Cael Patrick
From Changeling Venue
This is a work in progress. Check back frequently for updates
| Seeming | Darkling Mirrorskin |
|---|---|
| Court | Winter Court •••• |
| Freehold | Lighthouse (Asylum) of the Desert Harbor |
| Player | Don Davis |
Contents |
What everyone knows...
Alias(es): Carlo, Joe Garrity, Dominic Shadow, and others...
Real Name: born as Jordan Kirkpatrick, now identifies as Joe Garrity to mortals, Cael Patrick to Changelings.
Age: Looks 27 yrs, Actually 42 years since birth...
Concept: The Information Broker and Fixer
Entitlement: none
Physical description: Male, average build, above average looks...
Relevant Mechanics: Striking Looks 4, New Identity 4 (pending)
Character Livejournal: None as of yet
Owner: The Lighthouse - Cael isn't known to be the owner to many, and he prefers it that way. Most people think he is just a bartender there.
How to Identify him...
Mask/Mien: Cael never seems to look exactly the same each time you meet him. Still, the changes are usually subtle enough that it isn't too difficult to recognize him from night to night. If, however, you don't see him for weeks, or worse, months, it is not as likely you will know him unless he chooses to remind you. This extends even to the Mask. No one is certain what he would look like if he abandoned his quicksilver mien. One thing that seems to be constant, is in his mien, his eyes are solid black; no white, iris, or pupil visible, and there seems to be a darkness lurking under his skin. But then, that isn't that unusual for a Darkling, now is it?
Mantle: First, one must notice Cael. Though strikingly handsome, for some reason, he just blends in with the crowd. He is one more streetwalker, another handsome face at the bar, or one more Escort on a Lady's arm. But if you do notice him, the shadows seem just a little deeper there, and the air has taken a subtle chill. His hands always seem a little cold, but not unusually so. And sometimes, you could swear that his breath mists, just like it were winter...
What some may know...
Basic Timeline:
- Born 1965
- 1972 - Persuades parents to let him take ballet after they took him to a tour with Baryshnikov as lead.
- 1973 - Parents persuade him to take gymnastics, thinking that this will balance out the "influence" of the Ballet
- 1977 - Ballet teacher introduces him and class to some alternate dance styles, introducing ballroom, disco, and street dancing such as break dance.
- 1978 - Causes a small stir in his Jr High when he tries out for cheerleading squad. Gets voted in by girls after he demonstrates some of what he knows. Parents are talked into seeing PG version of Saturday Night Fever.
- 1980 - Enters High School. Rises to top of class, and is accepted into cheerleaders again. Although a few jocks try to bully him, after he demonstrates that dancing builds muscles too, they leave off - especially after the rest of the Cheerleaders stop going on dates with them.
- 1981 - After some prompting from his family and friends, Jordan condescends to play on the Football and Basketball teams for the year. He still remains a member of the cheerleaders though, he just can't cheer at all games anymore.
- 1983 - Graduates High School - Enters U of U's School of Dance that fall.
- 1984 - After a year of college is called to serve a Mormon mission in Germany
- 1986 - Returns from his mission, and goes back to the U of U.
- 1987 - SHE finds him dancing at a club, and tricks him into servitude.
- 1987-2002 - Spends 15 years away, but for him, it only seems as if 3 years passes.
- 2002 (early summer) - Escapes from his Keeper, returns to Salt Lake to find he hasn't been missed. Nor does he feel comfortable trying to return to his old life.
- 2002-2003 - Aimless and listless, he lives with Hank Garrity in an abandoned building in Salt Lake's West side, and makes money selling himself on the street, as Carlo.
- 2003, early June - Confronts his Fetch, and after tense discussion, they both agree that neither one will bother the other, and Cael cedes his old identity to his Fetch.
- 2003, mid to late June - talks to Hank about cleaning up his life, and Hank creates the Joe Garrity identity for him.
