ErsatzEmperor — Roleplayer Guild

Ultimate One Universe: Season Two Application

Character You're Applying For: Dr. Stephen Strange

Powers And Abilities: Doctor Strange has been trained in the Mystic Arts, allowing him to channel and manipulate extra-dimensional energies to affect change in the physical realm. His connection to this energy allows him powers limited only by his imagination and his ability to harness them. Some common manifestations of his magic include: teleportation, illusion, levitation, energy blasts, telekinesis and matter manipulation. In addition to this, his studies in the mystic arts enable him to leave his physical form as an astral projection. In this form he is unbound by physical laws and is undetectable unless he chooses to be. Strange possesses a number of magical items and artifacts that provide him with further abilities. Chief among these possessions is the Amulet of Agamotto, a relic whose mysteries Strange has yet to decipher.

Origin And Backstory (In A Maximum Of Four Paragraphs):
Doctor Strange's backstory remains largely unaltered. In his heyday, he was a talented neurosurgeon who was an authority in the field. Strange was fuelled by a desire to be successful and to gain recognition for his achievements - to him, his role as a healer was an after thought if anything; often he would turn down terminally ill patients to preserve his perfect record, and seek out the most high profile cases that might pad his reputation out further. He was arrogant, self-absorbed and unlikable. While driving one night on the way to an awards event, Strange lost control of his vehicle, flipping it and leaving him comatose for a week. When he came to, the damage was clear. The use of his hands had been all but lost, suffering extensive nerve damage as a result of his surgery. In a moment his life had been upended. Unable to continue his work and failed by western medicine, he turned to the mysticism of the east, upon hearing about a healer from a place called Kamar-Taj, hidden deep within the Himalayas.

Here he finds The Ancient One, the last of a secretive order of mystics, a being of immense age and wisdom. He agrees to train Strange in the mystic arts, something Strange is sceptical about at first. Over time, he learned to embrace the teachings. After five years of rigorous study and practice, Doctor Strange ranked as highly proficient in the ways of the mystic arts. The experience entirely reshaped his worldview - it left him stoic and humbled. He would have appeared a stranger to the man who had first journeyed to Kamar-Taj. The Ancient One soon began preparing Strange to inherit the title of Sorcerer Supreme when he eventually passed on. This did not materialise. An estranged student known only as Mordo arrived at Kamar-Taj, committed to killing his former master and to usurp him as Sorcerer Supreme. He was thwarted by the combined efforts of the two mystics. His second visit ended differently. This time he more than outmatched the ageing sorcerer and his apprentice.

A great wave of force rocks Kamar-Taj. The mountainous compound quakes with the force of what feels like an avalanche. Doctor Strange is busy meditating as it hits, the Ancient One close-by.

"Master, I sense..." The doctor is cut off abruptly. In the doorway stood a robed man.

"Master indeed!" His voice booms in reply. The Ancient One looks to his apprentice knowingly, with a short look of regret.

"...Mordo." Strange finishes, trying to process this. He turns to face the interloper. The man looks past him. He was here for the Ancient One. Strange goes to his master's side.

"You have returned. I had thought you would still be licking your wounds. Hoped even that you would have abandoned this fool's errand. A pity." He sighs.

"You are not rid of me yet," the fallen learner chides.

"Mordo," the Master implores, "Reconsider this. All of this." Mordo's dead eye stare offsets his own. The two were beyond reconciliation. Both men understood this, even if they had yet to admit it.

"You would still appeal to my humanity, old man?" A tense smile pokes at his lips. "I thought I was beyond your help."

"You may have strayed from the path but that does not mean--"

"No! This is not the time for your fortune cookie platitudes! You will listen." Mordo's foot strikes the ground, a wave of anger overtaking him. He composes himself. "This is the end of our journey together. The end. For you and for your mongrel dog."

Strange holds his tongue. His eyes scan around the room for something he could use to his advantage. No one speaks for what feels like a lifetime. They stand, like great sculptures, chiselled and unmoving. The master betrays nothing with his face; Mordo's own is marked by rage.

