MAIN GOAL ⫻ Loni’s primary goal is to give her daughter a good life and be better for her. Even if she continually stumbles with this because of her poor spending habits, it’s still what drives her. Second to that is finding love for herself, and giving back to the people who’ve helped her so far.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ To see the positive, and keep going no matter what. Loni believes that things will always get better - and that you should cherish what you have. Because it could be worse!

SECRETS ⫻ Loni’s pretty much an open book. She has a difficult time keeping secrets.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Loni’s sexuality doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have the time or money to think about it, and with her job she can’t afford to be fussy - there’s more money to be made in going the full way. And she really doesn’t care! While her past relationships have primarily been with men, if she sat with herself long enough, she’d likely realise that she’s much more attracted to women.

FEARS ⫻ Loni fears losing her daughter. She also fears losing her twin just like she lost her mother. She has a deep fear of being alone, and of death. Loni also has a fear of needles.

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ During the Cataclysm, Loni aided her coven and workplace. While not a fighter, she was able to help protect the place from any stray apparitions with her Black Lux. She also concentrated on keeping her daughter safe.

FLAWS ⫻ Even with her upbringing, and line of work, Loni can be naive. She believes in the good of people even when it’s been proven to her that’s not the case. Loni is the master of bad decisions and poor judgement of other people. She doesn’t realise she’s only gotten where she is unharmed thanks to sheer luck, and the actions of others (namely Vin) protecting her. While she likes to think she’s independent she’s really not, and needs to have people around her. She gets lonely really easily, and almost needy. Loni doesn’t like to impose, to the point where she’ll rarely ask for help unless truly pushed. But she can also be quite scatterbrained - not an idiot, but she rarely thinks things through before doing them. It’s easy to fluster her and make her panic, so that she’ll double down on something that she really shouldn’t. Loni can be quite irrational, which can result in arguments when she decides she’s right and won’t listen to reason… even though normally she isn’t right.

Alondra and Silvina Garcia Rodriguez were born to a young couple who had immigrated from Mexico to Cloverfield in hope of a better life. There was work in the South Side of the city that there wasn’t in their hometown. The twins weren’t a planned pregnancy - but they were one that Luciana Rodriguez welcomed. Their father, not so much. Feeding two adults was difficult, nevermind two babies too. As the twins became toddlers, their father got worse. When they were six he abandoned them entirely.

This left Luciana as a single mother to two. She worked hard to make sure they survived - taking a job in the factories when they were in school, and relying on the kindness of neighbours to watch them. Then, at night, she had work of an entirely different kind. Luciana was a skilled black lux user from a long line of Mediums and Necromancers. Her specialities were twofold - ushering Apparitions formed from dead onwards by fulfilling whatever needs they had to dampen the emotions that birthed them, and speaking with spirits that had gone into the Hound’s realm.

There were plenty in the North and South side who wanted to speak to their deceased loved ones. Luciana was especially talented at this - she would invite the spirits into her own body, allowing them to speak through her. Unfortunately, this had a side effect. Inviting the dead into her body was draining her life force and slowly killing her.

But Loni and Vin didn’t have a bad childhood. The area was rough, but there was always food on the table and a comfortable bed for them to share. From as soon as they could walk they were menaces, playing on the streets and harassing neighbours. Loni was the quieter of the two, often escaping the childish tussles to go explore the rundown areas of their neighbourhood. She loved bugs, and would spend hours collecting them and writing about them on scraps of paper.

Loni was fourteen, almost fifteen, when she kindled - a few months after Vin. It happened when her mom bought her a beautiful, fancy dress she’d especially wanted for the Quinceanera she knew they couldn’t really afford. From there, she learned about magic - exploring Green Lux with Vin, while both of them were taken along by their mother for her second job. What Loni saw terrified her.

But even worse than the dead that possessed her mother was the effect it was having. Over the next two years the Black Lux sapped away at their mom’s strength until she was skin and bones. Loni begged for her to stop - but they needed the money from the job. It was the only thing keeping them afloat. It would see them through a few more years. Vin said they’d work instead. Their mom refused.

Then, just a few weeks after their seventeenth birthday, she passed away.

There was just about enough money to cover a small funeral, and see them through to adulthood. A pitiful amount their mother had sacrificed her life for. Loni hated it, and she hated her Black Lux. But eventually the money ran out, and as they turned eighteen they were left to find work to stop them ending up on the streets.

Vin said they’d do work with their magic. They couldn’t call in the dead like their mother could. In fact, it was something Loni had more affinity with - something that terrified her. But they could fight, and they could get rid of Apparitions easily. Loni didn’t want them to. What if they died like their mom and left them all alone? But they needed money.

What followed was an explosive argument between two too stubborn to back down, and ended with Loni walking out. She wasn’t going to stick around to see Vin kill themselves. But then she was left with having to support herself… She didn’t want to work in the factories, and she’d barely gotten her highschool diploma… but she was attractive. She’d heard other young women in her neighbourhood talking about how well stripping paid. It didn’t seem so bad.

Loni was incredibly lucky. Where she could have ended up in all sorts of dodgy, criminal establishments, she managed to find work at the Sin Sister. This was in part thanks to her lux. Loni immediately found herself feeling at home there, and was able to stay in a small home share with some of the other girls in the South Side. After a few months, she even joined the Coven.

Everything was going well. She had a new family in the coven and stripclub, and she even found love - getting together with a man just a little older than her. Sure, he didn’t have a job and depended on her not exactly amazing salary, but what was a little sacrifice here and there? He loved her, she loved him, and she was sure he’d do the same for her.

Loni fell into the exact same situation her mother had. At nineteen, she found out she was pregnant. At first she panicked. How could she keep her job? It was fine at a few months, but eventually she’d start to show. The morning sickness was already making it difficult… But after the panic, she was able to speak with the boss who fully supported her. She could even help out in other ways for a bit of pay. She could make it work.

Then her boyfriend told her to get rid of it. Loni didn’t want to. She may be young, but she wanted the baby. So her boyfriend, who’d been almost wholly dependent on her, left. Then everything felt too much. A few months pregnant with the prospect of much less money for a while, and a baby to raise alone sent her into hysterics.

And it sent her back to her childhood home - the small, shitty apartment they grew up in. Vin still lived there. They didn’t even ask any questions when Loni appeared on their doorstep in tears, and agreed to help as soon as she was able to explain. So Loni moved back in with Vin. She worked cleaning and cooking at the Sin Sister while pregnant, even though Vin said he could cover everything.

Then, a month after turning twenty, she gave birth to a beautiful girl - who she named Luciana after her mother. She went back to work as soon as she was able, juggling motherhood with paying the bills by taking her daughter to the Sin Sister as soon as she was old enough to be out. When the Cataclysm struck, Loni was able to protect both her and the establishment with her magic.

Since, things have been alright. They’re protected from roaming Apparitions by Vin, and there’s no less of a demand for strippers on the North Side. Being a mother is stressful, but Loni wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world - even if her now toddler causes constant chaos. She’s happy and content with her lot in life.

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Green & Black Lux. Channeler: An engraved silver bracelet with her name on it

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻


LIMITS ⫻


WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)

Loni is fluent in Spanish.

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Vin’s primary goal is to protect their twin sister, Loni, and her daughter. They want them both to have a good, fulfilling life. To have that, they need better opportunities. And with that comes their second goal, and the reason they’re in the Hollow Tap coven - to see the Lower District thrive like it should, and to destroy the North Side. Or at least, knock it off its pedestal.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ You don’t get anything by being nice. Peace just helps the ones on top. Violence is needed to pull them down - they need to be hurt and dragged into the mud with all those they oppress.

SECRETS ⫻ Being part of the Hollow Tap is something Vin keeps a secret from their Loni. They know they’d disapprove. Of course the fact that they’re a criminal is a general secret. They also hide how much they just don’t care about most people, and would just stand by and watch them die.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Pansexual. Vin likes most genders, and has had flings with a mix, but hasn’t been in a long term relationship since they lost their last partner in the Cataclysm.

FEARS ⫻ Vin fears losing Loni and her daughter. Not only to death, but also to his actions - that she may find out and never want to see them again. Their fight years ago hurt them deeply even though they always made sure Loni was safe.

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Vin was actively fighting with the Hollow Tap coven during the Cataclysm.

FLAWS ⫻ Vin can be, at times, apathetic and brutal. They don’t care what they have to do to survive and protect their loved ones, or who they have to hurt. For them there’s family - Loni and Lu, and their coven - and there’s others. Others don’t matter to them. They’ve been jaded by losing people they’re close to, and witnessing the cruel realities of the world from a young age, meaning they’re closed off. They’re also incredibly stubborn and will rarely back down from their opinion, leading to arguments that get increasingly heated. They can be reckless and are quick to jump to violence. Often they’d rather let their fists do the talking.

