Background: Living My Sister’s Life (Note: SWAPPED OUT)
Ada hails from an ancient family of spellcasters, with a bloodline of magic dating back at least five hundred years and with a bad reputation to match. Gerard Lacroix, the family’s patriarch, was a wizard of reknown who made a name for himself during the Renaissance due to a strange talent that his descendants have carried since then: the instinctive ability to power magic with lifeforce, without the usually slow rituals and complicated formulas required for it, nor the often long-lasting consequences of empowering spells with blood. Lacroix’s family, which survived him, vanished into anonymity, traveling all over the European continent, protecting their lives and bloodline, and eventually emigrating to the New World, looking for a fresh start. Today, Lacroix’s descendants go by the name of duSang, and are a respected, old-money family firmly entrenched in the Big Easy…or that’s what they appear to be, at least. They’ve got a lot of skeletons in the cupboard.
Ada grew up surrounded by luxury. She never wanted for anything, and had as happy a childhood as any young child could hope for. She and her twin sister Alisa were inseparable, and the two girls were unusually close siblings. However, one night, when the twins were ten, Alisa had an accident. As they were crossing the street, a car sped towards them, and had it not been for Alisa pushing Ada out of the way, she might have died that day. Instead, Alisa was flung by the car, badly hurt. As she bled away on the pavement, Ada watched, dumbstruck, while the car sped away, either not noticing or not caring about the injured girl.
When the paramedics arrived, they found Alisa unconscious, cradled by a shocked Ada, who was covered in blood but otherwise unharmed. They took both of them to the hospital, and Alisa was rushed to the emergency room.
Ada’s memories of the incident are blurry. All she remembers is a pair of approaching headlights, Alisa yelling, pulling her out of harm’s way, then being told, a few days later, that her sister had passed away.
Alisa’s death left Ada devastated. She not only had lost the person closest to her, it had been her fault and no one else’s. If she had been paying attention, if she hadn’t frozen up, if she’d been hit instead…she was wracked by guilt for having survived, when her sister had given up her life for her. In spite of the care of her parents, she slowly let herself go. In school, her grades sunk, and her teachers noted that she had become far more withdrawn and sulky. She became a shell of her old self, and even stopped eating for some time. One day, unable to stand living in a house so full of memories of her sister any more, she ran away.
Invoke: When thrown into a life-threatening situation, where her sister’s ‘gift’ may be misused or lost.
Compel: Be faced with a tragedy unless something is done; Paralyzed by indecision or guilt over past failures; Hearing voices.
Rising Action: Killer Queen (First Lawbreaker)
Ada lived her teenage years in the margins of society, a far cry from the old life she had led, as the pressures of survival slowly chipped away at her guilt, replacing weakness with steel. She fell in with a bad crowd, and then a worse one still. A few years after running away, nobody could have recognized her. The previously sweet little girl had become a hardened young woman, wary of everything and everyone.
Eventually Ada, like many of New Orleans’ pariahs, ended up joining a strange group, the Midnight Shades. Though they purported to be a group that took care of wayward youths, the Shadows were little more than a cult, led by a sorcerer named Rook. A practical, mundane man, Rook used his magical talents to subtly expand his influence in New Orleans. Proclaiming the Shades to be like brothers and sisters, he turned them into a closely knit, obedient community. Sensing Ada’s talents, he took her in and gave her magical training, using her as a trusted second in command…or so he thought. After a particularly badly botched land grab, Rook selected one of the Shadows and told Ada to make an example of him, to teach the others the price of failure. As she looked into his eyes, something inside Ada’s heart twigged, and she refused to harm him. Enraged, Rook decided to punish her for her disobedience, and savagely beat her down, planning to make an example of her instead. As she lay defeated at his feet, Ada began hallucinating. She thought she heard Alisa’s voice, encouraging her to stand up once more. Drawing strength from her bleeding wounds, Ada summoned a lance of solid blood and struck Rook with it, killing him.
With Rook dead, the Midnight Shadows were left in disarray. They had no resources, no friends, and no one to guide them. Feeling responsible for the children and teens she had come to call family, Ada made a hard decision and paid a visit to the only place where she might find some help: The duSang estate. With tears in their eyes, Ada’s parents welcomed her back home, with a small army of homeless kids in tow. The prodigal child returned, older, wiser, and at long last at peace with herself.
Invoke: To show no mercy; To aid or protect the Shadows; To assert her authority.
Compel: When the temptation to kill again is strong; To cause some trouble for Ada’s brothers and sisters.
The Story: Shadow Chaser (Bloody Crazy and Bloody Minded)
Ever since Ada duSang returned to her family state three years ago, she has been hard at work trying to find a better life for the forgotten children of the Midnight Shadows. When several of the kids go missing, it’s up to Ada to take a dive into the New Orleans underworld and find them. But things get complicated as a pack of murderous ghouls show their teeth, and people begin to get hurt, as the young blood magus finds herself racing against the clock to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the Shades.
Invoke: When trying the same thing over and over; When doing something extraordinarily risky and/or stupid.
Compel: When failing to see a solution other than banging her head against the wall; When wanting to fight.
Guest Star: The Weight of a Word
While following the trail of some grisly murders commited in her turf, Ada found herself in the middle of a sticky situation. Specifically, the sort of sticky situation that involved being chased by murderous things from the Nevernever. Specifically, by angry were-gators, who violently objected to anyone trespassing into their territory. While running away from the swamp dwellers, Ada stumbled by accident upon a man dressed in old cowboy clothes, busy minding his own business. With the help of the cowboy’s precise aim, the were-gators were beaten back. Introducing herself to the cowboy, whose name was J. R., Ada promised to pay him back in whatever way she could for bailing her out of an extremely dangerous situation. Little did she know how quickly that favor would get called up, and in what ways.
Invoke: When acting on a promise ; When calling up a favor of her own.
Compel: To follow through with her word, no matter the consequences ; To play things straight.
Guest Star 2: Marked For A Grim Fate
Some time ago, Ada was paid a visit by a strange man who claimed to have visions of the future, visions of murder and bloodshed. He claimed to have seen her in his visions, and demanded that she right her path immediately. She didn’t pay much attention to his ramblings, but some time later the man, a deranged warlock, got the drop on her and captured her, dragging her to his den for ‘correction’. Ada’s mind would have been drastically rewired had a certain young not-Warden uncovered the location of his den and sprung to action. In the end, Ada managed to take the warlock out of commission for good by caving his house on him, killing him in the process. Still, the madman’s ramblings have left an impression on her. Who knows how much truth there was to them?
Invoke: When moving towards the fate forseen by the madman ; When giving in to the darker side of her personality.
Compel: To force a situation towards chaos, carnage, and loss; Whenever led towards fulfilling a role as a monster.
New Aspect: Like A Moth To Bloody Flame
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that someone who dabbles in strange magic will soon find herself dabbling in other strangeness. Between her tolerance for mystical creatures that do not always have man’s best interests at heart, her curiosity and the occasional burst of naivety, Ada finds herself in an unique position to make use of resources beyond the reach of most wizards…but always at a price.
Invoke: When tapping into outside sources of power ; When dealing with entities who might have a use for a patsy or pawn.
Compel: To be tempted into accepting offers Ada really should refuse ; To gain unsolicited help at a high price.
