Thomas Faxon

Fellow of Pan
Cultist of Ecstasy
Student of the Bearers of the Cup
Disciple of the Misty Gates Chantry

Description


~This charmer appears to be a gentleman in his late 20s or early 30s. Thomas Faxon knows he's good-looking and a slight swagger compliments his almost preppy fashion sense. The urbane fellow favors sharp, bold suits in dark colors or laid back casual wear such as khakis and Polo shirts. Tommy refuses to touch his short-trimmed brown hair, afraid to disturb its mild styling poses. His brown eyes sparkle with an unspoken invitation: he's going somewhere, so why not come along? His mannerisms, however, are quite precise and the man seems watchful. Apprehensive yet good-natured, Tommy is hard to forget but difficult to pinpoint. Guys like him belong on the Silver Screen: he's too much of a character to be real.~

OOC: Appearance 4 (charming); Style 1; Arcane 1

"I know exactly what you need."

History


Easy Life

Thomas Faxon's life even began with wine in 1974. Bradley and Ellen Faxon were lazy dilettantes that inherited and lived off the fruits of the family vineyard in Napa Valley, California. Tommy was an only child in a vast homestead that included beautiful greenery and plenty of acreage to explore. His parents never paid him much attention and he was given free run most of the time. They didn't want Tommy "infected" with conservative flavors through public schooling, so they hired a tutor to guide the boy's education.

But Tommy learned more about life from his Uncle Jerry, who visited the winery often. His father's brother provided more discipline and real-life kicks than his parents ever did. His tutor helped some, too, but only to keep him focused on learning something. Tommy didn't appreciate academics much, but at least he loved to learn. Uncle Jerry taught him winemaking when his dad couldn't be bothered.

Of course, Tommy was more interested in various wine flavors. He possessed an uncanny ability to discern subtleties in the wines he tasted. Tommy was also a very sensitive boy. Though sometimes that earned him a chiding of "crybaby" from Uncle Jerry, he demonstrated some very intuitive glimpses into life. Indeed, he bordered precognition, such as when he dreamed of his father's terrible, drunken car accident. The accident did come to pass and it crippled the man for life. Uncle Jerry came to live at the winery thereafter. He taught Tommy how to make a good vintage and ran the Untouched Vintages Winery for Tommy's useless parents. And to Uncle Jerry's delight, any vineyard in which Tommy played and toiled seemed to always produce double yield.

What a Trip!

Maybe it was Uncle Jerry's gratitude for Tommy's "good luck charm" status that allowed the boy to run wild again as he reached his late teens. He began to hang out and attend all sorts of wild parties in the area. Tommy made friends easy with his good looks, rapier wit, relaxed Californian vibe, and general coolness. He always had at least one girlfriend, too, of course, and lost his virginity before he gained his driver's license. The youth did a lot of drinking in those days, and often got high -- just pot, of course.

But at his 18th birthday party, Tommy made the mistake of trying LSD. Who knew what it was laced with, but it sent him spiraling down a horrible trip for which he suffered occasional flashbacks ever since. In this vision, Tommy witnessed people drinking wine made from a vineyard filled with rotten grapes. He knew it was a vineyard from his own family's winery. Their drunken, cavorting, and writhing bodies fused into one gigantic flesh mass. The flesh mass suddenly burst with millions of tiny ruptures, and from each crawled a maggot. And the maggots sang. They sang an excited jingle he heard on the radio, and it sent Tommy into a screaming and crying mess. To make the night complete, the cops busted the party and Tommy was arrested. The judge sentenced him (and many of his friends) to rehab in San Francisco.

Fortunately, the Cult of Ecstasy made a habit of observing the rehab center for potential recruits. Drugs sometimes stirred Avatars to Awakening. That seemed to be the case with Tommy. Or perhaps he always had the innate talent for those visions and the LSD just brought out a particularly unpleasant one. Whatever the case, the Cult perceived the Resonance of Tommy's Awakening soul. They sent a mentor, Seth "Big Daddy" Leery, to meet with young Tommy. Seth asked Tommy about his trip and previous visions he had, such as his father's accident. Secretly, Seth told Tommy about the Awakening, about magick, and about the Cult of Ecstasy. Tommy didn't believe any of it at first, but Seth soon proved it with "tricks" that couldn't be tricks: he saw things no one else could see, predicted too many things to just be coincidence. Seth promised to teach Tommy how to hone his talent to pull off those sensory marvels and much more. The young man agreed and once he got out of rehab, he left home to follow Seth into the city.

For the next four years, Tommy studied various theories of magick under Seth's guidance. He attended the local chantry, Misty Gates, as an apprentice. Seth encouraged Tommy to tap his innate talents through his own hobbies and affections. Of course, that meant Tommy developed an affinity for wine, blending winemaking and magick into one beautiful and professional Art. To back his practical knowledge with academia, Tommy took winemaking courses at Berkeley.

