Deceased, Banished, and Retired NPCs

Virtue: Hope: Apocryphally, Archimedes once said that given a long enough lever and a place to stand, he could move the world. Gaius Bassianus has been diligently searching for that lever for nearly two thousand years.
Vice: Pride: It requires a special kind of hubris to believe that you can become a god. Gaius Bassianus has it in spades.



This is the story that Gaius Bassianus Numidiens tells. He tells it because it amuses him, or perhaps because it reaffirms some inner core of his psychology. Perhap it is even true.

Despite his mighty name, Gaius was born a slave in the North African city of Cirta, in the household of a mid-level bureaucrat in the entourage of the Imperial Governor. As a youth, he was a servant, carrying, fetching, helping with the household. Later, he did nothing more extravagant with his life than to become a petty secretary, taking down notes for his master.

It was the happiest time of Gaius's life. His master was a harried, harassed man, but not unkind. He had a home, he had food, he married and had children. His master had sworn to free Gaius's family in his will, and since Gaius helped draft that document, he believed him. Life was good for the Numidian clerk. And then he died, of some passing fever, at the age of forty-two, along with his wife and all but one of his children.

Then, when three days and three nights had passed, he clawed his way out of the mass grave from out beneath the bodies of his family. His Sire stood there, an elegant monster, and she spoke sweet whispering words into his ear, words of prophecy and magic. He would live, she said, until fire rained from the sky and the oceans choked with venom. He would read the Sibylline Books, and he would use their words to become a god. And then, when she had said all this, she entered into his mind and hid the words, and then she left.

Of the rest of his existence, -- and there is a very great deal of it -- Gaius is more reticent. The ancient Elder believes instead in lessons.

In Rome, Gaius learned the value of works over faith. The gods, if they can even be considered that, are elemental forces, not white-bearded men sitting in judgment over the living and the dead. The world is ruled by rites and rituals, perfect laws and boundaries that punish transgressors with mechanistic perfection. It doesn't matter what you believe, it only matters what you do.

In Ravenna, Gaius learned that there are monsters greater than the Kindred. That there are things out there, owls of ash and shadow, slithering things beneath the earth, exquisite daemons that flit through minds like an infectious plague. He learned that nothing is eternal, not even the Camarilla, and he learned something of why the Kindred are forever doomed to be lesser monsters. They are too human.

In Alexandria, Gaius learned who his Sire was, and learned the secrets of fate. He learned to trace the threads of the Great Tapestry of history, to divine its patterns. By discovering the recurring patterns of time, he learned how one can recognize the first signs of these patterns happening again, and manipulate them, placing himself at the vital point of the tapestry of creation, holding the scissors to cut the threads of lives, to grasp the shuttle and change the picture. To know the past in all its detail is to know the future, and to know the future is to have true power.

In Constantinople, Gaius learned that power is knowledge, in its most refined form. That they are simultaneous and self-reinforcing, that through the acquisition of knowledge, one earns power, and through the exercise of power, one can learn knowledge. Divinity is not a question of omnipotence, but of omni-science.

In Constantine -- the city that had been Cirta -- Gaius learned that blood is the key. But not blood as the Kindred believe it, flowing from vein to vein. Blood as family, as an unbroken chain from father to son, from mother to daughter. In blood there is power, and in blood there is loyalty. He gathered the family of his one son, and he became their god, and they became his servants. It has been nearly fifteen hundred years, but his family still lives, though they call themselves the Androlesci now, and live in the foothills of the Alps.

In London, Gaius learned through the beliefs of lesser men, one can accomplish great things, and magnify the power of a single being. That people want to believe, and the manipulation of faith, he could convince them to do what he wanted. Enough faithful servants working on enough arcane projects would bring result. Discovery is to a large extent a matter of sufficient effort and motivation.

In Vienna, Gaius learned that through works, through the appropriate rigors of mind and body, one can become a greater monster. Sun and blood and madness need not cloud the mind. The only thing that matters is the will, and knowing the secret laws. He learned that even the mightiest curse is impermanent, and that everything changes. A man can become a god, or a Kindred can become mortal, if they only find the right law before which to plead their case.

Covenant: Ordo Dracul, formerly the Cult of Augurs
Clan: Mekhet (Hollow)
Bloodline:

(Asnam)

The Perfected

TMental Attributes: Intelligence 6, Wits 5, Resolve 6
SPhysical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
PSocial Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 4, Composure 4

SMental Skills: Academics (Roman Ritualism) 5, Crafts 2, Investigation (Enigmas) 5, Medicine 3, Occult (Divination, Veneficia) 6, Politics 4, Science 1
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Stealth (Lurk Unseen) 4, Survival 3
PSocial Skills: Empathy 4, Expression 4, Intimidation (Aura of Omniscience) 4, Persuasion (Negotiation) 3, Socialize 2, Subterfuge (Deceit without Lies) 3

Merits: Allies (

A collection of ghoul families organized into Roman familial cults, found mostly in Southern Italy and along the North African coast; Strength: May learn Veneficia at new dots x10, instead of new dots x14; Weakness: Suffer a penalty equal to (Veneficia) to all physical rolls when in direct sunlight

Androlesci Ghoul Cults) 6, Dream Visions 3, Languages (Turkish, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Greek, English; Native is Latin) 7, Mind of the Devouring Worm 3, Mind of the Unblinking Serpent 2, Mind of the Inscrutable Hydra 2, Resources 4, Retainer (The Manes x4) 6 each, Shadow Cult Initiation (Moirae; One of the Fates) 5, Status (Ordo Dracul; Unsworn Philosopher) 3
Lair: The Chambers Beneath: Size 3, Secrecy 5, Occultation 5, Ritual Area (Veneficia) 3, Library (Roman Religion, Fate, Metaphysical Laws) 3

Willpower: 10
Humanity: Don't Ask
Derangements: Megalomania (Severe), Suspicion (Mild), Divination Obsession (Severe), Power Fetish Obsession (Capite Velato -- GBN's head must be covered; Mild)
Banes:

If a vampire passes through a crossroads, whether on foot or in a vehicle, he becomes confused and disoriented. He suffers a -3 on all Mental actions for the remainder of the scene (rolls to resist frenzy do not suffer this penalty, though Discipline rolls that use Mental Attributes do). Passing through multiple crossroads in the same scene does not deepen the confusion,

Crossroads (Mild),

The 'pure' (virgins, members of clergy, or those with Morality of 8+) are greater than Gaius Bassianus Numidiens, fallen priest. He suffers a -5 penalty to all rolls (including Disciplines) to attack or affect those who are pure.

Respectful of Purity (Mild),

The vampire cannot help but stare at a cloud of dust. This might arise when the character disturbs the dust of a room, or if a knowledgeable foe blows a handful of dust in her face. In either case, GBN must spend a Willpower point and roll Resolve + Composure in order to look away. If the roll fails, the vampire stands transfixed for 10 turns. If the vampire is attacked, this effect ends.

Fascinated by Dust (Mild),

The vampire finds wounds inflicted by silver to be much harder to heal. Any damage from that source can only be healed during the day, while the vampire is asleep. The character needs complete rest to will his undead body to heal the damage. The type of damage is otherwise unchanged; if the character suffers Lingering Wounds from silver and is stabbed with a silver knife, the damage is lethal, but if he is shot with silver bullets, the damage is bashing. He simply can’t heal the damage until he goes to sleep.

Lingering Wounds (Silver; Mild)

Most banes involve folk remedies, herbs and practices from older cultures, but new banes do emerge. One of them is the odd effect that some vampires have on radio waves and other such transmissions. When the vampire gets near a device that uses radio waves (older televisions, radios, cell phones), the device loses reception. Televisions lose picture and viewers see only “snow,” while cell phones drop calls and radios crackle and warble. This bane gives a hunter an excellent way to track the vampire — just watch for the stream of people cursing into their cell phones or wondering why they’ve lost a wireless Internet connection.

Interference (Severe),

Shadows, reflections and even televised images turn away from the vampire. The vampire might make the effort to remain visible on a security camera or in a photo, but people around the vampire seem to turn their faces away. Likewise, if the vampire stands with several people in front of a mirror, the reflections of the people avert their eyes from the Kindred. If the vampire feeds on someone “in view” of the reflection, the reflection screams, alerting anyone in the area.

Shadow's Shame (Severe)
---Note: Gaius Bassianus is capable of spending 1WP to suppress all Derangements for a scene, courtesy of the Coil of Souls

Initiative: 6 (13 w/ Celerity & Eye of the Beast)
Defense: 2
Health: 8
Speed: 10

Blood Potency: 7
Disciplines: Auspex ●●●●●, Blood Tenebrous ●●, Celerity ●●, Dominate ●●●, Insomnium ●●, Majesty ●●●, Meminisse ●●, Nightmare ●, Obfuscate ●●●, Ralab ●●●●●, Veneficia ●●●●●●
Coils of the Dragon: Coil of Blood ●●●, Coil of the Beast ●, Coil of the Soul ●●●
Veneficia Rituals: 1st:

Drops of Destiny, Prophetic vision to answer a question, gain +2 to all rolls to investigate the image (research, say)

Appolonian Sight,

Tapas to Durga, gain +2 to Weaponry rolls involving traditional Roman weaponry (gladius, pilum), as well as +2 to Athletics rolls to throw the same.

Call to Mars,

Tapas to Brahma, +2 to Politics rolls for a scene, or +3 for rolls involving political domination or conquest

Call to Minerva,

Tapas, +2 to Academics rolls for a scene, or +3 for rolls involving history or time

Call to Janus; 2nd:

Dance of Doom, invert wound penalties for (successes) hours.

Strength of the Centimani ,

Amemet’s Pursuit, requires small animal sacrifice, contested by Wits+Composure+SU, if the caster has the most successes, space rearranges itself so that if the victim tries to flee, he ends up running right back to the sorcerer. Lasts for one attempt, ends at the end of the scene if not used.

Labyrinth,

Gora Mukhi, gain a fearsome visage and make a frightful cry, lose the ability to use Socialize or Persuasion for the rest of the night, but gain +6 to Intimidation, and all enemies take a -6 to initiative. For a further 1 vitae, grow 1L hooves and horns.

Shout of Pan,

Kiss of Sethep, drain an exsanguinated corpse of an additional points of vitae equal to the victim’s stamina by eating their liver and other internal organs, leaving them mummified.

Hunger of the Aetus Caucasus,

Cheval, penalized by Composure, ‘hijack’ the victim’s senses whenever the sorcerer wills, for (successes) nights.

Eyes of Minerva,

The vampire must first blood-let an animal, human or vampire, inflicting a number of lethal points of damage equal to the character’s Blood Potency score (yes, this may kill the creature). The blood must be spilled into a censor, where it is mingled with the vampire’s own Vitae and then burned. As the acrid smoke rises, the vampire must whisper entreaties to Ianus, beseeching the god to look backward through the vampire’s Requiem for some kind of clarity. For the remainder of the night, the vampire’s mind is not given over to the fog of eternity, and she can remember everything about her Requiem without having to overcome torpid dementia (though the Storyteller may still require an Intelligence + Composure roll to remember certain things). This ritual has a few restrictions. First, all the blood sacrificed to Ianus must come from a single creature. So, vampires of higher Blood Potency must sacrifice larger and larger animals… or, of course, humans. Second, the vampire may only cast this ritual once per week, with the exception being during the month of January (Ianus’s month, the beginning and end of the year). During January, the ritual can be applied every night.

