Andrew Leakey
Played by: WarriorsWay
Hierophant of The Court of Scorpions Andrew Leakey (a.k.a. Selk)
Andrew Leakey is the Hierophant of The Court of Scorpions, the Setite Primogen of Baltimore, and the head of the black market in Baltimore. He is an archaeologist, a scholar, and an extremely dangerous man, known for his intelligence and implacible will. A charismatic treasure hunter with a mind like a steel trap, Andrew was Sired in Egypt, and tutored in the Dream Court, one of the most prominent Setite Temples in the world, nestled deep beneath Cairo. His lineage is pretisgious, but Andrew was always something of a black sheep. Exiled to America, he has flourished within Charm City, quickly rising to become one of the preeminent figures within the Church of Set. He has recently engaged in a relationship with Corinthia Banner, a politically arranged marriage which is set to rock both of their religions to their very foundations.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Andrew is in excellent shape. He is not a fighter, but he always cared for his body through a strict workout regimen.
Special abilities
Tap the Secret Vein
As an accomplished Setite Sorcerer, Andrew can use his Blood to look into the soul of others, pulling secrets from them that Sutekh whispers in his ear. Receives +2 dice to Insight checks against on target, and is granted one secret on a success.Degenerative Process
Andrew can use his Blood to influence the morality of others, stripping of their Convictions, and helping them to grow stronger by growing beyond their contraints. Perform a Manipulation + Persuade check vs the target. On a win, the target breaks 1 Conviction, gains 1 Stain, and either heals 1 Aggravated Willpower damage, or gains 3 Temporary Willpower. The target feels purified as a result.Apparel & Accessories
Andrew wears the official regalia of an Egyptian High Priest when he is engaged in most Temple ceremonies or Ahku rituals. Otherwise he is dressed in exquisite, tailored suits, usually of scarlet or black. He always wears his Ankh of Deception, and carries his Cane of Torment.
Specialized Equipment
Ankh of Deception
For 1 Rouse gives any users of Auspex or Mind false information. May be Roused at the start of night for 1 full night of use.Cane of Torment
For 1 rouse all Damage Soaked is Unsoakable; gives Stains for Paths like Humanity, Harmony, etc.Waxen Poetica
Tiny, clay squares. When placed on a target the caster rolls Sorcery + Intel vs 3. On a win the clay will cover the body of the target, dealing 1 Agg per number of the turns it has spread. For example, the second turn with the Poetica on the target causes 2 Agg damage. By the third turn the target is immobilzed as the Poetica spreads across their body. On a critical win the Poetica cannot be removed, unless the caster ends the effect or the target dies.Mental characteristics
Personal history
Early Life
Andrew Leakey was born April 6th, 1832 in New York City. He was born to a middle class family, which at the time was quite the accomplisment. However, his mother was a fiend. She regularly beat the young Andrew, and belittled his father to no end. She would often resort to physical violence against her husband, even in front of young Andrew. As a result, he grew up cold, distant. It was easier to survive at home when he turned off his emotions, and focused on other things. Those things were academics. Andrew was fascinated by history, which eventually grew into a love of the burgeoning science of archaeology. Such a thing was still relatively unheard of back then, but there was a growing number of amateur ruin hunters, and tales of fair away lands and forgotten civilizations were a balm for Andrew. He proved very adept in the classroom, and evenutally graduated from Colombia University with his PhD in Archaeology, one of the first to ever do so. He was seen as something of a historical wunderkind, and worked on several Native American sites in Upper New York, cutting his teeth, before finally achieving his true dream. Andrew had always been most fascinated by the land of ancient Egyptian, to the point that he was often mocked as a heretic by his more religious peers. Colombia would send him to Egypt in one of the first expeditions there. There, Andrew's life would take a turn. He would catch the eye of the Followers of Set, and never be the same again.Following the Serpent