Born to a young immigrant couple, Vin wasn’t given the best start to life. With a father that abandoned them when they were young and a mother who had to work herself to the bone for them to just get by, things were difficult. While Vin was the younger of the two they were the more responsible one, and from a young age felt the need to be strong and to protect their sister.

But it wasn’t the worst childhood. They had to get tough, but there was always food on the table, and a bed for them to share. Vin was part of a little gang of hooligans in their neighbourhood, who got into trouble brawling with kids a few streets over and destroying property. They were constantly getting into fights - ‘one of the boys’ is how they were viewed. Vin identified with it some days, other days not so much. Some days they chose to stay inside with their sister and play dress up… really, it depended. They didn’t have a word for it until they were older. But most of their time was spent fighting and raising hell.

Loni would often go off on her own, calmer adventures while Vin played with other kids on the street. It was during one of these times that Vin experienced the more brutal side of the city - and the contempt the North Siders had for people like them. Only ten, they ventured further than they had before with a small group of friends - all the way to the bridge connecting the North and the South. They were young and recklessly curious. So they dared each other to cross.

Vin ran over, through the legs of people passing, and back without a problem. But their friend, Greg, didn’t. He crashed right into a North Sider crossing… and the North Sider didn’t take it well. Not only did he beat Greg - but he kicked him to the side.

And off the bridge.

Vin couldn’t do anything to prevent their friend from falling to his death and drowning.

From there, Vin’s hatred of the North Side and the rich grew. Then, at fourteen, he got into a fight with some North Side teens that had snuck over to ‘experience what it was like.’ It was in that moment that their hatred switched to apathy. They didn’t care - and they could kill them.

Vin kindled. Their kindling, and the brief moment with their ancestors, saved the North Siders as Vin was dragged away by their friends.

The magic didn’t scare Vin. It was hereditary… so when there was time, they went to their mom. She explained more to them, but said she wouldn’t teach them anything until Loni kindled too. So Vin practiced by themselves, learning to transform their body into various forms, taking on aspects of animals they wanted while discarding those they didn’t. They spent all their free time alone practicing. Then, after a few months, Loni kindled too.

They were both taken along for their mother’s second job, where she invited spirits of the dead into her body using Black Lux. To Loni it was terrifying. To Vin… it was thrilling. They couldn’t do what their mother did, and didn’t want to - but the other Ghosts that roamed around while they were doing it? The Apparitions. They wanted to fight and kill them.

Vin began to develop their Black lux too, combining it with their Green until they could fight both Appartions and Humans with deadly efficiency. But as they did this their mother got sicker and sicker. It was horrible. But Vin felt a detachment Loni didn’t - a deep sorrow, sure, but apathy at the same time. As if their mom was already gone. But they still tried to step in, to take on the financial burden instead.

But they didn’t get to. And just before the two turned seventeen, their mother passed away.

There was just enough money for a funeral, and to last until they were eighteen. Vin did what they could to make things work, because Loni couldn’t. She withdrew into herself… and Vin had to be the strong one. They were pissed, angry where Loni was sad. But it wasn’t the magic killing their mother that drew Vin’s ire - it was the situation that forced her to work with it to the point it killed her. And they couldn’t let it get to them.

So when they ran out of money, they were also the one that had to find work. To protect Loni. They decided they’d find work killing Apparitions. It was what they were best at, and there were a fair few within the woods - and people who needed to get rid of them. Rich Adepts from the North Side looking for some muscle to protect them. Dangerous, but lucrative. They didn’t want to work with the North Siders, but for Loni…

Except Loni didn’t want Vin to put themselves in danger. Vin didn’t want to hurt Loni like that, but they had to. How else could they support them both? Both were too stubborn to listen to what the other was saying, and the argument ended with Loni walking out.

Vin waited a day. Two days. She didn’t come back. Then, after a week, they went out to find her. It took a while, but they did and she was… fine. She’d even found somewhere to work, and was easily integrating themselves. It hurt, of course, but what Vin wanted was for her to be happy - even if that was without them.

Without anything to support anymore, Vin turned to violence. They got into fights, beat up people for petty change to cover the rent, then beat up the landlord when he came around to try kick them out. It wasn’t sustainable, but it was addictive. The thrill, the adrenaline, the close brushes with death each time… then they picked a fight with the wrong guy, and ended up in deep shit with the Hollow Tap coven.

In the end, Hollow Tap was exactly what Vin needed. Their leader, Gideon, saw something in Vin - in their hatred of the North, their magic and their want to fight. Vin found a home in Hollow Tap. And they also found love with another coven member - Ali, a slightly older woman who’d been with the Hollow Tap since she’d become an adult. Vin fell hard and fast, and the two worked closely together.

After a year in Hollow tap, and a year and half after Loni left, things changed again. Loni came back. Vin found her on their doorstep in tears. They had no questions at first - hugging her and reassuring her while silently vowing to hurt whoever had done this to her. A man, it turned out. She was pregnant, and left alone expecting the child. Vin knew they had to do anything they could to help her.

So Loni moved back in, and her ex-boyfriend’s body turned up downstream a couple of days later.

Vin kept their work with Hollow Tap secret from Loni, pretending they just worked in the bar without any connections to the coven. They were delighted to become an Uncle-Aunt-whatever and did everything they could to act as the second parent.

When the Cataclysm struck, they were with the Hollow Tap, fighting Nyrah the Ravager and protecting the South Side from as much damage as possible. They were in the thick of it - getting hurt, and in turn losing many they cared about. Fellow coven members, friends… and their partner, Ali, were washed away by acid where Vin managed to stand strong. They came out of it more resentful, more scarred, and more apathetic.

From then, things have gotten worse. The divide is greater and Vin’s burning desire to bring down the North Side has only grown stronger.

Eventually, they get what they want. They’d see to it.

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Green & Black Lux. Channeler: A silver chain bracelet with their name engraved on it

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Vin is a talented Green and Black Adept that specialises in physical transformation of her own body to take on aspects of various animals, Apparition suppression infused into her own body, and various more practical spells to aid in surveillance and survival.



LIMITS ⫻


WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)

Vin speaks fluent Spanish.
While they dress differently, Vin and Loni are identical twins and can be difficult to tell apart if you don’t know them - something Vin uses to their advantage when needed.

MAIN GOAL ⫻ As a living legend among her peers, Moriah's level of freedom to experiment as she desires is only limited by her ability to maintain the expected quality and quantity of the Genetic Tithe. The Tithe is a payment of genetic materials made directly to the Sisterhood of Whispering Flesh - The ultimate originators of the Matriarchal lines which Moriah can trace her ancestry back to. The Matriarchs of Culla, their capital city in the foothills of the Italian Alps, maintain lines of credit which Matriarchs are able to call upon based on the quality and quantity of their provided Tithes. As such, those who are most successful find themselves to be both wealthy and powerful, garnering influence based on the perception of loyalty and dedication which consistent Tithes represent.
As such, in order to maintain as much autonomy as possible, Momo's only real goal in life is to maintain the highest grade of Tithe she possibly can. After all, she's long broken from the most traditional methodologies espoused by her teachers, in favor of far more experimental efforts in the furthering of the Matriarch Program.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Moriah is a surprisingly laid back individual for being so intimately involved with the daily grind of business ownership and coven leadership. This is mostly due to confidence and self-assuredness, which she had the opportunity to develop over a youth spent totally conscious of her purpose in life. Additionally, there are hypnotic anti-triggers locked in her manufactured brain which prevent overreaction. Any impulse that would unseat her stability is snuffed out before she can process it with a roughly 99% chance of efficacy. Therefore, her only true intention is to be the best Matriarch she can be: Fair, even-tempered, thoughtful, accepting and gracious.
Though, notably after an altercation with her direct progenitor, Momo has made subtle alterations to her behavior. Among them, she's far more hands-on in just about everything she can be than she was previously. Frustratingly, she's become something of a micro-manager because of it.

SECRETS ⫻ Moriah has a deep-seeded and desperate need for excellence and the recognition that it brings. Such is her fervor and need to accomplish this that she has completely divested herself of any rules and regulations set forth by the Coven of the Whispering Flesh in regards to the continuity of the Motta line of Matriarchs. Of note, a regulation stating that a Matriarch will only ever prepare a single replacement has been completely done away with, as Moriah began work on a simultaneous batch of ten "Unborn".
The process of preparing even a single Matriarch Unborn is a grueling and resource-intensive endeavor, especially given the requirement of constant genetic source material to pull from. While she does her absolute best to responsibly acquire said source materials, not all donations have come willingly... But if Moriah sees qualities and traits that she wishes to express through her Children, well... She can't help but fixate. One can only hope that a monthly blood donation is the least of their concerns.

