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Dice Scion: Origins- Maplethorpe U (OOC & CS)

Name: Victoria Nash

Concept: Black Metal Actuary Trickster

Victoria's mortal father worked as an accountant during the .com bouble in the late 1990 's, and while he didn't make anywhere near what the company founders or investors did, he was much better at taking care of his fortune, and has grown it considerably since then.
Her mortal father is the gay son of pentecostal christians and married a woman who was perfectly OK living off his money and hiding this fact from all and sundry. Having children the old-fashioned way was always completely out of the question for them, but they did unsuccessfully attempt having children through IVF. However, when this also failed, Victoria's mortal father suggested that her mother find men who looked like him, that she liked, and who would never come looking for their children. That one such man would be the Allfather is quite beyond what any of them ever imagined.

She got into black metal during her early teenage years, partly to rebel against the new money conformity of her parents, partly to stick it to her religious grand parents, and partly just because it spoke to her on a primal level she has difficulty putting into words
She likes the reactions she gets when she fails to live up to people's expections in basically all contexts
mostly she tries to defy this honestly, but she's not above lying or putting on a persona if that's what's needed.
She chose actuarial studies partly because she had a natural talent for mathematics, partly to ensure an independent source of income (she likes living of dad's money, but she's a little concerned that marriage equality means he'll try and look for something permanent once his parents die off, and that he'll cut her off too), and partly because of its relation to understanding death on the societal scale.
While she's never been very serious about it (or anything), she's bounced between various self defence/martial arts disciplines, most recently medieval sword fighting (though she thinks the reenactment aspect is silly)
Partly because of her mortal parents' lifestyle (which was explained to her about the time she understood what a secret is) and partly because her divine parent is the number two horndog in Creation after Zeus, she has an attitude towards sex and relationships that her grandparents would find exceedingly deplorable if they knew about it.

Short-term Deed: Find a band
Long-term Deed: Acquire a sword that's actually meant for killing people.
Band-term Deed:

3 Origin Path: First daughter of new money
-Empathy, Persuasion, Subterfuge
-Access to the wealthy elite
1 Role Path: Student of deathly numbers and music
-Academics, Occult, Science
-Access to the black metal underground and the department of mathematics
2 Pantheon Path: Child of Odin
-Athletics, Close Combat, Occult

Academics 2
Athletics 2
Close Combat 2
Culture 1
Empathy 3 (Spot lies)
Firearms
Integrity 1
Leadership 1
Medicine
Occult 3 (Death)
Persuasion 3 (Force of Personality)
Pilot
Science 1
Subterfuge 3 (Disguises)
Survival
Technology 1

Social > Mental > Physical. Favored Approach: Power
Intellect 5
Cunning 2
Resolve 2

Might 3
Dexterity 4
Stamina 1

Presence 5
Manipulation 3
Composure 3

Calling: Trickster

Knacks:
In Sheep's Clothing

Birthrights:


Movement dice: 6

Defense: 3

Health:
0 Bruised
0 Injured
0 Mained
0 Taken Out

Finishing Touches:
+1 Academics, Culture, Integrity, Leadership, Technology
+1 Dexterity
+4 Birthrights
 
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Katherine Burke had always loved Shakespeare and Racine, Moliere and Wilde, and all the other great playwrights, but she was never sure when she first decided she must be an actor. Maybe it was when she was curled up in that corner chair in the library, reading The Collected Works of Fritz Leiber, and she came across “Four Ghosts in Hamlet” … or maybe it was being taken to see The Shakespeare Stealer or some other play about players. Whatever the catalyst was, it led to her watching The Dresser approximately 500 times and joining the high school drama club.

As she pursued her dream with all the quiet stubbornness she could muster, though, a few troubling realities began to surface. One was that she was less interested in the work of being an actor than in the close-knit acting community she imagined herself joining. She loved the idea of rehearsing and traveling (in her dreams, she was part of a touring Shakespeare company, like she’d seen in old movies) and living with kindred spirits, people who shared her passion – the actual performances were an afterthought. The other problem was that she was, frankly, not a very good actor.

It wasn’t that she was terrible…exactly. But she was “as wooden as a cigar store Indian” as one of her teachers said when he thought she wasn’t within earshot. She found crowds of strangers terrifying, and when standing on a stage under the gaze of hundreds with every word and gesture scrutinized and no chance to fix her mistakes … well. If it had been only, that, though, she could have worked through her anxiety. But there was something else wrong with Katherine.

She wasn’t sure what it was. Nobody seemed to know, including the long string of psychologists and psychiatrists her worried parents had dragged her to. But it manifested in the way people had to repeat themselves several times before she could understand them (unless they were quoting Shakespeare), in the way she could never find anything once she set it down, in how she was never ever on time for anything (she was always either very early or very late), in her inability to read (and hence mimic) emotions and facial expressions, or remember any personal details about people she’d just met, and most of all in the slightly “off” quality of her speech and mannerisms. One unkind person called her a walking dead zone, and he wasn’t altogether wrong. The subtle energies flowing between human beings seemed to give her a wide berth.

