Primus Ishaq Ibn-Thoth Background: Born the only child of a British mother and a Persian father living in Cairo in the early 18th century, Ishaq Balsara has come a long way from his origins as the son of two lesser Hermetic mages: one who never exceeded the Fifth degree, and one whose mystic practices were strictly limited to hedge magic. Today, Ishaq is perhaps the most powerful Hermetic mage to survive the Reckoning and the calamities that followed in its wake. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Ishaq always preferred to remain on Earth, addressing the issues of the Order “among the citizenry," as it were, and he probably owes his survival to that attitude.
The boy who would one day become the Quaesitor Primus, however, spent much of his early life in Horizon Realms, having shown a mind for the
Ars Hermeticae by the age of seven. He studied under many illustrious and esteemed Masters, and even spent a few months here and there under the wing of the great Porthos Fitz-Empress (times he remembers as intensely stressful, given the old archwizard's penchant for accidental catastrophic destruction). When he was 13, the boy declared (to the disappointment of his mother, a Bonisagus) that he would seek entry into the ranks of the
Magistrati, there to keep Hermes' law. His ascent through the ranks of House Quaesitor, however, was a great source of pride for both his parents. His great passion and reverence for the way of
Ma'at was cited as a shining example for other young Quaesitori to uphold. Naturally, he earned his share of friends, enemies and hangers-on through these years, but Ishaq never allowed his vision to waver from his pursuit of realizing a perfected and universal justice.
In fact, lshaq scarcely noticed, as he became more powerful and influential within the House, the Order and the Traditions, that his life was passing him by. His parents were old, he had no friends and he had only entertained the most cursory romantic relationships. Ishaq virtually disappeared from Order life during the latter years of the 1700s, returning home to care for his parents in their final days and to give them an opportunity to get to know the son who had for too long sought to transcend them in his misguided single-mindedness. When they died, Ishaq returned, calling himself ibn-Thoth, for now he had no mother and the Thrice-Great would be his only father.
The man who came back to the Order was much changed. He advocated the embrace of the world, rather than a distancing from it. Still, he was not foolish in his enthusiasm and knew that most Hermetic mages would be loath to empathize with something that was, to them, base, profane and unworthy. Ishaq, however, believed that only by living in the world could one attempt to change it. Similarly, as the awareness of his advancing years came upon him, he knew that young mages would ever outnumber the old and that most great change would therefore have to begin with them. His "revolutionary" ideas won him few friends, but his raw power and skill were sufficient, in the early 20th century, to secure for him the seat of Quaesitor Primus, from which he felt he could truly begin to do some good. Today, his attitudes make him one of the most respected and, among the youth, well liked of the Masters of the Order.
Ishaq now serves as a voice of gentle guidance and support for the younger, more dynamic forces within the Order of Hermes and, to a lesser degree, within the Traditions as a whole. Until very recently, though, his quietly paternal posture was eclipsed by the mighty, and much more flamboyant, Porthos (a fact that didn't bother him in the slightest). Now, after the Archmage's death, Ishaq realizes that someone must be willing to step into the venerable Archmaster's shoes, albeit in perhaps a more sedate and soft-spoken manner. Ishaq has resolved for that person to be himself. It is the only way to be certain that no Master with a less benevolent agenda tries to stand at the spiritual helm of the Order.
As to the so-called "Rogue Council," Ishaq reserves judgment. He knows better than to reject its authoritative validity completely, as the Council's advice, admonishments and bold declarations have spurred many formerly despairing Traditionalists to action, but the far-fetched notions circulating have him worried.
No one is this flatly altruistic; this Rogue Council has an agenda and Ishaq fears that it is the mages of the Traditions who will end up owning responsibility for promises the Council makes.
Image: Despite his great age, Ishaq's sharp and refined features are those of a strikingly handsome man in his late 30s or early 40s. His almond eyes are almost black and his hair, worn long and slightly wavy, is a snowy white, though he is never seen with so much as stubble on his chin. He is tall and slender and favors custom-tailored dark suits, with fine but understated accoutrements.
Roleplaying Hints: You are the center that must hold. You are not an arrogant man, but you do know that the Order depends heavily upon what few potent Masters and Archmasters - such as yourself - are left to it. You are therefore determined to do what must be done to restore the Order to glory and to help it find is proper place as an example to all the people of the world, Sleeper and Awakened alike. In order to do so, however, you know that you must fade into the background of the Traditions' affairs, advising younger, more vital mages, for this is
their finest hour.
