Quillan Sloane

Order of Hermes
Scion of House Merinita
Wizard Guide of Gothique
Preceptor of Ex Miscellanae
Adept of the Shadowsouls Chantry

Description


~Rugged appeal combines with scholarly savvy to make Quillan Sloane an attractive man who wanes his 20s. All the same, he looks like a fellow who never quite outgrew university and the endless party it so often is. Quillan is relatively tall at about six feet, but he's lean and lanky. He favors stylish if casual attire: khakis, collared shirts, loafers. The relaxed gentleman maintains his dark-brown hair at short levels. But it's often styled (or forgotten) at a variety of angles, and given blond highlights to boot. Mirth and patience both radiate from his chestnut-brown eyes. His youthful vigor and boyish charm include a smile other people can't miss. Yet it's a smile they soon forget, for such a handsome devil seems larger than life. Quillan Sloane bani Merinita is too dreamy to be real.~

OOC: Appearance 3; Arcane 2

"There's wind in my breath, fire in my blood, and lightning in my eyes. Do you still doubt me?"

History


Glamour of Youth

Some would argue that Quillan Sloane just had a strange family. But Quillan, born in 1976 to a good nuclear family, would disagree. His family was straight-up weird! Surely, it was due to the fact that both of his parents, Woody and Meredith, were fully aware Satyr Kinain. In fact, Woody was more than Kinain: he was an Awakened wizard of the Hermetic Tradition: House Merinita. Quillan was the third of four children. Stanley and Kelly were his older siblings while Lewis was his little brother. They grew up in Wilmette, a small town on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois.

The Sloanes owned a large house with acres of yardage, cultured into lovely greenery and gardens. Quillan's parents hosted many parties for their faerie relatives there. Consequently, the kids were exposed to a lot of debauchery even from a young age. (Hell, Quillan was laid by age 11.) But Quillan was also exposed to the magic and wonder of fae and wizards. He witnessed spells of play and fright alike over the years. Quillan had no reason to question the existence of the supernatural, of course. The boy never understood how people couldn't accept the supernatural as real.

But then, most people didn't live in that home, nor did they benefit from his mystical heritage. His parents expected something to come of him, like his other siblings. His sister, Kelly, ended up undergoing the Chrysalis and becoming a Satyr. His father drilled mundane academics into the home-tutored children, and Quillan was smart enough to begin studying the occult lore his father kept, too. It was expected that Quillan would follow his father's footsteps, in fact. From youth, he demonstrated an innate talent with prestidigitation. Quillan was able to summon tiny sparks of harmless light and color and juggle and toy with them as other boys played with balls. He would entertain his family and their guests at many parties with that "trick".

Of course, with this sort of magical heritage, it was no surprise that the Sloanes were fairly irreligious. Quillan never went to church. He accepted the divine as he accepted the supernatural: there was no desire to worship. Instead, he spent his days studying hard. He wanted to become a wizard like his father. Quillan had vivid visions and daydreams about true magick, about turning his prestidigitation into raw force and power with which the heavens were made to obey. Unfortunately, his studies were sometimes distracted. Kelly delighted in trying to distract her little brother with harmless flirts and temptations. Quillan was really not into incest, however, thankyouverymuch!

The Heritage Beckons

Unlike many mages, Quillan didn't suddenly Awaken. For him, it was more of a gradually increasing awareness about the Hidden World. The existence of magick, after all, was no shock to the youth at all. Quillan was thirteen when it became clear to his father that the boy was truly Awakening. The boy reported being able to see the true nature of Quintessence and Glamour (which are energies that are one in the same to the Merinita). Quillan saw millions of tiny, swirling orbs of light and color. These orbs contained everyone's hopes, dreams, and their very essences. These orbs were constantly spinning and whirling through reality, nothing more than invisible illusions to the unAwakened! Most of the dreams were of mortals like him, while a few were dreams of the gods themselves. Either way, he could not visualize them at all at once. They were just too many of them and spread across the earth. That, his father reassured, was simply a function of Arete -- the measure of Quillan's understanding of the world and magick.

For the next year, Quillan studied with his father on levels he never grasped before. He only needed that time to understand the fundamentals of magick. His father just wanted to make sure Quillan was eased into the Awakening and not rushed despite his heritage. Regardless of their family legacy -- or even especially due to it, the madness of Quiet was a serious risk! Quillan even received a pair of ancient family heirlooms to help carry on their mystickal legacy.

