The Power of Truth

Juno Ash, Viscountess of Truth, iron-willed philosopher.

The Viscountess of Truth is actually a small woman, although she is never described as such. She feels big, towering, and her presence fills the room, drawing all lines of sight to her eyes. Oh, her eyes, humbly hiding behind small, elegant glasses, like trying to hide the sun with a coin. Hazel and deep, dark green, they draw you in, as you feel yourself being read like an open book, at her leisure. There isn't anything you can hide from the Power of Truth. That they belong to a smartly-dressed pale woman, apparently in her mid-twenties, with cascading black hair, is almost an afterthought.

Attributes

Aspect 1

Metahuman

5/5 Aspect Miracle Points

Juno puts little stock in the matters purely physical, and her body shows it, being little more than her previous mortal form with most small imperfections ironed out. While some of her Spirit leaks into her human prowess, it is the bare minimum necessary to take full form as one of the Nobilis.

I have 1 Aspect. That means I perform Level 1 and under Miracles for 0 MP. I perform Level 2 Miracles for 1 MP, I perform Level 3 Miracles for 2 MP, I perform level 4 or 5 Miracles for 4 Miracle Points and I can perform level 6 through Level 9 Miracles as a Word of Command which costs 8 MP.

Wounds: 1 Deadly; 2 Serious; 2 Surface

Domain 2

Viscountess

7/7 Domain Miracle Points

Juno can only affect people's perception of the Truth, not objective reality (of course, she'd argue there's no such thing). She uses high-level Miracles sparingly, as she believes her Estate regulates itself best on its own, building reality bit by bit, on consensus between everyone observing it. At the same time, she'll ferociously protect it from supernatural influence, and she especially dislikes Powers that will directly manipulate thoughts and perceptions, therefore violating someone's personal vision of Truth. Apart from perceptions, she also has tangential influence over those who put a great store in their personal realities. Madmen, philosophers, true believers and those afflicted with dementia animus all, in part, belong to her.

I have 2 Domain. That means I perform Level 2 and under Miracles for 0 MP. I perform Level 3 Miracles for 1 MP, I perform Level 4 Miracles for 2 MP, I perform level 5 or 6 Miracles for 4 Miracle Points and I can perform level 7 through Level 9 Miracles as a Word of Command which costs 8 MP.

Realm 1

Radiant

5/5 Realm Miracle Points

Juno is, at most, a minor force in the Chancel. She demands respect, but not obedience, from its inhabitants, and is mostly content to be able to be left alone, comfortably.

I have 1 Realm. That means I perform Level 1 and under Miracles for 0 MP. I perform Level 2 Miracles for 1 MP, I perform Level 3 Miracles for 2 MP, I perform level 4 or 5 Miracles for 4 Miracle Points and I can perform level 6 through Level 9 Miracles as a Word of Command which costs 8 MP.

Spirit 4

Conflagration

5/5 Spirit Miracle Points

While maybe not what many Powers would associate with being a Conflagration, Juno is, while rarely aggressive and never overly passionate, almost inhumanly determined. Just as this determination carried her through her mortal lifelike a hot knife in butter, it feeds on her spiritus Dei to an extent that the very world seems to want to comply to her will rather than face her. She gives the impression of being, not very vast, for she's still locked mostly in a human form, but very, very hot, and very sharp. It isn't humbling to be in her presence, but it is intimidating.

I have 4 Spirit. That means I can have 5 anchors. My Auctoritas raises the level of all Miracles cast against me by 4 Miracle Levels. I only have to perform the Rite of Holy Fire six months. With the Rite of the Last Trump I can convert 2 MP of any type into 1 MP of any other.