Meanwhile, Tommy learned what the word "party" really meant! He joined his debased Traditionmates at their wild parties. Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll!!! Tommy surrendered to his overwhelming passions, letting his magick flow through these unconquerable and magicks controlled only through will. He experienced a profound vision during these years: a river of wine flowed through the whole world, and Tommy knew it could become the lifestream for everyone. Tommy wanted it to be the lifestream. He wanted everyone to experience the joy of wine's sensuality. And that was a sensuality Tommy explored to the fullest. These crazy parties, in addition to his own innate attributes, eventually endowed Tommy with incredible senses of taste and touch. The world was an amazing place and it was all at the tips of his fingers or tongue!

Back to the Roots

Now that Tommy had the basics of magick down, he bid Seth and the Misty Gates farewell. He needed to expand his knowledge and learn at the feet of other Awakened vintners. There were very few in the world, and most were in Europe. From 1996 to 1997, Tommy lived in Tuscany, Italy. He studied with Gustavo "Gus" Spinotti, a jovial man who spoke only a little English. From Gus, Tommy recognized the importance of combining the "ley lines" with good vineyard land. The flow of the world's inherent mystickal energies had to geomantically compliment the natural vitality of the earth. Usually, a successful vineyard was "in line" (or it wouldn't have been successful), but unAwakened vintners didn't realize this. To be successful and more, Tommy knew he would have to study the intended vineyards well indeed.

After Italy, Tommy studied in France until 1999. He worked with Suzette Paradis in the Languedoc-Rousillon region. Fortunately, French was the only language Tommy ever learned, because Suzette didn't speak English! Besides enjoying each other's company as man and woman, Tommy realized the importance the subtleties of flavors in wine could have on its potential as magickal dross.

And he was glad that Suzette knew what she was doing. Tommy came to a vital conclusion under her guidance. After tasting every natural herb and perfume used to flavor different wines, Tommy decided all that was missing to complete the sensual beauty was a kiss from someone else tasting the same wine! And he had no difficulty kissing Suzette…

Ultimately, the young Cultist demonstrated great promise of becoming Gus and Suzette's "New World" counterpart in the magickal winemaking business. Suzette invited Tommy to join the Fellowship of Pan, which was an organization within the Cult of Ecstasy that focused on trying to help all mankind lose its uptight inhibitions and just have a damn good time already. The Fellowship was pretty informal, demanding no tests to enter. Tommy readily agreed. All he needed was a member's acknowledgment; Suzette sent her letter of approval out to all other Panlings across the world.

Sommelier

When Tommy returned to the United States, he hired himself out as a professional sommelier. As a connoisseur of the taste of wine, Tommy adopted a very urbane veneer that Suzette inspired during their occasional forays into the Parisian nightlife. When commissioned to do some work for some enterprising vintner, Tommy applied the knowledge he gained during his studies abroad. He suggested unusual ingredients that always improved the flavor.

But Tommy also manipulated these vintners for a variety of extra effects. He increased the sale of wine versus booze. Some wines commanded a richer and headier content while others insinuated an aphrodisiac connotation. And in some cases, he just recommended different labels for the bottles, offering bolder imagery of his own designs to improve sales -- and psychological enjoyment of the wines. Yes, Tommy's career was on a high point. He traveled all over the continental USA, never joining a chantry. Tommy kept in contact with his friends in the Fellowship of Pan by (good, old-fashioned, sentimental snail) mail. His efforts were lauded by all.

By 2004, Tommy just missed home. He returned to Napa Valley to visit his family winery. To his dismay, Tommy discovered that his uncle had gone missing, his parents were retired and moved to San Diego, and the vineyards were sold! He entered a very depressed and decadent period in his life. Tommy rejoined the Misty Bridges Chantry, but spent his days and nights partying hard and aimlessly. He kept himself in a drunken stupor almost constantly and was dangerously close to Quiet…or even Avatar desertion.

One night, Seth Leery showed up on his doorstep and gave him a swift kick in the rear (so to speak). He sobered Tommy right up and forced him away from bars and banned him from Cultist parties. Though Tommy was shocked out of vice, he still felt lost. Seth, who was actually Kinain to the fae, knew of a new Path for Tommy to walk. He directed Tommy to another vineyard in Napa Valley. Its owner, Audrie Lords, needed help and direction, too. So Tommy went to this place, yearning for a fresh start. Perhaps there Tommy would find the means to the end he sought.

Significant Other


Tommy met Audrie Lords in the summer 2005 while visiting her family vineyard at his mentor's direction. After hanging out that night, the two fell right in lust with one another. Tommy has since discovered that his new lover is a Satyress, one of the elusive fae. He also learned that they have way too much in common to go separate ways yet: their love of wine, magical natures, and just their overall beliefs. They even share the same hope of rebirthing her vineyards into the most successful winery in the valley. Besides these hopes, however, Tommy and Audrie have no serious plans together yet. There is no talk of love, no talk of anything beyond their fiery tryst.

Audrie

Weakness
Lush Faith


Tommy places too much trust in his Path of wine and drunken wisdom. Inebriation is a far more dangerous and vulnerable state than it is enlightening. He may endanger himself and others far more than help them.

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

As hedonistic Cultists of Ecstasy go, Tommy is actually rather moderate. The only drug he does is wine. Sure, that makes him a bit of a lush. But he's not trying to market cocaine or X, now is he? Combined with his tendency to keep to more serene neighborhoods of society, Tommy does not invite direct or indirect corruption.

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Character Profiles

The Misty Gates Chantry

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