[h1][color=black]The Temple[/color][/h1][hr][hider=Lynette and her Crones][table][row][cell][b]Lynette[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Hunter-Richoux[/b][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bO8kc2I.png[/img]

[b]52 | Lynette Hunter-Richoux | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"The future is for people like us. They'll have their place in the badlands and the savage realms, and we will bask in the light of Eden."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Lynette was a (mostly) normal girl until she met the Richoux clan. Hailing from the Hunter family in the St. Portwell area, Lynette was bound to a small coven in upstate New York where she was able to freely study her abstraction among the company of skilled witches. Among them, another young witch named Annalise Richoux would quickly befriend the young Lynette, and the two would spend their weekends together in the civilized world of New York City among the gilded halls of the Richoux family estate. It was there she would, in her studious nature, begin to press upon the family's heritage and pry into whatever secrets her friend would give her to.
This would lead to her induction into L'église de la Nouvelle Lumière: The Church of New Light. She'd come from a sleepy place, and to hear the clan's philosophy as their bloodline stretched back through the sands of time, she became enraptured with the sensation that people like them; Adepts and the world outside the Blind were meant to hold great power in their hands. To wield it like a sword and a shield, and to use that power for fair good in the world. It was a lot for an impressionable nineteen year old. 

Those days were the best for Lynette. Shortly after her first times with the Richoux clan, she met Maxwell; heir to the house whose boxing career was already shaping up to be a legendary affair. Eventually her presence in the Northern coven waned in favor of ringside seats and apparition hunting with her new family who quickly welcomed her intellect and skill to their retinue of globetrotting Hunters. Eventually the two became inseparable, living and working closely with one another until the inevitable came. Lynette took the family name, submitting herself entirely to the cause of the New Light and dedicating herself to the Richoux family in a way she never imagined she would. Her own family became secondary, and with her new position she began to cultivate followers of her own. 
Shortly after the birth of their first son Leon, Lynette revealed that she had a vision as a child: She, and a million other children, gathered beneath the light of a burning tree so vast that it lit the nighttime sky like daylight and burned away their hair and clothes until nothing but the pureness of human youth remained. In the wake of the fire, the sun rose through the clouds of ash, and Eden grew around them from the dessicated Earth. Using prophetic text from the various works of New Light prophets and philosophers, she was supported by Maxwell in proclaiming herself as Prophet. 

Maxwell saw fit to follow her lead, providing his family the ability to uproot from their New York roots to move back to the land this Prophet promised: St. Portwell. In order to avoid prodding eyes, her direct flock took a new name: The Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals. From this, Lynette has been able to redistribute her family's ancient fortune into a chain of different locally owned businesses that allow the Temple to present community outreach and accrue new followers. Blind or not, donations are always necessary, and Lynette continues her various attempts to round up the disparate groups of Adepts scattered about St. Portwell in the hopes that one day her dreams will come true and Eden will reign in St. Portwell.
For Leon, she acts as an advisor when necessary, and a Pimp when it suits her. Leon is her bargaining chip; having taken to walking in his father's footsteps so closely, he serves her directly as a dog loyal to her vision as God's mouthpiece and his Matron. She tells him to show up at a local event, he does so without question. She tells him that a person is a threat to the Temple, he ensures they're stripped and flushed. In turn, she spoils him and pampers him as the Eldest child, praising him and his mastery over the beast imprisoned in his body. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Lynette is a White Lux user whose Channeler is an old book of nursery rhymes.
[b]Wallpaper:[/b] Writing a small poem upon a piece of paper allows Lynette to hear through it as if she were standing in that exact position. In turn, the paper can be applied to any flat surface and blend in seamlessly with its background, camouflaging it completely.

[b]Peek Ahead:[/b] Lynette is able to take a small peek forward in time as one can do while reading a book. Essentially, Lynette frequently dreams of scenes and visions of everyday life, and can remember these dreams with incredible clarity for a long period of time. Ninety-nine percent of the time these visions are utterly worthless alone, but like any Prophet, Lynette has taught herself methods to "read the bones" and is able to interpret meaning where there may not actually be any.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Clarissa[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Natale[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/geBBVSD.jpg[/img]

[b]50 | Clarissa Natale | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"Run all you like. This is fun for me."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Born Clarabel Hayworth, Clarissa grew up in a harsh environment where every day was spent expecting the worst. Her first word was "trouble", emphasized with a questioning tone and a shrug to match. It never seemed to effect her demeanor, growing into a chipper young woman who saught the peace and escape that she could. Her days were full of anticipation, more and more like a pressurized bottle waiting to burst until finally it did. In a manic breakdown, a young teenager broke into her local library and spent the night surrounded by a fort of books that came down in piles from the shelves above. 