"Leave this place." The Master pleads.

"Goodbye, old friend." His hands extend towards his adversary. "I invoke the power of the Devourer-God, the All-Killer!" A green aura overtakes the zealot. The Ancient One's own arms are up in an instant as he rushes to form a shield. A bulbous mass of green energy pours at it, moving in waves, like the body of a snake.

Strange begins conjuring a response.

"In your name and with your fury, dreaded Shuma-Gorath, I end this life!" The endless stream thrashes against the protective construct. It bends and cracks against it with a force unyielding. Without any warning, a red energy sweeps over Mordo. It envelops him, wrapping around his form.

"Now that is quite enough." Strange remarks at his work, the energy flowing from his hands. "The crimson bands of Cyttorak hold you fast. Do the smart thing and yield to them."  

"You are more the fool to stand with him still. I will not be denied." With a surge of force, Mordo shatters his binds and with the excess energy sends Strange flying across the room. He pours the dark energies into both of them, a conduit for the otherworldly force, the power filling the room. With a last push, the Ancient One makes his stand. But the force overwhelms him. The shield fizzles into nothing as a mass of eldritch tentacles pierce his material body. Strange watches on desperate. He had to do something, Anything.Sample Post

In a last act of desperation, Strange casts his soul bare to the multiverse and draws strength from Dormammu, the once towering ruler of the Dark Dimension. Embracing his dark magics, he redirects Mordo's supernatural assault and severs the Elder God's hold over him - Mordo is cast adrift, banished to the creature's own realm. The mentor had succumbed to a final attempt on his life. Strange followed the Ancient One's final instructions: return to New York - find the Sanctum Sanctorum and protect it with his life. He gets there and finds a box waiting for him, contains the mystical artifacts amassed by the sorcerer supreme during his own life. He transfixed over one item in particular, a golden amulet. At the time the roleplay begins, Strange has resided there for two weeks, and is trying to come to terms with his new role as a protector of Earth's dimension

An Introduction to Magic Vol. 1
An Introduction to Magic Vol. 2
Demonology 101

Following up his last appearance in Season One, Doctor Strange was tasked by the Vishanti to intervene in a civil war in another dimension. He has just returned, having spent what felt like days in the conflict. In truth four months had passed when he returned. The experience has honed his mystical talents and the Vishanti will remember this favour.

He returns to the world shortly after the events of the Season finale.

What Makes This Character 'Ultimate'?:
For this Year One story I decided to start with Strange at a familiar point - the Ancient One is dead, and the title of Sorcerer Supreme lies unclaimed. He is not at the height of his power; at this point in his career he has only faced two otherworldly threats, only surviving in the first case thanks to the help of his mentor, and most recently by channelling the power of Dormammu, a force he does not truly understand. He is certainly not an authority on magic yet, or considered as such by his mystical peers, although he carries a certain level of prestige as an apprentice of the Ancient One. This gives me the opportunity to allow him to grow into his traditional role in real time, learning more about his powers as the RP goes on, with the help of Wong, his substitute instructor here, rather than his manservant. 

I have decided to leech at least one idea from the the MCU interpretation of the character, with the Sanctum Sanctorum acting as one of many magical locations designed with the purpose of protecting against mystical threats to Earth. Ownership of the mystical brownstone found in Greenwich Village was passed to Strange after the Ancient One's demise. However, they are not all linked to Kamar-Taj and their masters may not take as kindly to Strange's influence as they did the Ancient One.

A clear divergent point here will be how he interacts with the spiritual characters that would otherwise inhabit the DC universe. Don't expect him to be channelling the power of Shazam right off the bat, but DC-based mystics and creatures will hopefully be able to pop up in my interpretation from time to time.