You know politics as well as any and have, in the past, caved to political pressure from within the Order. The result was the failed Wizards' March on the rogue House Tremere. You have resolved to never again be moved by such foolish notions, concentrating instead on bringing the truth of
Ma'at to this new world in a realistic, constructive and enlightening way.
Tradition: Order of Hermes
House: Quaesitor
Nature: Visionary
Demeanor: Judge
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 (Unyielding)
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 5 (Smooth), Appearance 4 (Slick as Hell)
Mental: Perception 5 (Detail-Oriented), Intelligence 6 (Sheer Brilliance), Wits 5 (Never Off Guard)
Talents: Alertness 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 1, Expression 4, Intimidation 4, Leadership 3, Subterfuge 5
Skills: Etiquette 4, Meditation 4, Melee 2
Knowledges: Academics 5, Cosmology 4, Enigmas 4, Enochian 5, Investigation 5, Law 5, Linguistics 5, Occult 5 (Celestiography and Demonology, Sacred Geometry), Science 1, Umbrood Protocols 5
Backgrounds: Allies 5, Arcane 4, Avatar 3, Contacts 5, Influence 4, Library 5, Node 4, Resources 5
Arete: 7
Spheres: Correspondence 3, Entropy 1, Forces 4, Life 2, Mind 5, Prime 3, Spirit 6, Time 2
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 14
Paradox: 4
Resonance: (Dynamic) Catalying 2, (Entropic) Purifying 3, (Static) Perfecting 5
Source: Tradition Book: Order of Hermes (Revised) (WW4664), Page 73-75Medea Background: This is, in fact, the actual, honest-to-Goddess, mythological and murderous Medea, daughter of the King of Colchis, wife of Jason the Argonaut. After the historic events of her association with that notable (during which, you may recall, she killed her younger brother, Jason's father, Jason's new bride-to-be, her own children and miscellaneous minor characters before being exiled), she went on to disappear completely. Legend has it that she never actually died, but went instead directly to the Elysian fields.
Legend has it almost right: Medea, frustrated by Jason's (politically necessary) betrayal, the hardships of exile and her own despair, sought solace among the inhuman spirits of the Umbra. For two millennia she roamed the Umbra, and did not return to Greece until 1346. What she found on her arrival shocked and puzzled her, and for fifty years she watched quietly from the Umbra. The Gauntlet was higher, surely... and the dryads scarcer and the satyrs reclusive.
Where were the gods?! Eventually she found them, in new guise, and spoke with an emissary of one, she knew not which. The Christian name meant nothing to her, and the Olympian name was never given. From that conversation came confusion and despair: surely nothing could withstand the days to come. But the choice was laid before her to become Marauder and Free, forever, of the net the Technocracy was weaving even then. She walked in what remained of the groves she remembered. She watched the cathedrals rise from the ruins of the temples, and in the spring she made her decision.
Medea is the only known active Marauder Oracle, and as such is much sought-after: the Technocracy want to kill her, the Nephandi want her even deader, the Bai Dai want to convert her, and the Umbral Underground practically worship her. The Traditions haven't quite made up their mind yet. On the one hand, she is a Marauder, but on the other hand, what she doesn't know about the Umbra isn't worth finding out. Besides which, coming to a direct decision would mean having to do something about it, and no one wants to take on Medea and the twelve-member Black Fury werewolf pack that follows her.
Moreover, the Dreamspeakers and Verbena are known to revere her, just a little bit, as a kind of living relic. It is possible that Medea takes on non-Marauder students from time to time, and this would certainly explain their interest.
Medea spends most of her little time on Earth clearing foul things from Europe's Umbra, attacking Nephandi nests and retrieving stolen or lost Talismans for the Garou, Dreamspeakers and Verbena (she may have any kind of gadget with her at any particular time). At need she can be reached, it is said, by any of five methods, of which friendly (preferably female) contact with Greek Black Fury Septs is the most reliable, if slowest.
Image: It took some time for Medea to adapt to modern fashions, but after considerable effort on the part of the Furies, she adopted a more practical style of dress: a loose, white shirt with a jewel neckline that at least
drapes like the clothes she was used to and black, baggy pants with pockets all over them. She has long, black, wavy hair that escapes its braids and falls into her face at the least provocation, blue-black eyes that reflect starlight in pinpoints
all the time, and fair skin that flushes easily, particularly in combat.