As the only individual present at her own Awakening, she chooses to keep the secret of what happened that night as just that; another secret in a long line of mistique that eventually led her into the arms of The Church of New Light. Like her Husband, Clarissa arrived as an acolyte seeking control over her own abilities, as they had grown to plague her every day lifestyle and ability to maintain her sanity. What her teachers and advisors found was a young woman trapped in a cycle of accidental realmwalking that required a great deal of studying before being fully understood.

In those days, another newcomer to the cult was Lynette Hunter, who Clarissa would come to form a friendship with based on their mutual desire for privacy and a joined desire for peace and tranquility among mankind. This makes Lynette's prophecies of New Eden especially tantilizing to Clarissa, who has since dedicated herself to making such peace by any means necessary. Using her unique realm shifting ability, honed by the Richoux's scholars for many years, she has served as a pivotal member of Lynette's personal inner circle. Alongside her husband Furio, the two form the Temple's premiere strike team, keeping a constant vigil on their burgeoning garden and pruning anything deemed necessary by their arch gardener. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Clarissa is a Purple Lux Adept whose Channeler is a .38 snubnose revolver.
[b]Hijack:[/b] Clarissa's primarily developed spell allows her to detect and utilize the residual energy of magical entities crossing between realms. Under her control, this residual energy can be used to reopen the crack previously made by the entity, allowing a small number of individuals to follow through the gap uninhibited. 
[b]Danse Macabre:[/b] Beyond her affinity for sniffing out and reusing other Purple Lux user's portals, Clarissa is well studied in short range teleportation techniques. Specifically, the spell she's developed consists of mirror portals. Summoning one doesn't do anything, but in pairs or larger groups these portals can be walked between seamlessly. The portals do not directly correlate to one another, and as such the location from which you immerge after entering can seem random, but any strong aura reading White Lux user would be able to tell that the portals are constantly swapping their partners in a deadly dance. [/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][b]Harietta "Hari"[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Von Voletta[/b][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tB1wR9x.jpeg[/img]

[b]21 | Harietta "Hari" Von Voletta | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"This is absolutely not in the book."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]There are two ways a child under the age of eighteen joins the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals: If you're a child of a dedicated follower, or if you're a magical stray who happens to catch the whiff of Lux wafting up through the ground of their campus. Hari Von Voletta is part of the latter group, and like many followers of the previous decade who had come to them, Hari is one of the first of the New Generation to come. She arrived after the Sycamore Tree Coven's greatest deed, and only knows St. Portwell in a tenuous peace, without the chaos and open warfare of the magical underground that had existed previously. 

Her arrival five years ago was met by a dogged and exhausted Lynette, who was very quickly losing her grip on several daughters who pulled in different directions. Mia, her blood, was already cold and under the spike on a constant basis, while her chosen had already left, or were ready to leave her side. There was a call about a girl who was trying to chat up people outside of a Temple-owned establishment. When staff attempted to "insure her compliance" they found a strong, hardened Emotional Field brushing their attempts to the side. Thus, the carrot, rather than the stick, was employed. As the kids say, "real recognizes real.", and the very capable Pink Lux adept was brought to the Temple to be questioned.

Lynette appreciated the story the girl told, about her awful life and her rejection. Her struggle for survival. Of course Lynette took her in. A consummate foster parent, the paperwork was done up by her contacts in the State the next day. Nobody batted an eye when the girl started living in the Dorms and doing as she pleased. The problem seemed to be that despite that strange teacher's pet attitude she had, she was a genuinely pleasant girl. Not only, but strong willed and good natured; uncommon for someone who would've had all the trust issues of a homeless teen. It was like she didn't have any baggage at all.

Five years on, and it's a well known fact that Hari Von Voletta is a fugitive hiding out from her Thirteenth Generation Belgian Lux Dynasty. Not that she was from Belgium or anything; her family had settled on Chicago as their American headquarters, and they were three generations deep already. The Von Voletta line hasn't made any sort of move against the Temple, and while they did figure out what her real story was, Lynette has been unsuccessful in returning the girl to her home. As such, she's stuck around, and while she's mellowed out her direct involvement with her Foster Mother, she's remained close with the Richoux siblings. Particularly Mia, both of whom share a secret and sordid relationship between one another, and their opiate of choice (Or their frequent battles against it).[/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Hari is a Pink Lux Adept whose Channeler is a men's black leather belt.
Famous for their diplomatic efforts in European politics, the Von Voletta family utilize Pink Lux spells passed down through generations in order to settle disputes through a specially developed set of skills: The Equality of Man. In essence, Hari excels in combining minds together into pools of thought and concept. At its most basic version, it's a tool that allows individuals to understand and accept one another when all other options of discussion have failed. At its most powerful, effected minds can be pooled together and re-allocated into different bodies with completely jumbled results, creating an essentially new set of individuals who are combined results of several constituents.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][/table][/hider][hider=Children of Grace][table][row][cell][h2][b]Mia[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Richoux[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jocf1YU.png[/img]

