[b]Bless the Rains[/b]
The man in blue looked down at the Ethiopian Highlands drifting by below his feet, and frowned. He raised his arms, and wisps of mist boiled into view around him.
“Askion kataskion lix tetrax damnameneus aision!”
The man’s brow furrowed in concentration, but soon other towers of cloud began building in the distance. A few minutes more, and the sky grew dark. Caught in an updraft feeding the nearest cloud, the magician’s cape snapped and twisted. Droplets visibly grew large, and started to fall, though a bubble around the man remained dry.
“Well, that should ease the drought a bit,” he thought.
He glanced toward the northern horizon, now quite obscured. “Perhaps some might make it down to Home-That-Was.”
Blink!
A tiny woman sporting bright red hair and intense green eyes, and wearing a cheongsam, appeared at arm’s length from the man’s face. He winced. She transformed into a winged creature of nightmare, wreathed in flames and shadow, and they both relaxed.
“JENN JONES SAYS THAT GAUGAMELA SHOULD COMPLETE REFIT WITHIN THREE HOURS.” The powerful voice seemed incongruous issuing from such a tiny creature.
“Thank you, Alecto.”
“VENGEANCE BECKONS ON THIS WORLD, AS WELL.”
“Oh?”
“ONE ‘BARON BRUTAL’ HOLDS THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HOSTAGE. HE CLAIMS TO POSSESS A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”
“’Baron Brutal?’” The man smirked. “Is he daring people to laugh in his face?”
Alecto moved her shoulders noncommittally between wing flaps.
“All right, tell Crabbe to prepare for departure. I’ll see what I can do here.”
__________________________________________________________________
The powerfully-built man in black power armor felt oddly naked stomping across the roof of the World Trade Center. Only his lower face was exposed, but something felt wrong. He glanced at the nuclear device, but that was still safe under its force field.
“Where is the President?” Baron Brutal bellowed at nobody in particular. “I told him to come bow in ONE HOUR!”
The robots circling the perimeter of the roof all looked at their master, but in the absence of new instructions, continued their patrols.
Blink! The man in blue now hovered next to the spire.
“It’s really quite inconsiderate to intrude on other people’s schedules. Did you make an appointment?”
“Did you?” Baron Brutal whirled, and blinding yellow energy from his hands flashed toward the magician.
The man in blue made a small motion with his left hand, and a shimmering blue transparency absorbed the attack.
“Touche.” The magician nodded. “Still, perhaps you’d be willing to talk?”
“Unless you’re here to surrender, I don’t have time for you.”
“Well...”
“That’s it, waste him!” The robots all raised their weapons to fire.
Flash! Lightning forked from the magician’s hands. Before the thunderclap rolled into silence, fragments of metal scrap rained across the roof.
“I really must insist.”
“Then you’re really going to die!” Baron Brutal fired his rocket boosters, and before the man in blue could react, a beefy, metal fist had fastened around his neck. There was a sharp crack, and the man in black tossed his lifeless opponent off of the roof.
A helicopter approached, and a man in a fine suit leaned out with a loudspeaker. “Baron Brutal, this is the mayor. We have the governor and the president on board as well. We’re here to surrender.”
Baron Brutal’s smile was like a bloodless wound, wide and jagged.
__________________________________________________________________
The S.W.A.T. sergeant passed her hand in front of Baron Brutal’s unseeing eyes.
“What did you do to him? I’ve never seen a grin like that in my life. And I hope I never do again.”
The magician in blue shrugged.
“He’s living out his deepest fantasies. Let that be a warning to us all, not to let our own get out of hand.”
The policewoman frowned.
“Did you get the code for the nuke?”
“It’s sixes all the way. Also, the armor unlocks...like so. And you might want to send some people to his secret base in the Adirondacks.”
Despite this information, the S.W.A.T. sergeant looked more concerned, not less.
“By the way, have you...registered?”
The magician showed no discomfort.
“Registered? I entered this universe five hours ago seeking information. Now that business calls me away, I expect never to return.”
“Still, we need a name for the report.”
“In that case, call me ‘Blue.’”
The policewoman opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she found herself addressing empty space.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Real Name: Magically stored in a VERY safe place; even he does not know what it is most of the time; "Names are keys, but many doors best remain locked."
Established Aliases: Aether Cerulean; Doctor Eidolon; Blue
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Relatives:
All deceased more than 2000 years ago.
Affiliations:
*Team Aether (Blue is primus inter pares)
*Grand Vizier to a queen of Faerie ("Her Most Serene Majesty, the Queen of Dreams")
*Has bilateral pact with the Wind Dukes
*Teaches three apprentices currently
Base of Operations: The Needle of Night in the Sea of Shattered Dreams on the Mirror World
Identity: So secret that even Blue has to go retrieve his name in person when he needs to use it
Citizenship: Considers notions of citizenship quaint and parochial; if pressed, "a citizen of the multiverse"
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Archmage; Grand Vizier; mentor; nemesis of cosmic threats
Gender: Male
Age: Was born about 2200 years ago (on a parallel Earth); Personally lived through about 180 years linearly; Physical condition equivalent to very fit 41-year-old
Height: 6 ft
Weight: 150 lbs
Eyes: As desired (usually dark brown)
Hair: As desired (usually dark brown with a touch of grey)
Ethnicity: Born to Attic Greek immigrants living in Ptolemaic Egypt
Origin: Magician; studied at the Library of Alexandria; collaborated with Madame Blavatsky and W. B. Yeats
Place of Birth: Oxyrhynchos, Ptolemaic Egypt (closely guarded secret)
History:
Ah, Alexandria under the Ptolemies! It was a city of wonders, replete with all the knowledge of the ancient world. Long did I study natural philosophy with the Greek scholars, and magic with the Egyptian priests.