- 2003, November - Hank Garrity catches pneumonia, and dies in hospital, but not before telling Cael that he, as Hank's "son", is his heir. Cael spends the next few months getting used to having money.
- 2004, March - Cael decides he needs contact with the upper class of Salt Lake, and creates Dominic Shadow, a high-class male escort.
- Oct 2006 - Joins with other Changelings to help found a freehold in Salt Lake.
- Dec 2006 - At the demands of the local Lost, Cael reluctantly becomes Winter King.
- Dec 2007 - Steps down as Winter King in favor of Serena Nash.
How to find him:
Carlo can often be found walking the streets of Salt Lake City. Sometimes if you go to a certain private club, Joe Garrity will be behind the bar, selling drinks and...other things. Other times Dominic Shadow can be found on the arm of certain rich women at High-Society gatherings, rubbing elbows, socializing, and trading gossip.
In all cases, Cael is there, offering what you need. Most people just want a night of comfort with a handsome man that will do anything they want, but a few know that if you ask the right questions, there is far more that he can offer. Many just need information, which he has in abundance. And what he doesn't know, he can find out very quickly. A few need something, or need some service. It is rare for people seeking truly violent crime to find him, and those who do, are often disappointed as he sends them on their way. But sometimes, if the reason is right, he hooks them up. What the right reasons are, only he knows...
In the everyday world, Cael has many faces and identities that he uses, depending upon his mood, the situation, and what he is doing. There are those few identities that he does use regularly that many normal people know how to get in touch with, but there are many that are used and discarded as needed. As a Changeling, Cael is always available by leaving a message at the bar that he "works" at, when he isn't actually present.
Merit Details: Striking Looks 4, New Identity 4 (pending)
What he does:
Since returning, and inheriting the money and ties of his mentor, Cael has set himself up in the business of buying and selling information, rare and hard to find items, services both above and below the table, and getting people in touch with each other. Payment is accepted not only in money, but Goblin Fruits, Tokens, valuable information (and he reserves the right to place his own value on the information offered), and favors ranging from the simple and minor, to the great and complicated.
Outside of his business, Cael seems to have strayed from his conservative religious beliefs. He is more than willing to drink and get drunk, and has "special" rooms above his club for some of the more subtle pleasures of life. But he still goes through the motions of being Mormon, attending church a few times a year, paying his tithe, and otherwise keeping up appearances.
What has gone before:
This background is a work in progress and has a lot of room for insertion into it. This is a short version, and I will update this as it is filled out. Though soft-roleplay goes live Oct 1, in our local game we will be doing history games for Oct, and so there is plenty of time to make connections with Cael...
Born as Jordan Kirkpatrick to a stereotypical Mormon family in northern Utah, the changeling now calling himself Cael Patrick lived a fairly comfortable life as a child. He had many siblings, never wanted for anything, was encouraged and supported in everything he chose to do. He was a straight-A student throughout school and graduated at the top of his class, played basketball and football, was a Boy Scout and obtained his Eagle, and served a Mission for his church like any good Mormon boy.
One thing that had been constant for Jordan throughout his life was that he liked to dance. Any kind of dance. Ballroom, disco, breakdancing, streetdancing. Even Ballet. When he went to College, it was on a scholarship to the U of U's School of Dance. He loved his classes, and looked forward to moving on to one of the prestigious National schools like Juilliard.
In his free time, he actually dabbled in exotic dancing at some of the local clubs. Which is where SHE found him. She was immediately taken with him, and set it up so that She got to have a private chat with him. She commissioned him to dance at a private party, for Her and Her friends, that weekend. Although it was something he had never considered before, he agreed.