Andrew hit the ground running when he finally arrived in Cairo after nearly a years journey. In his first week he had journey out to the Giza Plateu, then a much more isolated and desolate locale, still a haven for bandits and highwaymen. He photographed the buried head of the Sphinx, and managed to climb the Pyramids, entering within. The contribution to the then burgeoning Ministry of Antiquities was enormous, and it earned Andrew the spotlight for a time in Cairo academic circles. He leveraged this fame to enter occult circles. Andrew had always been fascinated by the occult. He had never had many friends, his emotionless demenor and dedication to study helping to isolate him from his peers. But he had always keep his love of the supernatural and the occult close to the his heart, shared with no one but himself. Much of his love of Egypt was driven by his love of its mythology, and now that he was in the land of his dreams, with the influence to form connections, he began to ply the Higher Mysteries. This was what brought Andrew to the attention of Abasi. Leakey managed to stumble across an occult secret society, a high class club for the elite of Cairo's historiacal and arcaheological social circles, the Society of the Emerald Serpent. His celebrity, and ambition, quickly got him a spot within the Society, and he rose through the ranks with equal celerity. His nature intelligence and established rigorous study habits ensured he was a quick study of the ritual and rote needed to function with the Serpent. What Andrew did not know, was that the Emerald Serpent was a false front, just the tip of the iceberg. One of several funnels established by the Church of Set designed to herd skilled, prominent, or exceptional mortals into their arms. An enigmatic Kushite named Abasi was the head of Andrew's Lodge; Abasi was the Emissary of the Dream, or Sleeping Court, one of the most preeminent Temples in the Church. It was not long until the two crossed paths. Andrew met Abasi at a ritual designed to invoke the essence of Thoth; Andrew's grasp of the ritual far surpassed what was usually for his rank, and so Abasi called him aside when it was completed. They fell into conversation, and Andrew was absolutely taken with Abasi's knowledge of Ancient Egyptian culture and mythology. He spoke Demotic, and Coptic, two languages Andrew yearned to learn, and by the end of the night he had invited Andrew to a special kind of ritual, one that was offered only to a select few members of the Society of the Emerald Serpent. Andrew could not resistJourney of the Nine Gates
The special ritual was, of course, a Setite service, held within the Sleeping Court. Andrew was not a social person; he had nearly no close friends until that point, and had never been intimate with a woman. What he was exposed to within the Temple was a complete shock to his sense. Men and women in the throes of passion, hashish, opium, and other drugs in abundance. People carving into one other, engaing in their based most vile passions. It caught Andrew completely off guard, but Abasi couched the setting in the mythology of Egypt, drawing Andrew further in. To say that Andrew could not feel is not the whole truth. Andrew had learned to not feel, to shut off his emotions, to be cold, unfeeling, like blank, perfect marble. But he was not born that way, and one can never truly get rid of emotion. All of his wants, his feelings, they were buried deep, deep down, hidden from Andrew by books, and lack of interaction, building a pressure within his soul that even he was unaware of way. It was not hard for Abasi to get the dam to burst. Andrew spent the next several months in a haze of drugs, alcohol, and sex. But eventually, the books began to call again. He could not forget that he was in Cairo, and what that meant. So he set those things aside, and went back to Abasi, begging to learn more. He had passed the Gate of Esctasy. Andrew progressed quickly through the rest of his Journey after that, reaching his Fourth Hour within half a year. Andrew took to ghouling much better than most. He was already used to being different, and the Blood helped him to dampen his emotions even more, freeing his mind. It was another half of a year until his Gate of Blood, and during that time he came to the attention of his grandsire, Kahina. Like most in Andrew's orbit she was taken by his ambition, drive, and focus, especially for a ghoul. She announced her intention to sponsor Andrew for his Sixth Hour, a high honor within the Church. Everything looked to be going well for Andrew, better than he had ever expected. His wildest dreams had come true, and soon immortality itself would be his. That would all begin to change, however, when Andrew met Menes. Menes was a local Egyptian man that Andrew met at one of the Emerald Serpent's lounges. The two struck up a friendship which quickly evolved into something more. It was one of the only meaningful, intimate relationships of Andrew's life. Menes became his rock, a fast friend, and his only true