Roleplaying Notes: You are a renegade priestess in a man's world, protecting the Mother from a danger the males haven't recognized yet. You are the fevered egalitarian who was caught in Athens' "citizen" society. You are the mother whose babes were worthless and deprived of their birthright merely because they were
yours. You shouldn't have killed them, shouldn't have killed your brother, or that chit of a girl Jason was to marry - and some nights their screams haunt you. These children who come to you for answers... have they found the traps their own lands carry? Do they know the dangers? You want to make them listen... and to see... the dying time is coming, and so far only the Furies and the madmen know it for what it is.
Tradition: ex-Verbena
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Traditionalist
Demeanor: Fanatic
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 5, Manipulation 3, Appearance 4
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 4, Dodge 3, Expression 3, Intimidation 5, Intuition 5, Leadership 4, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 4
Skills: Etiquette 1, Firearms 1, Meditation 3, Melee 5 (Sickle), Stealth 3, Survival 5, Technology 1
Knowledges: Cosmology 9, Culture 1, Enigmas 5, Law 1, Linguistics 7 (Greek is her usual tongue), Medicine 3, Occult 4, Science 1
Backgrounds: Allies 5+ (a Black Fury pack, among others), Arcane 3, Avatar 4, Destiny 5, Dream 2, Library 3, Talismans 4
Arete: 10
Spheres: Correspondence 4, Entropy 4, Forces 5, Life 6, Mind 5, Matter 5, Prime 5, Spirit 5, Time 4
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 13
Quiet: Base of 2. Medea believes that the world is as it was in Heroic Times and is usually mentally in Ancient Greece. She is not aware of the passage of time year-by-year, although moment-to-moment she has no problems. Hers is a remarkably adaptable madness, possibly because of the advance warning her Avatar received. Most differences between her reality and the World of Darkness are purely cosmetic, and when it's
really necessary to deal with something on a modern level, she understands it as a foreign magick. The Black Furies are only too happy to explain things in terms she can cope with, if not comprehend.
Source: Book of Madness 1st Edition (WW4251), Page 88-89Porthos Fitz-Empress Background: Porthos was born to an urban craft family in Breslau, Germany in 1403. Porthos became an alchemist and was renowned for his magickal elixirs, which could cure everything from the common cold to the Black Death. A mage of Doissetep realized Porthos was an Orphan of tremendous potential and took him in. Porthos' wife and children died at the hands of Hermetic mages of another Chantry. He sought revenge, but in the end he could not take the lives of his family's murderers. This has haunted his soul ever since, and he has never forgiven himself for what he believes was his betrayal of his family.
Porthos has dedicated his life to the acquisition of magickal knowledge, hoping to regain self-confidence and atonement, but has achieved neither. While immensely powerful and for the most part a loving, fatherly figure, he considers himself weak and unworthy. Porthos shows particular interest in those who remind him of his children. He occasionally suffers from the delusion that certain individuals are actually his children. He cares for them, watches over them, and scolds them as any near-Oracle father-figure would. In many cases, his "fatherly punishments" lead to the deaths and/or insanity of his wards, which of course only reinforces his guilt.
Porthos does not like being a Deacon of Doissetep, but he fears betrayal and trickery from all. Porthos has never killed anyone intentionally, though many are in their graves because of his occasional lack of self-control. For the most part, he keeps his own political clout through sheer respect and power. Everyone fears Porthos not because he is devious and evil, but because he is near-omnipotent and insane.
Image: Porthos is a gaunt man of average height. He has greasy, straight, black hair, which he seldom combs or washes. He wears antique bifocals most of the time, and generally dresses in a gray pinstriped suit with a vest. He also wears a gold watch that tells the time at whatever place a person visualizes while looking at the watch. He wears a platinum ring with a large ruby in it, which belonged to his own long-dead Mentor. Occasionally, he can be found dancing nude about the hallways and singing old folk songs, wandering about in a pink bathrobe, or dressed in armor and claiming he is going off to fight some sort of mythical creature in another Realm (and he often returns with strange Tass).
Roleplaying Notes: Porthos is friendly, fatherly, honorable, gentle and utterly insane. Power radiates from him in a tangible aura; when he gets angry, the static electricity is so great it causes everyone's hair (including his own) to stand on end. He protects and assists those who remind him of his children. He avoids those he dislikes. He will protect himself, but he prefers not to kill. However, his sleepwalking raids are often quite deadly for those who happen to be wandering the halls for a midnight snack.
