Storm

Disciple, First Degree

• Virtue: Charity; Vice: Pride; Concept: Healer
• Path: Thyrsus; Order: Free Council; Legacy: None; Tradition: None
• Attributes
  • Mental: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3
  • Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
  • Social: Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 3
• Abilities
  • Mental: Academics 2, Crafts 1 (Auto), Investigation 1, Medicine 3 (Veterinary), Occult 2 (Eastern), Science 1
  • Physical: Athletics 3 (Roping), Brawl 1, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Survival 2, Weaponry 1
  • Social: Animal Ken 4, Empathy 2, Expression 1, Intimidation 1, Persuasion 1, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 2
• Merits
  • Mental: Languages (German)
  • Physical: Direction Sense (•), Iron Stamina (•), Strong Back (•)
  • Social: Mentor (••, Boudicca: Fate, Expression, Occult), Resources (•)
  • Awakened: High Speech (•), Sleepwalker Retainer (••, Kellie), Status [Free Council] (•)
• Gnosis: 4 (Mana/Turn: 4); Arcana: Fate 1, Life 3, Space 2, Spirit 2
• Rotes
  • Witch's Eye: Healer's Trance, Life •, Wits + Empathy + Life; Anointing Oil +1
  • Flowing Step: Untouchable, Space ••, Dexterity + Athletics + Space; Performing tai chi for one turn +1
  • Prayer for the Possessed: Exorcist's Eye, Spirit •, Presence + Intimidation + Spirit; Medallion of San Cipriano +1, holy water +1
  • Forceful Invocation: Spirit Tongue, Spirit •, Presence + Intimidation + Spirit; Burning incense +1
  • Elementary, Dear Watson: Interconnections, Fate •, Wits + Investigation + Fate; Magnifying Glass +1, Smoking a Pipe +1, Forensic Equipment +2
  • Drumming the Spirit: Platonic Mechanism, Fate •, Strength + Athletics + Fate; Spend one turn drumming rhythmically on item +1
  • Embracing the Bat: Spatial Map, Space •, Wits + Animal Ken + Space; None
  • Fly on the Wall: Scrying, Space ••, Resolve + Animal Ken + Space; Animals in area to be scried +1
  • Inner Chi Mastery: Honing the Form, Life •••, Stamina + Athletics + LIfe; Performing tai chi for one turn +1
  • Kiss of the Horned One: Sense Life, Life •, Wits + Survival + Life; Possessing a Cernunnos or other horned god idol +1, possessing a piece of deer horn +1.
• Legacy Attainment: None
• Health 8, Willpower 6, Wisdom 8
• Size 5, Speed 10, Defense 2, Initiative 5
• Weapons: Knife (+1L)
• Armor: 3 ("Organic Resilience")
• Flaws: None
• Nimbus: When Storm's Nimbus manifests, it is the Man of the Greenwood, wherein there seems to be the silhouette of a man hidden within the foliage, and green-foliage faces seem to stare out at him. In areas that are completely devoid of greenery, a wordless cry is felt, as though something vibrant and essential to life were wounded.
• Magical Tools: Wooden chalice, set with copper, inscribed with Atlantean and other writing (Path Tool), Feathers (Expendable Spirit Arcanum Tool)
• Debts:
  • Taboo, Guardians of the Veil: Taboo owes Storm for his healing of one of her sleepwalkers.
  • Phinia & Heliophilus, Free Council: Storm owes Phinia and Heliophilus for them handing over their shop and Hallow.
• True Name: Ryan Penn; Birthdate: Aug. 15 1988 8:00AM

Background

Storm NPCs

Idaho

Once I had a normal life. I lived in Mud Lake, Idaho with my parents and four brothers and sisters. We grew organic oats. My grandparents had a ranch down the road. I loved to ride and I loved to rope. I was involved in 4H and FFA and full of dreams. I dreamed of becoming a vetranarian and working with my sister Kris. I dreamed of winning belts in the rodeo. I dreamed of dating a beautiful rodeo princess named Barbie.

All of these dreams were taken from me one night before the county fair. I had driven out to Boise to pick up my brother, Travis, from his fraternity out there. That night there was a big party, filled with lovely sorority girls and pleanty to drink. I ended up out in a park with this sweet thing named Jade making out . . . and then the world shifted.

I dreamed that I was a green knight, intrinsically connected to the forest. In the forest there was a blight, a black knight that was cruel and unwholesome and his great black boar. The forest told me that he needed to be slain. I hunted him and we fought in a field before a tall tower. In my victory trance I wrote my name on the tower.

