Alexander Delapore
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Ogre Cyclopean |
|---|---|
| Court | Autumn Court •••• |
| Freehold | New-New Amsterdam |
| Player | Troy Mack |
"Can you tell all that from smell?" I asked, amazed.
"Trolls can smell the rainbows, trolls can smell the stars," it whispered, sadly. "Trolls can smell the dreams you dreamed before you were ever born. Come close to me and I’ll eat your life."
– from "Troll-Bridge" by Neil Gaiman
Contents |
General Information
Current Name: Alexander Delapore
PC Concept: Fachan dream-eater
Player: Troy Mack, US2002106671
Court: Autumn Court
Entitlement: The Dream Smiths
Age: Appears in his thirties, but rough living makes age difficult to determine
Location: New-New Amsterdam (around and under the Brooklyn Bridge)
Keeper: The Rats In The Walls
Fetch: The Delapore Family (specifically, "Alexander Delapore")
Specialties: Oneiromancy, Philosophy, Stories
Appearance
To the world...
Alexander Delapore appears as an imposing, but thoughtful young man. He could almost be attractive, if only his haggard face was untroubled by harsh living and hard times. The functional street clothes Alexander wears are patchworked with countless alterations, but every red and brown thread is intentional. The left part of Alexander's body appears to respond slower than the right; Alexander could appear to have suffered palsy or a mild stroke. His left eye is noticeably lighter than his right, almost milky white in color.
To the Lost...
Beyond the Mask, Alexander's left eye, left arm, and left leg are flayed open, as if Alexander's flesh is being eaten by an invisible force. The ends of each piece of tattered viscera fades away into nothingness. The wounds make Alexander's flesh seem almost unreal, like the Fachan was made of ephemera and the gossamer of dreams themselves. The left side of his body is gnawed raw, devoured by countless famished vermin. Shreds of muscle, tissue, and bone disappear at the edges of his wounds, blown away by the nonexistent wind of his Autumn mantle. His dying left eye leaks vitreous humor tears before these disintergrate back into dreams. This lack of health, symmetry, and reality, all without penalty to motion, only makes Alexander more disturbing to watch.
His few possessions have a hazy quality, cobbled from the dream-stuff of nearby sleepers. Alexander's rarely blinking right eye, bright grey, shines from his otherwise leathery and weathered face. Alexander's Autumn mantle flows from his exhaled breath. It is a cold breeze sweeping up and around him from all sides, lulling life into deep, hibernating sleep. The Fachan breaths so deeply, as if taking the whole world into his body to devour it all.
History
Before becoming Lost: Scion to the Delapore Fortune
Alexander Delapore was once a scion of a wealthy New England family. This was prior to being taken by the Others. The Delapore Family, originally the De La Poers from the British Isles, were an entrenched institution in Northeastern finance and society. Yet the Delapores' century-old fortune was built upon a family curse: their founder's involvement and pacts with the Others. From that relationship, the De La Poer family line became ridiculously wealthy in return for "becoming" something else. Expanding to the Americas, the family continued their dark practices below their ancestral estates. The Delapores became cannibals and worse, carroling human herds for slaughter to the family's patrons. By feeding and sharing the Others' appetites, the Fae agreed to give the original Delapores their fill. Over the centuries, the Delapores settled into being established, unquestioned New England old money. Time passed...
...and in the late 20th century, a young Alexander Delapore returned home from university, now a successful counselor and psychologist. Led by dreams, he discovered an ancient holding of the family. In the process of restoring it, the son of Delapore awakened his family's ancient pacts. He was taken through the Hedge to learn the "family ways", to be transformed into another Cyclopean Ogre. Alexander escaped, but not before acquiring the family "traits": prior to Alexander's return to reality, his left eye, left arm, and left leg shriveled. Alexander Delapore was turning into a crippled fachan of Scot-Irish legend: his flesh, mind, and soul a feast for The Rats In The Walls.
Since returning: Ascension in New York City
Escaping to this world through the Hedge, Alexander found his fetch had taken over the Delapore family, leading them to greater prominence and servitude with the Others. Alexander's homecoming consisted of heartbreak and violence, in which he was thrown off the family estate after just steps through the gate. The Mask disguised Alexander's physical changes, causing them to appear as palsy, but he still seemed wrong. Without family, money, support, or humanity, Alexander Delapore was cast back into a cold, fallen world.
