Desiderius of Verditius is an unusually sociable (if awkward) necromancer and member of Voluntas in the Stonehenge Tribunal. He is described in Heirs to Merlin. His necromantic focus makes him an excellent candidate to be a member of the cult and his sociable nature makes him perfect for recruiting interested PCs to the cult and guiding them through some of the mysteries. With a name swap he can easily be transplanted into any other tribunal – I just used Desiderius because my own saga is set in Stonehenge and this is how we’ve portrayed him.
The profile presented below is a suggestion for how he might work as a mystagogue of the cult. As presented Desiderius is a member of the Verditius confraternity of Irene the Younger and a sculptor. His fascination with the human form led him to the study of necromancy, and in turn the Disciples of the Worm. He has abandoned the ways of his confraternity and is considered deranged by his former brothers and sisters. He retains the skills of a master artist, so his carefully sculpted necromantic constructs are often more beautiful in un-death than they were in life.
He is a member of the fourth degree in the cult. His focus on the corporeal, rather than the spirit, and his previous induction into other mysteries mean the masters of the cult have judged him unsuited for further advancement. He is not privy to the true aims of the cult. Still, he can act as a guide and mystagogue for new members and can introduce them to those with deeper knowledge later.
Characteristics: Int +3, Per –1, Pre +2 (Terrifying), Com –2 (Socially Awkward), Str -1, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik -1
Size: +0
Age: 115 (??)
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 6 (1)
Virtues and Flaws: Cautious Sorcerer, Difficult Spontaneous Magic, Major Magical Focus (Necromancy), Second Sight, Social Handicap (Stench of Death), Weak Spontaneous Magic
Mysteries Known: Verditius Magic, Verditius Elder Runes, Puissant Mentem, Automata, Spell Binding, Hermetic Empowerment, Inscription on the Soul
Mystery Ordeal Flaws: Slow Caster, Vow (Never betray or act against the cult), Visions
Personality Traits: Sociable +3, Smooth -3, Strange Aesthetic Taste +2
Reputations: Terrifying Necromancer +3 (Hermetic), Deranged +4 (Confraternity of Irene)
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20)
Abilities: Area Lore (British Isles) 3, Artes Liberales 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Charm 1, Concentration 2, Craft (Sculptor) 6, Disciples of the Worm Lore (Initiations) 5, Dominion Lore 1, Finesse 3, Guile 1, Infernal Lore 2, Intrigue 1, Latin 5, Magic Lore 3, Magic Theory (Enchanted Items) 7, Medicine 3, Native Language 5, Parma Magica 4, Philosophiae 4, Second Sight 4, Teaching 1, Theology 1, Verditius Lore 6
Arts: Animal 8, Aquam 7, Auram 7, Corpus 15, Creo 7, Herbam 6, Ignem 6, Imaginem 9, Intellego 7, Mentem 16, Muto 13, Perdo 7, Rego 15, Terram 11, Vim 9
Twilight Scars: The smell of death lingers around him always. He has the pallor of a corpse, making his age hard to place. Corpses sometimes speak near him, though he has no control over when or what information they impart.
Spells and Trappings: Desiderius has a wide array of spells and enchanted items related to corporeal necromancy. He has a smaller number related to Terram and mundane sculpture.
His talisman is his own body, using the Inscription on the Soul mystery. It is enchanted with Coerce the Spirits of the Night and Lay to Rest the Haunting Spirit with high levels of penetration. It also contains several touch range effects which allow Desiderius to sculpt stone and flesh as if they were clay.
Desiderius' Menagerie
His prized possessions are his “turb”. This is a menagerie of a dozen animated corpses, some animal, some human, and some a hybrid of the two. Each is animated using a greater item in the form of a replaced organ made of semi-precious stone (turquoise is preferred). Each organ is hollow and has a ghost imprisoned in it. Which organ is replaced is different each time.
The corpses containing the enchanted organs are “sculpted” by Desiderius into a variety of unnatural configurations. They are preserved using CrCo spells. If a configuration is particularly pleasing it may be enchanted with a constant effect to preserve it indefinitely. Desiderius only has a dozen organs, but has many more of these “sculptures”, so the physical composition of the turb changes as he swaps spirits between different bodies. At least one of the bodies is an exact double of Desiderius himself.
One of these creations, a re-animated bloodhound, is often mistaken as Desiderius’ familiar. While most assume it to be a beast of virtue with the power of speech, it is actually a human ghost bound into the body of a dog. The body has been altered to allow human-like speech.
The organs are each a Greater Item invested with the following effects, each penetration 20 where it is relevant. This is the general template, but each may have one or more additional effects. They are bespoke creations, after all.
Vessel of the Sculpted Servant
Heart of Iron MuTe 20
This constant effect makes the item almost unbreakable by mundane means.
Vessel of the Imprisoned Servant ReMe 44
This effect traps a ghost of no more than might 20, which must be in the same room as the item when it is activated, in the item. Once activated it is a constant effect unless interrupted by an outside force. Two uses per day.
Animate the Sculpted Servant ReCo(An)(Me) 39
This effect allows the body to move, receiving mental commands from the caster for sun duration. It has two uses per day and a linked trigger to the next effect.
Awakening of the Slumbering Servant InMe 44
This constant effect probes the mind of the imprisoned spirit. It is used to trigger other effects based on the mental commands of the ghost.
Punishment of the Reluctant Servant PeMe 21
This effect strips a single point of might from the imprisoned ghost. It has unlimited uses per day and is linked to the effect above. This means it triggers whenever it detects the mental intent to disobey the person who imprisoned it and continues to trigger every round this thinking persists.
This acts as a potent threat for spells like Coerce the Spirits of the Night .
edit: A bonus sketch of the man himself. Look at that lovable smile and big, uh, bulging... eyes...! Who wouldn't want to be friends with this guy?