Rex Sanguis Sacrorum; 3rd:

Evoking the laments of Hades, the summoner soaks a silver coin with his own blood to pay for the favor of the ferryman of the Styx, as he inscribes with a knife the word ‘Styx’ in Greek (Στύξ) in the subject’s forehead when she is about to die (i.e. the rightmost health box if filled with lethal damage). The ritual delays death and deprives will from the subject, who enters a zombie-like state. The ritual actually prevents the victim from dying, so even if she seems like a zombie she is not, retaining consciousness and awareness of her state. This also bestows a particularly potent curse upon the victim. For each success in the activation roll, one point of the subject’s blood is tainted, and still provides sustenance (the vampire may continue draining the victim, gaining 1 vitae for every point of aggravated damage inflicted). Any remaining blood is considered coagulated, and thus useless. The victim dies when all blood in it is finally sucked out from her, and may rest in peace. Until that, the subject’s soul is trapped in its body, which never recovers from its injuries through mundane means. The subject of the ritual effectively enters a hibernation-like, locked-in state that can last for months if the environment does not kill him first. It requires either a healer with the Holistic Awareness merit, or else some manner of magic, to break this curse.

Inertia of Charon,

Expels a possessing spirit from a body, and forbids them from re-entering or re-possessing anyone for (successes) turns.

Hand of Hades,

receive a +6 bonus on all Stealth, perception, and Athletics (movement related only) rolls for one hour.

Diana's Blessing,

Blood Portrait, creates a copy of GBN's mind in an immobile portrait (see below).

Painting the Galatean Portrait,

Caress of Torment, shifts wound penalties over by (successes). So with two successes, wound penalties begin in the 5th box from the right, and go up to -5.

Ministrations of the Kindly Ones,

Cheval d’Ange, The sorcerer imbibes a spirit or ghost in Twilight if this ritual is cast successfully, enabling him to use the spirit’s Numina for one scene. The rolls to activate the ritual are penalised by the spirit’s Rank, and they are resisted by the spirit’s Resistance (and the ritual may only be cast on a spirit the sorcerer can perceive in some manner). If the ritual is successful, the sorcerer must pass a Resolve+Composure test that is penalised by the spirit’s Power. If the roll fails, the sorcerer receives a derangement appropriate to the spirit that lasts for the scene (e.g. he may gain an Obsession with fire if possessed by a fire spirit). If the roll is botched, the spirit assumes control of the sorcerer for the scene, and it may decide to leave the sorcerer’s body whenever it wishes. The sorcerer may use the spirit’s Numina while he is possessed, although he must pay the Numina’s activation cost in vitae. The Numina use the spirit’s step numbers. Numina like Possession will not work while the spirit is actually bound to a body, of course.

Guardianship of Kerberos; 4th:

Eye of the Norns, penalized by active concealing enchantments, see a vision of the person you most need to confront, without deception and showing the most important faces. Once the antagonist is finally confronted, gain 8-again on all rolls against him.

Reading the Auguries,

Fount of Wisdom, penalized by Resolve, drain skill dots instead of vitae from a target while feeding, at the same rate. Stolen skills replace the vampire's if they are higher (they are not added), and the vampire may choose a specific skill, or else the highest skill a subject has. Skills fade at the rate of one per night, and so long as the vampire has any of the target's skills, he also has all specialties the target had in that skill.

Mnemosyne's Fountain,

Thrashing of Apep’s Coils; requires an animal sacrifice (traditionally a bull, though a goat or similar large animal will suffice, success brings extreme weather conditions: lightning, freezing rain, hail, or snow, howling winds, or similar phenomenon.

Neptune’s Wrath; 5th:

Can raise or lower Blood Potency by (Resolve) for the rest of the night. This change is genuine in all respects (max vitae, vitae-per-turn, feeding restrictions, etc). If excess vitae remains in the body when the ritual runs out, take 1A damage

Ianus's Blessing,

Blood Blight, Penalized by Stamina, living targets take (successes) lethal damage, vampires lose (successes) vitae and may Frenzy

The Curse of Echidna,

Feeding the Crone, gains a (successes) aggravated damage attack

Typhon's Maw,

Rolls take 1 night each; creates a weapon (traditionally an arrow or dagger) which inflicts a contagious, degenerative disease (Cholera, scarlet fever, or leprosy)

Arrow of Tartarus,

As the Cruac ritual As One, the caster becomes a local divinity, see the Circle of the Crone book for additional details

Mantle of the Genii; 6th:

In modern nights, King Sisyphus is best known for his eternal punishment, to endlessly push a boulder up a hill. But what is less known is what Sisyphus did to deserve this punishment. Sisyphus was known as the most cunning of men, and his paramount act was to charm and trick the God of Death, Thanatos, when the latter came to drag him to Tartarus for his cruel and avaricious acts. With this ritual, Gaius Bassianus Numidiens is able to do the same, at least for a time. Sisyphean Cunning may only be performed once a night. After the initial ritual is completed, the sorcerer can activate the effects of Sisyphean Cunning as an instant action at any time within the course of a night. When the effects of Sisyphean Cunning have been successfully activated, the vampire is under the protection of the ritual for one hour. The rightmost Health box cannot be filled with any kind of damage while a character is protected by Sisyphean Cunning -- Death simply cannot take notice of the vampire. If the vampire enters frenzy, however, the ritual is dissolved, and the character may be killed. Wound penalties apply normally to a character protected by this ritual.

Sisyphean Cunning,

Requires 1WP and a sufficient quantity of darkness, creates a shadowy servitor with the following statistics: Power 8, Finesse (Successes), Resistance 8, Size 8. Each servitor exists for eight hours, and is about as intelligent as an especially smart dog, and will obey simple commands and notice obvious threats to GBN or to itself.

Spawn of Nyx
Devotions: Arcane Sight,

As the Essentiaphagia+Dominate devotion of the same name, but oriented towards spirits and using Blood Tenebrous

Compel Spirit, Cutting the Strings, Eye of the Beast, Manteia, Ritual of Nourishment, Spirit Sight
Vitae: 20/5

Attacks...........................Damage............................Dice Pool.....Special
Tartarus Javelin..................... 2(L)........................... 6/8................Blood Buff, Traditional Roman Weapon
Curse of Echidna.................... 0(L).......................... 19
Typhon's Maw........................ (Successes)(A).......... 3+(S)................Blood Buff

Type Reflection

Attributes: Power 6, Finesse 5, Resistance 6
Willpower: 9

Initiative: 12
Defense: 6
Speed: 16
Corpus: 11

Morality: Nonexistent

Essence: 30/30
Numina:

The Reflection can take solid form, stepping out of its mirror and into the real world. It appears exactly the same as the vampire, except that it can walk in broad daylight, has a shadow and can be heard on telephones and recording equipment. It still doesn’t show up in mirrors, film or photographs, however. The Storyteller spends three Essence and rolls the Reflection’s Power + Finesse. The Reflection can stay in material form for one hour for every success rolled.

Materialize,

This Numen allows the Reflection to use the terrible, painful, gory memories of its vampire as a weapon. It projects them into its target’s mind, forcing her to re-live every horrific experience the vampire has been through. The target becomes overwhelmed by these flashes of memory and has to fight to focus on other thoughts or feelings. The Storyteller spends a point of Essence and rolls Power + Finesse – the target’s Composure + Blood Potency. The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for every success rolled for the rest of the scene. The Reflection can’t use this power on someone who has already been affected by it until the original effects have worn off. The Reflection can use this Numen on its own vampire.

Memory Flashes,

The Reflection reaches out from the mirror, TV screen or picture it has just manifested in and drags someone inside. The Storyteller spends three Essence and rolls the Reflection’s Power + Finesse – the target’s Resolve + Blood Potency. For every success the Storyteller rolls, the victim becomes trapped within the reflection (banging his fists noiselessly against the glass) or image (stuck in an attitude of terror) for one hour for every success rolled. The Reflection can communicate with an imprisoned victim (and in lieu of any other power to communicate, might use this as a way to talk), or choose to attack. The Reflection can use this power on its vampire. Should a mortal be killed within the mirror, their remains simply vanish; thus, Reflections cannot use this method to feed.

Snatch,

The ghost's manifestation causes electronic equipment to malfunction due to an intense magnetic distortion. No roll is required. If the ghost manifests successfully it disrupts electronics within a number of yards equal to its Power trait. Radios, TVs and telephones emit static. Appliances stop working. Lights go out. Videotapes and camera film is erased/exposed, ruining any captured images.

Magnetic Disruption,

This power assaults a person’s mind with a cavalcade of nightmarish imagery, breaking down the victim’s sanity in the process. Such images are often personal and culled from the target’s own memory. The ghost doesn’t itself control these images, and in fact doesn’t know what they are — thus, it’s probably the victim’s own mind that draws up the mental torture. The ghost can, however, use some of its own memory and history to affect the victim, thus furthering the visions of terror. Spend one Essence and roll Power + Finesse versus the target’s Intelligence + Composure. Success indicates that the victim gains a mild derangement (choice of the ghost) for a number of days equal to the successes gained over the victim.

Dement,

This Numen enables a ghost to let out a blood-curdling howl that causes an opponent to panic and run. The gost spends a point of Essence and then rolls Power + Finesse – the opponent’s Composure. If the ghost wins the contest, the victim must flee the ghost's presence for a number of turns equal to the number of successes achieved.

Howl,

The Reflection can choose who sees it when it manifests. It manifests in a mirror, screen or picture as normal, but only the people the Reflection wishes to perceive it can do so without effort. Anyone else trying to find it (perhaps trying to catch a glimpse of what frightened another person in the room so much) must make a Wits + Composure roll with a -2 penalty. The Reflection can never hide from its vampire, who can always see it without needing to make a roll.

Selective Manifestation

Francesca, Calvino, Lucia and Pompeo Androlesci,
Type: Ghoul
Regnant's Clan: Mekhet

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Academics 2, Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Occult 3
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Stealth 3, Weaponry (Sword, Pilum) 5
Social Skills: Intimidation 4, Persuasion (Seduction) 3, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Languages (Latin; Native is either Italian or Arabic) 1, Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Style (

• Testudinem Formate Move at only half speed and cannot attack, but grants a bonus to defense against ranged weapons for each ally in the formation, to a max of +5 •• Ciringite Frontem Forgo Defense this turn, but can make a special knockback attack with a bonus for each ally in the formation (max +5) ••• Cuneum Formate Can make penalized attacks, but any counterattack is at a penalty proportional to the number of allies in the formation (max +5) •••• Orbem Formate Can form a defensive formation around a person or thing, granting a bonus to defense for each ally in the formation (max +5) ••••• Contendite Vestra Sponte Costs a willpower point to use, but launches an attack that if successful causes an automatic point of lethal damage for each ally in the formation (max +5).

