Orlando Robicheaux

## Bio

Orlando is a local of New Orleans with a prodigious talent in the violin. At some point he moved away from the music scene for unknown reasons and became a sailor. He was raised by a Haitian woman who had occult knowledge and magical prowess.

## History

### 1843 (*The Mighty Lusca*)

Orlando was introduced as a sailor working for Captain Herod and rather skeptical of the possible existence of the lusca. He lightly flirted with Alma and offered to take her bags while giving Quincy's to someone else. Later that night, he led an impromptu party with his violin that was interrupted when he saw Quincy trying to save Alma from magic-induced drowning. As Alma vomited up the last of the water, Orlando noticed the captain walking away.

Orlando supported Quincy's suggestion of inciting mutiny and helped convince the first mate to act against Captain Herod. He then helped his friends search the captain's quarters and discovered the Pnakotic Manuscripts hidden inside a hollowed out bible.

Orlando accompanied the others in a small boat to reach the underwater city of Atlantis, though he didn't go into the waters with Quincy. After Quincy emerged from the waters, he heard someone on the ship shouting, "Whale!" and assisted in trying to kill the lusca. When warned to turn back, he made it to the ship but leapt back into the water to rescue Alma. Just as she reached the ship, the lusca smashed into them and Orlando was knocked unconscious just as their hands touched.

### 1844 (*The Call of the Gold Bug*)

At some point before the events of the episode, Orlando sent the Pnakotic Manuscripts to someone in hopes of interpreting it. He was asked by Walton Weatherell to guide him around Charleston as he did his business. A man named Lafarge attempted to steal Weatherell's new prize, a gold scarab, and Orlando confronted them. When Weatherell bought drinks for everyone, Orlando overindulged and knocked a candle into Weatherell's leather parchment as he drunkenly lamented about Alma. His mistake destroyed part of the parchment but also revealed heat-reactive ink with coordinates and instruction to go to Bishop's Castle and the devil's seat.

Orlando went with the group to investigate the coordinates and used his nautical skills to pinpoint the location of the coordinates: a tulip tree with a white object nailed into it. Orlando climbed the tree and discovered the object was a human skull. The skull was strategically placed so its eyes pointed beneath the tree. Orlando put a die through the eye and watched it fall to mark the spot he was looking for. Whilehe was still in the tree, a companion of Lafarge cast a spell to attack him and Orlando nearly toppled out of the tree.

The group managed to convince the man, Atticus Pluto, that they were simply looking for treasure and were told that the map led to the body of warlock and pirate William Fawn. Orlando witnessed Weatherell's gold bug burrow into the earth to resurrect Fawn and assisted in destroying Fawn's body.

### 1861 (*The Pnakotic Sonata*)

Orlando was showing Wilma Middlemass around New Orleans when he was recruited to help Geraldine Beuaregard track down the missing musician, Foster Stevens in time for his concert. The trio tracked down their target's hotel room where they found signs of struggle and a contract to sell a song, O Come the Rapture, to Gilman Publishing. The trio went to Gilman Publishing to investigate and Orlando was shocked to realize that the melody was one he had heard from Captain Herod and drunkenly played it for his friend Edwin Alvaro. The realization led straight into a mental breakdown that made him both violent and obsessed with the cursed song.

Orlando found a hidden altar with a violin as well as a strange dot floating in the air. He was compelled to play upon the instrument and unwittingly opened a gate for an Old One to appear. Orlando set the building on fire and witnessed the Old One walk through the flames completely unharmed. Having learned that there was a contract between Gilman Publishing and the Old Ones to sacrifice hundreds of people, Orlando and Wilma raced to stop the concert. Orlando faced off with his old friend Alvaro, now a gelatinous servant of the Old Ones, but became collateral damage of a spell Wilma miscast. He awoke in a pure white space where he gave into his growing madness and happily accepted becoming an "instrument". Extra appendages sprouted on his body as he was transformed and he was last seen cheerily going on to perform the concert in place of Stevens where an ignorant crowd awaited their doom.

### 1863 (*First General Meeting*)

Orlando appeared to make a bid to become the next chairman of the Neptune Society. Archibald Fredericksham noticed his unusually perfect health and realized there was something wrong with him; traces of a strange goo had been found earlier in the building. His deceit revealed, Orlando's form stretched into a horrifying creature as he brought the walls of the clubhouse down around the Society members.

### 1878 (*The Secret Masters*)

Orlando appeared before Pemberton Polcross as an enticing, mysterious person with great knowledge to be shared. He gave Pemberton a book, The Stanzas of Dyzan, as a gift and invited him to his concert. Orlando left Pemberton a ticket to follow him to San Francisco. Orlando performed a concert and enticed Pemberton into casting a spell of great power and devastation. Pleased with Pemberton's performance, Orlando heartily welcomed him into the ranks of the Order of Ancient Wisdom.

### 1879 (*Little Ragnarök on the Prairie*)

Orlando accompanied Pemberton to Chicago where they met Professor Jorgenson. Pemberton had received a wooden pitchfork covered in runes from a fan and they asked Jorgenson to let them know if the fork was worth looking into. Jorgenson agreed to to accompany them to Kansas and look into the origin of the pitchfork. When they arrived to meet their contact John Bender Jr., Orlando played some music for the locals and was warned by a local that people who went into the nearby town of Vigil didn’t come back. Vigil was where John had apparently bought the item.

The next morning, the group set out for Vigil. The locals seemed quite friendly, and the homes all had mistletoe hanging. Inge, a particularly beautiful man, told the to show the pitchfork to the village elder, Jormun. On the way, Jorgenson got distracted by a circle of runestones and ran out to it. Orlando stopped him at the behest of Jormun, who spoke with them in the village hall and told them the pitchfork had been stolen. Jormun wanted it back and gave Pemberton a scythe with runes that burst into flame. The exchange was made and Jormun explained that the villagers had come to Kansas because it was where their ancestors had supposedly come and fought the great serpent Jörmungandr, and they were foretold to fight that same battle again. Upon further questioning, they learned that legendary battle was likely to take place that same night but the conversation was interrupted by gunshots. John Bender Jr. was lying wounded in the center of the runestones, having snuck out to them with Pemberton's assent. During the chaos, Orlando took the opportunity to sneak away.
Jorgenson accidentally opened a portal at the runestones, summoning several shoggoths. As the villagers gathered to stop the creatures, Inge - actually Orlando now in his guise - took the pitchfork and stabbed Jormun in the eye. Jormun accused him of being Fenrir and the spear’s power surged through Orlando, revealing his true grotesque and inhuman form. He repeatedly stabbed Jormun, who held against his brutal attacks. Pemberton took his cue to cast a spell against the villagees.

An enormous worm-like creature appeared from the portal, shocking Pemberton out of his spell, and the villagers were able to regain the power to bind the shoggoths. Jorgenson closed the portal, cutting it in half. Seeing the villagers’ victory and that Pemberton had fled, Orlando tried to command the shoggoths to destroy them. He was unable to do so and the creatures burned away as the sun rose. One of the villagers threw his hammer at him, crushing his head. Surrounded by enemies, Orlando told Jorgenson he would beg for death when he and his masters took the earth, and melted away into the ground.