Russell was the typical book nerd all through his early years. Books could take him to places that were far better than his meager, tortured adolescent life. Being gifted with an affinity towards languages, specifically, Latin, was a handy thing growing up in the catholic church his family attended. Not exactly the most athletic of young men, he mostly kept his head down, pretended to be part of the walls and said nothing until he got to college.
With his grades Russell was able to get a scholarship to University . In truth he didn't care exactly where he went to college so long as it was far far away from the small town where he was born. University was everything he wanted it to be. He was able to expand his mind, break out of his shell. It was in his second year at University that Russell started dating; a guy named David. While in High School he was lucky to go to anything resembling a social event - prom or homecoming dances - but he was not really interested in the girls he had classes with. He just didn't dare admit the reality of his feelings until he was one of the anonymous freshman at NYU. David was replaced with Thomas who was replaced by Ed, Larry, Michael, Nelson, and eventually Brian. By the end of his first year - Russell was definitely 'aware' of his sexuality - and his thirst for physical affection.
There wasn't much he was able to do with a BA in history but he knew that going in. Once he was accepted into a master's program in Art History in a new city; Cambridge Mass. The University offered him the opportunity to study medieval manuscripts up-close. He couldn't resist the chance to explore his life-time fascination with rare books.
Russell, still a college student at heart, is commonly seen with a canvas satchel slung over his shoulder and a smart phone.
Among his more prized possessions is an antique
fountain pen that was a gift when he received his first college degree. He's also shown his eclectic side by turning an old, silver
cigarette case into a business card holder. In addition to his eccentric side for collecting old memorabilia, he's also very practical. Where ever he goes, at least with his satchel, he carries with him a long, black umbrella. He explains that it was a gift while he was at NYU where he was constantly being caught running from class to class in a sudden downpour. He likes to boast that having the umbrella, once, was the key for him securing a date with a guy.
"It's amazing what friends can be had when you're the one holding an umbrella."
Russell isn't usually one for wearing jewelry but one of the few items that he does wear is an old bronze
signet ring with the shape of an owl on its face.
What's Known
- University Student
- Gay (but not effeminate)
- Book Nerd
- Fencer
- Business: Russell, though enrolled in college, is still an avid antiquarian and still works as a rare book agent.
What's Not Known
- Tattoo: Russell has a quarter-sized tattoo of an owl sitting in an oroboros. The tat is located on the inside of his left ankle.
- Musician: Russell is a secret violinist. He's not one to brag or to show off but he likes playing when he needs to calm down and think.
Mage Variant
His professor, (unknown) was a member of the Order of Hermes and, apparently sensing that Russell was close to awakening and so 'encouraged' his ascension from sleeper to dreamer. Russell's awakening to the fallacy of reality was a nightmarish experience.
(More to come on that)
While Russell was at New York University and in the presence of the Medieval Manuscripts that he was studying - the secrets of a hidden reality began to unfurl before him. Most manuscripts have been photographed, scanned and documented from one end to the other. They are available for download as pdf or images on most library websites. It's a means for the library to 'brag' a bit that they have such old documents in their collection. However, when one of his professors asked him to look in on a recent acquisition, Russell realized that this new find was unlike any book he had seen before. The book was a record of a researcher's quest to uncover the culture that somehow influenced both Egypt, South America and almost every coastal civilization on record. It told secrets of an ancient society, Atlantis.
The book did not make outlandish claims of the civilization, the FIRST civilization, it documented a case in which it 'could' have existed. The author presented his findings in such a way that Russell started to question every historical 'fact' that he had learned for the past several years. He could see, through this one book, how societies around the world could so easily be influenced by the First Society. That book was the key - a temporal tether that connected him to the author, the scribe who wrote the original pages that the author was referencing and every other 'hand' that had been linked together in a chain of knowledge stretching as far back as the recorded history; and earlier.
Paradigm:
The actual processes of Hermetic magic follow a few basic concepts that are modified by each house. Most important is the idea of symbolism: the world is made of concepts that are linked to other concepts, and by commanding many linked concepts, the target can be commanded. For example, fire is linked to its name in various languages, to objects that have been burned and can ignite fire, to spirits and angels that embody fire, and to vibrant numbers, colors, and inflections. To create fire a Hermetic would use a spell that incorporated a number of these symbols in the hope of creating a conduit through which to manifest her Will and thus cause fire to spring into being. Hermetics extend this symbolic knowledge to other elements of the world, the mythic threads, such as astrology, numerology, and other "pseudo"-sciences, and can incorporate into their spells the most powerful symbols for any given situation or circumstance for a greater degree of influence.
Foci:
-Forces
General: Sound, Movement
Specific: Fire
Unique: None
-Correspondence
General: Portals, Doors, Water
Specific: Mirror
Unique: None
-Mind
General: Music (melodies), Names (of those involved), Chanting
Specific: Violin
Unique: None
Description:
You see before you a young caucasian man in his early twenties who stands about six feet tall and weighs no more than a hundred and ninety pounds. Blessed with what some would call a 'baby face' he will perpetually appear to be younger than he is naturally. This coupled with a pair of glasses that frame a pair of BRIGHT blue eyes gives him the face of a guy who's probably been picked on his entire life. Short, light-brown hair is kept neatly cropped in a no-nonsense style to match his no-nonsense features. %R%RDressed in khaki pants, brown, leather dress shoes and a button-up shirt with a neck tie hanging loosely around his collar would suggest that he's something of a professional though at his age it's hard to understand what he would be able to call a job. Seen occasionally with a leather satchel slung over his shoulder and a heavy canvas jacket he looks like an over-grown high school student or perhaps a librarian.
