Name: Maximilian Cotto
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Species: Human

Appearance: Max is Caucasian. He is very tall, around 6'7”, but also very thin at 150 pounds, giving him a gaunt and stretched-out look. His hair is dark and longish, but very well cared-for, as are his nails and teeth- he practices excellent hygiene. His sedentary habits and indoors lifestyle have resulted in pale skin and red-rimmed eyes (brown in color). Max wears expensive and well-made clothing, but it is not flashy or ostentatious- conservative gray and blue suits are his preference.

Background: Maximilian Cotto is the youngest of four siblings, the heirs to the Sephardic Jewish Cotto family of Seattle. Not quite old money but not quite noveau, the Cottos were nonetheless very wealthy due to their real estate business and other investments. Max had no real need to work due to a sizable trust fund, and no real interest in the family business, which his father and older siblings handled. From childhood, Max was a bookish sort, an avid reader who was always interested in learning new things and with a special fascination in secret knowledge.

After graduating with a degree in philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley, Max left the country for what was something of a Cotto family tradition- traveling Europe and Israel to learn about Jewish history and tradition. While the family was not observant, they had deep respect for their roots. Max, with no real goals beyond scholarship, found the idea edifying and readily agreed. It was in a beer cellar in Prague that his life took a strange and improbable turn.

Fresh from visiting the museums, synagogues, and cemeteries of the ancient city, Max stopped in for a beer after a long day. Looking to practice his Czech, he got to talking to the man seated next to him, a fellow Jew and a Kabbalah student, one of the Jewish scholars who study mysticism and miracles. The two hit it off and ended up spending most of the night pounding back Staropramen beer and juniper brandy. Finally, after too many drinks, the Kabbalist (Max never caught his name) asked with a twinkle in his eye if Max wanted to see something really cool. He led Max outside into a quiet alleyway, used a piece of chalk to draw a triangle on the cobblestones, and to Max' utter disbelief, summoned a demon. The encounter hardly lasted a minute, as the Kabbalist asked a few mocking questions of the shadowy and otherworldly figure before sending it back with a perfunctory few words. The other man laughed it off, led them back inside for more beer. Max, however, was transfixed. For all his knowledge, all his learning, here was something he was wholly unprepared for. His interest and excitement were piqued. Despite his strict itinerary for Prague, Max began reading and learning as much as he could about the art of demonology. More popular and accessible texts pointed him in the direction of more obscure works. His interest only grew on his visits to Odessa and Jerusalem- in these places, he found that the Kabbalist schools often attracted Jews interested in learning true mysticism. There was genuine magic practitioners on the fringes of these esoteric schools, and Max learned much from them.

Upon returning to Seattle after two years abroad, it was with a new purpose that Max renewed his scholarship in earnest. Using the burgeoning Internet, he was able to find more books and information on the subject of demonology. When that failed, he made frequent trips abroad to learn more, finding new scholars to study alongside, new libraries to do occult research, new catacombs and abandoned homes to comb through for yet another secret diary or forgotten text. To his family and the general public, it was assumed he was just another Kabbalist, a Jew spending their life in study of holy books. He was written off as a useless and cuddly member of an otherwise respectable family, a jobless eccentric. Max put in rare appearances in Seattle high society. Max spent twenty years cultivating this image while building a massive library of more than 1600 occult books (while the number sounds impressive, several are repeats, several are fraudulent, and a good percentage are tame garden-variety occult books you can find at Barnes and Noble) and learning more about the art of demonology. Other magicians in the Seattle area eventually started to use him a resource, coming to him to peruse his library or ask questions of a demon, even asking him to perform the odd exorcism.

Over the years, Max has had numerous offers from various occult organizations to join their ranks, all of which he has turned down in order to lead his preferred life of asceticism and pure research. However, things have changed very recently, with the death of his father Solomon. After the appropriate period of shivah, his oldest brother Aaron (the new head of the Cotto real estate business) dropped some very obvious hints about Max finding a useful job or losing his trust fund. Unwilling to lose his funding for his research, Max dug out a months-old job offer from Wells and Raick and replied in the affirmative- they had been the most persistent in courting him, so he figured if anyone was owed a response it was that particular firm. The reply was almost immediate- while the West Coast positions had been filled, they had work if he was willing to relocate to Maine. With the death of his father on his mind and his position as the black sheep of the family even more apparent now, Max figure he could use a change, and so moved to Belfast.


Current Life: Max only accepted employment with Wells and Raick a month ago, and as such his time has been spent settling into Belfast. He's bought a rambling old house (cash up front, no loans, no mortgage) on the outskirts of town and has been supervising a few renovations to accommodate his library and modernize the kitchen (the man likes to cook, and substandard equipment just won't do). Other parts of his free time have been used on exploring Maine, day trips to Portland, Orono, Augusta, Brunswick, and Bangor to find bookshops that might get him a rare text, as well as specialty groceries and importers that will get his favorite beers from Europe. At work he has been diligent but quiet, not really getting to know any of his coworkers just yet. A little shy, he's the type to just keep his head down and get through the day, and since no major challenges have come his way he hasn't really made much of an impact on people yet. On the whole, though, he is content with his new life.

Personality: Max is typically quiet and introverted, to the point of being a little shy and awkward. That's not to say he's unfriendly or rude, however, and he believes strongly in hospitality- anyone coming to visit him at his home will find a cold beer and a hot meal in front of them in short order. Having grown up in a wealthy family, Max enjoys the finer things in life- good clothes, food, furnishings, and so on, with a special interest in beer. His focus is largely put on his magical studies and research, however. Max views demonology not as a means to an end, like some unscrupulous types, but as knowledge for the sake of knowledge. His desire to learn more may sometimes lead him into conflict with conventional morality, though.

Max is privately terrified that one day one of the demons he confronts will get the better of him, and either possess him or trick him into service. Accordingly, he acts with a great abundance of caution around them, with a healthy respect for their power.

Schools of Study: Max has devoted himself full-time to demonology for the past twenty years, and he knows that in this time he has hardly scratched the surface. His large library of occult texts has given him general and passing familiarity with other schools, but this knowledge is purely theoretical rather than practical- a good allegory might be someone who can recognize different makes of cars but doesn't know how to drive. Unlike many demonologists, he eschews a familiar but pays the cost in fatigue. Major spells drain him greatly and he often requires a period of rest before doing anything else. Too much strain at once would be ruinous to his health.

Specialization: Max has specialized in the summoning and contact of demons, as well as demonic possession and exorcism.

Spells:

Wards- Max is able to construct barriers or lines that can hold demons and other supernatural entities at bay, though powerful ones can batter through them. These are usually marked by chalk lines or piles of salt, though other methods may be used.

Summoning- With the proper incantations and precautions, Max may summon the demon of his choice to the mortal plane, typically to ask for a favor or information. Kabbalist Summoning, Max' preferred method, does not require the aid of a familiar but it is a taxing and stressful experience for the conjurer.

Exorcism- More or less the opposite of Summoning, Max can also force a demon to return to its home. If he did not personally Summon it, though, this is often a lengthy and difficult process. In particularly troublesome cases he may require several assistants.

Arrows of Buer- It's a dangerous world out there, and so Max keeps one purely offensive spell ready to go, though he dislikes using it. With this ability, Max may fire an arrow of pure arcane force at his foes, strong enough to put a hole through a truck's engine block. However, since it greatly drains his stamina, he cannot keep up a barrage of arrows for long.

Abilities:

Polyglot- Max has a talent for languages- he can speak and read English, Hebrew, Russian, and Czech fluently. He reads Arabic, German, French, Aramaic, Spanish, Romanian, and Yiddish but does not speak them.

