Magick -- an expression of the Will tempered by education of the highest caliber and merged with inherent magickal talent -- is a province of many different mysticks in the world. But House Merinita is on top of the game, since many of its members, like Quillan Sloane, carry the magical blood of the fae in their veins. Their unique tutelage involves esoteric training in the secret lingual uses of Enochian and ancient Celtic tongues, the ritual use of ancestral fey relics (for sympathetic Resonance attachments), and the tapping or channeling of raw magical energies, called Quintessence or Glamour.
And Quintessence was that rare, free energy that was borne of the dreams of the Tuatha -- the godlike faeries from the early ages of creation. Whether pure or colored with emotions, Quillan knows these silvery streams of power are worth protecting and harvesting. The force of Paradox most mages fear is what happens when a magician messes with the reality the Tuatha established ages ago too much at once...or maybe even offends their sleeping whims; even Paradox is unpredictable!
Quillan personally views magick as the key to unlocking the true potential in himself and in others. Making one's dreams come true isn't a matter of driving oneself to the bone in the dim hopes of attainment. One has to already been in the circle, in the process of obtainment, and magick is the way. He can make his own dreams come true, and even make others' dreams come true. Quillan can obtain happiness and self-realization through the practice of his Arts.
Of course, the practice of his Arts cannot be taken for granted. Quillan is not an overly religious person. No God or gods commands his faith. However, he takes the ritualism of Hermetic and Merinita methods very seriously, practicing the ceremonies with religious fervor. He believes the Tuatha should be honored and revered, but not worshiped. The gods are no different than the Masters of his Tradition. They are extremely powerful and that power must be acknowledged...and emulated.
To the Merinita, reality is ultimately just a dream. Knowing how to co-exist with that dream is the first step to manipulating its fey flows. It's an ocean of energy that's always in motion. The way the dream-reality is formed, sometimes the rhythm of those currents are quite sluggish. Through the powerful codes of True Names that the Tuatha gave to the world and all things ages ago, and uttered in secret tongues, that ocean of energy can be manipulated in some small ways by a magician. A combination of ancient Celtic and Enochian chants allows Quillan to directly affect the Forces energies of the dream-universe. All manner of spells can be summoned, the elements themselves called to his bidding: "wind, fire, all that kind of thing!" Quillan just has to utter the right words over and over until his dream is roused to reality, merging with what the Tuatha established long ago. Although actually, Quillan knows the chants by heart, and his thoughts alone can ring out his dreams to affect his whims and spells... So the chants are not necessary for Forces.
For spells of Life, Quillan seeks to emulate the perfection of the Tuatha's living creations. Quillan tries to master that natural beauty in himself or others, but also learns how to reverse it to curse the dream-bodies of those around him. To do any of that, Quillan learned to craft figurines of wood. The figurines act as representative houses for the energy needed to affect that particular form of life. Quillan can't just use any old wood from Home Depot either. Hazel wood must be used for spells of healing or restoration, while oak is employed to condemn and curse. But so practiced is Quillan at woodcraft that almost every life form's figurine is blazed into his memory and, some would say, his personal Resonance. Consequently, he doesn't have to craft a figurine of himself or others every time he uses Life. Quillan often will, however, for the sympathetic efforts such work brings.
In a noble House of magicians like the Merinita, it was not uncommon for family heirlooms to house much power. Quillan inherited a couple such artifacts. One of them was a beautiful amulet slung on a silver chain. The amulet was crafted from a thumb-sized, faceted garnet. The red gem is so dark that it's almost black. In stark relief are the tiny diamond studs embedded in the garnet in a strange and simple pattern. Within this amulet, all the pride, honor, and willpower of his family's legacy is contained. And this resonating energy is more than enough to enable Quillan to propel that legacy onto others' thoughts and dreams. However, while this amulet a unique heirloom, he does not have to wear it to affect Mind.
Of all the liquids on the planet, the most blessed of all is wine. It helps loosen the dreams of those who imbibe it, encouraging the release of Glamour back into the world. Quillan, already Awakened, makes use of wine, too, in his Prime-related ceremonies. Of course, not just any wine will do. It must be wine of fine quality and blessed by the fae. By blessed, that just means that a changeling must take a swig and utter a simple and special verse: "blessed is this drought/without it magick is naught". This isn't really a kernel of faerie lore, however. It's a Merinita function. So Quillan must befriend some changeling and get him or her to bless his private stock. Otherwise, he can't cast spells involving Prime!
Like his amulet for Mind, Quillan possesses another relic of Merinita heritage for their specialty of Spirit. While Dreamspeakers and Euthanatoi deal most often with ghosts or the living entities of the natural world, Quillan deals with the fae and the Dreaming most often. But he is not oblivious to the existence of all manner of godlings and demons in the world. And they all share a similar affection for a good drink of wine. But it cannot be wine served in any old glass. Quillan holds quite a treasure in his trust to effect Spirit: a chalice crafted of opal from base and stem to lip. Pearls are embedded in the cup just under the lip. This fragile cup is used to share wine between he and the spirits with which he communes; it is unique but not necessary. Quillan is an accomplished disciple of House Merinita and already has a measure of respect from the gods. Of course, it's just polite ceremony to serve them wine in this chalice, so he often shall anyway.
Avatar
In Quillan's head swirls a countless number of tiny bubbles. Each contains a dream -- a dream of a fellow mortal or even of a god. Each offers insights, perspectives, and truths from all walks of life and immortality. Quillan gladly examines each with deep interest, and lets each vision guide him on different paths. The Merinita is tugged between the worlds of men and fae constantly. His sanity may be threatened, but his enlightenment is ever-developing. What might Quillan offer his Tradition, House, Kithain, and all humanity? It isn't at all certain, but he suspects diplomacy is the path he must walk the closest for now.
Resonance
Dynamic (Fey Heart)
Quillan is Kinain to the bone. His Glamour throbs in and through his flesh, echoing and resonating like a dream-figure come to life. This has profound effects on his environment, particularly in how people react to him. Quillan has a wonderful knack at inspiring hopes and dreams in downtrodden or depressed folk; he gains a bonus of -3 to the difficulties of related Social rolls. But he can barely even think practically. Any attempts to sound pragmatic fall hopelessly short and he suffers a +3 penalty to related Social rolls' difficulties.
This Resonance affects his Arts, too. Quillan finds it easier to summon and empower chimerae -- dream-creatures of the fae world. He gains a -1 difficulty to Arete checks for such Effects. But he surely finds it difficult to cast any spells that either enforce Banality or the status quo, which ranges from blanketing out the awareness of Sleepers of strange events to fortifying the Gauntlet against intrusion, and much more. He suffers a +1 difficulty to the casting rolls for such Effects.
Note: Quillan's Resonance effectively covers the Faerie Marks and Gifts that most Kinain have. He does not acquire Faerie Gifts, nor may he learn Arts and Realms, regardless of his pure-bloodedness. That purity resulted in his full Awakening as a Merinita wizard. Nuff said.
