Vignette

“I work for the Vicar,” the miss says in a fine but casually-clipped voice. She affects a business-like style and demeanor muddled with drops of genteel blood. This was not always her work, but she does it well and she does it without complaint, whether they come quietly or whether she has to haul them off by piano wire. Beneath her gloves, she has an occultist’s long fingers - the kind destined to pluck the intricate threads of aether, to scrawl out complex rituals, to slip between the ribs of God... and seize it by the heart.

Dossier

At a Glance

Personality & Themes

Fixer for hermetic occultists and esoteric magi; studied arcanima and natural philosophy and served in a knightly order, once; might not be the kind of wizard that bends the secrets of the cosmos to her will, but tends to be quite useful anyways, practically speaking; if not a bit jaunty; or occasionally quite... intense; is basically a relentless alpha predator (professionally-speaking) that just happens to also be a bit of a genteel dweeb; spends a lot of time in the Spaces Between Spaces; in the thin membranes dividing worlds; in endless hallways and liminal spaces and Elsewheres; believes her organisation is the only order against the Chaos of the cosmos.Comes from Ilsabardian high society, apparently; likes opera, well-tailored clothes, the arcane, and rituals that don't involve blood (and some that do); quite concerned with etiquette and politeness; strict with self and probably a bit repressed; married to work and duty (she tells herself); enjoys a good waltz, though; or sad poetry, sombre scenery, and minor keys; is secretly an aching, longing romantic; and for every scholarly book, she also owns one melodramatic dime novel; almost all of them are gay; loathes pacifists and loves winning; really really dislikes a certain, La Noscean overture.

Skills

Scholarly and well-mannered with impeccable etiquette and implaccable willpower; thorough & relentless; arcanima (especially quick and on-the-fly); an inhuman sense of hearing; subterfuge and espionage; persuasive.

Occult

“The entirety of human history can be characterised by our general misuse of powers we do not and cannot understand."

Maybe you're close to uncovering or have uncovered some arcane secret or treasure, or maybe you're an occultist working on something rather 'bleeding edge.' Enter Adeline, an agent to an obscure, hermetic order of arcane practitioners (see: oldcross.crd.co) who'd just love to get their hands on whatever you have. Alternatively, maybe you need a colleague instead, someone who can help tie together that last piece of the puzzle. For those well-connected in similar circles, Adeline isn't so hard to find.

Doors

"There's only chaos out there."

It's not quite clear why you were following her, but you have your own reasons, and your own lessons to learn, probably. Like how to smell something wrong before you've stepped in it. She turns the key to the door of a derelict townhouse, slips in, and before it closes, you follow in after her... and are not in a townhouse. You might be anywhere, in fact, or worse: Elsewhere.

Tough Luck

"It's nothing personal, kid."
Or professional, apparently.

Oof. What good fortune of yours needed to be balanced with this? Sitting in some windowless cellar, most likely wrist-bound, Adeline sitting in a chair across from you. She's rolling up her sleeves, too, but that's probably just posturing, right? Sadly, there seems to be a mix-up: she's not aware that you're not actually her mark and you no doubt have no clue who she is or why she's here.

Leashes, Liability

"Offering freedom is like offering the black between the stars: you can’t give what no one owns."

You were either investigating a crime relevant to Oldcross, or are a person of unusual or otherworldly characteristics (demonic, ashkin, nightkin, or otherwise). Unfortunately, that sort of thing doesn't go beneath Adeline's notice, and you're likely to get approached (and black-bagged) for it, only to wind up in a situation similar to the 'Tough Luck' hook above. Unfortunately, you know too much, but maybe the two of you can figure out a mutually-beneficial arrangement: service and reduced freedom in exchange for living.

High Society

"Everything works smoother when we all work together."

Either you're attending a high-end function or you're hosting one yourself, but do you need a hired bodyguard with a ser's impeccable fashion sense that knows how to behave, a distraction from the monotony, or someone killed? If you've got your fingers in the occult, maybe someone would like you killed? Or maybe you just need people to attend your 'blood ritual for bored lords and ladies.'

Hiraeth

“Like souvenirs, she wears the clay of a thousand different shores."

Adeline says she's Ishgardian, but what's that? That's not a phrase an Ishgardian would say, and the way she pronounces that next word places her accent in a more Ilsabardian locale. If you're from the Republic of Landis, it's unlikely you'd know her, but it's funny how being around her feels a lot more like a home that doesn't exist anymore.

Things i love

Please, no

Miscellany