[b]21 | Mia Richoux | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"Oh I'll be sure to get on that right after, uh... Never."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Mia is the youngest of the five Richoux siblings. Leon's baby sister and the only other child left in the immediate St. Portwell area, Mia is more a trouble maker than she is any sort of scion of the Richoux clan. Far removed from the family responsibility, she had been her father's pretty little princess until his untimely disappearance. She's never gotten over it, and more or less lives in a position where not even her Mother bothers with much concern for the girl. Though still a practicing follower of the New Light, Mia enjoys perhaps the greatest privilege a member of their inner circle can: Full autonomy. She's been allowed to study as she's seen fit, allowed to make money how she pleased, had no push from her Mother toward a particularly beneficial path for the Temple. 
Mia is free to be a hellion.

As such, she's done exactly what a depressed and listless individual does: Get sucked up into life in the city. Or, she would were it not for Leon. She had a few years where things were touch and go, hitching busses out to different states, dragging herself back home like a cat out in the rain after a few months only to get cagey and run away again. When she was arrested on her twentieth birthday somewhere outside Las Vegas, Leon made a promise to his Father's memory that he'd make sure it didn't end like that. Since then, he's done his best to keep her around and sober without stressing her and forcing her into things that she would reject. 
It's been a project, but at least she's not out on the street doing whatever the fuck she was doing before. She even has a job that she likes; Leon hooked her up with a gig at a local smoke shop with the kind of crowd she enjoys. She's made connections with people who she left a long time ago, and the two of them have even started work on her Lux after it had been neglected for so long.

Now she's mostly a nuisance to Leon, as she's become extremely receptive to his resemblance to their missing Father in both physical appearance and outward attitude. Her fragile psyche has built a strong dependence on her elder brother's guidance and approval, though he hopes that one day her continued therapy and treatment will allow her to be dependent on herself. Despite the road bumps that occasionally come up, Leon is as devoted to his sister as he is his Mother, and the two share a bond that Leon hopes can ultimately help her heal. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Mia is an Orange/White Lux user whose Channeler is a black beanie hat.
[b]Toymaker:[/b] Utilizing both Orange and White, Mia is able to enchant items of her own creation. This enchantment allows her to inhabit these creations remotely, observing and controlling the object based on its typical function.[/indent][/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Elise[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Richoux[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NeGE1In.jpeg[/img]

[b] 27 | Elise Richoux | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"Bless our fucked up Family and keep us safe from harm."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]The Eldest Richoux daughter, Elise Simone has always had her feet and legs beaten into a direction that she was expected to walk. As her daughter, Lynette had expectations for Elise that mirrored her husband's expectations for their firstborn child. From the moment she was able to walk, she was being goaded and coaxed into Kindling by her parents. Once she was, which was significantly earlier than her elder brother who was two years older than her, her first lessons of spell casting were conducted by Lynette herself, whose goal was to imprint upon her a sense of duty and responsibility that went beyond Gravity's desire to see his family fortune and precious remaining Artifacts kept safe. The way she saw it, if she had some sort of gift for clairvoyance, her daughter had to have the same gift.

It was slow going, the process of finding out that she did not in fact have those same inclinations. A large, bitter pill that Lynette was forced to swallow as her daughter grew older and less inclined to magics involving the observation of the future. At first, Lynette couldn't think of anything else but to brute force the affinity, exposing the girl to constant White Lux energy in the form of a constant bombardment of spells constantly monitoring her aura, her actions, and generally surveilling her one hundred percent of the time. Long past traumatic, Elise was essentially a prisoner of her Mother's eye as she tried to have something of a life of her own. Held back even from joining a public school like Leon, it took until Gravity's disappearance for Lynette to finally get the hint that she wasn't getting anywhere.  