SEXUALITY ⫻ One of the many quirks of the Matriarch Program's earliest days is the simultaneous coexistance of both types of human sexual organs. While she finds pleasures of the flesh to be accurately named, Moriah was born with a built-in drive to spread her genetic lineage as far and wide as possible while simultaneously storing and integrating any genetic material she happens to alternately receive.

FEARS ⫻ Prior to the Cataclysm, Moriah had been working on a single Matriarch. Over four painstaking years, Moriah had put her heart and soul into a single Unborn which had, in her mind, a strong potential for a split- Twins. Her ultimate goal, ripped away from her in a single instant of destruction. Her laboratory, her personal sanctum wasn't just crushed: It was swallowed whole. Since then, she's put a great deal of focus into making sure something like that never happens again. Thus, not only has she broken her Coven's laws by forming more than one, but she's also obsessively hidden locations in which her Daughters are kept all throughout the city and surrounding area. Something so wretched as loss of her Unborn can never happen again.

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Coordinating efforts to both mitigate damage and maximize the effectivness of her Coven's small but capable fighting force, Moriah was quick to align her forces with the Keepers of the Grove and other likeminded local groups. Her main goal was, at the time, recovering what she thought would be her safe and well-protected Unborn from an otherwise catastrophic lapse in defendable territory: Of course that didn't happen, and many got to see the brutality of a Matriarch in mourning first hand.

FLAWS ⫻ Unlike normal humans, Moriah was born with purpose and destiny pre-programmed into her psyche. While she is a thinking, feeling, living human with real hopes and dreams, her course and destiny were somewhat predetermined. As such, while others may change the course of their lives over and over again in order to better themselves, Moriah treats every brick wall she meets as just another obstacle. She is unflinching, unbending, but also inflexible when faced with something that will affect the overall positive status of her goals.

Moriah's story starts in a plague-ravaged village at the foot of the Italian/Swiss Alps nearly a thousand years ago. An isolated village, one where the only people left alive were the feared Strega, who were rumored to toil over bubbling cauldrons deep in the forests. Before the destruction, many of the locals tried and failed to uproot this secretive Coven, only to be turned back as the forests themselves came alive. They all believed that the disease came from those cauldrons, whose sickly green trails could be found weaving their way through the fields and streets after particularly dark nights.
La Sorellanza della Carne Sussurrata: The Sisterhood of Whispering Flesh, who came to the villages at night to take their Tithe... Being sick in the Motta Monad Valley wasn't just a death sentence in those days; it was a guarantee that your home would be invaded, and your loved one would be taken. Lo, more and more fighting men were sent to end the percieved threat. Consequently, less and less men were seen walking about the Valley. Eventually, less and less men were seen throughout the region as sickness took the weak, and the Flesh took the strong.

The ignorant couldn't have understood what they were trying to do: That the magical plague which was spreading across Europe had it's origins in a war so ancient that even the Sisterhood was infantismally small in comparison. The Sisterhood were healers, or at least attempted healers, as their Coven toiled in service to the Deer whom they deeply worshipped. They closely monitored local infection rates, and would attempt to minimize the spread by isolating the sick from their villages. Those "dark nights" were the result of a gentle -albiet still fairly disturbing- preemptive gassing of the locals with a sleeping agent. Their stilt-walking cauldrons were typically the last things that the townsfolk would see before the darkness fell around them; and those unaffected were typically the scant few magically-inclined individuals who had some sort of Emotional Field to protect them.
So naturally they'd be targeted. Hated. Suspected of creating the sickness to steal the sick and sacrafice them to the Devil. And naturally, with money harder and harder to come by, fighting Men would seek out the paychecks provided by mercenary groups. The very same who would find themselves traipsing through the Motta Monad Valley on the hunt for Witches of the Wilds. Of course they would, in turn, defend themselves.

By the end, one could count the amount of men in the surrounding region without an abbacus. When cities like Venace and Naples came to claim their soldiers, they found villages devoid of life, save a few pox-free women and children who somehow managed to escape infection. They never found their men: Those men weren't found until recently, when a logging operation in that same valley turned up trees whose cores were the mummified remains of long-dead mercenaries, still clad in their armor and clutching their weapons for dear life. Rather, unable and unwilling to push their luck in the dark forests, the famed city-states of Italy condemned the valley in all but the most blatant of wall building. Those who could flee did, and those who couldn't threw themselves from the nearby peaks.
Only the Sisterhood remained. And while they were alone, they had not been idle with those who they couldn't save: Instead keeping their essential parts in biological stasis until a time where a cure for their sickness could be achieved. It's said the Deer itself called to them through the forests- "Mankind has failed. Go, and and do as they have, o' Sisters of the Flesh. Maketh of a New Man in thine own image." And with the Deer's instruction, the Sisterhood learned to craft flesh from flesh recycled. Their cauldrons became wombs into which the lives and memories of the sick were poured.

Each sister would craft a mirror of herself, and each would inevitably crawl into their own creation in order to spark new life. These creatures, made of pure arcane biology who were born from their cauldrons as grown things, transcended the boundaries between the biological poles. Each then learned and taught and understood one another intimately; and the first of the Matriarchs were born. From them, more would come in generations upon generations, the technique being refined as the Matriarchs joined and split throughout Europe's checkered history. They would eventually weave their way into the fabric of European high society, expanding the genetic pool far beyond the picturesque hills they came from. With this influence, Matriarchs would then return to the Motta Monad bearing mortal followers, materials, resources - All in the service of giving back to the land that had cradled them. A city which would remain outside of time, outside of the realms of Blind Humanity, and deep in the Deer's most sacred of mountain groves.
The city of Matriarchs: Culla, the Cradle of Mothers, where the eldest and wisest of their kind would rule the forests and guide the evolution of the Coven of Whispering Flesh into a global effort. A practicing plan to replace the follies of Mankind with the pure, natural expression of Maternal love and tenderness.

Culla remains hidden in the Monad Valley, even as industry and modern technology move back into the lower parts of the landscape abudding the Cerva River. The revival of humanity, and the eventual repopulation of the area by the Blind Majority, were always part of the Whispering Flesh's plans after all. Importantly, due to that consistent slow prodding, defenses had to be erected. A garrison formed, made up of the mortal followers and biological Sons of the Matriarchs of Culla, dubbed the Children of Alezia. Purely practical at first, it was a way to put the otherwise mostly useless and heavily scrutinized menfolk of Culla to good use: Living and dying for their mothers and Matriarchs, their loyalty was supreme. As more Matriarchs were born, however, and many came to Culla from the far-flung branches of the Whispering Flesh, a new purpose was given to the otherwise mostly ceremonial "police" organization. The Commendatoriate was formed, essentially as a college for younger Matriarchs to come and hone their skills. With the leadership of the Sons more closely controlled by the Commendatoriate, the Matriarchs of Culla were free to begin selling their magical mercenary company to the surrounding areas, and eventually further abroad as conflicts became more global and widespread.

Now, with the origins covered, we can talk about the New World: A Matriarch named Sylvia, born as a noble Matriarch of Culla and carrying the bloodline of one of the Originators, was an especially gifted and talented individual among her peers. Selected by her Matriarch and the ruling council of Culla, Sylvia uprooted herself and her closest followers to make passage for the New World, recently reborn as the United States of America. A few lesser Sisters made passage first, returning letters detailing a mountain range with suitable connection to The Deer's influence: A perfect place for Sylvia to settle and take advantage of the burgeoning diversity of the newborn Country. Peoples of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the native peoples who had called this "New World" their home for thousands of years prior, would all be available for them to easily pull and create from. Especially fascinating was the Native American's particular closeness and affinity for the natural environment most closely associated with The Deer. It was believed that their natural connections would make particularly quality contributions to Matriarchal bloodlines of the future.
As such, a branch was formed at the feet of the Appalachian Mountains: La Congrega della Gloria Immacolata, the Coven of Untouched Glory.

It's been three-hundred years since the founding of Untouched Glory. Unbroken for nearly all of it, the Sisterhood has been nothing but successful in their quest to perfect the process of Matriarchal Unbirth. Their claim to fame: Learning how to break the cycle of Reclamation, which prevented Matriarchs from needing to sacrifice themselves in order to birth the next generation. The phenomena of Twin Matriarchs, once seen as a blessing of fertility, became secondary to the new and modernized Unbirthing process. Now, it's merely seen as a good omen; a preferable outcome to see two Matriarchs born from the effort of one. Sisters no longer crawl into their own cauldrons to provide the spark of life: Thus, the number of Matriarchs in the world swelled from dozens to thousands within a few generations.
The unprecedented boom in population has since forced the Whispering Flesh to classify their ranks even further, creating less and less significant positions of authority and bureaucracy for those "honored sisters" who just don't stack up to their peers. Most don't even see the City of Culla now, and frequently these "Lesser Dames" choose to break with tradition altogether in favor of free lives among the world.