Sanctum: Porthos maintains a series of large, octagonal chambers made entirely of mahogany and gold. They vary in size, though the central chamber is over 100 feet across and 30 feet high. The chambers are filled with countless magickal devices, Talismans, fetishes, animal trophies, Tass in various forms, antiques, junk and several cats, along with countless vials, beakers and books.
Tradition: Order of Hermes
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Martyr
Demeanor: Caregiver
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 7, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 2, Awareness 7, Dodge 2, Expression 1, Intimidation 1, Intuition 5, Leadership 6, Research 6, Subterfuge 5
Skills: Etiquette 2, Meditation 5, Melee 2, Stealth 1, Survival 1
Knowledges: Alchemy 5, Cosmology 7, Culture 2, Enigmas 7, Linguistics 5, Medicine 2, Occult 5
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Arcane 5, Avatar 5, Destiny 3, Dream 5, Library 15
Arete: 9
Spheres: Correspondence 4, Entropy 5, Forces 6, Life 4, Mind 5, Matter 3, Prime 5, Spirit 4, Time 3
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 16
Paradox: 10
Source: Book of Chantries (WW4003), Page 20-21Al-Aswad (The Unnamed)Version I:Al-Aswad, The Black ManAncient Nephandus Background: Al-Aswad is believed to have been the first Nephandus and was the first to Descend to the Qlippoth of Entropy (thus all the anti-Oracles take their formal title from his name). He is known in human lore as the "black man" who is said to preside over Satanic ceremonies, "witches' sabbats" and the like. In this capacity, he carries a large book containing the names of those who have consigned their souls to the Devil. Al-Aswad maintains close contact with all Labyrinths, monitoring the activities of the Gilledians. He also occasionally walks the world acting as adsinistratus, at which times great doom is said to follow close at his heels.
Image: A tall, gaunt man entering middle age, with jet-black skin and vaguely Egyptian features. Al-Aswad may at times take other forms as well, including a black jackal, a cat with depthless eyes, an albino vulture and a shifting form that strikes viewers mad (Willpower roll verses difficulty 9 or enter an eighth level Quiet (if a mage), frenzy (if a vampire or werewolf),or screaming insanity (if a Sleeper).
Roleplaying Notes: Distant, aloof and eternal, you have been here since the beginning, making certain that the world is made ready for the advent of its true masters. Certain mortals can gain your attention, but none may gain your confidence or trust (though some may believe that they have).
Sanctum: Al-Aswad's abode in the Qlippoth of Entropy is the Dark Cathedral of Uzhuvrath, a crumbling quasigothic ruin of enormous size perched on a craggy precipice overlooking the Black Pit of Unfathomable Foulness, a bottomless chasm somehow linked to the Abyss (described in the
Werewolf sourcebook
Umbra: The Velvet Shadow).
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Avant-Garde
Demeanor: Critic
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 7
Social: Charisma 8, Manipulation 5
Mental: Appearance 4, Perception 5, Intelligence 6, Wits 4
Talents: Awareness 7, Brawl 4, Expression 6, Intuition 5, Intimidation 9, Leadership 9, Subterfuge 8
Skills: Etiquette 3, Melee 7, Stealth 6
Knowledges: Cosmology 9, Culture 5, Enigmas 8, Occult 10
Backgrounds: Arcane 7, Avatar 9, Destiny 8, Dream 5
Arete: 9
Spheres: Correspondence 4, Entropy 6, Forces 5, Life 4, Mind 4, Matter 4, Prime 4, Spirit 5, Time 5
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 10
Paradox: 10
Source: Book of Madness 1st Edition (WW4251), Page 33Version II:The Unnamed This is the Unnamed, in his final incarnation as god-king of the smoldering ruin of Creation.
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Incomprehensible
Demeanor: Tyrant/Visionary
Physical: Strength 4/15, Dexterity 6/9, Stamina 10/20
Social: Charisma 9, Manipulation 10, Appearance 8/0
Mental: Perception 10, Intelligence 9, Wits 9 (numbers after the slash indicate the Nameless' battle-shape)
Abilities: Assume that the Unnamed possesses virtually
all Abilities, save those pertaining to modern technologies (say, those developed within the past thousand or so years), at between four and nine dots.
