Charlotte Sabotieren
Born in violence, raised in violence, awoken in violence. A consummate killer at a young age, Charlotte was trapped in a series of senseless civil conflicts, developing a reputation as the 'White Devil' - a pale eyed murderer who could cut down a whole patrol with a single knife. When human conflict intersected supernatural conflict, a man came looking for the child soldier behind the rumour, and took her away and introduced her to a new kind of violence. She was honed by the Order of Hermes into a weapon: cool, loyal, and precise. For years she was a favoured tool of House Janissary, aimed at the heart of many of the Order's enemies, be they mage or demon or massassa.
When tensions with the Tremere boiled over into outright warfare, Charlotte was one of many Janissaries on the front lines: in her case, disguised as a maid and serving as bodyguard for a prominent South American family, strategically vital Acolytes of the Order. The conflict was bloody and confused: vampire puppets seemed to be everywhere, in the government, the revolutionary forces, in other cartels. Maintaining her cover as a demure foreign maid became increasingly difficult as the conflict escalated. Past a certain point she didn't know if she was fighting vampires or just killing random people. Though she survived, Charlotte failed in her mission. The family - and many more Sleepers besides - were subject to brutal slaughter, leaving a whole town as an abattoir. The experience damaged Charlotte, and House Janissary had suffered severe losses and were in no position to fix her. This since lead to Charlotte being sent to Idol House on swotting vaction, in an attempt to exorcise her demons and make her useful to the Order once more.
Vital Statistics
- Craft Name// Charlotte Sabotieren
- Shadow Name// Charlotte Camille Raiserklinge Sabotieren bani Janissary; the White Devil, the Silver Lion, the Knight of Broken Glass, the Aeon of Blood.
- Concept// Elite Hermetic attack dog.
- Image Song// Heavens Divide, Donna Burke
- Nature// Perfectionist
- Demeanor// Machine
- Essence// Pattern
- Chantry// Idol House
- Arete// ●●●●
- Quintessence//●●●●
- Experience// 28
Attributes
- Strength//●●●
- Dexterity//●●●●● (Like Lightning)
- Stamina//●●
- Perception//●●
- Intelligence//●●●
- Wits//●●●
- Charisma//●
- Manipulation//●
- Appearance//●●●● (Like Ice)
Abilities
- TALENTS/ 13 + 6
- Athletics//●●●● (Knife Throwing)
- Alertness//●●●
- Dodge//●●●
- Awareness//●
- Intuition//●
- Intimidation//●●
- Subterfuge//●●
- SKILLS/ 9 + 4
- Melee//●●●● (Knives For A Pro)
- Martial Arts//●●
- Etiquette//●●●
- Stealth//●
- Survival//●
- KNOWLEDGES/ 5 + 4
- Enochian//●●●
- Linguistics//●●● (French, German, Spanish, Hebrew)
- Culture//●
- Enigmas//●●
Paradigm
Charlotte's magic mostly serves to enhance her skills as an assassin, which sets her apart from traditional Hermetics. She is a more subtle tool, a knife that slips through the ribs. Other Janissaries start wildfires and bring storms down upon their enemies, but Charlotte instead flits from space to space, creating intersecting, seemingly endless geometries of flickering knives. As though her enemies are trapped in spaces full of broken glass. But though her methods appear different, Charlotte is still a Hermetic at heart. She relies on carefully codified knowledge and ritualism which she seeks to perfect through practice. Specifically, she practices a House Janissary school derived from Kabbalah, majoring in Notarikon and Gematriya, lending her magic a geometric air based upon linguistic puzzle solving. It relies somewhat less on rote understanding of large amounts of texts, and rather on a complex, ultra-fine understanding of a more limited body of work. Though it is a minor school within the Order, Kabbalah has influence modern Hermetic philosophy, and it is likely that the modern system of Spheres derives from the Sefirot.
Charlotte's preferred medium is the Sephirotic circle: geometrical representations of a Sephirot constructed from assertions of words-being-other-words and words-being-numbers and numbers-being-words-which-are-other-words-which-are-also-numbers. By changing the actual content under the rules of Notarikon and Gematriya, by creating arrays or nesting circles within other circles (or creating arrays of nested circles) according to the broader rules of Kabbalah it is possible to create different effects. It is Charlotte's preference to print circles on her body, particularly her hands and feet, using henna, but in principle an etching on one of her knives or chalked onto the ground would work as well. The time expense is high: in addition to the geometric precision expect in any good magic circle, there may be thousands or tens of thousands of individual characters.
The core principle is that the world and all the things in it can be described in words and in numbers. Notarikon and Gematriya are system for breaking down words and numbers into component metaphors and rebuilding them into analogies. By understanding these rules it is possible to transmute one word into another entirely, and by extension alter the world itself. As far as Charlotte is concerned, this is ideal. The world is a logical and orderly puzzle. She knows its rules. For a girl who is surrounded by meaningless chaos, this is a perfect delusion.