Supporting Characters:
The Ancient One: Doctor Strange's former master and the last Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, the Ancient One lived for nearly half a millennium, keeping malevolent magical forces at bay for much of his life. Despite his age, when Strange came to know him he had the appearance of a man in his late fourties. Nearing the end of his life, he chose to make Stephen Strange his apprentice, shaping him into a man worthy of the honor in the process. He died at the hand of his former student, Mordo, all of his accumulated magical artifacts passing to Strange.

Wong: Before his death, the Ancient One foresaw its coming. Knowing that his apprentice had much left to learn before he would be ready to take on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, he entrusted to Strange the Mentor Stone. Containing the combined knowledge of Sorcerers Supreme of the past, for Strange it manifests in the image of Magister Wong, a magical construct patterned after one of the earliest Sorcerers of their order. In Wong, Strange finds a teacher and a companion.

Baron Mordo: A disgruntled former apprentice of the Ancient One, his desire for power and willingness to engage in the most sordid of magical practices led to his banishment from Kamar-Taj. Twice, he had attempted to exact revenge on the ageing Sorcerer, once having bridged the gap between the Dark Dimension and Earth to summon Dormammu. Despite his already faltering power, the Ancient One was able to seal the master of the Dark Dimension back away in his own realm, with the aid of Strange. The second time however, Mordo invoked the power of Shuma-Gorath, a God of Chaos, overwhelming his former master and ultimately destroying him. Strange, borrowing strength from Dormammu, was only able to sever the Elder God's ties to Earth's realm. In doing so, he also trapped Mordo in the tentacled entity's home dimension. His current status is unknown.

Shuma-Gorath: An Elder God who desires conquest of all the multiverse. In terms of raw power, he far outclasses Earth's other mystical threats.

Dormammu: The ruler of the dreaded Dark Dimension, Dormammu is a powerful being intent on expanding his influence to all realms. He is the kind of malevolent entity The Sorcerer Supreme is charged with combating. Strange has only caught glimpses of his realm thus far, a inhospitable wasteland populated by beings known as the Mindless Ones. Now that the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth is dead it is only a matter of time before Dormammu's gaze turns to Earth once more.

Nightmare: The Master of the Dream dimension. Not yet encountered by Strange. 

Kierrok: Kierrok is an Elder God and master of the N'Garai realm. Doctor Strange ventured to his realm at the request of the Vishanti to intervene in a civil war between his forces and the rebelling Ru'Tai, the consequences of which would be felt across the multiverse. Strange defeated Kierrok, ending the war and securing the realm.

Knight Nurse: A demon trained in medicine. Available for summoning.

Mephisto: A multidimensional being of immense power, Mephisto oversees a hellish realm of his own. He lives to torment others and enjoys entering into diabolical pacts with mortals. 

The Vishanti: The Vishanti are a trio of God-like beings that serve as the supernatural patrons of Earth's sorcerer supreme, and protectors of the realm. They are known as Oshtur (the Omnipotent), Hoggoth (the Omnipresent) and Agamotto (the Omniscient). A sorcerer can invoke their name or names to channel energies to fuel their own magic, or imbue artifacts with their abilities. They appeared once to Strange, offering him a task. Having completed it, he stands in good stead to become the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth's dimension.

Other Prospective Characters (Character not from Strange-lore):

Boston Brand / Deadman: I love this character. A Brave and the Bold-type of adventure where Strange helps Brand piece together the details of his murder and see out his purpose as a marauding spirit is something I would very much like to write. However, I would understand if any of the other players of magically-inclined characters would want to lay claim to him. I am fully open to a work around for that, be it collaborative or on a time-share basis.

Brother Blood: Pending approval

Others: There are other DC characters who due to their popularity I would entirely expect to be seized as player characters and in no way wish to reserve (such as Shazam, Etrigan/Jason Blood, The Spectre, Trigon, Raven etc.) They comprise a large chunk of the DC mystic universe that would be interesting to utilise, if only on a mention to mention basis.

This is one of my favourite designs for Dr. Strange, perhaps in any relating media, so it's criminal to me that this lost out to the hobo-monk costume worn by Cumberbatch in the Marvel Studios movies.
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