Gia Algetti

The Father:

Matteo Algetti is the main surviving remnant of the generational line of Italians who poured their lives into the ancient Order of Hermes. He was born to an accomplished and leading member of the Order's presence in Italy, and straight into the temple. Unlike his father, a man strictly dedicated to the tenets of the order, Matteo was born with more of an inclination to dream. Each member of the Order achieves their awakening through striving for some sort of perfection. Matteo's was birthed from a passion for beauty and an understanding of how perfect form can be created naturally. The Avatar which sparked the awakening in his mind was a gorgeous woman. His father had rather pushed him to perfect the Order's core tradition of force, the elements of the universe, but it was everything about life which interested him the most. It took him quite a long time to advance to the initiate rank, as his first mastery was over the enhancement of living beings rather than anything involving the elements.

Matteo was a rebellious romantic, making the streets of Rome more beautiful as he walked them. With a wave of his wooden wand, he made leaves a bit more green and the plumage of birds more colorful. Eventually, his mastery of life grew to the point that he could heal wounds and impairments from afar. Despite the Order's emphasis on secrecy and the fact that the brazen use of this magic on outsiders would have never been permitted, this is something he performed quite often in the shadows. But he always indulged himself with a parting touch, subtly shifting the features of anyone he healed toward something prettier. He was often punished for his neglect of the Order's core studies. But there was something he knew well that many members of the Order never learned: love.

He was a true people's person, a contrast to his reclusive and robed colleagues. He made friends easily and fell in love often, and the path he walked often led to a fun time. The brightly green trails which carried him also left behind a trail of broken hearts. He spent his young years mostly in leisure.

Needless to say, he would have fit in better with the Verbena. When his father passed to old age, the Order's Italian presence faced a sharp decline. By then, Matteo was proficient in force but no more than the average Order initiate and certainly not knowledgeable enough of the Order's puzzling tenets to lead in any capacity. Senior members tried to lead, but the intake of power and knowledge became stagnant. Eventually, everything of value owned by the Italian houses was handed over to the blooming presence in the West as its dominance grew. With that, the Italian presence largely merged itself into the American. Most Italians chose to continue their studies in small groups, opting not to leave their home. But the dedicated members headed west. Among these travelers was Matteo. Shamed by his inability to continue his father's leadership, he decided it was time to redeem himself in the U.S. He headed to California.

There, he began devoting himself to the studies of the Order. But not without stopping to smell the roses (or help them bloom) along the way. And he never lost his eye for beauty.

The Mother:

Selene Troyer's life began similar to Matteo's, born among the main presence of the Order in the U.S. But the foundation of her life was suffering and how to overcome it. Her parents were homeless, both devoting themselves to the teachings of the Order in hope that it would improve their situation. As an ancestor of past members, Selene's father had awareness of the Order but not much else of value. He was born to an Amish community but abandoned it early in life with no wealth to speak of.

The couple took shelter with their child in the halls of the California based temple by day but were too low rank for permission to stay overnight. In fact, neither ever awakened. The small family scraped by as well as they could, which was unwell during the periods when the temple was closed to sleeper members. They often went hungry when unable to rely on the food supplied by the temple. As a result, Selene was a weak child who grew accustomed to pain.

Fortunately, her parents encouraged her to study whatever they had been given by the Order and explained it to her as simply as they could. She eventually managed to do something her parents could not. Selene was able to anchor the teachings to that which was most prevalent in her life. She stopped resisting the horror of hunger and the blistering heat of the desert, leaning into it as a tool. And there, she found a strange Avatar: a ball of nails rolling around in the back of her mind that caused agony while shimmering with holy light. She became perfectly in tune with the suffering. And then, that which harmed her the most bestowed the greatest energy. Her father gave her his crystal pendant, which he had inherited through a string of ancestors. On him, it had never shone but gleamed brightly whenever Selene managed to channel her newfound power.

This changed their lives for the better. Selene's awakening was displayed before the Order and she was able to be properly initiated. The austere life of the Order was still more luxurious than anything she'd ever had. It then became simple enough to keep her parents well-fed as well. It was then that Selene grew into who she became: a tough woman, undeterred by the harshness of life but she had plenty of harshness within herself to go around. But despite the strictness with which she operated, firmly dedicated to force and unwavering in temperament, she was pure of heart. She was eventually placed in House Shaea where she worked to expand the temple's archives.

Unfortunately, the source of Selene's power proved volatile. It was pain from which she drew energy for force, after all, and higher power demands more and more of its source. She eventually had to use the power of force on her own body to draw more of it out, burning or inflicting jolts to her inner world. Tragically, she was so comfortable with the aching that she was unaware of the damage it was causing.

The Meeting:

Fate had led Matteo to the right place. He was granted a lot more respect within California's Order than the one of his home country, mostly because they were unaware of the degree to which he had slacked off. And they welcomed his skill in Life with open arms. The location of this temple lent itself to more... confrontations for its members. Still, Matteo's slacking days were over. He was honor-bound to continue building the line of great Hermetics his ancestors had begun. To do so, he spent many nights alone in temple libraries slowly crawling past the threshold of his knowledge of force little by little. But he discovered something else in these libraries far more important...

