PRE GAME CHARACTER IDEAS
Note - the following is just an idea and subject to deletion, change etc.
I have a Cult of Ecstasy idea - Montana Wells. He's a gambler by nature. His Avatar appears to him as 'Lady Luck'. Sex, alcohol and drugs which were once his path to enlightenment are now potential obstacles in his path. (foci that he is dependent on for his magic).
Monty grew up in Las Vegas, the son of a drunken, wife beating, good for nothing bastard and his co-dependent wife. He ran away at age 17, hitting the strip in search of a new life. He hooked up with Frank Garcia, a professional gambler and a major player in the casinos, and became his apprentice. Monty assisted Frank in card counting, looking out for pit bosses, and generally being his gopher. In return, Frank took care of him and passed along his considerable expertise at gambling. Frank eventually retired as the number of casinos that allowed him to play at got smaller and smaller. Monty struck out on his own, but he took a different approach to gambling. Rather than try to mislead the casinos concerning his skill at cards, he was honest with them and earned their trust. He played only in the exclusive 'high stakes' poker games, designed for professionals and the idle rich who fancied themselves gamblers. The house took 10% of all pots, and the casinos didn't care who wa splaying as long as the house got their rake of the table. Over the next several years, Monty built up quite a reputation on the pro circuit and amassed a small fortune (mostly from rich fools coming to Vegas for a chance to play a 'real' game of poker). He enjoyed this lifestyle for many years, but soon got bored with the mundane routine, and craved greater thrills and excitement.
His wanderings and subsequent delving into Vegas' seamier side led to his discovery by Ravynn, his mentor with who he shared Diksham and who introduced him to the Vegas Pleasuredome. Ravynn noticed Monty's latent potential and her teachings, along with the other Cultists in the Pleasuredome provided Monty with his strong Tradition background and helped cultivate his commitment to the Cult and helping the sleepers towards Ascension. He spent years in the Vegas Pleasuredome, working with his cabal to bring peace, love, and wonder back into the world.
That was until a few years ago when the Technocracy, for no apparent reason, raided the Pleasuredome and killed all of the Cultists in a mass execution. Monty wasn't home at the time (he attributes this to the warnings of his Avatar, "Lady Luck"), so was spared this fate. It was likely that the Pleasuredome's activities were becoming too threatening to the Technocracy. Monty vowed to avenge the deaths of his friends, or die trying.
So, Monty allowed himself exactly one year to exact retribution. During this dark period, Monty's obsession was a relentless pursuit of the Technocracy. During his 'cleansing' as he likes to remember it, he indulged Hate and Rage. He moved to Los Angeles in an attempt to seek out a technocratic stronghold. He used his talents to make contact with the New World Order, hobnobbing at a variety of Hollywood social scenes, seducing women and bribing men. Over the course of a year, he was able to identify a group of NWOs in Hollywood, mages obviously of the Technocratic bent, but whos' purposes were unknown to Monty. He didn't care. They were the enemy, and he was going to make the Technocracy pay for the deaths of his friends After earning their trust, partying and spending months cozying up to them, Monty struck. A well payed stunt man set the explosive charges which leveled the cabal's headquarters, burying 4 of the 5 members under tons of rubble. Only one member of the 5 person group, a beautiful redhead named Roxanne Winter, was spared this fate. Monty manipulated here initially to gain her trust, the two eventually became lovers. He became conflicted as it was clear that Roxanne's motives were not at all driven by power and a hatred of the non-scientific paradigm.
Monty believed that Roxanne was being duped by the Technocracy. He spared her life, keeping her away from the destruction of her cabal as he confessed everything to her. He begged her to leave the NWO and run away with him. Roxanne was appalled and said that from her perspective it was the Traditions who were the terrorists - the ones trying to tear down the peace that the Technocracy had brought to the world. She spurned Monty, though it was evident that she still loved him. Monty regrets his blind quest for personal vengeance and he's determined never to let his darker passions control him as tightly as they did.
He returned back to his pursuit of Ascension through pursuit of the Passions. He does not avoid his darker side completely, but has learned how to let those Passions flow through him rather than letting them take control. Monty is quick to let his emotions of the moment express themselves as he feels them. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and has found that as the cult says, all passions are sacred, there is a time and place for each.
Monty has recently moved to wherever the game takes place, looking to hook up with a group of mages so he can continue his work on helping sleepers towards Ascension, and continuing the war for self determination and freedom from oppression.