OLIVIA DAMFORTH ~
Photo AttachedHigh Concept:
Peabody Anthropologist Gone NativeTrouble:
The world hasn’t changed, but I have.I originally intended to use “Plagued by White Guilt” as Olivia’s trouble. I prefer the re-write above because it can include the idea of white guilt, but it encompasses broader changes as well. It better reflects the fact that Olivia is a woman somewhat out of/ahead of her time. She’s not entirely comfortable with society as it is.Skills:
Will (Great +4)
Crafts, Magic (Good +3)
Lore, Notice, Stealth (Fair +2)
Athletics, Fight, Resources, Shoot (Average +1)
Stunts:
- You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: +2 to Magic attacks targeting one or more opponents, e.g. curses.
- Survivalist: +2 to Craft rolls in wilderness settings
BackgroundThe Damforth family roots run deep in the New England soil. Some even say that the first Damforth arrived on the Mayflower. Their privilege and quiet but strong influence pervades certain social circles, especially those of the “old families” of America and Europe. The Damforths are known for producing a woman of strong character and bullheaded determination once every generation. Not content with the status quo, these women either rise to prominence and power or are destroyed from without -or within- because they cannot conform to society’s demands. Rumor has it that among them one might find Salem witches, prominent politicians in all-but-name, sea captains, and abolitionists.
Olivia Damforth was carefully educated and enjoyed all of the advantages that society offered. Settling for nothing less, the Damforths persuaded Harvard to admit the young lady, contrary to all policy and propriety. There she studied the decidedly unladylike field of anthropology, and upon graduation she transitioned to a position with the Peabody Museum. Unable to decline her appointment, the director -one Edward Fiske- did his best to marginalize Olivia. He hoped to frighten her into resignation with an assignment to collect ethnographic materials in New Guinea. Quite the contrary, Olivia relished the challenge.
In 1874, Olivia set forth for the island by rail and steamer. Guides and missionaries led her as far as they would dare into the jungle and arranged contact with familiar tribes. Determined to prove herself, Olivia knew that artifacts from known people would not do. She traveled from one tribe to another until she encountered the Waru – people isolated entirely from western society until the fateful day of their meeting.
Intrigued by the pale creature with leaf-colored eyes, the Waru welcomed Olivia, recognizing in her a strong spirit. The attraction was mutual. Weeks turned to months, and months to years. At some uncertain point, Olivia realized she had no intention of returning to Cambridge. She had adopted Waru ways and acquired the skills necessary to live in the highlands. From Waru sorcerers, Olivia learned about the life-force and how it could be manipulated, stolen, or restored. Contrary to the haughty views of her professors, she learned that the Waru were not a lesser people, clambering up the ladder of cultural evolution. They were skilled and knowledgeable, and she both respected and admired them.
Olivia’s life with the Waru came to an abrupt end when they were found by gold prospectors traveling illegally and secretly. They took food instead of bartering for it, and they shot people who got in their way. Worse still, they carried a weapon more deadly than guns – disease. Several days after their contact with the prospectors, many of the Waru succumbed to smallpox as Olivia watched with horror.
Phase One – Foiled Again, Curses!The Waru were lost. Olivia knew that. Those few who did not die from the first wave of disease would perish through violence or disease as they met other outsiders. Her only hope was to return to Harvard to convince the department that cultures like the Waru were more than sources of bric-a-brac and fodder for papers about the superiority of European culture. They were people to be valued in their own right, people with lore and knowledge anthropologists could only dream about.
She confronted Edward Fiske, director of the Peabody and pled with him, trying to impress upon him the importance of not only studying but also saving these cultures before it was too late. Fiske was enraged by Olivia’s temerity, repulsed by her sympathy for “savages,” and secretly frightened by the mysteries she had uncovered. When the argument escalated and he dismissed her outright, Olivia seized a hank of hair from his head, uttered a Waru curse, and fled from the museum, vowing to continue the mission on her own.
Unbeknownst to Olivia, the curse was both effective and powerful. Had she completed the ritual by submerging the hair in water, Edward Fiske would simply have been marked to die. The incomplete ritual had an entirely different effect. Over the coming weeks, Fiske’s soulless body remained animated as he grew emptier and emptier inside.
Aspect –
Don’t tell me what I can’t do.This aspect references the Damforth woman of “strong character and bullheaded determination.”Phase Two- An Interview with a Vampire-HunterDisgraced and still stinging from her dust up at Harvard, Olivia takes a trip to England to cool her heels and visit her great uncle, Thaddeus Damforth. Late one night at his country estate, an intruder makes an attempt on Thaddeus’s life. Fortunately, Olivia’s keen senses alerted her to the attack, and she was able to fend off the assailant, allowing her uncle to escape. Olivia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with a young woman and demands an explanation. The invader introduces herself as Cassandra, Thaddeus’s estranged daughter. But this was no simple familial dispute. Cassandra reveals that Thaddeus is a vampire. He tempted Cassandra to yield to her own true nature and to fulfill her destiny of power and longevity as one with vampire blood. She fled, conflicted, but returned later intent upon slaying the monster who fathered her and served as her mother’s ultimate demise.
Aspect –
On a quest for the unknownThe idea behind this aspect is twofold. Olivia wants to study hidden cultures before their knowledge is lost forever. Also, she is now aware that ‘magic can be real’ per her experience in New Guinea. She’s also learned that legendary/supernatural creatures really do exist per her discovery that her uncle is a vampire. Is there a better way to phrase this aspect?Phase Three – The Hart of the MatterOlivia gets word that an acquaintance, Hem Vance, has gotten himself locked up in the drunk tank…again. She sets out hoping to leverage the Damforth name, pull a few strings, and secure his release. Needless to say, she is quite surprised to see walking toward her on the street none other than Hem himself, accompanied by a blustery old chap who introduces himself as Menry Brewbeckolf. The three trade stories over tea, and Olivia learns that Menry, hunter extraordinaire, came to England in search of a legendary white stag. Olivia knows it well; the deer is the White Hart. If it is slain, the British Empire will fall. She blanches when Hem describes the scene as he last saw it. The great beast was felled at the hands of mysterious people conducting some dark “ritual.”
Aspect –
The Damforth name is known in certain circles.This aspect references the fame/infamy of the Damforth name, the fact that their privilege and quiet but strong influence pervades certain social circles, especially those of the “old families” of America and Europe.***
I kind of shoe-horned my trouble and phase aspects. I generated them from Olivia’s background, the phase stories on her sheet, and the phase stories she appears in on other peoples’ sheets.
I referenced the Strands of Fate suggestion to use the “Aspect Alphabet”:
A – Ambition
B – Background
C – Conviction
D – Disadvantages
Strands also uses “Specialty Aspects” since that system uses a total of ten aspects. The suggested specialty aspect alphabet is:
E – Exceptional Skill
F – Foe(s)
G – Gear
H – Help (e.g. a contact you can call on for help)
I – Inferior Skill