After he went home that night, he wondered why, and felt extremely uncomfortable with the whole idea. He had played at stripping, but it was never to the point of actual nudity, just teasing. He was Mormon after all. He didn't sleep that night, and was troubled with it the entire next day. After classes he went to his night "job" at the club. After his performance, She approached him in his dressing room again. This time, he held to his beliefs, and told Her that he wouldn't be able to perform for Her. She grew angry with him and asked him to reconsider. He adamantly told Her he would not. A strong wind suddenly blew through the window, slamming the door of his dressing room closed. She asked him a second time to reconsider, for She was not one to be refused. Although suddenly frightened of Her, he still told her no. The wind blew in again, even harder, knocking a coatstand in his dressing room over. Her face grew thunderous, and She told him that if he refused Her again, he would face the consequences. Then She asked him a third time. He almost told her yes, he was so scared. But at the last moment, he still refused.
Something cracked behind him. He turned quickly and saw the mirror of the vanity had broken in the frame. She was visible as She truly appeared in it. Terrifyingly beautiful, everything he could dream of and everything he had never imagined he could dread. In a voice that was at once horrible and divine, She told him that he had broken his Word to Her, and She had given him three chances to reconsider, and he had refused Her three times. Now he was Hers for as long as She wished. And then the mirror shattered outward, and he threw up his hands to shield his face as the glass sprayed over him, slicing him to ribbons, cutting and tearing. Then the pain of the cuts seemed to deaden, and when he lowered his hands, all he could see was darkness.
Thus he came to serve Her. Although he always referred to his Keeper as female, when She came to him, She could be anything. She never appeared to him the same way twice, changing shape each time, switching between male, female, and Other as the mood suited Her. Occasionally She would trot him out for visitors to perform for them, but mostly he was kept for Her own private entertainment. When She wasn't using him, he was kept chained in darkness. She even took his name away, calling him Cael, and he forgot he ever had been called anything else.
One night, after Cael had been there for a few years, when She was done with him, She actually let Herself rest with him. When he was sure She was asleep, he took the key to his shackles and freed himself. He then ran blindly away, through a palace that was awe-inspiring and dreadful, and out into an estate that was heavenly and hellish. Surrounding the estate was a glass wall. And in the wall, a gate of mirrors. He ran to it, but it was closed. He beat upon it, and it held. He found a stone, and struck it. It cracked. He struck harder, and it shattered, raining sharp glass upon him. He ran through it, but the rain didn't end, tearing and cutting. He covered his face, running faster, just wanting to go home.
And then he ran into someone, knocking both of them to the ground. He got up, and found he'd run into an old man dressed in dirty, grungy clothing. He looked around, and found himself in a broken down room with make-shift furnishings. Turning around, he saw he'd emerged from a very familiar broken mirror.
The old man he'd run into was named Hank Garrity, and although Hank didn't understand where he had come from, Hank was only too happy to clothe (since he hadn't had clothing since he'd been taken), feed, and bring him up to date. Although to him only three years had passed, 15 had passed in the real world.
On the street, Cael learned the ways of the underside of Salt Lake from Hank. He came across other changelings, and through them, the courts of Salt Lake. He immediately joined the Winter Court, as he feared She could come looking for him at any time, and hiding seemed the best option should She appear again.
Cael soon found that his family hadn't missed him, either. To them, he had never been missing. Jordan Kirkpatrick had gone to school at the U of U for another year after he'd been taken, and then had applied to, and been accepted at Juilliard. After completing Juilliard, he'd joined a prestigious modern dance company in Salt Lake City. And there, Jordan had met and fallen in love with a lovely young lady, whom he had married and become father to the three children she already had. Now, Jordan danced with several of the dance companies in Salt Lake, and was well recognized, having been featured in several performances, and had adopted several more children with his wife. And made a life that Cael could never take away from him, because it was all of his own creation.
Cael did seek him out, and told his Fetch that he would never have to worry that Cael would try to take his life back. Cael couldn't live that life anymore. He had been changed too much, and so Cael told his Fetch as far as Cael was concerned, the Fetch was Jordan Kirkpatrick now. Although suspicious and hostile, Jordan accepted this at face-value, and agreed that as long as Cael made no attempt to take back his life, Jordan would leave him alone.