Research- Thanks to the resource of his personal library of grimoires and other books, Max is able to readily do research on a variety of occult topics.

Equipment:

Notebook- Max is a man who wants to learns as much as possible, and as such is often taking notes on anything he encounters. Specifically, he has several incantations for summoning specific demons, as well as reference charts of reliable demons and their attributes.

Smartphone- It's still the 21st century, after all.

Pocket Ouija- It's crude and unsafe, but it works well enough for making limited and brief contact with otherworldly entities.

Hand of Miriam- Max wears a simple steel Hand of Miriam necklace, like many other Sephardic Jews. He doesn't actually know if it genuinely protects from evil spirits, but hey, why not?

Bag of Salt- Max carries around a plastic quart bag of purified rock salt, which allows him to quickly construct a Ward or magic triangle in a pinch.

Shofar- A bugle made from the horn of a ram and the principal tool of a Kabbalist exorcism. The sound of one being blown is anathema to demons.

Smith and Wesson 629- The snub-nosed revolver isn't for use against demons, that would be stupid and pointless. Rather, it's a last resort, one final and permanent way to prevent himself from being possessed- an ever-present danger in his line of work.

---

N A M E
Jacques Baron

A G E
25 (244, technically)

G E N D E R
Male

S P E C I E S
Demon-tainted Human

A P P E A R A N C E
Jacques stands at 6'5", and sports a rather skinny build -not terribly out of shape, but not powerful by any stretch of the imagination. Too skinny to be considered conventionally attractive, yet not hard on the eyes either. One of his more notable physical features is his lack of a right arm. Nothing but a stump at his shoulder, it was long ago replaced with a robotic prosthetic in sleek black and grey. The flesh surrounding his stump is ashen and leathery, resembling that of a corpse. Perhaps even more noteworthy than the prosthetic are his tattoos -intricate designs and sigils that wrap and twist around his body. They span from just below his neck to his waist, winding down his good arm just to the elbow. While they appear first to be tattoos, closer inspection reveals them to be iridescent lines of crystal embedded in his flesh. His face has a small scar less than an inch across just above his right eye. His eyes themselves sport dark brown irises, easily mistaken for black in poor lighting. Dark circles wreath his eyes, accenting bags caused by stress and lack of sleep.

Typically, Jacques is seen dressed well. Day to day, he is seen wearing a full suit -most commonly full white, with a silky black button up, and a vest of some varying color from day to day. Depending on the occasion, he may or may not put in the effort to wear a tie, though this is a rare sight. When feeling more casual, he will leave behind the suit jacket, rolling the sleeves of his button ups to the elbow. When wearing this more casual outfit, he tends to wear black slacks and white button up more often than the reverse. On his wrist he sports a shiny platinum watch, with a minimalistic face of simply two hands. Ever present in his robotic hand is a walking cane -simple black design, topped with a silver grip.

One looking at Jacques would notice first his seemingly laissez-faire attitude. In standing, he leans back to form an oddly obtuse angle with the ground at almost all times. Given a wall, counter of suitable height, or a table, he'll be seen using it for support. When such a crutch isn't available, Jacques puts his weight on the cane he carries so frequently. Everything he does, from speaking to walking, he does at an almost infuriatingly slow pace. His movements and words are always carefully measured, a necessary precaution to prevent any incidents relating to his extreme clumsiness.

B A C K G R O U N D
The year, 1788. The place, France. A country on the verge of revolution faces problems far deeper rooted than the overturning of a king. Beneath the streets, hidden in the shadows, an ancient demon of immeasurable power stirred. Likely the cause of the raising chaos in the region, the demon known only to a very few locals as Baron had gone unchecked for far too long. A cult of demonologists live at the fringe of the city, shunned as witches, plot a solution to the utterly inevitable downfall of France, and likely all of Europe after that.

Plans were drawn, and resources were collected by the witches, who set a massive pyre in the square of Paris. Along with the fire and a thousand arcane reagents was the sacrifice of thirteen children -each child hand picked to be innocent and of pure bloodline. The demon, taking notice of the plot against him, reared an ugly head from the shadows to disrupt the ritual. Baron; however, was not the only one who seemed disapproving of the ritual. Records of history have expunged all note of the demons presence -those who recall the events from memory will more than likely fail to recall that which came to stop the demon. Tales passed down from generation to generation describe it only as a burst of light from the sky -simultaneously taking the sacrifices to safety and smiting down the demon. Fools regard it as an angel -those who know better believe it to simply be a more powerful demon.

New York, New York, 1923. A young child aged no more than ten is found wandering the streets, pale and wasting away, right arm missing. As luck would have it, or possibly fate, a philanthropist of a man was the first to find the boy, and took him in. A lawyer by trade, at least on paper, the man was in possession of far more... interesting talents off of the books. A master of the arcane, the lawyer by name of Frank Murdoch was a generous benefactor. Though he was able to teach his new prodigy the secrets of the arcane after introducing him to the world of magic, he never did give lessons on other schools of magic. Mr. Murdoch took special note of the boys interest towards morphology in particular. Their companionship was regrettably short lived -Mr. Murdoch made rather regrettable deals with some shady characters. When Frank was unable to pay a debt, the debtors came in storm. Realizing his time was coming to a rather swift end, Frank left the world in one final act of selflessness -sacrificing himself to hide away and save the child.

Though the debtors came with a violent vengeance, they appeared to be satisfied on taking the life of Frank Murdoch and moved on after his blood was spilled. This left the young boy, a teenager now, heartbroken and alone. Whisked away from his life under unknown circumstances, only to have his new life torn away from him in a bloody mess. Had his relationship with Murdoch been stormy? Absolutely, the two seemed to disagree at every turn. But still, he loved Frank like a father, and was devastated at his loss. Depressed, he spent years locked away within the estate of Mr. Murdoch, studying all he could from the plethora of knowledge stacked on bookshelves. Though he briefly skimmed through all schools of magic, he was determined that Diabolism was the only place he would find the cure to his woes, and a way to save the life of his father.

Eventually, Jacques' sweet memories of Frank Murdoch turned bitter, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Years of dealings with various demons gained him naught but pain and suffering, and he soon saw his 'father' to be at fault. He felt betrayed, abandoned by the man, and made an oath to himself to trust no one. He dedicated years of study to the study of self-transformation through morphology, inspired by his time surrounded by demons to make himself powerful, even moreso than the devils of legend. After much time dedicated to perfecting this art, Jacques found his scars only deepened after his training. In the rather mislead belief that only time now could heal his scars, Jacques found an arcane ritual from his fathers books -one to put him into an impenetrable stasis for a lifetime.

On his awakening, Jacques found himself in an entirely alien world. A small town by the coast -Belfast, Main, appeared to be his new home. The year 2016(?) and he had no idea how he had been moved to this small town, but he was soon confronted by Seph Kane and Markiel Relov, seemingly intrigued by the time-travelling morphologist. His skills in mixing and mingling the Arcane arts and Shifting arts were something prodigal, and almost unheard of.



C U R R E N T L I F E
While not officially on the payroll of Wells & Raick, Jacques has been in contact with the firm excessively. As of late, he has been rather reclusive, spending the bulk of his time acclimating to the new world as well as honing his skills.

P E R S O N A L I T Y
Jacques' apparent laissez-faire attitude evident in simply looking at him is, more than anything else, a facade. One of his most prominent traits is his fake indifference. That being said, he tends to have trouble understanding consequences, instead seeking out instant gratification. He also has trouble taking things seriously. He makes wisecracks whenever he deems it fit, whether or not it is truly tasteful. Linked rather closely to his careless attitude is a chronic sense of boredom that plagues Jacques. Jacques has trouble finding interest in anything that doesn't show immediate results, and gets bored quickly with things and even people who don't further his goals.

