Character Help, Please

[Thanatos]

Okay, I am working on a new character, and would like some ideas.  This is a character coming in to an existing group, so I can't really tie my aspects in the normal way for now.  The overall idea is a junior warden from a Scandinavian country who has inherited one of the silver swords from a recently (apparently) slain parent.  I posted ideas on a FB group, so I'll just copy them here.

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So far I have the high concept of "Junior Warden" and the trouble of "Warden Jr." Yes, my mamma wore combat boots, and those are some big shoes to fill.

My 'family' aspect is also connected to that: "Queen of Swords, Knave of Staves". I inherited both my warden sword and my Conviction from mother, and of course this aspect is also based on a couple tarot cards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Swords
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_Wands
'Wands' and 'Staves' are interchangeable terms for the suit, and 'knave' is another name for the 'jack' playing card which is what became of the 'knights' in tarot. I'm not sure if this means dad was just mundane, or somehow dishonourable. The Knight of Staves is a symbol of wanderlust, so along with the 'combat boots' on one side, dad's boots were apparently made for walkin'.

My last aspect is currently 'Immigrant Song'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmueYJ0VhA
Like Eddie Murphy in 'Coming to America', I'm not from 'round here. Unlike his character, I didn't come entirely by choice, and I'm quite a bit more pale, so for me the story title is 'Exiled to Vinland'. My mother's sword was found in the wreckage of the White Council's outpost at Archangel, and while my reaction to her apparent death gave me motive to hunt the Red Court, my inexperience could be more of a liability than an asset, so the Council moved me somewhere out of the way (a city of about 90k in the US).

I'm considering whether to give him an aspect that makes him a bit of a berserker, and whether I want him to be a metal musician. I don't know that he has room in his skills for a decent Performance, or if it even makes sense to be able to play around electrical devices like amps and speakers. Maybe playing calms him to the extent that he doesn't short out the equipment?

Having a skill cap of 29 and not able to put anything at 'Superb' does make it somewhat more difficult to build the skill tower. Besides the Conviction, Discipline, and Lore needed for spellcasting, he also needs Weapons and Might in order to sweep a sword around effectively. Add in Alertness, Athletics, and Endurance to round combat needs out, and there's not much room left.

Does the warden sword and cloak cover all my magical gear? If I wanted to use runes for thaumaturgy, how would I represent that?
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Hmm... being a big guy may make people assume you're stupid, so that could be a temper trigger. Then there's the tendency for a big guy to be targeted by those looking to make a name for themselves... that could piss you off a lot. Add that to having one parental role model missing and the other (probably) recently killed... having a tendency to flip out and break some shit is quite understandable. Now I just need a better aspect name than "would you like some making fuck", and to decide whether I want to make the berserking my 'trouble' aspect since that's something likely to get one in a LOT of trouble.
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[blackstaff67]

This is how I see him:
High Concept: Rookie Warden
Trouble: You vampire b***ards killed my mother.
Aspect:  Don't make me angry...
Aspect:   Or diss me.
Aspect:   A European fish in an American pond.
Speaking as guy whose character makes and plays his own instruments, be advised that I went the non-powered route, if you will.  He's popular with folk and jazz players alike.  Regarding Performance, you really don't need more than a 1 or 2 to get an adequate performance. 
Regarding skills, it may be that the reason that he's a rookie and not well-respected is because he's not as skilled as he could/should be.  Maybe his Conviction is high but his Discipline stinks (like many other young punks trying to prove themselves).  Maybe he's too quick to use a weapon or the like, but his skills aren't up to par.  Granted a Warden is a devoted Battle Mage, but perhaps they sent you to an out-of-the-way place both because they wanted you to get more practice and because there aren't that many beasties there to confront.

[Vargo Teras]

Depending on how you model it, the warden sword might cover a reasonable number of item slots or all of them. I don't recall the cloaks having any powers worth assigning an item slot to, but between many uses of high-value counterspells and the possibility of adding a significant weapon value to the blade, the sword is an impressive tool. You could even consider sticking some focus item slots onto it.

You don't really need Might, and can probably skimp on Athletics; Weapons defends you against everything but ranged attacks, and with a Fair or Good Alertness you should be able to get a spell up to deal with those. Average Endurance will do well enough, since Good is probably too expensive and Fair doesn't add much. Focus on spellcasting, and you'll probably be fine.

Mortal magicians and amplified electronic instruments don't really mix. Sure, playing might be manageable if you use it as a calming exercise (though metal doesn't really seem like the best option for that), but you couldn't store the gear around the house without shielding it heavily, and one incident at a show will leave you hurting badly (since most wizards can't afford enough Resources to replace expensive electronics).

[Sanctaphrax]

Using runes for Thaumaturgy is easy. Just say "I use runes". Take a runic focus or a specialization in Rune Magic if you want.

You could totally make him a metal musician. He'll break a lot of amps, but...who cares? And I'm sure you'll have space for at least Fair Performance and a relevant Aspect.

