| 1: Physical Description | 4: Other Notes |
| 2: History and Background | 5: Character Stats |
| 3: Personal Paradigm Page | 6: Rotes |
Recognised Name: Phaedrus
Real Name: (forgotten)
Age: 27 (born: 30/9/69)
Appearance: About 6' 2" tall, white male Caucasian. Physique is thin. He looks like the type who eats just enough to sustain his body, and no more - as such he is probably underweight. His skin is pale (but not VERY pale). He has small black eyes set in a long, oval face, topped by a mop of short, thin black hair. Although he may not sound much, he actually has an intimidating aura about him, and more often than not looms over people. This makes many people uneasy in his presence. The Dead, however, are completely unfazed by this - in fact, they don't even notice it.
Dress: Phaedrus dresses in greys and blacks, and never wears any coloured clothing. He has a black wide-brimmed hat that he sometimes wears, and also wears a long black Outback coat (one of those long heavy things that Mad Max would wear, except black and grey in colour).
Gait: Cool, composed. The Iceman.
Mannerisms: When Phaedrus talks to the living, he does so in a manner that suggests he really doesn't care about the conversation, unless it pertains to the Dead. Then, he gets interested and plays an active role in the discussion. He rarely smiles, at least not among the living, although he has been known to laugh aloud at a joke told to him by a dead companion only he can hear!
Phaedrus rarely actually gets excited about anything, for a good reason - when he gets emotional in such a way that he becomes frustrated, (be it in love, or anger, fear or hatred) things tend to 'blow up' around him. Lights fail, engines choose a bad moment to expire, machines don't work when he's around, computers crash, even flowers have been known to disintegrate in his presence! These are all manifestations of Entropy 3, which he still has a more subconscious control over than a conscious one.
Although born in East London, Phaedrus does not have a Cockney accent. Instead, he has the sort of neutral accent that is commonly thought of as basic English.
Magickal style: Above all, Phaedrus is a Spirit person. Entropy is purely secondary at the moment, although this may be because he is less familiar with it than Spirit, which he has known for most of his life. Phaedrus never considers himself as a Mage. His ability to communicate with and travel through the Realm of the Dead he views as just a special ability that he was born with. He does not view it as a magickal effect. Similarly, things just 'happen' around him as a result of Entropy. As a result, he does not actively cast Vulgar Magicks. However, the effect still occurs, but at a subconscious level.
For example, Phaedrus is faced by a man with a gun. Rather than just blast the gun with Vulgar Entropy 3 magicks that would cause it to crumble to dust, the effect manifests as the gun jamming just in the nick of time, or the man has run out of bullets and so cannot fire it at him. Thus, his 'Entropic Field' as he calls it manifests as acts of amazing luck [but note its not actually the 'Luck' Merit - its the way in which his Entropy manifests. The point is, Phaedrus would not actively jam a gun with Entropy 3. Instead, a coincidental entropy magick effect would kick in (the gun jams, or whatever) without Phaedrus himself being aware of it. It's a passive thing, not something whose outcome he has active control over].
His Spirit Magic just comes naturally to him. He talks to the dead in the same way as anyone would talk to the living. He tries not to do this in front of others, as he has found that he gets 'burned' by reality (i.e. gains Paradox) if he does so blatantly. His Spirit Companion (John Barker) can communicate with him without anyone else hearing though (unless they too have the ability to speak with the dead (Spirit 2), and Phaedrus can respond by subvocalising.
Philosophy/Paradigm: Phaedrus is primarily a Hollow One or Orphan, who was the victim of an attempted forcible induction into tainted Euthanatos ways. The failure of this attempt has left him with a burning hatred of his Euthanatos 'master' and of any Mages who are abominations to their cause - those that serve the Nephandi, or have been corrupted by their own power and hubris. In doing so, he believes he is removing a threat to the Reality. He finds the concept of the Good Death rather abhorrent, and as such generally does not get along very well with the Euthanatoi. Rather, he takes this concept and uses it as justification to kill those who DESERVE to die, so they can be removed from Reality permanently.
Family Background: Normal for the WoD - i.e. hellish by real standards! An only child born in a poor house in East London, Phaedrus has Greek blood in his veins. His mother arrived in England at a very early age - his father arrived much later. Phaedrus had a very good relationship with his mother, who often shielded him from his violent, lazy, uncaring father. There always was something unusual about him - he was a very reclusive and quiet child, would never play with the other children, and frequently sat quietly alone in his room. His father saw him as some kind of mental freak, and resented him even more for this. His mother meant the world to him, but she was killed in a car accident when he was 9 years old. The trauma of losing the only person who meant anything in his life, who ever cared for him or showed him love, Awakened him then.
He found that he could still talk to her, even though she was not there anymore, and took great comfort in this. Of course, he spent even more time on his own, which his father resented further. When he was 10, he innocently told his father that he was still talking to his mother. His father went berserk - he had sired a total freak. Phaedrus fled from his home, and never returned. His father never bothered to look for him - in fact he was glad to get rid of the boy, a mere child of ten, alone on the streets of London.
Phaedrus still maintains occasional contact with his mother. He has since learned that his father died a few years ago of a cardiac arrest (brought about by his unhealthy lifestyle of booze and cigarettes). Fortunately, he does not appear to have gone on to the Underworld. Phaedrus doesn't care for his father's fate.
