Name: Magnus Erikson
Alias: N/A
Age: 20s-30s; apparent, 54; true
Gender: Male
Race: Garou
Breed: Homid
Homid Ethnicity: Scandinavian-American
Birthdate: 1955
Birthplace: Reno, Nevada
Marital Status: Single
Current Location: Gaia
XXXXXPersonality
Magnus is a stereotypical Ahroun; hell on wheels and always on edge, looking for the next chance to prove his mettle. Just beneath the surface is a brimming storm of rage, barely contained in the Get. He is straight forward, abrasively blunt, and frustratingly stubborn; full of hot-blooded vigor and vitality. However, as an Ahroun, and as a Get, he considers himself honor-bound, and his overly aggressive tendencies are somewhat countered by his years of training and self-taught self-control.
Like most Get of Fenris, Magnus is a harsh and unforgiving Garou, seeing life as a challenge to be fought and conquered. He is an unshakably brave warrior, and seemingly never forgets those who aid or do him harm. He can appreciate like-minded warriors of other cultures or species, and once befriended the Garou is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder against any foe.
To those who don't know him, this Ahroun can seem outwardly harsh and cynical, but it is by these means that he helps others, forcing them to be stronger for themselves and stand on their own two feet. The Get is unrelenting in everything that he does, and he expects everyone else to be just as stalwart and unwilling to give up.
Despite his brash mannerisms and rude attitude, he isn't so steeped in bloodshed that he's uncaring to those close to him. Fellow Kinfolk are dear to his heart, and he will throw himself into the fray to protect them without a second thought. He's no psychopath; he can feel the same range of emotions as a human, but the warrior code of the Fenrir, and the nature of his Auspice can make him seem like a closed book to those around him.
Magnus doesn't particularly have a lot of prejudice against technology, though like most Garou he prefers the wilderness to the urban cities. But, as a homid, he can fit into either locale quite well. He enjoys living simple, and with no Caern to guard he is often taken by wanderlust. The Get isn't a specist, but he doesn't like vampires, especially Kindred. He can deal with non-Kindred vampires without too much trouble, having spent some time working with the Kuei-jin, but if a Kindred so much as looks at him wrong it'll be meeting Cain without either of its arms.
XXXXXRelationships
XXXXXAppearance
xXOverall Appearance
In his homid form - the one which he was born into, and therefore prefers - Magnus appears as a well-built, gruff man in his 20s or 30s with distinct, Germanic or Scandinavian heritage; he could be mistaken as a Viking with the proper clothing. Standing at an average 5'11'', Magnus makes up for it in his build, appearing thickly muscled and stout of frame, weighing in somewhere around 210 or 220 lb.
Magnus wears his dark blond hair long in a wild mane that reaches just past the base of his neck. Set beneath two bushy eyebrows and somewhere above a rough beard someone might call a goatee if they never saw one before is a pair of ice blue eyes, taking in the world with a constant squint of disgruntlement. His nose appears to have been broken at some point and reset properly enough, though there is still a notable shift in angle halfway down the bridge.
His features haven't lost their youthfulness, but they do appear weathered from a hard life, a few crinkles around his eyes and worry-lines on his forehead, no doubt from spending so much time perpetually scowling at someone or something.
References: [1] [2] [3]
xXDistinguishing Features
Magnus's body is home to a myriad of tattoos and scars, some from battle, and some in the form of scarification or marks of pride.
The Hammer of Thor, is tattooed on his back, with the hammer's head taking up most of his shoulder blades. Beneath it are ancient, Nordic runes, going down his back parallel to the hammer's haft, oaths of promise to his Tribe and to Gaia. Following around the muscles of each shoulder are twin ouroboros with a skull in the center, holding an unknown significance to any but his pack. The symbol for the Get of Fenris is also tattooed on each bicep.
Three parallel scars run down the inside of his left forearm and is mirrored on the right, acting as marks of oath and blood-bondage to his fellow Kinfolk. Small, pale marks dot his chest from being peppered with a shotgun blast at some point in his life, and two stab scars can be seen on the left side of his torso.
xXClothing
The Get isn't very picky with clothing, but prefers to dress simple, preferring clothes that allow for ease of movement over some sort of fashion statement. He usually chooses dark, or plain colors, like blacks, blues, whites, and grays. He can most commonly be found in a pair of jeans with a denim jacket and plain T-shirt, or something similar. He dresses for the weather, and doesn't really have any one set of particular clothing as an "outfit."