Eventually, Alexander found his way to New York City, attracted by the memories of business and schooling completed here. Accepting his fate, the true Delapore became the troll he now resembled. He found a place among the impoverished hordes beneath the great bridges of the city, feeding on their dreams of food, shelter, and warmth. Alexander became a powerfully adept oneiromancer, melding his scholastic training with his new-found powers. In doing so, Alexander discovered a sort of peace in exploring the dreams of the humanity around him, helping these lost confront and overcome their own fears. When the Autumn Court approached him to aid their own ranks, the fit was sublime.
In 1990, Alexander became the Autumn Monarch of New York City. Taking the title of Ashen Pilgrim, he guided his Court in a firm, but reserved manner. The Fachan positioned the Leaden Mirror to be the city's most proficient oneiromancers. Under Alexander, Ashen courtiers of New York City also became known for a level of fairness which counterbalanced to its oft-maligned reputation elsewhere. For a decade, the Autumn Court grew slowly, but steadily, as a power in and of itself, taking on pupils from throughout the region. In 9/11's aftermath, Alexander expanded his Court's role into protecting the dreamscapes of the city. The Leaden Mirror exerted considerable power, not in the world of flesh and blood, but in the gossamer realms of dream.
However, at the Winter Solstice in 2006, the Fachan abdicated the Autumn Throne, nominating Paul Swann to take his place. Now, Alexander serves as a counselor and guide for the Leaden Mirror, helping Ashen courtiers come to grips with their own fears while maintaining their humanity, sanity, and souls.
The Present: Mentor & Guide to the Leaden Mirror
Alexander Delapore now travels the byzantine byways of the Wyrd, exploring the prophetic utterances that led to his abdication and recent visions. The Fachan took countless students over the past decades; he remains an active force in many of their lives. More search him out each year, as the Ashen Pilgrim's reputation for superior oneiromancy remains intact. He has yet to lose a duel and many Hedge-things will not face the Fachan on his own terms. They have learned better.
However, Alexander knows it is only a matter of time before his own story comes to a close. He simply hopes that his harvest, and its contributions to the Leaden Mirror, is not in vain.
Autumn Court Resources
For more information on the history of this PC, please read The Autumn Court in NYC page.
Former & Current Students
Spring Court
Dwight
Dwight. The amiable New York City Darkling originally studied under Alexander, learning the ways of dream-magic while patrolling the underclasses' dreamscapes. However, Dwight went with the Spring Court, turning away from the Leaden Mirror and its terrible truths. While the Spring Court encourages Dwight's oneiromancy to meet their needs, the Darkling continues to stay close to his first mentor. Alexander ultimately understands what Dwight is most afraid of: accepting and taking responsibility for the suffering of his many loved ones. Unlike other Ashen courtiers, though, Alexander believes it is up to Dwight to choose when and where he confronts the terrors kept locked deep, down inside.
Stephan Glamourdust
Stephan Glamourdust. One of the greatest fears is not of "something", but of "nothing": to "do nothing", to "have nothing", to "know nothing", and ultimately to "be nothing". The greatest socialite of Boston and perhaps the northeastern United States understands this very well. In meeting the Ashen Pilgrim of NYC, Stephan encountered a peace and tranquility he could not comprehend. Confronting Alexander's simple reality of hard work and struggle, the Spring courtier discovered an emptiness within himself that he yearned to fill. Over time, the two shared meals and the seasons: Stephan explained the mysteries of the crowded room, filled with a thousand stories, while Alexander offered the socialite venues where the wine tasted of sunlight and the music never dies. The two remain close. Even as his ability and importance grows, showering him with accolades and approval, Stephan remembers the Fachan's crucial lesson: one's greatest treasure must lie within.
Summer Court
Alex Drake
Alex Drake. One of the dragons of NYC, Alex Drake came to Alexander Delapore beaten, broken, and in despair. Burdened by tortures not simply within Faerie, but within this world too, Drake had seen humanity sink to levels of barbarism that the Others could never match. Facing such experiences to healthily survive them would take lifetimes; Drake submitted to only a few seasons under the Fachan's tutelage. At the time of their parting, the dragon simply needed release, a chance to howl, an opportunity to "be" rather than "know". The Ashen Pilgrim accepted this and facilitated Alex Drake's initiation into the Summer Court. The two remain close: in dreams where Alex Drake tells his story in all its gory detail, the Fachan is there to comfort and guide.
