The Crone (MTAw)
The Crone is a Acanthus Apostate (formerly Guardian of the Veil) from Chicago, Illinois.
Overview
Quote: "A maiden was I, all alone a lee oh
Next a mother with child, all alone alone a lee oh
Now a crone am I to wail, all alone alone a lee oh
Till my babes I meet in hell, all alone alone a lee oh -
Have you seen them? They've gone away from me. I had children once, I had...."
The haggard-looking women who calls herself the Crone can easily be mistaken for a bag lady, at least until she strikes terror into the hearts of those who taunt her simply by looking at them and pointing. Some say she has the evil eye, others that she's an Irish witch or even a death-foretelling bansidhe or banshee.
In reality, Vanessa Walsh is a grief-maddened mage, a former member of the Guardians of the Veil and now a dedicated Banisher who seeks to rid the city of all those who had anything to do with taking her children away from her and sending her to "the bad place" for more than a decade.
Though Theodore Walsh, the Hierarch of the Chicago Consilium, insists that his wife went mad, a victim of Paradox, Vanessa knows the true story, though she does not like to dwell on it for long. To make certain she did not interfere with his plans for their children, Theodore had Vanessa locked away in a prison outside the normal space/time continuum. He believed he had denied her access to her magic, but he was wrong. Over time, Vanessa struggled in her hellish confinement to regain enough sanity to harness her power. After what seemed like forever, she managed to do so and escaped her prison. But her experience had left her profoundly changed.
While Theodore is nearing 60, Vanessa has reached her 70s in relative time. And she is out for revenge, if she can remember why she wants it.
Vanessa has become a Banisher, and her targets are all the members of the Guardians of the Veil, her former order, beginning with her husband. She does not even remember that she was once married to Theodore, only that he did something terrible to her and her babies and that she must stop him before he hurts anyone else. She disdains and despises her former order and goes out of her way to rant at them whenever she sees them in the street.
Vanessa has no sanctum, staying wherever she can find shelter for the night and relying on the other Banishers to help her when necessary with some extra magical energy or with a meal and a hot bath. Occasionally, the Other Shore gives her a place out of pity, but she refuses to stay more than one night at a time.
Description
Vanessa's experience has taken its toll on her body. Her lustrous, auburn hair has turned a sickly, yellowish gray, and her piercing eyes have become a watery, cloudy brown, the color of a long-dead mouse. Her lips are bruised and torn from biting on them in her frustration, and her skin is lined with age and worry. She looks much more than a decade older than she was when she was locked away and, in fact, nearly two times that many years passed for her inside her dimensional prison. Her figure is lumpy and out of condition. She wears long, shapeless dress and covers her face with a shawl or veil, so that it is hard to see what she looks like.
Her Nimbus is a swirling mass of muted colors except when she uses vulgar magic. Then the colors run riot and glow brightly.
Stats
Dedicated Magical Tool: Blown-glass wand
Real Name: Vanessa Walsh
Path: Acanthus
Order: Apostate (formerly Guardians of the Veil)
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 1
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
Mental Skills: Academics 3, IInvestgation 2, Medicine (Childbirth) 2, Occult (Celtic Tradition) 4
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Larceny (Acquiring Food) 3, *Stealth 2, Survival (Scrounging) 4
Social Skills: Animal Ken (Birds) 4, Expression (Mad Ditties) 2, Intimidation 3, *Subterfuge 2
Merits: Dream 2, Natural Immunity, Quick Healer, Toxin Resistance
Willpower: 3
Wisdom: 4
Virtue: Charity
Vice: Wrath
Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Speed: 10
Health: 9
Gnosis: 5
Arcana: Fate 5, Forces 4, Time 2
Rotes: Fate - Interconnections, The Evil Eye, Fortune's Protection, Monkey's Paw, Swarm of Locusts; Forces - Nightsight, Influence Electricity, Call Lightning; Time - Momentary Flux, Augury
- The Crone has forgotten more rotes than she currently remembers. The ones listed above are still firmly implanted in her memory.
Manna/per turn: 14/5
Armor: 5 ("Fortune's Protection," Fate *****)
Magic Shield: None
References
- CofD: World of Darkness: Chicago, p. 394-395