On the streets, Phaedrus fortunately found many friends, both living and dead. Tramps would look after the frail child, and he found that there were some of the living who did care enough to make sure he was okay. he wandered round the streets of early-80's London with his few living friends, shoring up in the Barrens, wastelands, and occasionally even graveyards and churches of London. He made many of his dead friends in these places. He befriended a Circle of Wraiths who Haunt a wasteland on Burdett Road in Mile End [down the road from where I used to live in Mile End - it's a demolished warehouse or something. It looks like it got bombed out and rubbled in World War 2 and never rebuilt, but I keep thinking that it's a great site for a Haunt!]. Many of his ghostly friends kept tabs on him during his early teens.
Phaedrus appears to have ALWAYS had some strange connection with Death. When he was 15, this drew him to the attention of an old Mage - an old Hollow Ones, in fact - one of the 'old breed'. The Old Man was quite different to today's Hollow Ones - think of the difference in Vampire between the older generation intellectual Brujah and today's punk anarchist Brujah, and you have the right kind of idea. The Old Man took him under his wing, gave him shelter and an education (which he readily took to - Phaedrus was an intelligent child), and more importantly gave him some self-confidence and self-respect.
He also realised Phaedrus was a very special young mage. Though he obviously worked magicks (even if subconsciously) his Avatar was not visible! And yet there was something there, some dark, powerful, presence. Something unknowable, aloof... ALIEN. At times, The Old Man was actually quite scared of his charge, for it was obvious that this was only the surface of something much, much deeper.
Then, one day when Phaedrus was 19 and was being taught about the Ways of Change [Entropy], the Old Man caught a glimpse of what really pored over his studies at the desk before him. For reasons unknown, his 'Avatar' manifested for a moment, and the Old Man recoiled in abject terror. Phaedrus himself had no idea at the time of what the Old Man had seen, but when he tried to help the Old Man told him to leave him for now.
Later that same day, the Old Man fell sick with some kind of mental fever. As he lay delerious on his bed, with Phaedrus tending to him, he babbled about what he had seen in the classroom (what he could recall in his delerium, at least) and discharged his student, saying that "he could no more teach The Phaedrus the ways of magick than a cat could teach a lion to roar". Soon after, he slipped into a coma from which he would never awaken. Shocked, the student pondered his beloved Mentor's last words. He discovered that Phaedrus was an Ancient Greek word for 'Wolf'. He took this as his new name, and resolved to discover what the Old Man had really seen within him.
He left his Mentor's grave educated in the ways of magick and the world. He regrouped with some old friends of his, finding work in Museums, Mausoleums and Mortuaries as he privately researched into The Phaedrus. Then, when he was 20, tragedy struck once again - one of his only dear (living) childhood friends, John Barker, killed himself. His first and only girlfriend had been suddenly struck down by a debilitating disease, and died in his arms soon after. John's life collapsed completely after her untimely death, for she was his True Love. With the light of his life gone, he could not bear to continue. Concerned, Phaedrus scoured the Shadowlands for her, asking every Wraith he could contact to look for her, but to no avail - she could not be found. He spent days on end, with no sleep, trying to bring his friend out of his black depths, but in the end it was no use - he took his own life with an overdose of sleeping pills. To his surprise, John himself became a Wraith. He still believes that his love waits for him somewhere in the Shadowlands, and spends much of his time (when not with Phaedrus) searching for her. Since then, he still accompanies Phaedrus, their friendship continuing even through death - he never forgets how Phaedrus searched for his lost love in the Underworld, or how he tried to help him through his loss.
When he was 22, his growing talents drew the attention of another Mage - a foul, evil, twisted Euthanatos Master known as the Mongol (yes, he is Mongolian!!). Evil to the core, he was actually a barabbi - a willing servant of the Nephandi. Seeing Phaedrus' huge potential, he kidnapped him and forced him into slavery through unspeakable psychic torture and forced him to undergo a hideous Initiation - a Near Death Experience through drowning. As he lost consciousness, he felt John supporting his soul, restraining it so it could not leave his body. And also... something else. Something HUGE. Cold, primal eyes, looking from within... a presence from aeons past, possibly even beyond the dawn of time itself, crystallising within him and bolstering him against the tugging of Oblivion.
He awoke, his head still forced under the surface of the cold water. And then, the pressure was gone. He slowly raised his head, wiped the water from his face and looked around. The Mages charged with Initiating Phaedrus lay catatonic on the floor at his feet, a grimace of abject terror frozen on their faces. He stepped over their twitching forms. He felt... charged. Something within him had changed - the horrific experience that his murderous captor had put him through had not Awakened him - rather, it had Awakened something else within him. It had Awakened what had killed his first Mentor, the Old Man, and had just killed his captors just now, and what was about to kill his insane new 'Master'...
For the first time in his thousand year life, the Mongol knew fear. Seeing the young Mage striding purposefully towards him, completely unscathed by all his powerful Wards and Spells, he channelled all his formidable dark magicks into a last desperate blast of Entropic force...