Formation Tactics) 5, Fighting Style (

• Warding Stance Attack first against foes with smaller-Size melee weapons in front •• Thrust Gain 9-Again with spear or bayonet ••• Block and Strike Take -2 to attack to receive +2 to Defense

Spear/Bayonet) 3, Quick Draw (Melee) 1, Shieldbearer 1

Willpower: 7
Initiative: 8 (9 w/ Celerity) [Always go first when confronted with an opponent with a smaller-size weapon attacking from the front]
Defense: 5/1 (3 base, +2/1 shield, +1 Pilum, -1 for Armor), +2 with Block and Strike
Armor: 2/3B (Bulletproof Vests)
Health: 9
Speed: 13

Disciplines: Celerity ●, Nightmare ●, Obfuscate ●●●, Veneficia ●
Veneficia Rituals: 1st:

Drops of Destiny, Prophetic vision to answer a question, gain +2 to all rolls to investigate the image (research, say)

Appolonian Sight,

Tapas to Durga, gain +2 to Weaponry rolls involving traditional Roman weaponry (gladius, pilum), as well as +2 to Athletics rolls to throw the same

Call to Mars
Vitae: 4/1

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Gladius................................. 2(L).......... 12/14.....
Pilum................................. 3(L).......... 13/15........+1 Defense, 9-Again
Thrown Pilum....................... 3(L)...........10/12........Aerodynamic

Note: The above includes penalties for shield (-1)

The Galatean Portrait

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 6, Wits 5, Resolve 6
Physical Attributes: Strength 0, Dexterity 0, Stamina 0
Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 4, Composure 4

Mental Skills: Academics (Roman Ritualism) 5, Crafts 2, Investigation (Enigmas) 5, Medicine 3, Occult (Divination, Veneficia) 6, Politics 4, Science 1
Physical Skills: None
Social Skills: Empathy 4, Expression 4, Intimidation (Aura of Omniscience) 4, Persuasion (Negotiation) 3, Socialize 2, Subterfuge (Deceit without Lies) 3

Merits: Dream Visions 3, Languages (Turkish, French, Arabic, Greek, Latin, English; Native is Berber) 6, Meditative Mind 1, Mind of the Devouring Worm 3, Mind of the Unblinking Serpent 2, Mind of the Inscrutable Hydra 2,

Willpower: 10
Humanity: Don't Ask

Initiative: 4
Defense: 0
Speed: 0
Armor & Health: Durability 1, Size 3, Structure 4

Blood Potency: 7
Disciplines: Auspex ●●●●●, Blood Tenebrous ●●,

The Galatean Portrait can't actually use Celerity for speed boosts, but it does help initiative

Celerity ●●, Dominate ●●●, Insomnium ●●, Majesty ●●●, Meminisse ●●, Obfuscate ●●,

The Galatean Portrait cannot use Veneficia rituals, but it still knows it for the purpose of devotions

Veneficia ●●●●●●
Devotions: Arcane Sight,

As the Essentiaphagia+Dominate devotion of the same name, but oriented towards spirits and using Blood Tenebrous

Compel Spirit, Eye of the Beast, Spirit Sight
Vitae/Turn: 20+/1

Type Shadowy Horror

Each Spawn of Nyx is a monstrous shadowy creature the size of a van. They follow no set shape, though most are human-ish. They flow like quicksilver, and are impossibly fast and strong, capable of rending steel with their half-material claws and tentacles. Each is about as intelligent as a very clever dog, and is capable of following simple instructions (Kill them! is a typical one, though something like Get That! works as well). They are also capable of noticing obvious threats (drawn weapons) and reacting to them. They are extremely loyal, but not suicidally so.

Spawn of Nyx are vulnerable to light. Sunlight deals aggravated damage to them (1A per turn), as does fire. Strong artificial lighting isn't as dangerous, but does inflict penalties (a flashlight trained on one would inflict a -1, whereas a large, coast-guard search-light would inflict penalties of -5 or more and may stun the creature for a turn). Rule of thumb, if you could easily read by the light, the Spawn of Nyx doesn't like it.

Attributes: Power 7, Finesse (Successes), Resistance 7
Willpower: 9

Initiative: 7+(Successes)
Defense: Higher of 7 or (Successes)
Speed: 17+(Successes)
Size: 7
Corpus: 14

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Shadowy Claw....................... 0(L).......... 7+Successes

Type: Changeling
Court: Spring
Seeming: Darkling
Kith: Mirrorskin/Flowering

Alexandra is the Queen of the Spring Court. A beautiful, very social woman, she is almost never seen without a man (or sometimes another woman!) on her arm. She always seems to know exactly what to say and when to say it. She makes friends incredibly easily and some say she makes lovers even easier. Her reputation as a prominent socialite is known throughout both London's human world and the London Freehold.

The Queen knows what to say and when to say it because that is what her Keeper shaped her to do. She is extremely sensitive to others' desires and instinctively tries to become the right kind of woman (and occasionally man) needed to address those desires. It happens reflexively for her. She barely realizes when she's doing it because it has become such a natural, ingrained part of her being. Social situations and events are like sunlight to her Flowering side. She blossoms beautifully when surrounded by the warmth of company. As a result, she's learned how to get herself on the invitation lists for major parties and events nearly every day of the week.

Alexandra is so vigorously social because she's deeply afraid of being alone. Her Keeper stripped away so much of her identity that she feels she has nothing of her own left anymore. She believes she needs the company to survive. She is utterly terrified of looking inward because she's afraid of what she might find -- or won't find. As a result, she has many Spring courtiers that she keeps as close lovers and friends so she can avoid solitary moments as much as possible. She prefers human company as much as changeling company, but it's easier to work with changelings that enjoy the benefits of being one of the Queen's consorts. If she ever poses as a man, she goes by the rather neutral name "Alex."

As a Mirrorskin, Alexandra is capable of looking like any person she wants. As a Flowering, she is always exquisitely beautiful. Her "normal" form is that of a lovely brunette with deep brown eyes and sensual red lips. However, she custom-tailors her appearance based on the desires of whoever she's with. She relies more on subtle appearance shifts. Highlights in her hair, minor adjustments to her facial features, different colored eyes. She enjoys being recognized, so she rarely makes dramatic shifts. She is also never seen without a flower in her hair and she always smells of different perfumes and flowery scents even though she never wears perfume.

Type: Changeling
Court: Winter
Seemings: Ogre
Kith: Troll



Virtue: Prudence If it looks too easy, it usually is.
Vice: Pride Really, Isengrim just wants people to be absolutely terrified of him.

Background: Isengrim was born Matthew Cameron in Edinburg, and lived the first thirty years of his life as a travelling automotive parts salesman. He travelled throughout Scotland and the north of England, keeping garages in stock with mufflers and transmissions and dashboard radios. It was a rootless, wandering sort of life, all flash and surface and nothing deep about it, but Cameron enjoyed it. He was also an avid amateur skier and mountain-climber, who managed to trek up half the mountains of Scotland as well as several of the Alps. It was while vacationing in Norway that the Others took him away, as Cameron walked through a ferocious snowstorm, out of one world and into the next.

Cameron's Durance was one of hard, brutal labor, serving the frost-bound giant he knew as the Rime-Jarl, but in some ways Cameron thinks he had it easy (he certainly thinks so when he looks upon his wife). The Rime-Jarl was an unsubtle creature, and so he took Cameron and he set him to watch the herds of strange black goats at the edge of his domains, and otherwise left him be. The monstrous Rime-Jarl cared only for his goats, which were the size of elephants, with twisted horns of black onyx and eyes that glowed with a burning light. Cameron was twisted not by the cruel, faerie whimsy of his Keeper, but by the battering elements of his labor. A healthy, powerful man before, Cameron twisted into a veritable ogre from the need to survive the blizzards and frozen moors and the attentions of the ill-tempered goats he watched over.

Cameron stayed out for all seasons, in so much as seasons meant anything in the eternal winter of the Rime-Jarl's domain. But sometimes the Jarl called his servants back, holding feasts and games as he displayed his prized beasts. Sometimes the feasts had flesh in them that came from no recognizable animal (when it came from an animal at all), when it came from any animal at all, and often the games devolved into brutal and bloody fights which left the losers broken upon the ground, but that was all the better for the Rime-Jarl, who cared only for his beautiful monsters. Cameron was just one more lowly karl in the Other's employ, but he had an advantage over most of the others. He was smart, and he knew to keep a still tongue in his head, and speak only when he'd thought out all of his words with greatest care. It kept him alive when others were ripped apart, and maneuvered him to safer pastures and out of punishment. Until one day, Cameron challenged the Rime-Jarl to a riddle-game, with his freedom as the stakes.

He says he won. He didn't. He made a different deal then.

When Cameron emerged from the Thorns, he was the Rime-Jarl's thane, sent out to steal new prizes. He took up a place in the Winter Court of Trondheim, his taciturn and secretive demeanor well-fit for it, and grew in ranks. For some years, no one noticed anything amiss, not even when some secrets were hidden so well that they were never found again, and when some of the Lost stayed lost for years at a time. But there's no such thing as a secret buried so deeply that it cannot be found, and Cameron was found out in time. He escaped, a few yards ahead of a band of ogres who would have loved nothing more than to rip his innards out and burn them while he was still alive.

Norway no longer a safe place, he returned to the British Isles, and instead of trying to join another Court, he took up Privateering full-time. He'd never cared for people all that much before, not when he'd sold them shabby parts, not when he'd watch fools bleed out on the Rime-Jarl's dirt floor. It was easy to disassociate oneself from the rest of humanity, live in comfort in the Hedge, protected by his Letter of Marque from the Rime-Jarl. He took the name Isengrim after a time, the old Wolf, while those from his past called him Matthias Bölverkr, the Bale-Worker. He was set to live so forever.

Then he fell in love. The young changeling who'd be known as Reynarde was to be just one more trophy in the Rime-Jarl's collection, beautiful and violent. Isengrim captured her, using sweet words and cunning lies, but then he changed his mind. She was just too useful, a mad, broken weapon to turn against any of his enemies. And then she was too beautiful, too useful as bait. Isengrim turned his clever lies against his own self, and before he quite realized what had happened, he was in love, or whatever passes in Isengrim for love.

In person, Isengrim's a liar. He’s a genial man, a bluff brute who seems dangerous, yet nevertheless oddly charming. He’s fun to be around, lavish with praise and jokes, a rough-hewn humor to words and a rustic etiquette in his manners. He’s friendly, which people never expect of a Privateer. And that’s the point.

At his heart though, Isengrim just doesn't care much for people, with the one exception of Reynarde. He doesn't hate, as that requires entirely too much emotional commitment from him, and he can be whimsical in his favors at times. But simply, other people are other people, and matter to Isengrim only a little. He sees nothing wrong with what he does, feels no remorse and doesn't see why he should. Conversely, he holds no grudges against people who've hurt him or Reynarde, and feels very little fear. He'd probably be diagnosed as a psychopath if anyone ever got him to sit for a psychiatric evaluation. He's overlaid this with a heavy dose of Norse mythology, a belief in fate (the Wyrd) and destiny, and he may be on to something.

That said, Isengrim's not wholly without relationships to others. Reynarde is the grand exception, of course, and he loves her as much as he can love anything. She's useful to him, and he cares for her, and he protects her and accepts her, and if anyone killed her he'd feel compelled to seek vengeance. He doesn't hurt children or people completely helpless either, into which category he's filed Erin Lamothe, despite any evidence to the contrary.

Eye Color: Light Brown / Yellow
Hair Color: Grey
Skin Tone/Complexion: Tanned and weathered
Hair Style: Unruly, medium-length (~2 inches), with long sideburns

Figure Notes: Isengrim has the look about him of a very physical man who's glory days are somewhat behind him. He's a huge man, past six and a half feet in height, with long arms and huge hands and feet. In his day, Isengrim was built like a Hercules, muscles upon muscles, but time has added a layer of fat over them, and good living has started the beginnings of a pot belly. The muscles are still there, though, if not quite as many as when Isengrim was young. Isengrim's face is long and has a distinctly lupine cast to it, with heavy brows and a strong jaw. His large nose looks as though it's been hit with a hammer on a few occasions in the past, and a broken jaw has led his face to having a somewhat asymetric look to it.