lover. Menes even helped Andrew to complete his Gate of Satiety, by helping him to realize there were more important things than sensation. Their kind of relationship was scandalous at the time, and double so within an Islamic country. Such borders meant nothing to the Church of Set, and Andrew was quick to bring Menes in, something which only helped to gain him more favor. But all of that would come crashing down in one terrible night. Menes' neigbor, a devote Muslim, would catch glimpse of them in bed one night through their window while he was coming home. The neighbor went to the police the next day; they came and dragged Menes away while Andrew was sleeping. Justice was must swifter--and much harsher--in those times. Andrew awoke to find Menes head on a pike. Worse, the police had tortured him before the end, and in his death throes he had given up the location of one of the Sleeping Court's satellite temples. There were hunters even in those days, though the ones that came with torches worked to enforce Shiara Law, and not for the Inquisition; the temple was completely destroyed, and everyone within lost to the sun. Andrew was punished severely for his failure. He had let someone into the Church that had betrayed them, and the burden of blame lay on Andrew's shoulders alone. Kahina withdrew her sponsorship for Andrew's Sixth Hour, and he was locked away in a dark cell for a full year, the room barely large enough to sit down in, fed only enough to live, and kept a steady supply of vitae. Andrew lost, and found, himself in that dark void. He passed through the Gate of Despair, and Ignorance. When he emerged, he was a changed man. Where once he had thought he was marble, now that was true; his emotions had never been so muted, and his focus had never been so refined. His only goal became the Gate of Blood, and his will became fully the Will of Sutekh.The Gate of Blood
Andrew was released from his cell with a new outlook on life. Those closest to him had betrayed him, at a time when he was at his worst, for something which was not truly his fault. It gave him a terrible clarity. Like Sutekh, he had been wrongfully bansihed into darkness. And like Sutekh he returned now stronger, and far more suited for the task ahead. His only goal was to obtain the Blood, and at any cost. He saw himself as called to it, as walking in the footsteps of the Red Father himself. It took a long time, but evenutally Andrew had his own small network of informants and hired guns. He worked his way into the black market by way of Egyptian antiques, a practice which was beginning to explode at the time, and began to make a small fortune. He focused his attention on the Society of the Emerald Serpent, slowly supplanting his Sire's control of the escoteric club. Eventually, he had enough leverage against Abasi to force the issue, and Andrew was finally allowed to pass through the Gate of Blood. What he had seen in the dark cell had changed him, but what he say in the Duat cemented it into his soul. Andrew came back from Osiris' Palace a Child of Set; he had wanted his whole life to be marble, and now he was nearly there, an immortal, unfeeling statue, ruled only by the Red Father. Andrew knew Abasi resented being forced to Embrace him, and that the Elder would use his influence to see Andrew destroyed for it. So Andrew had him dragged into the sun during daysleep, the very day after Andrew's Embrace.Banishment and Rise
Andrew was allowed to pass into the ranks of the Lector Priests, and granted permission to learn the true heka of Ahku under their teachings, having completed all Nine of the Gates. He would spend the next several decades in relative inactivity. Kahina harbored a grudge against him, suspicious of the cause of her Childe's death, but she could not act against him without proof. The two would spend over a century sparring, but Andrew dedicated most of his energy to his studies, and to expanding his reach into the black market. He loved hunting for relics, the archaeologist in him refusing to die. He earned another PhD, this time in Ancient History of the Khemitians, and eventually he would uncover the Khopesh of Sutekh himself, buried at the site of his last, ancient defeat. This find yet again catapulted Andrew into the spotlight, making him a celebrity within the Church of Set, and a known name within the Ministry. And yet again, the spotlight would prove to be his downfall. Andrew's studies had always taken him to broad, and escoteric places. He began to read about the power of the Aeons, otherwise known as the Antediluvians, the mighty rivals to Set's power. The purpose of the Church is to revive Sutekh, but they failed at every turn. No one truly even knew