Backgrounds: Arcane 6, Avatar 10, Destiny 10, Dream 10. The Unnamed possesses virtually all other Backgrounds save Mentor (which he no longer possesses or needs) at effectively limitless levels, since the resources of the entirety of Creation are his to command
Arete: 10
Qlippothic Spheres: Correspondence 6, Entropy 10, Forces 5, Life 5, Mind 7, Matter 5, Prime 8, Spirit 8, Time 5
Willpower: 20
Quintessence: Limitless
Paradox: N/A
Resonance: (Entropic) Ruin 10
Image: In his human form, the Unnamed is a tall, slender, painfully handsome man with skin, hair and eyes like polished obsidian. Only the striking whiteness of his perfect teeth offsets the relentless blackness of his form. He dresses in elaborate black robes, befitting the lord and master of Reality itself, covered in silver-stitched sigils of such malevolence as to sear themselves temporarily onto the eyes, like lights stared at too long. He speaks in a calm, measured, seductive voice that seems kind and wise, but within its depths lurks a forcefulness so intense as to render disobedience virtually unthinkable.
Roleplaying Notes: You are always in control of yourself and the world around you. More or less nothing fazes you, and you always project exactly the image you wish to others, having become quite a capable student of human nature over the course of your long millennia. You give the impression of a benevolent father, even when you are heaping unspeakable torments upon those who displease you. You simply accept as fact the notion that you can break anyone, achieve anything and meet the price of any man's soul.
Notes: The Unnamed can expend a Willpower point to cast more than one magical Effect in a turn, with no limit to the number of points of Willpower, other than his current temporary total, that might be spent in this fashion in one turn.
He also possesses 10 dice of inherent Countermagic, though these apply only to Effects that target him directly. (Of course, he may still attempt to Unweave any magical Effect within his sensory range.)
At the cost of a point of Willpower, he might assume his battleshape, a nightmarish tapestry of whirling madness, flailing pseudopods and glimpses into the vast gulfs of Beyond. All who gaze into its depths must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 9, three successes required) or be driven stark; raving mad (Storyteller's discretion as to what form the madness takes, though it will be extreme). The Unnamed can also assume many other shapes, changing race, gender and even species if it suits his needs. These other transformations, however, are handled as a function of his Qlippothic Spheres.
From his bleak throne, the Tenth Seat, as he still affectionately calls it, the Unnamed rules Creation - or what remains of it, at least. Physically, the center of his power is located in Mesopotamia, where once was found the cradle of civilization. In terror and pain, millions of slaves labor to heap glory upon his name, living and dying at his command. He is the face of the Void, incarnate upon the Earth, architect of the Universe's despair.
Source: Ascension (WW4999), Page 185VoormasVersion I:Voormas, the Grand Harvester of Souls, Master of the Realm Background: Voormas was once a Thuggee priest and spent most of his early life killing for his Euthanatos masters. He passed through the various ranks, learning more and more Euthanatos truths along the way. By the time he reached the innermost body of the sect, he was a Euthanatos mage. He had given up the ways of life for the ways of death.
The young' Thugee's acceptance into the ranks of the Euthanatos was accompanied by membership in the House of Helekar. He continually provided more and more of the chosen with the “Good Death" and over the centuries he acquired fear, respect, trust and power. Finally, in 1709, Voormas was named the next Grand Harvester of Souls. In an elaborate ceremony, Voormas slew the old mage who held the title, and assumed the mantle of his own accord. Since that time, Voormas' name has been synonymous with death and fanaticism.
Voormas is now a Postulate hoping to gain acceptance into the ranks of the Oracles of Entropy. However, unbeknownst to him, the beings he believes to be the Oracles of Entropy are not the Oracles. They are indeed mighty spirits, but they are aligned to the Wyrm, though they are not Nephandi.
Voormas has few personal interests save morbidity. He spends a great deal of time meditating, studying magick, traveling about the Shard Realm “testing himself," scrying on potential threats to the Euthanatos, and directing the mages of the Chantry. Occasionally he handles an assassination himself if the target is worthy or powerful.
Image: Voormas looks like a bony, dark-skinned man of at least 100. He is nearly bald. He dresses in black, dark brown, or white robes, and he hobbles along on a sturdy cane made of solidly joined human vertebrae with a child's skull at the top. He shows an evil, near- toothless smile whenever plotting something.
When he engages in physical combat, Voormas uses a Life effect to assume the form of a giant, black-skinned, multi-armed demon - an aspect of the goddess Kali. When he assumes this form, his Physical Attributes increase to the levels in parentheses, though his Appearance drops to zero.