Even then, Jacques' personality also shows a careful, measured side. His big picture skills are rather lacking, but in the face of immediate danger he is ever present, acting and reacting only with the utmost precision, as long as his relative clumsiness doesn't get in his way, that is. His paranoia is likely his greatest asset in this -having so much experience with demons has taught him to be paranoid of everything. Nothing is true until it's done as far as Jacques is concerned. Because of this paranoia induced stress, Jacques is often pushed to make impulsive decisions on the spot, often dangerous calls, despite seeming calculated and in control.

Hand in hand with this impulsive behavior comes his most dangerous trait -years of suffering and trials, has given him a deadly temper. He often has a rather inappropriate rage in reaction to relatively small transgressions. He has trouble controlling this often unsanctioned anger, especially when in reaction to perceived threats -he follows closely the philosophy of shoot first, ask questions later.

Of course, there is more to Jacques than just these negative traits. Though he has trouble putting enough effort into anything to care, when he finds a person whom he truly cares for, he is unfalteringly loyal. Despite his anger issues, vengeful is not a word one would use to describe Jacques. He is very forgiving, even of those who directly betray him. On a more general note, Jacques truly enjoys happiness. If he's in a good mood and sees an opportunity to make someone smile or laugh, he will take it happily. Seeing others sad tends to only bring down his own mood.

S C H O O L S O F S T U D Y
Morphology / Arcanology

S P E L L S P E C I A L I Z A T I O N
Jacques specializes in a arcane spellcasting augmented by self-transformation for powerful effects. He has less power in utility, and more in versatile burst effects to deal with situations in the most efficient manner.

S P E L L S A N D A B I L I T I E S
Loup, Renard, Belette
In using his powers, Jacques spawns a multitude of tentacles from his body, made of an ethereal energy. Though they are fluid and blur in and out of existence, any time they are in use he has a set of twelve active -never more, never less. The tentacles move in tandem, grouping themselves in groups of four as they weave in and out of existence. The tentacles themselves are able to exert influence within a range of about twelve feet of Jacques. While active, the tentacles present themselves in any of three forms.
The first form, Loup, allows his tentacles to manifest in an iridescent teal color, appearing to be made of crystalline shards supported by arcane energy. Each set of tentacles manifesting as Loup increases his own magical resistances. In addition, Loup tentacles can fire small bolts of arcane energy -about as powerful as a heavyweight boxers punch.
The second form, Renard, manifests as oily black tentacles surrounded in bright magenta smoke. Bright arcane energy can be seen sparking throughout the mist. Tentacles manifesting in the form of Renard passively makes Jacques more evasive. Faster to facilitate escape, and somewhat difficult to focus on. Direct contact with the oily black tentacles or long exposure to the smoke is quite disorienting, similar to the effects of a concussion grenade.
When in the form of Belette, his tentacles are a matte black metal, impossibly fluid. Cracks run throughout the tentacles, each crack glowing with orange light. When in use, Belette tentacles increase Jacques durability and strength. Though naturally very frail, the use of enough Belette tentacles can put Jacques above even great athletes in physical power. The tentacles themselves, though not particularly special in effect, are effectively impenetrable to any mundane physical attacks.
These tentacles put very little strain on Jacques' mana -and are in fact almost muscle memory to cast. His true power comes in his ability to 'detonate' the tentacles in a burst of arcane magic. This detonation has a different effect depending on what combination of Loup, Wex, and Belette are active. The possible effects are as follows-

• Loup, Loup, Loup- Arcane Binding: Focused in a line that Jacques can aim, four feet wide and twelve feet long, Arcane Binding effectively stuns all caught in this range. The effect lasts for a matter of three seconds.
• Loup, Loup, Renard- Arcane Sleight: Jacques turns effectively invisible, hidden from mundane perception. This effect lasts for about thirty seconds.
• Loup, Loup, Belette- Arcane Barrier: A magical circle is drawn on the ground, about three feet in radius. The circle glows with arcane energy, and is generally impassable. Of course, a powerful enough creature of spell can break the line, but save for such conditions, it lasts as long as Jacques keeps it active.
• Renard, Renard, Renard- Silence: A cone of energy cast in front of Jacques, reaching about fifteen feet out, dispels any magic effects in the zone. The silence lasts for about five seconds, indicated by shiny magenta particles that slowly fall to indicate duration left.
• Renard, Renard, Loup- Flash: Jacques blinks anywhere between five and ten feet in a straight line. Anyone who is on the line between point A and point B of his travel is momentarily blinded, this effect lasting for about two seconds.
• Renard, Renard, Belette- Counter:v Jacques surrounds himself with an iridescent field of magenta energy. The next attack to target Jacques will break the barrier and will instead target the aggressor. This lasts until the effect is triggered.
• Belette, Belette, Belette- Challenge: A beam of energy is directed at an enemy, marking them with a pulsing energy. The next damage this enemy takes is amplified twofold by the energy. Lasts until triggered.
• Belette, Belette, Loup- Spawn: A trio of spirits are summoned to do the bidding of Jacques. Taking a form of pure arcane energy, the spirits look and behave similar to attack dogs. Upon taking almost any damage from an arcane source, the spirits overload with energy before being dispelled in a blast of energy.
• Belette, Belette, Renard- Phantom Limb: An extension of his will, Jacques gains a second phantom body that is invisible to most forms of perception. This body is capable of the vaguest mockery of locomotion, but is overall clumsy. Only useful for the movement or manipulation of objects as though it were telekinesis, it is useless in a fight. It lasts for about a minute at full strength, slowly fading from existence after a second minute.
• Loup, Renard, Belette- Power Overwhelming: In a circle centered on Jacques with a radius of three feet, a wave of powerful energy is released. Anything caught in this blast is thrown back with impressive force.

After 'detonating' his spell, Jacques is no longer able to enter his tentacled form until the spells effect are completely resolved. While this allows him to jump instantly back into the action with some spells such as Power Overwhelming, other spells like Spawn leave him vulnerable for long periods of time. Detonating a spell is rather taxing on his mana -he can only do it about thrice before needing to replenish his energy.

E Q U I P M E N T

• Textbook behavior- Jacques carries a tome filled with pages on pages of text and pictures, detailing thousands of arcane creatures and spells.
• Handy-capped- His robotic arm -a simple prosthetic model made by the bebionic company. While it has little function past basic gestures and grips, a specialized magnetic grip is keyed to his walking cane.
• "Lightning bolt!"- His walking cane has a rechargeable stun gun built into the tip -one that will only activate when used in tandem with his bionic arm.
• Liberté- .44 Remington magnum, polished silver. Bullets are infused with his own arcane energy, specifically made to counter magical effects. Shoot a magical barrier, it's far more likely to break. Shoot a fireball, and it weakens, etc.
• Égalité- A set of arcane crystals carried by Jacques, this set of twelve eight-sided gems contain pure arcane energy. Jacques can channel the energy in these stones to replenish his mana stores, taking about 6 stones to 'fill his tank', so to speak. Replenishing his mana in this way is much like taking out a loan from a bank -though in the moment it allows you to spend more in the moment, it must be paid off eventually, and with interest.
• Fraternité- A relic of his past, Jacques carries at some times an elegant sword bearing his family name on the hilt. A family heirloom obtained rather recently at an auction, Jacques treasures the blade. Enchanted through arcane magic, he can use it as a channel for his form, making it usable in battle with the arcane. When using predominantly Loup, the blade gains an ethereal partner, mimicking it's movement in midair. This magical blade hovers about five feet out from the actual location of the blade. When using Renard, the blade takes on a property of reflection. Magical attacks parried or blocked by the blade are deflected away from Jacques, not necessarily in the direction of the attacker. When in a stance of Belette, the blade strikes twice for every one successful hit, the second attack coming from seemingly nowhere.

