Name: Artur "Art" Luke O'Neill FitzGerald
High Concept: Wizard by Birth, Knight by Choice
Template: Champion of God
Trouble: Born in the (Wizard) Purple
Aspect: Honorary Summer Court Nobility
Aspect: Anointed in Dragon's Blood
Aspect: As Prideful as a Pride of Lions
Aspect: The Lord's Champion
Refresh: 1
Fate Points: 1
Phase 1 - Background and Early Life
The phrase 'Blue Blood', often used to refer to members of the aristocracy, is translated from Spanish phrase "sangre azul". It referred to the visibility of superficial veins beneath pale skin- a feature which would not appear on the tanned, dark skinned working class who spent most of their times laboring outdoors. Only those who grow up without ever needing to work and of good pedigree would qualify as "blue bloods". It is a term that perfectly describes the early life of Artur FitzGerald who grew up sheltered and unexposed to the world outside of the rich and powerful.
Born the child of Sir Edmund FitzGerald, the descendant of a long line of Hiberno-Norman lords and knights, and his beautiful Irish wife, Lydia O'Neill, 'Art' had a lot to live up to. He spent his childhood years on the family estate hunting, riding, fencing. His childhood companions were sons and daughters of squires which served his family as well as scions of prominent nobility from Ireland and Wales. He was taught history, economics, mathematics, sciences as part of his noble upbringing.
Art was not the only child born to Sir Edmund, of course. Though the oldest of the bunch, as the years went by, he became joined by more and more children in the house. Four sisters and one brother soon joined the lad, though he always stayed in a special place in his mother's eye. When he turned twelve, he finally learned why.
Lydia, his mother, turned out to be the culmination of a very long line of celtic witches who could trace their lineage back to the points where Romans could still be found in Britain, with close ties to the Seelie Court which inhabited the numerous cairnes of Ireland. Art was to inherit this tradition, as part of his grooming as a knight and wizard.
Aspect: Honorary Summer Court Nobility
Phase 2 - Rising Conflict
Throughout the years, many travelers passed through the FitzGerald estate. Some of these were members of the church. The FitzGerald family had long been known as sponsors of the Catholic church and cultivated a rather close relation with the church, which his father was not eager to throw away. One day a most peculiar traveler stopped by the manor. He wore a suit of armor, and rode in upon a horse in full harness. Artur was instantly intrigued by this man, despite his mother's disdain for him.
He introduced himself as Jorge, a Knight of the Cross, and told Artur he was here as the culmination of a long journey to chase down a dragon. He had chased the beast from where it had been attacking civilians in Tripoli, to Rabat, to Valencia, to Orleans, and finally to Desmond, where the dragon would seek to extract back its debts from the local Fae, for a safe place to lick its wounds and heal. Sir Jorge had come, to finally either finish it off or, more likely, extract from it a promise never to harm the innocent again. This was to be their final battle- the Dragon could flee no longer and so the last time would count for all.
Artur was taken by the man's creed to defend the innocent, his travels around the world, and his intense faith in the Lord. He tagged along everywhere the man went, sometimes shirking his own lessons. His father and mother disapproved, but did not nothing about it. Perhaps that was for the best. He was a stubborn child.
Eventually, once the locations of the Dragon had been pinned down, and he had sufficient recuperated from his own wounds and traveling fatigue, Jorge set off again, to fight the Dragon one last time. Artur had not been allowed to go, but from witness's accounts, it had been a amazing battle. They fought for almost five whole hours, blade against claw, faith against fire.
But in the end it was the Dragon who won. He stuck down Jorge upon the field of battle, and hauled his broken and bloody, but still alive, form away to his lair for whatever purpose.
When the rumors of the climatic battle reached Art, and he learned of Jorge's defeat- he wanted to go help the knight right away. His family forbade him however. They told him that they did not spend all those years raising him so he could die right away at the claws of a Dragon. That they had a different fate in store for him- one closely entangled with their close relations with the Summer Court. They had a fight, and after a few heated words, Art broke off relations with his family and ran after the knight. He never looked back.