Before the withering blast hit though, Phaedrus suddenly found himself transported into the raging heart of a seething, roiling storm! Then, all was calm. He realised that he was in the Underworld. [This is the first manifestation of his Spirit 3]. With him (much to his surprise) was John, who looked at him with a strange expression of fear. He realised that the Entropic blast had weakened the Shroud here, and a tiny Nihil was now forming. Hurriedly, Phaedrus fled, dragging along with him a curiously unwilling John. Later, when they were safer, Phaedrus learned from his friend that his form in the Underworld was very different to his usual appearance - he appeared instead as a huge lean silver-white wolf, with glowing red eyes! Oddly enough, he could not see this form himself - he seemed perfectly human to his own eyes - but to everyone else, he appeared as this Wolf! He believes that this purely cosmetic change (he can still talk, although if he punched someone in the Shadowlands it would appear as a claw swipe) is a result of the manifestation in the spirit world of The Phaedrus that the Old Man saw.
He lost track of the Mongol after that fateful encounter, but he knows that he is still alive. Phaedrus swore to finish the job he started, and also swore to destroy the Mongol's Nephandi allies, as well as any other twisted Euthanatoi that he encounters.
Phaedrus spent the next four years searching for answers - to who he really is, what lurks within him and what his destiny is. Over that time, he has maintained contact with all his dead friends - he NEVER forgets his friends, and he also never forgets an enemy...
In 1995, he joined an ancestral Order of Hermes chantry in England to find some answers to his many questions, and also to seek information on the current whereabouts of the Mongol. He succeeded in ways that he could never have imagined...
The OoH Chantry (the Temple Chantry, in London) had recently been attacked by the Technocracy and had been beaten back into its horizon realm - the Cabal that Phaedrus found himself in was sent to re-open the links to several nodes around London so that the chantry could gain some much needed Quintessence and a portal back to physical reality (it retained just enough Quintessence from another smaller node that survived the attack to remain active as a Horizon realm). This mission was accomplished with very little difficulty, but soon afterwards the Cabal was dragged into the complex chantry politics and infighting. During the course of a tour around the Horizon Realm, Phaedrus was shown into a room by a member of one of the more powerful cabals there. This room contained many of the Chantry's magickal treasures, including a set of artefacts known as the Mirrors of the Apocalypse. They were said to show the viewer's fate, regardless of whether it was good or bad. When Phaedrus gazed into one of the mirrors, he initially saw only his reflection. But then the reflection became grey and murky, as if filling with dark smoke. Phaedrus continued to watch as grey, greasy, smoky tendrils formed in the mirrored surface, and then reached out from the mirror to grab him! As they did so, the face of a baby formed in the centre of the mass of tendrils, its mouth open and screaming an unearthly ululation, which then turned itself inside-out before his very eyes. As it did so, it screamed 'LEGION!' and the vision vanished as suddenly as it formed, leaving Phaedrus stunned and somewhat shaken.
When they returned home to London, Phaedrus attempted to exorcise a troublesome spectre (an old man) that had haunted their house in Highgate for some time. However, when he summoned it into his spirit circle to communicate with it, it recoiled in fear of him, saying something was after him - before he could continue, the spectre was destroyed by unnervingly familiar smoky tendrils that reached up from the ground and literally tore its corpus to pieces. Hostile manifestations then appeared throughout the house, invading through the shroud - small figures looking like aborted foetuses. The Cabal fought them off, but it was clear that they were something to do with Phaedrus, and this Legion entity.
Perturbed by the encounter, the group returned to the Horizon Realm to seek the advice of the Chantry members. However, while wandering through the Chantry, Phaedrus saw an all too familiar figure there - the Mongol!
Unhesitatingly, Phaedrus unleashed all the magick and mundane forces at his disposal to try and kill the creature before him. He ignored the question of what he was doing there - he just had to kill him for what he had done to him. A magickal firefight ensued during which Phaedrus was trapped by a Chakra, a Hindu Talisman shaped like a metal hoop. When thrown at Phaedrus, it constricted around his neck, strangling him and restraining his Avatar at the same time. However, as the Chakra started to tighten, The Phaedrus awakened once again within him, and he reached up and shattered the Chakra with a tug of his wrist [in game terms, this corresponded to gaining an Arete point, taking him from Arete 3 to 4]. Power coruscated through his being, and he calmly stepped up and threw a deadly counter-attack at the Mongol - while his enemy was attempting to unleash some deadly entropic magicks through a third eye that manifested in the middle of his forehead, Phaedrus hurled an entropy-charged dagger directly into this mystical eye and greivously wounded the Mongol. Before he could take further advantage of this, however, some more Masters showed up on the scene - the Hermetic Master of the Chantry, a Verbena, and an Akashic Brother. Between them, they managed to hold off a furious Phaedrus, who was throwing everything he could at the Mongol to try and finish the job - so tenacious was he that it took all four Masters to restrain him! When safely restrained, they demanded an explanation for the unprovoked attack on the Mongol, who it turned out was actually the Euthanatos representative at a meeting of the Council of Nine held at the Chantry! Despite protestations that the Mongol was a barabbi, Phaedrus could provide no physical evidence to support his claims and was rejected and sentenced to Gilgul. Meanwhile, the Mongol had enough time to magickally recover from the near-fatal blow inflicted on him during the lull, and requested to the Hermetic Council that Phaedrus be spared from Gilgul and sent to serve him instead. Naturally, Phaedrus refused outright, stating he would rather die. Despite this, he was instead sentenced to spending eternity with Gabriel, an insane Oracle who was locked in a tightly sealed vault in the Chantry and suffer the consequences there. However, while awaiting sentence with a comrade (a Trenchcoater named Andy) who had helped him during the battle with the Mongol, Phaedrus managed to open a link to the Shadowlands and escape with his friend.