Autumn Court
Cordelia Marrow
Cordelia Marrow. Author, champion, and companion, the fate witch grew from being Alexander's student into a true friend. Originally encountering the Ashen Pilgrim of NYC during her northeastern travels, Cordelia became enamored by both him and his philosophies on fear. In Alexander, she found someone the Gravewright could confide in, trust, and believe in again. As the seasons passed and she returned, they grew close, exploring the waking and sleeping worlds together through countless dreams. Their debates ran into the night, as the nature of destiny and dreams unfurled before them. Cordelia traveled on, never staying in NYC, but to this day carries on and expands the Fachan's work, a work she herself helped develop. The fate witch returns to Alexander often, either in person or in dreams, to be with one of the few Lost she ever let close to her heart.
Dexter Robinson
Dexter Robinson. Fear is a precursor to many tragedies. The Autumn Monarch of Seattle's fear potentially foreshadows one of the greatest and most compelling tragedies of his generation. Few Lost have more power within the chaotic world of the Hedge and its Goblin Markets than Dexter Robinson, but the cost he paid for such influence is immense. Realizing the extent of his fraying sanity, Dexter sought the Ashen Pilgrim of NYC for healing and guidance. Alexander immediately recognized the danger confronting the "Mandible", a danger to himself and the Leaden Mirror. The Fachan offered to help Dexter, if and only if Dexter could find some portion of his own soul simply not up for sale. Their journey together remains rough: Dexter sacrificed much of himself to madness. However, while these two prominent Ashen courtiers remain united, there is little within the Hedge which the Court of Fear cannot master.
"Doc" Theodore Lovett Sweeney
"Doc" Theodore Lovett Sweeney. Toronto, Ontario's prominent Autumn courtier and apothocary studied with Alexander, learning the healing arts of dreamcraft. Under the Ashen Pilgrim's tutelage, "Doc" Sweeney learned to combine treatment of the body with comfort to the mind. The result increased Theodore's standing in his own freehold and region, in turn expanding the influence of the Leaden Mirror throughout the area. The grizzled Theodore remains a dedicated collegue of the Fachan, building upon and contributing to Alexander's philosophies of perpetual struggle and renewal. The student may truly exceed the master one day, and Alexander quietly hopes to see it. "Doc"'s potential is unlimited... if he can withstand the constant temptation to turn to nightmares. Resolutely, the Fachan is determined not to let that happen.
Edria Meredith
Edria Meredith. "The Fallen Flower" is one of Alexander's most accomplished students. Extremely connected and powerful in her own right, Edria began her fairy tale like so many others: afraid, confused, forsaken, and Lost. Edria met Alexander a year or so after her sojurn from the hedge and learned about the Leaden Mirror from him. Like others, she yearned for more than his spartan existence of constant struggle, and while her path took her other ways, she always returns to Alexander's company for a visit or two when the seasons grow colder. Unlike others, she remained within the Leaden Mirror (in part to her respect for Alexander and the teachings he gave her). Over time, she spread some of the philosophies that he instilled in her throughout the region, developing his foundation into her own teachings. As for Alexander Delapore himself, the Fachan cares deeply for Edria, seeing in her hope that the Lost might truly be able to live again.
Metalfinger
Metalfinger. One must search long and hard to find a more diligent, resolute, and strong-willed dreamer than Ignes Hughes. Much like the Alexander himself, the forgemaster of the American midwest was physically crippled by the torments of the Others. Unlike the Fachan, Metalfinger has yet to come to peace with what he became. Strangely, though, to Alexander's rare amusement and intense curiosity the Wizened's rage actually fuels the forges. Metalfinger approaches projects with a dedication bordering on exclusive fanaticism, abandoning all else for the work at hand. Yet each masterpiece always finds a way to improve the Leaden Mirror's standing and strength; Alexander helps see to that. Metalfinger originally sought out the Ashen Pilgrim to learn how dreams could aid his smithcraft in the "real world". In dreamscapes, though, he found star-metal, adamantine tools, and forges where the fire cooled. Even if they had not become close as teacher and student, for this boon alone Metalfinger would always be grateful.
