A changeling replacement left behind when an infant Roberte Lupus was stolen away by the Faeries, Fox Lupus was not meant to be long for this world. A twist of good fortune saw him survive the incident that killed his "mother." Magic was bound into the very nature of his being, and so he grew to become a powerful wizard, one who sells his services to the rich and powerful and charges them an absolute fortune for it. A chance encounter with his "brother" Sly has led to him being a frequent guest at the Silvervine estate, though he denies the "Lord of Misrule" has any authority over him. His Changeling nature and his own mastery of vital magics have kept him young for a century, which contrasts with his prim and businesslike air.
Background
In 1919, a baby was born to a werewolf lord, and a soothsayer of an Unseelie Court of Faërie foresaw that this baby was doomed to die. Lord Ilex of House Hollyfrost arranged for a fairy doppelgänger to take the baby's place, abandoning him to die, but unexpectedly, the child survived. Over the century that followed, and beyond, this child grew up to be more human than fae in many respects, yet he retained a strong magical talent, becoming a wizard of considerable power. For these long years, he studied magic, built his fortunes, and became very adept at living in the mortal world. He even accrued quite a fortune, selling his services to those who could afford it. Then, unexpectedly, the baby--now long grown up--returned from the fairy lands, and the two met. Initial curiosity became a greater interest, and the two became a strange sort of family. Now, amongst Fox's many other dealings, he is a frequent guest at Sly's home, the Silvervine Estate.
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Magick
Ceremonial Magick, sometimes called High Magick, is a highly elaborate form of ritual magic that relies heavily on elaborate ceremony, meticulous performance, and the use of consecrated tools in order for the Magician to work their art. While complex, this highly formalized magical style is excellent at channeling will, honing intent, and giving form to the magician's spells. One of its core premises is that one of the costs of magick (which always has a cost) is studiousness and plain old hard work with no shortcuts.
Fox has been practicing ceremonial magic for over a century, and has honed his skills to a razor's edge. He is capable of recalling complex rites from memory without the assistance of a reference and is able to perform essential rituals like the LBRP quickly and efficiently. He is, in short, one hell of a talented wizard.
SKILLS
Athletics - Competent Level
Literature - Expert Level
Marksmanship - Competent Level
Occult Knowledge - Expert Level
Scholarship - Expert Level
Self-defense - Expert Level
ABILITIES
Magic: Abjuration - Enhanced Level
Abjuration is the third part of the art of Invocation and Evocation - the banishment of spiritual forces from oneself and one's environs. Spells of cleansing and protection are forms of Abjuration, with the most fundamental such spell in the Ceremonial Magician's arsenal being the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Mastery of such spells protects the magician and others from spiritual influence, attack and possession, and can drive off and disperse hostile manifested spirits. As an experienced magic user, Fox is a powerful abjurer, able to protect himself and others and lash out at hostile spirits with expert skill.
Magic: Astral Projection - Enhanced Level
Fox is able to enter a physical trance and project his spirit outside his body. While in this state, his spirit may travel freely through the physical world, as well as traversing the ethereal planes, traveling just as easily as a spirit would. The main drawback is that, while he projects, his body lies effectively comatose, and without taking proper care, this could leave him vulnerable to anything that could harm him, and his body's physical needs remain the same as they would be normally, so it tends to be best not to leave it lying about unattended for too long.
Magic: Divination - Enhanced Level
Divination is commonly boiled down to the ability to predict the future... and it CAN be used that way, but any magician worth their salt knows the future is a complex thing and that any window granted through divination is limited. Perhaps more useful is the use of divination to reveal the hidden, observe from afar, and examine the inner self. Countless methods of divination exist, and Fox is skilled in many, though his personal favorites are his tarot deck given to him by Crowley himself, and scrying through the medium of fire.
Magic: Elementalism - Enhanced Level
Fox is an accomplished worker of elemental magic, from the throwing of fireballs or lightning bolts to summoning frost or working the weather. While this is not his greatest strength, he is highly skilled and is able to manipulate the elements at Enhanced level with full capability.
Magic: Enchantment - Enhanced Level
Fox is proficient in the practice of altering the state of an object or person by adding or removing magical effects, a process known as enchantment or disenchantment. This effect is usually temporary, but with ritual magick he can make it more long-lasting or potentially permanent.