This process has since broken up the very Coven which created the situation in the first place: Sixty-five years ago, the renowned Matriarch twins Allegra and Bella, "Greater Dames" in their own right, returned from their time spent behind the forest walls of Culla with a new plan. Immediately, they petitioned for branching from the Untouched Glory, taking little with them and making way for the burgeoning city of Cloverfield not from their Motherland near the city of Roanoke. After all, they both had the chance to travel in the Commendatoriate, and saw far more of the globe than many of their sisters and progenitors before them. Fascinated by the liberation movements and rebellions sparking across the planet, their belief was that there was never a better chance than that moment to slip into modern City life.
Like the Matriarchs of ancient times, the two sisters quickly wove their way into what passed for High Society in the Appalachian South, finally forming the Twin-Hill Coven. Soon, the city's first strip club was opened- Originally a juke-joint and speakeasy in an otherwise dry county, Sin Sisters' became the premier club not only to see beautiful women, but to socialize and party to one's content. Of course, the sisters themselves only had one goal: Gather as much genetic diversity and potential as possible.

Famously inclusive and anti-segregationist, the Sin Sisters' Club became the gold standard for nightlife in Cloverfield's Upper-West End. Allegra Motta especially garnered a great deal of attention as a Texas Guinan-Style nightlife hostess: Her presence in the Club on any given night could reportedly turn the atmosphere from comfortable mellow to an absolutely electric fervor. On more than one occasion, it was said that the revelry would spill from the club into the gilded streets of Cloverfield's ritzy North side, lasting until every last man and woman made it back to their beds safely. It was a golden age, and the sisters prospered as they developed their own Matriarch Progeny.
A concerted effort on the part of Allegra and Bella, the two experimented on further perfecting a single progeny which was allocated double the resource pool. An experiment that's said to have created the single strongest Matriarch to have ever lived: Cadenza Superiore Motta, the first of the New Breed. The trend was not ignored, and while Cadenza's childhood rolled into her own time behind Culla's walls and at the helm of the Commendatoriate, Matriarchs around the world attempted to copy the results without success.

It's said that the bond Allegra and Bella share- Matriarchal Twinhood -was the spark that allowed for such an outlier to exist. Since, only the scant few twin-contemporaries have even come close to replicating the Motta Sisters' results. As such, Cadenza remained uncontested for almost twenty years as the "Arch-Matriarch". It was expected that her own progeny would either be a blessed Twin Unbirth, or at the very least an even stronger specimen than herself.
And so finally, we've reached our hero: Moriah Bella Motta, Matriarchal Progeny of the Greatest among them. Born to Cadenza behind the walls of Culla with only two years of Unbirthed gestation, Moriah was seen as "Uncooked" by those who found her infantile form as nothing more than a premature release. A test for Cadenza's future endeavors, and nothing more. So, it was fairly shocking to the Matriarchs of Culla when this "infant" strode and spoke and thought as if she were fully termed. Typically, a Matriarch would gestate for an entire decade as their Progenitor gathered genetic material from as many sources as possible.

For Cadenza, this process was simple: Why bother with outsiders? Everything Moriah needed to be was already behind the walls, and while most Matriarchs were covetous and guarding of their own personal genomes, none could resist the Arch-Matriarch's demand for their materials. She took whoever she could by charm and grace, and those who did deny her could scarcely prevent her from enacting the Right of Dueling to take by force. Thus, unlike most Matriarchs whose genetics come from a laundry list of Blind, Mundane or otherwise non-Matriarchal Adept tributaries, Moriah Bella was made entirely by the collected genetics of the best and brightest of her kind. Like her Matriarch, Moriah was powerful and gifted- growing faster outside of her artificial womb than she ever would've inside, by her tenth birthday, Moriah took her position in the Commendatoriate in order to travel the world and complete her education.
While most Matriarchs learn to fight and to lead in the Commendatoriate, it was here that Moriah instead learned how to be a human. Gifted as she was, her life as a fully conscious and adult-minded child was spent being taught to control herself and the powers within her. Cadenza was a harsh Mistress, and perfection was never enough to impress her, so Moriah only strove to seek that out. Emancipation from that, her time spent among her Peers as a leader of mercenaries in the modern age of Cold Wars and Hot Conflicts across the magical world, was like Rumspringa.

Moriah would spend the next decade among her peers as an unparalleled warrior princess, earning the highest honors among the Matriarchs in the Commendatoriate that she could before finally retiring to her true Motherland: Cloverfield. While she'd spent the occasional summer there in her early life as Cadenza's needs required, Moriah became especially fascinated by the lifestyle of her Grandmother-Matriarchs. Their oppulent Coven, the gilded Mansion they lived in, were very stark in contrast to the egalitarian and naturalist lifestyle of Culla. She would find later, during her time in the service, that more places were like Cloverfield than Culla: A realization that stuck with her and managed to draw her back once she had the freedom to do as she pleased.
As it was, she was still following her revered Mother, as Cadenza had returned to Cloverfield in order to address conflict within the umbrella of The Untouched Glory. Partly in support, but mostly independent, Moriah began to spend more and more time with her Grandmother Allegra. Learning about becoming a part of the Sin Sisters' Family as both a dancer and ultimately the facility's manager, Moriah became more and more comfortable with the urban highlife of America.

Cadenza eventually returned to Culla, trusting her daughter not only with ensuring the stability of the Coven of Untouched Glory, but the safety and protection of her non-matriarchal Consort and the gaggle of children that the two had naturally: Moriah's many "Mundane" siblings. Some remained with Bella Motta in the Ashram of Untouched Glory, others were trusted to various Covens in the local area. Cadenza was expressly clear, however.
"The only person who matters is Nikki. Protect my Consort. Protect my Love."
Moriah never could've predicted what happened next. How through a slow, subtle chain of events, the woman she knew as "Momma" would be slowly, surely lured through her children into the waiting arms of a criminal mastermind. One whose experiments of Blue Lux hungered for the incredibly durable and power-laden bodies of the Matriarchs. She disappeared one day, and without Moriah even prompting her to return, Cadenza made way for Cloverfield in order to find her missing lover. Before she too disappeared, Cadenza was sure to let her daughter know exactly how she felt about her failure of duty... Though she couldn't be stripped of her titles and rank, Moriah was stripped of every bit of dignity and peace she'd built for herself: Cadenza left no fault or flaw undescribed, dressing Moriah down to the point that when the Arch-Matriarch did disappear, there was no followup. No response.

All of Momo's affection and love toward her Progenitor died alongside her. There was no effort put into into mounting an investigation. Her half-siblings were quickly scattered about the local area, sent to different Covens who would take the orphaned children out of Momo's hands until a time where they'd be old enough to make their own decisions. Allegra, in mourning at the fate of her "Perfect Child", completely retired from public life to be with her beloved twin in the Ashram of Untouched Glory where they'd been born.
Now, she's been left to her own devices: Moriah has taken to her position as Matriarch of the Twin-Hill Coven like a fish to water, contributing a significant Tithe of genetics from her facility to the higher branches. Satisfied with the status quo, the Matriarchs of Culla have asked few questions... After all, despite her power, few wept at the loss of Cadenza Motta. Her impersonal, aggressive and often elitist attitude to those who she deemed "lesser" made her an incredibly unpopular figure across the entire family tree of the Whispering Flesh. By contrast, Moriah is looked upon fondly by the Matriarchs of Culla, as the eldest of their ranks remember the strange little girl for who she had been naturally. The opposite of her Matriarchal Progenitor, Moriah was always the first to rally Lesser Dames to her cause, and to uplift those she could wherever possible.

Momo has become a name that Culla can trust in the United States, while her Grandmothers Bella and Allegra have faded into quiet retirement with the loss of their "Perfect Child". While talks are in the works to push her toward leadership of the Untouched Glory, Moriah has since made plans of her own. Specifically, her own personal refinement to the process of cross-Matriarchal birth. The same kind of development her Progenitor Cadenza had created for her, Momo's intention was to experiment with a longer gestation time under the same process. This meant a ten-year development period for her personal Unborn, who she had affectionately named Fiora before the girl ever could've known.
Life settled into a rhythm from there. Sin Sisters' continued to be successful, and Momo's presence at the club was felt much like her social mentor. Healthy genetic diversity, the currency within the Whispering Flesh, bought her plenty of Matriarchal Material in turn, which provided for Fiora's planned gestation. Things were good, and Momo was at her absolute height in regards to her success. She was able to rebuild herself in the wake of losing her Mother both physically and mentally...