O T H E R
Skilled with a violin, card tricks, and painting.

Name: Atlas (Corporal to his WWI buddies)
Age: Looks 21(148 years, but who's counting?)

Mood Music I Guess

Gender: Male

Species:Vampire

Appearance: About 6'0", with messy blonde hair and muddy red eyes. Pale skin, Caucasian, and longer nails. Average facial features, excluding a small scar below his right eye that causes pain. Doesn't care to hide his fangs, as his hygiene is one of his few redeeming traits. Easily blends into crowds. Wears some tattered Victorian clothes to keep the memory of his past life behind(maroon sports jacket, white shirt, green dress pants, loafers). Whenever he goes out, he wears cracked sunglasses to disguise his red eyes.

Background: Was transformed into a vampire in the year 1889. A college student, working at Oxford University, London, he had a promising life ahead of him. His name at birth was Adam, and he lived a happy life. Coming from a fairly wealthy family at the very end of the Industrial Revolution, Adam imagined his life as going smoothly, figuring he would create a medicine company with his expertise, and grow even more wealthy. He had no idea of the horrors he would witness

One late afternoon, Adam was walking in the 'shady' part of town when he came across a caravan advertising rare ingredients at low prices. Figuring this could help him with studies, he stumbled into the smoky room. An old man sat at the end, looking through some papers. He approached the old man, and inquired about the ingredients. The old man went on and on about his stock, but Adam immediately dismissed almost each and every one as a fraudulent version of some existing chemical. After inquiring about anything worthwhile, the old man pulled out a small wooden chest with a lock on it. After fumbling around to open it, a stench filled the room. 3 hunks of rock sat in the chest, which Adam would later identify as brimstone, meteorite, and solid hellfire. He immediately purchased all 3, and ran back into the lab to begin work on his new pet project.

After a few days of fiddling with the stones, Adam unwittingly created a new gas that not even he knew about: one that attracted paranormal beings. He had been working late, and a small lab fire, mixing with the brimstone, obsidian, and chlorine Adam had been working with, created a smell extremely attractive to beings such as vampires and demons. It was no surprise Adam was cornered by a vampire the very next evening. Working late yet again, Adam had spilled blood while cleaning some equipment. This sealed his fate, and as he stumbled home he was attacked by a member of the undead. Adam was well read, and so knew of these creatures. He ran into the countryside, feeding on the occasional sheep. He lived in fear of society, as the urges to feast on human flesh grew.

33 years after he was turned, World War One started. He had been lurking around a small village when the news hit, and figured he could use it as an opportunity to get some food. He hid under tarps, hiding under cars until he arrived at the training camp, taking the place of a recruit looking quite similar to him: one Atlas Johnson. Somehow hiding his terrible secret, he made it to the trenches. The horrors of the gas warfare, along with the monstrous Panzer units, scared Atlas for life. He fought until the war ended, hiding in rural Siberia until the second World War broke out, taking the distracted U.S.S.R as an opportunity to escape.

The moniker Atlas stuck, and so he jumped from country to country, war to war until eventually settling in Brooklyn. He began researching the occult once again, and ran into the mysterious Seph Kane. Due to Atlas' experience, and knowledge in alchemy, he was recruited. Atlas chose Belfast due to isolation, and the abundance of wild game to feed off of.


Current Life: Due to sunlight aversion, set up in a rickety mine filled with bones and gold, both of which are useful for alchemy. Has a lab set up there for testing. He only goes out at night to drink at whatever local bar is open, usually keeping to himself in a corner. Visits local penitentiary on nights when he needs to feed. Has been in Belfast for two weeks and already loves the weather.

Personality: After all these years has become very apathetic. Due to the horrors witnessed during war has a distaste for blood, which causes some turmoil when it comes time to feed. No longer believes in any higher power, and just wishes for the sweet release of death that will never come naturally. Has become an introvert due to aversion to sunlight. Spiteful of the living, but also just hates people. Raging alcoholic.

Schools of Study: Alchemy, Botany

Specialization: When it comes to alchemy, he is very knowledgeable in poison brewing and the science behind 'holy water', but has failed at that aspect. Wishes to find a cure to vampirism

Spells: Ice Burst: The only spell Atlas bothered to learn, it allows him to freeze objects, create hunks of ice, and lower body temperature, the last of which was never a problem for a vampire. He is very used to it by now, though using it too often will tire him out, leaving him incapacitated. This makes him wish to avoid using said spell, out of paranoia.

Abilities: Carbon Vision -Knows the chemical makeup of most plants and animals.

Shaken, Not Stirred -Can make 'quick fix' potions such as healing and poison.

Undead and Hating It -Superhuman strength,Able to mesmerize people for short periods of time, Can turn into a bat

Been There Done That -Extremely knowledgable when it comes to history

Flower Power -Has some botany skills to help him grow ingredients, and can identify many plants.

Close Minded -Takes pride in his brewing skills, but lacks knowledge in many other subjects.

Been Around the Block -Due to living for 148 years, can fluently speak English, Italian, French, and Soviet-era Russian

Weaknesses: Sunlight, Jesus and Co., Holy things in general, a minor distaste for garlic, has to be invited indoors

Equipment: -Poison Bottle: Filled with a nightshade-venom mix that he has been working towards perfecting for centuries

-Erlenmeyer Flask(4): Used to make potions

-Bag of Ingredients: Small ingredients used in Alchemy
-Raven:Pet

-Gas Mask: A gag item

-Heavy Gloves: Used when handling acidic/destructive materials. Prevents the need for restoration, which takes up energy.



Other: Pretty good at the mandolin and bartending.

Name:
Original Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species:



Personality:

Background:

Current Life:
Schools of Study:
Specialization:
Spells:

Elementalist

Seer

Parapsychology

Planes Walker

Poppets

Soul Traveler

Blooming/Rotting

Tear of the Goddess

Conjurer

Bewitchment

Abilities:

Multilingual

Innocent

Sleight of Hand

Shadow Walker

Student

Prepared

Apothecary

Wild Witch

Equipment:

Athames

Book of Shadows

Undetectable Extension Charmed Bag

Mystic Twig of the Horned One

Bewitched Baggage


Familiar:



Other:

Lenya Von Morganstern

Ritualist

Age:31

Gender: Female

Species: Human(ish)

Appearance:

Lenya is a tall Germanic woman with straw blond hair. She is pretty, although her high cheekbones and angular features seem to conspire to rob her of true beauty. She has a hiker’s lean trim build which bespeak many years of alpine life in her native Austria. Although her eyes are a piercing blue, they are usually kept behind the half moon glasses she wears to aid her with her reading.

Lenya dresses conservatively in stylish but expensive clothing with a particular affection for tailored suits. She is frequently seen carrying a small leather briefcase in which she keeps her research notes and ritual tools.

Despite having lived in the United States for several years, and her best efforts, Lenya has been unable to eradicate her crisp Austrian accent.

Background: Lenya grew up in wealth and privilege in southern Austria with her sisters, mother and grandmother. It is no accident that her family was one of the few to avoid destruction and ruin in the turbulent years following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire. At some point in the dimly imagined past Lenya’s ancestors gained magical powers through a bargain of some sort. Ever since that day the women of the family have been blessed with certain occult powers. Over the centuries they have grown in power and sophistication through careful training and research.