At the time, Elise needed time to heal herself. Rather than trap her daughter any longer, Lynette urged her to New York where she had spent her formative years. The same Coven Lynette came from accepted Elise with open arms, and she was gone from St. Portwell before the Stygian Snake's invasion began. In those luscious green forests of the North East, Elise found sisterhood and acceptance where before she'd found only expectation and observation. Not only that, but she found that she enjoyed working and collaborating with others, as well as caretaking and pampering. Slowly but surely, Elise found her mundane niche before she ever felt some sort of spell that connected with her. Now, at twenty-seven, she's come into her own in a very big way. The experience and skills she gained not only concerning her personal spellcraft, but in mundane life styling. This has made her an incredibly important face for the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals, and as her relationship has repaired with her mother, she's become quite the reborn spiritual leader as well. 

Currently she's in charge of The Temple's Corporate face, most of her work coming out of the Temple's hotel [i]Chateau de'Archange[/i] located in an isolated part of South-Eastern Oregon roughly an hour outside St. Portwell.[/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Elise is an Orange White Adept whose Channeler is an ancient stuffed bear.
Elise spent the first part of her life basically ignoring her Orange Lux, rarely having the kind of courage it took to cast any of the spells in the first place. Lynette attempted to develop a spell alongside the girl to access her own prescient gifts that she'd assumed existed. Where Elise actually excels is in analytical detection. Rather than directly reading the mind, Elise has developed a repertoire of spells meant to read, store and recall individuals and their personal actions and quirks. She's also become somewhat famous for her magical moving pictures, which she creates by utilizing her wide databank and almost video-camera like observation to enchant pictures which move as if they're miniature video screens.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Casey[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Richoux[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DnIxsJM.jpeg[/img]

[b] 25 | Casaeu "Casey" Richoux | He/Him [/b][hr][i]"I can't turn my back on them. They don't deserve it."[/i][@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Second son of Gravity and the Prophet, Casaeu Gerard Richoux was born at a tumultuous time in the Temple's history. Focused on the ever-increasing danger of butting headlong into St. Portwell's magical underworld, Maxwell and Lynette had enough on their plate that the distraction of another child hadn't been on either of their minds. It's too bad their habitual comfort-seeking in one another couldn't wait. As Casey grew up, time seemed to forget him from his own personal observation. The only child his mother didn't have the time to breast-feed, it wasn't often either of his parents were present in his life until they managed to wrangle support to their side just in time for Junior to be born. While his youngest sister Mia struggled and troubled her way out of family obligation, Casey seemed mostly left to his own devices. 

The only thing that seemed important to his Father, who only really included him in the picture as a stick for Leon to beat on, was that he be Kindled. Year after year it didn't happen, even after Gravity's disappearance. With a lack of nostalgic good times that his siblings had for the love of life they'd been given, Casey seemed distant and cold. It wasn't until he found the courage to leave his surroundings that he did Kindle. After years of agonizing over what would happen if he fled the Cult he'd been born into; about what the consequences would be knowing there was a world of magic out there that he couldn't see, Casey made the choice to join the Military. Figuring that it didn't matter if he lived or died, Casey sought active duty in the name of the Mundane government that he imagined may provide him with the family he never had.

He was right, and in the middle of a deployment, in the middle of a fire fight, Casey Richoux was Kindled in the blood of his dying battle brothers as he stood to hold the ground that nobody else could. Since then, he's seen several more deployments, eventually making his way toward desk work in the Reserves. While typically not interested in dealing with his family's dysfunction, he's been pulled back to St. Portwell at the behest of Leon, who has wanted to bury the hatched with his brother for many years. It was therapeutic for both parties, and since then he's come to terms with the circumstance of his youth. He's begun to make genuine and active motions to return to the fold of his first family, even coming to develop a renewed relationship with his Mother, which we know is probably not good. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Casey is an Orange White Adept whose Channeler is an old combat glove.
Casey had always seen his siblings studying and pouring over the Richoux tomes, but given his unique circumstance those dusty old books were totally useless to him until he was much older. Being born from such a venerable noble line, Casey shares a strong aptitude for Orange Lux. Unlike the others, he has an uncanny knack for spellcraft, developing a laundry list of basic enchantments that focus around the improvement and usage of Firearms, Body Armor and preparation of Ammunition. Weightless guns, endless magazines, spell-infused bullets, plate strengthening: An operation that he's since taken into the Temple, making him responsible for occasional duties as their part-time armorer.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Maxwell "June"[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Richoux V[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/fWgzLWN.jpeg[/img]

[b] 23 | Maxwell "June" Richoux V. | He/Him [/b][hr][i]"Dad never left: He lives on in our blood and tradition."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent] Probably the most intense out of the Siblings Richoux, Maxwell Selen L'mond Richoux V is known by the title Junior, which he proudly carries in the form of the pet name June. This hot-headed lion of a man carries a great deal of weight in the form of insecurities that drive him toward emotional outbursts, these moments typically ending in some sort of spectacle. In truth, June feels strongly at odds with the world he's been placed into, finding mundane life difficult to adjust to. As such, he's become something of a sheltered and hermited individual whose time spent among the outside world is done with great frustration and angst. This quiet discontent has slowly developed over the years into something of a superiority complex, his opinion of Blinds exceedingly low as a result.