XXXXXGarou Information
xXBasic Information
What is a Garou? For lack of a better term, a Garou is a "werewolf;" somewhere between the extremes of man and beast. However, they are a far cry from the lycanthropes of legend, spawned from some virus and ravening for the flesh of man. Myths state that the Garou were created by Gaia, the Earth Goddess, to guard man and nature from the monsters of the Wyrm that sought to undo Gaia's work. It is from Gaia that they supposedly learned how to shapeshift, and since time immemorial they have walked a mystic line between human and wolf.
They have a long and tumultuous past predating human history, and have been ever present in one way or another. Despite their ups and downs, they still hold true to their mythical station as guardians of nature (and of mankind, at times) against the ruinous Wyrm, and because of this they have an exceptionally close tie with the spirit realm and the world around them. Interaction with the spirit realm, or with nature spirits isn't rare - far from it; it's a commonality amongst Garou.
Being of both human and wolf, they can mate with either of their metaphorical cousins to propagate their species, but attempts to mate with each other were always met with disaster, the off-spring being misshappen or with strange deformities. It is because of this that garou choose either human or lupine mates.
Garou can be born as one of three "breeds", depending on their parentage. Those born to a garou parent and a wolf parent are lupus, who take the natural form of the wolf. Those born to a human parent and garou parent are known as homids, those who lived in human society and prefer the skin of man. The third breed is the Metis, born of spiritual incest and often deformed in some way. Couplings between two Garou is forbidden, but when it happens, a Metis is the result. While at one point in history they were killed as babes, they have been allowed to live, despite their deformities. A Metis is born in their "war form", but like all Garou can shift from one form to the next quite easily.
It has been noted that not all those born to one Garou parent are themselves Garou; if they do not ever have their "First Change", they are often considered "Kinfolk," humans or wolves who are under the protection and watchful eye of the Garou. It's uncommon - but entirely possible - that one of these human or wolf Kinfolk can give birth to a homid or lupus Garou, as if the trait "skipped" that person. Magnus is a product of this phenomenon, born to two human parents who each had one respective Garou as a parent.
All Garou are born with the ability to shift between five forms; Homid, the human form; Glabro, a human form with distinct, lupine features; Crinos, the war-form most often recognized as the classical werewolf by humans; Hispo, the dire wolf form somewhere between Crinos and Lupus; and Lupus, the wolf form that is indistinguishable from the common woodland predator. The idea that a werewolf's transformations being tied to the full moon is false, they can transform whenever they please.
The moon is, however, especially important to all Garou, as Luna dictates their Auspice. The Auspice is the sign a Garou is born under; gibbous, waning, waxing, full, or new. It dictates their role in Garou society, and has much to do with their basic personality. Equally important, but considerably more mutable is their Tribe, the lineage of which they are born into. This, however, can be changed as a Garou chooses the tribe they consider themselves more properly aligned with, especially based on their Auspice.
Garou society is divided into social groups and strata based on age and ability. Social groups, from smallest to largest, are packs, septs, and tribes. The last is particular, as it is based around one's bloodline and philosophy, as opposed to living location like the sept or pack. Within Garou society are ranks, from youngest to oldest they're known as cubs, cliath, fostern, adren, athro, and elder. Magnus was, for his sept, a higher level fostern, a warrior on his way to being an adren prior to being trapped on Gaia. Many Garou gather their septs and packs around Caerns, ancient meeting places and areas of worship or great importance to werewolves.
Garou are considerably harder to take down than your average human or wolf, and in their Crinos form they are unbelievably powerful; rumors abound of angered Garou wiping out entire coteries of 7th or 8th generation vampires. A gunshot hurts a werewolf as much as it does any other animal, but unlike their human and wolf kin, the Garou can regenerate quite easily from your standard bullet or sword wound, even to the extent of regenerating a limb over several days. They also have heightened senses, not unlike a wolf; able to hear into higher ranges of sound and identify (and track) scents with astounding ability.
With enough accumulated damage, however, a Garou can be brought down - cut off the head, stab or cut them enough times, smash their skull open, incinerate them. Their true weakness however, lies in silver. Because of its ties with Luna, it is immensely potent against them. A wound from a silver weapon causes extreme, tormenting pain to a Garou, and takes much, much longer to regenerate from. A piece of silver to the heart or head will kill them instantly.
