temple gates app;

[incantamentum]

Player name: Matthew
Player contact: xehalest | xehalest
Player age: 22
Characters already played: n/a

Name: Dr. Eric Dufosset
Journal: incantamentum
Canon: Original
Canon point: End of Described Personal History
Age: 37
Reference: Complete World + Personal History

Personality:

Eric's personality is inherently calculating. It can be confusing sometimes, his own nature dictates that some things cannot be explained. He is, after all, a witch, working with forces that sometimes hold themselves outside of man's grasp of things. Despite this, however, he strived to learn, to understand. Its part of the reason he went into psychiatry, to try understand others in a way that some may deem too clinical. After all, he had quite a quiet upbringing on his family's estate where most of his interaction was entirely familial. Thanks to this, he may sometimes appear as cold. Wanting to know the nuts and bolts of thing without becoming too moved by them. It suits in his profession of course, allowing him to keep the necessary level of distance required to actually help someone. However in his interpersonal relationships it can appear cumbersome, grating even. He's difficult to drag into an argument because he'll always maintain a level of control and cool logic.

He is, however, caring. Although on the surface he's surgical, underneath he feels deeply for others, after all with the empathic leanings of his abilities it would be hard not to experience motions in a deeper sense. When he lets that wall drop, he's a painting of fierce emotions and feeds on them. It just takes a while to get to this level for him and is never an instantaneous thing, more so when he forms that bond with another it tends to be a deeper bond. He strives to help others, which is why he walks the path he'd chosen for himself; working within the field of psychiatry enabled him to use gifts that were his birth right in conjunction with his studies in order to ease tortured minds, to help people who would've considered themselves otherwise helpless- as such it can be seen here that he does perform the role of guardian, caregiver and to an extent protector particularly well. He's the head of his family, after all, and that requires looking after a lot of youngsters and helping them in their magical tuition.

He is also, unfortunately, particularly stubborn. He'll dig in his heels when he decides the moment calls for it and can become as unmoveable as a stone. Its a downfall of his, because it strikes rarely but it strikes with the force of lightning. He wouldn't be stuck in his ways per se, especially considering how open minded he can be, he'll just refuse to admit defeat or the idea that he could be wrong about something is borderline unfathomable. This happens a lot in relationships and tends to be the focal point as to why they break down. Coupled with his workaholic nature and it gives the man a semblance of machine. He works hard, he thinks hard and he can sometimes appear hard in his nature. There's always a see-saw effect with these conflicting aspects of his personality. Thanks in part to the burden of responsibility in being the head of his coven he's a hard teacher yet a warm listener. It works, but it can be jarring to others.

The synergy between psychiatrist and witch is what creates these blends, making them more infusions rather than two counteracting forces pulling him apart. The various aspects of his personality have been incorporated into the refined gentleman he is today. Some may consider him a little old fashioned, a touch cold, maybe too condescending. But those would just be the outer layers of his self, the parts that have to be scratched away or seen through in order to get to the nature of the man himself.

He does know how to wind down though, the same way he can be perceived as an example of contradictions. Although he can seem to be wound particularly tight during the day, his calculating nature, his logic, his stubbornness, the distance he carries with him at all times all unwind. The man can relax, especially when wine is involved, like all Frenchmen, he knows how to enjoy his time... knowing more than most that it can be fleeting thanks to the insight he'd seen into the past thanks to his prophetic abilities. He'll happily socialize, discuss, be among others in a fashion that helps him thrive. It just happens to be the case that from time to time this requires someone dragging him from the office.

CRAU: N/A

Skills and attributes: Following is a list of Eric's complete powers- in terms of Canon these are only a tithe of the powers he has access to but I'm using a go-to game dumbing down of his powers. In bold for each power there will be a 30% reduction option. Any queries/alterations/requests/imposed limitations are perfectly fine by me.

