BACKGROUND:

Phillip Lacroix was born to human parents in the late 2030's in New Orleans. The family is ethnic creole and as a result of family tradition, Phillip -- or Pili (pee-lee) as he is called -- learned French and English growing up. He has an older half-brother named Alexander. Alexander is the son of an African man and Pili's mother. When intrested in his roots Alexander begain to research African languages. He found out that Pili is "Second Born" in Swahili and dubbed his little brother that early. The name stuck.

His early life was relatively easy. He joined a local youth organization and it is there that he began to learn about computers and first aid. The organization was similar to the late 20th's Boy Scouts. He was chummy with people at school but something of a follower. He was ready to get to know people but didn't really understand how to lead the groups of which he was a part -- including the youth organization. In it, he was a patrol leader for a while -- in charge of about seven boys. It was one of these young boys that first introduced Pili to Voodoo.

Growing up in New Orleans, you couldn't help but learn something about Voodoo. The native traditions of the Carribbean and the old French south had meshed with Christianity so long ago that few understood the origins of the practice, but none could deny that legends of the voodoo doll and zombies were rife in the region. Plus, since the awakening and the "arrival" of Loa spirits and the magical powers of the Hougan, the tradition began to be understood as a viable and real mystical system. Pili learned about Voodoo from Lawrence. Larry's family were Voodoo hougans for generations and he described each of the Loa to Pili. Coupling his social nature as wel as his ability to easily make friends, Pili felt drawn to Legba and Obatala.

It was during his teens when Pili goblinized from Human to Ork. Goblinization was becoming more infrequent but everyone recognized the signs. Pili was kicked out of the youth organization and lost most of his friends except for Larry. Larry and his family didn't really mind Pili's new appearance and felt that his value as a person was still the same as it was prior.

Things were okay for a while. His parents adjusted but his brother didn't want to associate with the Ork in their midst. School became more difficult as the others harassed him for this apperance, and Pili began to find it more difficult to communicate with others who were focused on what they thought he was instead of what he truly was. He was happy though -- or at least content -- to stay where he was.

That is until Larry's family was killed. As far as anyone knew, it was a random act of violence. Pili knew otherwise. Larry had told him that his family had a rival in the underworld politics of New Orleans post-awakening Voodoo politics. Pili assumed that the rivals had finally decided that Larry's family had become too powerful and destroyed them. Pili was inscensed. For the first time, he performed a ritual to summon a Loa spirit of Obatala -- defender of the weak. The spirit of the Loa possessed him and through his own newly awoken magical abilities and the power of the Loa incarnate, Pili was able to claim vengence on the rival family.

His vengence was not "complete" as others would have felt it, as the rivals were left alive. Obatala is not a fan of death and prefers a non-lethal solution to problems. As a result, the rivals knew of a rising power in Pili that could threaten their power base. They tracked Pili down and gave him an ultimatum: leave or your family dies. Pili left.

He wandered for a while, performing small rituals to the Loa in order to help him on his way. Using their powers when necessary and learning spells from other shamans that he met as he moved from New Orleans north into the UCAS and then eventually west to Seattle. In Seattle, he lives in a small 1 bedroom economy apartment. He has some connections to the Ork Underground, but prefers to live above ground. He often works as security for small businesses -- setting up astral wards or providing spirits to help when necessary. And, his friend Hugh is often ready to help out with a little muscle if necessary.

APPEARANCE

Pili is an Ork about 5' 11" (1.8m) tall. He's wiry and thin for an Ork at only 130lbs (58kg). His skin has an olive cast to it. The striking part about his are his amber/yellow eyes. His eyes were originally brown but seem to lighten to their current golden color when he goblinized.

As with most patrons of Obatala, he wears almost exclusively white clothing. The exception to this is his long coat,which is a more fashionable black. His normal clothing usually consists of a pair of white or kahki pants with a white shirt. His armored clothing is similarly colored -- just will a little added benefit for when the drek hits the fan.

As a result of all of this white clothing, and due to his generally ordered mind and logical way of dealing with things, he has developed a mild form of Misophobia -- a fear and dislike of dirt and germs. It's not dibilitating, but Pili is constantly focused on remaining clean and keeping his white clothing as white as possible.

SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES, AND RESOUCES

He's not good at saving money. But he's not the best at making it either. Most of what he earns goes into his rent, which he tries to stay ahead of by pre-paying in quarters or thirds of a year. His skills with a pistol were mostly honed in conjunction with some training from Hugh, who orginally gave Pili his gun. The magical training that Pili has received is mostly in the form of other shamans with who Pili has associated. Further, the learning that he acquired from Larry as a young man has proven invaluable.

He has increased his abilities with a computer, focusing on searching for information. He often sells this abilities to others if they needs someone to act as private investigator. He also recalls most of his First Aid training that he received as a boy in the youth organization.

He has always been a polite person so the ettiquette of the modern world was not hard for him to assimilate. Further, he's always been an intelligent person -- a fact that he has used to his advantage from time to time. Especially since others are usually expecting the dumb-fragging-tusker personality from Pili, he can sometimes put people off balance by understanding complex concepts faster than people would usually expect him to.

PERSONALITY

Pili does not like to kill. He sees it as the removal of the potential for his opponents to produce something valuable -- even if only by luck. Instead, he focuses on confusing his enemies or just fast talking his way through a situation. When forced to, he is not afraid to resort to his gun, but he usually relies on Gel rounds rather than lethal bullets.

He prefers to work in situations where he feels that his actions benefit the underdogs. Working for small business, schools, families, etc. make him feel as if he is helping to defend those who are less able to defend themselves.

He's quick with a joke and generally fun to be around. His interests in cooking -- especially with foreign and obscure seasonings help to pass some of his spare time. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to focus on these interests to the extent that he would like.

His goal is to eventually open a small restaurant. However, recognizing the shorter life span that he faces as a result of his race, he's beginning to feel the press of time and is sometimes willing to take more risks now than he was in order to try and make more money.

RUNNING THE SHADOWS

Pili runs the shadows because he feels that it is the best application for his skills. He can work around the system and work to help those that are hurt by it. Further, as an Ork, his life outside the shadows would always be frought with the common dumb-fragging-tusker stereotype. But, in the shadows, his skills are valued and often surpass the stereotypes.