Dalton Weiss
Name: Dalton Weiss
Concept: Adventurer Paranormalist
Tradition: Son of Ether
Biography
Dalton Weiss was nothing more than the wealthy son of a banker, at first. He was content to study anthropology and radiology, and to assist his professor, Ingrid Brian, with her research until he earned enough cred to begin making his own discoveries. Over time ,they grew closer, and Brian took Weiss along on some of her digs and surveys.
Weiss's life began to change when they arrived at a newly-discovered Incan site in South America. While setting up the radio system, Weiss began to get strange babbling noises on his receiver. Later, while testing the age of some of the artifacts, Weiss was started to see a shape moving across the scope, despite there being no-one else there. When these kept happening, Weiss began to investigate, determined to prove them either real or his own delusion. Tests proved startling, as he was able to find more shapes and sounds using specially-designed equipment. He began to research older theories for possibly correlation, recalling old books of Victorian theories on astral planes and psychic phenomena.
Weiss initially worked on a radio to try and communicate with the presences, but as he finished it, he was called by Brian to help her investigate the depths of the caverns beneath the temple. Weiss found it strange that they were going alone into the site, and that the work crews seemed to all be absent – Weiss explained she wanted them to the first two down there. As they traveled, she explained how the site was originally built by an Incan Priest, Cachi, who had created a huaca here that supposedly allowed him to take the lives of the dead into himself, granting him their knowledge and vitality. She also said how he carried that power with him when he died, and could have been reincarnated with it. At the bottom, they came to a large, basin-like altar atop a dais, marked with symbols of human sacrifices that chilled Weiss to the bone.
It was about this time that Brian struck him on the back of the head, knocking him into the basin. As he sprawled, stunned, she stood over him, an Incan knife in her hand. “Thank you, Cachi.” She said to him, as she rose it over her head.
Weiss couldn't think. His head hurt, his mind was reeling. All he could do was look for a way out; his legs felt like lead. In a stupor, he did the only thing that came to his mind – he lifted the radio he had built, and whispered 'Help'.
He watched the ghosts of hundreds of Incan sacrifices swarm over Ingrid, knocking her off of the dais, before he lost consciousness. And when he awoke, there was no light in the room, and he was surrounded by the Incan ghosts, their chests gaping without hearts. As they spoke to him, he could not understand their alien babble, but with every syllable, something recognizable came from his radio. He restlessly began to tune and alter it, taking other bits of his equipment and modifying it while testing simple words. In what seemed like hours, he had finally managed to get the machine to give a clear signal, and managed to communicate with the spirits. They told him of how they were killed as part of religious rituals, left behind with no afterlife awaiting them, and he told them of what had happened since their deaths. They asked him to lead them to the surface; he did so, stepping over the body of Ingrid Brian, fallen on her own knife.
When he arrived above-ground, the spirits ran out into the woods, and vanished. And Weiss was left alone, and never the same.
After that, he's left the university, travelling and working on his Theory of Emanation. He was found by the Sons of Ether shortly after his Awakening, finding colleagues and tutelage among them. He is eager to discuss his theories, and to develop means to manipulate emanations further.
Paradigm
Weiss’s Spheres revolve around the study of psychic phenomena that he refers to as ‘emanations’. Weiss’s theory operates on the precept that everything that exists also radiates an astral presence, which exists parallel to it. Living beings produce a much stronger presence, and this energy accumulates and radiates over time; when a living being dies, there is a massive release of bound-up emanation that persists as a collection of echoes of physical structure, but also of memories and actions.
Emanations account for the presence of ghosts or spirits, which are the accumulations of material beings that have become autonomous. Control of emanations can be achieved using proper frequencies of light or sound to influence the astral plane; Weiss has tested many wondrous devices to do just that. The resulting applications are staggering in number - as emanations are affected by the world, so to can they affect their emanators. Emanations that achieve their own independence can affect people and places directly, allowing for intimate changes to the world even across the Emanated Energy Barrier - also known as the Gauntlet.
Sphere Descriptions
Only spheres he has are listed. Others will be defined as he learns them.
Standard Focus: Technological devices
Matter: Emanation-tempering, or using matter-emanations to manipulate a material object, changing, bolstering, or degrading it by altering the emanations within it.
Focus: Chemical treatments
Spirit: Shaped Emanations created by all things, existing in the parallel Astral Plane.
Focus: Astral-wave Transceivers and Scopes
Prime: Raw emanation 'proto-matter', or blank energy that can be shaped into other emanations.
Focus: Tempered Astral-glass
Statblock
Nature: Avant-Garde
Demeanor: Bon-vivant
Essence: Dynamic
Attributes
Strength: **
Dexterity: ****
Stamina: **
Charisma: **
Manipulation: **
Appearance: **
Perception: ***
Intelligence: *****
Wits: **
Abilities
Talents
Awareness ***
Streetwise *
Subterfuge *
Skills
Firearms ***
Research *
Survival **
Technology ***
Knowledges
Computer: *
Cosmology: **
Linguistics: ***
Lore (Umbrood): ***
Occult: *
Science: ***
Backgrounds
Arcane: *
Avatar: ****
Contacts: **
Library: *****
Resources: ***
Other
Arete: ***
Willpower: ***** ***
Spheres
Matter: **
Spirit: ***
Prime: *
Merits
Natural Channel: 3 Weiss's exposure to emanations has given him an 'astral shade' or presence in the astral realm. As such, he thins the Umbra around him, saturating it with spectral power. He reduces Gauntlet thickness by 1 around him, and can step through without magic if it's already weak.
Spirit Sight: 4 Weiss's astral shade also gives him some spectral qualities. He is able to see spirits, and is able to manipulate spiritual matter more easily (-2 difficulty to Spirit magic rolls).
Flaws
Haunted: -3 Amongst the spirits that surround him, one particular one is noteworthy – the ghost of Ingrid Brian, the ill-fated professor who tried to sacrifice him at the excavation site. Left with only her rage and inadequacy, Ingrid serves as a serious annoyance for Weiss.
Mistaken Identity: -1 The entire debacle that resulted in Weiss’ Awakening, and the death and haunting of Ingrid Brian, came about because she believed him to be the reincarnation of an ancient Incan Priest who supposedly learned how to extend his life. While he is not, Ingrid discussed this with enough colleagues while alive, and enough spirits while dead (see above), providing her 'evidence' as well. As such, the rumour has spread quite far, and follows him like a bad cold.
Strangeness: -1 Due to emanation buildup and the presence of his devices, random ghostly phenomena tend to occur around Dalton. This ranges from objects moving on their own, strange lights, electrical sources flickering, strange noises on the edge of perception, or other, weirder effects.
BP
Bonus Points (15+5)
Arete to 3 (free)
Avatar to 4 (2)
Contacts to 2 (2)
Library to 5 (3)
Resources to 3 (3)
Natural Channel (3)
Spirit Sight (4)
Willpower to 8 (3)