I woke up in the Mud Lake prison covered in mud and blood. I could hear my parents in the hall beyond my cell talking in hushed tones. Slowly I was told what had happened. I had killed a man, Barbie's boyfriend, and his prize pig at the fairgrounds and written my name on the wall in his blood. Nobody could tell me how I'd gotten from Boise to Mud Lake without my truck. Nobody could tell me how it was all possible, just that I was now a murderer.

Three days later my grandma, Meggie, came to my cell with her sister, Aunt Dorothy (Enula), who had come to see me from England. She asked probing questions about my dream and told me that we were witchblooded. Magic ran in our family and sometimes appeared in unpleasant ways, like this. She said it wasn't my fault. I thought to myself that if this magic was going to turn me into a killer I wanted no part of it, but Aunt Dorothy was saying that she was going to help get me out of jail so I kept my mouth shut. Connections were made, and I was sentenced to a reform school in New York. New York seemed like the moon to me. I wondered if it would be all concrete and skyscrapers, but I went gladly. I knew that I was an unsafe person and I wanted to be as far as possible from my loved ones. I didn't want to hurt anyone any more.

The Vernal Sanctuary

When I got to New York I found that I wasn't at a reform school really. Some of the other students had been told they were at a reform school too, but not all. There were five of us total and we were all from different lives.

First there was Ben (Promachus), a genuine gang banger from New York, black guy with gold jewelry and the whole nine yards! He was seriously like something strait out of MTV! When he talked though it was pretty obvious that he has a good head on his shoulders. He never glamorised the gangs or talked about missing them. He talked about wanting to take care of his family and live a decent life. All and all he's pretty decent folk with a kinda crappy history.

Then there was Angela (Daimona), who was a total pierced freak from New Orleans. She thought she was all that too. Big attitude that one! I guess that's the way they are in the city, at least that's what they say. But she was one tough cookie, and real nice about it too, and you've gotta respect that

Next was Justin (Marbas). He was the stereotypical hothead from the wrong side of the tracks. Man that guy and I would fight! But he also liked cars and was the one I could relate to the most. He was my closest friend at the school and when we weren't trying to kill eachother we were pretty inseperable.

Last was Alexis (Kore). She was a sweet girl from a rich family. She was pure innocence. I don't think she'd ever gone to so much as a private school! She was a fantastic musician. She reminded me alot of my little sister Britney bake in Mud Lake, except she was much more shy and nieve that Brit could ever be. I instantly connected with her and wanted to keep her safe. She was the closest thing I had to family in this place . . . except Mr. Grakleton, but he came later.

I was surprised to learn that I was the only murderer in the group. I also learned that this was a school to train us to use our magic. The others were really excited about this, but I knew better. I knew that touching that place was touching a place that could lead to people dying and God knows what else. I still believed that we might all be demon posessed or something equally unholy. Nobody really understood and Headmaster Sunya said that by learning to use the magic I'd learn to control it, so I learned, but I was never happy about it.

The best part about the Vernal Sanctuary was the land. It was beautifully forested, not like the images you think of when you think New York. Most of the others were scared of the forest, but I wasn't. I would go on walks every chance I got. One day I found a raven that had been shot by some guys and I mended it's wing. The raven turned out to be a spirit sent by my Aunt to watch out for me named Mr. Grakleton. He was kind of a pain, but it was really neat to get to talk with a raven all the time.

Letters from Sara got me through alot of the time there. Sara had been my girlfriend before the summer when everything went crazy. We had been together since we were really young, and I knew that I had to break up with her if I ever wanted to date anyone else before we settled down and started having babies. I had every intention of asking her to marry me and she was the only one back home to really give me the time of day after the incident. My family was in contact, but they were too worried to really say much. Sara was my link to my roots and I loved her for it.

We also went to public school. I assume the principal was never told my criminal record, because I didn't feel like I was treated dangerous. Still New York schools were very different than Idaho schools. There weren't any rodeos here. There wasn't even an auto shop class. I was squarely out of my element.

Still I managed to make friends. There was a kid named Josh who's family owned horses. I took a job mucking stalls and generally taking care of them and we became close. Josh was a wierd situation though. He was a scrawny guy, and didn't have the muscles that I have to make up for it. I stepped in when he was getting bullied. I figured I owed it to the world, to do a few good deeds to make up for my accidently killing someone. I guess he got a bit of a crush on me. I still wanted to be nice to him, he was the only person I knew that gave a damn about riding, so I ignored it. One day I was feeling particularly lonely and next thing I know his hands are down my pants. I had to stop coming around his place after that. It just wasn't right.

