Porthos Fitz-Empress
Alias: Deacon Primus of Doissetep, The Mad Lord of Horizons
Born: 1403 CE, Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland)
Disappeared/Assumed Dead: 1999, Horizon Realm
Tradition: Order of Hermes (House Flambeau)
Faction: Council of Nine, Hermetic Council of Madison
Title: Archmage, Deacon Primus Emeritus of Doissetep
Essence: Primordial
Nature: Martyr
Demeanor: Caregiver
Arete: 9
Biography
“Youth is the flame that ignites the future. Power is merely polish on blunted blades.”
— Porthos Fitz-Empress, on the eve of the Capitol Node Ritual, 1944
Early Life & Awakening
Born into a minor noble craft family, Porthos Fitz-Empress Awakened amid the devastation of plague and war. An alchemist before a Hermetic, his earliest magick was healing—a trait he never lost. Taken in by House Flambeau after the loss of his family to Hermetic intrigue, Porthos rose quickly, propelled by both pain and genius.
His reputation as a peacemaker—and a breaker—emerged in the 15th century. He was present at the Grand Convocation, and while he advocated for unity, his jealousy and emotional wounds haunted his decisions for centuries.
The Hermetic of Madison
Though Porthos spent most of his existence at Doissetep, he maintained secret correspondences and apprenticeships in Madison’s growing Hermetic presence, shaping the Capitol Node’s initial wards. He is credited with inspiring the tradition of Hermetic Parliament at the Capitol, which persists in Madison’s mage politics to this day. Some claim he left a fragment of his soul beneath the Rotunda—a hidden glyph that can only be seen in paradoxical moments.
He visited Madison physically on rare occasions, most notably:
- 1836: To witness the Gahara Pact’s early negotiations. His aura nearly tore open the Node before Jay Dee stabilized it.
- 1944: To personally oversee the “Capitol Ritual,” which sought to reinforce the Node against Axis Nephandi (and nearly destroyed the city).
- 1968: To mentor Jay Dee after the tragic fires and node backlashes.
The Quiet Archmaster
By the mid-20th century, Porthos had become both legend and warning. He wove between sanity and Quiet, acting as both father figure and harbinger of collapse. He encouraged young magi to look beyond tradition, even as he clung to his own. In council, he was both diplomat and lightning rod, advocating for Madison as a model of multi-tradition alliance.
He supported Madison’s mages in the 1950s–60s Caern Wars (between Garou and Hermetics), always urging for new solutions rather than old vendettas.
In 1985, whispers from New Avalon suggest Porthos is “half-here, half-forgotten”—sometimes glimpsed as a shadow on the horizon, sometimes speaking as a voice in the dreams of struggling mages.
Legacy in Madtown by Night
Porthos’s name is spoken with both awe and fear in Madison. Some say his presence lingers as an Echo in the Capitol Node, a paradoxical guardian who answers only in moments of greatest crisis or when paradox becomes too thick to bear.
He is revered by Order of Hermes, feared by the Technocracy, and pitied by the Dreamspeakers, who believe he is “caught between the worlds, never finding the door.”
He is rumored to have left behind a Hermetic Codex—a book that writes itself in the reader’s dreams, chronicling the city’s supernatural collapses and rebirths.
Appearance
A gaunt, disheveled man with intense, haunted eyes. Often seen (when he appears at all) in antique clothing, a gray pinstripe suit, or simply a tattered bathrobe, wielding a staff of glass and lightning. His presence is marked by the scent of ozone and the uncanny feeling that reality itself is “stretching thin” around him.
Personality
Porthos is gentle, honorable, nurturing—and deeply unstable. He radiates immense power and impossible sadness. He loves those who remind him of his lost children and students, sometimes mistaking present allies for ghosts of his past.
When angered, his aura disrupts technology, causing flickers in the Digital Web and making even the bravest Garou uneasy. He advocates for the young, for new solutions, and for the continual renewal of hope—even as he doubts himself.
Role in the Chronicle
- Mentor Echo: Can appear as a paradoxical vision to Order of Hermes, Virtual Adepts, and even Hollow Ones, always with a riddle or a warning.
- Capitol Node Guardian: His echo can sometimes stabilize (or destabilize) the Node at great cost.
- Harbinger of Change: Encourages young mages to challenge tradition, form new alliances, and break the cycles of destruction that haunt Madison.
Powers and Stats (Madtown Conversion, 1985)
Order of Hermes – House Flambeau
Essence: Primordial
Arete: 9
Willpower: 10
Quintessence: 16
Paradox: 10+ (lingers in his wake)
Spheres
- Correspondence 4
- Entropy 5
- Forces 6
- Life 4
- Mind 5
- Matter 3
- Prime 5
- Spirit 4
- Time 3
Backgrounds
- Arcane 5 (can appear/disappear at will)
- Avatar 5 (Primordial, possibly fragmented)
- Library 7 (echoes remain in New Avalon and the Capitol)
- Dream 4 (communicates through dreams and paradox)
- Destiny 3 (his fate is intertwined with Madison’s)
Key Magickal Effects
- Reality Shiver: Subtly alters reality in his presence; static charges, flickering lights, and deja vu follow him.
- Node Ward: Can reinforce or destabilize the Capitol Node; sometimes involuntarily.
- Echo Manifestation: Can appear as a paradoxical echo, guiding or hindering mages in crisis.
- Council Summons: Has the power to call a temporary truce or parley among Traditions if invoked by name in ritual.
Hooks for Storytellers
- Porthos’s Codex can become a living chronicle, drawing the cabal into past (or future) Madison crises.
- His Echo can be a quest-giver, a crisis alarm, or a wild card in any major conflict at the Capitol Node.
- He may challenge players to question what “Ascension” means—especially if they are falling into old patterns.
Sample Dialogue
"You come seeking wisdom? Then abandon certainty. The world is not a problem to be solved, but a riddle to be lived. Madison itself is a paradox—so are you."