And then the Cataclysm came. It was devastating to the entire area, and even with the combined might of so many different forces coming together to try and stop it, there was only so much anyone could do. Ever the pragmatist, Momo did her best to use the time surrounded by the various covens of Appalachia to both gather material, and solidify alliances. At first, the Upper-West end was more like a breathing crater of destruction. Not only was the original Sin Sisters' club destroyed, but gut-wrenchingly, so had the underground laboratory which Momo had hoped would be safe for Fiora...
It hadn't been. Years of effort and material were wiped clean from the world by the chaos of the Cataclysm. More importantly than any of that, however, was the emotional attachment. Momo had, unlike many of her peers who saw their progeny as nothing but experiments, grown to love her Unborn like a true mother would... As if she'd carried the child in her own body. Maternal instinct gave way to mourning, coincidentally returning her to a closeness with her Grandmother Matriarchs that she'd been callous and cold about previously. But it also turned her into a frothing monster in opposition to Nyrah the Destroyer's nightmarish forces. Some called her bold, others foolish - But in the end, nobody could question that her efforts to reclaim the Upper-West End were pivotal in the overall reduction of Nyrah's capacity to wage war on the city.

And she didn't leave after, either. Despite so many people fleeing the city and the temporary reinforcements heading back to their respective homes, Momo was one of the first people to start putting resources back into the city. She became more than just a nightclub owner - She became a public figure whose contributions to the fiscal, material and labor requirements necessary for the initial disaster relief were recognized by politicians both local and Federal.
She had, after all, already claimed payment. The corpses of the dead were necessary contributors to the war effort... And the various post-conflict clinical facilities gave her plenty of magical and mundane material to send as unbroken Tithes back to Italy. Unbroken Tithes that earned her not only respect, but absolute trust among the Matriarchs of Culla. The kind of trust and respect which privacy can thrive in. As the Upper-West End was built back up to its gilded glory, the various magical groups playing a large part in the city's reconstruction over such a short period, Momo has taken the chance to work her way into various local enterprises.

Ever expanding her Tithe collection and unburdened by the expectation of her superiors, Momo has been free to experiment as she pleases. Because of this, she's divested herself of a cardinal rule: No longer is she restricted to a single Unborn. Instead, having established several hidden laboratories around Cloverfield's Upper and Lower ends, the amount of Unborn she's juggling in various stages of different methods and techniques has ballooned to ten. And each, separated from the rest, require tremendous amounts of time and resources in order to form correctly. Rarely does Momo sleep, for there is simply no time.
It's been almost two years since the devastation wrought by the Cataclysm. It's safe to say that, unlike many, the Twin-Hills Coven has thrived in the rebuilding effort of Cloverfield. Despite her pain and traumas, Momo has come to find joy and fulfillment in her life once again. Now, the only question for the future is: How long will she be able to keep up with the juggling act?

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Bio-Chemical Equation: Green Lux focusing on Periodic Elements and the part they play in Biology. Moriah's Channeler is a band made of pure gold implanted around the base of her spinal chord.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ There are Adepts who come from long-lived magical lineages, who are almost immediately opened to their third-eye and encouraged in every possible way to kindle early. Expectedly, they make for exceptionally talented individuals whose jump on the magical world around them leaves them overall more studied and capable than their peers who come into that world later in life. But what if one could twist and bend the Lux around the genetics of humanity, forming a vessel through the ebb and flow of magic that could be rendered as a willing host? Alternatively, what if one simply kept that child waiting, growing freely without the concern of lifespan as the constant manipulation of their body in a semi-formed state?

For Moriah, both of these ideas were used in tandem. Born through the Mother Deer's Gift - A process of gestating a child through multiple genetic donor sources by a competent Green Lux Adept - Moriah was created by one of the most skilled Green Lux users of her age. As such, her connection with Green Lux and her ability to wield and manipulate it down to the finest chemical elements found in nature is said to be peerless. Two years of gestation was all it took, and Moriah was born from the viscous amneotic pool in which she was developed with a fully developed mind and body. Cadenza, her Matriarchal Progenitor, had managed to make the unthinkable happen by claiming enough genetic material from the pool of Matriarchs spred across Dazzle to develop her progeny entirely from that source.

Until then, it was a source that nobody thought was possible to tap fully. A Matriarch may have two or three peer-donors, trusted fellows whose power or grasp on their Lux was particularly potent or desirable; but Cadenza sourced a reported five-thousand Matriarchal donors - Practically the entirety of their secret society's upper crust. It's had a potent effect on Moriah, and to this day her ability to control Green Lux borders on Apparitional. Spells, incantations, rituals; these things are only present as guidelines to educate lesser Adepts so they can hope to pull from a shallow pool of creation. For her, they're little more than party tricks, while she's able to call out to and reach for the chemical elements that surround all of us in subtle ways, using only her tremendous Green reserves as the catalyst.

The Mother Deer's Gift ⫻ As the primary building block of the magics utilized by Matriarchs of the Sisterhood of Whispering Flesh, the Mother Deer's Gift was the spell taught to the original Sisterhood who gave themselves to their cauldrons to kickstart the evolutionary process necessary to transcend their humanoid biology. At its most basic, the Gift is a fundamental understanding of the liquidity of Biology, and how the proper chemical compounds can create and maintain life with indefinite success. Understanding organic polymers created by nucleotides, and the further knowledge of how to create those building blocks through chemical elements and the formulation of amino acids, is a crucial stepping stone for every Matriarch.
Thankfully, this knowledge is usually second nature, as in the process of their creation, Matriarchs will invariably program this understanding into their "Unborn" progeny while they're creating them.

This process, the creation of a new Matriarch through the Mother Deer's Gift, is just as much a science project as it is a ritual spell. A great deal of Green Lux is focused into a protein-filled slurry - the components of which are historically recycled biological materials from corpses, but has expanded into pretty much any bio-organic material that can be gathered - which is then seeded by the Matriarch's own biological eggs from their womb. Over time, this slurry breaks all contributory sources down into their most basic elements, and one is left with a pool of resources from which a human can grow just as they would in a normal womb. The only difference is that, in this state exposed to so much Green Lux, every bit of contributory material can be sorted, organized and intelligently allocated to insure the perfect environment for growth.

As a magical side effect, all tributary materials are reliably preserved at a quantum level to retain cellular memory. As such, a properly formed Matriarch child - a process usually taking between five and ten years depending on the quality of materials used - is usually born with knowledge that a child otherwise wouldn't be. How to talk, how to read and write, how to walk and run and sprint and swim; the things that one would often spend those years teaching a child, they're born knowing. Beyond that, the Matriarch themselves typically pass down their knowledge of Green Lux through their own contributions, meaning that a Kindled Matriarch is a naturally competent Adept of Green Lux capable of replicating their Progenitor's own control. Thus, the greater the Progenitor, the more able the Progeny without intervention or education.

Cellular Banking ⫻ Matriarchal culture is all about genetic materials. From the time they're born until the time they die (sometimes hundreds of years later), Matriarchs are plagued by the goblinesque impulse to gather and maintain a stock of genetic material which they can then break down and convert to a more usable form. The most common method is through the ability to self-fertilize, which all Matriarchs are capable of through gamete-reconstitution by usage of donor materials. The goal with self-impregnation is not to carry a child to term, rather to produce a constant stream of high-quality Embryonic Stem Cells through the process of targeted self-renewal. In it's natural division, a fertilized egg will produce blastocysts whose inner walls are chalk full of stem cells.
Green Lux is further used to extract the fresh material, which is then packaged and sealed with a stable shelf-life which can be refreshed by the same Lux which forced it's creation in the first place.

Thus, genetic material of the highest quality can be stored for future use while the lesser quality product is shipped directly to Culla in order to pay the expected Genetic Tithe, alongside similar shipments of raw materials for the Matriarchs to produce their own stem cell banks.

Bio-Engineered Perfection ⫻ As the Whispering Flesh refined their control over the secrets of recycled life, they found that those secrets were equally capable of affecting those already born and grown. What started as simple rejuvenation techniques to prolong the lives of the Whispering Flesh's eldest Matriarchs became far more than the Sisters could've imagined. Rejuvenation became restructuring, the forcing of organs and soft tissue to function similarly using new materials that made them more robust and efficient. Some Matriarchs, unsatisfied with their human forms entirely, spend their own personal time and effort changing bodily systems altogether; developing cutaneous respiration, restructuring the nervous system, improving musculature and durability through various material means.
Modern Matriarchs, Moriah especially, have gone so far as to completely weaponize their forms. Bio-mechanical weaponry, post-human strength and reflexes, entire "Superman" conversions allowing the Matriarch to effectively transform into a far more deadly battery of Green Lux-powered destruction.

Moriah's main focus in this practice comes with a great deal of confidence in the Human form as the most potent vessel for Lux to be channeled through. As such, her preferred method of expressing her power is through the usage of tier-stepped levels of power which she uses to both gauge the power of her enemy, and conserve energy and resources in order to prolong her effective uptime before she requires replenishment.

