Aleksander Sokolsky



Also known around the city as Alexi Two-Shadows, Alexi is the former Lieutenant Mayor of Free City, now currently an occupant of The Cue and its self-appointed war-boss. He is a relatively recent arrival to the group compared to some, but through a charming and winning combination of determination, shrewdness, domineering jerkiness good leadership, and the willingness to form contacts, he has carved out a niche for himself despite his innately aloof and solitary nature.

History
Born in 1961 to a Russian mafiya thug and his Ukranian-Jewish wife, he had a troubled upbringing that culminated in his mother's suicide when he was 14. An intelligent and perceptive child, he gained knowledge of his Avatar early in his life, and practised a form of hedge magic until his true Awakening at 17. Repressed by his violent alcoholic father and depressed impotent mother early on, Alexi went on to be adopted into the Lipanovski vory family where he was sworn in as Vassily Lipanovski's brother. Vassily, who was also his best friend, was his trusted platonic companion for most of his life. Both men were sponsored by and deferred to a Cainite, Sergei Maratov, who concealed his nature from his entire organisation and primed both young men as potential Childer for most of their lives. An incident of disobedience disqualified Alexi from becoming a sworn vory v zakone, but he was trained instead as an enforcer, interrogator, legal loophole finder and torturer, a job that he took to well.

After his Awakening, Alexi was steered into the Order of Hermes by his first mentor, based on his love of and experience with the occult, but never really fit in with them - something of a savant in the Order's favoured discipline of Forces, he made very rapid progress that alarmed his elders and culminated in his master, Frater Edward Wei, attempting to kill him as a part of a ritual intended to assume his power. Alexi managed to kill him with the help of his Avatar, Kutkh, and his House imposed a moratorium against his further progression in the Art as a precaution to avoid him getting out of hand or falling into (further) madness.

Missed Cue Chronicle
After Jason Rhode's massive timeline shift, Alexi came to in a seedy flophouse in Oakland, where he is sharing an apartment with his arty hippy boyfriend West, in a building now colonised by all of the main mages from Dermal Highway. He and his 'brother' Vassily had survived the plague, and went on to depose their boss, Sergei. Vasya is now head of the Yakinov bratva, and Alexi is his secondary, setting up a base of operations on the West Coast for reasons that Alexi is still trying to figure out.

He is currently steady with West Avenue in secret, and works part time as a legal secretary in a dodgy law firm to conceal his criminal involvement. He is deeply committed to the goals of his organisation, and has finally taken his tattoos of merit, as well as swearing in as a Vor v Zakone with Vasha's blessing.

His vague memories and the instincts left from his experiences in New Orleans have made his job somewhat more complicated, as he now has something resembling a conscience. However, it doesn't seem to have stopped him so far. He has a peculiarly community-driven attitude (provided he is in charge), and despite the ease with which he kills and tortures unfortunates who cross his path, forms strong and lasting bonds with people who he considers to be 'his' - students and proteges, his partner, and any he adopts as dependants. These mostly consist of Ives and West at present, his protege Misha, and his sworn brother, Vasha.

The Chantry of Pnuematic Chemistry is sadly defunct, but its spirit lives on in the hearts of its former occupants. Alexi will still probably build an Air Loom.

Misc. Information
Current Alliances: The mages of The Cue, Yakinov Bratva (Odessa mafia faction), Wentz and Michaels Legal. Part of a tentative alliance with Steth's Anarchs. Misha, Ivan, Peter and Sasha (the Patsani) who act as bodyguards, guards of the Cue, and drink Alacrity out of business. Nicolai Varenkov, official head of the Yakinov West Coast operation.

Current Roles: 'Fixer', interrogator and investigator/private eye for his organisation, de-facto secret leader of the Yakinov West-Coast group, part-time legal secretary. Stops West and Ives from starving to death on nothing except beer, ricearoni and cheetos. A Hermetic magician, estranged almost completely from his order.

Stats: Ukranian-America by indentification, 39 years old. 5ft 4, heavy muscular build, and apparently comprised wholly of bricks.

Colour: Alexi has an alarming tendancy to swing between Blue and Violet, stablised by Yellow.

Updates
- Peter was killed in an invasion by the Nephandi, specifically Hannah Longford. He now anxiously haunts the Cue, waiting on the bar and doing what he can to protect his old boss and friends, to whom he is still loyal.

- Kir, a former Patsani, met his death through a raid on a drug den. He seems to have passed on.

Links
Ives

Vassily Lipanovsky

The Yakinov Group

West Avenue

Kutkh