After this, Phaedrus was forced to lie low and leave England for fear of recapture by the Order. He fled to America, continually hounded by Legion and nearly driven mad by its relentless assaults. He had to split up with Andy soon after their escape and does not know what has become of him.
Not long after he arrived in New York, Phaedrus met an Akashic Brother named Ra when he fended off an attack by one of Legion's manifestations, starting Phaedrus back on the road to mental recovery. The two became friends and travelled across America, eventually joining up with a rag-tag cabal in San Francisco. There, they encountered a child with a great destiny and a tremendously powerful Avatar. They were charged with his protection, as the Technocracy wanted him badly. They fended off many Technocracy assaults and managed to protect the child, but on a voyage through the Shadowlands encountered the soul of a Mage that was not dead - rather, he was in some form of stasis and needed to be reunited with his body. They promised to aid the Mage, and managed to restore him to his body eventually. Along the way, they were also ambushed by a huge group of spectres, though the Avatar of the child with them manifested and drove them away. However, Legion had proven relentless in Its pursuit of Phaedrus and had finally tracked him down in the Shadowlands. It was huge - a roiling mass of black, greasy, shadowy tendrils tearing up the Shadowlands like a raging stormcloud on the horizon. In a desperate attempt to flee, Phaedrus tried to open a portal back to physical reality, but something went wrong - either the haste of the ritual or the presence of Legion disrupted the process and cast the cabal adrift through the Tempest.
They awoke in a strange land where technology did not operate, populated by a race of gypsies that lived in fear of horrifying creatures known as Wamphyri. These creatures ruled this world from huge stone aeries in a place of eternal darkness known only as Starside. The Cabal discovered that they could not return to Gaia through the Shroud, and had no means of leaving through the Gauntlet. However, they discovered that a group of Technocrats had also been stranded in this reality, and had set up camp on Sunside, a land of permanent daylight. After an arduous trek across the wastelands of Sunside, harrowed by minions of the Wamphyri, they eventually made it to the Technocracy camp - a group of Void Engineers and Progenitors whose ship had crashed here months earlier, and whose devices no longer operated in this realm. Phaedrus discovered from some gypsies that his Avatar was not the normal variety - while most were fragments of the Pure Ones, The Phaedrus was something else entirely - a fragment of something else, or an entirely independent entity in its own right. It was clear than Legion was a similar kind of entity, but different in at least one way in that it was not bound to a physical form like The Phaedrus; it was also apparent that it wanted to destroy The Phaedrus and would stop at nothing to do so and annihilate anything in its way. Phaedrus decided then to try and learn more about his nature and to find a way to face Legion rather than flee from it for the rest of his life.
At the camp, the cabal persuaded the weakened (and naturally paranoid) technocrats that the only way they could escape would be if they joined forces and helped eachother - they eventually managed to force open a way back through the Deep Umbra with the help of some of the gypsies. After a fairly uneventful return trip to Gaia, the Cabal and the Technocrats quickly went their separate ways as tensions rose during the voyage home and their forced reliance on eachother disappeared - the Cabal itself quickly split up to make it harder for the Technocracy to follow them (the Progenitors had noticed that Phaedrus' avatar was unusual and had been making moves to capture and study him).
Since then, Phaedrus has been wandering America, lying low and generally trying to establish conscious contact with The Phaedrus within him in an attempt to directly communicate with it. He has met with little success so far, but suspects this is because It is currently unwilling to communicate...
Phaedrus' paradigm is described below. Note that he does not see his abilities as magickal - rather, he just thinks he is blessed with unusual gifts probably as a result of the presence of The Phaedrus within him.
REALITY: Phaedrus sees reality in two ways - philosophically speaking, he sees reality as an abstract Cycle of Life and Death.
However, regarding magick and reality, he realises that he is up against a 'greater will', a kind of sentient force behind reality. Indeed, this 'sentient force' is actually Static Reality, which does not allow him to get away with just any magickal act. Hence, he uses 'Trickery' [Coincidence] to fool reality into carrying out certain effects. He uses this explanation to explain his use of Entropy, and would use this to also explain the Pattern Magicks (Forces, Life, Matter)
MAGICK: See individual Sphere descriptions. Regarding the physical world (Entropy, Matter, Life, Forces), Phaedrus generally sees magick as 'Tricking reality'. Mind Effects are just Telepathy and other psychic powers. Correspondence is the use of the Tempest. Time is knowledge of Change. Spirit is just interaction with the Dead. Prime however is a completely alien concept to Phaedrus. His interpretation of what he does varies between the Spheres.
AWAKENING: A personal event that makes the Mage realise the true nature of reality - i.e. that it can be tricked and manipulated. Further definition of the Awakening is pointless, since its so personal.
THE SPHERES
When done subconsciously, Entropy manifests as 'luck', or as he more often calls it, his 'Entropic Field' - this is purely Coincidental. If done consciously (i.e. deliberately tricking reality), then it manifests as Vulgar magick.
It should be noted though that Phaedrus does not view Entropy as Change. Instead, he just views it as luck, or chance, or Karma. If he had Entropy 4, he'd consider his enemy unlucky to have his ulcer explode at that precise moment - he wouldn't see it as something he's done to him personally through manipulation of the forces of change. Instead, Phaedrus views TIME as change. See Time for more details.