Gifts

To Know the Truth Behind the Eyes

Juno is, on a personal level, infused with an understanding and vision of her Estate, limited though it may be, that is largely unrivalled among the Nobilis. She can tell, with but a glance, what a anyone's personal Truth is. This, among other things, makes it effectively impossible for mortals to lie to her. (Cost: 2 (Lesser Divination) +1 (Automatic) -1 (Local) -2 (Limited applications) +1 (Uncommon) = 1CP)

Handicaps/Limits

Small Estate

Whether this is a restriction Juno's mortal views put on her Estate, or an actual fundamental redefinition of Truth following the death of the last holder of the Estate is a matter of debate. The evidence is, however, that Juno cannot affect the Truth of things as they are, but only as they are perceived to be.

Two MPs (assigned to Domain).

Summonable

Ancient oaths sworn by one of the past Powers of Truth has bound the Estate, and thus, its current holder, to be summoned by certain arcane rites. Of course, the proper procedure for demanding a revelation from Truth was supposedly last known only by the Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi, and were lost with her. However, things lost can also be found, but although the rites bind her to answer any one question to the best of her knowledge, modern-day would-be oracles will probably find Juno's answers unsatisfying to say the least.

Gives one MP when it comes into play.

The Light

1. Humanity must live, and live forever. 2. What must be done ought be done cleanly. 3. Humans must be protected, particularly from themselves.

Juno has little trust in the Angels, which surprises many that knew her Heavenly predecessor. The Truth resides behind humanity's eyes, she says, and humanity being destroyed would be tantamount to the world ceasing to exist.

Virtue: Name

Something carrying on from her mortal self and only amplified by her enNoblement, there is no force in Creation that can cause Juno to lose control of her emotions. This can just as often be infuriating as useful, even she must admit. Juno always knows the most reasonable and emotionally-neutral path in any situation, no Miracle or effect can break her self-control, she can make this Virtue obvious to everyone around her for 1 SMP, and she regains 1 MP whenever the Virtue gets her in trouble.

Bonds

5 - the sanctity of her Estate, and the specific interpretation she has of it.

4 - Julie Ash, her sister

4 - Mohanlal Sukhra, her Anchor and lover.

3 - her Familia.

2 - her works and reputation as a psychologist.

1 - Lia Tenning, who constantly seeks answers.

1 - white fuchsias, as appear on her Design, and only exist in the prosaic world through the works of Mohanlal Sukhra.

Anchors

Julie Ash, the Sister

Julie is Juno's twin sister, and they are very much alike, although at the same time, completely different. Julie is every bit as determined as her sister, and much more ruthless. Although she's jealous that her sister has "hit it big", so to say, she loves the slice of power and understanding she is given, and the relationship between the sisters is close. A high-profile defence lawyer, Julie mostly helps the Familia with matters of mundane resources.

Mohanlal Sukhra, the Botanist

In her mortal life, Juno met an Indian man obsessed with creating new varieties of flowers, when he was in London giving speeches at various universities. They were lovers, for a time, and their relationship was as a shooting star, as beautiful as it is fleeting. As a Noble, she has sought him out, and now his high technology greenhouse in the deepest India serves Truth. Some say that they will occasionally sit, drink tea, and relive past times, but few would dare say more.

Cassandra, the Bride

The tale of Cassandra, as told by the Ancient Greeks, talks of a beautiful woman that Apollo loved enough to give the gift of prophecy, but would turn it into a curse when she later rejects him. While this is not, of course, the truth, it is a good approximation, as these things tend to be. Cassandra was certainly a lover of the last Power of Truth, and she did accrue many gifts of a mythic nature over the years, a very long life being the first among these. However, although she survived Truth's death and rebirth, she hated Juno. According to Cassandra, the Estate should have passed to her, as she had been loyal to it for thousands of years, and truly understood it. Some say that when Cassandra rejected Apollo, he spat in her mouth and soured his gift, the real story changes slightly, with blood replacing tears, but Juno did certainly make Cassandra her anchor when the woman confronted her. In an almost unprecedented display of cruelty, Juno has promised to dissolve the Anchor bond whenever asked: the only thing Cassandra has to do to escape servitude is to renounce her long years.