Then in 1991, Quillan was sent abroad. To complete his education as Merinita and properly join the Order of Hermes, he had to acquire a formal degree at a college chantry. The primary college for House Merinita, known as Merl Academy for the Gifted (or just "The Merl"), was located in London. There Quillan spent the next four years, a standard amount of time for any Hermetic student. The young man studied mystickal Spheres and supernatural lores almost exclusively. The only academia he was required to pursue was considered "elective courses", although some were fundamental bases for more esoteric classes. But much of what Quillan did at the Merl was very...odd. He enjoyed his first faerie Enchantment in 1992 as part of a "life studies" type of class. He witnessed the beauty of chimerae and knew then that there were illusions within illusions. And illusions were as real as belief allowed.

At the Merl, Quillan also developed a sense of understanding regarding the real danger that the Technocracy represented, and why House Merinita helped the Nine Traditions fight the Ascension War. The threat of banality would crush out all forces of imagination, rendering people into mere obedient sheep with no independent beliefs. That was unacceptable! In addition, to old alliances, Quillan was able to learn more about the fae. The clashes between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the looming threat of the Fomorians, and the nature of Glamour compared to Quintessence were all considered. For graduation, Quillan wrote a final thesis on how it was the duty of magi to restore faith in dreams to the Sleepers of humanity. Though not the most original topic, his opinion was right on the money. His favorite professor, Slade Winward, helped the young apprentice realize this. The world wasn't there to be reshaped at Quillan's whim. It was there to help him help other people.

Endless Spire, Storming Souls

Once Quillan graduated, the young mage moved back home. However, he decided to avoid his crazy family. His youngest brother was on the brink of Awakening, too. Plus, he heard a rumor about Kelly and his oldest brother Stan… So after a brief stay in Wilmette, Quillan moved to the Windy City. He knew that there was a general chantry present there, the Endless Spire. He was immediately welcomed by the other Hermetic mages in the chantry. In fact, they invited him into their Hermetic-only cabal, the Storming Souls. The unofficial leader was Richard Rowe bani Quaesitor, and also included Philip Tanner bani Fortunea, Marcia Tanner bani Verditius (yes, they were husband and wife), Zachary Blue bani Flambeau, and Gideon Chase bani Glazer. The youngest of the cabal, Quillan still befriended all but Richard. The "judge" just rubbed Quillan the wrong way and vice versa. He feared a rivalry would begin between he and this older and more experienced wizard.

So Quillan kept his distance by making friends among the local changelings. With his family connections, finding the fae was not difficult. For the first time, Quillan dealt with more than Satyrs. He had seen other sorts of fae before (at his family home's parties), but never really spoken with them. Of course, Quillan still hung out with the children of Pan! He met his long-running girlfriend, Tabby Ease, though both agreed not to remain monogamous. It was just against their personalities. Quillan also earned a good friend in Jerome Tilden, a Pooka of ferret affinities. After acquainting many sorts of Kithain, Quillan fell in love with their life and culture and legacy. He decided the best Path he could walk was to help reestablish ancient diplomatic ties between mages and faeries. What alliances they would enjoy against their common foes!

While most of his fellow mages approved (if felt dubious) of the idea, the fae were another matter. Quillan knew he would have to earn their trust. His first chance to do so came in 1997. The Merinita seduced a lovely Sidhe lady named Robin Dudley ni Liam. Unfortunately, a pompous Sidhe sorcerer called Kevin Boyce ap Eiluned was sweet on Robin. He challenged Quillan to a mystical duel of their Arts. But to Kevin's surprise, Quillan's potent talents soundly thrashed the Eiluned. The Sidhe didn't realize human mages had grown so powerful since the "old days". And that was the end of that! And for Quillan's defeat of a snobbish noble, the commoner fae lauded him as a local hero of sorts.

Banal Enemies

However, Quillan didn't get much of a chance to exploit that trust to forge diplomatic bonds. The same year, the Storming Souls Cabal discovered a potential Hermetic apprentice in the city. Before they could approach the potentate, vampires of House Tremere, who had recently suffered intense losses at the hands of Lupines (werewolves), decided to replenish their losses. These Massassa often chose those interested in the occult or those who demonstrated aptitudes for magic. They gobbled up that potentate right from under the cabal's nose.

