Deianeira

Shadow Name: Deianeira

True Name: Lake Plath

Thyrsus

Mysterium Acquisitor

Deianeira is an acquisitor for the Mysterium order. She usually works with archaeomancers to recover ancient artifacts, but has been known to work as a reclaimant. As a Thyrsus shaman she prefers to work alone and rarely sticks it out with a cabal for more than the duration of a mission.

Like most shamans, Deianeira is an intensely physical person. She is tall, about six foot, and is lean and muscular (3\* Strength), quick and nimble (3\* Dexterity), and hardy (2\* Stamina), frequently ignoring wounds or her own fatigue (3\* Iron Stamina merit) to get the job done. She is athletic (3\*), skilled at jumping, climbing, and crawling through difficult environments with gymnastic ease (Parkour skill specialty), sometimes undetected (2\* Stealth). She has sticky fingers and can pick a lock (2\* Larceny), but she is especially skilled at disarming ancient booby traps (Skill Specialty). She can hold her own in hand to hand combat (2\* brawl), but usually uses guns (3\* Firearms). She has two pistols (2\* Two weapons merit) that she can fire in quick succession (Gunslinger Merit), shooting first, quickly reloading, and double taping to finish the job (3\* Combat Marksmanship Merit). But she has been known to use other weapons as well, like bows, daggers, or bull whips (3\* Weapons). She is a world traveler, and can survive in harsh conditions for months (3\* Survival). Deianeira is a skilled driver (2\* Drive) and frequently performs other feats while driving (Stunt Driver merit).

Deianeira is of average intelligence (2 \*), and is an indifferent student (1\* Academics) of the occult (1\*), much to the surprise, and dismay of the more learned members of her order. She is a woman of action, and is good at thinking on her feet (3\* Wits) and maintains intense, almost obsessive, focus on whatever tasks or mission she is on (3\* Resolve). She is observant, has a good sense of her surroundings, and is a capable investigator, especially in ancient ruins, temples, or tombs (3\* Investigation, skill specialty). Sometimes, in the course of her adventures she is called upon to make repairs or improvise and jury-rig things (1\* Crafts), or tend to wounds and injuries (1\* Medicine).

Deianeira, while not plain or homely, is more of the tomboy girl-next-door type and does not spend a lot of time on her personal appearance or grooming. She is confident and comfortable in her own skin most of the time, but her powerful and athletic build is intimidating to some people (2\* Presence). She is not socially awkward (2\* Manipulation, 1\* Socialize) but prefers the company of animals (2\* Animal Ken) and spirits in nature and the shadow realm. She is capable of both charm (1\* Expression) and deception (1\* Subterfuge) and is familiar with the seedier sides of most towns and villages (2\* Streetwise). She stays calm and cool under immense stress (3\* Composure) and has a lot of willpower (5\*).

Lake, her true name, due to some mystery, rose above the quiescence while she was still in her mother’s womb, and was born a sleepwalker, aware of the magical nature of the world around her. Her mother, Meredith (Cobweb), a more bookishly inclined and inwardly directed mage, was fascinated by her sleepwalker daughter academically, but often did not provide the nurture and emotional support that Deianeira (named for the Amazon princess who married Hercules) desired. Her father disappeared under mysterious circumstances when she was very young and she has only vague and shadowy memories of him that sometimes haunt her dreams. Her mother rarely speaks of him. When she was 13, while following her mother on a research expedition, she awoke during an experience that gave her a vision of the primal wild where she carved her name on the Tower of the Stone Book.