Other Mages travelling with him see the Shadowlands only if their paradigm allows it. Otherwise, it appears to be the Penumbra as usual. The same applies in reverse - Phaedrus would only see the Shadowlands, not the Penumbra. As a result, Phaedrus is completely incapable of seeing the Spirits that occupy the Near Umbra unless they physically manifest (in which case he believes them to be beings from other Realms), although when in a Middle Umbral Realm he can see and interact with the inhabitants as normal.
QUINTESSENCE AND PARADOX
PARADOX: Wising up and lashing out. Phaedrus views Paradox as being 'burned' by reality as it warns him that he's disrupting the status quo too much. Recall that he does view Reality as some kind of Sentient Force with a mind of its own - hence his view of 'Tricking Reality' into doing things for him. Indeed, Paradox occurs when Reality 'Wises up' to his trickery, and lashes out at him. Strangely, physical backlash always appears to him in the form of heat burns.
QUINTESSENCE: N/A. Phaedrus just doesn't see Quintessence. If something exists, it just exists. Because it does. He sees a rock as a lump of rock, no more. Not a Pattern, not something storing Quintessence. Just a rock. Matter is all it is to him. The same with other Patterns. If he was to do a Life Effect, he'd be making something alive. Never mind all this gibberish about Quintessence Flows that all the other Mages go on about. Life is Life. That's that. You don't NEED anything else. When Phaedrus sees other Mages using Quintessence (or more obviously, Tass) to fuel an effect, he can deal with it though. He just sees it as a concept he doesn't need, that the other Mages seem to think they do. If they want to make life complicated for themselves, they can. But not him. He's smarter than that...
NODES: To Phaedrus, Nodes are places of power. They're just places that have a different feel to them. Stonehenge fills you with awe. The Nazca Plains make you feel very small. And so on. They're places that demand a kind of respect from people. Because of this, Mages build their Chantries above them to tap this kind of potential. It makes them seem more than they are. And if magick, or tricking reality, seems to come easier there, then all the better. There is at least SOME method to their madness!
OTHER MAGE-RELATED ABILITIES
ARCANE: The Shroud. Having so much to do with the dead, most people find Phaedrus to be a distasteful type. In many cases, they go out of their way to avoid him, or just ignore him. This manifests from what Phaedrus calls 'The Shroud'. Its like a subconscious fear that people have of someone who deals with such a taboo subject. They just don't WANT to see him. This would apply to any unsavoury profession, in Phaedrus' opinion. Heck, even the homeless suffer from it, as Phaedrus has discovered for himself through personal experience.
ARETE: Unity with The Phaedrus. Once the Phaedrus is fully revealed to him, Phaedrus the man will be one with it at last. Phaedrus continually strives for this goal.
AVATAR: The Phaedrus. This is what Phaedrus' (the man's) 'soul' is. It is different to those of other Mages, but that just makes it all the more interesting. In game terms, there is no effective difference in effect, though there are some obvious differences in metaphysical terms. The Phaedrus itself is ABSOLUTELY NOT an Avatar though, in the metaphysical sense - this is why he cannot use Prime! Although he has no dots in Avatar, there is something [mechanically] similar (The Phaedrus) there that is IMMENSELY powerful...
AWARENESS: Seeing things as they are. Phaedrus can see the world as it really is, not the pale reality that people want it to be.
DESTINY: The Phaedrus. Phaedrus himself has always believed in Destiny, but in his own case, he is convinced that The Phaedrus within him, the force that lurks within and occasionally reveals itself (it hasn't reappeared since the last showdown with the Mongol in the Temple Chantry realm), is using him for its own unknowable purpose. But he doesn't mind - its not as if he has much choice in the matter anyway! Indeed, when it has appeared, the Phaedrus has saved his life more than once. So, he is happy to come along for the ride. Indeed, he is very curious as to what The Phaedrus' ultimate goal is, and intends to find out somehow.
DREAM: Knowledge. The Dead know a LOT, and they can tell you things if you ask them nicely...
Phaedrus has a BIG Destiny lined up. Although he appears to have no true Avatar, in reality something ELSE occupies that space within him. Something ancient and unknowable, and above all, PRIMAL. Indeed, Phaedrus believes that this is some aspect of Death itself. Or maybe he's possessed by a god or something. He now believes that The Phaedrus is not a fragment of the Pure Ones, and that it is something entirely different, possibly from a previous era of existence or even another reality entirely. He also believes that Legion is something that has followed The Phaedrus from this other realm and is similar in many respects to it. He just doesn't know for sure, but would like to see what he's in for. Much of the time, The Phaedrus slumbers within, watching its host in its dreams, and Phaedrus the Man is in full control. In times of great need or revelation however, The Phaedrus awakens, and when it manifests the consequences are devastating and terrifying. The first time it appeared, to his first Mentor, he believes it manifested when he realised the fundamentals of Entropy. The revelation caused it to appear momentarily, driving the Old Man insane and ultimately killing him. The second time was the Near Death Experience forced upon him by the Mongol. That manifestation, again that Phaedrus was not consciously aware of, melted the psyches of his captors. The third time, in the first confrontation with the Mongol, The Phaedrus actually took control. It deflected magicks, countered wards, and absorbed blasts that would have turned a mountain into ashes. Of this, Phaedrus has no memory other than the realisation that he confronted the Mongol and escaped. It was The Phaedrus that shifted Its host into the Shadowlands, making him aware of this ability for the first time. Why The Phaedrus did not kill the Mongol there and then is another question entirely. Perhaps it suited its purpose better to keep him alive. Perhaps it savoured the hunt rather than the kill... The fourth (and most recent) manifestation of the Phaedrus resulted in the near death of the Mongol in the Temple Chantry, and needed the combined (strained) efforts of several Masters to hold back and restrain!