Depending on their Tribe, Auspice, and experiences with spirits, a Garou can have a considerable arsenal of magical abilities granted to them, making them formidable foes to any opponent. However, Garou are pitiably few in number in comparison to humans, vampires, or other creatures of the night, and so it is rare to see more than a handful in one location unless they allow one to do so. More than one unlucky Kindred has found their way into a moot, or meeting of various septs. None have ever returned to tell the tale.
Magnus in particular is an Ahroun Get of Fenris, part of a pack which answered to a Sept near the Caern of Comb Ridge, Arizona. His particular pack was composed solely of homid Ahroun from various tribes, who chose to adopt motorcycles as their means of locomotion (to quickly protect their Caern), and they identified with the "biker culture" of many humans.
xXBreed
Magnus is a homid. A homid is the child of a werewolf and a human, one who lives as a human before his First Change. Although homids often have trouble relating to other children, they understand thoroughly how human society works. They are not quite human, though. The word "homid" refers to a werewolf with a human parent, while the word "human" refers to the race of mankind. By definition, a homid will never quite fit into human society. Something about him — his dreams, his turmoil or his hidden rage — marks him as different.
The homid's natural form is that of a human, though like all Garou they can shift forms quite easily with enough practice.
xXTribe
The Tribe dictates what familial bloodline a Garou belongs to. Once they come of age, they are found and rescued by members of this tribe, and inducted into the culture and ways of their people. However, being part of a tribe is not a permanent aspect of a Garou, like their Auspice - they can choose to leave their tribe and join another, or wander like a ronin without paying heed to any banner or leader.
Magnus is a Get of Fenris, a tribe of warriors and vicious fighters that often intimidate even their fellow Garou.
Any Get worth his scars carries himself with pride, for he is the result of centuries of warrior heritage. The Get of Fenris, or Fenrir, are heroes in the truest sense of the word. They seek their fortune along a path beset by battles and awash in blood. Most commonly of Nordic, Teutonic or Saxon descent, they reflect the harsh attitudes of a brutal history. The sagas, eddas and prose poems of a thousand years ago inspire them to great acts of valor.
The Fenrir see life as a long, hard struggle; for them, peace is an impossible dream. Through this philosophy, they gain a deep understanding of their inner Beasts, feral instincts and boundless rage.
Admittedly, werewolves from other tribes are often shocked by their violent and remorseless behavior, even toward other Garou. Few will back down from a fight, and fewer; still show mercy; yet all of them are eager to demonstrate their prowess in battle. Strength is the greatest virtue among the Get. Through constant conflict, they force themselves to become stronger, or destroy themselves in the process. The Fenrir seem ferocious and belligerent to other tribes. Even their cubs will sacrifice their lives gladly in the neverending campaign against the Great Serpent of Darkness.
While cubs with proper lineage are hounded to join the tribe, werewolves are not just born into the Get of Fenris; they must prove themselves worthy first. Most are of European stock, born of Fenrir Kinfolk, but Get septs have been known to accept heroes from other ethnic groups. The path to glory is not easy, though. The tribe's Rites of Passage are inevitably bloody and often deadly. Cubs who seek acceptance are challenged and tested continually. Even werewolves who aren't born under the full moon must prove themselves as capable warriors. Weak Get die; the strongest survive.
To spur them on to greater glory, Fenrir Galliards called skalds recite vast epics of werewolf heroes who have fought against impossible odds. Yet in their lust for blood and glory, the Get have become blind to the darkness within themselves. Fatalism is common among their kind. A true hero does not care whether he lives or dies, as long as he destroys his foes and inspires a great epic for the Galliards to recite. As one would expect, casualties among the Fenrir are high. Even if winning a battle seems impossible, a Get of Fenris would rather die a hero than run away with his tail between his legs. Calling a Get a coward is tantamount to suicide
xXAuspice
Regardless of their breed, all werewolves feel an inexorable pull toward Luna, sister of Gaia. Whether she shines on them with her full face or hides from view, they take comfort from her company and guidance. Luna is the one who shows a werewolf what his path and role will be in Garou society, and this path is called an auspice.
Like many Get of Fenris, Magnus is an Ahroun; a Garou born under the full moon, otherwise known as "The Warrior."