Outraged, the Storming Souls tracked the Tremere's unmasked Resonance back to their lair. Quillan's fae friends warned him about the Children of Lilith: most were parasitic hosts for Banality incarnate. Quillan had doubts that his Arts would work on these undead monsters. He hesitated while his cabalmates kicked his ass. Seeing their Arts unrestrained, Quillan was struck with Epiphany. He realized magick worked far more on his own beliefs than the beliefs of the Banal world. The consequences of Paradox were incidental and paled to the focus of his will. Quillan joined the battle with guiltless and joyful fury. And so the Hermetics cleaned house. The blood magicians were simply outgunned, outmatched. It was not a difficult battle, Quillan found, though it was still a tragedy they failed to prevent. Several Kindred died that night, along with a future Hermetic.

Things began to roll more smoothly for a couple years after that. But from 1999 to 2000, the cabal faced a different and more dangerous sort of problem. The Syndicate branch of the Technocracy seized much of the Phil's assets by liquidating his overseas accounts. The Fortunea tried to recover by investing in revitalized real estate in a rundown part of town. But arsonists dispatched by the Technocracy proved that the Union wasn't just trying to make money, it was trying to bankrupt Phil. So he reinvested in other real estate. And this time, the Storming Souls camped out near the sites to guard them from mischief. Over the next year, a game of hit'n'miss occurred between the Hermetics and the Syndicate's criminal agents.

At one point, however, Quillan discovered it wasn't just the Technocracy behind this. It happened on Devil's Night in 1999. His friend, Jerome, hinted at mischief that a couple Unseelie anarchists intended. The two planned to capitalize on the Union's arson as cover for their own -- and it was Devil's Night anyway. Quillan broke off from the cabal's observation point to go and confront the two Unseelie thugs. He prepared himself with countermagickal wards and repulsion fields, both of which were prudent when it turned out that he was dealing with a voracious Redcap and goblinish Nocker. Calling upon his Merinita fae-rites, he was able to conquer both of them without killing them. He simply KOed them with chimerical death.

Though those two were thwarted, the cabal was distracted by Quillan's disappearance, and was unable to stop the Syndicate's agents from destroying the buildings they watched. While Quillan just improved his relations with the fae by handling the Unseelie vandals without slaughtering them outright, Richard was more irritated with Quillan than ever. "Irresponsible", he condemned the young Merinita. All the same, by the following year the game became too costly to bother with for the Syndicate, and the attacks just stopped. Phil was able to capitalize on his investments and Richard shut his mouth for a while.

Strife in the Tower

But things came to a head with Richard that year. They were ready to kill each other as accusations and insults flew. The two war-mages, Zachary and Gideon, had to hold them back. Clearly, it was a serious personality clash. But was it unsolvable? They held a mediated discussion about each other's problems. Richard castigated as Quillan irresponsible, Quillan labeled Richard anal-retentive. Richard called Quillan immature; Quillan just said Richard was being a dick. Ultimately, there was no resolving their differences. But for the sake of the cabal and chantry, they agreed to keep their opinions of each other to themselves and to work together peacefully for now.

More strife loomed within the Endless Spire over the next year or so. A cabal of Hollow Ones, which included Betsy Bop, the Crayon Man, and Stithe Ramble, began to make trouble for the Storming Souls. Citing the conflict with the Syndicate, the Hollowers ran a smear campaign against the Hermetics by framing them for murders they didn't do, invoking occasions of spirit and ghost trauma, and repeated violations of the Rule of Shade by overtly blatant vulgar magicks. While Richard pursued more standard methods of investigation (magickally speaking at least), Quillan took another avenue. Pretending to be a dissenter in the Storming Souls cabal, he seduced Betsy Bop. A pillow talk confession revealed that the Hollowers were behind the lies. Of course, Betsy was trying to determine Quillan's true loyalties, too.

Ultimately, the Hollowers simply wanted more influence in the chantry for themselves, as always feeling left out and under-represented. Richard discovered enough suspicious evidence to decry their accusations. And to end the conflict, Gideon challenged the suspected deceivers to Certámen. Betsy Bop, the Crayon Man, and Stithe Ramble all fell (non-lethally) in this formal duel to the shrewd, swift, and powerful Glazer. The Hollow One conflict was resolved in equal parts wisdom, violence, and a trump card: sex!