• Riposo (Resting): Moriah's standard level of existence. Though she's no Hulk, Moriah benefits from an overall improved physique; a more robust musculoskeletal system, highly efficient respiratory/circulatory systems, and a gastrointestinal system capable of converting just about any organic material into its constituent parts.
• Migliorato (Improved): Moriah's primary combat form. This level of improvement is generally subtle, putting as little strain on her form to maximize improvements as possible. The integumentary system thickens, forcing cutaneous nerves under the surface to ignore basic surface pains. Energy and oxygen is diverted to the muscular system, and lactic acid produced by the increased strain is more directly filtered into the kidneys and liver which are improved to efficiently perform gluconeogenesis.
  While she doesn't experience any direct or apparent changes to her outward appearance, the results of study have shown that the transition from Riposo to Migliorato translates to a twenty percent overall increased output of power from her muscles; allowing her to run faster, jump higher, punch harder, and live through more devastating physical impacts without her body requiring any more energy than it was already using.
• Potenziata (Enhanced): Potenziata is where things start to get noticeable in terms of Moriah's overall change. Great reserves of Green Lux go into converting stored genetic materials, resulting in several body-wide mutations that leave no room to doubt that she's built herself for war. To start, the musculoskeletal system undergoes an overhaul as bones and muscles increase in size by an average of forty percent. New organs (called the Peripheral Chemosynthetic Glands, or PCG) form in her throat meant to gather chemical elements and produce compounds not naturally formed in the body. Her skin becomes hard and dense, utilizing the gathered materials from her new organs to inject a subcutaneous carbon-filament layer. Essentially bulletproof, ligaments and connective tissues are also coated in the same carbon layer in order to insure they can handle the increased strain. In addition, organs that otherwise would be used for everyday functions are stagnated as the energy they would otherwise used is allocated to more pressing systems.
  This is a full transformation, and the first sign that Moriah considers what's in front of her as an actual threat rather than a nuisance. Through sheer vanity, her outward appearance doesn't deviate much beyond a near three-foot overall height increase. Most notably, an aura of Green Lux typically surrounds her at this point, as the amount of it she's gathering and expending to maintain the form can be anything but subtle.
• Apice (Apex): At this point, all but the most necessary organs and bodily functions have been converted into pure glucose for energy. Nociceptors are completely disconnected from the nervous system, deadening her sense of pain and relieving her of any potential reactions due to it. The stomach and existent PCGs merge together into a single organ capable of breaking down just about anything into its constituent elements. This allows Moriah to eat damn near anything and repurpose it into her body in some way (a process responsible for her unique nickname and callsign within the Commendatoriate: The Uranium Angel). The skeleton is typically the first bit to be replaced, calcifying to the point that breaking one would require the force of a jet hitting her directly. The material swap usually comes with another size increase, bringing her to nearly eleven feet tall. The skin is further changed, becoming rigid plates of carbon steel wherever motion isn't a major requirement, and additional PCGs form in her arms and hands that are specialized for handling the formation of elements into blasts of incredibly reactive materials.
  At this point, the Lux energy radiating off her is so concentrated that walking about causes life to grow from beneath her feet. Her body itself, a walking breathing chemical factory, is now capable of replacing just about any "lost or missing" piece which may happen to come off during combat; though at a tremendous material cost that would probably still take her out of a fight temporarily as she devours anything she can get her hands on for a reset.
• Sconosciuta (Unknown): This categorization is for the unexpected: Moriah is constantly experimenting and developing her abilities in the search for perfection. The conflict with Nyrah the Destroyer's forces has been a sticking point in her mind for almost two years now: Her pursuit of perfection is rooted in the (self-aggrandizing) belief that one day, something worse will come, and she'll be the ultimate bulwark to stop it.
  Having never seen what her Progenitor Cadenza could actually accomplish at full power, Moriah only has the stories from the Commendatoriate's records to go by, and any first hand accounts that remain. To such an end, she's absolutely sure that her Apice form is anything but an Apex... An subpar estimation of perfection.

LIMITS ⫻ The main limitation in every single part of Moriah's understanding and control of Green Lux comes down to one limiting factor: Material quality. In the beginning, the Sisters of Whispering Flesh were forced to use corpses and materials from the natural world around them: While this mostly worked, living tissue was still required to complete the ritual behind the Mother Deer's Gift. As such, they would most often sacrifice their own lives in order to be "reborn" into the world as new beings. In this modern techmaturgical age, the flesh of the dead is seen as a middling quality material at best, used to pad the quantity in one's Tithe with an overall efficient and renewable material.
For Moriah, this means that eating as a human would is practically useless. As a "New-Breed" Matriarch, Moriah's nutritional needs are incredibly taxing and difficult to fulfill. As such, a great deal of care is taken to ration and control the genetic stock which she collects. There are alternatives, of course... In desperate times throughout history, Matriarchs have been known to cannibalize their "lesser" Adept followers, and even one another should the stakes be incredibly desperate.

Alternatively, the very presence of miasmic Black Lux can throw a Matriarch's entire body into chaos and disarray. The presence of undead, and the necromantic Black Lux Adepts who typically control them, is complete anathema to the Matriarch; the typical reaction is a lapse in control over the systems which are necessary to maintain their battle forms. Thus, Matriarchs either flee the conflict, become locked in a regressive state as their bodies consume themselves, or fly into a berserk rage which is completely ruined by the fact that their bodies are no longer capable of performing the same feats of power as usual.

The Mother Deer's Gift ⫻ While the process of creating an Unborn no longer requires a Matriarch to sacrifice themselves, the creation and nurturing uses the Progenitor's energy. On days that Momo actively tends to her Unborn she will be more lethargic, perhaps weakened. This side effect can be negated by the consumption of the correct genetic material to fuel herself.

Bio Engineered Perfection ⫻ Each tier of power requires an increasing amount of Momo's energy, and fuel to go with it. It starts as being easily maintainable at the Migliorato level, to requiring frequent nourishment at the Apice level (of anything and everything, preferably higher quality materials). Maintaining it is strenuous, and pushing all the way to Apex level will leave Momo weakened for a couple of days afterwards - and unable to push herself back up to it.

At Potenziata, Apice and Sconsciuta (when its obtained) levels, Momo is giving out an aura of Green Lux powerful enough to start changing her surroundings. While this doesn't seem like a weakness on its surface, it comes with unexpected changes to any living being that comes into contact with it. At Potenziata this is minimal - animals may mutate slightly, Blinds find their cell generation increased. It's at Apice level that it gets dangerous. Her Green Lux aura causes rapid, uncontrolled cell proliferation in any biological creature that gets near her. Animals rapidly mutate, becoming twisted far beyond their natural form. Blinds mutate too. How this happens varies - sometimes they change physically, developing deformities or even growing new limbs. The increased cell growth leads of tumor formation. Essentially, getting near Momo will cause the development of cancer for all Blinds. It can do this for those with Emotional fields too - they're more resistant, but at this power level weaker Paranormal can be effected at a slower rate. This means Momo can hurt the very people she's trying to protect.

Also with each tier, Momo feels more and more uncontrollable impulses to gather material - and an increased desire for what comes with that. This lingers even after she goes back to her resting state. While at the higher tiers, this can be very... painful.

I missed a part about Momo's affair with a fellow Matriarch, and how she died in combat and Momo couldn't save her. And about how Fiora, her first "Unborn", was made with the stored genetics of Momo's dead lover. It drove her pretty crazy, but I doubt it'll come up ever.

Made in the universe known hereafter as Glare, Idles-In-Shade was created as an Apparition by an Adept, Charles Cain, in a great gambit to secure a fortress Cain had been building in the Appalachian Mountains. Once a coven leader of other Adepts in that region before slowly, painfully, secretly consuming them, Cain had begun several campaigns to effectively perform the same process to cults of the Blind. Endeavoring with the consumption of souls to elevate himself to the position of an Apparition, immortal in all ways, in an effort to achieve this Cain deigned to create a fortress, let leak to the great many groups of Adepts who find themselves wanting to lay down their law, and in a grand ritual ultimately die. Through this, he planned to become what he believed to be an Angel, a creature of undying and eternal power, and to achieve this fortress the Adept summoned forth an Apparition.

He was born into service, morality not touching his being as Idles-In-Shade labored to bring about his creator’s vision. Years passed by as he did so, the Abstraction of his power formed by the demands of Cain, yet eventually his master grew impatient. The hounds of the Brotherhood, far-flung as they were from their European haunts, had begun to smell the heretical foundations in the Appalachians while the numerous mass deaths - each conducted by Cain with the terrible magician’s flair of feigning his own demise - had begun to attract Blind law enforcement as well as the Adepts who played at that same game. He felt walls close in that may have been only imagined, felt that his fortress had been perfected far enough as any would wish, and thus began his plan.