where the Red Father was, though many whispered that he wandered the Duat. Andrew proposed a unique way of bringing back the Red Father; the Sleeping Lord was Sutekh's Child. The Sleeping Lord was the only of Sutekh's Childer still know to actively communicate with the Red Father. With the Blood of an Aeon, perhaps Sutekh would have a gateway that he could use to return from wherever he wandered. Andrew began to preach these new ideas, using his newfound status to try to get the action carried through. This was all the excuse Kahina needed; she was Hierophant of the Sleeping Court, and her primary charge was the care of the Sleeping Lord's Torpored form. She had reviled Andrew for years in secret, even while having to work alongside him in the Temple. She had always suspected in him in Abasi's death, and so had kept her eyes open for decades, waiting for the slightest opportunity. She finally found it when she discovered Andrew's long term plans; he was banished to Baltimore, in the United States. The Ministry had recently betrayed the DC Temple to Vitel, and this was a huge blow to the Church. There were only two Founding Temples on the East Coast at the time, the other being in New York. Andrew was tasked with establishing another one, a grueling task which was sure to take him years, and keep him far away from the Sleeping Court. But, as always, Andrew did not waste time. He introduced himself to the then Ministry Primogen, Victoria Harmon, and then immediately got to work locating the heart of Baltimore's smuggling operation. Organized crime in the city has in tatters, having gone through several quick leadership successions. Andrew managed to track the heart of crime to an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, a place called Sabatino's. Andrew walked in, and in a display of vampiric power before the Good Ol' Boys, seized control of Baltimore's mafia. He spent some time after that consolidating. He established a working relationship with Arslan, otherwise known as the Reaper, or the Lion of the East, a fearsome Kindred hitman. He also began to carve out tunnels, putting his congregation to work building a proper Founding Temple beneath the restaurant to replace the one that had been lost in DC. His people worked hard, and soon he had a network of private tunnels that criss-crossed the entire city, useful for both his smuggling, and for Church business. He expanded his now aptly named Leakey Family, and begun to spread the influence of the Church. It was not long until Andrew began to have cultists placed in the police department, City Hall, the media, all without formally introducing himself to the Queen Eleanor. His first real rise in Kindred circles came when he met a group of would be rebels. Andrew thought that he could use this group to further cement control of the city's black market, pointing that at one of his rivals, Leech, the Nosferatu Primogen, hoping to use them as a scapegoat later to keep his own hands clean. But things did not go according to plan. The rebels proved more reckless than even Andrew anticipated, so he erased them by having their haven blown up from beneath while they slept during the day. To head off any potential blowback from this incident, Andrew finally introduced himself to the Queen, explaining that he had seen a weakness in her Kingdom. That Little Italy had needed strong leadership, and had become a hotbed of rebellion, a rebellion that he had erased. Eleanor named him Setite Primogen in reward, and sent him home as the official holder of the Domain of Italy. The Court of Scorpions was now founded, capped off by a Lesser of Mystery of Set where Andrew convinced the city's Kindred to contribute their vitae to the Temple's bloodpool. Andrew had turned Exile and shame into opportunity and power. But it was only the beginning.Haven and Despair
Andrew would end up getting sucked deep into Mage business. His association with Anubis got him transported to The Realm of Haven. Haven had been created by the wayward Arch-Mage, Martin Isaacs in an attempt to isolate himself from the troubles of the world. Unfortunately, before Martin could finish, word of his creation reached the ears of Pentex and they invaded the Realm in attempt to seize the latent power of the place for themselves. Andrew had no intention of getting involved in such a thing, but the experience changed him nonetheless. He saw the wonders that Martin had created, even got to see a sunrise for the first time in almost two hundred years. These things, combined with the fact that Andrew realized they came from a mere mortal, fundamentally altered his outlook yet again. If a man could apotheos to such a level, then surely he was right about