Veles

Veles

Background

No one really knows where Veles came from. He's the second mage to bear that Shadowname, certainly, and both have served as the Reeve of Salem for Salem's Hierarch, Stoughton. Veles led the Salem cabal known as Bastion, responsible for seeing to the defense of Salem.

Recently, Veles broke with Bastion and petitioned for permission to enter the Consilium of Roses as a member. After an interview with the Hierarch and Council, he was given permission, and assigned to the newly formed Lamplighters cabal.

Rumors

There are a variety of rumors about Veles:

• He once served in the KGB, until he was recruited by a Guardians Labyrinth.
• He actually grew up in a Siberian gulag, the son of political prisoners, and earned his gang contacts and tattoos there.
• As an agent of the Guardians, Veles has acted as Interfector in Salem every time someone needed to be killed.
• Veles adheres to a strange code of honor.

Traits

Moros; Guardians of the Veil (Prophets); Tamers of Stone; Lamplighters (Position)
Disciple 1º
Konstantin Voroshilov; Faith/Wrath; Lord of the Underworld

• Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 3
• Abilities: Investigation 2, Politics 2; Athletics 2 (Thrown), Brawl 3 (Punch), Drive 1, Larceny 2, Stealth 3 (Urban); Persuasion 3, Socialize 1, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2
• Merits
  • Mental: Language (Russian); Trained Memory
  • Physical: Fighting Style, Boxing 1
  • Social: Allies, Criminals 2; Allies, Laborers 1; Allies, State Government 1; Contacts 3 (Police, Society, Architects); Resources 5; Status, Society 2; Status, Underworld 3
  • Awakened: High Speech; Masques (Crown of Eyes, Lord Asp, Weaver of Whispers); Network Spider; Occultation 2; Sanctum 2; Status, Guardians of the Veil 3 (Contacts, Status, Occultation); Status, Consilium 1
• Advantages: Health 8, Willpower 6, Morality 5, Size 5, Speed 10, Defense 2 (Armor 3), Initiative 5

Magic

• Gnosis: 3
• Arcana: Death 2, Matter 3, Space 2
  • Night Walking: "Animate Shadows", Death ••, Manipulation + Stealth + Death; Performed at night +2
  • Apart at the Seams: "Decay", Death ••, Resolve + Intimidation + Death; Study target object for one turn +1
  • Biting the Bullet: "Breach Point", Matter • + Death • + Space •, Strength + Streetwise + Matter
  • Unsafe Hands: "Backbite", Matter •••, Strength + Brawl + Matter; Touched or punched the wielder of the weapon between one and three turns before.
  • Thread Across the Doorway: "Intrusion Warning", Space ••, Wits + Investigation + Space; Tying a thin thread across at least one entry to the area being protected +1
  • Fool the Long Gaze: "Ward", Space ••, Manipulation + Subterfuge + Space; Spend one minute whispering lies to the space to be protected +1, ten minutes +2, sprinkling space with charcoal dust +1
• Legacy: None
• Nimbus: A darkening of the light, as though a great shadow passed in front of all sources of light. From beneath the ground, a wailing emanates, the howling of the furious dead, just at the edges of hearing.
• Masques
  • Crown of Eyes: The Crown is a collector of secrets, of all manners. (Token: Camera or notebook; Benefit: +2 to Streetwise; Drawback: -2 Expression)
  • Lord Asp: The Lord follows a strident code of honor, and extracts brutal retribution to those who cross him (Token: Armed at all times; Benefit: +2 Brawl; Drawback: -1 Composure)
  • Weaver of Whispers: The Weaver lends help, not by his own effort, but through a network of others. (Token: Notebook or cell phone; Benefit: +2 to rolls involving Allies and Contacts; Drawback: -2 to Intimidate)
  • Future Masques: Avenging Son, Opener of Ways, Runehold, Sighing Tower, Prince of Feasts

Equipment

• Possessions: Plenty of cash on hand in billfold, fine-cut suit, smartphone, limo and driver.
  • Magical Tools: X
  • Weapons: Set of diamond-studded rings (Durability 4; Damage +4 when used with Weaponize Object spell), high-carbon steel ball bearings (Durability 4; Damage +4 when used with Weaponize Object spell).
• Other Notes: X

Experience

• XP Earned: 60; XP Spent: 60; Current XP: 0
• Arcane XP Earned: 0; Arcane XP Spent: 0

Magic XP Purchases Death 2: 12 XP Occultation 2: 3 XP Sanctum 2: 3 XP Rotes: 6 XP Masques, 3: 6 XP X: X XP X: X XP X: X XP X: X XP X: X XP

Mundane XP Purchases Status, Underworld 3: 6 XP Status, Society 2: 3 XP Allies, Gangs 2: 3 XP Allies, Laborers 1: 1 XP Allies, State Government 1: 1 XP Contacts 3: 6 XP Trained Memory: 2 XP Subterfuge 2: 6 XP Fighting Style, Boxing 1: 2 XP X: X XP

Merit Details

• Fighting Style: Boxing
  • Body Blow (•): Your character can deliver powerful blows that leave opponents reeling and gasping for air. If successes inflicted in a single Brawl attack equal or exceed a target's Size, the victim loses his next action.

Labyrinths

• Calavera Set: A Mexican street gang, with a Santisima Muerte cult imbedded in its traditions. Veles controls them through the use of the Weeping Bride, the ghost of a woman killed on her wedding night, which Veles keeps bound to his service. The Calavera Set who've seen her assume that she's a visitation from La Santisima Muerte. The gang uses skull iconography and Dia de los Muertes themes in their gang symbolism, including the use of white stocking masks painted with designs to make them look like Dia de los Muertes skulls.
• The Oregon Architects Institute: A trade organization for Pacific Northwestern architects, the OAI is basically an advocacy and legal aid organization for its membership, as well as a social club. It is considered the go-to organization for young or newly arrived architects in the region, and it maintains an archive of the plans worked on by its members. It also hosts a secretive inner circle of those who are interested in the long-standing traditions of urban geomancy in Portland. They are part of Veles' Contacts (Architects) Merit.
• The Adytum Rite: A Masonic Co-Fraternity (that is, an organization that only accepts full master Masons, providing degrees that add to those received as a Freemason), the Adytum Rite has something of a reputation among the Masonic fraternities as somewhat esoteric and weird. They still work with many of the old Masonic rituals no longer in favor, and have pursued others, focusing on the themes of the "construction of the Temple" as ritualized endeavors intended to build one's society and self. The upper echelons become even more occult as the degrees advance, to the 33rd Degree. They are part of Veles' Contacts (Society) Merit.
• Rose City Conservation & Heritage Society: A philanthropic organization made up of many of Portland's local upper-crust, the RCCHS is based around ideas of city pride and conservation of historical sites. Hidden within its membership is a secretive cult to a local goddess: Portlandia, the goddess of Portland, as depicted in the copper statue on the Michael Graves' Portland Building. They are part of Veles' Contacts (Society) Merit.
• Staroye: A small group of Russian immigrants and their descendents, the Staroye (which means "Old Ways" in Russian) seems to be simply a Russian heritage society. In truth, they are also a group of ved'ma and koldun, witches and cunning men who practice old Slavic sorceries. Because so many of them are blue-collar workers (including more than a few criminals), they are part of Veles' Allies (both Gangs and Laborers).