He dove in straight away into the Dragon's lair without much thought into how he was going to escape, only knowing that the brave knight he had met earlier needed him. To his surprise, it turned out that his family was quite familiar with the local fae- who did not recognize such petty things as human decisions. He was able to locate where the Dragon made its temporary home quickly.
Under the disguise of a young maiden he was able to sneak into the inner sanctums of its lair, for it turned out Dragons had a big blind spot when it came to young maidens, and he found Jorge trussed up and badly injured inside as a prize. Before the alarm was rung, he managed to free the knight and began his escape from within the depths of the dungeon, supporting Jorge who was too badly injured to walk.
Alas, it was too late. He did not escape in time to avoid the Dragon bearing down on him. Artur trembled under the gaze of a god made flesh, the angry glare of the semi-divine beast. In a leap of desperation, he drew upon Sir Jorge's sword, which grew bright in his grasp.
And he stepped forward and slew the Dragon.
Artur never went back to family that day. He never joined the FitzGerald and O'Neill magic lineages like he was supposed to. Instead, he left Ireland behind altogether, to become Sir Jorge's apprentice and a few years later, his replacement as a Knight of the Cross.
Aspect: Anointed in Dragon's Blood
Phase 3 - Rumble in the Bronx
Costaring: Alice Matthews
Art didn't know what he was expecting when he finally arrived in the famous New York City. Perhaps an infection of Red Court vampires to burn out. Perhaps he would be called upon to fight the notorious crime families of the States. Perhaps he would visit the famous Bronx Zoo and maybe see the famous Barbary Lions.
He didn't expect to do all three.
At the same time.
In a riveting adventure that goes all the way from Ellis Island to the very top of the Empire State building, Art ends up pitted against both the Red Court and the Sicilian Mafia alike as he tries to complete his relatively simple mission of deliver a holy artifact to its new home in the United States. Join him as he makes lifelong friends with a pride of werelions living in the zoo, starts an accidental pubfight when someone injures his pride, accidentally smuggles some moonshine for the Irish Mob, and races to save the daughter of one of the local priests from venom addiction.... or worse.
Aspect: As Prideful as a Pride of Lions
Phase 4 - Gueststarring in... Purrsuing Perfection
After his rude introduction to American life and the rough and tumble nature of the city, Art finally sets out to do what he originally came to the States to do- exterminate a Black Court smuggling family making big waves with a heist from the Summer Court. However, in scoping out their decrepit mansion on the outskirts of the city limits, he finds himself sharing a rooftop with a cat burglar.
What does he do? Get into a fight obviously. A roaring knockout tumble through the streets of New York City ensues but ends relatively peacefully once they realize they both have a goal in common. Obviously, the solution is obvious. They team up. For great justice.
Art goes to challenge the Black Court on his own as a distraction while Kat sneaks around the back. He ends up losing his cloak, his helm, scratching up his armor quite a fair bit, all of which get him yelled at by the Church back in Rome, but comes out fairly alright for having dueled and defeated a Master class Black Court vamp, and then fighting a lot of his lesser associates and minions.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Aspect: The Lord's Champion
Skills:
Superb (+5): Conviction, Endurance
Great (+4): Athletics, Weapons
Good (+3): Alertness, Fists
Fair (+2): Presence, Contacts, Discipline
Average (+1): Rapport, Lore, Riding, Survival, Empathy
Stunts:
Powers
Mythic Toughness [-6]
[+5] Catch: Only works against magic (+2 for only working against something, +2 for non-magic things are not hard to find, +1 for being fairly easy to research)
Guide My Hand [-1]
Holy Touch [-1]
Righteousness [-2]
Sword of the Cross [-3]
The Sight [-1]
Soulgaze [-0] (Discounted due to the Sight)
Wizard's Constitution [-0]