Barnabas
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Darkling Leechfinger |
|---|---|
| Court | Autumn Court ••••• |
| Freehold | pending |
| Player | Kelly Pohl |
Contents |
Read the Fine Print...
Alias(es): None
Real Name: Finn Murray
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Seeming: Darkling
Kith: Leechfinger
Court: Autumn
Virtue: Temperance
Vice: Envy
Concept: Human Resource Management
Keeper: Mary, Quite Contrary
Fetch None
Taskmaster(Description)
Mask:
The rest of the world sees Barnabas as a bald man that carries himself like someone who is used to having his requests filled. His hands (when seen) seem to have suffered from some sort of accident which could be fire or some sort of shredding machine, but they do not show any meat - only muscle and bone.
Mien: The first thing that those who can see such things is his face - rather the lack thereof. Barnabas does not have a shred of skin above the shoulders and usually wears a coif of mail over his bare skull. His still-human eyes are deeply set, but floating as if in blackness. Aside from that, his only unearthly features are hsi hands, which are as stripped bare as his head, though he often wears gloves which conceal this fact
Mantle:
A general feeling of waxing energy is felt in barnabas' presence. Tired. Pale. Ill. A lack of vibrance. Regular exposure leads to dehydration and brittleness.
Notable Traits: Barnabas is seldom seen without his whip, which some fear might be a Token he brought back from the Hedge or Faerie that would be capable of causing great pain. The truth is that there are shards of cold-iron woven into the straps, which would preclude any Fae magic, but still holds a degree of malice. When attending gatherings, he also often wears a suit of chainmail. Barnabas is extrement manipulative and does not care to move unless he can be sure he is in control of a situation. Patient and cunning, he is willing and able to set a trap and let others walk into it.
Notes:
Mantle rating is pending Approval.
Guided and Guiding and the End of a Lash(History)
Pushing Papers
Other than a few incidences in his youth, Barnabas seemed to be a born bureaucrat. He was a capable student but did not shine until he signed up for military service where he was held a desk job in the Air Force managing personel. The only marks on an otherwise humdrum childhood are his uncanny pokerface and the time when he pushed one of the local bullies off of a wall to fall over twenty feet.
After a single term in the Air Force, where he was stationed at Hickam Air Base on Oahu, he decided to stay on the island. He easily found work at a headhunter and temp agency. It was during his time there that he was abducted and taken to Faerie.
Dirty Deeds:
It seemed that his Keeper, whom he only refers to as Mary (should he bother talking to you at all about it), knew he was a good hand at human resource management because he was set with the task of making sure that the other Changelings did their jobs. Beasts were set to roam the greens, Elementals were tasked with lighting this or being that, Ogres were to entertain, etc... but Barnabas was tasked with ensuring top-notch performance.
He learned his lesson well early on when he failed to make sure that a Wizened had kept up the pond. The scum that had caked the stones and settled on the water is a taste he can still remember, since he was forced to lick each stone and slurp each square foot of the surface until it sparkled as if newly melted snow. The Wizened groundskeeper paid for that dearly.
Barnabas claims that he escaped because he was not willing to force the others to work anymore, and that he was able to outwit his Keeper by trapping her in some sort of logic puzzle, but he does not go into details. Should someone force the issue, he just refers to his lash and wags his finger a bit, which is often enough to quiet the curious.
Return Home:
While he is unwilling to talk about his escape, he has been more forthcoming with the tale of his return. Though he experienced several years in Arcadia, only about a single year had passed back home. His Fetch had been able to work it's way up the corporate ladder and was now quite high in the management of the office. It had even been able to become romantically invovled with a co-worker that Barnabas remembered having a slight crush on.
Of course, he was quite a different creature now.
Remembering some of the tales of recaptured Changelings from his time in Faerie, he knew that killing his Fetch could be a beacon by which he could be tracked down (as well as be a sure way to lose his Clarity) so he was able to manufacture a scenario where the co-worker would kill the Fetch for him. He was able to fabricate a series of lies that dissolved the relationship and even give her a deep fear of the Fetch, to the point where there came a scene when she pulled out a gun and shot the Fetch to death.
