Calico

¢αℓι¢σ “Strangers will always love you, 'cause you remind them of someone else.” --Gangrel | Autarkis | Neonate | No Social Standing-- Character Synopsis Calico is a Gangrel of the 11th generation, with the "wandering courier" archetype. Calico does her best to toe the line between sects as the travels the country, steadfast in the belief that each place she visits may hold a piece of knowledge that would benefit her or kindred as a whole. The phrase "History is written by the victor" is taken very seriously by her, and kindred pose a unique opportunity to talk to those who may have been at historical events when they happened. As such, her goal is to interview without bias, listen without judgement, and try to find the truth in the middle of everyone's recollections and recounting of important kindred moments. She was taught by her sire to document kindred lore in unique ways that would be difficult for others to decipher, in case this information were stolen by kine. She's chosen to use embroidery floss and beads to create woven strings that regale stories of kindred affairs and important events that have happened. These stories are disguised as bracelets and hair wraps, and if one were to ask about them, she will offer to tell the story attached to any piece. She is quiet and amiable, almost to a suspicious degree, and will go with the flow as much as possible in order to avoid confrontation; messengers prefer to not get shot if they can avoid it. Even still, a deep sense of grief infects her aura, which could be daunting to those with auspex. Notable Traits Calico has a genetic condition called pigmentary mosaicism, meaning her hair, while mostly dark brown, has some areas that are ginger and blonde. She also has an unusually intense amount of freckles on her face, arms, and shoulders. Titles/Positions No official titles or positions, but she considers herself a Skald (a title she learned from her sire, though she may not understand the full scope of the word in relation to WoD). Personality + Focused | Cooperative | Incisive | Observant + / Sentimental | Ascetic | Placid | Moral / - Grieving | Cynical | Grim | Vindictive - First impressions have never been Calico's strong suit. In fact, when able, she prefers to not leave an impression at all. With her dry tone, minimal expressions, and a desire to stick with the crowd and do as told, she aims to be forgettable and neutral toward everyone she meets. The best method of survival is to make as little enemies as possible, which tends to mean making as little friends as possible, too. Even so, if around her for extended periods of time, the veneer shifts and Calico's true personality shines through. A dry sense of humor, a wry smile here and there, a look that implies she knows what you're thinking before you've said it. She is the sort of person who will sit and listen to someone talk for hours, absorb the topic, and ask meaningful questions in response. She may not know how to be close to people anymore, but she knows how to hide her bleak mindset to be more affable to those around her. When truly comfortable around someone, Calico's not afraid to speak her mind, to point out things she's noticed, to reminisce about the past and, sometimes, lean on them for help. She carries a profound sense of grief and survivor's guilt thanks to the death of her sire, and it permeates her every action. Those she cares about will feel a contradictory sense of closeness and separation from Calico, as she tries to hold people close without wanting them to get too attached to her... or vise versa. Calico's enemies are unlikely to know her true opinions of them. Unless they've proven themselves to be an outward threat to her safety, or outwardly known Sabbat, Calico knows that cooperation is more important than petty opinions. Even still, she might be especially critical of their plans, or pause before helping them. Her grudges are saved for those who, at least in her eyes, truly deserve it. Timeline: For those who are like me, and don't mind OOC spoilers and enjoy reading into the lives of other people's characters, I've gone ahead and made Calico's session summaries a readable google doc, found HERE. This will be filled with short summaries of games she's been an active participant of, as well as little vignettes around her downtimes. Keep in mind that there may be things in there are are not public knowledge, but it should be fairly clear when that happens. Hopefully, one day, I'll get to add actual RP scenes in as well! Born in Fresno, California, on October 14th 1972. Oldest of two. Graduated High School 1989, got scholarship to attend Washington State University for their Forest Ecology Graduated College 1993, became a park ranger for the US Forest Service Was embraced by her sire, Caolán, in 1999 after an injury left her stranded in The Enchantments forest for over a week. Technically left Accounting in 2004, but stayed with her sire, having formed a romantic relationship. The two traveled around in the hopes of collecting kindred lore from others within their clan. Caolán died after the pair were caught in the crossfire of a Sabbat skirmish in 2011, leaving Calico alone and aimless. Began traveling around the US from 2012-present day, first through her sire's old RV, then through hitch hiking or bumming rides from fellow kindred as