Rachel Shaw

Rachel Shaw is the owner and operator of the Shaw Occult Museum, located in the Nightfall Terrace neighborhood of Raven's Grove. She is something of a local celebrity, being a noted paranormal investigator and house 'cleaner'.

## Story

Rachel Samantha Shaw was born in 1985, the only child of the renowned investigative team of demonologist Sebastian Shaw and psychic sensitive Judith Shaw. As young as six years old Rachel was complaining to her parents about "shadow people" she was glimpsing throughout the house and in her closet. Unlike most parents, the Shaws' believed their child and rejoiced in the fact that she seemed to have psychic gifts like her mother. Indeed, as Rachel grew older her psychic impressions only seemed to strengthen. But there is always a price to pay, and in Rachel's case she was pushed to the breaking point because she couldn't turn her abilities off and her parents refused to let her try.

When Rachel was 16 she turned to drugs to block out the psychic impressions bombarding her from every angle. She started with marijuana and when that didn't help turned to the much higher heroin. On September 12th, 2001, Rachel suffered an overdose. Her friends, high as they were, had the sense to call 911 but the damage was done, Rachel Shaw died en route to the hospital. In a later interview she made the statement:

*"I was dead for eighteen minutes. Actually, truly dead. I remember seeing my body in the ambulance and then in the hospitals as those wonderful doctors and nurses fought very hard to resuscitate me. Then I heard my name being called. When I turned around to find out who could possibly be calling me, I was suddenly on the top of a hill in a beautiful, golden meadow. I was standing under the biggest oak tree that I have ever seen, and white butterflies were flitting through air that smelled of autumn;cinnamon and allspice, pumpkins and crushed apples.*

*"Then there was a voice with me, a sweet and delicate woman's voice. She asked me if my life had been pleasurable or sorrowful, and I explained everything going on with my psychic abilities. The woman's voice then asked me if I considered what I could do a blessing or curse. I said sometimes it works both ways, and then the voice started asking me about things I had done in my life. If you want to call it my life flashing before my eyes sure, it really was something like that. My errors were pointed out, the good things I had done were lauded and the bad things I had done, well, the voice said I couldn't be rewarded for that. I went through a range of emotions but I remember eventually just lying down on my face and weeping, apologizing to the voice for everything I had ever done wrong. The voice told me to go back, because it wasn't really my time, and that I had a second chance to do those good things I should be doing. The next thing I knew is that I was awake in the hospital with my parents standing over me, crying."*

During her hospital stay, where she also detoxed, Rachel received a visitor named Marilith Keene, a sister from the Celestial Chorus. Rachel Samantha Shaw had Awakened.

## Appearance and Personality

Rachel Shaw is an attractive 35 year old woman with a penchant for the Victorian, she likes to wear clothes from a period that throbbed a century ago. She is a little eccentric and possessed of a wry, dry sense of humor that sometimes makes it difficult for people to discern whether she is joking with them or being serious. She has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the paranormal and still offers her services as an investigator and house cleaner.

To those closest to her she is a very loving woman, fond of expressing her love with physical contact; touching the arms, laying her hand on the chest, and stroking cheeks are common and signs of her affection. She is an extreme foodie, delighting in gourmet foods and is, herself, and accomplished trained chef.

Where magick is concerned Miss Shaw always keeps it as unobtrusive as possible. She never uses flashy or showy effects as she finds them, well, vulgar. She no longer requires foci for Prime or Spirit and so accommodates the use of these Spheres according to her clients' expectations; sometimes she will walk slowly from room to room gaining 'psychic impressions' and advising the client on what she sees. Other times, she will conduct seances or, if expected, bring along the entire cadre of the Catholic faith implements to perform blessings, exorcisms, and the like. She is very subtle with the Sphere of Life, again adapting her actions to her clients' needs. If her clients expect a faith healing, she will use Latin prayers, laying on of hands and similar methods; or if the ill person she is counseling doesn't believe in such things she will use Life to ascertain the cause of the ailment and recommend that the patient see a doctor, with a 'suggestion' to give to the medical professional as to what the cause of the problem might be.

She always uses Mind only in the context of giving spiritual advice in her role as a minister and Mother Superior and, even then, if the confessor seems to be struggling with admitting what the problematic issue is. Her focus for Mind is touch. When utilizing the rote she will hold the penitent's hand, or have them hold a rosary bead she is also holding, and similar contact. Despite being very strong in Forces, it's a Sphere that Miss Shaw almost never has call to use. She will unleash with it at potency if, again, the situation warrants it; such as needing to add some force behind her attempt at banishing or excising a negative element. In the trappings of religion sometimes those afflicted by the forces of evil expect houses to rock, lights to explode, and dangerous items to whiz across the room; in such cases the belief of the afflicted is enough to keep such effects Coincidental.

## Sheet

Rachel Shaw is a Master in the Celestial Chorus Tradition. She is considered a Mother Superior in the Catholic Faith, and is a high-ranking member of the Celestial Chorus Knights of St. George, the faction dedicated to the combat and destruction of evil in all of its forms.

Name: Rachel Samantha Shaw

Nature: Educator

Essence: Primordial

Demeanor: Caregiver

**Attributes:** Strength 3, Dexterity 4 (quick reflexes), Stamina 4 (Determined), Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 4 (Sherlock Holmes), Intelligence 3, Wits 3.

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 4 (Training), Brawl 4(Krav Maga), Dodge 3, Instruction 3, Intuition 3, Etiquette 2, firearms 4 (paired 9mms), Leadership 4 (motivating!), Melee 4 (swordplay), Research 3, Stealth 3, Computer 2, Cosmology 5 (The Spirit World), Investigation 3, Linguistics 1 ( Latin), Lore 5 (Celestial Chorus Tradition), Occult 5 (The Paranormal).

Spheres: Forces 3, Life 3, Mind 2, Prime 5, Spirit 5.

Arete: 8 Willpower: 9

Backgrounds: Allies 3, Arcane 5, Chantry 5, Familiar 2 (Bodyguard the rugged iguana).