Katherine tried to fit in. She tried very hard, applying the same relentless focus that she did to everything else. She practiced speaking until she was word-perfect, just like a book, with none of the odd dislocations or word choices she used to make. She practiced smiling and making eye contact … and after she found people didn’t like being stared at, she looked at their mouths instead, or held their gaze for precisely five seconds before shifting her eyes elsewhere. She studied etiquette manuals so that her manners would be above reproach. And she found she alienated people more than ever.

After (barely) graduating high school (something about not paying attention much in class), Katherine took a job answering phones and filing papers in her father’s office while trying out for every play in Ontario that was open to amateurs. She was hardly ever cast, except in the most “fringe” productions taking place in parks and people’s garages. Even then, she was never the lead. She spent her hard-earned (not really, the job was a way for her father to provide for a daughter who couldn't take care of herself while giving himself a tax break) money and her small inheritance from her grandparents to enter a tiny local acting school – only to drop out after the director gently told her she’d have to repeat the first year: “We don’t think you’ve actually learned any acting skills”. And the old, bewildering accusations that she was “freezing people out” and “withholding her energy” and scaring them somehow.

Katherine decided the problem was with the school, not her. Like the girl in A Chorus Line, she just needed to find a better teacher. Maybe it had been a mistake to skip college in the hopes of breaking into acting. So she filled out her applications, prepared her audition tape, and methodically tracked down Every. Single. College. with an acting program.

People having only a superficial knowledge of Katherine find her courteous, confident and knowledgeable. She has learned to give very good interviews. Upon longer acquaintance, however, she begins to make them uneasy. Maybe it's the needlessly complex language she uses, or her direct, unblinking gaze, or the way she seems to miss the subtle signals that are a big part of normal human interaction.

The "inner Katherine" is quietly, intensely lonely. She reads a great deal, goes out to bars once in a long while and wonders why people in real-life (as opposed to people in books) don't understand her or she them.

Her strengths are, ironically, the very things that block her in her dream career. Her perception and analysis works on a different level from most people's entirely, and she sees patterns that others do not (while remaining blind to many of the patterns they see). She's early or late for everything because time literally doesn't move for her in the same way. Most people experience it as a straight line with measurable increments. She...doesn't. She has a fascination with astrology, because she tends to develop hobbies and get a little obsessed with them. And she likes the idea that her quirks and confusion and the roadblocks in her way can all be explained by the movements of the stars and planets. It makes her feel like there's a reason for her existence, rather than just being an unfortunate accident of genetics (as we all are). She makes horoscopes for herself that predict she'll get through these difficulties soon, very soon, and prioritizes auditions that are on auspicious dates.

Katherine's biggest fear is that her father is right about her: that she's basically a passive and vacillating personality, and always will be; that she lacks the forceful nature required to be a success, and that she is doomed to a life of utter humiliation, waiting tables or cleaning floors. Her father was the first of his family to go to college; he is hugely proud of that fact, and Katherine was brought up to feel shame at the thought of menial labor. She was also taught that from those to whom much has been given, much is expected, and failure was a sign of weakness and laziness. Hence her panic at the thought of washing out. She doesn't despise the people who bag her groceries and serve her drinks, but she would rather die than be one of them.

Theme Song: "The Night"


Concept: Eyes That See the Darkness

Short-term Deed: Find others like me
Long-term Deed: Find an art form I'm actually good at
Band-term Deed: Become respected for my skills

Origin Path: Descendant of the Voyageurs (Tertiary)
-Culture, Integrity, Survival
-Access to cultural heritage organizations, certain legal privileges in Canada

Role Path: Aspiring Actress (Primary, for now)
-Academics, Culture, Persuasion
-Membership in drama organizations

Pantheon Path: The Sacred Darkness - Child of Cheeby-aub-oozoo (Secondary)
-Medicine, Occult, Survival

The night is a dark song
unsung on a barren road,
her diamonds spill out
across an indigo sheet of sky


- Elgin Jumper, "Nightfall"

Skills
Academics 3 (Literature)
Athletics 2
Close Combat
Culture 4 (First Nations)
Empathy
Firearms 2
Integrity 2
Leadership
Medicine 2
Occult 2
Persuasion (Formal Eloquence) 3
Pilot
Science
Subterfuge
Survival 3 (Forests)
Technology

Attributes

Mental > Physical > Social. Favored Approach: Resilience

Intellect 4
Cunning 2
Resolve 5

Might 2
Dexterity 3
Stamina 4

Presence 2
Manipulation 1
Composure 5

Calling: Hunter

Knacks: Keen-Eyed Predator


Birthrights:

Finishing Touches:
+2 Athletics, +2 Firearms, +1 Integrity
+1 Presence (She's liked, but not well liked)
+4 Birthrights (Still unassigned, but I'm leaning towards Creature)
 
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So, I have two ideas for a Birthright:

In an effort to ease her loneliness, Katherine adopted a huge black wolfdog from a sketchy city shelter, the day before it was scheduled to be put down (many reputable humane societies refuse to allow people to adopt such dogs, believing them to be wild animals better off dead than as pets). In fact, the beast is all wolf, and its placement in the shelter was no accident.