Always hairy, in his true form Isengrim grows a thick coat of tangled grey fur, giving him a more-than-passing resemblance with an old, Lon Chaney-style Wolfman or perhaps a sasquatch. His eyes change their color, and his arms become subtly longer, emphasizing Isengrim's troll-like appearance.

Clothing Notes: Isengrim has a tendency towards what might be described as 'Biker attire'. Jeans, t-shirts, and in particular a heavy leather coat which has had bits of chain and plate-mail sewn into it.

Accessories: Isengrim tends to plan ahead for his jobs. Various pockets may have tools, weapons, goblin fruit, spare ammunition, or maps stuffed into them. His weapon of choice is a massive hunting rifle, the sort of gun used to put down elephants and tigers, with sickly-looking crimson runes carved into the barrel and stock.

Other: Isengrim is Winter Court, and if you know him, you can tell. He's a stoic, and has a fatalistic belief that one's destiny has been written across the stars, and cannot be changed. And yet, despite that, despite his career, he's an easy-going man. He laughs easily, big booming laughs, is friendly to those not his targets, and is utterly smitten with Reynarde.

Court Winter
Seeming Ogre
Kith Troll

PMental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3
SPhysical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
TSocial Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 4, Composure 3

TMental Skills: Academics 1, Computer 1, Occult 2, Politics (Freehold) 4
PPhysical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Firearms (Rifle) 4, Stealth (Move Silently) 4, Survival 3, Weaponry 2,
SSocial Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidate 2, Persuasion 3, Socialize 1, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge (Disguise) 4

Merits: Giant 4, Mantle (Winter) 5, Token (Hedgespun Coat) 3, Token (Hungry Arrow) 4, Token (Trifles and Goblin Fruit; Hoarcotton, Brumebulb, Bilefruit) 1
Hollow:

Willpower: 6
Clarity: 2
Derangements: Narcissism, 4; Insomnia, 6

Initiative: 6
Defense: 2 (3, -1 Armor)
Armor: 2/3B (Hedgespun Coat)
Health: 9
Speed: 11

Wyrd: 5
Contracts: Eternal Winter 5, Goblin (Mantle Mask 1, Shooter's Bargain 1, Blood Binding 5), Mirror 2, Smoke 5, Stone 3, Vainglory 1
Glamour: 14/5
Pledge:

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Hungry Blood Stick................5L/A...............14.............1B to fire Agg, 250/500/1000 range, 3+1 clip
Hungry Blood Stick (club)......3B/A...............8...............1B to use Agg
Murkblur.................................Blindness.........9................vs. Resolve+SR

Type: Changeling
Seemings: Elemental
Kith: Fireheart/Hunterheart
Court: Autumn



Virtue: Fortitude The world is pain. A beautiful blossom of agony, a thousand exquisite torments laid on one after another. The slice of a flensing knife, the shatter of a broken heart, a broken dream or a bloody whip, Reynarde's felt it all. But she survives. One day at a time, she survives.
Vice: Lust The future is an illusion. Reynarde can smell the future, and she knows it for a thousand-faceted lie. She lives for the moment, for that ineffable instant of pleasure of between the forgotten past and the lying future. An elemental creature is Reynarde.

No one leaves Arcadia unchanged. Very few are changed as much as Reynarde was, however. Whatever sort of person lived behind Reynarde's golden eyes has been tortured and twisted into a modern monster, an inhuman hunter more like one of the Others than anything human. Reynarde is almost completely feral, her mind given over mostly to instinct. Moreover, the instinct isn't even something as understandable as the mind of a fox. Instead, Reynarde's mind is given over to the heat of the flames, to the eternal hunger of the gumi-ho, to a burning need to hunt and torture and consume.

It isn't a completely even thing, though, with certain human concepts giving Reynarde more trouble than others. Logic, chains of cause-and-effect require a palpable effort, but the Venator can use them if necessary. Empathy, or even the idea that the universe is populated by other thinking, living beings with their own motives is a more alien concept. Time is altogether beyond Reynarde's understanding, future and past alike looking like nothing more than a fractured fun-house reflection, a pack of uncertain lies. To Reynarde, the world is often incomprehensible, populated by bizarre entities with inscrutable motives, full of events that occur for no reason and with no forewarning.

Reynarde's first instinct when confronted with this alien reality is aggression. Violence is something she understands intimately, and when these unknowable entities are broken and bleeding on the ground, begging for mercy, they become familiar, comforting.

The catch is that Reynarde knows that she's insane. She knows that her bloodlust and instinctive aggression are rarely acceptable (though they're more often acceptable than one might think at first), and so she tempers them. Through mimicry, rote memorization, and laborious effort, Reynarde can pass for someone almost normal, constructing a facade over the frenzied monster within. The Venatore comes across as quiet and distant, as she prefers to do nothing rather than do something wrong.

The one touchstone in Reynarde's life, the one reason she hasn't carved a swathe of bodies through London, is Isengrim. The big Ogre is no more comprehensible than most of the rest of the world, but Reynarde doesn't care. She trusts him implicitly, and loves him simply and without limits. When Isengrim is around, he deciphers the world for her, tells her what to do, and never leads her astray, and for this Reynarde is devoted to him with all her body and soul. He makes her feel safe.

Age: Late Twenties
Eye Color: Black / Yellow-orange with slit pupils
Hair Color: Black
Skin Tone/Complexion: Very fair ("Alabaster")
Hair Style: Just past shoulder length, black.

Figure Notes: Reynarde is a small, petite beauty, a Korean girl with delicate features, sweeping cheekbones, and large, elegantly canted eyes. She has a distinctly triangular cast to her face, with a slender jaw and narrow chin, and a small mouth, just a little ribbon of brilliant color. Though it isn't often noticeable at first glance, Reynarde is extremely athletic, her entire body densely muscled.

The changes between Rey's Mask and Mien are subtle. Her eyes change color, and her nails elongate into cruel, slightly hooked claws. Her small mouth becomes a nest of fox-like fangs, and Reynarde can unhinge her jaw to howl or bite things much larger than she should be able too. Most noticeably, a series of russet-furred tails grow from the base of her spine, six richly-furred tails with white tips.

Clothing Notes: Reynarde's most distinctive feature is her hedgespun fur coat. A full-length garment, perhaps just a little large for Reynarde's slender frame, the coat is made of fox pelts. Not just fox fur, all uniform and russet, but entire pelts can be seen in the coat. Paws, tails, even heads are woven into the massive garment. Metal plates are sewn into the lining of the fur coat, making it effective armor as well. Needless to say, even shrouded by the Mask, the foxfur coat is not inconspicious.

Beneath the coat, Reynarde usually wears tight-fitting but otherwise unobtrusive clothing, rugged and easily replaced. Jeans, turtlenecks, along those lines. Her fashion sense tends towards the scavenger-esque.

Accessories: Reynarde does not wear jewelry, though she tends to keep a lighter and matches in her voluminous pockets.

Court Autumn
Seeming Elemental
Kith Fireheart/Hunterheart

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Investigation 4, Occult 2, Medicine 1
Physical Skills: Athletics (The Chase) 4, Brawl (Claws) 5, Larceny 1, Stealth 3, Survival (Tracking) 3
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Intimidate (Psychosis) 4, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Atavism 1, Dual-Kith 3, Gentrified Bearing 4, Lethal Mien 2, Mantle (Autumn) 2, Striking Looks 4, Token (Foxfur Coat) 2
Shared Hollow: Reynarde's Castle; Size 4, Amenities 2

Willpower: 6
Clarity: 1
Derangements: Masochism, 2; Loss of Compassion, 4; Repression, 7

Initiative: 5
Defense: 4
Armor: 1/2B (Foxfur Coat)
Health: 9 (15+Rage)
Speed: 12

Wyrd: 6
Contracts: Elements (Fire) 3, Fang & Talon (Canines) 4, Goblin (Mantle Mask 1, Call the Hunt 4), Mirror 2, Omen 4, Spellbound Autumn 1, Stone 5
Glamour: 15/6
Pledge: True Love's Oath with Isengrim: Type: Vow, Tasks Greater Alliance (-3), Medial Forbiddance (-2, never to betray their love by word or deed); Boons Adroitness (Brawl) (+1); Adroitness (Empathy) (+1); Adroitness (Survival) (+1); Medial Blessing (Striking Looks) (+2) Sanction Death (-3, both); Duration Lifetime (+3)

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Claws............................... 1(L)................ 13................MotTB, GoFF

The Truth: So who, in fact, are Reynarde and Isengrim? Above all else, they can be a blank slate for the Storyteller, to be made as unabashedly evil or as morally complex as the situation warrants. Nevertheless, if it matters, then this is the truth of their story:

Isengrim was born William Cameron in Edinburg, and lived the first thirty years of his life as a travelling automotive parts salesman and avid amateur skier. He was captured by one of the Others while vacationing in Norway, to watch the borders of his Keeper's arctic domain. After his escape, Cameron knocked about Scandinavia for several years, joining the Winter Court in Trondheim and rising in the ranks to a rather exalted position (though never Winter King), until he ended up on the wrong side of one of the Duchesses of the Icebound Heart. He lost his rank and his supposed love in a single night, and left Trondheim to return to his native Britain, where he took up Privateering out of an obscure desire to get vengeance on the Courts, and to line his pockets in the process.

Reynarde was born Soo Yun Rhee, a second-generation Korean immigrant born in London. She was a star athlete at school, which is perhaps why she was taken by a fox-faced Keeper with nine-tails to be his concubine and bodyguard. Reynarde's Durance was singularly traumatic, and by the time her master and lover tired of her, there was very little of Soo Yun's mind left, only a vague haze of lust and violence. She wandered around London for a time, never fitting in anywhere but loosely affiliated with the Autumn Court due to her penchant for spreading terror at its most elemental.

The two Lost met while Isengrim was spying upon the Autumn Court, following the loose motley of Changelings to which Reynarde belonged at the time. There was a briarwolf attack on one of the wilder trods, and Isengrim witnessed Reynarde's mad slaughter first-hand. He drew her to his Hollow, using cunning words and sweet lies, thinking to turn her into a living weapon. Instead, he found himself falling in love, and the two swore their own version of the Heart's Oath before the year was out.

Type: Mage
Path: Obrimos
Legacy: Tamers of Fire
Order: Adamantine Arrow
Profession: Paramedic, Arrow field medic

Virtue: Charity. Mark wants to save lives. He became a medic to help people and become a hero and he swore an oath to save people.
Vice: Pride. Mark sometimes succumbs to raw, idiotic bullheadedness when his determination and inner fire get the better of him. Sometimes he forgets about his injury and ends up breaking his ankle, or worse, and ends up messing everything up.


Mark Phillips is a hero.

Or at least, that's how he hopes people think of him. His father, Michael, was a highly decorated captain in the British Armed Forces who earned awards for distinguished service during the Falklands War in 1982. The Falklands, which took place shortly after Michael earned his commission, served as a sort of baptism by fire. He proved himself by leading his platoon to flank the enemy and score an early strategic victory.