A moment's distraction in the learning of a spell sent me to London of the Nineteenth Century. Adapting to this new world, I compared notes with Blavatsky, exchanged barbs with Crowley, and sought wisdom together with Yeats.
Dion Fortune recruited me for the Mystical Battle of Britain, but my disgust over the betrayal of Greece led me to abandon the Allied cause before the war ended. The next half-century I spent perfecting myself in a quest of a highly personal nature.
Shortly after the turn of the next century, this quest led me to an imaginal world, where I found myself in the middle of another huge battle. In the aftermath of Pesh, I discovered the answer to my question, and a new purpose for my life.
Now I battle a foe of nearly unimaginable power across much of the nearby multiverse. How does one man defeat the well-nigh infinite? Well, in part, he seeks powerful allies and friends. So here I am in this new city of wonders. Care to fight the good fight with me?
Powers & Abilities:
*Ageless, but technically not immortal
*Knows prophecies describing own death, but persists in actions leading that way, "Because it's the right thing to do." Blue and his friends debate whether the existence of these prophecies renders him unkillable until the predicted moment arrives
*Does not need to eat, drink, sleep, breathe, or use the restroom, but can if he wants to
*Basic physical self-defense training
Hermetic Archmage
*Has access to virtually unlimited variety of spells; however, magic works differently in different universes, so it takes a varying amount of time for Blue to adjust to local conditions, and he may not be able to utilize his full power in a particular universe
*Specializes in Mentalism, air/weather magic, illusions, Translocation (i.e. teleportation), and protective magic
*Can't produce or use fire directly, but could start a fire with a lightning strike, for example
Items of Power
*Eye of the Empyrean (amulet that enhances Mentalism)
*Ring of Air (allows effortless flight at will; maintains envelope of air with comfortable conditions around wearer in any environment)
*Variety of powerful items stored in the Needle of Night; however, many of these are dangerous to use or difficult to transport
Appearance:
Whatever will serve Blue's purposes at the moment; to the extent that he even has a true form anymore, Blue is a slim man of early middle years with a paler-than-usual Greek complexion, and a face so average that people find it eminently forgettable
Identity:
So secret that he keeps his own name hidden from himself most of the time. On the other hand, he doesn't really keep many other secrets from close friends, allies, or apprentices
RP Questions
1) What emotion best describes your character? Calm/Serenity
2) What emotion does your character evoke in others? Confusion
3) What does you character need most? Knowledge
4) What is your character's goal in life? Protecting the freedom of as many sentients as possible
5) How does your character believe this goal can be accomplished? Through negotiation if possible, through trickery if necessary, and through force if all else fails
6) Where did your character come from? Ptolemaic Egypt
7) When did your character grow up? When he translocated himself from Ptolemaic Egypt to Victorian London by accident
8) What values does your character hold? People should be free to pursue their own destinies, unless that interferes with someone else's destiny; tyrants and bullies deserve a taste of their own medicine; variety is the spice of life
9) How does your character dress? Prefers flamboyant magician garb; MUST always wear something blue
10) What are your character's means? Has access to huge piles of treasure in the Needle of Night, but lives very simply himself; intellectualist view of material things; routinely mocks flashy ostentation or materialism (though subtly if the occasion warrants)
11) What are you character's personal tastes? Enjoys fine wine in moderation; still looks for a good modern source of garum; however, would gladly pass up a meal for a flight in the rain, access to a new library, or some sort of major discovery
12) What are your character's opinions? Views pride and ambition as faults unless directed toward noble goals; distrusts authority and tradition; loves knowledge and learning, and by corollary disdains closemindedness, willful ignorance, and provincialism/parochialism; usually judges people by actions, not origins; however, inclined to distrust beings of demonic origin until they establish a good track record
13) What's your character's comfort zone? A library, archaeological dig, or the open sky
14) Who has had the biggest impact on your character's life? The scholar who took him in when Blue was a very surprised, shivering Greek immigrant in Victorian London
15) What are some of your character's unexpected quirks? Naturally inclined to laziness and procrastination, but has learned to mitigate these tendencies; loves to help people invisibly; constantly and unashamedly reads surface thoughts of everyone around him
16) What kind of story does your character belong in? Cosmic; Space Opera (with supporting cast); Historical Fiction; Urban Fantasy; High Fantasy; As mentor or "quest giver" in any supers story touching on magic, the cosmic, or personal development
17) What role does your character fill? Trickster; Mentor; Trickster Mentor; Powerhouse; Magical Detective; Supporting Cast; Versatile Teammate
18) What should the other players know about your character? Out-of-the-box thinker prone to both brilliant solutions and epic fails; can be stubborn if he believes that he is right
19) What is your playstyle? Cautious and thoughtful; mostly prefers to help others shine, but very protective of friends and allies; on rare occasions likes to cut loose with flashy powers; prefers to find a happy medium between detailed planning and improvisation
20) How do you want your character to die? Blue knows the circumstances of his death, but not the way that they will arrive, nor when
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
"You're my boy, Blue!"
A fellow ageless! I approve :)