Roleplaying Notes: To most, Voormas would seem to be totally insane. This may or may not be true, but it is undeniable that he is brilliant, paranoid and evil. Voormas hopes more than anything else to be accepted into the ranks of the Oracles of Entropy before it comes time for his own “Good Death." No one knows it, and it is doubtful he knows it consciously, but Voormas fears his own death.
Sanctum: Voormas' sanctum comprises one entire "arm" of the Chantry, which appears to be a tower. The tower is dark, gloomy and filled with implements of death and destruction. Anyone who enters the place feels an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
Tradition: Euthanatos
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Curmudgeon
Demeanor: Fanatic/Deviant
Physical: Strength 1(6), Dexterity 1(5), Stamina 2(5)
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 6, Appearance 1(0)
Mental: Perception 6, Intelligence 6, Wits 5
Talents: Alertness 3, Awareness 6, Brawl 5, Dodge 2, Intimidation 6, Intuition 5, Leadership 5, Research 4, Subterfuge 4
Skills: Etiquette 1, Meditation 6, Melee 6, Stealth 5, Torture 6
Knowledges: Cosmology 4, Culture 6, Enigmas 4, Investigation 5, Linguistics 6, Medicine 6, Occult 6
Backgrounds: Allies 10, Arcane 7, Avatar 8, Destiny 6, Dream 3, Influence 3, Library 17, Mentor 5
Arete: 7
Spheres: Correspondence 3, Entropy 6, Forces 4, Life 5, Mind 4, Matter 3, Prime 3, Spirit 5, Time 5
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 19
Paradox: 0
Source: Book of Chantries (WW4003), Page 42-43Version II:Voormas, the Grand Harvester of Souls Background: Voormas' obsession with cheating death has reached its apex. Now he plans to destroy the Wheel and replace it with himself. The universe would halt in its tracks, and Voormas would guide it down a course free from suffering, loss and decay as Shiva reborn. An eternity of half-dead Stasis is a minor price to pay for eternal existence.
Voormas served the gods for centuries, always testing himself to conquer his fear to the afterlife - a sliver of bad faith that dogged him while he used the skulls of priests as begging bowls. The Euthanatos confused his fervor with genuine faith. Voormas became a talented death mage, but his fear remained, intensified by his growing understanding of the Wheel. Something was wrong with the cosmos; karma was more apt to punish than reward. Each turn of the Wheel was thicker with chaos. A lesser mage would have been satisfied with life-extending spells, but the Grand Harvester knew that those mages were simply a bulwark against ultimate destruction. He had to throw down the Cycle and steal the thrones of the gods.
Voormas learned to channel the powers of Kali and Shiva, hoping to remake himself into the Tantric union that heralds the end of worlds. Now that he's seized the
Pasupatta Astra, he can finally break the Cycle and save the Tellurian from untold destruction. This plan has been lifetimes in the making, first revealed to him by the
dakini, soul guiding goddesses that he encountered in the deepest reaches of the Realm of Entropy. With their help, he learned to secure Nodes and discovered that Yama - Death - would reveal himself in the form of a red star.
As ruler of the Consanguinity, he fostered the death taint in his followers. Good Death became a thing of the past, as serial killers and venal mages seeking immortality flocked to his side. His servants would still obey him after the Traditions hunted him down. Ghosts bearing his commands fitted from the Thousand Hells to innumerable cults. checking their progress. Then his triumph came, embedded in the Reckoning, and he knew it was time to act. His closest servants were rewarded with lichedom: a spell stolen from the mind of an Etruscan necromancer.
With Jhor flowing through his heart, he sees signs of his death everywhere. Soon he will be a god: an incarnation of Shiva who refuses to destroy.
Image: Voormas is a withered, ancient man of South Asian descent who hobbles on a cane made from a child's skull and spinal column. When violence or high ritual calls, he becomes the
Shivasakti Ayavatara: a 10-foot-tall, six-armed and rogynous creature that combines the attributes of Kali and Shiva. Its black iron body, fangs and taloned hands make quick work of lesser enemies, but he takes few chances with other mages. Spells cast from a screamed mantra, burning lotus, skull or sword dispatch them.
Roleplaying Notes: You will never die. As a god, you will crush Death and Fate and replace them with universal laws more to your liking. Yet you see the phantoms everywhere, proclaiming your demise. Yama taunts you; you'll only know peace when you kill him. The souls of the
Pastpatta Astra already worship you in anticipation of the unchanging Age to come, and the Nephandi are your most insistent foes. These facts confirm the rightness of your cause.
