Ruby Farraday

Known Powers:
Pyrokinesis: Ruby can psychically combust flammable objects and accelerate existing fires. She cannot dissipate or reduce the intensity of fires, however.

Background:

Ruby is an investigator for IMPS. She's an expert in folklore and knows the many variations of whatever there is to be known about monsters. She's also knowledgeable about wards and warding technology.

She's also half-fae.

Ruby's father, S. Maxwell Farraday, created collar that would subject Humanoid Ultraterrestrial Entities - that is, Fairies - to mind control. While the collars allowed him make exciting new discoveries about their natures, his subjects were less enthusiastic. Often, studies ended in their untimely demise.

Ruby's mother is a statuesque female fairy who was found stark naked and wreathed in flame while setting fire to an orchard not far from Cottingley, England. Madge "Matches" expressed a morbid, mutual curiosity in Farrady.

His opinion of fae changed drastically when he realized, belatedly, that they could produce offspring with humans.

Ruby is the troubled result of their union, and doesn't so much as struggle against as embrace the erratic moods and lust for using her pyrokinetic talents she's inherited from her mother. While she appears human, she's supernaturally beautiful to the point that a cautious PC may detect that she's not completely human. She has unnaturally red hair that inexplicably lightens near the tips within days after any haircut. Most people assume it's dyed, but it's not.

Roleplaying Ruby:

While Ruby may appear useful with her powerful fire spells (if not a bit troublesome with her knee-jerk willingness to use them), the real source of frustration for a party is her fae nature.

Ruby is whimsical to a fault, and doesn't try to rein in her emotions. She's very interested in monsters, myths, folklore, magic, pretty things, and fire. She can maintain focus in combat and is skilled with her talent, but is easily distracted or bored otherwise.

Ruby has a strong affinity for magic. She can innately sense it. (Useful for gauging -- but not identifying the use of -- magic items.) And is drawn to magic, not just items, but to areas and strong magic users.

Ruby's a bold girl, and will likely immediately express interest in any male PC magic users, particularly strong natural talents, or people with a general aire of power, such as (handsome, human-looking) Atlanteans and nearly purebred Nephelim. She may also be interested in men possessing a strong magical item; she's smart enough to know whether it's the person or item interesting her, but depending on her mood, she may not care.

To figure out who she's most interested in: They must have a Charisma of at least 8 (she's shallow like that). She'll gravitate closest to whoever has the highest relevant governing magic stat. (Charisma for bards, Intelligence for wizards, etc.)

After the PCs have adventured, her interest will shift to whoever used the most spells or highest level spells recently. Even if she hasn't witnessed the fight or exploration, she'll feel the residual magic aura around the PCs.

This can manifest as romantic interest if she's tagging along as an active NPC -- Ruby thinks very highly of herself and won't have any regard for the PC's significant others (short of a wife) or jealousy between the PCs. Nor will she care too much about vows of chastity or the like.

She will set someone on fire if they don't break up with her nicely.

If she's a just a quest-giver, this interest will manifest in her showing a strong bias toward the PC she's most interested in. Have her dole out the payments unfairly, reward special items that would be better used by other PCs to her favored PC, and give the most relevant information on treasures, traps, and warnings to her favored PC.

If the party figures out what's going on, they can use it to their advantage, having her favored PC ask for higher rewards or leads for other interesting adventures.

If Labyrinth is present and currently dating Ruby, she'll still hit on and orbit any PC that interests her. Ruby is capricious: She may ignore Labyrinth entirely, get mad at him, act apologetically, or still flirt with him like nothing is going on with the PC.

While Ruby's Resources could be higher, but Ruby's whims often lead her to spend her paychecks quickly. She's usually broke. Her integrity would never allow her to steal from anyone, but that won't stop her from annoying the dickens out of her favored PC for a latte, a new dress, trinket, etc. If the PC refuses, it will deeply affect Ruby's helpfulness.

Ruby's father does have considerable money, but he's cheap, and certainly doesn't trust his daughter with his credit card.

Equipment:

Collar: Ruby wears a special variation of the Farraday collar. It offers a +2 defensive bonus against magic attacks.

However, it's also magical and activated by the following incantations:
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Once daily, this spell can offer a +5 bonus to all spells cast in the five rounds immediately following recitation. Recitation is a full action.

Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed.
This spell inflicts a devasting -10 penalty on all spells cast for the next five rounds. Ruby will obviously not use the penalty spell on herself, and doesn't want anyone else to learn about it.

The collar must be clasped to work. Ruby's father designed the collar when she was younger to keep her from burning things in rage or curiousity. Whether she can remove it herself is up to the GM, but it should take her a few minutes to get it off if she can.

Electric Pentacle: If Ruby expects trouble in advance, she can arrange to bring an electric pentacle with her.

Skills

Performer (Dancing, Juggling), Mystic & Occult Lore, Lockpicking

Contacts:

Ruby is a long-time member of IMPS, so all the members of IMPS, past and present, are contacts. She was also a teen superhero while Roundtable was in its prime; Ruby was never a full-fledged member, but knows any the junior sidekicks of that era.
IMPS regularly shares information with relevant sources such as the Challenger Foundation and Paul Pereira.
She hates Ephemera.