Witchcraft

Elemental Manipulation - All witches manifest a degree of elemental manipulation as an active power, as the head of his coven however Eric has been tested and proved in command of all five of the elements; Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Spirit. He cannot work them all to the same extent and favours Fire and Air. This encompasses both their manipulation and summoning them. He can worth with the other three but doesn't use them as freely, it would tax him greatly to use all five at the same time and as such he doesn't do it, it would be an implausible manoeuvre. Spirit here is the power relating to the human self or soul, the power over life and death and the most difficult to use, Eric uses his own mostly for healing and cannot heal any great injuries, only minor ones with a lot of effort; spirit also leans to a certain degree of empathy, getting a better feel for people's emotions. Eric will no longer be able to use more than 2 elements simultaneously. At a further reduction it will be a single-use basis for each element. As Eric's usage of the spirit element is already weak he will no longer be capable of healing. Similarly at 70% of their current capability of his powers Eric will no longer be able to create the source of the element- eg he will need an independent source to influence- the sea, an open flame, the ground, open air. Fire and Air will still be his preferred element but his control over them will no longer be so developed. These powers should still be able to be used defensively/offensively but at a significantly more taxing cost

Incantation/Ritual - Spell craft and ritual, the very nature of a witches' work. Eric's predominant language for Incantation is French and he can perform a myriad of tasks with his spell work both great and small. He uses energies granted by the elements and deities to perform these tasks along with his own source of magic. It is exhaustive, after all, he is human as well as a witch. Things that fall under this category include: blessings, warding, curses, hexes, jinxes, transmutation, charms, potion making.

So Witchcraft in Eric's universe was practically capable of anything, Witches' hold a position of high power amongst even the Supernatural factions. Collaborative magic was known to be able to turn the tides of wars and even national disasters.

With this in mind I've decided to give Eric a very limited supply of spells under each of the headings provided so as to not make him some kind of ridiculous OP character.

Wards

Wards, unlike regular spells require a physical tether/conduit, this cannot be broken while the spell is in effect unless through supernatural means.

Privacy Ward ; Physical conduit: chalk. - A ward used to maintain privacy, what happens inside the ward stays inside the ward. It blocks out sounds so that those contained within the ward cannot be heard. Eric uses these daily around his office to protect his patients' privacy. Privacy Wards will no longer block people from hearing completely but rather will muffle voices as if they're behind a sturdy door- supernatural creatures with enhanced senses or even standard methods of eavesdropping will now be capable.

Diversion Ward / Mental Ward ; Physical conduit: salt. - This ward is a strange one, it does not create a 'barrier' as such, but rather it can be place on an area where you would want to divert attention from. People attempting to cross the ward will suddenly find themselves forgetting why they came or wanting to go elsewhere. Used often for witches who want to hide themselves. Diversion wards will no longer divert people actively looking for things and will no longer cause people who cross the ward to forget their presence there. Instead, the diversion ward will give someone the sensation of "having entered a room and forgotten why they came" for a couple of seconds that they can quickly shake off. - The more power he would put into it however, the more likely the ward would be able to work- it would work especially well against weaker minded individuals

Trance Ward; Physical conduit: dirt. - Another strange ward, this ward doesn't stop anyone from entering it. It does, however, place those inside it in a magical trance. The trance is used to heighten their levels of magic, witches use these trances in times of urgency to work more powerful incantations. The ward is used on a one-spell basis and must be drawn under the light of a new moon. Trance wards will no longer act as a battery for magic work, instead they will supply Eric with a minor 'boost' that is short lived (e.g a 5-10% increase in ability).

Impenetrable Ward; Physical conduit: blood. - The strongest ward in a witches' spell book. Was used collaboratively by covens during the 5 century hunt in order to save themselves from witch hunters. It is both magically and physically taxing while yielding great results. The ward cannot be penetrated through any means, but it can only be maintained for small periods of time. Impenetrable wards will no longer be 'impenetrable' - they will require a significant amount of force to break but they can still be broken at a 70% usage of ability

Transmutation

Transmutation isn't like the other types of witchcraft. More specifically it is a type of spell in itself that uses raw magic to be worked. Akin to alchemists in the past transmutation is used to change the form of an object. It is incredibly limited just like the old legend, no-one can turn lead into gold. The object being transmuted needs to be inherently similar to what you want. For example you could change a soda into a beer or a cotton sheet into a silk sheet. It isn't particularly fancy but it can be used a lot by witches who have one thing yet require something slightly different. Transmutation can only be worked with two objects that are incredibly similar- for example it could change a red tulip into a yellow tulip but he wouldn't be capable of making that tulip into a rose. Similarly he could change the colour of cloth but not the type. This isn't restricted to colours though, however just an example of the nature of the transmutation.

