Gabriel

Name: Gabriel MacRae

Race: Magi of the Order of Hermes, House Shaea

General information:

Overview

Councellor Gabriel Angeli bani Shaea bani Ordo Hermetica, Scrollwarden, Guardian of the Codex, Seeker of the Lost, Coville's Bane, Adept of the Crescent Moon.

Gabriel is an expert on ancient lore and languages, specializing in the Near and Middle East. She is teaching two courses at UT Arlington this spring, a class on Aramaic for a more general audience and a graduate seminar in Linguistics on using poetic meter to extract phonology from ancient texts. She has an office on campus in the basement of the Department of Languages and keeps regular office hours in addition to class times.

She is currently serving on the Chantry Council along with Jeremy and Gwion.

Members of House Shaea are known among the Hermetics as 'crazy cat ladies' regardless of actual gender and she is not one to pointlessly buck traidition. Dinah and Pounce are her feline overlords.

Pictures

The sketch above by Waterhouse was for a painting known alternately as Naiad or Hylas And The Nymphs which you can see by clicking the link below. Gabriel is blond and blue-eyed, but the proportions are just about right.

Plot Hooks

  • Students in one of her classes (Aramaic, advanced linguistics.)
  • Private Linguistic Services
    • Documents needing translation
    • Private Lessons in any of the many languages known by her.
  • Ancient cultures & archeology
  • Creative, Academic & Technical Writing.
  • Magical Skills
    • Scrying and detection
    • Teaching those spheres she has.

Info

Here are some general facts about Gabriel Leslie MacRae:

  • Born in London, 25th of March, 1976.
  • PhD in Linguistic Archeology from Oxford University, UK.
  • Doctoral dissertation title: Linguistic cross-contamination as a means of tracing Indo-European Migrations.
  • Former Associate Professor in Linguistics at Tulane.
  • Has recently been traveling in the near and middle east.
  • Guest lecturer in Ancient Languages at UT Arlington.
  • Will be accepting a tenure-track position at the Graduate Insitute of Applied Linguistics at Dallas Baptist University in the fall.

Within the circles of the Magi, the following is known:

Notes

These represent the ‘+notes’ information set on her character, repeated here for ease of reference and reading.

Stuff

Arsenal

For protection, Gabriel carries a shot-pistol. This is the result of an application of the Semi-Auto-CAD/CAM rote to combine attributes of a .410 light shotgun and a .38 police special revolver. The result is only slightly bulkier than the original, is mostly useless past 25 meters, and very damaging close up. She's almost never without a 4-inch folding knife, but this is a tool first, weapon second.

Codex

The Codex is an ancient book once owned by the Order's founder, Bonisagus. It functions as a Talisman, allowing the reader access to any information transcribed into writing, drawing, etc. with a successful research roll. This applies only to two dimensional text and images on physical media. It doesn't let you look at a corporation's database, for example, but it would let you see their tax forms. It is kept in a warded & locked safe at her home. [This is a Talisman/5.]

Domecile

Gabriel is part owner of Out Of Order, a large home she shares with with Lotus and their Feline Overlords Dinah and Pounce.

Transport

Two cars, an off-road equipped Jeep and a VW Golf. More frequently she uses a seafoam-green electric scooter (That never seems to need charging…)

Paradigm

Hermetic ceremonial magic, Thelemism.

To summarize the Thelemic magical system is impossible. The apostate Crowley managed very well, but the resulting statement is so riddled with traps and magical jargon as to be worse than useless to anyone who has not worked to understand the intricacies (and intentionally so.) “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under the will.” Unfortunately none of those words are used in their conventional sense. Do what you as a whole and inherently divine being would want to happen. Be the change you would see in the world. This view is heavily influenced by Gnostic philosophy, where the world of Consensus Reality is a crime against God to hide the true world and our true selves from us. In the end, there is no us, no you, no me, no spoon, only will.

Ceremonial Magic provides a praxis, rather than a paradigm, involving symbols, names, numbers and aspects of performance art. Names and incantations are written on skin, paper or in the air, circles are drawn defining the ritual space, often while chanting some formula. The ritual items are prepared and placed within that space now or in advance. Powers are invoked and the will is focussed upon the desired result and the spell thus constructed is released. This can take hours or seconds, but the process remains essentially the same regardless.

Foci

The following are in use:

Correspondence*
Paper itself is a metaphor for space, especially one with drawings or names upon it.
Entropy
Spoken words are ephemeral, gone and lost to silence.
Forces*
Upon an amulet is set a fulgurite, a stone born of a lightning strike. On the reverse is the Seal of Solomon which binds nature to a magi's will.
Life
A cup, representing the Cosmic Womb and anointed with blood, the essence of life itself.
Mind
The names of people, scribed or intoned, represent their souls, and their minds are the ripples on the surface.
Matter
A knife, the tool mankind has used to change the world since time beyond memory.
Prime*
Again, the amulet has ties to the spark of creation, light and flame fused as one.
Spirit
The swirls and flow of smoke reveal spirits and the unseen world in which they travel.
Time
Numbers count the heartbeats, the seconds, the hours, describe the cycles of heaven that are the essence of time.