Broken Souls

Not long later, neither wisdom nor sex would avail the cabal. The Storming Souls were faced with their most dangerous and deadly confrontation yet. A scheming group of Nephandi slunk out from under their rocks and ignited a shadow war by brutally assassinating poor Philip Tanner. They tried to frame the Technocracy by posing as agents, but the Hermetics penetrated the illusions during their investigation of the bloody scene in Phil's home. Outraged (especially his wife, Marcia), the Storming Souls felt frustrated by lack of a target. Richard advised them all to be extra careful. Sadly, Zachary Blue was killed next. However, the old Flambeau didn't go down so quietly. He went out with a bang -- invoking enough vulgar magick to clean sweep every dark-clothed assassin that leaped from the shadows at him on his habitual walk home from the coffeehouse. The Technocracy investigated the site, of course, but it was futile: there was nothing left to examine. Quillan wept for his cabalmates, unafraid of showing emotion where his comrades dipped into stoicism. When Zach was killed, Quillan consoled Gideon, for Gideon treated Zach as a mentor and father figure. Their friendship deepened and their fury grew together.

Now the Storming Souls were ready for war. In 2003, the Nephandi made a mystickal bid to harness and thereby steal the Node from under the chantry's nose. They could feel the diabolic power behind the magick and everyone -- not just the Hermetics -- worked to cut that power short. Quillan learned from his girlfriend, Tabby, that the Sluagh heard of a base for Fomorians in the sewers. Richard finally developed an inkling of respect for Quillan and his fae connections. The cabal tracked the source of the power down before it could vanish and the Sluagh's whispers were confirmed. The Storming Souls found the underground area of the Nephandi sewer base. Marcia armed them well. The cabal stormed the sewer lair of their Nephandi foes, crossing paths with demons, Sleepers driven into psychotic waking nightmares, and of course the dark mages themselves. They negotiated planned cave-ins, deadly gas line explosions, and cunning illusions that nearly sent them dropping into deep pits.

But they destroyed everything in their path. They finally clashed with the Nephandi Master, flanked by two Disciples. The battle was awesome and thankfully muted so deep underground. When it was all over, everyone but Gideon and Quillan were dead. Marcia and Richard both fell to the Nephandi's cruel Entropy, while the Nephandi -- even the Master -- were creamed by the Hermetics' raw elemental might. The two survivors (who were hardly unscathed) returned to the surface and their chantry. The Storming Souls were victorious but the cabal was shattered.

Faerieworks

After that, Gideon and Quillan agreed to go separate ways. The Glazer was distracted with own pursuits anyway. For the next couple years, Quillan worked more and more with the fae. He began to introduce mages to fae, strengthening the bonds between the races. Quillan figured promoting peace between wizard and changeling was a good first step before seeking acceptance of dreaming denizens among mankind. One of the best opportunities Quillan had to this end was settling a dispute of a very unpleasant nature. A Verbena witch of the chantry accused a Satyr of rape during one of the local trago's wild parties. The witch's coven was up in arms about the case. Quillan mediated between coven and trago. He got both sides to relax and talk peacefully. Ultimately, the Verbena realized her mistake by even going to that party. Quite simply, attending a Satyr sex party and not expecting to be seduced -- by magic even -- was as naïve as dancing naked at a strip joint and not expecting to be fondled and groped. All the same, rape was rape. No one was physically punished (or castrated, as the coven demanded). The trago salved the witches' outrage by paying heavy fees of Dross. And all of this Quillan mediated.

Perhaps due to the losses Quillan witnessed and suffered in his former cabal, the young Merinita was growing more and more wild. He attended countless commoner parties. Quillan avoided the Sidhe nobles whenever possible, afraid their aloof attitudes would annoy the bejeezus out of him. Instead, he ended up in drunken brawls with Unseelie all too often. A friend of the Troll Kith, Arvid Troy, kept Quillan out of too much trouble. One episode when Arvid wasn't around to keep Quillan in check resulted in a bloody fight with a Redcap by the name of Skelly Knox. The 'Cap bit Quillan's hand clean off. Infuriated and wounded, the Hermetic dazzled the other fae in the pub by ripping poor Skelly's body clean in half with raw magick. Quillan impressed them even further by regenerating his hand. Bastard. The resulting Paradox made him sick for a month.

