Leon
From OSWIKI
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| Clan: | Mekhet |
|---|---|
| Covenant: | Circle of the Crone |
| Covenant Status: | 1 |
| Birthday: | May 13, 1922 |
| Embrace: | October 21, 1947 |
| Height: | 1.82 m |
| Weight: | 66 kg |
| Haven: | Leon's Haven |
| Store: | The Darkened Mirror |
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| Sire | Ania |
simply because they are the most logical, and reconcile every difficulty."
- H. P. Blavatsky
Contents |
Description
Leon is a shadowy, lithe, figure, about 5'10" with crystal blue eyes and blond hair so light, its almost platinum. His pale complexion completes his Aryan features. He speaks with a German accent, and often prefers long coats with deep pockets. He tends to keep his eyes covered by sunglasses, regardless of the time of day, and carries himself in such a way that betrays confidence and hope. (Presence 2, Obfuscate 2, Blood Potency 2, Humanity 5, Occultation 1)
Background
Born Leon Anselm to Nazi sympathizers and the owners of a bookstore in Vienna, Austria in 1924, Leon was often fed Nazi propaganda by his parent's, a couple whose families had been devastate by the ravages of the Great War in the years prior. When Hitler rose to power in Germany and annexed Austria, his family cheered. By this time, Leon was in high school, a gifted academic, and was involved in the Nazi youth groups as an after-school activity. Leon wasn't so committed to the Nazi ideals as he was committed to a unified Germany and Austria. When Leon came of age, he was proud to join the military, and after becoming an officer, was sent as part of an occupation force to Poland. It was there that Leon saw the true face of the war.
As an officer of an occupation unit, Leon was responsible for "keeping the peace" in the town and making sure that the population stayed put. Leon, a good student and always obedient to his teachers, followed his orders unflinchingly after the first few weeks, cold, or so he tried to be. Despite this, Leon would read stories to the locals at the library, German myths and traditional stories, just to pass the time. A One young girl who always came to listen was named Ania. One night, though, Leon was alone staring across the perimeter, missing home, when he saw movement, Shining his flashlight, he saw her, Ania, in the process of escaping. The girl frozen in terror stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Leon swallowed hard, and for the first time in his life, he didn't follow instructions. Instead, he whispered "Run..." and walked away.
After the war effort Leon tried going back to university in Vienna, but found it difficult. He had trouble focusing on scholastic pursuits immediately after the war, finally suffering from mental anguish for the pain he had caused others. One night, on his way back to the dormitories of the University of Vienna, he was pulled roughly into an alley by a shadowy figure. He looked up, and in the dim light he saw none other than Ania. She whispered to him that he had saved her life and she had come back to return the favor. Ania embraced Leon there, in the alley.
Leon was initially conflicted about his new state of existence as Ania taught him how to hunt, feed, and survive as a Kindred. While Ania seemed genuinely grateful to him, thinking she had given him a gift, he couldn't help but despise it as a curse, now unable to forget the things he'd seen...forever. Ania, a member of the cult of "The Hag" induted Leon into that cult and the Circle of the Crone community in Vienna. Kindred politics in Vienna, however, did not favor the Circle, the First Estate holding a majority of the power, despite the war and its after-effects. Even the influx of communism and the Iron Curtain did little to throw down the Invictus. Leon, young and new in power, simply stayed as much out of Kindred politics as he could. Slowly, he began to waver in his belief in the Hag, straining his relationship with Ania, inaddition to their already incompatible views over his embrace.
Soon Ania and Leon had grown estranged. While they could never bring themselves to hate each other, the sight of each other caused the other pain, for various individual reasons. As Leon explored his spiritual life more deeply, he found himself drawn to the clandestine meetings of a Acolyte cult called the "Second Descent". Finally, in the cult of the Second Descent, Leon began to find purpose for his new unlife. He spent time meditating and praying to the spirits of the world, and to the gods of death, and was soon officially inducted as a member of the cult. As per tradition, he was bound to a member of higher standing than he, Franz. Franz slowly began to instruct Leon in the secrets and traditions of the Second Descent.