his former intentions for the Sleeping Lord. Sutekh was no mere mortal, and the power that Martin wielded could be counterfeit. In the Blood of Antediluvian. Andrew and his friends would help to save have, and would become blessed by Martin and named Protectors of Haven. Andrew got to work as soon as he got back to Baltimore. He scoured the criminal and occult undergrounds for word of Ravnos. He knew that the Ravnos Antediluvian had been killed in India, and wanted to locate even a trace of its mighty Blood. Eventually, he was able to discover that it was held in the care of a Tremere, James Lincoln. He dispatched Arslan to retrieve it, killing the Tremere, and obtaining perhaps one of the most valuable artifacts on Earth. Andrew hid the Blood deep within his Temple's vault, and then worked to begin to finish his mastery of Ahku in order to complete the necessary rituals. But Andrew would suffer a setback shortly afterward. His actions would backfire on him somewhat, as his manipulation of the former rebels was uncovered during a session of the Primogen Council. The Queen nearly killed Andrew, but he was able to barter for his life in exchange for his greatest secret: the Blood of Ravnos. Eleanor bonded Andrew, and ordered him to bring the Blood to her, to feed her his Blood, and to teach her the power of Ahku. Andrew had no choice but to obey, delivering the Blood of Ravnos to Queen Eleanor. This incident would greatly shake Andrew's faith, and he would go into seclusion for some time. He would busy himself expanding his criminal Empire, He would not return to public life until after the incident in Pangea. He would meet Persephone Blackwood shortly after that, and her presence would remind him that he had a duty as Hierophant. He began to instruct her along the Journey of the Nine Gates, and to greatly expand the influence of the Church throughout the city. Andrew remained in seclusion until he could overcome the effects of the Bond, all the while worming more cultists into City Hall, the media, financial sectors. He expanded his mastery of Ahku, and began to build an army of Ushabti, stone guardians who were completely bound to his will. He would remove his heart, severing some of the final ties to emotion that he had, and he finally enter his Ninth Hour, one of the pre-eminent members of the Church, a true Hierophant of a Founding Temple. Andrew rode out the Mass Awakening in realtive peace, staying deep within his Temple. Black Spiral Dancers moved into South Baltimore, and to help to expel them the Protectors, and several of the key figures in the city were sent to Cairo. Andrew went with this group, both to finish final preparations for the transport of several rare artifacts to Baltimore, and to convince Kahina that it was time to depose of Muhktar Bey, the Caitiff Prince, and seize control of the city for the Church once more. She would agree, and the Kindred in the city would aid the Garou in their quest to find the Gauntlet Projector. What the Followers of Set did not know was that Bey's Blood was required for a powerful ritual, a ritual that would turn the age old curse of the Silent Striders back against the Setites. By the time they realized what was happening it was too late. The long exile of the Silent Striders was ended, and the Setites were banished from the land of Egypt.The Age of Exile and Reform
The Setites had been banished, but not defeated. The Temples that remained elsewhere in the world saw their importance skyrocket, including the Court of Scorpions. Indeed, with Andrew's status within the Church, the holy relics in his possession, his influence, and the East Coast's position as the natural area of immigration into the country from Egypt, the Court found itself one of the most important Temple's in the world. Even Kahina was forced to come to America, bringing the Torpored form of the Sleeping Lord to New York. Andrew would use this opportunity to expand his influence even further. He was furious at the betray of the Lupines, but with little to be done about it, he worked to shore up the Church. He would use his connections to get the City Council to pass a renovation bill which allowed him to place Ushabti all over Baltimore, a network of eyes and ready to act soldiers. He would declare himself Harpy, and found his own, legitimate security company, known as Red Dawn, Inc.. His wealth grew to astronomical preportions, and he expanded his network of underlings, eventually making a deal with Lucien Corbin to open a nightclub in Canton, known as the Red Pyramid. The Journey of Persephone Blackwood was accelerated, and Andrew struck out at several of her friends in order to force her closer to the Church.This would ultimately