And at that point Quillan realized he couldn't goof off anymore. If he wanted to bring about the changes to the world he sought, he would have to get a little more serious. To help with that, Quillan decided a fresh start was in order. Tabby knew a few fae circles down in Kansas City. Even better, Gideon moved out there to investigate the murder of his apprentice. Quillan knew that was the place to go. Besides, he heard rumors that his father slipped into Quiet. He didn't want to be too easy to find! Quillan said good-bye to Tabby, Jerome, Arvid, and the Endless Spires. In Kansas City, the Crossroads Chantry welcomed the Merinita. Quillan turned his gaze on the local fae, seeing only opportunity in chaos.

Autumn to Spring

After Quillan met and fell in love with Autumn Rowe, he rationalized his new life as the rising starlette's bodyguard. Together they could and did go anywhere. When her mother moved them to New Orleans while real estate was cheap, Quillan readily joined. And what fun among the fae and Awakened alike could the Merinita have down south? Joining the Chantry of Shadowsouls instead, at least on the fringe, tending to his young Satyress demanded most of Quillan's time. Man, was he whipped... But that too had its purpose, its place in destiny.

And when it passed, as all things did, Quillan found another, and another. The wheels of destiny always churned, and he knew he had to provide the butter.

Significant Other


Quillan always wanted the honor and pleasure of being the first lover for a newly Sained Satyress…and not his twisted sister. In the spring of 2005, he gained that privilege with Autumn Rowe (no relation to his former cabal leader). Unfortunately, by society's standards, their tryst was incredibly illegal. She was Sained on her 13th birthday! So the pair have to keep their fiery romance very secret. The problem is, Quillan didn't anticipate the slip side experience of falling in love with this sweetheart songstress. He's hooked and such feelings are so far non-reciprocated. She's too young to devote herself to him yet. For now, it's all Quillan can do to keep her from being with other men (or boys her age, for that matter).

Before Autumn even turned 18, she had outgrown her affair with the wizard. She gently broke up with the older man. Though dejected, he took it in good spirits and moved on with his life. He lost track of her entirely, as she dropped her birth name and took on a stage name ("Avalonna").

Autumn

Significant Others


Recently, Quillan came across a lovely young lady who was, in common parlance, a mere Sleeper. But Sharmaine proved as bright and thoughtful as any custos. He wooed and won the teenager, tapping into her love for cosplay and fantasy with revelation of the real thing. The young Black girl became Quillan's greatest joy. To help mask potential problems, he pulled a Woody Allen and legally adopted Sharmaine. Using, as Sharmaine affectionately calls them "Jedi mind tricks", he disappeared the teen into his personal life so none dared question beyond the legal paper trail.

It worked so well that Quillan did the same with Sharmaine's two best friends. Jili and Jin both fell into the perverse world of Quillan and his whimsical magick. All three teens, though Sleepers, shared their wit and ambition with the older man, and willingly devoted themselves to his "wizard circle" while exploring the boundaries between fictional fantasy and harsh reality. In turn, he protected the three as devotedly as a man would protect his lovers and legally-adopted daughters. Even Jin's Korean family gave up searching for their daughter, convinced she and her friends hadn't run away but rather been accepted early into an advanced placement program for college. Well, they were learning something about life and the world they wouldn't get anywhere else. And Quillan was completely focused now on his new "family".

Sharmaine

Jili

Jin

Weakness
Party Man


Quillan is well-educated and devoted to the secrets and rituals of the Hermetic Order. But that doesn't change the fact that Satyr blood runs in his veins. He's a go-getter like any successful Hermetic magus. However, he becomes enamored with the pleasure and elation of achieving goals. This makes it harder for Quillan to move on in the pursuit of more goals.

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Quillan is savvy, smart, and quite aware. By normal moral standards, he's already rather corrupt. Look at who he's dating! But by fae standards, he isn't corrupt at all, and quite Seelie in nature in fact. However, these connections to the world of fae make him vulnerable to dangers he isn't entirely prepared for. Creatures of Nightmare Realms and Fomorians pose a real threat to his sanity and soul.

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