Gustav
Gustav is an Valdaermen Mage from the British Isles during the Dark Ages.
Background
Names have power. Old magicians know better than to reveal their names (or much else) to those they do not trust. "Gustav" reveals his real name to no one. He has too many enemies.
Gustav is old, kept artificially ageless by his command of magic. He has lived in the region of East Anglia since the coming of Hengist. An ancient Valdaerman, he continues to harry the Messianic Voices and the worshippers of Freya, be they members of the Old Faith, Valdaermen or mere mortals. The origin of this hatred is unclear. He once confessed to a lover, decades ago, that a "terrible fire of the Nailed God" burned him many centuries ago. He said that the worshippers of Freya turned him away when he demanded help and healing.
Gustav has borne the agonies of his burns since then. He must constantly maintain his body through magical healing. The "divine fire" he speaks of charred his body to the bone. The pain from the burns is constant and maddening; when he works magic, his skin turns waxy, as if the burns start showing through.
While Gustav has made enemies among the Messianic Voices, it is the Order of Hermes that has grown most concerned with his activities. He has gotten more active in recent years, and he has visited the western parts of Wales and Northumbria in the company of, apparently, werewolves. The Hermetics accuse Gustav of infernalism - accusations Gustav does not deign to answer - and the fear that his crusade against Christianity will attract undue attention from Rome.
Fellow Valdaermen whisper that Gustav is going insane. His pain and his obsessive crusade are sapping what his left of his soul. The Valdaermen wonder if the Hermetics are not justified in their concerns, and are watching Gustav carefully. But while the other mages watch and wait, Gustav is busy.
Of late, Gustav has paid occasional visits to a sept of werewolves in North York. Ferreting out the proper greetings was simply a matter of casting some runes, and now he has taken audience with a young were called Ute on several occasions. Gustav is impressed by the raw power of the werewolves, but considers their spirit magic laughable - true magic power is based on sacrifice and blood, not chanting and incantation. He wishes to harness the werewolves' destructive power against his enemies, and perhaps take Ute away with him afterwards. He feels no love for her, however - to him, she is an animal in a comely human body.
Image
Gustav is an older man, in his early sixties, with a full head of long straw-blond hair worn shaggy and long around his shoulders. He has a thin, lined face and narrow, feral eyes. His fingers are long and end in hard, sharp fingernails. He wears a long Viking cloak and woolen Saxon clothes. He walks stooped, learning on a cane. In anger, he stands straight, and he towers over most people.
Influence
None to speak of. Gustav is extremely powerful but doesn't trust anyone enough to ask them to do even simple chores for him.
Stats
Fellowship: Valdaermen
Nature: Judge
Demeanor: Rebel
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 1
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 1, Expression 4, Leadership 2, Subterfuge 3
Skills: Animal Ken 2, Crafts 3, Etiquette 2, Herbalism 3, Melee 3, Stealth 3, Survival 4
Knowledges: Enigmas 2, Hearth Wisdom 4, Linguistics 3, Occult 4, Politics 3, Theology 2
Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Fount 3
Foundation: Blôt 3
Pillars: Fara 3, Forlog 2, Galdrar 4, Hjaldar 3
Willpower: 8
Talismans: Gustav's cloak is enchanted to translate his pain directly into magical power. Once per day, he can channel the pain he constantly feels from his burns through his cloak for the equivalent of two points of Quintessence, which must be spent immediately.
References
- DA: Dark Ages: British Isles, p. 123-124