The other idea is that one of her theatre teachers, the most sympathetic and encouraging, is really an Incarnation of Pukawiss...
 
I like the idea of an animal as well. I had thought of an overly fierce lynx, but Wolves really are more closely associated with Odin, and the only cats in Norse mythology I can think of off the top of my head are the ones who pull Freya's chariot.
 
How could I? I grew up on this stuff, remember ;) They just weren't what I had in mind for this character.
 
On second thought, maybe a raven does suit me better than either a wolf or a lynx. Ravens in general are associated with death and at least in the Hugin and Munin have something of a sense of humor.
 
Indeed. Raven sounds right for a Birthright creature so I'll go with that I think, my personal preference for feline pets notwithstanding.
 
I did not, I'm not too familiar with the Manitou and for whatever reason, I have trouble filing Hermes under 'Death God' regardless of how he is.

Epiphany Epiphany you wanna join our death-god-scion club? No pressure ;)
 
Epiphany Epiphany you wanna join our death-god-scion club? No pressure ;)

Love to. I've been too swamped with all the work deferred from the holiday season to really dig into the core book much. In the interests of not holding up the group, could I prevail upon you to IM me tomorrow or sometime this week and help me get it together? :)
 
Love to. I've been too swamped with all the work deferred from the holiday season to really dig into the core book much. In the interests of not holding up the group, could I prevail upon you to IM me tomorrow or sometime this week and help me get it together? :)
Of course. The Chargen process is pretty simple when you're familiar with Storyteller.
 
All credit goes to Esbilon Esbilon

Name: Maia Asim

Concept: Street Racer turning over a new leaf, hoping to save lives instead of risk them.

Pantheon: Netjer, the Egyptian Pantheon

Backstory:
Grew up in England, her family life was good but they didn't live in a good neighborhood. Dad was a mechanic, Mom was a doctor but she was away a lot so Maia grew up working on cars. Got into the street racing scene as she got older and ended up being a getaway driver for some gang friends. Got into a really bad crash that killed a buddy and she only lived because of an EMT. She decided to straighten out her life, get out of street racing and study medicine like her mom. Was sent to America to get an education and to get her away from the criminal community she'd had a lot of connection to.

Short-term Deed: Look into the local street racing scene.
Long-term Deed: Save a life.
Band-term Deed: TBD

Paths:
(3) Origin Path: Street Racer
Connections: Mechanics, Criminals, Drivers
Skills: Firearms, Pilot, Technology

(2) Role Path: Triage Medic
Connections: Emergency Room Staff, EMTs, Firefighters
Skills: Leadership, Medicine, Science

(1) Society Path: Child of Anpu, Weigher of the Heart (God of Jackals, Darkness, Death and Order - Netjer, the Egyptian Pantheon)
Connections: ?
Skills: Academics, Occult, Integrity

Skills:
Specialties - 1 point Enhancement to related Skills, +1 Momentum if skill fails.
*Academics 1
Athletics 1
Close Combat 1
Culture 1
Empathy
*Firearms 3 (Pistols)
*Integrity 1
*Leadership 2
*Medicine 2
*Occult 1
Persuasion
*Pilot 4 (Cars)
*Science 2
Subterfuge 1
Survival
*Technology 3 (Repair)

Attributes:
Social > Mental > Physical. Favored Approach: Finesse
Intellect 4
Cunning 5
Resolve 3

Might 2
Dexterity 5
Stamina 2

Presence 2
Manipulation 3
Composure 2

Calling: Guardian

Knacks:
A Sentinel: Choose a person or group of trivial targets to be your charge. When you guard your charge, you both gain +1 Defense so long as you stay in the same range band. You also gain +1 Enhancement to rolls to keep track of or defend your charge.

Birthrights: 4 points towards a Creature.

Movement Dice: 6

Defense: 3

Health:
0 Bruised
0 Injured
0 Maimed
0 Taken Out

Finishing Touches:
+1 to Athletics, Close Combat, Culture, Subterfuge and pilot
+1 to Resolve
+4 to Birthrights (going Creature like everyone else)
 
Updated Victoria's sheet with something of a background.

Killerclown Killerclown what's the timeline like? Have our characters had time to make relations between each other before the start of the game?
 
Hey all! Sorry that I haven't been chatting. I've been sick the past few days and couldn't stand the idea of not staying in bed.

Yeah, Hermes is a psychopomp. =)
 
Glad you're feeling better, Malozing.

So, anyone have any good angles for having our characters know each other prior to gamestart and ensuing supernatural shenanigans?
 

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