The Warrior basks in the full glow of Luna, the silver light illuminating his all-consuming Rage. He doesn't hesitate to strike fatal blows; rather, he often doesn't know when to stop his killing. All werewolves are fighters, but the Ahroun is the most destructive and vicious of all Gaia's children. Even the young among this auspice are fearsome to see. The old ones are few, perhaps because the Ahroun don't fear death in service to Gaia, and those elders who do live are likely among the greatest werewolves of legend. The Full Moon knows no cowardice, only his thirst for battle.
xXGarou Abilities
‡Transformation Forms
A Garou can transform into five different forms, each with its own purpose.
Magnus's normal form is the homid, or human form. The human form is, as one might expect, completely indistinguishable from an actual human. In this form, Magnus has the physical capabilities of a man of his size and build, although he still has access to his Gifts. In this form, Magnus can handle silver normally like, but silver weapons still do extreme harm to him.
The next form is the Glabro, which is in between the homid and crinos form. The Glabro form is useful for combat when some amount of discretion is needed, as it allows the werewolf to use shorter versions of their claws, while having a fraction of the strength and size of the Crinos form. In this form, they become hairier, grow a stub of a tail, and might have lupine eyes or other features. With proper clothing, however, this can be disguised, and the comparatively human build allows for stealthy movement.
The most famous form is the Crinos form, otherwise known as the "War-form." Only Metis are born in this form, but all Garou can access it. In this form, the werewolf grows to eight to nine feet in height, and can weigh as much as eight hundred pounds of solid, rippling muscle, formed into a bipedal joining of man and wolf stronger than both. This is the most physically powerful form a werewolf can take, with claws like curved daggers and almost supernatural power, but it is extremely inconspicuous. Except in the deepest shadows, it is nearly impossible for a Crinos Garou to hide. A werewolf can assume this guise without trouble, and maintain it indefinitely, as they can any of the other transformations.
The next form is the Hispo, or "dire wolf" form. In this transformation, the Garou is a smaller, quadruped like imitation of the Crinos form. Like the Glabro form, it isn't as powerful as the Crinos, but it is easier to hide and travel in this form. While much too large to pass off as a normal wolf for long, the Hispo form is excellent for combat when the Crinos form might be unwarranted or unfeasible. This is the preferred combat form of lupus Garou before resorting to the Crinos form, as opposed to the Glabro preferred by homid werewolves.
The final form is the lupus form, which is entirely indistinguishable from your average wolf. Extremely mobile and stealthy, this is the preferred form of the lupus Garou. In this form, the garou cannot speak any human tongue, but they do have access to their Gifts, when needed.
‡Astral Walk
A Garou can willingly pass through the Gauntlet into the Umbra, the realm of spirits. The Umbra is completely separate from the common cosmologies of Gaia, and only reachable by Garou or similar entities. It has a variety of levels and "planes" that one can go to. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as staring into a mirror or a process known as "stepping sideways" through reality and into the Penumbra.
When this is done, the Garou disappears completely from the physical world until they return. They can disappear for up to a lunar month before they begin to become a spirit themselves, but such long periods of time aren't suggested, as they can become "disconnected" from reality.
‡Hare's Leap
By invoking this Gift, the werewolf may leap incredible distances. Hare-, frog- and Cat-spirits usually teach this Gift. The lost Bunyip knew this Gift as Leap of the Kangaroo, however marsupial-spirits seem loath to aid werewolves these days. Today, many werewolves call this Gift "Leap of the Kangaroo" in their fallen cousins' honor. Must be activated with each jump in order to enhance it.
‡Sense the Unnatural
The werewolf can sense any unnatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, the Wyrm, wraiths and vampires, although it won't pick them out specifically as such. The werewolf may sense a person plagued by hauntings as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this gift. Passive.
‡Sense Silver
As consummate warriors, Ahroun must be prepared for every eventuality — including silver weaponry. This Gift, taught by Lunes, allows the Ahroun to detect the presence of silver. Passive.
‡Spirit of the Fray
This Gift allows the Ahroun to attack with lightning speed. This gift lasts for two turns, and allows the Garou to move twice the speed of whatever form they may be in. It also allows them to attack much more quickly, but is most often used to close the distance between their opponents.
XXXXXOther Abilities
xXAnimal Ken
Like most werewolves, Magnus can train and communicate with animals, especially wolves. This also includes supernatural creatures, such as manticores. It's worth noting that most - not all - werewolves can do this, but some cannot either because of they've turned their back on Gaia, or have spent their life in a city.
xXSpirit Commune
This is an ability that almost all shapeshifters have - be it Garou or the weretigers of the Eastern Beast Courts. Magnus can contact and communicate with a spirit, performing tasks for it or learning new Gifts from it. These spirits might be animal in nature, or representatives of Luna.