[Auspice]

This is how I see him:
High Concept: Rookie Warden
Trouble: You vampire b***ards killed my mother.
Aspect:  Don't make me angry...
Aspect:   Or diss me.
Aspect:   A European fish in an American pond.
Speaking as guy whose character makes and plays his own instruments, be advised that I went the non-powered route, if you will.  He's popular with folk and jazz players alike.  Regarding Performance, you really don't need more than a 1 or 2 to get an adequate performance. 
Regarding skills, it may be that the reason that he's a rookie and not well-respected is because he's not as skilled as he could/should be.  Maybe his Conviction is high but his Discipline stinks (like many other young punks trying to prove themselves).  Maybe he's too quick to use a weapon or the like, but his skills aren't up to par.  Granted a Warden is a devoted Battle Mage, but perhaps they sent you to an out-of-the-way place both because they wanted you to get more practice and because there aren't that many beasties there to confront.

I like a lot of what BlackStaff said but I would tweak it a bit while adding on some additional thoughts.
"Don't Make Me Angry" and "Or Diss Me" are pretty much the same aspect.  "You Vampire Bs Killed My Mother" can even contain all three if you call it "Vampire Bs Killed My Mother!" which could imply that you are angry in general from being an orphan.

Here's another thought, though.  I don't know how well you know the people in the group you are entering.  When you first start gaming with new people (even if you've met them outside of gaming), you often want to tone down aggression.  Wolverine-tempered characters can be fun, but think of how much Wolverine disturbed the dynamic originally.  You're a young warden, and while you may be hotheaded against enemies you might be a little insecure when it comes to your peers.  Entering a new group you want to have a helpful, team-oriented feel as a first impression.  If you know these people well, feel free to disregard everything I just said in this paragraph.

Why did you leave Europe?  Did you make a huge mistake as a Warden so they are putting you under the tutelage of a Warden in America?  (Just because this other Warden isn't necessarily more powerful doesn't mean they wouldn't think you need to learn from him/her.)  Was something overwhelmingly powerful hunting you over there?  Is the thing that killed your family in the US?  Are you having problems with the mortal society like being accused of a crime you didn't commit?  Did you actually DO the crime you were accused of but the thing you acted against was a bad creature pretending to be human?  (Those mortal laws can be such a nuisance!)

Finally, just because you are from another country and are coming into an existing session doesn't mean that you can't know the characters.  Maybe you were pen-pals with one, or maybe you were visiting right after becoming a warden and helped a player out.  You came to this city for a reason(s).  Each PC can be one of those reasons.  One of my favorite things about this system was smacking into my head how to make the characters already know each other.

[Thanatos]

This is a replacement character.  I have been playing with the group since last summer, and my first character was entirely non-combatant unless I could find some way to use the environment.  For example, getting a bigger bird-creature angry enough to chase my manoeuvrable wereraven at its top speed, and then tricking it into flying into a brick wall.  Most of the time I just assessed aspects and passed them on to others when there was a combat, and outside of combat I used Deceit and voice mimicry to screw with people.  Anyway, The character reached a point of some resolution and had a very compelling reason to get out of town, so I decided to go completely opposite and make someone who is usually on the other side of the old 'fight or flight' response.  We also just got bumped to 8 refresh, making a wizard possible.

The other characters are currently a pure mortal authority figure, the Autumn Knight who uses baked goods as 'potions', and a White Court Virgin (lust) who can cover most of the sneaky stuff my wereraven specialized in before that character joined.  Opposing forces have included Native mythos creatures, a warlock, and compound full of white courtiers who feed on wrath led by a fire-n-brimstone preacher.  When the latter incites emotion, they also make the target stronger, so dropping a berserker into that could be interesting.

I think the idea of having killed someonething that was a monster in a flesh mask could work.  The pure mortal has had trouble with the reds in his past, and his cousin who is a warden based in Atlanta has actually been pretty useless. 

[blackstaff67]

I like a lot of what BlackStaff said but I would tweak it a bit while adding on some additional thoughts.
"Don't Make Me Angry" and "Or Diss Me" are pretty much the same aspect.  "You Vampire Bs Killed My Mother" can even contain all three if you call it "Vampire Bs Killed My Mother!" which could imply that you are angry in general from being an orphan.

Here's another thought, though.  I don't know how well you know the people in the group you are entering.  When you first start gaming with new people (even if you've met them outside of gaming), you often want to tone down aggression.  Wolverine-tempered characters can be fun, but think of how much Wolverine disturbed the dynamic originally.  You're a young warden, and while you may be hotheaded against enemies you might be a little insecure when it comes to your peers.  Entering a new group you want to have a helpful, team-oriented feel as a first impression.  If you know these people well, feel free to disregard everything I just said in this paragraph.

Why did you leave Europe?  Did you make a huge mistake as a Warden so they are putting you under the tutelage of a Warden in America?  (Just because this other Warden isn't necessarily more powerful doesn't mean they wouldn't think you need to learn from him/her.)  Was something overwhelmingly powerful hunting you over there?  Is the thing that killed your family in the US?  Are you having problems with the mortal society like being accused of a crime you didn't commit?  Did you actually DO the crime you were accused of but the thing you acted against was a bad creature pretending to be human?  (Those mortal laws can be such a nuisance!)

Finally, just because you are from another country and are coming into an existing session doesn't mean that you can't know the characters.  Maybe you were pen-pals with one, or maybe you were visiting right after becoming a warden and helped a player out.  You came to this city for a reason(s).  Each PC can be one of those reasons.  One of my favorite things about this system was smacking into my head how to make the characters already know each other.

I kick myself for not asking these questions.  Good catch!
Incidentally, you can make quite a good wizard/sorcerer with Chest-deep immersion.  It may even be that with that few skill points why he's a rookie Warden.