As Selene stood before him one night, he saw the actual woman of his dreams. The woman in front of him was the exact picture of his Avatar, she who he'd drawn his power from all those years. Matteo was no ball of nails, but she shared his Deja Vu. It was he she'd been calling to for help with the pain, and for so long, the back and forth connection of their power was what had obliged them both. They fell in love on the spot. Together, they were a powerful force that brought much to the Order and a well-respected pair.

Matteo used his healing powers lovingly, mending the broken aspects of her body. The ones she was aware of, at least. And though Selene was an extremely difficult woman to please, stubborn to admit anything, she appreciated everything he did for her. But time still wore her body down as she continued to abuse it.

Pre-Awakening:

The first miracle was blackened by death.
Selene's pregnancy devastated her already broken body completely beneath her notice. As their baby was birthed in the temple, by members with proper medical expertise, it was a painless experience. Matteo was nearby. He directed his Life power toward the baby inside, ensuring its health... But, unexpectedly, Selene's body was torn by the painless delivery. She died before it was completed. Matteo, devastated, directed his power to the lifeless body of his lover to no avail. He quickly turned his attention to his trapped child, who by this point had a very low life expectancy. It was only through the magic he imbued within her that the infant survived as she was dragged out.

But the baby herself was unblemished by the corrupted delivery and her skin had an angelic glow. And despite the chaos, she didn't shed a tear. As her father looked down into her blue eyes, the same as her mother's, he named her Gia. Matteo was heartbroken but loved his child more than anything he ever had. His colleagues were simply surprised that the baby had survived the grisly operation at all but thought little of it.

Gia grew within the temple walls, surrounded by the books of her father's study. Matteo's learning took aside as he cared for her, balancing his two duties. The child was given warmth from her father, but also some special treatment above other temple children. She was the offspring of two of the most esteemed members of the Order, after all. This came easy for them to do, since there was something observably special about her. Even before she could walk, she was of serene temperament and never betrayed signs of a rotten mood. The baby responded happily to the few robed strangers who would take the time to give her attention.

It wasn't until Gia could walk that the mischief began. Matteo passed many of his qualities down to his daughter, curiosity striking her early. As strict and dry as the temple is, she was fascinated by the world of stone and tapestry. She easily made friends with other temple children and it was they who she encouraged to venture with her into rooms she'd been instructed not to enter. Reading was disturbed and rituals were interrupted often. That wasn't something that bothered her father, but she began to receive frowns from some of the initiates perfecting their craft rather than smiles. But, at least she was always sweet about it.

Still, it wasn't a quality of hers that was appreciated by the austere of the Order. And especially not when she grew old enough for her mischievous nature to gain complexity. Well meant pranks were played, and when they weren't on her receptive father, sometimes on ancient members of some crankiness. Despite the charm that never wore off, Matteo was eventually formally asked to find a way to occupying Gia's time. The obvious solution to this was to supply the toddler's curious mind with the Order's teachings a bit earlier than usual. Books were supplied along with small instruments of training, all of which she joyfully explored. But something else her father introduced lit the spark...

Meditation was taught to the child in the hope that it would simply calm her energy and prepare her for when she would actually have to use it. No one expected her to delve into the practice with such enthusiasm. Initially restless with the prospect of sitting on the stone floor and doing nothing, thinking it was a punishment rather than a chore, Gia shortly came to some important revelations. Following the teachings of Order scripture surprisingly well for a seven-year-old, she comprehended it well enough to enter into a true meditative state. Sitting alone, she managed to detach the presence of any sort of want or urge from her childlike mind. She came to understand the blank place of non-thought and, how from there, she could adjust her feeling. The Order had instructed her the same as any other budding member, to strive to perfect that which she cares for the most...

And she did, but she took the tenet differently than others. Rather than on any worldly thing, she innocently focused on that which she'd always cared for the most plainly: warmth. The love from her father and the kindness of those who'd spoiled her. The writings of the Order guided her toward understanding how to perfect a feeling. And so, as her skill grew, so did her heart. And by a focus on that alone, she achieved a state of oneness unlike that the senior members had ever gained through the span of their ancient lives. She came to understand how to become what one wants to be and nothing they do not.

She impressed those who were once sour by making her kindness well known across the temple, doing what little for them a child could. Needless to say, her father was proud.

The Awakening:

The second miracle came wrapped in soothing light.
It happened to her at the age of thirteen. And though it bore great fruit, the process was little different than the other days in which she spent hours focusing on the breath. Eyes closed and thinking nothing while absorbed in pure feeling, she startled at sensation which spread across her skin. Her eyes opened with a jolt, frightened by the white glow which grew from the back of her mind until it was all-consuming. But the image which rose from it comforted her back to the warmth she'd by now grown accustomed to. It was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Gia felt she'd always been there.

