Baroque is a childe of Morlock. He works for the Midnight Circus. He is part of the Second Circle in the Circus.
Biography[]
A bully, a sadist and a rapist, Shih Hsu was a predator almost from birth. A minor death-mage, he terrorized first his village, then the entire province. By the time he was 60, he was considered the most wicked man in Tibet. Growing rich through banditry, he built a great fortress in the Himalayas where he and his men killed all who passed by them. His evil deeds brought him to the attention of a visiting Western vampire. The Westerner admired him for his wickedness, and convinced him that the limited power he would lose as a mage would be more than compensated by the powers he would gain as a vampire.
The vampire Embraced him, and then taught him all he knew. As a reward Shih Hsu flayed his sire right down to his bones. What Shih Hsu didn't realize was that his master was a renegade member of the Eastern Black Hand. Shih Hsu barely escaped their attack on his sire's cave. Running for his unlife, he encountered the carnival and sold his soul for immediate escape and a new identity. The circus' Glamour Veil clothed him in a different form, and he has been there ever since. He now plies his trade as a voodoo fortuneteller, planning for better times.
Note: Baroque possess a small jade Artifact known as the Hand of the Yama Kings. The circus stole the Hand from the Jade Emperor some time ago. Cavendish gave it to Baroque to secure his loyalties and to aid in his ability to control wraiths. The Hand is a powerful defensive Artifact. All wraithly Arcanoi and necromantic powers (rotes, Disciplines, etc.) used against the owner are at - 4 with their Dice Pool. The Artifact also allows vampires (or mages with Entropy and Spirit) who are attuned to it to enter the Shadowlands for brief periods of time. The Hand of the Yama Kings looks like a severed hand made out of True Jade, and only exists in the Shadowlands. Baroque carefully hides the Hand each time before he returns to the Skinlands.
Appearance[]
Baroque looks like a tall, handsome black man wearing a dapper white suit. He is completely bald and speaks with a Jamaican accent. He is friendly toward everyone and laughs in a booming, good-natured way. Baroque's physical appearance is really an illusion covering a wizened old Tibetan vampire named Shih Hsu.
Character Sheet[]
Position: Keeper of the Dead
Clan: Samedi
Sire: Morlock
Generation: 7th
Embrace: 1725
Apparent Age: 30
Nature/Demeanor: Manipulator/Avant-Garde
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 6, Appearance 3
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Talents: Acting 3, Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Dodge 3, Intimidation 4, Subterfuge 5
Skills: Etiquette 2, Firearms 4, Melee 2, Music 3, Stealth 4
Knowledges: Bureaucracy 2, Linguistics 3, Occult 4
Disciplines: Auspex 3, Celerity 1, Fortitude 1, Mortis 4, Necromancy 5, Obfuscate 3, Presence 1
Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 4, Herd 1, Resources 3, Retainers 2
Virtues: Conviction 2, Instinct 2, Courage 3
Willpower: 7
Path of Death and the Soul: 7
Equipment: Fashionable white suit, silver-handed cane, ruby pendant.
Gallery[]
References[]
- WOD: Midnight Circus, p. 58-59