You use heretical Tantric magic along with your own unique necromancy. Your spells work on the premise of self-deification: claiming the divine attributes that are rightfully yours.
[Attributes before the slash represent the
weakest version of his Avatar form. The strong form adds at least four dice to unarmed or melee combat pools, soaks lethal and aggravated wounds and radiates an aura of fear (roll Willpower, difficulty 6 to overcome; at least three successes are required). Voormas might have 20 or more successes worth of additional Effects prepared. These spells do tax his concentration, just as they would for any other mage.]
Tradition: Euthanatos
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Curmudgeon
Demeanor: Deviant
Physical: Strength 1/8 (Crushing), Dexterity 1/6 (Multiple Strikes), Stamina 2/7 (Tough)
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 6 (Reasoned Words), Appearance 1/0
Mental: Perception 6 (Intuitive), Intelligence 6 (Wisdom of Age), Wits 6 (Prepared)
Talents: Alertness 4, Awareness 6 (Entropic Magic), Brawl 6 (Pressure Points), Dodge 4 (Dodging While Striking), Intimidation 6 (In Avatar Form), Leadership 5 (Over Followers), Subterfuge 5 (Easy Liar)
Skills: Etiquette 3, Meditation 6 (Mantras), Melee 6 (Sword), Stealth 6 (Shadowing)
Knowledges: Academics 5 (India), Cosmology 5 (Entropic Realms), Enigmas 5 (Cosmological), Investigation 5 (No Tools), Linguistics 6, Medicine 4 (Ayurvedic), Occult 6 (Thanatoic)
Backgrounds: Allies 10, Arcane 7, Avatar 8, Destiny 6, Dream 3, Influence 3
Arete: 9
Spheres: Correspondence 4, Entropy 7 (see
Masters of the Art; assume that Voormas can target any number of creatures in his line of sight with a single success and that he can create Effects that "jump" from one target to another), Forces 5, Life 5, Mind 4, Matter 3, Prime 4, Spirit 5, Time 5
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 24
Paradox: 0
Resonance: (Pattern) Enduring, (Pattern) Preserving, (Primordial) Black, (Primordial) Divine, (Primordial) Murderous 2, (Primordial) Rotting. Voormas has the most severe form of Jhor. Combined with his magic, this Resonance complicates attempts to defeat him.
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Fighting Voormas
Voormas is a formidable enemy. (See Chapter Seven for general notes on how to run a villain of this caliber.) Aside from the Knife of Ixion, Voormas' weakness is his unyielding attachment to his own life. If forced to choose, he will generally protect himself over attacking. One secret preoccupation is the magic that keeps him alive: an Entropy 5, Life 5, Time 5 Effect built to 30 successes. Using countermagic on this spell will drive him to distraction. He'll drop a few offensive Effects to enhance his chances of success as he bulwarks it against further attack. Mind Effects that present him with images and sensations of his own death also unnerve him, causing him to make critical mistakes or even pause to center himself.
The Storyteller should think of other situations that remind Voormas of his own mortality. Simply attacking him or showing him simple images of death won't do it. He's too hardened with, Jhor. These tactics have to provoke his fear to a degree that his Thanatoic background and considerable powers can't dismiss.
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The Curse
Whoever kills Voormas might inherit the death mage's madness. His Jhor is so powerful that it can actually survive his death. In this case, it leaps to the Awakened being with the closest sympathetic tie. In most cases, this would be Voormas' killer. Voormas' madness is a strange variation on the usual death taint, though, as he's obsessed with death because he fears it, not because he loves it. This madness manifests as sadism (anger at his mortality), his pretas (refections on how he might die) and an obsession with Arts that cheat or command death.
In game terms, Voormas transmits Jhor appropriate for a 10-point Paradox Backlash. The victim's player may make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to reduce the effects of the Jhor; each success reduces it by one point. Unfortunately, the mage's current Paradox total adds directly to the Jhor. The victim inherits Voormas' terror, but she will act it out according to her own paradigm. Keep in mind that the killer will undoubtedly have access to the Pastpatta Astra, giving her the means to continue Voormas' work. The cursed mage becomes the "Second Heir" predicted by Akrites Salonikas and an enemy of Ascension.
Source: Ascension (WW4999), Page 94-95 
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