At this time I was also getting to know Kelly. I'm ashamed to admit it, but my first impression of Kelly was not really a good one. She dreamed about magic and the like and here I was having all this power and scared shitless of it. I considered her nieve and childlike, but I also thought she was really hot. As time passed I spent more time with her and Angela, and Kelly and I started actually talking. She was always talking about magic and spiritual crap so it was really easy to start dancing around all of the things that were on my mind those days. Next thing I knew she was the person I could say anything to and she was advising me in my studies and it all wasn't so horrible. I never forgot that it could be horrible, but it became easier to take things for what they were worth.

Also that winter people started coming around trying to convince us to join thier little mage clique "order". I immediately was drawn to the Guardians of the Veil because they got that this stuff was serious and wanted to protect people from themselves. I started training with them, and things just started getting wierder and wierder. This was the same time as the shit with Josh went down. Finally they told me to kill someone and a flat out refused, and they pushed, and I said no. By the time they let down and told me that they were proud that I'd stood by my morals I wanted no part of them. So I told them to fuck off. About that time the school closed and it was back to Idaho with me.

Saying goodbye was hard but we promised to all keep in touch. We'd all had pleanty of time to get used to letter writing and Justin could just teleport if he wanted. It was time for us to graduate to the real world.

England

Back in Idaho things were too awkward. The farm had lost alot of business, and nobody had to say that I was at fault. The boy I killed had been from a prominant family and people stick together in Mud Lake.

It was really great to see Sara again. I hated having to lie to her about what was really going on at the Vernal Sanctuary, so one day I decided to tell her the truth. We hiked out into the woods for a good couple of hours for picnic like we used to when we were kids. Then after we ate our sandwiches I told her everything, as best I could put it all in words, and showed her my nimbus. It freaked her out a bit, but she handled it really well and believed me. It's really nice to know she tusts me enough for that. Afterwards there was a distance between us, like we weren't the same anymore. There was nothing that you could point to and say, "that's different," but things were definately different.

Because of the money problems Mom and Dad told me that they couldn't afford more than one kid in college. That meant I'd have to wait a year before starting school, but it also meant that Kris would have to wait until I finished to even start her schooling, even though she's just a year behind me. I couldn't do that to her. Then Aunt Dorothy called and saved the day once again. She offered to put me through school if I came and stayed with her in England. I knew this was a total bribe to get me around her witch things and make me carry on the family tradition, but I accepted anyway for Kris's sake.

When I told Kelly about the move she squeeled and made me promise to introduce her to my witch aunt. I shook my head and accepted.

London was amazing. My first impression was that it was full of old buildings and feaks Angela would like. Aunt Dorothy, or Enula as she was called outside the family, lived a few miles outside of the city, but close enough to be connected to the Underground. She didn't force me to be a witch and kept her promise to send me to school.

The thing about England is that there is no cowboys. It's too small and European for that. At first people were a little stand offish about my being American, but I found that if I said I was a cowboy from Texas, they treated me real nice. Suddely I was a bit of a celebrety. I could go anywhere and have a new girl every night, more so after I discovered designer jeans and hair gel.

Kelly did come to visit, actually she got into a school in London. Soon it was me and her taking London by storm. I told everyone that my dad was a prize winning bull rider and my mom was a peace loving hippie that gave me the name storm and protested the war in Iraq. They ate it up so much that Kelly and I would compete for who got the most digits and I even one a few times, even though Kelly is a rediculously hot girl. Life was a bit of a blurr.

Another thing that made London great was the mages. They were all super laid back free counsil folk that kept to thier own business for the most part. Sure there was a few nosey buggers, but they never tried to change anyone. They had great ideas too. I used to sit for hours drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes and just talking about esoteric stuff. I'd never been able to stand that before London.

I started attending rituals with Kelly. I didn't really know what to make of all of the horned god earth goddess stuff, but I knew that there was something that felt good there. Manitou would have called it supernal, Kelly would have called it magical. I just know it kept me coming back for more.

Then one day Aunt Enula asked us to go to New York for her with Boidicca. I had been secretly eyeing the alternative medicine program at the college there so the request came as a shock to me, but a went and our whirlwind days of playing in London were over.

New York

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