Three years later, Mark was born. The boy grew up hearing tales of his father's glorious war stories. He would listen starry-eyed whenever his father recounted the war and dreamed of a time when he could also play the hero.

The Gulf War broke out in 1990 and Michael was called to duty. By this time he'd been promoted to captain. He was sent off to the front and left his five-year-old son Mark and his wife, Jessica.

Naturally, Mark and Jessica followed the war closely. Days stretched into weeks, and then months. At first Michael wrote home weekly, but as the war went on, the letters came less and less frequently. Finally, a grueling month went by with no word, and when the word came, it was devastating.

"We regret to inform you that Captain Michael Phillips, British Armed Forces, has been reported missing in action."

Jessica was devastated. Depression set in quickly and she spent years mourning the loss of her husband. Mark took a completely different track. He worshiped his father. Everything his father did was heroic and noble. Michael Phillips was everything Mark wanted to be and more. Mark set about trying to be a hero, just like his father. He grew up playing games and imagining stories where he was the hero, where he saved lives, where he helped people. He loved television, Silver Age comics and video games where the hero overcomes insurmountable odds to win the day. Mythology, from King Arthur to Hercules, thrilled Mark, because it was full of heroic legends and magnificent victories.

The next major turning point in Mark's life happened the summer between 8th and 9th grade. His mother had picked him up from school and the two were hit by a drunk driver on their way home. The crash broke Jessica's collarbone and arm and both of Mark's legs. Mark thought he was going to die, and then the paramedics showed up.

The young man's inclination toward hero-worship manifested again. The paramedics looked like angels sent from God to save them. As they pulled him and his mother from the wreckage, he knew what he was going to do to become a hero. He was going to medical school to become an EMT.

Jessica sued the drunk driver for damages and received a comfortable settlement. Nothing too extravagant, but enough that with her husband's pension she would live a comfortably middle-class life and Mark would get to go to school.

Mark started his EMS training right out of high school and dedicated himself fully to achieving the highest paramedic certifications. He suffered several setbacks physically and mentally. His leg injury came back once in a while and caused him to fail a physical test, and sometimes he stumbled on written exams, but he kept his cool under pressure well and that scored him extra points. In the end, Mark got high certification and landed a job at a London hospital.

Awakening happened on his first real run as a fully-licensed paramedic. He and his partner had been called to the aftermath of a shootout between a gang and the police. The police had several critically-wounded when the EMTs arrived. Mark leaped out, nearly stumbled, and dashed to the first victim. The officer had suffered three gunshot wounds. Mark immediately set about to stop the bleeding when he suddenly found himself transported to another plane.

After he signed his name on the Watchtower, reality rushed back in. Everything seemed so clear. Everything made absolute sense. That one, first run everything worked out perfectly. All the wounded were saved and Mark felt like he was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. It wasn't until later that he was able to reflect on what happened.

But before he had a lot of time to reflect, he was approached by the Adamantine Arrow. The militant Mages always had use for competent healers that could keep their heads under pressure -- and Mages that were willing to risk their lives for the sake of the greater good. Mark qualified and though he'd Awakened as an Obrimos, his medical skill lent him naturally to Life Arcana. The Arrow sent Derrick, an older Obrimos and a doctor at the main hospital where Mark worked to recruit the newly-Awakened willworker and teach him about magic.

That was a year ago. Since then, Mark has continued pursuing his dream of being a hero. He had Awakened magic to help him. He could realize his dreams. He could make reality bend to his will and he'd make his father proud.

Because of his dedication to his training, Mark never took time to have a relationship. Lately though, his mother's been seeing a new man, Randall, but Mark is suspicious of this new fling. He seems a little too perfect. Ex-military, honorably discharged with decorations. Something about the man makes Mark's Unseen Sense flare every single time he sees him.

Mark has two major taboos: Drinking and driving. He wouldn't do both at the same but he never does them separate either. The accident made him swear off alcohol before he ever started, and instilled an irrational fear of driving in him. Mark nearly didn't make it as an EMT because of the fear, but his persistence and high marks enabled him to get dispensation as a non-driver.

He never drinks, even with his buddies. He settles for coffee or soda and frequents coffee houses instead of bars. If the other EMTs go out, he's happy to go along with them but he never drinks.

His old injury causes him trouble sometimes. It hit right as he was getting ready to go into puberty and occasionally makes it difficult for him to do his job. Sprained ankles are common, and he's broken his ankle once on the job. He uses Life magic to heal himself and hide his troubles but he's privately worried it'll get the best of him someday. It also makes his self-defense training difficult. Arrow Mages, even their dedicated medics, are expected to have at least some combat readiness but Mark struggles to keep up with other novices. He's clumsier and slower to catch on. If he had his way he'd settle for being a back-line healer but he's been learning that the Arrow doesn't always get its way in its battles. He takes small consolation in the fact that he's a soldier now, just like his father was, and he'll eventually get recognized as a hero, just like his father.

Storytelling Notes/Personality: At first glance, Mark Phillips is a proud, inspiring figure. Even before he speaks, he looks like the kind of man people want to look up to and follow. His bearing is tall, proud, and noble. He has a commanding, invigorating presence.

Mark Phillips is not just inspiring in poise, he is eloquent in speech. He can encourage injured to calm down, the frenzied to cool, and he can rally an assembly to hooting cheers. This helps make him a skilled paramedic as he soothes the grievously wounded so that they can better be treated. Fire burns brightly in his soul and he uses this fire to light the way for everyone around him.

Those that know Mark better recognize his fiery determination. He is dedicated to his causes -- he is wholly committed to saving lives as a paramedic. He is an unrelenting and vocal supporter of anti-drunk driving causes. But with this determination comes a certain foolhardiness. He overexerts himself sometimes, provoking his childhood injury, causing himself to get more hurt. His magic allows him to heal himself for the most part, but he has to be awake. He's usually first on the scene when he arrives in his ambulance, and has pushed himself to his limits trying to get people out of their predicaments.

Real Name: Mark Phillips
Path: Obrimos
Order: The Adamantine Arrow
Legacy: The Tamers of Fire

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

Mental Skills: Academics ••, Computer •, Crafts 0, Investigation 0,

Rote Specialty (+1 to casting rolls)

Medicine (Emergency Care, First Aid) •••, Occult •, Politics •, Science (Biology) ••
Physical Skills:

Rote Specialty (+1 to casting rolls)

Athletics •••, Brawl •••, Drive 0, Firearms 0, Larceny 0, Stealth 0, Survival (Navigation) •••, Weaponry ••
Social Skills: Animal Ken 0, Empathy •••, Expression (Oratory) •••,

Rote Specialty (+1 to casting rolls)

Intimidation 0, Persuasion (Inspiration) •••, Socialize •, Streetwise •, Subterfuge •

Merits:

$2000/month disposable income, $10,000 in assets

Resources •••,

+2 to Initiative

Quick Reflexes ••,

Your character is able to rally others in times of great distress, renewing their courage and determination in the face of adversity. Once per game session, your character can exhort those around him to redouble their efforts in the face of great stress or danger. Make a Presence + Persuasion roll. If the roll succeeds, any individuals who actively assist your character and who are within earshot regain one spent Willpower point (not to exceed their Willpower dots). The character may not use this Merit on himself, and may not use it on the same subjects more than once a day.

Inspiring ••••,

Some people see blood and pass out. Some people hear another person throwing up and get queasy. Your character can watch medicinal maggots being massaged into open, blackened wounds and feel nothing except a bit of curiosity. He never feels nauseated due to unpleasant things he sees in a medical setting, and receives a +2 bonus to any roll to keep composed when offered scenes of violence or carnage, or when exposed to horrific smells.

Tolerance for Biology •,

Your character has some experience working under sub-optimal conditions. With poor tools or the wrong tools, she can change a tire, repair a roof or perform an emergency tracheotomy. When you purchase this Merit, assign it to a particular Skill (e.g., Make Do: Crafts). Reduce all penalties stemming from poor or inappropriate tools by the number of dots you have in this Merit. You still must need and have some kind of tools to attempt the action (you can’t patch a tire or perform a tracheotomy with your bare hands), but you can scrape by with poor substitutes using this Merit. Note that this Merit does not add dice to your pool; this Merit negates penalties.

Make Do (Medicine) ••,

Your character can distance himself from the pain, grief and suffering of his fellow human beings long enough to help them. This might make him seem somewhat aloof, but it also means that he doesn’t second-guess himself when performing delicate surgery. The character ignores penalties stemming from stress equal to his Resolve rating. For instance, if an EMT is trying to perform an emergency tracheostomy while in a moving car with a werewolf on the roof, the EMT might normally suffer a –2 penalty from sheer emotional pressure. If he had this Merit and his Resolve were 2 or higher, he would take no penalty at all.

Emotional Detachment •
Status Affiliations Medical Community •, Adamantine Arrow ••
Friends Marcus •••••

Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 7

Health: 8
Initiative: 8
Defense: 3
Armor: 4/4 (Mage Armor)
Mental Shield: 2 (Mind Shield)
Speed: 10

Gnosis: 3
Arcana: Forces ••••, Life •••, Mind ••, Prime •
Rotes: Forces --

Wits + Composure + Forces

Nightsight,

Intelligence + Science + Forces

Tune In,

Stamina + Science + Forces

Unseen Shield,

Intelligence + Science + Forces

Bestow Unseen Shield,

Presence + Science + Forces

Control Fire,

Stamina + Survival + Forces

Fireproofing; Life --

Intelligence + Survival (plants) or Animal Ken (animals) or Medicine (people) + Life

Analyze Life,

Stamina + Medicine + Life

Cleanse the Body,

Intelligence + Medicine + Life

Healer's Trance,

Intelligence + Medicine + Life

Purify Bodies,

Wits + Medicine + Life

Banish Plague,

Composure + Medicine + Life

Healing Heart,

Resolve + Athletics + Life

Honing the Form; Mind --

Resolve + Occult + Mind

Mental Shield
Mana/Per Turn: 12/3
Legacy Attainments: 1st –

Like attracts like, and the Tamer of Fire who gains the first Attainment learns how to use his transformed nature to commune with flames and control them. Simply by talking to the flames, he can create an effect identical to the Forces 2 spell “Influence Fire” (see Mage: The Awakening, p. 166), except that the player rolls Presence + Expression + Forces to cast the spell. If he uses the fire to attack someone, the target’s Defense is subtracted from the roll. Optional Arcanum: Mind 2 This fiery sway extends to others. The fire, in its aspect of inspiration, reaches out to the inspiration of the people the mage communicates with. His charisma pays dividends. With impassioned rhetoric, he can influence the emotions of others as an instant action, an effect similar to the Mind 2 spell “Emotional Urging” (see Mage: The Awakening, p. 208), except that the mage rolls Presence + Persuasion + Mind, contested against the subject’s Composure + Gnosis.

Touch the Fire

Type: Vampire
Covenant: Circle of the Crone – Sipán.
Clan: Gangrel
Bloodline: Balam

Virtue: Faith. Jean LeNoir believes in the old gods and their influence, and this faith gives him comfort in modern times. Technology has changed, the world is much smaller than it was, and the mortal kine has multiplied a thousand-fold, but at the same time, it's not so different. Kindred god-nobles still rule from the shadows, even if they spurn the title, and blood and sacrifice still lets the world live, one day at a time. To LeNoir, the chaos and unpredictability of modern nights make perfect sense in ancient terms, and this knowledge gives him strength of purpose.
Vice: Gluttony. Let's be honest. It's not so hard to believe wholeheartedly in a faith that elevates you to the role of demigod, and where spilled blood flows down the temple steps into your waiting maw.