Rather that let her languish, Barnabas himself approached the woman and make some sort of claim that he had been kidnapped and replaced by a monster. Now that the monster was gone (and truly it now seemed monstrous, the Fetch being reduced to so much detritus) they could rekindle their lives. Such was Barnabas' cunning and prowess at manipulation that he was able to nurse a deep-seated fear into a barely healthy, but loving in it's own way, relationship.
Within a year, though, tragedy struck and Barnabas met with his Keeper once more. Driving around on country roads along the North Shore of Oahu, the couple was lost and about to ask for directions when the whole care found itself in the Hedge. Falling back into the same delusional state she had been when she shot the Fetch, the woman walked deeper into it. Barnabas tried to follow, but was tangled himself. Finally he was able to see his companion, but she was in the arms of Mary.
Though she seemed content with her new find, Barnabas did not want to be noticed, and let his Keeper leave with the new toy. This is something that brings Barnabas great pain to this day.
Read the Fine Print(Current activities):
Now Barnabas has gained full control of the company he and his Fetch had worked for. He uses his connections and the unique role his company fills in society to make sure that people get chances to find work, as long as they are willing to perform the tasks set.
Nothing illegal, mind you, but often dubious.
He also exults in his standing in the Autumn Court by concocting more scenes where otherwise normal people are put in extraordinary (and often horrifc) situations. To this day, over a decade since his return, he has not caused a single death to his victims. The worst he has had to deal with was a twisted ankle.
The morally straining situations he puts people in has gained him significant blackmail material and he is not above using it to his advantage.
Currently Barnabas is the only representative of the Autumnal ideals on Oahu, which should come as no surprise. Hawaii is not a place known for it's seasonal differences, and since it is tropical it is known more for Spring and Summer. This has not stopped Barnabas from becoming a force unto his own, and the other Changelings of Oahu tread lightly from late October through early December while they must suffer the rule of Autumn.
Behind the Eyes(Inspirations)
- Skeletor, mostly for the appearance, though he often uses minions to do his work.
- Jigsaw (from SAW), an inspiration for his methods of extreme Harvesting of Glamour.
- Darth Vader (Episode 5), for his ruthlessness.
(Soundtrack)
"...most displeased with your lack of progress."(Quotes)
"I do not actually cause pain all that often. They are the cause of the pain that they are in - but I gladly capitalize on it. I often do this, but tonight's tale has struck me as special, because it reminds me of something my Keeper taught me.
A young woman weeping at the bailbondsman's office, while not my usual sort of Glamour, had the scent that hinted at things to come. That particular brand of sorrow that calls for the release of action, which some of my colleagues of the Spring Court might be able to tap into. But then, despair forces the hand, which often leads to a whole other sort of set of emotions.
It never takes long or much to find out why someone is bent over weeping, especially when you know the basic context. Her boyfriend (who must have been the cause of the blackened eye she wore) was in jail and she could not qualify for the amount needed to bail him out. A story I have heard many times before, and some of those times I saw fit to offer my rather unique services. I offered to help, said that I knew people who could grease the wheels, if she was willing to do something for me. A small favor really... just go pick up my laundry on Thursday.
Among the financial interests I have been able to establish is a small-time laundry and dry-cleaning service. It took some persuasion, but I was able to get them to allow my team of contractors into the back room for a few hours to set the stage. These contractors were brought in to take care of other debts, and as such did not ask many questions when some of my requests were made. But, dear reader, do not dwell on this now, but rather hear that the woman has now entered the shop, hoping that she can get in and out before 8PM, the deadline I had set. I am only able to tell this story because I was there, dwelling in the shadows, watching the tale unfold.
