Nathan P. Blunt "Agabah"

25

Brooklyn, New York City

Tall and thin from his manifestation of the Wild Card virus, Agabah hides his near-skeletal figure under a heavy winter jacket with a boisterous fur collar. Under this, he wears ill-fitting dress clothes, in an attempt to both hold on to his past self, and fight off the endless shivers that came with the virus. His hunched-over posture and jerky movements make him an eerie figure to look upon, not mentioning the hollow husk of a face he bares to the world.

Joker-Ace

The Wild Card virus twisted his appearance into something so horrible it seems only fiction could explain it. His skin became leathery and gray, hugging tight to his bones as his muscle withered to almost naught. Stag-like horns protruded from both his back and head, and his fingers grew long and thin. His face was the worst victim, shedding its skin and elongating into a chilling animalistic skull.
Ask any bystander what power he manifested from his card, and they would say super-speed without hesitation, but that isn't quite correct. Rather, Agabah simply experiences the world slower than everyone else. If effect, this makes him fast -his walking pace can easily overtake a jogging man. While he benefits from many of the effects of this -the ability to move faster, lift more, and do more than the average human, from his eyesight it is a curse more than anything. He has trouble with even simple conversations, no longer feels warmth at even nearly the same degree as others, and experiences a generally duller world than others.

Nathan Blunt was born to a devout Catholic family. He and his kin adhered unquestioningly to Catholicism, dictating their lives by its principles. He lead an uneventful life, keeping mostly to himself as he watched a world of vice and sin grow around him. While he found his family express feelings of disdain towards the vulgar masses, Nathan found himself unable to feel the same -he saw the potential for virtue in all, even the lowest scum.

After his education at seminary school, Nathan went on to become a preacher for a small Catholic church in The Bronx, moving away from his family rather happily. He devoted his life to the church and its goers, rather passionately spreading his message to any and all that would listen to him. He became fairly popular, a charismatic personality that brought even those who strayed from organized religion to his cause. He found himself truly happy here, the happiest he had ever been -surrounded by nothing but love, he felt nothing could go wrong.

After some time, the church fell on financial troubles -a grassroots business man made a generous donation that brought it back on it's feet, and Nathan thanked God.

Nathan's sister was diagnosed with cancer, wasting away within weeks -it went into remission after one treatment, and Nathan thanked God.

Gang violence broke out on the street, and Nathan stepped in to intervene. Rushed to the hospital after catching a bullet with his chest, the doctors were able to remove the lead that pierced just above his lungs, and Nathan thanked God.

While in recovery, the virus struck, and Nathan was surrounded by violent death. Thanks to a miracle, Nathan was not among those violently killed by the virus, and he thanked God.

The virus twisted Nathan's visage, transforming him into a terrifying monster, but he was able to keep his mind, so Nathan thanked God.

After the incident, Nathan returned to his church to foster hope and reassure those he cared for in this time of trouble. The few surviving churchgoers who attended gazed upon Nathan's visage, and they did not see the Nathan Blunt who helped them through so many hard times -they saw the Devil himself before them, and they screamed. Nathan gave them his soul, poured out his heart to the people, hoping that they would look past his disturbing exterior, but all that came from his mouth was an unnatural rambling that scared off those who hadn't passed out. Indeed, everywhere he went, Nathan was faced with the same terrified looks on the faces of Aces, Nats, and Jokers alike. Even when alone, he found himself haunted by the screams of those he once loved and cared for.

He searched for something in his life for which he could thank God, but he found nothing. He felt nothing but a cold dull numbness inside, and was only given fear and rage from the outside. How was it, that God could do something like this to one of his most devout followers? Nathan refused to believe it was possible -he denounced any god from his life, turning from the Catholicism that once drove him. He soon found that he had nowhere to go, and nothing driving him forward.

Nathan heard news of Jokertown, and went there, seeking anything other than the emptiness he felt. On his long road to Jokertown, Nathan saw a young man, no more than 16, on the floor being kicked in the side by a group of similarly aged men. The victim was badly deformed, glassy green marble-like growths all over his body. Nathan felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time when he saw this -warmth. Falling back to some primal impulse, he charged down the young men. By the time the third noticed Nathan's presence, the first two had fallen, gore spilling across the pavement. Nathan bathed in the blood of the men, for the first time since the incident actually feeling.

After the warmth faded and Nathan looked down at his own blood-soaked figure kneeling in a pile of gore, Nathan was both scared and disgusted with himself. Nathan did his best to keep his head down when he reached Jokertown and settled in, but apparently the young man he saved had been connected to the Demon Princes, who came knocking and very forcibly 'suggested' he join them. Nathan found himself scared of the monster that had killed the three men and bathed in the blood, but he saw the Demon Princes as an opportunity to find a purpose in life, and bring back the warmth without giving in to his own demons -and so emerged Agabah.

Member of the Demon Princes, relatively new.