The female members of the clan stick together in order to create an effective coven for protection and the use of rituals. Men in the form of husbands and lovers are occasionally associated with the coven but rarely remain in the picture for long. Each member is taught the lore of the clan from birth and encouraged to experiment and add to the knowledge of the group.

After receiving an excellent education by the traditional means of expensive private tutors. Lenya attended the University of Innsbruk and earned first a bachelor's and eventually a PhD in Anthropology. During this time she traveled the world, particularly to the old German Colonies in Papua New Guinea and Micronesia to conduct field work. This field work provided an excellent opportunity to gather lore about ritual traditions in far flung corners of the world to add to her family’s impressive collection of grimoires.

After a scandal involving the disappearance of certain valuable cultural artefacts, Lenya left her post at the University of Innsbruck to conduct field work amongst the tribes of the Penobscot in Northern Maine and Southeastern Canada. During this research she first encountered Wells and Raich.

The firm sought out the Penobscot regarding a troubling Wendigo which had been transgressing cultural taboos. Intrigued, Lenya joined the investigation and helped to lay the beast to rest. Since then Wells and Raich has frequently employed the Austrian both for her ritual skill and her knowledge of far flung magical traditions

Current Life:
Lenya had been a guest of the Penobscot for over a year before she began to work for Wells and Raich. After this association became more formalized she purchased a property on nearby Islesboro. She has spent an enormous amount of money, wire transferred in euros with no questions asked, to rebuild the ancient stone cottage into a modern dwelling. Many of her particular requirements, including floors inlaid with strange silver designs, windows at precise spacing and angles, vast skylights and oddly but precisely carved doorways, have set tongues wagging in the small island community.

Lenya spends a good deal of time socializing with other Wells and Raich employees and is always eager to add more to the voluminous notebooks she keeps in neatly handwritten German.

Personality:
Lenya is a driven and professional woman and approaches every situation as an opportunity to learn. This occasionally backfires when people get the impression that she is looking at them like a disector looking at a specimen.

She has a natural caution and tends to underrate the ability of others while overrating her own. She is friendly and personable and willing to help other people out, particularly if this leads to them falling into her debt. The coven mentality means that she is willing to do what is required to help the team succeed and tends to view morality as a luxury to be consumed after survival is assured.

Lenya is almost obsessed by the development of arcane knowledge and power. Her goals usually line up with Wells and Raisch but there is little doubt in her mind that she and her sisters take precedence over any other allegiance.

Lenya has a close relationship with her sisters and frequently calls on them for advice and support in her enterprises.

Following a childhood accident in a hayloft Lenya has a fear of fire and of being burned. She is also somewhat uncomfortable in the presence of men, having spent most of her life among women and then in an adversarial academic environment where her gender counted against her.

Schools of Study: Ritualology/Alchemology

Specialization: Thaumaturgy, Hexes, Arcane Artifice, Brewing.

Spells: Most of Lenya’s arsenal is ritual based and cannot be produced on the spot.

Fortune’s Favorite: Lenya has access to certain hexes which can be quickly produced. These twist probability and chance in her favor or against others. This temporary alteration in probability has to be balanced out later, either by careful ritual dispersal or by a catastrophic equalization of bad luck.

Upon a Starry Mountain - Lenya can cause localized intense wind and storms, particularly if the weather is already bad.

Abilities:

Swiss Army Witch - Lenya has a truly impressive mastery of ritual magic, particularly Thaumaturgy. All of these rituals take time however and thus are not always useful in a crisis.

Arcane Artificer: Ritual craft requires the creation of ritual tools, as such Lenya is well aquainted with the construction of certain classes of enchanted items. She is also able to use these to ‘macro’ rituals for later use. She is reluctant to share these items with team mates without great need.

Coven: Lenya is one of five sisters and can draw on their knowledge and occasionally their assistance in her endeavours. This works both ways of course which occasionally causes problems for her teammates. Only one of her sisters is currently in the US however and they have their own projects to attend to.

Old Money: It is probably better people didn’t ask where it comes from, but Lenya has substantial private means.

Academic Alchemist: Lenya has an interest in alchemy and maintains an extensive lab at her property on Isleboro. Her interest is in understanding her rituals in this new medium. As a result these potions are a little unreliable and have an unhealthy experimental dimension which is not always appreciated.

Trust Me: Lenya is naturally engaging and can augment this by the use of simple rituals and glamors.

Total Recall: Lenya can use her ritual skills to achieve a near eidetic memory of past events.

Combat Virgin: Lenya has no particular interest in or aptitude for physical combat, and much prefers to boil someone's blood from the comfort of a ritual circle. She views guns with a europeans suspicion and will require significant instruction from her teammate to become proficient in any kind of face to face combat.

The Lure of Knowledge: Lenya is fundamentally motivated by a quest to gather arcane knowledge for herself and her coven. This has in the part led to some questionable tactical decisions.

Equipment:

Little Briefcase of Horrors - Lenya carries a briefcase with a variety of ritual implements including knives, blood, incense and other equipment.

There Aren’t Many Like it but This One is Mine: Lenya carries an athamae which was custom made for her on the day of her birth. It’s exact origin is a carefully guarded secret of her coven and she keeps it concealed within an expensive fountain pen.

Rings on Her Fingers and Bells on her Toes: Lenya wears hand crafted jewelry of silver and polished copper. She uses these as vehicles for rituals performed earlier. The materials are expensive and time consuming to prepare.

Point and Shoot: Lenya has recently purchased a glock 9mm because the internet suggested that this was the best choice. It is currently considerably more dangerous to her than to the enemy.

Make a Note of It: Lenya is never seen without a notebook and pencil. She keeps notes obsessively.

He has specialized most of his fire magic to suite self body production and resistance to fire.
Firebreathe: self explanatory, breathing a jet of powerful flames onto whatever he wishes.
Immolation: Sets himself and his equipment on fire, his high heat resistance makes him unharmed to this effect, though the same can't be said for those who make close contact with him. The bright flames may also distract or temporarily blind those who gaze upon it, and anyone that gets to close to the burning man will suffer burns, obviously.
Fireball: Chucks a fireball from his hand or mouth, has some explosive force to it and the power and size of the fireball can vary on charging it up.
Burning earth: With a single stomp he can cause fire to burn within the ground beneath him, which may cause small tremors and ofcourse, a burning circle of heated soil and stone.

Powerful, fast, and huge, in this form, while standing on his two legs, he reaches 3 meters (10 feet) in height, but his hunched stance lowers him to 9 feet. On his fours he can reach 4 meters (12 feet) in length from head to tail. His claws are still able to grip his axe, and his armor molds into a more primeval and aztec-looking attire. While the armor itself doesn't cover all of the lizard's body, the scales above the belly are about as durable as iron with a leathery effect as well, however his stomach, where most of the armor seems to cover, is soft and vulnerable. His tail is also prehensile and can deliver very powerful swings. Its hook-like barbed at the tail's tip can also function as a spear. A well charged head butt from this beast could crush a boulder. His sharp claws can dig into stone, making him able to climb onto most surfaces, at least ones are weaker then sturdy metals and can support his increased mass.

The armor only coats the belly, as the scales have the same property as the lizard. A giant black snake, though it can surprising move through trees with ease and little sound. This form can also swim with great agility. While not as strong as his lizard form, it has a much bigger size, mainly in length. It can both constrict larger targets, or inflict a slow but paralysis causing venom with its many sharp fangs and teeth.

Name: Azai Ninsusinak
Age: 35 years old
Gender: Male

Species: Human

Appearance: 190cm tall, weighs about 80kg and muscular build he tries to keep a top physical condition to keep up with his spell Epiphany, and he has long black hair with dark brown eyes.