After living with Hank for a year or so, Cael decided it was time to start making a new life for himself. He mentioned this in passing to Hank, and Hank hauled him over to the homeless shelter, got them both cleaned up, and took Cael over to a Private Club in the area, the Lighthouse. At first, Cael balked, but Hank just hauled him inside, then presented him to the club manager, and told the manager that this was Hank's son, Joe, and he needed a job. The manager hired him as assistant barkeep on the spot, no questions asked. And thus started Cael on the road of multiple identities. Strangely enough, Hank was able to arrange for the Joe Garrity identity to become "real", with papers and ID to prove it.
When Cael questioned Hank on it, the old man just smiled and said he had lots of friends, and he would introduce Cael to all of them. And he did, always introducing Cael as Joe, his son.
But even as Cael began to realize there was much more to Hank then he had ever thought before, Hank took ill that winter. Cael took him to the hospital, but the pneumonia was too much for an old man. Hank, on his deathbed, gave Cael a card, and told Cael to identify himself as Joe Garrity to the person named on the card. And then Hank smiled, and passed on.
Cael called the person on the card, and found them to be an estate lawyer. And Joe Garrity was heir to a substantial sum of money, a small estate, and ownership in the club that Hank had gotten him hired at. In addition, he was heir to all of Hank Garrity's friends, as Hank's recognized son.
Cael has spent the last four years establishing himself as an information broker and fixer in Salt Lake's underworld. Through the contacts he inherited, and those he made himself as changeling and through his cover identities, he has come to be quite succesful.
Who he is seen with often
- Red has picked him up off the street, and taken him home. Not hers, though.
- Cato has been an impromptu bouncer in The Backroom on more than one occasion. And Cael gives him all his drinks for free...
- Lilium has been seen whispering with Cael on occasion.
...and many others. No one is sure who all Cael knows.
Who has given him dirt
Character ties welcome, looking for:
- Characters he has helped/Characters who owe him favors
- Characters who are resources (toughs, messengers/errand runners, forgers, etc.)
- Characters who may be part of a national information network (other brokers/fixers)
- Characters that may have had fling with him, male or female. Although he has had lovers, he hasn't settled down with anyone as of yet...
- Any other ties.
Who has dirt on him
- After picking him up, Red became curious and started using her free time in the police force to research his background and to see where he's from and what he's done. So far, she hasn't found any.
- Surprisingly, Cael hasn't managed to acquire any real enemies. Some say this is because anyone who tries to antagonize him finds that they have no secrets that he can't unearth, and he is far too willing to expose to all and sundry. Others say that it is because anyone who attacks him has a tendency to vanish afterwards.
Things that have been said
"What makes you think I know what the Summer King is planning? Well, perhaps I do. Tell me, why do you want to know?"
"You want to what? Yes, I know someone who can do that. I can even persuade him to do it. For the right price..."
"The first one is always free..."
"I have no use for adventures -- they're nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things and make you late for dinner."
Something to say about Cael? Add it!
"Cael.......damn he is to sexy to be allowed around my club.....all the girls want to get in his pants and not out of theres!." James Hannay
Things that have been whispered
Some say Cael converses regularly with his Fetch, although they are not on truly friendly terms.
It has been said that if Cael spends a lot of time in someone's company, his seemingly random shifts slowly cause him to resemble that person. How long that takes no one seems to be able to agree on...
Cael is unable to go a night without having sex with *someone*...
If you ask Cael to have sex, he is unable to refuse...
(If you know Cael, feel free to add your own rumors...)
Character Inspirations
- The Marquis de Carabas from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, in particular his trade of service and "favors."
- Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance: in particular the themes of living a double life as someone who likes to dance.
Soundtrack
- Dancing Queen; ABBA
- Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap; AC/DC
- West End Girls; Pet Shop Boys
- Big Balls; AC/DC
For ties, info, gripes, or else: Don Davis