Rather than correct the behavior, the vast majority of people in his life encourage this behavior. Lady Richoux has few qualms about a sense of bitterness toward the Blind and mundane, so long as their own flock are considered as some sort of exception. This is not always the case, and there are plenty of instances of June taking advantage of his position in one way or another. That being said, he's often seen as charismatic by those Kindled Acolytes who he keeps in his company, and naturally he's found himself in charge of something akin to a sect of his family's organization.

He wouldn't be so dangerous if he wasn't smart to boot. With a genius level IQ, June has been taking college classes since he was sixteen, studying at an Ivy League University and coming out with a master's degree in theology with a minor in child psychology. Currently in the middle of his doctorate, Max is able to use his position in the Temple to claim work experience and inflate his hours of service in order to qualify as soon as possible. For the purpose of his employment, June's been brought onto the Temple's active staff as a youth pastor. In reality, he's found a great talent in sniffing out people with potential for Kindling, and easing them toward the process using the methods laid out by the Richoux Tomes. 

June is responsible for a youth camp in the spring and summer months, living his life in the Eastern part of the state among the Cascades. He returns for the late autumn/winter seasons, where he lives a very different life than the clean, child friendly façade he puts on at the camp.[/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]June is an Orange White Adept whose Channeler is a Rosary of New Light.
As a student of the Richoux Tomes, June has had access to one of the most comprehensive Orange Spellbooks ever compiled by European Adepts. His White Lux, however, has truly informed his personal Spellbook. With an affinity for Aura reading and detection, June has honed his Orange Lux abilities to suit his purposes as a Kindler of Blinds. Most frequently, June uses his Orange Lux to enchant items that are meant to encourage the Kindling of could-be Adepts. In his earlier years, June dabbled in computer technology, and still spends scant spare time enchanting pieces of tech with Orange-White mixed spells that are meant to spy on and keep track of the users.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][/table][/hider][hider=Staff][table][row][cell][h2][b]Furio[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Natale[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/yOtJJ2a.jpg[/img]

[b]49 | Furio Natale | He/Him [/b][hr][i]"You stink to High Heaven with guilt and lies."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Furio Natale was born in Brooklyn, New York. In a family of ten children, Furio is the eldest boy and would be patriarch of his family. Were there any left, of course. At the age of fifteen, he willingly participated in the execution of his Father at the behest of a local Crime Boss. In the insuing emotional situation, Furio's awakening to his Red Lux was nothing short of destructive as every little bit of solid material was removed from the surrounding area. Consequently, the destruction of the building meant the death of his siblings, only two of which escaped their demise by virtue of being elsewhere.

The incident was first handled by Police, who obviously couldn't place blame on any one party for the freak accident, and handed over to L'église de la Nouvelle Lumière: The Church of New Light. Typical practice in the area set the French cult up as defenders of the people and scions of the unseen world. It's with these people that Furio found a life outside of his propensity for criminal action, and an outlet to help him understand and control the raging power within. As a young man, he met Maxwell Richoux, and would eventually go on to become one of the champ's closest allies and bodyguards.

Maxwell Richoux once described Furio as "Purposeful Power", and Furio himself has admitted that beyond the constant sparring and fighting alongside his companions like Maxwell, he was trained as a young boy by some of New York's finest hitmen. He cites his criminal eyes and beyond stern demeanor as reasoning behind the supposed interest in his person, and he's often telling tall tales about his constant fighting and escaping from Mafioso members even as far from it as sleepy St. Portwell. Nowadays, he spends his time as Leon's God-Father, and the main security advisor to Lynette and the Richoux family. Together with his wife Clarissa, they form the Temple's premiere strike team working at the bleeding edge of the Temple's goals for St. Portwell. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Furio is a Red Lux Adept whose Channeler is a ruby cufflink.
[b]Magnetomic:[/b] Furio's signature spell consists of directly targeting a small space and drilling a hole in solid material by forcing the atoms within the space to collapse into a tighter density.
[b]Heavy Industry:[/b] His search to master nature's atomic principals have given way to a set of spells collected from his studies centering around synthesizing and controlling alchemical elements. In his comfortable range, Furio is able to synthesize the same elements as our own Sun, all the way up to Iron. [/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Andrade[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Salamente[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/oMTGeK6.jpg[/img]