Phaedrus is not actually aware of his full abilities - they seem to be revealed to him in due time, when the proper circumstances arise. When they are revealed to him, it is as if he has always know them. This manifests so that Phaedrus never needs to learn magickal spheres - they are just revealed to him by The Phaedrus when he accumulates enough XP in a moment of revelation. It may even be possible that The Phaedrus is capable of understanding Prime, but is not revealing this information to Its host yet - as yet, Phaedrus himself simply cannot comprehend the concept of Prime.
Phaedrus is certain that while his short term plans are for vengeance on the Mongol and his allies, The Phaedrus itself has a 'higher purpose' which he can only guess at. He intends to discover this purpose somehow, and is now attempting to establish communication with the entity that lurks within him.
Name: Phaedrus (his original name has been forgotten)
Essence: Primordial/Questing*
Nature: Fanatic
Demeanour: Survivor
Tradition: Orphan
STR: 2, DEX: 3, STA: 1
CHA: 4 (morbidly fascinating), MAN: 2, APP: 1
PER: 4, INT: 3, WITS: 3
TALENTS: Alertness 1, Awareness 2, Dodge 2, Intimidation 1, Streetwise 2
SKILLS: Drive 1, Firearms 3, Meditation 1, Melee (throwing knife) 4, Stealth 3, Survival 1, Technology 1
KNOWLEDGES: Enigmas 3, Occult (The Dead) 5, Shadowlands Lore 2, Wraith Lore 3
BACKGROUNDS: Destiny 5 (The Phaedrus), Arcane 2, [Avatar 5 (The Phaedrus)]**
SPHERES: Entropy 3, Spirit
4 (Dark Umbra only).
Arete 4
Willpower 6
Quintessence 0, Paradox 0
Equipment: Belt of 10 throwing knives (Diff. 4, Str+1), 2 heavy pistols (Diff. 8, Dam 5), Large knife (Diff. 5, Str+2)
MERITS/FLAWS:
| Merits | Flaws |
|---|---|
| Spirit Companion (John Barker) +3 | Sphere Inept (Prime) -5 |
| Medium +2 | Vengeance (The Mongol) -2 |
| Higher Purpose (The Phaedrus) +1 | The Bard's Tongue -1 |
| Concentration +1 | Driving Goal (Unity with The Phaedrus) -3 |
| Good Reputation (Wraiths) +2 | Enemy -5 (Legion) |
*: The Phaedrus itself is DEFINITELY Primordial!!! However, Phaedrus (the man) would be classed as Questing, since he is continually searching for answers to his existence.
**: Though he does not have a conventional Avatar (he can't use or regenerate Quintessence), what is there instead is very powerful in its own way, and corresponds in power to an Avatar rating of five.
NOTES: Note that all Perception Magicks do NOT require a spellcasting roll, as described in Mage on page 192, I think (in the 'Sense Disorder' Rote).
Also note that due to the Medium Background, all difficulties with Spirit Magic are at -2. Whether this includes conjunctional effects involving Spirit is unclear (natch!).
Spells marked 'SC Roll' require conscious effort to cast, so a Spell-Casting Roll is required. Other spells are 'natural abilities' (e.g. most Perceptions) so do not require SC Rolls. Spells marked Vulgar cannot be cast in a Coincidental manner - all other can be assumed to be purely Coincidental.
Note that all effects are Coincidental (at most) in the Shadowlands.
Sense Null - Entropy 1, Spirit 1
This allows Phaedrus to sense the presence of any Nihils in the local Shadowlands.
Wraithsight - Spirit 1
Phaedrus can automatically see the Dead, so when his 'Medium' ability detects a Wraith, he can also see it if its in his line of sight. Note this only lets him see the Wraith relative to the Skinlands - he can't see the Shadowlands with this. That requires a deliberate effort (i.e. spellcasting roll) - see Shadowsight below.
Sense Shroud - Spirit 1
This allows Phaedrus to sense the strength of the Shroud (NOT Gauntlet) in the local area. Where the Shroud is strong (i.e. high difficulties), colours appear strong and vibrant. Where the Shroud is weak (i.e. low difficulties), colour appear duller, and monochromatic (i.e. grey). Phaedrus can also detect artificial strengthening of the Shroud with this ability.
Shadowsight - Spirit 1 (SC Roll)
With this, Phaedrus can see into the Shadowlands from the Skinlands. It is akin to peeking in the Umbra. Phaedrus has to make a conscious effort to do this, so unlike the other perception 'effects' described above, it requires a spellcasting roll. Of course, when he is actually IN the Shadowlands (see 'Crossing the Line' below) he can see his surroundings without recourse to this rote. If he wanted to see from the Shadowlands into the Skinlands of course, he could cast the reverse of this rote (Livesight).