Azai prefers to wear suits for his everyday life, it gives him confidence like most people who wear suits, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t wear anything else occasionally. He even has a specific tailor for his suits and has them shipped if needed, it’s also fitted with enhanced fabric so it doesn’t get destroyed easily, and also it’s made in a way that it doesn’t hinder Azai in combat situation.

Background: An orphan life seems like a stereotypical thing, but that doesn’t mean it is any less easy, but Azai didn’t live at an orphanage all his life which made it even harder for him. Azai was born in a wealthy family, had the most loving and caring parents that one would ask for. Maybe their only fault was that they were too nice, had too many charities to care for and tried to use their influence and fortune to stand up for those who can’t, but that sort of kindness do not go by unnoticed and usually by the wrong type of people. It was when Azai was 10 years old, they were sleeping sound at their mansion when a two assassins entered broke in, they professional and more they knew magic. Azai’s parents woke up to the sound of their footsteps, like they were expecting that someone would do this…

A ruckus woke up Azai, and then it became clearer to him that it was fighting, he could also hear something else weird sounds that he could not tell what it was. Running like the wind towards the source of the sounds only to stop in awe but also feeling fear and wonder, what he saw changed his life forever. People shooting lighting from their hands, and monsters that were half men, his father was flying in the air and calling on whirlwinds from nothing and his mother was inside some kind of a circle beaming with purple light. Freezing in his place and unable to move a single muscle, his father noticed him and smiled to him as he pushed him away with a small whirlwind, he didn’t know what to do so ran as he figured that this was the wish of his father but he couldn’t ignore the guilt that he was feeling for running away and the painful truth that he was weak un such world. Moments later he couldn’t hear anything from the mansion anymore, the fighting stopped yet his father didn’t call him back home, having an absolute truth that he couldn’t face, his parents were no longer in this world and had to keep running in fear for his life…

An hour later he arrived at a police station, and told them of what happened. The police of course didn’t believe what he said and thought that Azai was only traumatized by what happened and his mind created this illusion, yet the police had to go to the mansion and investigate what happened. The assassins disappeared only the bodies of Azai’s parents lying cold on the floor, the police didn’t know what happened and had to label it as an unsolved case. Azai was sent to an orphanage since he had no relative to live with.

Determined to find out what happened that night Azai spent his coming eight years in the orphanage reading and training, that made him excel at school but that was irrelative to him. He never stayed at foster home more than a week, but the workers at the orphanage were a family to him and treated him as such, they did their best to raise him to a fine gentleman, till he was 18 years old and was able to claim his family’s fortune back.

Living a wealthy life and the income of the family’s companies still pouring in Azai didn’t need to bother himself with work and had all his time wholly dedicated to uncovering magic which made him learn a lot of deal about magic in theory, and the rest of his time was spent on exercise and self defense training so he wouldn’t have to end up like his parents. But what he lacked was the application of magic, he didn’t know if what he read was true or not if there was no one with real magic to teach him. So he decided to search the deep net to make contact with anyone who knows how to practice what he wants, until one day he made contact with a group of Morphologists who agreed to teach him magic. For the next seven years he trained and studied about magic and specialized in enhancing magic under the influence of that group. Azai was slowly losing his main motive to study magic, he was very fascinated by what he was learning that finding his parents killers was a secondary thing for him, until one day he decided to leave the group and travel the world to discover himself and learn other types of magic in the world…

He was now 34 years old and spent nine years in travels to all corners of the world Azai had a great deal knowledge of magic he learned the way of Arcanology, and learned some unique spells that he relies on. But what was more important are the things he witnessed, it was like his childhood being repeated over and over again right in front of him. Husbands, wives, and children were always lost, while he couldn’t just stand by idly and tried to do what he can to live to the example that his parents were, yet not everyone could be saved. Azai kept getting more and more distanced from other people, not wanting to have friends only to let them down when they needed him the most, yet sometimes he couldn’t keep that distance. He eventually made a friend with a Demonologist who was a part of a dangerous group that didn’t know their limits, they ended up summoning a powerful demon that they couldn’t control which lead to their deaths and the possession of Azai’s friend, it was a fate worse than death and the only thing Azai could was to put his soul to rest. A fierce battle broke between them which Azai emerged as the victor but at the cost of his friend’s life. A surge of rage and despair went through him for it happened again, that weakness still haunting him. But it also made him realize how desperate he was alone and not surrounded by people he could trust and rely on, so he went in search for such group of people and met with Seph Kane a name that echoed in the magical world, Azai was actually approached by him telling him that he knew his parents and their work, because he wanted to recruit them at one point but they refused feeling that they could help more people in their way. It was such an opportunity that he couldn’t miss, so he moved to Belfast and started working and learning there for year and was also able to learn more about his parents

Current Life: If not on a case Azai spend most of his time on reading and training, he doesn’t like to sit idly trying to make the best of his time. But he also tries to relax and have fun from time to time, indulging himself by picking new suits or going out and enjoying the city and its bars. He tries to maintain an average amount of socializing in the office, just not getting to the point of over attaching to his co workers because of his fear of reliving his nightmare of loosing friends again. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be nice and help them whenever they need it, after all he was raised as a gentleman and was taught proper manners. Working at the office offered him to meet with people far stronger and talented with him, so he tries to make the best of it and learn what he can from whoever he can, and that compelled him to have great respect and admiration towards some of his co-workers. Yet there were some of the people he worked with that had little regard to collateral damage, it made him angry and unable to have respect towards them. No organization is completely good nothing in the world is anyway, but he tolerates it for the greater good…

Personality: Confliction is one of the traits Azai posses, confliction about moral choices. Azai is generally a good guy, caring and responsible but that led him many times to situation that made him choose between two evils, a lesson that he learnt the hard way. This also meant that he carried guilt and regret for the rest of his life, yet that gave him the motive to grow stronger and push himself over and over again, to be able to create his own choices rather than be forced by one…

Being someone who reads a lot doesn’t make someone smart but surely makes one use his mind a lot, Azai is a rational person tends to rely on his mind and leave his emotions and guts to situations that demands it, because decisions based on emotions aren’t fair ones in Azai’s opinion. When he rationalizes something, he does it based on good morals. And it also made his mind organized, he can’t start his day without having some sort of plan for this day and he gets upset when things don’t go as planned but tries to cope with it so his day doesn’t completely get ruined, or that would be a nightmare for him.

Because of his past misfortunes he locked himself in a solitary shell buried under work, training and reading. Keeping his troubles and life away from others and placing his trust only in himself. Keeping all those emotions bottled up will eventually lead him to explode and according to many people, that doesn’t end well usually. Azai knows that too, so from time to time he let some of it out either by relaxing or having fun with someone. Often delusions and dreams are methods that his brain follow to ease his loneliness, yet that eventually he will be a dangerous to himself. No one knows even Azai when or how, he will be let out of his shell, but surely that would be a good breakthrough in his life. Even with all the boundaries he set, deep within he still wants to have a friend that he could share everything with.

In general Azai is a good guy, maybe not completely sane. He was raised as a gentleman so he acts like one, with a dash of fake pride to give a certain confidence vibe about him, but that soon disappear as he get to know someone better and instead shows a funny side of him, the one that tries to support people and keep them optimistic. He always keeps the focus of a conversation away from him, and keeps it centered about other people to avoid getting over attached to people…

Schools of Study: Arcanology and Morphology,

Specialization: Azai is specialized in the powers of decay and death, and the enhancement of the mind and body, he can also do minor appearance alteration but only to himself, and he’s familiar with hexes that he can use in the form of drawings and spell casting but only when he’s not in combat because of the preparation they need.