*Foci are not needed for Correspondence, Prime and Forces effects.

Merits

Concentration
You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances, above and beyond normal magely discipline. Any penalty to a difficulty or Dice Pool arising from a distraction or other inauspicious circumstance is limited to two, tho no extra benefits are gain if only one penalty die is imposed. — The Book Of Shadows, p.32
Natural Linguist
You have a flair for languages. This merit does not allow you to learn more languages than the number permitted by your Linguistics score, but you may add three dice to any Dice Pool involving languages (both written and spoken). This Merit is common among Order of Hermes mages and Gypsies. — The Book Of Shadows, p.35
Jack-Of-All-Trades
You have a large pool of miscellaneous skills and knowledge obtained through your extensive travels, the jobs you've held, or just all-around know-how. You automatically have one dot in all Skill and Knowledge Dice Pools. This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. If a character trains or spends experience in the Skill or Knowledge, he must pay the point cost for the first level a "second time" before raising the Skill or Knowledge to two dots. — The Book Of Shadows, p.35

Flaws

Strangeness
Reality is slightly stranger for you. Once per game session, the Storyteller will choose one of your Spheres, pick an Effect at random and roll for a bizarre coincidental effect. If the roll succeeds, something unusual involving the Sphere will happen for no apparent reason. For instance, Mind 3 could result in a visit from a telepathic dog, picking up Mexican radio stations in his head or hearing stray thoughts from a passing serial killer. If the roll fails, the strangeness passes. If the roll botches, Paradox descends on the mage pushing him a little closer towards Quiet. This Flaw can alter the tone of a campaign; therefore, allowing a character to take it should require the approval not only fo the Storyteller, but also the other players in the group. — The Book Of Shadows, p.39
Echoes (Very Minor)
The beliefs of the unawakened affect you more strongly than they do most mages. Depending on where you are at any given time, the superstitious beliefs of the Sleepers around you can actually become your reality. The severity of the Echoes differs from mage to mage — for some, there is only minor inconvenience, but for others, the situation can be deadly. In some cases the beliefs of the Sleepers can be beneficial, but they are most often harmful in some way. Very Minor: While you are not truly affected [sic] by the Echoes, you have an affect [sic] on the nature of reality in the area. For example, milk may sour in your presence, or bread does not rise while you are in a kitchen. — The Book Of Shadows, p39
Primal Marks
You have an Avatar of the Primordial essence — some totem or god or legend. If the totem spirit is an animal, you strongly resemble what one would look like in human form, so much that people who don;t even know you call you "Bear," "Moose" or "Raven." If the Avatar is some known god or hero, you look just like people would expect him to, including any particular deformities (though you do get extra points for those.) You look the part so much that anyone can guess your nature at a glance, and there is some danger in that, especially if your Avatar has legendary enemies (and most do!) Your Avatar will also require you to protect its species if it an animal, or finish up its unfinished agenda if it is some god or hero. — The Book Of Shadows, p.40
Diabolical Mentor
Your Mentor is engaged in acts that could cause a tremendous uproar. She could be wantonly ignoring Protocols, causing havoc with vulgar magic and Paradox, dealing with Nephandi or torturing captured Technomancers. Plenty of folks are after your Mentor's hide, and your skin may be tarred with the same brush. — The Book Of Shadows, p.43 NOTE: this flaw has been resolved, but is a part of Gabriel's background.

Misc

Theme Song

I was requested to supply lyrics, and so here they are. If you want to hear the song, let me know and I'll get you a copy. It is most lovely.

The dawn's still is falling,
And the night flows away.
I'm walking on a wire,
I'm frozen in air.

And now I'm waking up…
Half a mile over Dresden.
The lights below are calling…
Ooooh ohhh

We're holding your broken song,
And reaching for this.
I'm stretching to this.
I'm coming to this.

One by one we're falling,
The mortal descent,
Like snow on dirty rooftops,
It's happening again.

And we will always…
Always be reminded,
Through broken bits of china.
Ooooo ohh!
We're rummaging your rooms,
And digging through this.
I'm searching through this.
I keep on trying to find this.

I'm touching down now,
And I'll chew through the black,
And service my own savior,
Pressed attempt to last.

And I shall, one dark
Dream to the morning.
Out where it's dangerous.
oooh oh
I'm opening my palms,
And I'm reaching for this,
And stretching for this.
I'm coming toward this.

Ooooo ohh Oooooh,
I'm searching for this,
I'm digging through this,
I keep on trying to find this,

Oooo ohh ooooooh,
I'm coming for this,
I'm stretching for this,
I'm grown delirious from this,

Dresden by Dresden

The song is, as you might guess, about Dresden, the German city destroyed by allied incendiary bombs during World War II in retaliation for the bombing of London. This song choses an odd protagonist, being from the point of view of one of the bombs. For such an object, the flowering into bright flame, the destruction and explosion must be the ultimate experience, the true expression of its nature into the world. The bomb is consequently very very happy.

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