My Characters: Trinity (Mage: The Awakening)

I love subverting archetypes and stereotypes, and the New World of Darkness seems very much designed with this possibility in mind. Classic World of Darkness tends to attach a lot of metaplot baggage to its character factions, and while that does give them flavor and history, it can also be somewhat restrictive. New World of Darkness opens up many doors by reducing the races to recognizable archetypes, ones that can be interpreted in many different ways. This brings me to the first ones of the 'My Character' articles. This is a character I have used once or twice in Mage: the Awakening before, but I haven't had a chance to fully explore yet, though I would welcome the chance to do so. As always, these characters are free for anyone to use in their games, and will come with story hooks and roleplay hints.

In the vein of subverted archetypes, the Obrimos path of Mage: The Awakening is very often stereotyped as a path of paladins and holy rollers, goody-two-shoes choirboys. It's easy to see where the stereotype comes from. Obrimos specialize in Forces and Prime, literally bringing warmth and light, and utilizing the stuff of magic itself. Their inferior Arcanum is one of the most morally grey ones, Death, and the typical Obrimos tends to be driven toward a cause, or something that they strongly believe in. Trinity is here to show that not all causes are good, and light and warmth can be just as dangerous as anything else when taken to an extreme.

Background
The infamous mage Trinity, spoken about in whispers in the Consilium of Detroit and in horror stories among the Seers, began his life as a rather unassuming young man in America, who happened to have a worryingly unhealthy obsession with fire. Simon Marco was never abused as a child, was never bullied, and almost drifted through life, neither excelling or failing. The one thing that drove him, however, from his youth, was his love of fire. Fire was something he never got tired of seeing, and when his parents were out, he would stare at candles, ignite small mounds of leaves, and sometimes, even singe stray dogs and cats, just to see them yelp. To Simon, fire was a symbol of control, a symbol of a dynamic force of nature, bending knee to mankind.

As a teenager, Simon was interested in history, especially the history of warfare surrounding World War 2, where he developed yet another unhealthy obsession with the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb. The idea of a bomb that could level cities and reduce people to smears of ash and carbon enraptured the young man, and as this obsession grew, he longed to see bigger and bigger things burn. He burnt his first house down at the age of sixteen, hiding and watching as the abandoned building was consumed by the flames. Since then, Simon took to wandering through the decayed and abandoned neighborhoods of Detroit, scouting out new locations, and burning down abandoned buildings. At least once, a person was sleeping inside the building, but Simon took the time to hide his involvement, and no one was ever suspicious of the teenager.

At the age of twenty seven, Simon, having finished a university degree in applied physics and having saved enough money, took what he saw as a holy pilgrimage to Nagasaki, where he explored the remains of the ruined buildings, and as something of a sacrament to his obsession, burned a house down in one of the abandoned areas.

Something happened in that moment to Simon, as he stood amidst the flames. On the horizon, he saw the nuclear flash of Fat Man as it exploded over the city. He heard the screams of terror of those caught outside, and watched the shockwave turn buildings into rubble. He heard the scream from the heart of the shattered atom, and watched as a pillar of fire and light roared up into the sky. Simon Marco had never seen anything so beautiful in his life, and could do nothing but walk into the blaze.

Waves of heat melted Simon's flesh, tearing away at his skin, hair and muscle, but he continued onward, climbing an impossibly high tower of molten fire. All around him as he climbed, and was slowly burnt alive, screaming angels serenaded him with voices that sounded like air raid sirens. Eventually, reduced to nothing more than a walking carbon shadow, with barely any substance left, he reached the top, and in his own ashes, inscribed his name on the Watchtower of the Golden Key, Awakening as an Obrimos.

Choosing the Shadow Name Trinity, after the nuclear testing ground, Trinity went along with learning the basics of Mage society. He very quickly realized that the ultimate fire he sought was inside the human soul, the fire of Awakening itself, and studied the process ferociously. His fervor and dedication made him popular among both the Silver Ladder and the Free Council, and with the help of their libraries, he quickly mastered the Arcana of Forces, and even managed to trick a Tamer of Fire into teaching him his Legacy.

It couldn't last, of course, and the Tamer cast out Trinity as soon as he realized what a monster he was. Trinity retaliated by murdering his teacher and stealing his books, firm that no one would stand in the way of his studies and experiments. He withdrew more and more from Mage society, becoming a hermit and setting up sanctums in abandoned buildings, as he studied how to trigger the Awakening in people, using methods that some would deem....invasive.

In any other city, Trinity would have been tried and killed, but Detroit had recently won a battle with the Seers, and needed every powerful mage they could get, so Trinity was tacitly accepted, though exiled from polite society. He proved his loyalty to the Free Council many times, on the rare occasions that he appeared in public, with firm commitments to spreading and sharing information, and giving some truly stomach-churning deaths to the Seers who were unfortunate enough to cross his path. Eventually equilibrium was reached. Trinity proved more useful alive than dead, and was used as a weapon by the Free Council, to be pointed at their enemies.

Today, Trinity lives as he always did, lurking in the abandoned suburbs of Detroit. Occasionally mortals disappear from the area, becoming trapped in house fires which seem to have no cause, and either dying, or using the stress of the moment to Awaken. No one in Detroit likes him, but killing him would mean acknowledging the tacit acceptance the leaders of the city have given him, and they would much prefer Trinity to be their dirty little secret.

