Fred Tupper

Name: Fred Tupper

Tradition: Akashic Brotherhood Mentor: Falling Water

Essence: Primordial

Nature: Caregiver Demeanor: Loner

Physical Attributes:

Strength 2, Dexterity 4 (Lightning Reflexes), Stamina 4 (Tireless)

Social Attributes:

Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1

Mental Attributes:

Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Talents:

Alertness 2; Athletics 2; Awareness 2; Expression 2; Streetwise 1; Subterfuge 1

Skills:

Chinese Calligraphy 1; Do 3; Drive 3; Etiquette 1, Meditation 3; Melee 1; Stealth 2; Survival 1; Technology 2

Knowledges:

Area Knowledge 3 (London); Area Knowledge: 2 (Phoenix); Culture 1; Linguistics 1 (Chinese); Occult 1

Spheres:

Correspondence 3 (Unique focus: Father's green badge, no longer essential but worn on his Akashic sash under more conventional clothing)

Life 3 (Focus: Pure water given a Buddhist blessing, normally keeps a bottle in his taxi)

Matter 1: (Focus: Tools, usually from the toolbox in hhis taxi)

Mind 3 (Focus: Meditation, no longer essential, but almost always used anyway)

Prime 2 (Focus: Do)

Spirit 1 (Focus: Chinese Calligraphy)

Backgrounds:

Arcane 2; Avatar 3; Destiny 3; Resources 2; Mentor 1 (+3 free: Falling Water); Dream 2; Node 1; Sanctum 1. Status: Community 1

Merits:

Common Sense (1), Past Life (2), Concentration (1), Crack driver (1), Eidetic Memory (2)

Flaws:

Sphere Inept (Entropy 5), Phobia (Edged Weapons 1), Throwback (Dreams of Dismemberment 1)

Arete: 3 Willpower: 7

Fred looks like an unremarkable, slightly scruffy little Asiatic man in his late forties with very short, slightly greying hair framing a lined, lived-in looking face, with bright eyes highlighted by crow’s feet at his temples.

In fact he is very fit though hardly muscular, and capable of quick, controlled movement but appears five to ten years older than he truly is and, in so far as he cares at all about his self-presentation, normally wears cheap and slightly loose or unstylish clothing to avoid attention in general and conceal his physique in particular. His favourite t-shirt reads-

“Great Philosopher once say-

All Places are One Place, but That Place is Very Large.

You want Taxi?”

As this suggests, he is quite accustomed to making jokes, which can be fine in a cabbie but tends to go down less well in philosophical debate.

Background explanation:

Alfred "Fred" Long Paiwai Tupper is a London-born Briton of largely Asian descent (Nepalese on his paternal grandfather's side, otherwise mostly Hong Kong Chinese). He joined the Akashic Brotherhood through some childhood cultural connections of his family, including some basic Kung fu lessons. After a time training with the Brotherhood, he thought he recognised a flaw in their philosophy; by focusing on the slow perfection of the individual, they were neglecting the rest of humanity. From what he heard of them, the other established Traditions shared this flaw to various degrees, while the Technocracy had found a way to bring the masses, if not to anywhere near Ascension, at least out of the dark. He was distressed at the lack of any apparent goal to redress this situation, and none of his teachers was able to convince him that the few beacons they laboured to cultivate over generations could serve to raise up Mankind as a whole. He sensed that his Avatar shared these misgivings, and resolved to seek the tools of such a goal himself. He left the monastery and went out to meditate on how to begin to save the rest of the world, returning to immerse himself in his father's mundane profession as a London taxi driver as he thought about the problem.

What Fred does not realise is that his Avatar was also that of one of the Brothers present at the Night of Fana, when a group of Brothers and Ecstatics united to form the Ahl-I-Batin. Many Akashics have the reincarnated Avatars of past Brothers, but this group of former Akashic Avatars would normally be the subject of great interest. That his Avatar is notable is clear, but to what extent it's true past has been discovered via the Akashic Record is uncertain. To what Destiny this Tradition-jumping Avatar may lead him is certainly unknown, but repeating the past in some form cannot be beyond possibility. (I was thinking of some hints of defeat, transformation and regrowth beyond; see below, but again open to debate on what Fred knows or thinks about this, and also what Falling Water might have been told too.)

Fred's Past Lives include fragmentary, traumatic memories from the Night itself, and others from the life of a Western railroad labourer of more than a century before. His Dream arises from both these memories and limited access to the Akashic Record. Unfortunately his Past Life memories also include the vivid recurring trauma of losing a hand to a sword, and his consequent fear of edged weapons.

Rule book rotes of interest:

Peace of Buddha (Mind 2) BoS p.138

Avatar Form (Life 3, Prime 2, Mind 2) BoS p.138

Prime Location (Correspondence 2, Prime 1) BoS p.145

Hallmark (Mind 2, Prime 1) BoS p.145

Pixie Lead (Correspondence 2, Mind 3) BoS p.145

Dragon Fist (Life 3, Prime 2) BoS p.147

Auspicious Dialogues (Mind 3, aka adaptive diction) TB:AB2 p.69

Shinobijustu (Correspondence 3 or Mind 3 versions, aka invisibility) TB:AB2 p.69

Tumo (Life 2 version, aka adaptation) TB:AB2 p.70

Mindfulness of Wrong Thought (Mind 2, Life 1, aka danger sense) HL p.13

Pass Calmly (Correspondence 2, Mind 2, Life 1) HL p.13

Do powers (BoS p.122-5):

Punch: Dex+Do diff. 6 Damage 3+Successes

Kick: Dex+Do diff. 7 Damage 4+Successes

Flying Kick: Dex+Do diff. 8 Damage 5+Successes

Throw: Dex+Do diff. 8 Damage 3+Successes

Fred has not as yet specialised in either Internal or External style.

Fred can slow his breathing and heartbeat, control his reflexes and blood flow to/from extremities, and dislocate small bones.

Fred knows the following special maneuvers:

Return Melee Attack

Books referenced;

Book of Shadows (BoS)

Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood 2nd edition (TB:AB2)

Hidden Lore (HL)