[b]43 | Andrade Salamente | He/Him [/b][hr][i]"The taste for life is necessary for a full-bodied palette."[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent] Chef to the Stars, Andrade was born and raised Miami Cubano. His youth was spent in his Father's beachside restaurant, his place behind a stove sweltering in the heat. From the time he was young, he was a workaholic who couldn't keep his hands and feet still. Life always had something new, and he was a vivacious young man who hungered for everything that he could see in front of him. He avoided school, fearing the stifling environments and stringent grip on his freedom, and worked with his father into his late teens with a paltry amount of time spent in the public school system.

It was at this time that Andrade was Kindled, the death of his Father and subsequent loss of everything he had due to a horrific fire driving him spiraling into a sorrow that he never thought he'd recover from. The only thing left was darkness, and Andrade gave everything up in search of solace. His feet and hands ceased their relentless nature. He attempted to curse fate, his new abilities only making him a more attractive meal for Miami's creatures of the night, until a chance meeting saw him brought back to St. Portwell in the care of the Richoux family. 

Since then, Andrade has rehabilitated, Lynette Richoux's famed reeducation techniques having helped the young man out of a stage of absolute grief. She changed his entire opinion of the matter into a vacuum of non-concern as he kicked his life back into high gear. As his talents outside magic became apparent to the family, they happily put a young Andrade through culinary school and funded his endeavors into opening a new restaurant in their happy home of St. Portwell. Since then, he's served as the Temple's resident apparition sealer, pet chef, and with his now six restaurant strong franchise, one of the top money makers of the Temple. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Andrade is a Blue and Black Lux Adept whose Channeler is a Chef's Knife.
Andrade's spell book has been developed around his love for cooking, with blue curse spells meant to effect those who eat his cooking, as well as black spells that manipulate Apparitions and repurpose them into meals edible by both Kindled and Apparitions themselves. Curses include prolonged gut poisoning, paralysis and artificial drunkenness; tools to inconvenience the Temple's high society opposition and keep unruly members in check. Andrade's Apparition manipulation spells piggyback off of curses, utilizing cursed people as bait who taint and poison the Apparition until they're able to be easily sealed.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][/table][/hider][hider=Members][table][row][cell][h2][b]Andre[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Makoumbou[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mEgTkZh.png[/img]

[b]54 | Andre Kihani Makoumbou | He/Him [/b][hr][i]"Don’t even think of trying anything here."[/i]
[@FernStone][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]The owner of a relatively popular bar in downtown St Portwell called Le Tournesol, and Linqian’s boss. He’s a middle aged man originally from the Republic of Congo who moved over to the USA as a young man, where he met his wife and settled down in St Portwell. Andre has two sons in their mid twenties, with the youngest still living at home. He grew up with Linqian's mum and kept in contact with her even when they both moved to different countries. Their two families were very close, so when the Hans moved over to the USA he helped them settle. After Linqian and Jinhai’s parents passed he tried to act as an uncle / replacement father figure (with little success - though Henri calls him Uncle Andre). It's thanks to him that Linqian was able to get a job so easily when she came back. 

Andre joined the Temple sixteen years ago. His youngest son, only eight at the time, was horribly ill to the point that he thought he wouldn't be able to save her. After going down every avenue he could, it was a member of the temple that was able to save his son's life. Andre initially joined the temple out of gratitude, offering his services as an adept on the side of running his bar, but quickly grew to like the family atmosphere. It took a bit longer for him to truly believe in it and the religion itself, but now he’s a devout (if understated) follower. He offers a permanent 10% discount for any temple members at his bar, and helps with community outreach. 

Andre is an amiable, but blunt, man. He doesn’t take any nonsense but he treats his staff and family well, is hard working and takes a very hands on approach with his business where he doesn’t necessarily have to anymore. His bar is popular among workers and tourists (though not so much the youth), well known for its cosy atmosphere and mix of normal pub affair food and Congolese dishes. He does a lot for the community, helping those that need it and often hiring from more vulnerable groups, and is well respected among the other small businesses in the area. He has a very good reputation in the food and drink industry of St Portwell. Andre is a tall man at six-one, often found with a smile on his face - until someone causes trouble. He speaks Kituba and French (with English as his third language), slightly favouring the latter. [/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
Adept - [i]Green Lux[/i]. Channeler: his watch
[indent][b]Enhanced Senses[/b]: Andre can enhance any of his senses by essentially improving the part of his body used for them - changing his eyes to see further, improving his ears for his hearing, making his skin more sensitive ect. He can enhance multiple senses at once, but the more that are enhanced the more difficult it is to pick out details. 