Lia Tenning, the Seeker

What is true? Lia has asked all kinds of people. Although she has no home and no education, Lia has been more different people than most people ever meet in a lifetime, and she has met many, many more. One day, and this would be called coincidence, even though we all know it wasn't, she asked Truth herself. Few people could say how that story ended, but Lia now serves Truth under whatever name she's holding today. Although the Nobilis know that an Anchor must be either loved or hated, Juno seems to be simply friendlily businesslike with Lia, which is already causing various rumours to spring up about the two, from a love so deep any hint of it must be hidden from Lord Entropy's eyes, to a dark secret enmity. Truth, Juno would say is relative, but she would also say, if anyone were able to press her to answer, that she simply admires Lia's ingenuity and perseverance in seeking answers.

Preacher John, the Mad

Preacher John (for he doesn't remember his own name, and nobody else does, either) draws spectacular and disturbing graffiti paintings of pale horsemen with eyes filled with void striking down angels, their blood pooling into a field of roses, and he shouts to anyone that will listen about how the end is nigh, the world is dying so absolutely we can't even conceive of the things we have lost. John is mad, of course, but many would say he's also eerily correct. Juno would say all Truth is in the eye of the beholder, but she would admit that he did warn her of a man who turned out to be an Excrucian Anchor, and for that she has rewarded him in turn, hoping some of his madness turns out to be prophecy.

History

Twin sisters, raised by a single mother that could just barely support them, the Ash daughters didn't have things easy, although you'll never hear them telling it like that. To the hurdles destiny had put in front of them, they reacted with ever-increased determination. Sometimes Juno would carry Julie, and sometimes it would be the other way round, but together they were on a mission to prove to the world that they could achieve anything they set their mind to, as long as they were together. And so it was, even when they were apart, when Julie moved to America to go to law school on a scholarship and Juno stayed in London to study psychology, they were in constant contact, and counted on each other's advice.

Juno went on to finish her major in record time, and her work on the subjectivity of perception was becoming famous even before she got her PhD. She was happy, in a way, she had a calm yet interesting life, the ever-coveted respect of her peers, and enough money to not only live comfortably, but help her ageing mother as well. Men came and went from her life, as they do, most not even leaving a mark, others being remembered in much deeper ways, like Mohanlal Sukhra, who will always hold the rare position of being the man she would've married, had he asked.

After Truth was killed and fell from the sky, ending an age of certainty and revelations, Juno, through mechanisms she still doesn't understand, was selected to replace him. She has taken to her new job with much the same attitude that saw her succeed in life, calm, hard work and endless determination. Many Powers that knew her predecessor view her as odd at best or as a traitor to her Estate at worst, a fact she doesn't seem to mind. Whether by nature or on purpose, she's slowly but surely severed most ties to the old Truth, and subverted the rest to her will. She has a vision and a plan for Truth, and she isn't going to see anyone interfering.

And Julie is still by her side.

Personality

Juno is amicable, but also cold and distant. She gives the impression of having a nearly-infinite amount of layers between the self she shows to the rest of the world and her real, true being, and the very few times she allows her real self to rise to the surface, it is a core of such immovable, fiery determination that it scares most people. It is easy to believe that Juno is capable of doing absolutely anything to get what she wants.

Goals and Motivation

Juno wants, first, to understand the Excrucians. As they stand, they are a paradox, apparently existing beyond the understanding, perception or expectations of any mortal. They come from a place beyond reality, beyond Truth, and seek to destroy that which is invincible. Apart from that, she wants the other Nobles to respect her and her incarnation of Truth, and to have to bow down to no master. No, not even Lord Entropy, or even her Imperator.

Design

A fuchsia, the four upper petals white as snow and delicately closed, for hope and hidden strength; the four lower ones spreading out, purple, for nobility of office and calmness of heart. Above it, the tarot card of The Popess, representing the undeniability and yet subjectivity of Truth, set upside-down on a silvery-white background for Light.