Sefirot and Foci
- Chesed// Time 3 - Sephirotic circles, her nine-faced pocket watch
- Yesod// Forces 2 - Sephirotic circles, ???
- Tiferet// Correspondence 2 - Sephirotic circles, ???
Remez
- Kaleidoscope Eye// Yesod ●, Tiferet ●
- Charlotte's unusual looking pale eyes are actually the result of a ritual modification intended to modify her sensory perceptions: that is, an attempt to make her a modern Argos Panoptes. Geometrically cut pieces of precious stone that have been inserted into the eyes in the form of a complicated mandala. It is a unique ritual that Charlotte designed based on a telescope she encountered at a hermetic observatory, on a much smaller scale. By concentrating she is able to view the different components of light, and it has expanded her vision in all directions. It is not uncommon to find Charlotte sitting on the roof of Idol House, staring up at a night sky alight with spectra beyond normal sight.
- Witch Walk// Yesod ●●
- Using Sephirotic circles stained onto her heels and each of her toes with henna, Charlotte is capable of walking on water. Believing this to be too close to a thing that a Chorister might do, Charlotte developed a variant which discusses the nature of direction in respect of gravity, which allows her to stand, walk and even run on walls or ceilings. This is a remarkably practical piece of magic, if very vulgar, and was instrumental in the first full cleaning of the Tella Estate's immense library.
- Aegis// Yesod ●●
- A classic Hermetic rote for defence. Relies on a Sephirotic circle on Charlotte's right palm, and allows her to deflect incoming forces. Complex, nested analogies give it a wide range of effect, though it is Charlotte's least preferred method of defence.
- God Hand// Yesod ●●
- A hidden weapon. By keeping contact with the ground, Charlotte is able to draw kinetic energy up from the Earth's rotation and discharge it through a Sephirotic circle on her left palm. Can only be used at point blank range and is not terrifically powerful: Charlotte's preferred means is by grabbing a person's face or the back of their head to maximise effect. Due to its reliance on the Earth's rotation, this technique does not work in the Tella Estate. Charlotte is trying to develop a variant, but so far cannot find a sufficient source of kinetic energy.
- Infinite Heartbreaker// Yesod ●●, Tiferet ●●
- By using the Aegis and God Hand circles in conjunction, Charlotte can form an array by layering her hands in sequence. In doing this, she is able to strike at a distance, or more commonly, through objects. An unsubtle maneuverer which can bypass physical defences, but the actual force is no different - just the application.
- The Everlasting Crown of Thorns// Yesod ●●, Tiferet ●●
- Charlotte's preferred technique. The ability to alter the trajectory of thrown objects, particularly knives. Can range from gentle, believable curves to impossible zig-zag angles. Relies on Sephirotic circles on her thumb and fingertips.
- Afterimage// Chesed ●●, Yesod ●●
- A skill that shatters the light and creates reflections of past and future. Shrouds Charlotte in flickering images of where she has been and will be, making her harder to track and hit while moving. For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of the spell, it can give the impression of blatantly impossible speed.
- Slash Dimension// Yesod ●●, Tiferet ●●
- A popular fictional image is being able to cut at long distance. Charlotte doesn't know that's a popular fictional image, but she has developed a spell that does it nonetheless. This relies on the same Sephirotic circles as the Everlasting Crown of Thorns; the cant is simply in reverse. The act of cutting will those operate at a distance. It is best used in secret, hamstringing opponents in such a way that it seems their limbs have just failed.
- Overclock// Chesed ●●●
- TOO FAST TOO FURIOUS
Backgrounds
- Legend// ●● - The White Devil
- Avatar// ●●●●
- Library// ●
Merits and Flaws
- MERITS/
- Ambidextrous (1)
- FLAWS/
- Nightmares (1) - It is not so easy to forget the past when you are asleep.
- Computer Illiterate (2) - Even by Hermetic standards Charlotte is out of the loop when it comes to modern technology and once broke an iPhone in an uncharacteristic outburst of total frustration. Electra once made a well-minded attempt to teach Chalotte to use a computer. That was a bad time.
- Addiction - Painkillers (2) Sources: Poppy fields, Olivia and Electra, extra work. - During the conflict in South America, Charlotte forced herself through a number of injuries with bottles of codeine pills. The developed tolerance and belief that it numbs her emotional pain (and thus helps maintain her professional demeanour) has left her with a severe addiction.
Lessons Learned
- Third// I am a real lion - Stared down courage itself and discovered that her old self might not be totally lost.
- Fourth// Life and death - The true worth of life is not evident to those who have not personally confronted death.