Blessings

Blessings, unlike spells, are essentially magically charged prayers. They require a devout relationship with the deities to have their desire effects. They're based entirely on faith and incantation.

Stamina Blessing; can be used to extend someone's stamina in times that it might be needed. Although this sounds big and amazing it realistically isn't, those given a stamina blessing will find that when their energy wanes it crashes hard. Its the magical equivalent of a red-eye espresso. The stamina given will no longer be a huge jump- more like a strong espresso to perk oneself up.

Blessing of Tranquility; Used to soothe the mind. Eric casts these often during difficult therapy sessions. both on himself and his clients. They soothe the mind by helping to steer thoughts in logical and calming directions. There is no downside to a blessing of this kind. The blessing will no longer be able to soothe the more intense end of the emotional scale. For someone who was experiencing mild anxiety or distress they would be useful but for someone at the end of their emotional tether nothing would happen

Blessing of Good Health; Another kitchen witch kind of blessing. Can be used to cure basic illnesses, mostly the kinds of things you'd otherwise say left you feeling 'under the weather'. Like a good kick of vitamin C or a painkiller. A 70% capability in this blessing would be inherently useless. Like a quarter of a dose of your run of the mill painkiller or vitamin. You'd be better just buying meds

Curses

Curses are technically the opposite of blessings but they focus on raw power and most importantly, emotion. A curse will not take form unless you have the supporting rage and desire to have it seek its target. Eric is less likely to use these, they're for significant grievances. All curses come with a personal sacrifice to the caster.

Bad Luck Curse - Requires a sacrifice of something held dear. This curse is rather simple, it guarantees the target twenty-four hours of bad luck. The sufferer of the curse will experience the kind of bad luck that would feel unbearable- it would never go as far as a piano dropping on their head for example but all the pipes in their house might burst. At a 70% reduction the bad luck suffered would be minor and occur rarely: their bag straps will break, their car will break down, they'll forget their keys. Anything that could be considered superstitiously bad luck could fall under this curse.

Nightmare Curse - A curse that is invoked to give the target vicious nightmares. It must be cast overnight and the caster is required to stay up in order to cast the curse. This is the sacrifice involved, the curse can only stay in effect for as long as the caster is willing to deprive themselves of sleep. If worked powerfully enough, can cause hallucinations in the day time. The curse would no longer be capable of causing hallucinations. It could cause minor bad dreams which would feel out of the ordinary but still the same as a normal bad dream that would appear to last the whole night, it wouldn't pull out their deepest fears or anything for example.

Three Fold Curse / Vengeance Curse - The most powerful curse in a Witches' repertoire. It would've been known as a justice ritual in the past but now its seen for being truly extreme. For a witch with a grievance it is invoked against the target and whatever grievance was given to them is returned 3-fold onto the target. It requires a sacrifice of blood, a sacrifice of magic... and most importantly a sacrifice of life. It is rumoured, however unknown thanks to the ambiguity of these things, that the spell takes one week off your life. The witch in question has to be feeling a truly heightened level of emotion. A 30% reduction of this spell could be quite simple to explain- the curse would no longer give three times the damage as vengeance but would rather give two times or even a similar grievance back upon the target of the curse- if not, it could be that the 'vengeance' doled out is slightly lesser than the initial grievance.


Hexes/Jinxes

Hexes are similar to curses but on a smaller scale. They're usually placed inside a magically charged object and left on the property / on the person of the target. (For example, a poppet, a stitched cloth, even something small like a button or a penny.) They are created through ritual, and as with most rituals must be performed at some stage within the lunar cycle. As such, most hexes can only be created once every 28 days. Hexes can be destroyed, however, if the physical link is broken.