The endeavor failed. The endeavor succeeded. Cain died, the fortress ensnaring so many of the Adepts, of the Brotherhood, of Blind caught in the play who thought they were simply enforcing Federal laws, and then the fortress erupted in fire. Souls caught by Cain’s magic flowed like rivers, some of these Cain consumed in his death-throes, the magic in the air rending the fortress open to the space between realms. Glare bled out into that space while the space itself flooded in. As chaos grasped hold of all, a question appeared in Idles-In-Shade’s mind, a curiosity, and he indulged in it. He consumed some of the souls, too, and slipped out through the cut in Glare into that space between. Glare ended, Cain dead, but he, he was free.

Idles-In-Shade would land in Dazzle, though he wouldn’t know its name, and set about achieving that fortress which he had once been commissioned to make. A grand misunderstanding - and a grand built-in urge - had resulted in this as Cain had never truly divulged his plans to the Apparition he had created and the demands which he had made upon his creation left the deepest of imprints. He took the guise of a squirrel, a creature few even batted an eye against and fewer still took the great times to interact with in any way, and took residence in an old, disused park in a place known by the Blind as Cloverfield. It was to be the foundation of that fortress, Berny Park in the lower district, a citadel that none would suspect to be a citadel and none would be capable of breaching.

Then the Cataclysm came and then the Cataclysm went. He took to ground, like so many others, focusing his magic such that the park itself became impossible to traverse, such that every shard of Nyrah’s power which ever would cut against it, every stray belch of acid, every coincidental cut of talon, could make little headway. It was taxing and hard, brutally hard, but through it all he and the fortress survived. Through that fact that the fortress had never been seen as a fortress, all remained unnoticed, unfocused by those who would seek to destroy, and the Idles-In-Shade found it all to have been tested satisfactorily…though never tested to completion. There was still work to be done. There was still work to be built. The itch in the back of his mind would not be satisfied by the mere fact of survival, especially when others had survived it by their mere force of will.

He has since become a coincidental, partially benevolent spirit of Berny Park. Though humanity at times baffles him, at times confounds him, the Aberration has taken some degree of pleasure in using his creation towards more present goals. Teenagers who wish privacy might find it in the park where a trail becomes cloistered from even the most prying of eyes, thieves might run from their targets through its trails to become just another face in the crowd, though he takes some degree of satisfaction in giving particular attention to certain individuals. Those who do harm in his fortress, or seek to use his fortress to conceal their deed, do so at their own peril. Idles-In-Shade finds that to be the critical line before the limits of his charity, the obligations of the host, are broken.

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Since he was young, Ioan felt driven. Driven to escape his circumstances. Driven to prove himself. Driven by innate curiousity of the world, people and forces within it. When he was young he understood the hunger he felt, but somewhere along too much somehow became never enough. A restless hunger that never leaves him alone. Cloverfield needs to rebuild and he's the man that knows how to rebuild it. There are threats to be identified, studied and managed. New projects and sources of power to be exploited. Deals to be made. Power begets power and Ioan always wants... more.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The world is cold and dark, a never ending struggle that carries on until it too will, inevitably, be carried into the great abyss like everything else. Good and evil, these are stories people tell one another to keep society functioning - simplistic truisms reflecting only vaguely the barest necessities of the human condition in a universe that cares nothing for our simple wants and deeds.

And there are two types of people in the world. Those who understand this reality, that we are all already dead men walking and that if one isn't careful the blessings of the meek are simply lessons of the blind and that ruthlessness, in truth, is simply the act of having mercy upon ourselves. People judge what they do not understand, but the world has need of men like Ioan, those willing to do what's necessary, to sacrifice what's necessary, to keep the very darkest of shadows at bay.

And if the world ever truly forgets that lesson - and the time will inevitably come - that will be the moment that darkness finally wins, and life and light, are finally extinguished forever.

SECRETS ⫻ It's an open secret that the Devil of Southside has skeletons in his closet. In spite of his many, many critics, Mr. Foster actually takes great pains to stay uninvolved in criminality, despite a youth that occasionally overlapped with gangs and petty crime. If you asked him though, the most damning indictment of his alleged 'crimes' is that they're all perfectly legal with, a handful of forgettable (and some might even say commendable) exceptions.

There is one exception that is very much not forgettable. The story of the victory over Nyrah the Ravager is well known: a powerful attack by a powerful adept managed to finally hurt and stun Nyrah. Ioan was not the adept, of course. But did anyone stop to ask, how or why this adept was able to do what all the others could not? Or what happened to them?

Rumours abound of things locked away beneath MFF Industries R&D Building. And that perhaps things have been done there that perhaps should not have been. Rumours of people screwed over in business dealings with him, of not reading the fine print in their contracts. Rumours too that his relatively youthful appearance is, in someway. unnatural: that Foster meddles with beings and forces that, perhaps, ought not be meddled with.

It's rumours like these that earned him the nickname, The Devil of Southside.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Mr. Foster presents as a cis-het male, with a not very well known kink for dominant women, and has been known to frequent a few select establishments and has relations with a few dominatrix types down there.

FEARS ⫻ The End of All Things. Ioan, pointedly, does not fear his own death indeed, there are times he would welcome the release. But in Nyrah, he glimpsed not only his own death but the death of all things. An end to everything. An inevitability perhaps, but not one he intends to allow.

What he does fear is loss of control, and helplessness. These were feelings he experienced, acutely, as a child and young man and the thought of going back to that place is deeply troubling to him. All men die, and great works pass to the ages but the thought that he's been through the things he's been through and done the things he's done just to wind up back in the same place he started: he would do anything, and rather die than go back to that place and those feelings.

And while he doesn't admit it, he finds the idea that anything in this world, or any other, could be beyond his ability to understand... disconcerting.

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Ioan was already a public figure during the catacylsm and his role there is... frequently remarked upon. He was involved in the initial fight with Nyrah, and - along with many others - believed to have perished there, only to emerge afterwards, very much alive, but having made no further appearances during the cataclysm itself.

In truth, after nearly dying, he spent much of his time working in his bunker - not quite hiding as many assumed - but creating artifacts to support the work of other adepts. Despite his work in many ways being vital the the defence of the city, his role is basically uncredited and he himself doesn't speak of it. Giving vague responses that he 'supported' the fight.

FLAWS ⫻ There's very little actually holding Foster back these days, if anything this is the real problem. Unrestrained ambition and pride that he believes is well constrained by an meticulous, analytic mind. To Ioan M. Foster, there's no problem, force, or entity in the universe he can't overcome given enough time, resources and - of course - power.

Iaon was born in the lower south side to a mother that engaged in prostitution to make ends meet and father he doesn't remember whose claims to fame were being a alcoholic steelworker, beating his wife and kid and whose primary redeeming feature was having the decency to get himself killed in a back alley behind a bar before Ioan had formed any real permanent memories of the guy.

Most people who knew him in his younger days remember a dirty, scrawny, bookish kid who was always keeping busy either reading or hustling. Worked odd jobs. Saved money. He did the gang shit too, but hell, every kid had to when you grew up in the sort of neighborhood even south siders knew to avoid; he learned the hard way the gangs would just send the older kids to beat the shit out of you if you didn't pay your dues. If they said rough some other kid up, you roughed 'em up. If they said you had to steal shit from a store, you stole the shit.

That's just how things were.

But Iaon studied. Took his books with him even when they were shaking kids down or working corners. Read every moment he could. Innate curiosity they called it. But more than that his mom kept him going, told him he was a gifted kid who could make something of himself. That maybe one day he'd get them both out of the southside.

And he was good at it. Got a scholarship - all expenses. Big name university for mechanical engineering. For a time it looked like he really could escape the south side.

But the south side wasn't done with Iaon Foster. It wouldn't ever be done.

Third year at school, Iaon's mom died of a terminal condition she hadn't told her son about. Preventable too, but she hadn't had a doctor and she didn't have healthcare coverage for it through her work. It was the sort of shit happens every day southside. Iaon fell into a serious bout of depression, his grades slipped and the school pulled his scholarship, his second last semester he was trying to finish his coursework while couch surfing and living on the street but eventually he was forced to drop out.

Ioan doesn't talk much about those days, but his early 20's were lost years. He ended up back on the south side streets. The old gang. Drugs. You name it. It was this time, however, he experienced his Kindling-Event. He doesn't talk about what he saw. But it definitely changed him.

His first enterprise involved getting the lease on an old mill using money everyone assumed he borrowed from organized crime. By his 30's he'd leveraged his lux abilities into a reputation as an industry redefining inventor in the emerging magitech field, credited with a number of new inventions that maintained his operations at the forefront of the emerging magitech industry.

