[Sorcerer] In Sorcery's Shadow - London, England 2009
The Magus:
David Stanford
Stanford is someone who is very confident, socially adept and self-serving. A cool, distinguished, sharp-dressing 30-something, he is an accountant by training and has built up a substantial network of contacts in the world of finance and business. Working variously as a freelance 'business consultant', his clients span a wide spectrum from the legitimate to downright criminal. As a consequence, Standford has his sticky fingures in a number of pies (both savoury and unsavoury). No one is really sure what Stanford does in his capacity as 'business consultant'(perhaps least of all himself); nonetheless he seems to come up with sage advice just when needed; sometimes it just seems to be the case that his very presence around the boardroom table brings about the desired result for whoever is currently purchasing his services. What his clients value most, though, is Stanford's ability to provide them with some useful (and often salacious) secret about their competitors' personal lives or business practices. This makes for all sorts of complications - occasionally of the life-threatening variety - in Stanford's life. Despite his apparent success, Standford's world is built on a house of cards as he plays clients off against one another.
Importantly, Stanford's work has brought him into contact with some of the more unusual aspects of London's financial and criminal underbelly - the world of sorcery and demons. This was prefaced by Stanford being the beneficiary of the will of a distant relative, from who he received a small annual stipend, along with a strange old ring.
Motivations: knowledge is power - much of Stanford's world revolves around barely restrained chaos; Standford seeks absolute control of things through knowledge. Stanford has an almost pathological fear of uncertainty and of losing control of situations. There are secrets about Stanford's past and his family that he is seeking to uncover - what price is he willing to pay (perhaps in terms of his humanity) to learn those secrets? How might this be linked to his fear of losing control? How is this connected to the legacy of the ring? Perhaps Stanford inherited some kind of encrypted manuscript with the ring which he has yet been unable to decipher?
Sorcery/Demons: this is connected to the ring, but perhaps some sort of intuitive, innate or inherited sorcerous power. The demon is probably an object (the ring) and is in part behind Stanford's financial success. It may not be something that manifests in any personifed or anthropomorphic way.
The Magus:
These are the notes I wrote as GM prior to our most recent play session:
Opening
David receives the Demon ring from the estate of his great uncle. He attends a business meeting and strange things happen.
David attends the reading of his father's will. This is the first time in many years that the Stanford family have met up.
David is approached by a representative of the large financial group. He is asked to design sophisticated stock market modelling software for this organisation. The share portfolio represented consists of nanotechnology companies and pharmacological companies. He has subsequently approached by other organisations offering him large sums of money for inside information.
David hires a private detective to investigate his business partners. After gathering some initial information the detective disappears.
David works late one night on his mathematical model. He passes out and has a vision that leads him to believe there is some sort of link between his market model, his Demon ring and his great uncle's interests.
Middle
David is believed to be psychotic and is taken to an acute psychiatric ward.
David is tested by the rings needs and desires.
NPCS
David's family – Catherine, his mother – cold and distant
Robert, his brother – someone whom David is estranged from and whenever they are in contact a great deal of sibling rivalry occurs.
Susan, David's older sister – quiet and conventional she is now a home maker in Berkshire.
Phoebe, the youngest sister – something of a wild child, she takes drugs and lives a bohemian lifestyle on a modest stipend.
Arkady Adalian – head of a group of foreign investors whom David has helped with London property investments. They have an especial interest in the most historic areas of London.
Marcus Tate - a representative of the Portcullis group, who have an interest in nanotechnology and pharmacology
Sheila Hughes – a corporate lawyer from silver, Cuthbert and Whitlock. She has asked for David's help in maximising solicitors fees from corporate consultancy.
Colin Bostock – a businessman with large sums of money invested in the building trade. He seeks David's help in making his sources of income appear more legitimate.
Michael Bridgeman – a private detective, whom David has employed intermittently for the last five years.
Dr. Ashok Kumar – a psychiatrist on an acute ward in central London. While adopting a biomedical model he is also a devout Hindu with an interest in spirituality.
Dr. Jennifer Collins - a more conventional psychiatrist she has recently developed a habit of taking drugs from the medicine cabinet on the ward.
Leroy Wilson – an inpatient, deeply psychotic 90% of the time his utterances are confusing or meaningless to other people, although he may think in a far more intuitive way than appreciated by others. He also exhibits some lucidity and has penetrating insights into other people.
Organisations
Portcullis group – a large organisation whose motives are unclear. They are shrewd investors and plough significant percentage of their profits into ephemeral research and new technologies.
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