Rune

Rune

Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.

The Man

You can uphold your OOC masquerade or you can gallagher that shit and tell the world that you're secretly the evil Dr. Tzimisce. We don't care. Just don't out other people who haven't outed themselves.

The ... Legend?

Noah was born in 1991, and lost his parents young -- his dad was a cop, killed in the line of duty. Mom to cancer a few years later. In and out of foster homes, life wasn't easy for the headstrong teenager always pushing the boundaries, bending rules to the breaking point, trying to find his own path in a world that barely made sense, full of mad correspondences and symbols only barely made out, much less made sense of.

The next part is exactly what one might expect. Boy meets boy. Boy follows boy out to the woods for a Beltane ritual, and gets high out of his mind, half lost to the throes of passion next to the fire -- and why not? It was his birthday, after all. But the symbols finally came to coherence, showing him a glimpse of the hidden truths of the world and the levers of metaphysical power.

Turns out that it was a Verbena rite, in a sense. Carefully constructed, divinations for this Awakening planned. Noah is inducted into the Verbena -- or something like it. Rune falls deeply into the practices, awed by the power, feeling a connection with the other apprentices, a mother-figure in the mentor, Cerridwen. A place of belonging, even if the magics are strange, ancient, and a bit bloody at times.

And he might have gone on being happy like that, sliding further down a hole he didn't realize he was sliding into. Until Cerridwen was outed as an Infernalist, leading young mages astray. Or maybe a Marauder, wrapped up in her own dangerous quiet. Rune isn't really sure. Nobody else is, either. (Diabolic Mentor)

What he *is* sure of is that his life dissolved overnight. Thunder, one of the other apprentices -- the boy he shared that night in the woods with during his awakening -- apparently already knew. He helped Cerridwen flee. The other apprentices? Well. They turned on each other in no time, each believing the lies that Cerridwen spun -- save for Rune, who hadn't had time to get that fully indoctrinated. Heartbroken, having lost lover and family both, he fled, attempting to stay one step ahead of the people he once would have given his life for. (Enemy, Old Flame)

Rune has always had a good sense of when to keep his head down and when to move. (Danger Sense) And it isn't hard for him to find allies willing to help, or just overlook the fact that he doesn't fit in entirely. (Friendly Face). But even he can only keep ahead of dedicated magi for so long.

The confrontation might have gone either way, really, both of the apprentices evenly matched, both of them wielding magics so close in power and technique that it was hard to tell who was casting what. It certainly made it hard for Coda to tell, given that he was tracking the other apprentice (Morrigan), but mistook Rune's magic for the target he was seeking. A mistake that almost cost both of them, had Coda not made the realization in time to deflect what might have been a crippling spell.

Morrigan was killed in the fight. And Rune? Rune was taken to the magical authorities for questioning. Weeks turned into months as they debated what to do. Here is this man, the apprentice of a known dangerous lunatic, and potentially a danger to all of them. But also young, and just barely past his initiation. Redeemable, and having committed no crime that anyone could prove. Some wanted his Avatar branded. Others wanted him banished. In the end, a comprmise was reached -- a mystic brand, but not on his avatar. On his flesh, in the middle of his back, resistant to methods meant to conceal it from Awakened eyes and simply reforming if removed through more -- manual techniques. A warning, of sorts -- a probationary mark, one that doesn't come with the stigmas of an Avatar branding, but carrying with it social stigmas all its own. Not a complete outcast from his tradition, but hard for him to find help until he proves himself. (Twisted Apprenticeship) The fact that nobody could accuse him of lying, or read poor intentions in him, helped, mistaking his quiet, curious nature and ability to remain small in the mind's eye for demure humility. (Poker Face, Inner Strength, Unobtrusive)

And yet he made a friend. Coda, the man who brought him in, having grown close in the weeks and months it took the Wise to make their decision. A man secretly tasked to keep an eye on the young mage as well. A secret probation officer. Together, the pair left New York behind, moving to the opposite coast -- and, naturally, announcing their presence formally to the Wise, warts and all, Rune even displaying the brand he was given.

Five years later, and Rune has made progress. Taking the name Rune for himself, a defiant mark embracing his puinishment and acknowledging one of the practices he is most skilled with (Symbols), he's managed to carve out a few Allies -- younger mages who don't know his story, or older mages who are sympathetic. yet everyone still risks censure and negative consequences by helping him more than is absolutely necessary. Yet he works tirelessly to redeem himself, offering his services wherever he can. A skilled investigator, he has proven himself a valuable asset among the wise -- when they deem him trustworthy enough to employ.

Ascension, the Sphinx, the warring ideologies of a thousand different cults full of men and women and Others who can literally live in their own reality, with no one to tell them boo? Sure, it's a great conversation. For someone else. Rune is by no means a novice, and has his own theories on how the world works. There's a little bit of truth in all of them, and nobody has the One True Right and Only Answer, no matter how much power they have. But by exploring the nature of the world, he gets closer -- and he's no slouch already, having been Awakened nearly a decade. And since he moved here, he hasn't even caused any trouble.

Ok. He hasn't caused *much* trouble. Tempers sometimes flare, and his curiosity has gotten the better of him on occasion, bending the rules almost to the breaking point in his pursuit of whatever piqued his curiosity.

Today, though, he acknowledges a simple truth -- that the world is pretty fucked. But maybe it's not too late to un-fuck it. And himself.

T-F#@king-L;DR

• Rune is a Verbena Mage from New York.
• Before he got here, Rune got into trouble because his batshit crazy mentor taught him fucked up magic.
• Rune was spared a brand to his Avatar, but bears a brand in the form of a mystic tattoo on his back, marking him as a potential danger and deviant. This brand is readily visible to Awakened eyes, and is difficult to conceal or remove. If you're a Mage, assume you can just see it. It glows or something.
• Rune is working to redeem himself.
• Rune lives with Coda.
• Rune has been in SF for about five years.
• People helping Rune are likely to get the side-eye from the Orthodox Mages. It's a gamble.
• Rune is working to prove himself trustworthy. It's been a mixed bag. He's been in some minor trouble, but is often helpful.

Contacts

Jimbo Jimbo's very OK.

Jambo Jambo's not very OK.

Gallery

Name:	Jane Doe
Apparent Age:	Young adult
Nationality:	English
Nature:	Conniver
Demeanor:	Autocrat

Sick Tunes

My daughter died in a rowboat

And I never told anyone

Until now!

- Trixie Mattel, My Daughter Died In A Rowboat

---

My daughter died in a rowboat

And I never told anyone

Until now!

- Trixie Mattel, My Daughter Died In A Rowboat

---

My daughter died in a rowboat

And I never told anyone

Until now!

- Trixie Mattel, My Daughter Died In A Rowboat