of 2022, and finally in her own RV purchased for her in 2024 by Levi Williams Triana Has considered Oklahoma City her “Home base” as of 2020, after traveling through it often enough that she began to be recognized by locals. It’s also a great hub city in the center of the country, making it easier to move from coast to coast through the I40. Relationships: Calico rarely considers people friends or allies, and most will fall into the Acquaintances category. If you're a friend, congrats! You're now emotional ammo, haha. That said, I'm looking for any connections for Baton Rouge (LA-006-D) and Indianapolis (From The Ashes), as well as any clan members regardless of sect alignment. I would also love to make ties with other kindred historians, occultists, and other unaligned who like to travel. Ghouls and Familiars: Pip, Calico's bat familiar, specifically a Keen's Myotis Bat. The little guy tends to hang out in Cali's pockets or scarf, and is mostly used for surveillance and recon. He loves bugs and naps. Family and Friends: Syn, the closest thing to family that Calico has. Syn and Caolán shared the same sire, Briar. Calico took frequent trips with Caolán to see Briar, Syn, and their coterie. Now that Briar and Caolán are both gone, Calico feels a strong kinship with Syn, and believes Syn is one of the only people left alive that she can talk to about everything that's happened since her embrace. Levi Williams Triana, a close friend she's made after a few years of traveling through the same cities at the same time. Calico would bum rides for a while after her sire's RV broke down, and eventually Levi purchased Calico an RV of her own. Cali keeps a cell phone on her that Levi gave her, just in case either of them want to chat things up or need each other's help. Ciaran Ashe, another kindred that Calico would bum rides from after her RV broke down in 2022. She likes that they each have their own catlike traits and cat themes, and was more than happy to help as a roadie for his band while they toured around. Acquaintances Bob the Nos, dealt with a Hunter together and Spearfinger together. She's starting to think he might be Lady Nyx's bodyguard, or lover? But she's unsure. Lady Nyx, dealt with a Hunter together and Speafinger together. Calico assumed she wasn't one for fighting, but she killed the Spearfinger, so... who's to say. Amalia Marion, dealt with a Hunter together. Faolan O'Connor, a friend of Levi's who offered assistance in finding Spearfinger. Main locale appears to be Jersey. Dr. Valeno, who has shown up at a few of the OKC gatherings. Calico is fascinated by his Addams Family style writing hand, and would love to know more, but she's a little afraid of upsetting him by asking. Taksony Vazul, helped with killing Spearfinger. He took some hits like it was nothing. Notable Exceptions Text OOC Goals My goals with Calico are currently very loose, and more related to building relationships for her, and allowing her to find her own footing without me pulling too many strings in the background. That said, there are a few things I'm looking for, so if you would be interested in any of the below, let me know and we can work together on something! My current goal for Cali is to see her grow her occult knowledge, while learning more and more about the history behind kindred... and how that history differs from person to person. If you have a character with a lot of occult knowledge who's happy to share information, that would be a great way for her to bond with someone. Eventually, I would love for Cali to get Celerity, Potence, or Auspex. If she ever gets any of these disciplines, I imagine it would only be 1 dot, but I'll throw it out there regardless. Not sure what she could offer in return, but the day may come where she could be of use. If you have a former sabbat character, I would LOVE to have Cali get to know them, especially if she doesn't know their past. She has a strong hatred of the Sabbat, and I think it would be an incredible moral quandary to have her grow attached to someone, just to find out who they used to be. If that's at all interesting, let me know! It would be wonderful to see Cali join a coterie someday, but that will take some working up to. Quotes: Add a Quote! Rumors: Text Playlist There aren't many songs on this playlist because I tend to make soundtracks instead of "general vibes" for my characters. Below is a brief synopsis of why each song is on the playlist, in order (WIP): And The Forest Began To Sing: Calico's embrace theme. Delivery: The personification of Calico's beast and her relation to it. Wolf Like Me: Calico's theme prior to her sire's death. A Dialogue: Calico's grief, and how she grew bitter after her sire died. Leonard Cohen Afterward: Calico's current main theme, how she feels about herself and her relation to other kindred. Art This is where I'll be putting thumbnails of any artwork made of her, either by myself or by others! OOC Info Player: Ayla Masters - US2022040014 Region: Central Region Domain: CR-VIR-D Game: Midnight Shadow VST: Juliette Laclaire DST: Nolan Dean I wish I could give credit where credit is due for the original wiki template layout! I've seen this one around quite a bit on various wiki pages from the previous game, but I don't know who originally made it. If anyone knows, I would love to be able to credit them for it.