She entered the shop and looked for someone on behind the counter. It's common enough for the shop worker to be 'in the back' so she waits for a while. The machines behind the wall were chugging away, and so everything seemed well, but when the subject of this tale peered where she shouldn't have (such is so often the case). Upon one of the pressing stands there was a splash of blood! After the initial shock wore off (like a wonderful hors d'oeuvre before a filling meal) she felt an all too-human urge to find out the fate of the injured. I had hoped she would.
Creeping past the counter into the work area, she walks up to the press and sees that there is hair mixed in with the blood, as if the person working the machine had suffered a head injury. A quick look down and she could see the red trail headed back, further into forbidden places, and so she went. The few times she slipped in the crimson slickness under her soles were a surges that I happily harvested, but still I could tell there was more to come.
Around the corner she followed the trail until she could start to hear the sound of a large industrial drying machine running. Ga-dum, ga-dum, ga-dum... around it went, and the trail lead directly in front of it. Odd though, that it was bound in chains, as if something was purposefully trapped inside. At this time, it must have seemed as if she had stepped from a normal world where people accidentally hurt themselves at work into some otherworldly place.
I know that feeling, and I know that most of you know it as well.
Now that you have been reminded of your own stumbling into the larger world we now live, I shall continue. It started with a whimper, a few barely audible words, for the true terror of the scene to sink in. Someone, probably the person who wounded herself on the press, was locked in the drying machine.
"Help me... [Ga-dum]" "Please, someone... [Ga-dum]" "Am I going to die? [Ga-dum]"
Our protagonist tried in vain to do something to the chains. They were arranged in such a way that she would need to undo the lock that held them all together. The voice from within continued, though, seemingly deaf to the outside world, as the would-be hero cried to woman inside, even screaming to her. "Who are you? I'll get some help!"
While she was looking around to find the phone, she reached out and saw that she was still holding onto the ticket that I sent her with to pick up my cleaning. While I cannot read minds, I know that I can read faces, and she was torn inside. Torn between saving someone she did not know and making sure that her man could breath the air of freedom again. As it so happens, rather, as I designed it, she could see that time was running short and that she would have to make the choice soon. If she stayed, she would be stalled by police and paramedics, but would save the woman in the machine.
Decisions, decisions.
Most of you, dear reader, know that this is an imperfect world, where people make greedy choices. Humans (and Changelings) are far from humane often enough that the world continues to be shrouded in a veil of darkness. Our 'hero' has made her choice, and weeping, but bearing the burden of a few coats and pairs of slacks, she walked out of the cleaners. She could hear the voice coming from the back room (or maybe it was ringing in her memory) as she mutters to anyone who could hear, "I'm sorry... so sorry." Trying to avoid meeting the eye of anyone on the street, she made her way to the drop-off point where one of my other contractors was waiting for her.
As for me, I had already made the necessary calls and her boyfriend was in the process of release while she was making the decision. This may seem tragic, but let us look a little deeper. After I openned the lock holding the chains in place around the drier, I reached in and pull out the manequin that had been rolling about within. Built in there was a speaker hooked up to an mp3 player. The voice on the recording was another of my contractors who thought little of the request for a few minutes of her time to get some words recorded. A quick phone call and another contractor comes in and starts to mop things up. Pig's blood and wig hair. It does not take long for the whole mess to be cleaned up so that the real owners can get back to work.
I leave you with this, dear reader, to think about while you go about your day... Someday I might come calling on this woman who thought she had to make a dreadful decision. She knows deep in her heart that someone is dead because of her choice, and when she sees the whole scene captured on video, she'll be one of my contractors as well.
Good night, and sleep well knowing that creatures like me walk about in the night, keeping emotions stirred for all of us. Perhaps some time we can prepare a scenario like this together - after all, one must 'keep the dreams alive.'
Please feel free to add a quote, either about Barnabas, your own PC, or simply reflections on being Lost.
Barbs that Sting(Rumors)
- When he speaks of Arcadia, it seems to be almost whistfully. While this is a trademark of the Autumn Court, his tone might suggest that he is a Loyalist.
- Barnabas also has no genitals.
Bare Bones(OOC Information)
Played By: Kelly Pohl (US2002023229)