Vampire Variant
His professor,
Artemis Blackwell, was a member of the Tremere / Mekhet Clan of vampires. After sensing that Russell would make an excellent asset to the local chantry he was introduced to her sire,
August Blackwell who approved of his becoming a ghoul. He felt that he could use Russell to further the House's agenda as well as his own, personal goals. Eventually embraced him to act as an agent for the
House of Blackwell
Over the next year or so he was able to finish his Master's degree though, by comparison, it seemed like a smaller accomplishment than when he started.
Arcanum Variant
While Russell was at New York University, he discovered a hand-written journal among the stacks of books in the occult section of the university library. Thinking it to be something of a prank or possibly some artistic work of fiction, he plucked it off the shelf and began reading it. Like some kind of semi-graphic novel, he devoured the pages within a few hours and was going to look up the author but found no contact information. Digging a bit more, he saw that there was no publisher, copyright date nor any information that would make it a 'real' book. This basically confirmed his suspicion that it was just some artistic work of fiction and was going to put it back when he happened upon one of his professors standing right where he found it. The professor, a middle-aged man who liked to fancy himself as a modern archaeologist of the strange and unusual, he was not well-respected within the department after several of his claims were refuted and his publications rejected. He was the 'Daniel Jackson' of the university and many considered his future within the department to be short lived though, somehow, he managed to continue to get research grants to dig on topics like lost cities, ancient aliens, and the like. The conversation between the two of them was strange - as Russell was seen trying to put the journal back onto the shelf by the professor who was alarmed to find anyone else in that section. He saw through the professor's lie about looking for some random title and slid the 'fiction' into his satchel when a student passed close by. He could tell that the professor wanted it and he wanted it badly. This arose Russ' curiosity enough that he decided to keep the journal and dig as to its origin.
Sure enough, the professor and Russ had a run-in only a few days later and he demanded to know the location of the journal. Russ played innocent for a time, trying to glean any information about the author but realized that there was a measure of desperation within the professor's voice. It wasn't that he -wanted- to find the journal, rather he -needed- to find it. That drove him to want to investigate it even more. He analyzed it over the next several days, taking high-res photos of it on his phone to ensure that if he had to surrender it, he would still be able to continue his digging. It was a good thing too, within a week there was a surprise drug inspection in his dorms and the cops were going through everyone's room. For some reason, he suspected that they weren't looking for marijuana or heroine but rather the book. When he got back into his room he discovered that it was missing from his hiding place though, obviously, no drugs were found. So he headed straight for the professor's office and demanded some answers. It took him a while to track down the man and when he did, he saw him meeting with one of the cops that was present during the drug raid. The two were having a quiet cup of coffee and a nearby shop and he watched the journal, or what he suspected was inside a manila envelope, being passed from the cup to the professor during their conversation. His spidey-senses were screaming that something -big- was going on and he had to find out what it was.
A few days later, when he was able to catch the professor during his office hours, Russ confronted the man and wanted to know what was so important within the journal that he sent the cops to search his room for it. Holding up his cellphone with an image of one of the pages on it to tease him, he mockingly said that he could post every page to reditt with a tap of his finger - unless the professor explained what was so damned important about a work of fiction.
That conversation lasted nearly two hours. By the end of it, Russ had more questions than he thought possible could fit in his head. The first thing he did once he left the professor's office was to jot down nearly 53 questions that came to mind and he was certain that he missed out on at least two-thirds of what was running through his mind. He began digging on the journal like it was his own, personal, grail quest - trying to uncover some of the details disclosed within its pages. One of the first things he did was to print it out and bind it at a local kinkos so that he could see it as a 'real' thing in front of him; something to scribble on, add notes to, etc. Within two weeks, he had crossed paths with the professor about four times - the two of them obviously trying to track down the origin of it together - though separately. When it became apparent that Russ wouldn't give up his search, the would-be Giles offered him an independent study course the next term and the two could work on it together. That became the beginning of a two year long mentorship that shaped Russ into what he would become: a man with a mission.
Eventually, Russ finished his degree and, with urging from his parents, was considering graduate school. He never discussed his sexual orientation with his mentor though there was never any secrets between the two men. Dr. Abrams taught him to see the world through a new set of eyes and, should the occasion call for it, a means of defending himself within it. Dr. Abrams was, at least at one time, a very good fencer. Russ, having no real athletic prowess, was glad for the training and was a good study - it appealed to his fantastical mind as he imagined himself having to defend himself with a sword from all manner of things in the night. However, how does one carry a sword out in broad daylight? The answer, Dr. Abram's sword umbrella. The concept of a sword cane is nearly two-hundred years old and the modern equivalent was to simply shroud the cane with enough fabric to make it an umbrella - something found tucked into the bags of most academics as they trudge across campuses. Though not nearly as good as his mentor, Russ did develop a hand with the blade and, as a parting gift, his mentor gave him a sword umbrella to carry of his own. He was truly sad to leave the university but his professor had suggested that he attend a graduate program at Fallcoast University. It would be a good 'learning experience' for him as he didn't want to pressure the boy into following directly in his own footsteps. His path would be his own as would be his choices.