And when she told her father, he knew who the woman was. She'd awoken. The temple was astounded by the awakening of a child so young who had seemingly overcome no great trial, yet still realized their Avatar. There was much excitement along with fussing over the girl, as she was hastily initiated after a small display of her power. Her father was selected to take her as his apprentice and the temple began preparing for what they believed would be their prized jewel. By now, Gia was nearly as mature as a wizened old hermit and simply rolled with the tide of attention with good humor.

And Matteo was more than enthusiastic to help his daughter. He'd been preparing for the day. To her, he passed down the crystal necklace of his lost wife along with his own wooden wand, which he'd been using as his foci for so many years. Rarely did Gia take the pendant off or sit down the wooden stick, and her energy flowed through both. He also began teaching her the foundation of the Order's tenets and the way of force, which she certainly didn't struggle with, but...

He had, of course, kept an eye on his daughter always. He knew where her power had come from. He encouraged the convictions which she'd gained and stuck to, so he began searching for what he felt best represented what she was truly interested in. He supplied her with Buddhist texts and showed her the world she was already part of. This, she studied as intently as her Order's discipline. And from the joint practice, her abilities grew rapidly. One day, Matteo walked in to find that his daughter had even shaved her head with a razor.
As she excelled in learning force, she also wanted to learn the preferred discipline of her father: life. He was happy to teach this as well.


And the third miracle was up for grabs.
As she passed rank from rank, angst, which by this point had become unfamiliar to her, grew. She took a favorite prayer from the texts she'd been reading in leisure: "For as long as space endures..., and for as long as living beings remain..., until then may I too abide,... to dispel the misery of the world." What had she been doing to achieve that? That is a heavy task that cannot be completed within the dank and dusty corridors of a temple. Staring at the ill-content people who wander outside the walls of the temple, she knew she had to do something else. She had done well so far with easing the concerns of fellow members, but what about the rest of the world?

When she confided with her father, he smiled for he knew that feeling well. It seemed his rebelliousness trickled down to his daughter as she aged. He understood the desire to use magic in a meaningful way, but beyond that, he recognized in her eyes the desire for wandering. He wanted her happiness to live on, and so he obliged her. With her skill, he knew she'd be safe. He told her to go and do what she felt was best.

And so, in between lessons and temple meetings, she struck out into the countryside and saw the real world for the first time. And she may have been aimless in direction, but she knew what she'd set out to do. Desolation, pain, misery all attracted her like a magnet's pull. It was time to make use of what she'd been practicing. But she knew it was strictly against Order code to do so openly. And while she had become aware of the fact that the Order's way, in large part, contrasted with her core beliefs, she at least technically obeyed it. She walked a fine line between her path and that of the Order.

On her many adventures, she found the hopeless and brought much-needed light. She came to know a variety of people, befriending them in their brief encounter with her. Most found themselves laughing with the humor and charm of the young bald girl but were perplexed by the nature of her presence. She would often drag the younger of such people into silly antics. She'd get her fill of amusement before departing along her trail of wander. But she wasn't as fickle as her father had been when he was young, as she took the time to remember each face and location and where they stood within her long and winding trail. But, similarly to her father, she secretly used her magic from the shadows to improve their situation any way she could. That was her parting gift, and she had a lot of skill in knowing just what to do.

But, she wasn't exactly subtle, nor did she care to be. It wasn't difficult to associate her bizarre encounters with fortune. The outcasts of California created a myth from her, and through the stories that they would tell to themselves, began calling her: The Miracle Child.

Current Gia:

Not much has changed since then. Ranks have still been gained and lives are still changed. And, without question, Gia has held firmly to her convictions. Now twenty-three, she has absurdly achieved the rank of Adeptus Major. Despite the fact that she has never lost her knack for troubling her Order with her mischievous nature and unorthodox ways, they behold her as what will likely become one of the most celebrated Magisters. She has far surpassed her father, at least, who still has yet to lose his passion. She is even pressured to take on an apprentice in waiting: A retired vampire hunter named Jaxon Holland. But has refused due to a steep age difference, feeling too young and unready for such a task. Still, she has managed to pierce the man's icy and bitter demeanor and the two have become friends. Jaxon has recognized her greatness and has decided to wait for the day she decides to take on the task.

Wandering has become a larger part of her life than Hermetic duties. Her phone is filled with the contacts of those she's befriended along the way, many following her inactive Shareit account. These friends have influenced her taste a great deal. They've also somewhat tempted her toward questionable pass-times and, rather than monk-like, her appearance and clothes are now uniquely bohemian. She has begun to take long train rides out into the more remote regions of the state but has also finally begun exploring the city of Los Angelas. LA definitely deserves some light. But she's currently a bit puzzled with how to work her magic among the chaotic nature of the city. Actually, city life confuses her in many ways.

But, with a smile, she is resolved to help them however possible.