[b]Enhanced Strength[/b]: Born from his want to protect his loved ones, Andre can enhance the strength of his own body so he can go above and beyond what should be humanly possible. 

[b]Self Healing[/b]: Andre can slowly heal himself from wounds, as long as they aren’t deadly. It’s a very slow process. He taught this to Jinhai, who had a higher affinity with the spell than Andre ever did.[/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Etiennette "Eddy"[color=2e2c2c].[/color]L'matise[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PfUJTqC.jpg[/img]

[b]20 | Etiennette "Eddy" L'matise | She/Her [/b][hr][i]"Isn't it funny how God isn't here anymore?"[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]A cousin of the Richoux family, Eddy and her family have been riding Lynette's coattails since her young mother escaped New York with Eddy in tow at the age of fifteen. Despite being raised in the cult since her infancy, Eddy never Kindled. Efforts were made, Lynette attempted to guide and instruct, but at the end of fifteen of her own years, the young girl was just... Worthless to them. Like others under the same scrutiny and expectation, she was cast to the wayside with the assumption that if she ever found her power, she'd be able to return. 

Eddy dealt with abuse and rejection not only from her mentor and teacher, but from her own mother. She had long since remarried a member of the Temple, and their life was a far cry from when they arrived. They were both expected to be dedicated, and while her Mother had already Kindled by the time Eddy was born, she seemed to be the only child not following suit. But she had friends: Not great influences, but Mia Richoux and Hari Von Voletta grew protective of the rejected girl. They were the best she'd get, and while the two girls may have introduced her to hard drugs, they were also able to change her life, and consequently their own.

Through literal highs and lows, Eddy was the little sister that both of the others needed. Far more unstable and prone to hot-headed behavior, she needed to be tended to in a gentle way that eventually became second nature to them. However, as time passed, a plan gestated. One where the Trinity would take matters into their own hands in regards to Eddy's overall situation. In a particularly dry, sober period of their lives, the girls left St. Portwell for the deserts of the South, where they spent a summer hitching around without money or support until they found themselves back on drugs in California.

In a seedy motel in the middle of nothingness, the three attempted to complete a ritual that would end the world. They failed, succeeding only in forcing a weak apparition of their desires and ambitions into existence. Serenity. Naturally, the girls would not let the weak creature fade; so Eddy volunteered to become the Adjoined to Serenity. The world of Magic opened up for Eddy that night, taking on the burden of nursing her own creation. The three have been "sober" since, but the powers of the Poppy Doll have only grown in the two years since. Now, Eddy is a nexus for their little Trinity, her powers providing an unlimited health-conscious buzz while keeping a spirit of rebellion alive inside them.[/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Eddy is Adjoined to the Apparition known as Serenity, the Poppy Doll.
Serenity's main purpose was to be a tool of world-ending sloth and torpor created in an opium induced magic ritual. While the spirit itself was only half baked, consistent practice and usage has revealed several aspects of the Apparition that are available for Eddy to use. These aspects directly correlate to hers and her sisters' emotional states at the time. 
The M-Strain, influenced by Mia, is the love of the high: Eddy is capable of projecting a strong opiate-like field of influence around her immediate vicinity. It's the most practiced aspect, as the three girls (and often others) gather around on off days to soak up the clean high. 
The H-Strain, Hari's strain, represents the safety in stillness: Eddy targets a single individual, transfixing them in her gaze as they're filled with an overwhelming sense of empathy toward her until they feel compelled to keep her company or protect her from some unknown force. 
Her own strain, the E-Strain, is the most violent representation: Rather than attempting to influence or court comfort, Eddy's body becomes numb and cold to the touch, and being touched by her transfers this sensation from target to target like a paralytic virus that leaves the body unable to move or function as organs slow down to a dangerous crawl. [/indent]
[/cell][/row][row][cell][h2][b]Kane &[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Abel[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZCaSNEK.jpg[/img]