Name: Jean LeNoir

Age: Appears to be 19-20
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Skin Tone/Complexion: Dark Brown, slightly sun weathered
Hair Style: Long and past his shoulders, combed back over his head

Figure Notes: Jean LeNoir looks much like the full-blooded Nahua he is. He has an incredibly striking geometric cast to his face, with high cheekbones, a hawkish nose, and a sharply sloped forehead. He's not tall, he's not even that broad, but he makes up for it in being covered in muscle. His is not a bulky kind of figure, but the lean yet heavy muscle that comes from being an active warrior in the prime of his life. His body has a number of dark brown Aztec tattoos on them, most notably one that runs down the side of his face, from the forehead to the jaw. He also has a number of tattoos on his arms, legs, back, and hands, a black band around his right ankle, and a number of ritual or combat scars on his chest. Both his ears are pierced, and he'll wear turquoise studs in them, as well as a silver chin piercing as often as not. His nose is pierced, but he very rarely wears anything to show it. He is missing his right foot - usually.

Clothing Notes:For casual wear, LeNoir prefers relatively light and minimalistic clothing. Outfits vary between t-shirts and slacks, to tank tops and kilts or shorts, to just shorts or a kilt, depending on how likely he is to be yelled at for sticking out like a sore thumb. His right leg is usually wrapped with cloth, from the knee down to the ankle. As far as color schemes go, LeNoir likes black, white, and turquoise, but also has a distressing habit of wearing bright yellow or red, and on very unfortunate occasions, wears leopard print tanktops.

Accessories: A very, very, very large macahuitl, a gold and turquoise chimalli shield, an Aztec obsidian-bladed sacrificial knife. He wears a beaded turquoise and silver necklace around his neck. LeNoir wears a shiny black prosthetic foot to replace his missing one. He walks with a forearm crutch on his right arm.

Other: Jean is left handed.

Covenant: Circle of the Crone – Sipán.
Clan: Gangrel
Bloodline:

A proto-Brujah bloodline around the Yucatan Peninsula, same bloodline Discipline – Vigor – and the same weakness – severe penalty to hunger frenzies.

Balam

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

SMental Skills: Academics 2, Crafts 4, Investigation (Surveillance) 2, Medicine 1, Occult (Aztec Blood Sorcery) 3, Politics 2
PPhysical Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 3, Stealth 3, Survival (Tracking) 3, Weaponry ( Macahuitl) 5
TSocial Skills: Animal Ken 4, Empathy 1, Expression (Poetry) 3, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge (Feign Helplessness) 2

Merits: Common Sense (Extradimensional Situations) 3, Danger Sense 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Inhuman Resistance 3, Languages (English, French, Spanish; Native is Nahuatl) 3, Quick Draw (Melee) 1, Retainer (Xicohtencatl) 5, Shadow Cult Initiation (The Golden Room) 5, Shieldbearer 1, Status (City, Master of Elysium) 3, Status (Circle of the Crone) 2, Striking Looks 4

Shadow Cult Merits: Allies (The Golden Room) 6, Allies (Biomedical Corporations) 5, Allies (La Sociedad) 5, Allies (Grassic Lewis) 3, Allies (The Sparrowclaw Circle) 3, Contacts (Entertainment Industry, Finance, Government, Police, Medicine) 5, Friend (Jack Scarlet) 5, Friend (The Maestro) 3, Friend (Ermenjart la Charpentière) 3, Herd (Eager Cultists) 4, Resources 7, Retainers (The Men in Grey x8) 4 each
Shadow Cult Haven: One Canada Square; Size 3, Geomantic Nexus (Intelligence; Potency 3), Library (Interstitial Terrain, Secret Societies, Transhumanism) 3, Locus 1, Occultation 5, Ritual Area (Dimensional Nexus) 3, Secrecy 4, Security 4, Workshop (Surgery, Surveillance) 2

Willpower: 6
Humanity: 2
Derangements: Sanguinary Animism (Mild)
Banes:

Variation on Lunar Illumination. If LeNoir is in total darkness, his eyes seem to glow a greenish-yellow, with large pupils, imposing a -1 penalty to Stealth checks in full darkness. LeNoir's eyes also reflect the light like a cat's or owl's.

Jaguar's Eyes (Mild),

Variation on Must Wear White, if LeNoir doesn't have something that visibly came from an animal (a jaguar-skin cloak, a leather jacket, even just a feather), he feels out of sorts and suffers a -1 penalty to all rolls.

Must Wear Animal Skins (Mild),

Variation on Beast's Cowardice. The Beast wants its prey alive and wriggling. The vampire can only take blood from a victim that physically resists.

Beast's Bloodlust (Severe)

Initiative: 8 (10 w/ Celerity)
Defense: 4 (6 w/ Chimalli shield)
Armor: 2/4B (Dragon Skin)
Health: 10 (13 w/ Resilience) Note: Begins with 1A due to Sacrifice of Xipe Totec
Speed: 10 (30 w/ Celerity)
Flaw: Lame (-3 speed)

Blood Potency: 5
Disciplines: Animalism ●●●, Ars Speculorum ●●●●●, Blood Tenebrous ●, Celerity ●●, Crúac ●●●●, Obfuscate ●, Vigor ●●●, Resilience ●●●
Crúac Rituals: 1st :

Prophetic vision to answer a question, gain +2 to dice to investigate the image

Drops of Destiny,

+4 to Crafts or Expression to create a specific work of art

Fires of Inspiration,

Tapas to Brahma, +2 to Politics rolls for a scene, or +3 for rolls involving political domination or conquest

Offering to Tlaloc,

Tapas to Durga, gain +2 to Weaponry rolls involving traditional Aztec weaponry

Offering to Huitzilpochtli; 2nd:

Amemet’s Pursuit, requires small animal sacrifice, contested by Wits+Composure+SU, if the caster has the most successes, space rearranges itself so that if the victim tries to flee, he ends up running right back to the sorcerer. Lasts for one attempt, ends at the end of the scene if not used.

Tricks of Tezcatlipoca,

Cheval, penalized by Composure, ‘hijack’ the victim’s senses whenever the sorcerer wills, for (successes) nights.

Dreaming the Other,

Gora Mukhi, gain a fearsome visage, lose the ability to use Socialize or Persuasion for the rest of the night, but gain +4 to Intimidation, and all enemies take a -4 to initiative. For a further 1 vitae, grow 1L claws.

Visage of Itzpapalotl,

Kiss of Sethep, drain an exsanguinated corpse of an additional points of vitae equal to the victim’s stamina, leaving them mummified.

Kiss of Xipe Totec; 3rd:

Hand of Seth, requires a small animal sacrifice, expels a possessing spirit from a body, and forbids them from re-entering or re-possessing anyone for (successes) turns.

Hand of Tezcatlipoca,

Diana’s Blessing, receive a +4 bonus on all Stealth, perception, and Athletics (movement related only) rolls for one hour.

Huitzilpochtli’s Blessing,

Rain, invokes storms within 1 mile of the caster, inflicting up to -4 in penalties, or clear away up to -4 in penalties. After being invoked, the weather continues as normal and is in no way under the caster's control

Invoke Tlaloc,

Yggdrasil’s Feast, can only be cast on open soil. Victims within a 4-yard radius (caster can increase the radius by 1 yard per -1 penalty) begin to sink into the ground, at a rate of (successes) feet per turn, till a depth equal to the radius. Attempting to free oneself requires a Strength+Athletics roll at a (successes) penalty.

Sacrifice to Tlaloc; 4th

Bleeding the Tarantula, creates a bloody half-spirit cat, which has a poisonous bite with an attack roll of (successes).

Call Nagual,

Eye of the Norns, penalized by active concealing enchantments, see a vision of the person you most need to confront, without deception and showing the most important faces. Once the antagonist is finally confronted, gain 8-again on all rolls against him.

Smoking Mirror of Tezcatlipoca,

Blade of Tu’at, requires large animal sacrifice, weapon deals Agg damage to spirits or ghosts, in Twilight or the Material, blade dissolves at the end of the night.

Blade of Mictlantecuhtli,

Bless Sacrificial Knife, +2 to all Cruac rituals, but the knife cannot be used for any other purpose, including tools or combat (unless the ritual requires you to stab the target). Blessing lasts for a month.

Obsidian Blade.

Penalized by Composure, drink someone’s blood and take their shape. Works on supernaturals and animals, but transforms only the appearance of the body, not equipment or attributes. Can only be used in the same night as the feeding.)

Mask of Blood,

Sacrifice of Odin, take 1A damage and cut off tongue, hand, eye, or foot, but willpower spending has increased effects (+5 to an active roll, +3 to a resistance). Lasts until healed.

Sacrifice of Xipe Totec
Vitae: 14/2

Attacks................................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Macahuitl...........................6L..............15/25.............Latter number includes Vigor, Offering to Huitzilpochtli, and Reverberating Blade

Xicohtencatl
Type: Ghouled Jaguar
Regnant's Clan: Gangrel

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 5, Resolve 1
Physical Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation --, Composure 2

Skills: Athletics (Jumping) 4, Brawl 5, Empathy 2, Intimidation 3, Investigation 1, Occult 1, Stealth (Ambush) 5, Streetwise 3, Survival 4

Merits: Fast Reflexes 2, Fighting Style (

• Hunter's Eye Spend a turn observing your opponent to lower his defense for the remainder of the scene •• Slip Through Attack one turn for no damage to null opponents defense from next attack ••• Pounce If you roll more successes than the targets size it is knocked to the ground under you •••• Fury Make a claw and bite attack in the same turn, attacking two adjacent foes; Drawback: cannot use defense the same turn as maneuver ••••• Throat Tear Apply +3 bonus for Bite as automatic successes as opposed to dice roll bonus; Drawback: Costs 1 Willpower

Tooth and Claw) 5, Movement Style (

• Flow When running negate terrain penalties equal to dots, gauge jump distance reflexively •• Cat Leap When using Dex+Ath to reduce falling damage gain one suxx, and add dots to max damage reduction possible ••• Wall Run Use Athletics to climb at 10ft+5ft/dot as Instant Action, at a penalty of -1/10ft after the first 10ft •••• Expert Traceur When making Athletics rolls for running, jumping or climbing, may make a roll using Rote Action at cost of Defense

Parkour) 4, Perfect Stillness 1

Willpower: 3
Initiative: 8
Defense: 5
Health: 9 (11 w/ Resilience)
Size: 6
Speed: 18 (base 8) (21 w/ Vigor)

Disciplines: Vigor 3, Resilience 2
Vitae: 3/1

Attacks...........................Damage.....Dice Pool.....Special
Bite................................. 3(L).......... 14/17
Claw................................. 1(L).......... 12/15

Type Promethean
Lineage: Unique
Refinement: Argentum
Athanor: None yet
Profession: Postal worker, Satanist

The soul in question is one of the older ones, and it belongs to a British gentleman named Paige Benton, who was 28 years old in 1977, when he walked out of a jail cell in Brixton (when he wasn't supposed to be allowed out), and disappeared. Shortly thereafter, his soul took up residence in a cult-provided jar, and his face was in the files, and the body... well, the body was never found. According to most public records, Paige came from a modest, middle-income family, went to a technical university, got married while in college, and took up a job as a communications engineer at the BT Group, which is a telecommunications firm (though at the time it was just the General Post Office). Paige helped keep phones running, and was generally described as a very calm, very orderly sort of person.