Disenchanting magics that he did not personally create may take great time and effort, especially if the effect is more complex or powerful. Enchantment might enhance, such as to make metal stronger, make a person faster, or allow the target to see farther. Most commonly, enchantment means imbuing targets with magical effects. If he can otherwise create a magical effect, then he can also apply that effect as an enchantment.
In everyday use, Fox's enchantments usually last for up to a single day. After that, everything reverts to its normal state unless he extends the effect with another casting or uses a ritual to make the effect more long-lasting.
Magic: Evocation - Enhanced Level
Evocation is the drawing of spirits into the world OUTSIDE of the magician to do the magician's bidding in some form or manner. Where the wise use Invocation generally for more benevolent or "cool" spirits, Evocation is for "Hot" or tempestuous spirits like Elemental beings. It's also used for the summoning and binding of evil spirits such as demons when the situation calls for it. Fox has long experience with Evocation, including a litany of names of spiritual beings, binding spells, and magical circles and seals.
Magic: Invocation - Enhanced Level
Invocation is the drawing of spiritual forces into oneself, manifesting them within the psyche and giving them the power to work through the magician through the bestowment of their gifts or at the most extreme ends complete possession of the magician's body to work their will, a dangerous endeavor only to be undertaken by the most experienced and careful magicians, and even then not lightly. Fox has decades of experience with Invoking, and a broad and varied knowledge of spirits, what benefits they bring when invoked... what they might ask for in return, and how they might behave.
Magic: Magick - Supreme Level
Ceremonial Magick, sometimes called High Magick, is a highly elaborate form of ritual magic that relies heavily on elaborate ceremony, meticulous performance, and the use of consecrated tools in order for the Magician to work their art. While complex, this highly formalized magical style is excellent at channeling will, honing intent, and giving form to the magician's spells. One of its core premises is that one of the costs of magick (which always has a cost) is studiousness and plain old hard work with no shortcuts.
Fox has been practicing ceremonial magic for over a century, and has honed his skills to a razor's edge. He is capable of recalling complex rites from memory without the assistance of a reference and is able to perform essential rituals like the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram quickly and efficiently. He is, in short, one hell of a talented wizard.
ADVANTAGES
Attractive
Fox is attractive enough in the conventional sense, but more than that he has a certain "something" about him that tends to invite a response from people. His presence makes it easy to draw and hold the attention of others. However, when he doesn't want to be noticed, it almost works the other way around, letting him blend into the crowd as far as normal senses are concerned.
Resources
Fox has learned and done much in the mortal world over the years he's lived in it, and during that time he has accrued a sizable personal fortune. He is able to live very well without any concern for money and has all the typical trappings of wealth and the savvy to make use of them.
Unseelie Court
Fox has distant ties to the Winter Court, but he also enjoys fringe benefits from the favor his "twin," Sly, holds with them. It is possible that if he really needed to he could call upon the Unseelie Court for minor favors, such as leading others through their territory without being troubled, though he has no grounds to request for much beyond that. In general, the Unseelie Court also knows that by Mab's decree, Fox (as an extension of his relationship to Sly) is not to be troubled or harmed.
WEAKNESSES
Changeling
As a changeling, Fox is susceptible to lesser versions of all the weaknesses of the fae. While iron does not do him actual harm, it does cause a very painful burning sensation when he touches it, as though he had grasped a red hot coal. Binding him with iron also completely negates his ability to use magic. Steel causes him only minor discomfort. Similarly, he is able to lie, but when he is really pinned down on something--asked thrice--he must give a direct answer that adheres to at least the spirit of the truth. The power of Oaths binds him more powerfully: He is not capable of willingly breaking any Oath he makes, though if one is broken by circumstances beyond his control, he suffers no harm from it.
Past
Fox has had a lot happen in his life. When he was very young, he was left to "die" in the place of his "twin," Sly, but he managed to escape this alive, and in the time since, more than a century, he has made friends and allies, as well as occasional enemies. While he lacks any great arch nemesis or the like, having had so many dealings over so long, there are always past entanglements that can crop up, whether old foes looking to settle a score or past allies in need of help.