[b]Great Question | Kane & Abel | They/Them(It) [/b][hr][i]"How deep is the hole? We're not telling a soul!"[/i]
[@AtomicEmperor][/center][/cell][cell]
[b]Description:[/b]
[indent]Of all the relics and Apparitions in the possession of the Richoux family, none are as old and venerated as the pair of cats known as Kane and Abel. Aptly named due to their proclivity for more than dangerous kinds of antics and tricks, these two cats have been members of the family for as long as anyone can remember, and while there's no records of their arrival in France, it's said that they initially came from a journey to America during the first days of French settlement in the Louisiana Territory. What is known is that they are, seemingly, a pair of Maine Coon cats who exhibit exceptional intelligence and wit alongside a laundry list of other anomalous properties from capacity for speech to image perfect mind reading so strong that it ignores Emotional Fields. Strangest of all is the trait which they're named for, as Kane frequently and unceremoniously kills and devours his brother, who in turn reappears sometime later through inexplicable means. 

Strangely, they claim to know of St. Portwell, talking about it fondly as if it were some sort of vacation spot in a distant period of their lives. It was, in fact, Kane and Abel who originally influenced and urged Lynette and Maxwell Richoux to move from the streets of New York City to the rainy harbor city, and when they agreed, the cats were brought along as valued companions and advisors in the earliest days. They revealed certain secrets in those days, hidden truths and necessities that the Temple has since addressed and prepared for, and eventually the brothers became more and more relaxed as time carried on.

In addition, these talking cats were trusted to be a part of the children's' lives. Maxwell himself explicitly trusted the two with the stewardship of their infant children, and said children were expected to be respectful and mindful of the venerable felines just as he had been in his own childhood. It's impossible to think that Maxwell [i]didn't[/i] know what was going to happen; that if he had grown up with the same monsters, he'd know that they were anything but safe. The horrible things were torturous guardians; playing out the oroboros of murder until the children Kindled and were able to hear their childlike voices speaking as if they were children themselves. From there, the physical horror was only augmented by verbal torment and blatant abuse as they lauded their access to the children's' minds over them for years. Only Casey escaped, but they merely continued to physically torment him, their twenty pound frames easily ripping and tearing at his flesh while he slept, or other menacing tactics.

What's clear to Lynette, and was once clear to Maxwell himself, is that these two cats are far worse creatures than advertised. The entity in question is a Wampus Cat: a malicious spirit creature born of Mankind's fear of the unknown. Due to the nature of these creatures, it's often unknown what their true capacity for the supernatural is. While they're plenty capable of filling one's mind with falsehoods and lies, their age and seeming inherent knowledge of magic are both possible caches of valuable information available to the Temple for the small price of souls to torment forever.[/indent]

[b]Abstraction:[/B]
[indent]Kane and Abel are two halves of a single Wampus Cat whose real name is ∆æ¿ıӘɲɲ≤
While Wampus Cats aren't well documented as they're typically illusive creatures adverse to life among humans, certain Adepts have been known to capture them from the swamps and marshlands of North and Central America in an attempt to utilize them as powerful familiars. For reasons it hasn't disclosed, ∆æ¿ıӘɲɲ≤ chose to be "domesticated" by the Richoux clan.
While it's incredibly difficult to know what its plans are, the stewards of the Richoux have managed to collectively gather a list of effective abilities the creature has displayed over time. For starters, it seems to be incredibly resistant to Lux effects of any kind, his own natural Emotional Field bolstered by its alien and otherworldly complexity. Beyond that, its ability to split and absorb itself at will was observed long ago, and serves as the source of its horrific mockery of the Christian tale of Kane and Abel.

Its tremendous intelligence is mostly attributed to its proclivity for mind invasion, an effect similar to Pink Lux being used to intake, store and process memories of its victims for use later. Being two halves of the same entity, the cats share pain receptors, heart rates, step placement, and otherwise are capable of perfectly synchronized independent movement and action. Regardless of their massive size, the twin bodies are supernaturally strong and capable of withstanding tremendous damage as observed by an incident involving an invasion of the Temple's compound in the late eighteenth century.

In the same incident, an instance of their true form was gleamed by Antoine Alain Richoux, who described the full horror of the Wampus cat as "a six legged, elk sized beast of disproportionate mouth and head, whose glowing yellow eyes and wide Cheshire grin drove me to such madness that to this day I cannot bear to view even the silhouette of a feline in motion." Leon Richoux has confirmed this appearance, and many secrets of his own, as he's technically "catnapped" the creature and has been attempting to negotiate with ∆æ¿ıӘɲɲ≤ in order to claim the (potential) treasure trove of information. [/indent]
[/cell][/row][/table][/hider]