Personality and Roleplaying Hints
Trinity is very soft spoken, and has somewhat childish mannerisms, shrinking away from loud noises and avoiding social contact. Behind his eyes, however, a ruthless sociopath works, who has one goal that he will do anything, even kill, to achieve. Trinity can lie without remorse, he can kill and watch others suffer, and firmly rationalizes it as part of the greater good. He will say or do anything to further his goals.

The possible single redeeming factor of Trinity is his genuine charity. Trinity believes fire to be the birthright of everyone, and doesn't take kindly to the idea of knowledge being suppressed or denied to people. He may be responsible for dozens of deaths, but each one was committed in the hopes that the person would arise from the flames, born again, like he was. While most others would label Trinity a serial killer, to him, it's all science, and all part of perfecting the process that will ultimately make the world a better place.

Trinity can serve as an ally or antagonist to the Chronicle, depending on the outlook of the players. He is a very firm reminder that magic can lead to hubris, and once down that slippery slope, a person, especially with magic, is capable of some seriously messed-up shit. Despite this, he is happy to help younger Free Council members, and if he finds a kindred spirit, or someone he thinks is heroic, he may even teach them in the ways of the Tamers of Fire. In a weird way, Trinity takes to heart their idea of heroism, and in his own warped way, lives up to it, standing up, uncompromisingly for what he thinks is right.

Story Hooks

•   A mage approaches the characters, introducing herself as a Tamer of Fire. She has heard about a member of her Legacy that has gone mad in the area, and seeks the aid of the locals to put the errant mage down. The Tamer is more focused on the intellectual aspect of the Legacy, and is good at motivating people, toking the fire in their hearts, but is not very good at doing battle, which is why she needs their help. She knows the clues to look for and is willing to trade both lore and favors in exchange for bringing to justice the criminal who is soiling her Legacy's good name. Is the hunt worth it, both for bringing the characters to the attention of a batshit insane serial arsonist, and the city's authorities? Are they in it because it's the right thing to do, or do they want to plunder Trinity's sanctum and steal his knowledge and artefacts? Regardless of motivations, the characters have a long road to tracking down Trinity, and a firey showdown seems inevitable.
• Seemingly improbable events and catastrophes are happening in the area, like animals made of fire stalking the streets, Ley lines being moved and mana reacting violently whenever it's used in certain areas, and it all points to one thing, Trinity has finally gone off the deep end and broken his own soul, becoming one of the Mad. As his Arcana leak out and infest more and more of the city, the Guardians and the Arrow are having a field day keeping all this under wraps, and every portent and sign points to some tremendous catastrophe in the near future. Trinity, in going Mad, has decided that there is only one way to replicate his Awakening on a large scale, and that's to simulate a nuclear blast on Detroit, and he doesn't care about how much Paradox or destruction he has to unleash. As he prepares the ritual, the clock is ticking, and the countdown to find him is reaching its end.
• New mages are Awakening all over the city, of all paths, often with strange, fire-based Nimbi. Obrimi shine with bright, passionate flames, Moroi have soot-stained auras and even Acanthi and Mastigoi create strange, smoke-like and illusory magical effects. Trinity has uncovered a new rote, one of his own creation, that traps a person inside aethereal flames until they either Awaken, or die a horrible, horrible death. The problem is that, the process is insanely traumatic, and Trinity is applying it as much as he can, to as many people as he can, resulting in dozens of hideously traumatized and unstable Mages, venting their power on anyone who will stand still. The Free Council and the Silver Ladder are naturally interested in obtaining this rite, to see if they can make it less nightmarish, but Trinity is demanding recognition and reward for the fruit of his research, and is threatening to burn down Detroit with a small army of newly Awakened mages. 

Stats (using Mage: The Awakening 1st Edition)
These can be dialed up or toned down depending on what level of threat you want him.

Trinity
Real Name: Simon Marco
Path: Obrimos
Order: Free Council
Legacy: Tamer of Fire
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 4
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 5, Composure 4
Mental Skills: History 4, Politics 2, Science (Bomb Making) 5, Medicine (Burns) 2
Physical Skills:  Melee 3, Athletics 3
Social Skills: Expression 3, Intimidation 4, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 3
Merits: Contacts (Criminals) 3, Danger Sense, High Speech, Sanctum 3
Willpower: 7
Defense: 4
Speed: 13
Health: 8
Armor: 5 (Unseen Shield, Forces 2)
Mana: 14/5
Gnosis: 5
Arcana: Forces 5, Prime 4, Space 3, Matter 1, Spirit 1
Virtue: Charity
Vice: Wrath
Wisdom: 3 (Pyromania, Megalomania, Psychopathy)
Rotes: Forces - Nightsight (1), Aethernet (2), Unseen Shield (2), Control Fire (3), Stay the Invisible Fire (3), Firestarter (4), Radiation Blast (4), Cleansing (5), Radiation (5)
Prime - Inscribe Grimoire (1), Supernal Vision (1), Counterspell (2), Armor of the Soul (3)
Space - Angle Vision (1), Correspondence (1), Nothing Up My Sleeve (2)
Attainments: 1st - Touch the Fire, 2nd - Catch the Fire
Dedicated Magical Tool: Wooden cane with a gold handle. He bought it when he first injured his leg in an act of arson.
Nimbus: Air raid siren, waves of heat radiate from his body.

- Kephn