Paul Swann
Paul Swann. The second Ashen Pilgrim came to Alexander seeking to understand: why was he taken, why was he killed, and why is he still afraid? Swann was prepared to hear any reply except the one that Alexander gave him. Ultimately, Swann's greatest fear was the Fachan's only retort: there was never a real answer, simply more fulfilling questions. Wrapped in uncertainty and the past, the Lost could waste away or usher in new lives by confronting who and what they could become. No less confused, but strangely comforted by the coming hardships, Swann stayed beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and studied with the Ashen Pilgrim of NYC. Over the years, they grew close, Alexander becoming one of the few the former Soldier ever trusted. When the Fachan abdicated the Autumn Throne in 2006, Paul Swann rose to the challenge and accepted the title of Ashen Pilgrim. Though unsure of how his own story will develop, Swann remains loyal at least to the person of the Alexander Delapore, even while discovering if the Fachan's ways are truly Swann's own.
Ras
Ras. The Beast of Boston was another Lost initiated into the Leaden Mirror by the first Ashen Pilgrim of New York City. For many seasons, Ras hunted with Alexander in the dreams and Hedge of Brooklyn and beyond. Yet Ras never enjoyed the scent of blood made from dreamstuff as much as the real thing; stalking nightmares could not compare to chasing down prey in the visceral flesh. She and Alexander parted ways affectionately, with Ras always welcome back beneath the bridges of NYC. Alexander knows that something has changed in his former pupil since her departure. The Fachan simply trusts that she will not lose way, whatever dark roads she may stumble down in the night.
Winter Court
Crystal
Crystal. The snowmaiden who clings to the deadened coldness of her heart continues to mourn what she abandoned with Alexander Delapore. A student of the Fachan's for several seasons, she sought to rekindle the flames of her own humanity under Alexander's tutelage. However, the fires burned too hot, too soon, and Crystal refused to face two of her greatest fears. First, that what was destroyed in her might truly be gone; second, that she might learn to love what she has become. Fleeing away from the fire drums of the Brooklyn Bridge and into the winter nights, Crystal left NYC, but still meets her mentor in dreams of ice and snow.
No Court
John Tercel
John Tercel. The fledging Hedge hunter is searching for something that intrigues Alexander. The Ashen Pilgrim saved John from almost certain death in the Hedge, nurturing the young changeling back to health beneath the bridges of NYC. John became his quick and perceptive student, readily learning about Lost "society", oneiromancy, and the Fachan's philosophies of strength through struggle. While not yet ready to swear fealty to the Leaden Mirror, John often supports his mentor's Court in force and words. Likewise, in the past years the young hunter aided Alexander physically and spiritually, always ready to help. The Fachan remains in consistent contact with John even after abdicating the Autumn Throne; John remains dedicated as ever. Alexander is not quite sure what it is that John is hunting for in his saturnine night, but hopes to be there when that elusive prey is finally subdued.
Friends & Acquaintances
Suicide King
Suicide King. When Boston's current Autumn Monarch came to power, one of the first things he did was visit the Ashen Pilgrim of New York City. Suicide King came to Brooklyn himself, without fanfare, and Alexander stood alone beneath the Brooklyn Bridge to receive him. What the two leaders of the northeastern Leaden Mirror discussed between themselves during their parley is their own business. Suicide King, though, returned to Boston smiling fiercely and with a dreamwoven deck of playing cards crafted by the Fachan's own hands. Over the next decade, the Autumn Monarchs of two of the nation's largest metropoli supported one another in all things, despite occasional disagreements over how best to advance their Court. Alexander tempered Suicide King's violent zeal with patience, while the Autumn Monarch of Boston noted that the Leaden Mirror could not utterly forsake flesh and blood for the stuff of dreams. When Alexander abdicated the Autumn Throne, Suicide King was not pleased, but supported the Fachan's decision as his to make. Their common league, it seems, remains as strong as ever.