XXXXXTraining
xXCombat Training
As an Ahroun and a Get, Magnus has been extensively trained in combat. He has trained heavily in unarmed combat (especially considering that most Garou use their claws in Crinos form), and has experience with a few different guns. Like many Garou, he prefers unarmed combat, or the use of melee weapons, and to that end he has been trained to fight with a few different weapons, but his preference lays with the spear.
xXKindred Hunter
With his sept at odds with the Kindred in Arizona, this Get has learned the best and most effective ways to kill them. He especially hates the Sabbat and Camarilla aligned Kindred, and has taken great lengths to learn the ins and outs of how their organizations work and what they believe so he can use it against them.
xXBlack Spiral Hunter
The Black Spiral Dancers are a lost Tribe of Garou who have aligned themselves with the Wyrm. Despite their differences, the Black Spiral Dancers are still Garou, and being one means that Magnus knows exactly how to deal with them.
xXControlled Rage
Magnus has taught himself how to control his Rage when he shifts to the Crinos form to keep himself from falling to the berserk fury that so many Ahroun feel when they enter combat in their war-form. While he doesn't always succeed, when he does it allows him to direct his rage in a more productive manner, able to concentrate on battering an opponent to pieces without throwing himself onto their blade. It isn't so much because he is at odds with his rage, only that his self-preservation instinct has taught him well.
XXXXXEquipment
xXAtgeir
The atgier, better known as a "Swordstaff," is a polearm of Scandinavian origin. Essentially, it is a spear haft, fitted with a straight, broad blade, not unlike that of a short sword, made for cutting and stabbing, roughly 18" in length and double-edged.
Magnus's atgier is well-made, with a haft of oak that's been carefully wrapped in leather for a strong grip with a counterweight of cold iron. The blade appears to be in good condition, and words have been inscribed along the blade in the Garou script, detailing the battle prowess of the Get of Fenris. The Ahroun typically wears the weapon hung across his back by a length of cord.
Like many Garou-crafted weapons, this swordstaff is home to a spirit, specifically, a spirit of Luna; the moon. Just as the moon appears to grow and shrink with its cycles, so to does the atgier; the weapon can grow in size to match its owner's Crinos form, or shrink to allow him to use it in his homid form. The weapon is also supernaturally durable thanks to the spirit's protection, and if broken can eventually be reformed.
xXDagger; Silver
Just as the name implies, this 8'' dagger is made of silver with an oak handle. The blade is straight and double edged, made for quick, lethal stabs. Because of silver's malleability and lack of strength as far as metal goes, it's only good against his fellow werewolves. He can only use it in homid form; in Crinos form the silver weapon is painful even to hold
xXRemington 870MCS
The Remington 970MCS is a pump-action, 8 round combat shotgun designed for adaptability, with detachable barrels, stocks, while being capable of firing buckshot, solid slugs, or specialty ammo. Magnus's Remington is matte black with the 10'' barrel and a pistol handle; the common "breach action" configuration used for entering buildings. He does, however, possess the other barrels and stocks, and carries them in his pack. The gun is usually loaded with buckshot or solid slugs, and is carried in a cloth wrapping, stuffed through a gun-belt on one of his hips.
xXSupplies
Magnus carries the usual variety of supplies with him common to wanderers; smokes, a lighter, a flask of something strong, some money and possibly loot for used for barter. He also carries a whetstone and other tools to maintain his weapons, including the Remington, along with its variable stocks and barrels, and extra ammo. He might also have some food, water, and extra clothes with him if he's planning on traveling for a while.
Magnus manages to carry some of the things in his pocket or on his belt, but most of it is stuffed into an old-time army kit bag; one of the old cylindrical ones cut and stitched out of rough, brown denim.
XXXXXHistory
xXHomid Life [1-15]
xXFirst Change [15]
xXFenrir Education [15-20]
xXBlack Spiral War [20-21]
xXWanderlust [21-30]
xXResettlement [30-33]
xXRaising Hell [33-40]
xXProtecting the Caern [40-50]
xXKindred Wars [50-54]
xXEntering the Umbra; Gaia [54]
