go back to Russia, so he took to the streets. He renamed himself Pietro and took his mother's maiden name, Esposito, as his new surname.

Pietro's search for a livelihood led him to the doorstep of one Thomas Blaine. Thomas was an experienced PI and Mage who'd been searching for a Sleeper apprentice for several years. Pietro, with his telepathic powers, made a remarkable student. Pietro must've had some kind of burgeoning KGB in him because he took well to the investigative aspects of the job. The telepathic fellow had also learned how to read people -- to match his telepathic readings with body language. It was a skill he put to good use interrogating people to find more about his teacher's targets, even when they managed to block his probes. Thomas's guidance set Pietro on the path to Awakening and before long, the young man

Pietro had a better relationship with Thomas than with his own father. He still chafed whenever Thomas exerted authority, but this rarely culminated in the volatile sparks he had with his father.

Four years later, Pietro applied for his P.I. license and Thomas supported him. Once accepted, Pietro quickly started his own practice. He was successful, owing in large part to his telepathy and his willingness to take on jobs from questionable sources. He's gotten to be pretty good at using his powers to cover his ass and so far his powers have kept him out of jobs that would land him in serious trouble. His work has put him on the untrustworthy side of the law but he's been able to avoid arrests and prosecution.

Personality/Roleplaying Notes: Pietro is part Sam Spade (the Maltese Falcon), part Harry Dresden, and part Cal Lightman (Lie to Me). He's cynical, jaded, fiercely independent. He takes the jobs he wants and to hell with anyone that tries to push him into a job he doesn't want. He's spent most of his life fending for himself, so he rarely wants or accepts anyone else's help, even if he knows he needs it. He's butted heads with Civitas from time to time when Civitas has tried sending him on a mission he didn't want. Pride is his biggest vice.

He has issues dealing with women. Since his mother died, he's had to be the mother and father for himself. He never found a good rapport with another woman since. He has a hard time accepting women as friends, let alone anything more, and generally prefers the company of other men, both in work and recreation. Even though he can read women, he has a hard time expressing himself with them. It's not that they make him tongue-tied. He just feels some kind or resentment toward them, a result of never having really grieved for his mother's death.

Pietro also has issues with men (or women) that try to throw their weight at him. He really doesn't take threats well, and doesn't accept jobs from people that try to force him into complacency. Fortunately, he's got ways of dealing with these people thanks to his telepathy. It doesn't always work but it's usually good enough to make people more reasonable.

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