In the late nineteen-fifties and throughout the sixties, Leon began to grow more interested in Cruac, the blood magic displayed by other members of the Circle. Leon began asking Franz for instruction in the ways of Cruac. After some time, Franz agreed, and began to teach Leon additional rituals as a starting base. Leon's progress was a fair bit better than average, and the covenant, thinking this a sign of the old god's and spirit's approval, "promoted" him to the position of Adhvaryu. Here, Leon was also bound to the Hierophant, his new direct superior. Leon's new job was to assist the Hierophant in the rituals of the covenant, though in reality, he was as much a personal aide and servant to her as a ritual assistant. The Hierophant grew attached to Leon, bringing him along as a guest to major city-wide functions, such as kindred masked balls.
Meanwhile, as time passed Franz, Leon's original mentor in the Circle, began plotting a coup. The Circle currently was a very tolerant group, allowing for dual membership in the Ordo Dracul and was nonrestrictive on the cults and factions that grew in its region. Franz began centralizing the local Circle around him, forcing them all to join his particular cult of worship. He then began using his blood link with Leon to plant suggestions, using mesmerize and other dominate powers on him, obtaining information about the Hierophant to use in his plans. When Franz did finally openly wrest control of the Circle away from the current Hierophant, it was quick and bloody, leaving the old Crone to her final death. His vinculum fading to the old crone fading, Leon still couldn't help feeling betrayed by his friend. Wishing him well with his new-found power, Leon moved on into Germany.
Settling into East Berlin, Leon grew very active in the push for the dissolution of the Berlin Wall. Determined not to stand idly by, and make, what he felt, was the same mistake he made years earlier, allowing people to be harmed by his ignorance, he actively preyed upon guards at the wall, weakening its defenses, in hopes that it would allow some people to escape across. Other members of the local Circle advised him against this, telling him that it wouldn't help him any, not to get involved in mortal affairs, reminding him of the tenets of the Second Descent, which he seemed unable to marry in his mind with this zeal. He continued on this path, feeling that if you could help these people, he could some how fulfill the void in his heart.
After the fall of the Berlin wall and the Unification of Germany, Leon felt nothing. No satisfaction, no peace, and thus, he began to pull his focus inward. Still attending some local Circle of the Crone functions, he began to pull away from most other kindred, reading legends and myths of the Kindred's state of existence and their beginnings. Delving more into Cruac, magic, and the occult, he began to attune his senses past the superhuman ability and into the supernatural, magical realm. He began to occlude himself from other's cutting himself off. While in his searches, he re-discovered the myths of Golconda. Story after elusive story began to whet Leon's appetite and soon he became to a realization - all the different myths had common themes, pointing to common metaphors. After some soul searching, he found himself joining a group of acolytes called the Semioticians. He became deeply intrigued in the idea of transcendence, certain that such rumors don't continue to spreadwithout some truth.
At the turn of the 21st century, Leon heard a whisper of a rumor where a Japanese crone discovered the true secret to transcendence. Spending a few years researching that rumor and others, and learning the language, Leon began making plans to move to Japan. Eventually, he booked flight into Hokkaido and began searching the region for traces of the the transcendent Crone, a goddess. After years of mostly fruitless searching, Leon has decided to move again to Tokyo, where is opening up a small occult shop, as he searches again for clues to transcendence.
Leon's entrence into Tokyo provided him with a fresh start, and a slim connection to his humanity once again. He found the experience of running the bookshop oddly rewarding, and expanded it into a catch-all occult store. While in Tokyo, he met few other kindred, choosing instead to keep in seclusion. He did meet a young American gangrel, barely 20 years old, and 16 of them mortal. He found Noah's naive outlook on their condition, and the constant belief that vampires could truly feel emotions, such as love, amusing, and employed him in his store. Despite Leon's attempts to stay out of politics, Tokyo was a hotbed of a Kindred civil war. One of the warring factions was very old-school and was not friendly towards gaijin Kindred in Tokyo.
Sensing it might not be prudent for him to stay, Leon quickly began making arrangements overseas, and a real estate opportunity in the Americas presented itself. Two years after coming to the city Leon, reversed almost all of his paperwork, closed up his shop and headed to New York city where he re-opened his store in Queens. He continued to lead an un-life of seclusion, but realized that he would need to keep some tabs on the official kindred of power in the city. He presented himself before the appropriate officials soon after setting up his dwelling. Leon isn't politcal per se, but his experience in Tokyo has taught him to keep an ear to the ground, and he finds that as a Semiotician that he is somewhat less threatening to members of other covenants. Leon lost contact with all his kindred connections in Tokyo during the move.
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