Matthias FitzClarence
The Lodestar |
29 y/o |
Male |
5'9 |
161 lbs To remain the leader of this crazy ass cult.
Secrets: Matthias killed the previous leader of the Order of Enlightenment in an act of self-preservation, and had lied through his teeth in order to keep the cultists from electing another in that man's place.
Fears: Frogs and Snakes, Deep Waters, Being Exposed as a Fraud
History: Matthias was the son of the original leader of the Order of Enlightenment, having been raised in Riverbend all his life. Back before his Gyft manifested, his life had been fairly regular. His father was a writer and his mother was a grocery clerk, scrapping by just enough to make a living and keep them out of Merryland. It was hard, of course, with an ineffectual government and the mob ruling the streets, but back then, Matthias had been sheltered from much of the darker side of the city he lived in.
Then, his head turned into smoke and things went awry, in a way that went hilariously fast.
His mother blamed his father for this, because he had convinced her to move to Nocturnia and now their baby boy didn't even have a face anymore. His father, in turn, saw this as material, because while the military had quarantined the city and strictly limited physical access, the internet was still wholly unrestricted, which made for amazing media. This, of course, lead to a messy divorce, made messier by the fact that there wasn't any government or court of law that could declare who had custody over Matthias.
It was a coinflip of a bribe; his father won.
Things, naturally, spiraled further downhill once Matthias's Gyft was explored in full. Who knew that his head-smoke was a drug? Who knew that clarify of mind and focus didn't actually make you all that more intelligent or reasonable? Who knew, that in the stupor of enlightenment, his writer-father would believe in his fictions and establish a cult, collecting the disenfranchised of Riverbend and overthrowing the rule of the previous gang involved? Matthias certainly couldn't have known; he had spent more days falling in and out of consciousness, his Amorpheus Gyft taken copiously by the upper echelon of the cult. Hours were lost, days were lost, weeks were lost. He hardly felt himself, couldn't even recall what 'himself' felt like.
It was by dumb luck that Matthias had seized consciousness on one dark night. There was no longer any love to be lost between father and son, only a desperate drive for survival.
He killed his father. Then, making up some rapturous speech about how the previous leader has ascended to the Next Age, how the Order must focus their efforts outwards instead of inwards, Matthias positioned himself to never be used as a living drug again.
Ah, but of course, peace was not forthcoming. The Order of Enlightenment had stepped upon the toes of mafia and security forces alike; now that his father was gone, those knives and guns were pointed at him instead. War came. What was a boy to do?
He was to do anything in the name of survival.
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Alliance: Mafia
District:Waterfront ValeA residential suburbs, known for its good schools and plentiful parks. Small businesses dot the larger avenues, while the cul-de-sacs are filled with public-use sports equipment like basketball hoops, soccer nets, or swing sets. Has a comfortable, neighborly vibe, but recently, missionaries from a weird new-age religion have been knocking on doors and proselytizing.
RiverbendPlenty of office buildings, generally focused on publishing and news media. Has a nice waterfront promenade, with fishing hobbyists visiting there during the weekends. Recently, a lot of church properties have been sold to this strange, new-age religion, lead by a charismatic but faceless prophet.
Faction: The Order of EnlightenmentA revolutionary cult, founded upon the belief that the vestigial remnants of Knowledge, that which sparked the Renaissance and brought forth the Golden Era to mankind, is what caused the bestowal of Gyfts upon those in Nocturnia. The world is decayed now, and it is their divine duty to locate the true source of the Gyfts, to unite all the peoples of Nocturnia, and to usher in a new age of Enlightenment, breaking free from the military quarantine and overthrowing the corrupt bureaucrats who suppress the turning of the era.
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Gyft: Amorpheus
One's head is permanently made of a hazy smoke. Those who breathe in the smoke are able to gain an incredible clarity of mind and focus, without any of the drawbacks associated with other mind-altering drugs. As well, Matthias's head is no longer a 'weak point'; attacks to the head pass through without harm.
Limitations and Weaknesses:While his head is immune to practically all forms of damage, a strong wind or vacuum would still be potent enough to temporarily 'scatter' Matthias's ability to think and remain conscious.
While there is no limit to Matthias's ability to generate smoke to reconstitute his head, there is a limit as to how much capacity he has for 'storing' the smoke that makes up his head.
For better or worse, due to the nature of his head, it's fairly easy to ID him if he isn't wearing a mask or a helmet.
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wintersoldier,
Herald,
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