Necroscopy - Spirit 2
This allows Phaedrus to converse with the Dead if they are present. Note that technically this is a 'natural ability', so would theoretically not require a spellcasting roll at all. However, the Storyteller may not agree. Regardless, in a Graveyard this NEVER requires a Spellcasting roll (or at most is entirely coincidental) - many people talk to dead relatives in such places!
Ghostcall - Spirit 2 (SC roll)
Phaedrus summons ghosts to him using this effect. Usually, he does this by phoning, or leaving a note somewhere, emailing them, or even (if he feels like humouring people) going into a seance!! This ability always lets him know where to leave the note/message/what number to phone (if anyone else dials the number, it cannot be recognised).
If done Vulgarly, Phaedrus just screams out the Wraith's name, or may even do a small ritual possibly involving a sacrifice of a small animal! If done this way, the Wraith finds it harder to resist Phaedrus' call.
Crossing The Line - Spirit 3 (SC Roll)
This allows Phaedrus to enter the Shadowlands. When he does so, he must enter via the Tempest, (or the Warp as he calls it), and not through the Shroud - presumably, this is something to do with the nature of The Phaedrus. For a brief instant, he feels himself buffeted by unearthly winds, and then arrives in the equivalent place in the Shadowlands to where he left the Skinlands. Note that the difficulties for entering the Shadowlands are still equal to the strength of the Shroud though.
On a failure, Phaedrus does not leave the Skinlands at all. However, on a Botch he gets either trapped in the Warp and then dumped somewhere else, or attracts the attentions of Spectres or other unsavoury elements within the storm. This encounter must be resolved before continuing on through to the Shadowlands. Alternatively, on a Botch Phaedrus may not even enter the Warp, but rather gets stuck between worlds in the Shroud. From here, he would have to return to the Skinlands - moving on through to the Warp would be very foolish indeed!
When he (and anyone else in direct physical contact) crosses the Line (as he refers to entering the Shadowlands), his physical body is converted on a one-to-one basis into Corpus levels (i.e. 1 Health Level = 1 Corpus). When he and his companions cross the line, all carried items are converted into plasmic form too. However, these do 1 Corpus damage unless Martialry (see below) is used also, whereby they do full damage as they would if both they and the target are physical (i.e. they become Relics). Items remain as 'Relics' for the duration of the Martialry effect only. After this, they re-appear in the Physical world.
All living creatures in the Shadowlands are affected by other Wraiths as if they were Wraiths themselves. 'Living' Ghosts cannot be affected by anything involving the Shadow, Pathos, Fetters, or Passions. However, their form can be Moliated, and this Moliation is carried over when they re-appear in the Skinlands (since their living form has been directly converted to Plasm and back again).
When he appears in the Shadowlands, Phaedrus appears as a huge lean silver-white wolf with glowing, deeply-red eyes. This form is purely an illusion, and reflects The Phaedrus within. Phaedrus can talk while in Wolf form. Occasionally, however, especially in a combat situation, The Phaedrus may take over - this manifests as a kind of 'Frenzy' not unlike a Garou's. Also, Phaedrus cannot speak when The Phaedrus takes over - all it can do is growl and sound like a horrible dire wolf. However, this assertion of control by The Phaedrus is extremely rare. Also note that The Phaedrus is NOT a Garou - it is something far more primal.
Moliate - Spirit 3 ( = Life 3) (SC Roll)
This allows Phaedrus to change the shape and form of his own body in the Shadowlands - it is the mechanism by which The Phaedrus alters his form to manifest as a Wolf. He can appear as any form that is smaller than Wolf-size (including Human). Note that he does not actually gain any combat abilities of the animal, since without Martialry (see below) no physical attack can inflict more than 1 Corpus level of Damage, although he can gain other abilities such as strength or flight. Thus, he cannot fly in the Shadowlands by merely sprouting wings - he must change his entire form into that of a bird (usually a silver-white Raven with glowing red eyes) to do so. In Wolf form, his Stats become modified as if he was a Hispo.
In any form, he still retains his faculties and the ability to speak. This ability basically allows him to shapeshift in the Shadowlands only. He can also change parts of his body into other forms. Most frequently, he uses this to change into human form, or at least, a Wolf with human hands...
He cannot use Moliate on any other being ('living' or Dead) - this requires Spirit 4.
Effectively, this effect is equivalent to Imitate and Sculpt, the first two levels of a Wraith's Moliate Arcanos, with some extra additions (i.e. shapeshifting).
Martialry - Spirit 3 ( = Life 3) (SC Roll)
This alters the density of Phaedrus' Spirit Form, making it more Spiritually 'real'. In effect, it turns any items carried into Relics, and allows him to inflict full damage with his Teeth and Claws in Wolf Form on any ghostly targets (including 'living' ones brought through with him if necessary). Even Shotguns and thrown Knives become Relics, making him a very dangerous person in the Shadowlands if he is carrying these items. However, only bullets/shells that are carried across the Line with him are converted into Relics. Items that he picks up while in the Shadowlands cannot be turned into Relics in this manner.
Items remain as 'Relics' for the duration of the effect only. He can only affect himself (or items carried by himself) in this way - other creatures cannot gain these benefits. This ability is basically the same Martialry, the third level of a Wraiths' Moliate ability.
Bite damage: Dex + Brawl Diff.: 5 Str+1 damage
Claw damage: Dex + Brawl Diff.: 6 Str+2 damage
Damage inflicted by claw and bite are in Corpus levels. Strength is his modified STR in Hispo Form.