The most comes about from the question of why he was in jail in the first place, which was that apparently back in 1977, the MPS busted an unusually loud party in the backroom of a club over in Southwark, and discovered that there was a slight case of copious alcohol, narcotics, a distinct lack of clothing, and someone had hanged a goat. It was a Labyrinth. The GotV set up a few of these, and according to their records, Paige had been involved with their group pretty much since college, (the specific labyrinth had been founded there and then), and was an absolutely splendid organizer, and a very cool liar. He managed to keep his professional life and marriage separate from his cultic activities for about nine years before the GotV pulled the plug on the Labyrinth.

According to the GotV's rather excellent records, Paige had a desire for transgression. He wanted to break the rules and thumb his nose at society, and never get caught or punished for it.

Bones of iron. Muscles of brass. Chains for the tendons. A goat's skull for the head. Lapis lazuli for the eyes, for power and wisdom. A silver tongue, with a fresh carnation set atop it. Inside the goat's skull, a copy of Duty - nestled within, a butterfly chrysalis, symbol of transcendence. Agate inlays on the skull, for organization. Flesh of earth and dust, mixed together with snake blood, cockerel blood, and the most potent wine and liquors I can find - Scorpion Mezcal, Asian Snake Wine, Absinthe, etc. Heart of solid gold. A garnet around the neck, for protection and loyalty.

A Winged Disk staff over the spine, imbued with a dream of flight. Three sets of wings on the back; a bat, a raven, and a dove. Sulfur in the chest and mouth, the symbol of fire. In the chest, a golden apple and a rose. For the lungs, and amphora, filled with burning incense. Copper for the genitals and ribs, symbol of Venus and Lucifer, the morning star. Goat hooves for feet. The left forearm, made of a scepter, the right hand, made of keys.

Type Promethean
Lineage: Unique
Refinement: Argentum
Athanor: None yet.

TMental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 2
SPhysical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
PSocial Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 5, Composure 4

TMental Skills: Academics 2, Investigation 2, Occult (Satanism) 1
SPhysical Skills: Athletics 2, Drive 2, Larceny 1, Stealth 3, Weaponry 1
PSocial Skills: Empathy (Find Weaknesses) 2, Intimidation 3, Persuasion 2, Socialize 1, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge (Lying) 4

Merits: Eidetic Memory 2, Emotional Detachment 1, New Identity 2, Residual Memory (Empathy, Intimidation, Persuasion, Subterfuge) 4, Resources 2,

Willpower: 6
Humanity: 4
Derangements: Suspicion (Mild)

Initiative: 6
Defense: 2
Health: 8
Speed: 10

Azoth: 3
Bestowments: Dreamwalker,

As Unholy Stamina, but for Composure

Unflappable
Transmutations: Contamination: Detect Impurity 1, Stress Cracks 1, Confession 2, Remove Inhibitions 3; Disquietism: Scapegoat 1, Nameless Dread 4; Sensorium: Translator’s Eye 1; Spiritus: Essence of Salt 1, Mask of Sorcery 1, Cloak of Sorcery 2, Sense of Sorcery 3
Pyros: 12/3

Humour: Paige’s Humour is very similar to the Osiran phlegmatic temperament. He rarely becomes visibly emotional and is unfailingly polite. Still waters run deep, however. He never forgets a slight (he doesn’t forget much of anything, really), and his perception of a person is heavily weight toward what he feels that person has done wrong, rather than the aggregate of how the person has treated him. It’s very easy to fall from his good graces, and almost impossible to get back in. It’s also almost impossible for someone to tell whether or not he’s in Paige’s good graces.
Wasteland: Galateid Wasteland. The loss of names is emphasized. The effects of Paige’s Wasteland are almost entirely non-physical. Scents seem off, and air becomes stale faster, but most people don’t feel inconvenienced until they start losing the ability to make connections in their minds between present and past or possibility and fact.
Disquiet: Frankenstein Disquiet. People suspect Paige, blame him for things he didn’t do and generally mistreat him. The buildup is much more subtle than with the Wretched, though; people are more likely to talk about him behind his back or speak to him sarcastically than actually accuse him of anything.
Torment: Paige’s Torment leads him to exact revenge on anyone who has wronged him, but he retains full use of his faculties. Traps, complicated betrayal schemes and emotional abuse are all acceptable (even preferable) expressions of his Torment.

Type: Blood-Bather
Profession: Cattle baron, fanatical worshipper of Tezcatlipoca

Don Javier Velásquez believes. He didn't always. His family had owned their estates deep in the south of Mexico since the Conquest, or so the family legendry goes. Velásquez was the eldest son, born in 1922. His family weathered the Depression and two World Wars, and Javier was groomed to take over the family business. He attended school at Harvard, recieving a MBA, and in 1958 became the head of the family estates upon the death of his father.

Then came the Black Sun. On March 7th, 1970, the moon passed in front of the sun, in the longest North American eclipse of the century. For most, it was a moment to stare and gawk, but in the Black Sun, Javier Velásquez saw something else. He saw the Smoking Mirror, Tezcatlipoca, and saw the old ways of the Aztec and Mexica being lost, and saw the end of the Fifth World at hand. Some few would be spared, but the world would be destroyed by an awe-inspiring earthquake when Tezcatlipoca returned to earth.

Ever since that day, Velásquez has recieved visions and omens from his god. It would be easy to dismiss him as simply a madman, a paranoid schizophrenic with a messiah complex. Except his visions get results. Following the visions, he formed a cult, multiplied his family wealth ten-fold by means of the drug trade, and learned old sorceries that would let him live forever. The rest of La Sociedad consider their founder somewhat odd, but a visionary and a prophet.

Velásquez is a funny kind of fanatic, in that he's a self-interested, fatalistic fanatic. Tezcatlipoca will return, and nothing Velásquez or anyone else can do about it. But he will need generals, he will need priests, and who better than his most faithful servant, Don Javier Velásquez? Velásquez will carry the shield of Tezcatlipoca, and stand at his god's right hand. That is what he waits for. Everything else, from sanity to morality to the rule of law is secondary to the reality of Tezcatlipoca.

Type Blood-Bather

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

SMental Skills:Academics (Aztec Mythology) 2, Computer 2, Medicine 1, Occult 3, Politics (Business Management) 5, Science 1
TPhysical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Firearms 2, Larceny 2, Survival 3, Weaponry 1
PSocial Skills: Animal Ken 2, Empathy 4, Expression 2, Intimidation (Fanatical Rants) 4, Persuasion 3, Socialize (Host) 3, Streetwise (Drugs) 4, Subterfuge (Spot Lies) 3

Merits: Allies (Federal Government) 4, Allies (Drug Cartels) 5, Allies (Local Police) 5, Allies (Coyotes/Human Traffickers) 5, Contacts (Federales, local merchants, shipping companies, the Catholic church, the press) 5, Destiny (Bane: Quetzalcoatl) 4, Dream 5, Resources 6, Retainers (Cultists/Narco Thugs x6) 2 each, Shadow Cult Initiation (

Free Academics specialty (Aztec Mythology), Resources and Allies in the Mexican government, business, or criminal communities cost 1/2; Dream Merit +3

La Sociedad del Sol Negro) 5, Status (Drug Cartels) 3, Striking Looks 4
Lair: La Hacienda del Sol Negro / The City of the Black Sun; Size 5, Library (Aztec Lore) 1, Ritual Area (Aztec Blood Magic) 3, Security 3, Secrecy 3

Willpower: 7
Morality: 2
Derangements: Narcissism (Mild), Homocidal Addiction (Severe)

Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Health: 8
Speed: 10

Bath: Specific Material (Huge stone temple) -5, Symbols & Carvings (Aztec glyphs) -1, Attendants (Six worshippers) -5, The Stars are Right (Aztec Feast-Days) -2
Blood: Race, Color, or Creed (Ethnic Nahua) 0, Coat the Skin +2, Drained to Death -5, Fresh -3
Effects:

Velasquez does not age so long as the ritual is in effect, and is immune to non-supernatural disease. He recieves a +5 bonus to resist supernatural disease.

Immortal +5,

Velasquez has a mesmerizing, predatory quality. He recieves a +3 modifier on all social rolls meant to seduce, persuade, or distract

Intoxicating Presence +2,

Javier Velasquez can send haunting, terrifying dreams that kill. In order to do this, Velasquez needs an intimate sympathetic link (either a prized personal possession, or a drop of blood, hair, or similar), and must conduct a night-long ritual that includes a human sacrifice. This sends a dream vision outwards, which functions as a sympathetic-range, supernatural poison-attack with a Toxicity equal to the sacrifice's health (Velasquez usually uses tough men, so Toxicity 8).

Dreams the Kill +4,

Velasquez has an intuitive link to the birds and beasts of Mexico. He may communicate with them, and gains a +3 modifier to all Animal Ken rolls. However, his communication is limited by the intelligence of the animal.

Lord of Beasts +1,

Velasquez can return from death, provided that his body is relatively intact (being burned to ash, or being dismembered and the parts separated would kill him permanently, but a knife-stab or a gunshot wound are more aggravating than lethal). Velasquez heals 1 aggravated damage per hour after death.

Return from Death +5,

Velasquez always looks handsome, young, and vigorous, as per the 4-dot merit of the same name.

Striking Looks +1,

Velasquez recovers from wounds extremely quickly. Bashing damage heals at 1B per turn, Lethal at 1L per 15 minutes, and Aggravated at 1A per day.

Regeneration +4,

If Velasquez misses two rituals in a row, he dies.

Life-Bound -3,
Frequency: Semiannually, 0 [But see below].
Preparation: Simple Blood, 0 [Technically the victim's heart]

Note: While mechanically, Velasquez is a blood bather, his ritual functions by carrying out mock-Aztec sacrifices, ripping out hearts and consuming them.

He conducts four sacrifices a year, on high Aztec feast-days. Should Velasquez miss a single sacrifice, then for the next three months (roughly), he is plagued with horrific nightmares, sees black omens, and has his powers fail him at inconvenient (but never fatal) times. In short, it is made very clear to him that Someone is unhappy. Should Velasquez fail a second sacrifice in a row, his life and soul are forfeit.

Cultists and Narco-Thugs

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

Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Knife) 4, Firearms 4, Larceny (Breaking & Entry) 2, Survival 1, Weaponry 2
Social Skills: Intimidation 2, Streetwise (Drugs) 2, Subterfuge 1

Merits: Fast Reflexes 1, Fighting Style ([ooc=Dirty Fighting]If Brawl successes exceed composure, the target loses the next action; may use small weapons with Brawl; may spend 1WP to ignore wound penalties for a round) 3, Resources 1, Shadow Cult Initiation (

Free Academics specialty (Aztec Mythology)

La Sociedad del Sol Negro) 1, Status (Drug Cartels) 1,

Willpower: 2
Morality: 2

Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Health: 7
Speed: 11

Attacks.......................Damage.........Dice Pool.....Special
Mini-Uzi.......................2L....................9................Range 30/60/120, Capacity 32, Fully Auto 2(2/3/4)
Flaying knife……...........1L.....................9...............If successes exceed target's composure, Stun
Grapple......……...........N/A...................7...............