Spells: Monochrome is a spell that suppresses everything close to the user, restraining and draining the vitality of living things, accompanied by the withering of all color, earning the power its name. If left rampant, the power will twist and ravage everything in the area of effect which is 7meters. The power acts in three stages that Azai can switch in between at will, but he can’t use them all at the same time, except of White Wall. The first one is can drain the stamina of an opponent, the second drain the mana of an opponent and the third drains the life force of an enemy

Monochromatic Aura: Suppresses the life-force and power of all things in the user's vicinity. The monochromatic aura can cut the enemy’s power by half, kill very weak enemies, and even cause substantial damage to the surrounding environment. But abide by the three stages of the spell

Monochromatic Wall: Counters all offensive forces, shielding the user from enemy attacks. Also abides by the three stages of the spell

White Wall: Azai creates a white wall around himself which emits blinding light and anything inside the wall gets severely damaged by all three stages and may also cease to exist and has a wider radius of 10 meters. It is supposed to be most powerful form of the spell: Monochrome. But Azai uses much of his mana and cannot use Monochrome again for a while

Epiphany: It grants Azai mind and sense enhancement, but it's main purpose is to tremendously accurate vision and the ability to read and predict practically any move his opponent could make as well as the minute details and movements of his general surroundings. The spell only weakness is that when there is a physical obstacle blocking its path,
it is unable to provide Azai with the predictions it normally would. Additionally, while the spell is capable of reading any situation, the spell is limited by the user’s body limit, so if he is unfit physically he will not be able to keep up with the projected courses of action that his spell proposes to him.

Supernatural Condition: Azai is able to channel his magic to his body raising his strength, speed and endurance to a supernatural length enough to lift a car, run faster than an average car and withstand a hit from a sniper rifle. The more he tries to enhance himself the more mana it takes to sustain. While using Monochrome it drains even more mana, but while using Epiphany he can only enhance himself to be stronger than humans.

Abilities: quick reading skill that he developed over the years by reading huge amount of books, he’s also excellent with analyzing situations quickly both in and outside combat, combined with years of practicing martial art makes him a formidable opponent in physical combat. In his huge library he learnt some great deal about computers so he gained the knowledge of programming and hacking. And knows his guns well, he is a good shooter nut not a master

Equipment: His suits one and foremost, its custom fitted with many hidden pockets and it is also designed in a way that doesn’t hinder him in battle and it’s made of enhanced fabric so it doesn’t get destroyed easily, also giving him a minor resistance to heat and fire.

He has a small leather gauntlet that fits under his suit, its purpose is to allow Azai the casting of Monochrome at will without speaking it giving him greater casting speed, but White Wall needs to be prepared before casting. Of course Azai looses that advantage if it’s destroyed or lost, yet it’s not easy to be destroyed.

He carries small scrolls with him, hidden in his suit to use when casting hexes

He carries two magical black Desert Eagles concealed inside his suit that are powerful enough to break through average magic shields, along with extra four clips, all easy to access giving him faster draw and reload speed. (The desert eagle has 7 shots per clip)

Azai uses daggers as his melee weapons; he has two that he uses in close combat and mini knives that he uses as throwing knives he carries about ten of these on him.

Other: (I feel these are rather thorough, but sometimes you just need a little bit extra that doesn’t fit right somewhere else.)

Name: Mithias
Age: Happens to be 709. Looks around 27.
Gender: Male.
Species: Vampire

Appearance: Mithias an pass for human, but definitely draws attention if anyone pays attention for too long. He is around 6'2" with a fit build. His skin is as you can imagine very light. He has unique long, straight black hair that ends unevenly around lower-back, and his eyes are a flashy, gold-yellow. Usually he keeps his eyes hidden, but if seen briefly, one might think they are probably just a bright genetic variation of hazel color... it's probably related to his apparent skin disease. *person goes back to whatever they were doing*
Other than that, you really don't expect Mithias to hang out in the daylight. In a public place, he'd probably be wearing a modern suit. Humans usually don't bother a busy businessman. He changes with the common fashion of the times. Shirt and tie, t-shirt and ripped jeans, leather jacket and riding boots... whatever is acceptable to the creatures around him, although he prefers to be the one better dressed. Top hats were nice, but they've been out of style for a long time. If Mithias is intentionally avoiding humans, he'll probably wear a long back jacket and jeans. Jeans are an amazing material.

Background: It was the decline of the era of the Templar knights. The holy land had been lost, more than once, and the Turks had forced the order entirely out of the Middle East. Despite a blackening name and recent losses in war, the Templars were actually quite successful on another front. It was back home in what is now modern western Germany where Mithias and his order served God, King, and Pope by defending humanity itself. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, The Templar Knights had a secretive sect that was specifically charged with hunting down supernatural beings. Witches, undead, abhorrent spirits, werewolves (or shifters), and of course vampires, were their targets. These occult hunters took their orders directly from His Holiness. Their ranks were usually filled by family members alone, yet rarely a gifted outsider would pass initiation. It was this inheritance and line of work that brought Mithias across the path of the vampire that would change him forever.

Mithias was a young man, a hunter, a knight, and also soon to be a father. He lived in a small town near the boarder with France. One day, he attracted the attention of a particularly powerful vampire, by comitting an unexpected act. He questioned his purpose. Rather than killing a young vampire, as his order commanded of him, he secretly let her go. Witnessing that incident, the elder vampire took an interest in him, leading him on futile chases into the wilderness several times and playing games with him. Mithias never had any chance of catching him, not really, and eventually, they began having conversations. The human was an interesting subject. One day, the vampire tricked him into enthralling himself and manipulated him. The conclusion of this little dance however was rushed the day the Templars were abolished.

It was Friday the 13th, October, when Mithias' life was turned upside down. The Pope had denounced them. Knights and anyone associated with them were being attacked, killed, their lands and gold confiscated, and their families imprisoned on suspicion of heresy and treason. Mithias fled but could not stop his pregnant wife from being taken. Knowing she would be tortured and imprisoned he was desperate for help. He turned to the only one he knew who might aid him, the mysterious one in the woods at night who existed above all this human mayhem.

In short, the vampire delighted in Mithias' plea. The formed an unwritten pact of blood and Mithias was given the power to save his family. He rescued his wife and saw her to safety and protected her. He killed anyone in his path.

Time went by. Evelyn soon died of disease and his orphan son had to be raised by a church with nothing but a name given to him. It was difficult for Mithias to be a father looking as he did, needing blood, but Mithias was still ever grateful to the vampire that had changed him. He was able to oversee his family lineage from the shadows for many, many generations. He literally spent hundreds of years following them, keeping track of the ever growing tree and paying little attention to the rest of the world. A lot of his energy was spent on assuring their survival and success, protecting them from the supernatural forces he had become so familiar with but also with keeping himself fed and settled and closely monitoring the corruption of the large human organizations in the area. Kings and Popes and wars came and went. Plagues, the Renaissance, the colonization era and industrialization... Mithias bore witness and influenced here and there. If Mithias could have taken out Hitler, he would have, but he had already relocated to the US and traveling overseas as a vampire was a bit difficult, not to mention the army Hitler was surrounded by. Same goes for other evil dictators. Humans, Mithias concluded, bore an innate evil that was just as bad if not worse than the witches and vampires etc. that they despised.

After 30 generations or so, following all members of a family becomes impossible, even for a vampire. Mithias had to give up. He had spent an unlife in love and had learned a lot. Now it was time, he felt, to take his place as the immortal supernatural entity that he was, an overseer, a watcher, and a protector of balance. All humans became in his eyes his potential descendants, and yet, he could not bear the threat they posed in their ever growing population and power in technology and science to what little remained of magic and other species. Internally, he struggles with morality and defining his new role.