Rook
Rook. Perhaps the Fachan's strangest relationship is with the Knight Banneret of New York City. Given Alexander's noted kindness and monkish lifestyle, it is difficult to imagine what ties could continually bind the Ashen street shaman and the Tolltaker Knighthood. However, the two do have some kind of understanding, manifesting in noticeable respectfulness whenever the other is mentioned in conversation. Whatever business one of the Leaden Mirror's prominent courtiers could have with a band of mercenaries is best left to the quiet imagination. When asked, Alexander becomes silent. The matter remains between Rook and himself.
The Dream Smiths
The Dream Smiths. Few among the Lost are as well-known and respected for their mastery of dreams and oneiromancy than the Ashen Pilgrim of New York City. These few, like Alexander himself, are also members of the Dream Smiths. Together with the entitlement's founder, Alexander and the others who helped establish this noble order work unceasingly to explore and understand dreams, as well as the countless horizons of possibility within them. The Fachan serves as a mentor within this group, helping new oathsworn confront themselves and their own dreams, before they are released to experience and guide the visions of others. Alexander, therefore, is the conscience of the order, reminding his colleagues that knowledge does indeed have a price. Whether that price should be paid is a question the Ashen Pilgrim has, infrequently, argued against. Alexander remembers that there exist some ideas and thoughts that the Lost really ought to remain ignorant of, for their own safety and the safety of humanity. Sometimes a dream is just a flight of fantasy... sometimes a dream is a nightmare of chains, ready to drag the unprepared right back to Them.
The Scarecrow Ministry
The Scarecrow Ministry. This entitlement of night gaunts deserves some mention. Alexander Delapore might not know about the noble order's true nature, but the Fachan and his students are diametrically opposed to the Ministry in almost all areas. Under the Ashen Pilgrim, the Autumn Court of New York City drove many visceral fearmongers (and thus some Ministers) from the domain without bloodshed, but also without compromise. Where the Ministry creates visceral terror, the Fachan teaches subtly. The Scarecrows hunt in this world of flesh and blood, Alexander and his students allow humanity its own reality, engaging the mortal masses in millions of nightly dreams. Ministers trust in the dangerous power of fear; the Ashen Pilgrim taught that the Leaden Mirror was entrusted with fear precisely because it was so dangerous: fanned arrogantly and unwisely by a few, hasty souls, fearful mobs would return only to burn the Lost to ashes. Instead of force-feeding an unknown mortal population a diet of terror, Alexander's Autumn Court helped others better understand themselves through confronting their fears together. Many Scarecrow Ministers have grown to deeply respect Alexander Delapore, despite their conflict, and leave him to his work. Whether they will respect his students, especially Paul Swann, as much, remains to be seen.
Potential Allies
I am looking for all kinds of potential tie-ins. I definitely would like to develop the Delapore family line, if anyone is interested. As for other PCs, there are three easy ways to tie our backgrounds together:
1. Autumn courtiers. I'd like to play sort of an advisor or counselor for the Ashen Court in NYC, or those PCs tied in with the Autumn courtiers (this could be a great way to develop or justify your PC's Autumn Court Goodwill...).
2. Oneiromancers. I'm maxing out those traits and skills necessary for oneiromancy. I'd love to work out some background with similar PCs. Within the freehold, I'd like Delapore to have a role monitoring human dreams for encroachments by the Others.
3. Other "healer"-type PCs. I'm definitely going to make dreamwoven objects with Healing Dreams. If you're playing a healer-type, please let me know how we can tie-in.
However, if you have any ideas, please do not hesitate to email me!
Potential Antagonists
More than anything else, other Delapores would make for great antagonists. I am open to almost any concepts regarding this.
Any PC who regularly victimizes the homeless or poor in Alexander's domain would make a great antagonist. I am not looking for early and overt physical confrontations, but in-depth character development. An "Xavier/Magneto" type relationship could be very compelling in that regard...
Competing oneiromancers would be a great way to tie our PCs together, especially those who potentially attract the Others to New-New Amsterdam.
Inspiration
The Rats In the Walls by H. P. Lovecraft. The inspiration of this imagining of the Delapore family.
Troll-Bridge by Neil Gaiman. Trolls can smell your past, your present life, and your (now endangered) future...
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. An edgier, more haggard Dumbledore, but Dumbledore nonetheless.
Contact
Again, I am looking for as many tie-ins as possible. Email at persevering1@gmail.com.