Background Ove showed signs of the Vice that would come to rule his life from an early age. The time other children spent outside riding bikes, playing sports and climbing trees, Ove spent playing video games, munching on pizza and guzzling soft drinks. His room was an ongoing disaster that threatened to spill over into the rest of the house and, more than once, his family had to bug bomb the house to get rid of the pests attracted by Ove’s habit of stuffing leftover pizza crusts under his bed. His schoolwork was average, never bad enough to earn him wrath, but never good enough for praise either. Ove just kind of drifted through school with a C average and when he moved on to college he continued the trend. He signed up for a curriculum of Pharmacology classes (his best grades had always been the Bs in Science) and it was one of his collegiate buddies who introduced him to real drugs.

The only good explanation for why Ove hadn’t come into contact with drugs before college was his general apathy for seeking out new forms of entertainment that didn’t come in shrink-wrapped packages. Once introduced, though, drugs became the first real passion in Ove’s life. They were something he could do while playing games or hanging out with the group of friends he’d accumulated. In an odd sort of way, the desire to find drugs forced Ove to become social, breaking him out of his shell. To his surprise, Ove found that making friends was easy for him.

In a happy coincidence, the classes Ove was taking at college dovetailed nicely into his new interest. He became curious about the whys and hows of drug manufacturing and his grades soared to nearly acceptable levels. Upon graduation, Ove went to work for a chain of drugstores, peddling prescriptions to old-timers and the ill. His job was merely a means to an end, however, as his real passion remained experimentation with “party drugs.” By his late twenties, Ove had tried every kind of social drug easily available and was beginning to get bored with the whole scene. It was his girlfriend, Sherice, who persuaded him to put his education to work and design a new drug. So, in his usual desultory style, Ove experimented with combining drugs in new and different ways. Unsurprisingly, progress was slow.

For his thirtieth birthday, Sherice bought Ove a large supply of a plant harvested by natives of the Amazon. According to the seller’s description, the plant was used in the shamanistic vision quests of the tribes. Ove deconstructed the chemical composition of the plant and figured out a way to extract the hallucinogen. Cutting the stuff with opiates to ensure a mellow ride, Ove mixed up a batch of his first true pharmacological experiment and, along with an enthusiastic Sherice, tested the finished product. At first, the drug seemed an unbelievable success. It enhanced tactile sensation to mind-numbing heights. Visual and auditory stimuli were softened. Sharp edges lost their focus and the sounds of traffic became a soothing lullaby that promised serenity. Then they started to come down.

The first sign something was wrong was the cramps that made them squirm in pain. Sweat from a fever came soon after, followed by violent nausea. Simultaneously wracked by cramps, near-delirious from fever and subjected to painful dry heaves, Sherice quite simply went mad. She staggered out of their bedroom and, engrossed in his own misery, Ove didn’t follow. He lay in bed, reeking of sweat for another hour before deciding maybe he should check on his girlfriend. He found her lying dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood, wrists slashed upwards in long crimson smears, a filleting knife still clutched in one hand. In that moment of awful discovery, a demon of Sloth called Pagor entered his soul and Ove was too lazy to keep him out.

Not long after he settled in London (Leeds having gotten entirely too tense given that the police had some pointed questions regarding Sherice’s death), Ove went back to work at creating a new kind of designer drug. This time, thanks to Pagor, he had the knowledge of centuries to assist him in his work. Drawing equally upon occult texts, his pharmacological knowledge and carefully cultivated herbology contacts, Ove created a party drug with the qualities of ecstasy, LSD and heroin. Ove sells this special drug, which he calls Hook, only to repeat, trusted customers who express a desire for something new. Chemically, the drug appears no different than dozens of other designer drugs, but written into its composition are Infernal signs and symbols that exalt Pagor.

His first experiment in creating a chemical prayer were a resounding success. Hook is virtually a chemical Malapraxis; each time it’s ingested the demonic traces race through the bloodstream of the user, acting like a prayer wheel devoted to the worship of Pagor. Soon, it was time for Ove to start working on his next endeavor.

Pagor wanted to get back into Heaven, and Ove was going to help him do just that. A narcotic exaltation, a feeling of such surpassing beauty and grace that it would cause the user to ascend to Heaven. Ove would call this new drug Seal, for it was the seals of heaven that it would replace.

Type Possessed

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

PMental Skills: Academics (Theology) 2, Crafts 2, Medicine 3, Occult (Demonology) 4, Science (Pharmacology) 4
TPhysical Skills: Larceny 2, Stealth 1, Weaponry (Improvised Weaponry) 2
SSocial Skills: Empathy 2, Persuasion (Pusher Jive) 4, Socialize 3, Streetwise (Drugs) 3, Subterfuge 3

Merits: Allies (Criminal) 3, Allies (Club) 2, Encyclopedic Knowledge 0, Fighting Style (

May roll Wits+Weaponry to pick up a 1L, Size 1, Durability 2 weapon (2L, Size 2, Durability 2 on a ES) as a reflexive action; May use Structure (Size+Durability) as armor versus melee attacks, but damage dealt to the character is also treated as damage to the structure of the weapon, bypassing durability; May sacrifice Structure points to gain bonus damage, up to the max of the weapon’s structure (thus destroying it)

Improvised Weaponry) 3, Languages (French, Latin, Greek; Aramaic, Dacian, Minoan) 3, New Identity (Julian Merry) 2, Resources 3, The Dragon’s Tongue 2, Unseen Sense (Demons) 0

Lair: Suburban Concealed Lab; Size 2, Library (Demonology, Pharmaceuticals, Angelology, Visions & Omens) 4, Security 1, Workshop (Pharmaceuticals) 1

Willpower: 7
Infernal Will: 3
Morality: 6

Initiative: 6
Defense: 2 (5 w/ Swarmskin)
Health: 8
Speed: 9

Vices: Gluttony •, Lust •, Pride •, Sloth •••
Vestment: Gluttony:

Ove may consume poisons and toxins up to a Toxicity of 5 without feeling any ill effects. For poisons with more potent Toxicity, he simply subtracts 5 from the Toxicity level to determine its new rating.

Unnatural Consumption •; Lust:

+1 to all Social Rolls, with a +3 to Seduction rolls

Prurient Perfume •; Pride:

When using Science to fulfill his Vice or advance his demon’s goal, Ove gains the Rote Action quality.

Supremacy (Science) •; Sloth:

Every day, Ove may select between a -1 to a -5 penalty to take on all physical actions, and in exchange receives a commensurate +1 to +5 penalty to all mental actions.

Ease of Thought •,

Ove receives a +2 to any social roll involving getting someone else to do work for him.

Cut Price Effort •,

The time for all Extended Academics and Investigation rolls for Ove is cut in half.

Instant Gratification •,

Everyone within (Morality x5) of Ove suffers a -6 penalty to their speed

Radius of Langour ••,

Clouds of fat, black flies swarm around Ove, giving him a +3 to defense.

Swarmskin ••,

While this Vestment is active, Ove gains the power of telekinesis. The character can lift objects of up to Size 5 that weigh 200 lbs or less. Skill rolls to manipulate objects with telekinesis replace Physical Attributes with corresponding Mental Attributes (Intelligence for Strength, Wits for Dexterity, Resolve for Stamina). Firing a gun, therefore, would become a Wits + Firearms roll. Unarmed physical attacks made with telekinesis ignore Defense, but not Armor and deal bashing damage. A faint smell of brimstone fills the air for the duration of the Vestment

Idle Hands •••,

Ove conveys a psychic blanket of apathy that is nearly impossible to escape. Everyone within 3 yards of Ove suffers a -3 penalty to all actions from the crushing depression. Additionally, the first turn Ove activates this power, everyone within its range must make a Resolve+Stamina roll or else be locked into inaction by the pointlessness of it all.

Miasma •••

Attacks........................................Damage.....Dice Pool...........Special
Telekinetic Weapon.................... 1L................ 14+3................Size 1, Durability 2, Structure 3
Telekinetic Weapon (ES)............. 2L................ 15+4................Size 2, Durability 2, Structure 4

Notes: Ove uses Ease of Thought at -5/+5, to dramatically increase his mental abilities at the cost of rolling a chance dice on most physical activities.

Seeming: Elemental
Kith: Waterborn
Court: Winter

Goods and Services: Water-pottery. Brooke creates pottery made from pure "solid water." Food and drink eaten off one of her dishes tastes fresher and crisper than food from a typical plate. She mostly makes plates, bowls, and cups, but she makes other vessels upon commission. Her vases can keep cut flowers alive for months and her bottles make wine very tasty.

Brooke is also a major source of news. She spends much of her free time by the sea, listening to the stories the ocean brings. Though her news is not always accurate, she is happy to tell people anything she has heard.

Appearance: Brooke is slender and wavy. Her curves seem to flow effortlessly down her sea-green body with a smoothness that belies her fae nature. When she is out of the water, her dark blue hair looks wet and cascades in smooth, slick cataracts over one shoulder. Under the water, her hair fans out behind her, swaying gently in the currents. Brooke has three pearls embedded in her forehead, which give her an odd, alien appearance at first glance. She has webbing between her fingers.

Brooke wears coral and pearl jewelry and a gown made of shimmering seafoam. Out of the Market, she's sometimes seen wearing swimsuits or sarongs.

Roleplaying Notes: Brooke is a pleasant merchant when she's at her Market stall. She is able to catch your eye without being flashy and she knows how to press for a sale without being pushy. She believes her work speaks for itself, so she watches viewers to see what their eyes linger on. Then she seizes the moment and tells them the story of whatever dish the customer seems interested in. Each dish is just a little different, and many of them have wavy ocean patterns or bits of shells, stone, sand, or kelp plastered into them. If someone looks closely enough, he could swear the seaweed sways just slightly, or the sand swirls just under the surface.

Brooke loves stories and music. The price for many of her dishes is a new tale or song. For some of her rarer goods, she requests more concrete and still more ephemeral goods. A sound in a bottle, a memory of a tale, a painting made by music. She will also accept musical instruments, storybooks, and sheet music as payment. Over the years, she has accumulated a modest collection of valuable and intriguing books and instruments.

She is a bit of a gossip, and enjoys eavesdropping. She spends her free time listening to the ocean talk to her, and she sees the throngs of Market customers as another sea to learn from. When she has no immediate customers, she listens to the ebb and flow of conversation around her. Brooke invites customers to tell her things, especially commission customers, so that she can better know how to accommodate their personalities. She has learned how to patiently encourage people to talk to her, not because she wants their secrets, but because she wants their stories.

There is a bit of sorrow in her life that led her to the Winter Court. Brooke craves stories because everyone else's stories seem so much more interesting by comparison to her own. Her humanity was abruptly severed by her Keeper so she could survive underwater. She has blocked out the rest of her memories of Arcadia, but she sometimes feels like her life is empty without those stories, however painful. Hearing others helps fill that void.

Brooke's stall is located next to Light-in-Darkness's mini-emporium. The two have a friendly rivalry, despite selling vastly different products. Occasionally the two put on silly performances for visitors, where Light-in-Darkness's army of small, fiery creatures "invades" Brooke's fortress of water before being valiantly repelled. Each time, the tale is a little different. The two have been putting on the show for years and it has deviated quite far from the original production. If either changeling notices this, neither seems to mind.

Brooke is romantically involved with Newton, with whom she has found great joy. The two escaped Arcadia together, and Newton helps Brooke fill that void in her heart. She holds on to the tale of their escape, her only clear memory of Arcadia, and treasures it deeply.