By the time he was 40, Iaon Foster's name was almost synonymous with Cloverfield industry itself. Despite impressive success, Foster resisted pushes by several subordinates and potential investors to off-shore operations, even when it hurt his bottom lines. At the same time, he'd gaine a reputation for many of his business practices and contracts being exploitative. Several research ethics scandals in their southside operations also resulted in prominent colleges and universities cutting ties with Foster and MFF Industries.

Despite these and other unsavoury reputations, Foster is one of the few people investing serious money into the south side, and has put a great portion of his fortune into rebuilding his operations in the south side; one of the few success stories to emerge south side since the cataclysm itself.

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Orange Lux - Artifact Engineering

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Iaon actually has no abilities to produce or wield lux energies per se himself. What he can do is work lux energies that exist in the world into artifacts. This is his lux ability, but his true specialization is in his ability to incorporate lux effects into mundane electro-mechanically engineered systems to create magitech.

LIMITS ⫻ Ioan requires not only his Channeler - necklace pendant of his mother he wears - but also tools, equipment and time to ply his craft and the enchantment must occur during the formation of the item itself.

Nothing comes of nothing and Iaon's ability actually requires him to have access to 'raw lux energies' themselves to do anything. For instance, to create an enchanted sword with fire, he would require not only the tools to forge a sword - but also some access to fire, or very strong destructive emotions or preferably both.

Iaon's creations are only as good as his materials. Crafting a magic lighter that produces a small flame? Easily done, with just some flame. Want something bigger or a permanent effect instead of a one off? Nothing comes from nothing. It's gonna need a power source.

None of the spell effects Ioan uses typically functional through an active emotional field. Nor can they be used to remove an adept's ability to use lux (though they might need to rest after getting the old juices sucked out). To be clear, they also cannot replicate someone's specific abstraction abilities.

Spells ⫻

Lux Fixation ⫻ This is the main ability Iaon possesses, fixing a source of lux energy into an object. This requires, as above, a source of both the lux effect, and a power source if the effect is going to be more than a one off deal.

Lux Distillation ⫻ This spell, cast into an object, allows that object to distill lux energy out of a source into some sort of container. For instance an artifact imbued with this ability might allow red lux energy to be distilled from an actual fire, or a source of intense, destructive emotions and transferring it into a suitable receptacle, and you wind up with fire in a bottle, or gem, or something else suitably cool.

Lux Transference ⫻ Allows the transference of lux from one source to another, can be seen as a sort of booster effect. The lux types must be compatible - i.e. blue lux energies can only be transferred to something also blue lux affiliated. Like distillation, this removes lux energy from the source effect and empowers the target(which must be a capable receptacle). This effect cannot be used to siphon energy from a lux user, but it can siphon energy from someone actively casting, and while it doesn't impact the spell, the user might feel a bit spent and require a rest before casting again.

Lux Transformation ⫻ A work around for the above, requires creation of a separate artifact. Imbues an object with the ability to act as a bridge, converting different forms of energy into another form: i.e. With some limitations, for instance, antithetical energies - transferring energy from hatred into calm for instance - has more of a cancellation effect. This is more an industrial spell application for when you've got 2.3 kilotons of blue lux energy and you say, need to power an artifact that takes green lux. This handy orange lux spell has your back!

WEAKNESSES ⫻

Lux Transference-Lux Transformation ⫻ Adepts can only be boosted by their own Lux type. If this spell is used to boost an adept, it will bring about a sickness fueled by the dominant lux of the adept. For example, Green Lux is typically associated with joy however when boosted this joy will be extreme. They will feel a sickening joy at everything and it will be intoxicating. This will be true for all lux types. Emotional Sickness will last for an hour after the spell ends, and will leave the adept feeling exhausted and find that their own joy is missing. As well, this spell can not penetrate emotional fields meaning that every adept must consent, and every adept can revoke that at any moment. Apparitions, with their stronger emotional fields, will be nearly impossible to crack unless he finds a way to remove or weaken it.

The All Hunger - Most artifacts just work. Permanently. For whatever reason those designed and built by Ioan Foster need to be fed in order to function. They can be one time use. They can be rechargeable but if they're constant use, they need a steady supply of fresh lux energy to keep them going.

So why is the Twin-Hill Coven so rich? How are they so capable of gathering desirable quality materials? This wealth stems from their willingness to do things that the upper branches aren't willing to do in order to bolster their contribution to the central powers back in Italy. Sex work, hospital and morgue heists; any possible licit or illicit means of gathering human genetic material was worked to the n'th degree, with the city of Cloverfield being ripe as the areas biggest and most populous. At first, the Sisters were somewhat beholden to their previous superiors in the Untouched Glory: They could only go so far, and were primarily expected to contribute their tithe to the Untouched Glory as opposed to sending directly to Culla. But once the Motta clan's leader was presented with the yearly tithe from the Untouched Glory, the source was tracked. Privileges were presented to the Motta twins from there, and their organization was able to successfully crawl out from under their Mother Branch with full autonomy of their Tithe contribution.

In the current age, and in spite of the destruction and slow decay of the city as people fled to greener pastures, Twin-Hill maintains Tithe Apice under the grading scale of the Whispering Flesh. The current leader, Moriah Motta, has long since reestablished the core businesses that kept their high quantity contributions, reducing and refining any material as required. Their wealth and support from the Matriarchs of Culla has given the American Motta clan a great deal of spending power which has been used to assist in the rebuilding of the city. The Blackwood Hospital, New Leopold Building, and many other destroyed landmarks on the North Side were rebuilt with Motta money, as well as "foreign relief workers" who were brought in to break several construction records. In return, the Twin-Hill Coven has insured a quiet but almost complete access to the city's various municipal facilities, and maintains a number of their own secret areas in dark holes beneath buildings one may never expect them to be in.

Membership is loosely maintained, as since their retirement, Allegra and Bella have been elected as a Dual-Head Matriarch of the Untouched Glory. Their policy has long since become one of focus on their pet Coven, feeding a steady stream of its own members from farther South up into Cloverfield's various operations before being sent elsewhere to bolster other fledgling cults with their experience. Most remaining members are Moriah's closest allies and trusted comrades who fought against the Cataclysm at her side. Practices are limited, as Moriah's own upbringing was only vaguely tethered to the traditions of Culla and the Whispering Flesh as her own mother and grandmothers' maverick statuses are well known. Only the most basic rituals in reverence to their beloved Mother Deer are maintained, while new options are often explored by Moriah in the interest of her youthful and curious followers.

While not obvious from the top, as you descend to the ground floor it becomes obvious that the space is actually widening, rather than maintaining a solid cylindrical shape. It's dome-shaped facilities allow for the bottom tier to act as a massive open space where multiple stages can host a variety of different featured dancers without taking away from guest space. The outermost edges are dedicated to guest seating, with large booths capable of fitting six people at a time, and in the absolute center of it all is the main bar.

The round counter fills out the center of the dancefloor and is completely devoid of seating arrangements. Any patron getting booze must stand to do so; an intentional choice to prevent drunkards from getting too comfy at the tap. Otherwise, it's a massive affair on a slightly raised platform, polished black wood brought in from the forest surrounding Culla at great expense to the Proprietress. Most shockingly, there was still room beneath to fit a "cellar" which is more like a four-by-four room where restock can be kept handy and the more expensive bottles can be kept secure... Hence the raised platform to ensure headspace for staff.
There are multiple "lifts" which can accomadate small groups looking to quickly move between floors; a necessary addition for the Third-Eye Open guests invited to the various "VIP" stages throughout. Mostly found on the floor below entry, these special areas are practically miniature clubs in themselves. On busy nights, they're typically jam packed with the city's Paranormal population who can find any manner of fetish being catered to through the prodigious application of magic. Many dancers in Sin Sisters' are paranormal themselves, and as such qualify for work in these upcharged areas where it's expected that their unnatural talents will pull in the Third-Eye Opened who crave the magical aptitude that they simply can't attain themselves.

On the floor separating the Third-Eye VIPs and the bottom dancefloor is the most illicit area... The absolute private rooms, where guests can buy a bit of one-on-one time with the dancer of their choice should they be available. These are usually made by appointment, but one can buy their way in if they can deal with the upcharge and the fact that they don't have a say in who is attending them. While being treated to this special experience, guests of all types can expect a skilled host or hostess service, with each qualified staff member having earned their stripes both on stage and behind the bar. Classier individuals may request dinner services, inviting a delivery from the restaurant connected to the other side of the hotel, while others can get a simple private dance and be done with their night... Charged by the hour and upcharged for each special service beyond, once you have a room, you decide how it's used.
While it's frowned upon to use these private rooms for anything more intimate than a dance, those with the deepest knowledge and connection to the Proprietress can wind up "accompanying" their host or hostess "after their shift". These lucky wallets guests are treated to an even deeper level of VIP treatment, including a private suite in the hotel as well as a non-disclosure package insuring total anonymity and non-disclosure from professional parties involved.