fail, with Persephone coming to hate Andrew, and leaving after using her Fae magic on him. Andrew ended up with massively enhanced intelligence. Eventually, tensions in the city would come to a head, and Andrew would find himself surprised by a proposal from the Bahari High Priestess. A marriage, a political alliance. They would begin to combine their two faiths, and work together for the good of the Kingdom of Baltimore. Andrew would find Baharism and the Red Church melded together in an almost seamless manner. Andrew currently finds himself somewhat smitten with Corinthia, as smitten as he can be anymore. He can no longer feel love, but he has found her intelligence becoming, her faith inspiring, and her religion compatible. It is the closest relationship he has had since Menes, long ago. The two have agreed to work together not only for the good of the Kingdom, but to fuse their two religions across the world. Andrew works to secure his influence over the Church of Set at large, and Corinthia works to make Baltimore the center of the Bahari faith, home to all three of Lilith's Gardens.Education
Andrew has a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Colombia and a PhD in the Ancient History of Egypt
Employment
Hierophant of the Court of Scorpions
Accomplishments & Achievements
1. Ahku Sorcerer 2. Founded the Court of Scorpions 3.Become Primogen in the Kingdom of Baltimore 4.Made his Temple one of the most influential in the world
Failures & Embarrassments
1. Was blamed for the loss of a Setite temple 2. Was banished from Egypt for his ambition 3. Lost the Blood of Ravnos to Eleanor 4.Became Bonded to Eleanor 5.Failed to stop the establishment of universal healthcare in Baltimore
Mental Trauma
Secondary Sociopath as a result of CPTSD
Intellectual Characteristics
To call Andrew a genius would be an understatement. He was always intelligent, but after a serious of supernatual enhancements he has become an intellect truly without peer. He is perhaps one of the smartest living beings on Earth.
Morality & Philosophy
Andrew follows the Philosophy of the Red Father. This means he has no morality. He does what he must to ensure his goals are completed. And his goals are always in service to the Red Father. Recently he has begun to develop his own philosophy, alongside Corinthia Banner, fusing Bahari and Setite ideals.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Ghouls and Servants
ArslanMarcus Leonaldi
Brandon Scott
Francis Cuppola
Nefertiti
Allies, Contacts, Influence (Across all Sources)
10 Political
10 Police
10 IT Personnel
7 Media
7 Financial
10 Leakey Family
5 Herd
13 Smugglers
3 Catholic
7 Spies
5 Ushabti (66 Horde Rating)
5 Private Eyes
9 Lawyers
Relationships
History
After Seph became known as a traitor and a liar, many of her vampire friends abandoned her. Andrew was one of the only people who treated her no differently and was her friend and confidante for a long time. Despite others telling her that he was not to be trusted, Seph believes he truly cared for her well-being. Persephone soon discovered the terrible truth about Setites, and Andrew Leakey. He unleashed hell upon her and her friends in the name of his religion, and killed another in cold blood. This caused Seph to completely break with Andrew.
History
Ethan should have known better than to stick around Baltimore. But he was stupid and he enjoyed the company of Alex Quick and Robin Lutece too much and hung around too long. Andrew caught on to the fact there was a Salubri in town and took advantage, pouncing on and pressuring the thin blood into a blood bond. Ethan loathes Andrew and finds him a repulsive, duplicitous, and evil vampire. Andrew couldn't care less, instead interested in raising up the neonate into a proper Salubri and Setite.
Wealth & Financial state
$1,000,000,000
Current Location
Species
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Selk, Hierophant of the Court of Scorpions, Childe of Abasi, emissary of the Sleeping Lord. Childe of Kahina, Heirophant of the Sleeping Court. Childe of Weha, the Scorpion King Ruler of Upper Maser in the land of Khem, Childe of Sutekh, the Red Father and Lord of the Two Lands
Age
189
Date of Birth
April 6th, 1832
Date of Death
January 17th, 1868
Life
1832
1868
36 years old
Birthplace
New York City, New York
Family
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Baltimore, Maryland
Gender
Male
Eyes
Very dark brown
Hair
Jet Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Caucasian
Height
5'7"
Weight
165 lbs
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Ruled Locations
Disciplines
Serpentis 5
Protean 5
Obfuscate 3
Fortitude 3
Presence 4
Dominate 1
Ahku 3
Celerity 2
Potence 1
Pakitor Vicissitude 1