Current Life: Mithias has established himself in a small private mansion in the upstate wilderness of NY where he runs an investment firm using multiple aliases and primarily online only interactions, and he's got a big charity thing going with the red cross. That keeps him going while he attends to his other, actual interests.

Mithias studies the arcane. His first interaction with magic was as a young naive knight back at his initiation ceremony in 1298, which mind you was very poorly done by over-zealous religious fanatics in the middle of the night while high on psychedelic mushrooms and alcohol. Ahem, but some of it was real. Human arcanists and alchemists were only in their earliest stages of understanding in their fields back then, and granted, Mithias was only the equivalent of a soldier, not a bookworm. Once he became a vampire, Mithias realized immediately that he had some kind of unexplained inclination to magic that he hadn't realized before. He could charm and mesmerize others. It took a few centuries for him to quit worrying about his family before he officially began to study it, but I'll cover what he's learned in the spells section. His sources of study have been other supernaturals, books, personal experiments, and historical research. He did do a stint of world traveling in the era of world colonialism, around the 1500's, to further his knowledge.

So of course it attracted his attention when he became aware of a private investigation firm that focused on magic and the occult. After looking into them for himself, Mithias was shocked at how much knowledge they had discovered and collected and how advanced their team members were in their specialties. Keeping a lot of his own knowledge and past private initially, he approached them with a letter explaining that he wanted to offer his services, but that they would have to accept that he wasn't human. His true goal was twofold. He wanted to learn more about magic, just out of natural scientific curiosity. Mithias is the kind to grow and change with the times. But also, the guardian in him wanted to make sure this human organization didn't amass too much power and fall to corruption down the road. He had to keep an eye on them.

I'd be ok with having Mithias know anybody's characters or have a history with them if anybody wants.

Personality: Mithias is moral, protective of the innocent and weak, vivacious, and curious. He was a knight, afterall. Unlike many other vampires, Mithias is comfortable with his nature and has accepted it. He pretty much drinks only human blood, but feeds exclusively on the wicked and they dying or donated blood. He cares very much about where his meals come from, but will chose to survive if he is forced to feed on an innocent or an animal. Is he evil? Is a lion evil for eating a baby waterbuffalo? That alone can't define him. He isn't decided whether or not there's a god, but in all his years no god has made itself evident to him. He considers that perhaps vampires are gods who just don't realize it, stewards of humankind, judges and cullers, rulers of the night. But not everything that lives is human and not every being with magic is vampiric. There is so much more to know, and curiosity drives him. He would like to know where arcane power comes from, what vampirism is, and what are the heights of such power.

Schools of Study: Arcanology, Hunter.

Specialization: Pyrokinesis/heat manipulation, plus his vampiric ability to ward his mind. Maybe that's a form of psyonics?

Spells:

Charm and Mesmerize - Personally, I'm not big on this, but it seems to be an inherent ability for vampires.

Mind Ward - Can resist attempts by other vampires, or witches, fey, whatever, to try to influence his self control. This includes possession, domination, control, emotional manipulation, suggestion, telepathy, and illusions. This power is very strong, and so far, Mithias believes it cannot be overpowered, but there could be a being powerful enough to get through it.

Fire Starter- Can start and stop fires.

Flame Shield - Mithias can redirect intense heat or flame away from him, bending it to avoid burning himself should he get too close.

Heat Sink - An offshoot of his pyrokinesis is heat manipulation. Mithias can concentrate or disperse heat in any location he concentrates on. He can boil water, or freeze water. He can do this through walls, even though he may not be able to see what he is affecting.

Abilities:

Vampire - Vampire speed and strength and senses.
One with the Machine - Likes to drive cars, motorcycles, big machinery, and small planes.
Ex-Knight - Can ride horses, but doesn't.
Voice of the Soul - Vampire-level good at violin.
Twin Fangs - Vampire-level swordskill.
Undead Tasebuds - Terrible cook.
Too-old-for-this-shit - Speaks a few European languages, but not all equally well. (German, English, French, Spanish)
Secret Sadist - Knows how to use a whip.

Weaknesses: Judeo-Christian holy stuff. Holy water. Weakened by holy ground. Slowed, pained, and half-blind in sunlight.

Equipment:

He wears a necklace with a small silver cross under his shirt that actually burns him constantly.
He has access to some guns or weapons.
Has a motorbike.
His books and computers would of course be at his primary home. He's memorized the little magic he knows so far.
Cellphone.

Other: Mithias had some involvement in stopping Dracula, he's not sure he doesn't regret it. His vampire sire was extremely good at mental manipulation.

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Personality:


Background:


Current Life:


Schools of Study:


Specialization:


Spells:

• Fascination: The ability to create and sew destruction and misfortune. Also called “The Evil Eye,” it is a quick hex that causes all forms of ill depending on the surrounding/situation.
• Compulsion: The art of seduction, the ability to take control of lesser minds, implant thoughts and memories, etc.
• Unfetter: Also called astral projection, spirit flight, hedge riding, it is the ability to separate one’s soul from their body and send it out into the world to perform certain tasks/feats. A highly experienced witch can take control of both their spirit and their body, maintaining dual consciousness, but Cassandra has not yet mastered this.
• Conjuration/Evocation: Cassandra’s connection to her ancestors allows her to call on them for guidance with relative ease. Her closest and most beloved ancestor, Mary Halen, can come to her and perform certain magical feats at her behest.
• Invocation: Similarly, Cassandra can invoke those same ancestral powers and move objects/people, conjure flames, etc. with relative ease and without the need for complex ritual or magical brews.
• Abjuration: The ability to disarm magical wards and protect against magical forces. Cassandra uses a variety of charms and talismans to ensure safety against magical attacks.
• Weather-Working: At any moment, Cassandra holds the means to create/calm a strong wind or storm.
• Toil and Trouble: Using the Pit of Creation, Cassandra can conjure the elements and craft certain spells and brews on the go.

Abilities:

• Ancestral Knowledge: Cassandra’s many family secrets and skills places a wide array of rituals, spells, and concoctions at her disposal. Magical ointments, elixirs, powders, items, etc. can be found within her many grimoires and texts.
• Folklorist: Because of her intimate connection to European variants of witchcraft, she is highly familiar with the lore and history of that area, lending to knowledge about all forms of magical practices, beasts, etc. from that local.
• Herbalist: As a witch who works with herbs and reagents in many of her spells and rituals, Cassandra is able to identify the effects of various natural substances, as well as devise creative ways of using them in her Craft.
• Manipulation: Separate from her magical methods of manipulation, Cassandra has become rather skilled at conning and manipulating others through her looks/words due to her years of practice as a freelance practitioner.

Equipment:

• The Black Book: A small collection of charms, spells, and recipes that Cassandra keeps on her person at all times. It has several entries taken from her various family texts, as well as a few of her own creations.
• Hawthorn Blasting Rod: An ornate hawthorn wand that Cassandra uses to aid in her acts of malice.
• Ritual Tools: Chalk, candles, knives, trinkets, anything that Cassandra might find useful in a formal work of magic.
• Herbal Charms: Hidden on Cassandra person are several herbal charms that aid in her works of magic and shield her from both physical and magical harm. These charms range from simple sachets hidden in her pockets, to more complex spells derived from potions and poisons she keeps close.
• Pit of Creation: The Pit of Creation is perhaps her family's most valued possession. It is a large, brass cauldron decorated with occult symbols that have been inscribed by family members over the years. It is charmed with the ability to fill and light itself, and can be summoned by Cassandra through a simple ritual. The Pit is used for almost all of Cassandra's spells, crafts, brews, and infusions. It is the only item that Cassandra can summon on a whim.