If Phaedrus (or any 'living' ghost) is damaged while in the Shadowlands, he loses Health Levels on a one-to-one basis (i.e. 1 Corpus = 1 Health level). If reduced to no Corpus, he is incapacitated and will die. He can escape further damage by crossing the Line back to the physical, but will appear there with any damage inflicted still present.
Regenerate Corpus - Spirit 3 ( = Life 3) (SC Roll)
This allows Phaedrus to heal any damage inflicted on him while in the Shadowlands (or the Warp). It CANNOT be used to heal damage that was inflicted on him in the Skinlands, which was translated into lost corpus levels when he entered the Realm of the Dead. Again, this is only usable on other targets with Spirit 4. Each success heals one level of Corpus, up to the level that he arrived with.
Spirit Blast - Entropy 4, Spirit 4 ( = Life 4) (SC Roll, Vulgar)
This unleashes a bolt of pure Entropic Spiritual Energy. Note this is NOT energy from Oblivion. This is a direct assault by Entropy on the Corpus form of the target - thus it only affects Wraiths, Spectres, and 'living' ghosts carried across the Line with Phaedrus.
It inflicts (successes x 4) damage (as shown in Mage for Entropy 4), and appears as a blast of black energy shooting from Phaedrus' outstretched arms. It directly damages the Corpus of targets, shredding their ethereal pattern. Range is as shown on the general table on Pg. 175 of Mage.
This is usually used as a last resort, such as when faced by hordes of Spectres from the Warp.
Generally, all of Phaedrus' Entropy effects are Coincidental. Also note that he does not have conscious control over when these effects occur in times of great stress (though in such cases they never Botch - they just suddenly spring on Phaedrus).
This Thing's Falling To Bits! - Entropy 1
With this effect, Phaedrus can see the weakest parts of an object. It kicks in whenever he says the title of the effect, or words to that effect. He sees the weak spots as obvious, and often goes on to point them out in meticulous detail.
A similar effect is created when referring to organisations, games of chance, people's health, and so on...
I Bet The Top Card Is An Ace Of Spades... - Entropy 2 (SC Roll)
With this, Phaedrus can fix the outcome of any game of luck or similar Closed System. Again, it activates when he says a phrase similar to the title (relevant to the situation), but requires a SC roll since he is more obviously 'tricking reality'.
A Watched Kettle Never Boils... - Entropy 2 (SC Roll. Vulgar?)
Also known as 'Knowing my luck...' or (when Phaedrus is in a joking mood) 'A watched head never gets eaten by ants', this is exactly what it sounds like. While Phaedrus is watching or waiting for something to happen, it never does. By invoking this effect, Phaedrus makes the event happen by giving up his wait and ceasing to expect that it will happen (i.e. by walking away a short distance). As he gives up, the event occurs. This most frequently occurs while waiting for a bus...
This is quite probably a Vulgar effect, since it is an obvious way to trick reality (a bit like using Reverse Psychology on Static Reality)!
Entropic Field - Entropy 3
This kicks in whenever Phaedrus gets frustrated (esp. emotionally). When this happens, things tend to blow up around him. Lights may blow coincidentally as he walks past, computers may crash, things that have just been repaired break when he uses them, things that work fine for other people don't work properly (or not at all) for him, flowers that he holds fall to bits at in his hands, fragile things break at his touch, etc...
Phaedrus has no control whatsoever over this 'Entropic Field', and sees it as particularly annoying. However, it never results in anything downright harmful - just annoying. No SC Roll is required, since this kicks in automatically the more frustrated he gets.
I Hope Your Tyre Blows... - Entropy 3 (SC Roll)
When Phaedrus wishes ill on someone, he usually does it by wishing that a nasty accident befalls them (like a tyre blowing on the motorway) - this is how he does it. It can be cast Coincidentally if the machinery in question is already faulty, or if no-one hears his curse. It is Vulgar if cast on a perfectly working machine, or if someone hears his curse (and then it happens), or when Phaedrus just wants something to fail at a critical moment (i.e. a gun to jam). Basically, this effect is 'Slay Machine'.
This Thing's Broken On Me...! - Entropy 3 (SC Roll)
Also known as 'Such shoddy workmanship - look at the loose connections. Something really nasty could hap- <bzap>. There, I warned you!', this effect destroys or damages machinery by causing power surges, blown systems, leaks, cut-outs, or crashes, to name but a few. Since it is wished on the machine consciously (although in a way that suggests it happens totally by coincidence), an SC Roll is required. It is quite probably Vulgar, since like 'A Watched Kettle...' it is a particularly obvious way of tricking reality.
It Could Be Worse... - Entropy 3 (SC Roll)
This makes the situation worse than it is. If said by Phaedrus or any of his companions to refer to something that'll happen to them, the effect is harmless but annoying - it starts to rain, the engine cuts out while driving through the night in a fogbank, etc... Most of the time, no SC Roll is required here - it kicks in whenever anyone says it! However, he can SUPPRESS it by making a Coincidental SC roll with at least 1 success.
If cast on someone that Phaedrus is actually wishing ill on, something bad happens to whoever this is directed at. The target's situation gets a LOT worse. For example, a target who fails to pay his bills subsequently gets all his utilities cut off and the bailiffs over as well!