Lewis Flowers

Concept: Serial Killer

AKA: Lewis doesn't really have another name, but he has on occasion, introduced himself as Lance Powers.

Desc: Mid 40’s. Male Caucasian. Watery eyes from allergies. Kind of soft in the middle. Surprisingly strong grip.  Losing hair on top. looks entirely defenseless...until he doesn’t. May have additional distinguishing marks. (see below)

History: He had all the signs of a potential psychopath growing up. It’s just, that no one knew anything about that sort of stuff back in the day. Lewis grew up like most people. He was smart but something of an under-achiever. He was repressed and awkward in social situations. And never had much luck with intimacy.  He worked a thankless job in some office, shuffling papers around and going over someone else’s numbers or whatever. He had settled into a comfortable haze of routine of Work-TV-Bed that enabled him to ignore and keep down his unnatural urges.  Things would have probably gone on like that until the day he died...

 A couple of years ago there was an incident at the office Christmas party. One of Lewis’s co-workers got liquored up and tried to go down on him in the copy room. Lewis was, to put it mildly completely unprepared for this and when his penis was unable to respond, the co-worker became aggressive. Then for weeks afterward, it had become clear that the co-worker had shared the details of the unsuccessful tryst with the rest of the office. Lewis tried lodging a complaint with HR, but he learned that the co-worker in question was actually the niece of the big boss...

The stress of this and his eventual dismissal caused something to come unglued in Lewis’s mind. Lewis stayed on unemployment and became something of a recluse.  He watched a lot of TV. One night while half-dozing, he had a kind of seizure and awoke on the floor of his efficiency apartment.  He doesn’t speak much about what occurred that night...But from that night on he went on a buying binge of every occult book and bit of occult paraphernalia he could get his hands on.  He began writing a diary about his impending apotheosis and soon, as these things go. He decided that he’d need to make a sacrifice.

Did the powers beyond listen? Did they give him some kind of gift? It would be hard to say. But so far, he has made 13 kills and the police aren’t anywhere close to catching him.  Part of this is due to the fact that Lewis has always been a fan of police procedurals. (NCIS is his fave)  but there may be an additional factor as certain supernatural persons have bent some effort to discovering who is behind these ritual killings, and have come up completely dry.

Attitude: “Someday. Soon I think, I shall break out of this larval shell and take to the sky in a way that will shock and amaze all the people dwelling down here in the mud-caked filth-pit we call a “world”  But there is so much work yet to be done and the sacraments can hardly offer themselves can they?

Want to know more?  You might use Lewis in conjunction with the series "Path Notes from the Edge of Forever" if you are so inclined.

Skills: Never one to be all that effective in the interpersonal arena, Lewis has, in a short span of months, learned to completely mask his true self and become essentially that which he wants the world to see. He's developed a sort of prescience about things and this helps him to stay ahead of the curve socially. (He's a natural introvert.)  He’s got a couple of dots of investigation and he’s learning a couple of dots of medicine too.  In a short span of 2or 3 years, he’s read every single occult book he can get his mitts on and has become quite conversant in all forms of occultism.  He is slowly re-inventing himself as a sort of svengali-like figure so that he can be more attractive to his victims. In combat, he’s no great shakes unless he’s right up on you when the fight starts, then he’s pretty good with a knife.  But at that point, you wouldn’t have to be all THAT adept. Many times his knife is treated with a paralytic agent.  

Gear: In addition to his paralytic treated knife, He's also got a mail order stun gun and keeps zip ties and duct tape on his person. Knowing that cell phones can be tracked, He does not carry one. He sticks with his land line and if he has to make an anonymous call he goes to a close by gas station which still has an actual pay phone. He'll take a baby wipe dispenser with him to wipe down. He carries a small satchel with him which has occult tchotchkes and such on his person for the rituals he does, (in case he has to perform his ritual in situ.)  Some of these things may have actual power depending on whatever you suspect he might actually be.
Lewis has a thing for wintergreen life savers. and some of the wrappers have been found at crime scenes.

Home: Lewis lives in a small studio apartment. It sits on the back section of the apartment complex. This is by design. It enables him to walk around the far side of the apartment complex from the back parking lot. He can come and go as he pleases and few of his neighbors ever see him. He has also been able to hustle a likely woman in, via this route, without being seen. Lewis has become something of a shut-in. No one is really sure exactly how he's paying his rent.

Circle: Obviously, he's not much of a social beast away from his hunting. He has a   small presence in a very paranoid little group of serial killers and wannabe's on the dark web. They trade stories and tips on law enforcement professionals.

Story Uses:

“Don’t worry, I promise you, that your soul won’t go to waste. It shall be part of my magnum opus.”

If you’re supernatural at all, You already know that a serial killer stirs up people in your town in ways that are largely detrimental to you and your affairs. You might try to go after him yourself only to find him weirdly prescient about your moves and able to stay a few steps ahead of you somehow. Sure. If you manage to get your hands on him or catch him flat-footed, you’d make short work of him. But Lewis is very careful and someone, or something, seems to be watching his back...and egging him on.

“You and I could rule this paltry place. But if you won’t join me, then you’ll be bread for the teeth of my desire.”

Lewis wants power.  Especially any power he can TAKE from someone else.  Vampirism would certainly be interesting, but it has obvious pitfalls.  No. Lewis will want to make himself into something unique.  He’s already begun by articulating a series of alchemical symbols onto knuckles of his hands. He’s burned them in and rubbed salt in them like a tribal scarification ritual. It might be his only distinguishing feature, and anyone who manages to escape his clutches will likely remember what they saw even if they don’t understand their significance.  Anything that can enhance the power that he’s already achieved will be something he’ll drive for.

Options:  Lewis works in a number of ways.  You can apply a number of templates to him.  He could be a Hedge Magi, a useful Exarch pawn, a Slasher, or a Primordial Beast. (Most likely.)

Connections:
Don and Trudy Claymore "I so look up to them. Next time they get through here I've promised to cook for them. "
The Persoff Building "While I was working there, I didn't really see the place for what it was. Now I do.  it is darkly majestic. I can feel its tides."
William Lee Travis "I respect what he did. He and I aren't exactly alike...But we've corresponded through cut-outs. He's a genius."
The Grimoire " I don't go in there. I buy all my books through Amazon now. They can sense my aura I think. Especially the older woman. Although, the younger woman...I would give much to slake my unnatural hungers in her flesh.