Hex of Silence - Renders the target unable to speak, try as they might. The hex of silence now just acts as if someone had turned the volume down slightly on someone's voice, making the people around them endeavour to listen more intently / Alternatively it could strip them of their voice but only for a certain amount of time eg up to an hour.

Hex of Confusion / Distorted Thoughts - Target becomes easily confounded / their thoughts are particularly jumbled. Can be small enough that they feel a little scatterbrained or extreme enough that they can't think straight enough to perform basic tasks. The hex would no only distort their thoughts slightly... victims of the hex would just be a little less alert/capable than usual as if they'd lost a night of sleep.

Hex of the Senses - Tears away the target's senses. Might not always be all five, might just be one. It is dependant on the effort and energy placed into the hex. Hexes like these are usually placed on an object and placed within a room in order to make that room hexed for anyone who enters. At a 30% reduction the target of the hex would only ever have one or two of their senses affected and instead of losing it completely it would be muted- blurry vision, muffled hearing, lack of taste, befuddled scent.

Charms

Charms are quick incantations that are used for single desired effects. They're based entirely in incantation but require a conduit, usually in the form of a wand or a crystal such as Quartz.

Sleeping/Stunning Charm - Knocks the target unconscious. 30% reduction would just make the target suffer a moment of dizziness, maybe make them faint. Consciousness would not be completely lost

Glamour - Makes one object appear to be another. Can be used to disguise people/locations/objects Glamours can be seen through when focused on as if they were created using a blurry camera

Stealth Charm - Makes the caster appear between two planes of existence, obscuring them, taking away the ability to spot them or see them clearly, moves with the caster. Same as with the glamour charm the subject of the charm wouldn't be completely obscured but rather slightly blurred / out of frame

Vanishing Charm - Makes an object vanish from this plane of existence. It is unknown where they go. Cannot be used on people- their spirit keeps them tethered to this world Objects can no longer be completely vanished. You may be able to partially vanish something and as such need to cast the charm multiple times to get rid of the whole thing

Portal Charm - This charm plays on both incantation and ritual. It requires a door to be drawn in chalk, along with appropriate runes written on it and can be used as an actual doorway. The caster can only create a door to somewhere they can visualize. (Obviously to work within the game setting the door cannot take them out of the world.) At a 30% reduction these would have to be very short trips- for example going to the next apartment over or a building you can already see in your line of vision

Potions

Eric is not any kind of a master with potions. The potions he knows how to create have always been used with his work, they are few and require certain herbs. Most of the ingredients can be bought in your average health food store, or planted in a witches' garden. (Sage, for example)

Calming Draughts - He makes these often and prescribes them to patients. Can be used whenever to calm the mind and make someone relaxed. At a 30% reduction these would simply make it easier for someone to remain calm- just like real life herbal calming tablets.

Sleeping Draughts - A potion based on valerian to let someone slip into an easier sleep 30% Reduction - it would help sommeone get to sleep the same way a pill would or actual valerian root.

Prophetic Dreaming / Psychic Ability / Foresight - As the head of his coven Eric is gifted with 'prophetic' dreaming. Prophetic in a sense that they tell him the past far more often than the future. Sometimes, however, his sight increases outwards to the future. It never tells him vastly important things but rather minor events. His 'sight' also enables him to see spirits and things not from the natural plane. He is not a telepath though, even if he could create the effects of telepathy through spellcrafting his work as a psychiatrist denotes that he prefers to hear from minds rather than simply read them. Along with this he's trained in certain arts of divination; the same as all witches- a long tradition of palmistry, tea leaves, tarot reading are all in his repertoire. Though in the past they were used to make money, now they're kept alive through an idea of heritage. Eric will no longer dream of the future- he'll still be capable of tarot reading, palmistry, tea leaves because these aren't inherently magical themselves.

In terms of regular skills however Eric will still be capable of a demonstrated knowledge of Psychiatry- this obviously won't be muted as it has nothing to do with his powers its just what he's studied over the years.


First person sample: Here! - Its a network intro from an old game of mine so hopefully it suffices!
Third person sample: Here - its short though so let me know if you'd like another it was just the first prose-style I could find in my musebox!