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Ultimate One Universe: Marvel/DC RPG

First Loki post is up!

And so it begins...

Ultimate One Universe: Marvel/DC RPG

A S G A R D

In the stories, Odin was first of his brothers. First of the Aesir. He killed the first giant, whose blood became the great ocean, and then created Midgard with the giant's corpse. It was Odin who separated the worlds of the Nine Realms, Odin who laid down the Bifrost, Odin who built Asgard along the Sea of Marmora. It was Odin who sat upon the throne of Asgard. And it was Odin who fathered Balder, the Brave, and Thor, the god of Thunder.

But Odin had three sons.

Or, at least, Odin had said that he had three sons. It was possible that was the first lie spoken, the first deception, the first act of deceit - masquerading behind an act of charity. If that were so, then Odin was also the father of lies. But then, he had to be, didn't he? For Odin claimed to be the father of Loki.

Not a terrible thing, that. Until it was. Sometimes the most destructive lies were the white lies. How could it be wrong, to take pity on an infant left to die exposed to the frozen wastes of Jotunheim? How could it be a mistake to tell than child that he was of Asgard, that he was Odin's son, and even to re-make that small, weak frost giant into the likeness of the Aesir? How could it be terrible to raise that child to believe that he belonged, not only to Asgard, not only to family, but to a line of succession. And he had succeeded. Not because he had wanted to. Not because of any schemes of Loki, but for Balder's cowardice. Odin now slept the Odinsleep and the crown had fallen to Balder. And Balder had declined. To Thor then, but Thor was not among them.

And so a frost giant sat upon the throne of Asgard.

Were anyone to know, Loki's reign would be shortened by the most violent means available to the Aesir. But was this not the work of Odin? Was this not what his so-called father intended when he had claimed that dying infant as his own? A single tear slipped down the young boy's face as his eyes gazed down at the body of the Great Father. "Wake up, damn you," the young god whispered. Angrily. Desperately. But he did not cry for Odin. He cried for Loki. For heavy was the crown. Strange a thing like that. When he had been no more than Loki Odinson, he had wondered what it might be like to wear his father's crown and sit upon the throne. And why not? It was Balder's. And if not Balder, then it was Thor's. It was not meant for Loki, so of course he had wanted it them.

But then, Loki was the original fool.

"A king must not be seen as sentimental."

Few were they who could approach and Loki not be aware of it. As he looked up, startled, the young god's eyes turned up to the wise matron of all Asgard. "A king must be respectful, Mother," the youth answered, repeating back to Frigga words which she had first said to her sons. Part of him wondered, was it Odin who had changed Loki into an Aesir? Or had it been Frigga, the woman who had agreed to taking a frost giant into her home. A woman who kept now a secret which must be kept, for both their sakes.

"A king must command respect," the Queen corrected firmly, resting her hands on the boy's shoulders as she held in gaze. And then she pulled him in, drawing him into the warm, familiar embrace of a mother and child. And, for a moment, Loki needed to believe the lie that it was as so. "I am very proud of you, my little Loki," Frigga offered, as she released him and held the boy out at arm's length again. "Dry your tears. We will speak this night."

Taking note of the dismissal, the young king of Asgard inclined his head toward the woman as he took a step back, watching as Frigga took up a seat beside the sleeping All Father. Turning her head back to her son, Frigga said only, "Leave us for now."

And it was so.

"All hail the Odinson. King of all Asgard!"

He wondered if they would stop doing that were he to command them, but he already knew the answer. They wouldn't. Because it was not to honor Loki, but Odin. And for that same reason, Loki both admired and cursed them. Admired and cursed Odin. Admired and cursed. Perhaps that was his nature. The cry of a magpie echoed somewhere overhead, the boy catching a glimpse of a black bird in the high rafters of Asgard's royal palace as he walked from Odin's chamber toward the throne room.

And then he smelled... beautiful.

It wasn't a perfume. It wasn't a fragrance. It was a scent. It was her scent. Like fresh linen, dried in the sun. Or apples. The young king then stopped, ducking around a large column, and he saw her. The handmaiden was young, as Loki was young, the youngest of the Aesir, little more than children. Black hair cascaded down the back of her green dress, as she followed behind the powerful figure of the warrior-lady Sif. It struck Loki that to look at Leah for a lifetime would be a life well spent.

To talk to Leah was... a different sort of experience for him.

"My king," Sif's voice barked, echoing loudly through the halls as attention was suddenly thrust back upon Loki's shoulders. Approaching him, Leah just a step behind, the raven-haired warrior woman demanded, "Does the king of Asgard hide in shadow?"

"I... uh..." Loki began, his eyes at once upon Sif, and then to Leah, and then just as quickly everywhere but where Leah stood. He was supposed to be the smoothest tongue in all of Asgard, so why could he now not breathe? "I thought I heard a magpie trapped indoors," the boy lied smoothly, even as he felt his throat go dry and his chest squeezed as though in a vice.

"Well that I have found you then," Sif's voice boomed in answer, apparently moving on. Swallowing, the boy risked another glimpse at the handmaiden just behind and off to one side of the woman. She was looking at him. Locks of raven hair dressing the side of her face. A smile bright there, alighting the room as though he had witnessed the birth of a thousand suns.

The boy's eyes were quickly down to his feet, as he felt his breath stolen from him as a burning heat crept to his face.

"Hela demands audience with the king of Asgard."

Sif's words brought the boy's head up sharply. "Hela..." the boy began, as the image of an armored giant immediately sprang to mind with memories both sparse and unpleasant. "...is coming here?"

Sif nodded firmly. "It is so, my lord."

In his mind, Loki was trying to fathom a thousand possibilities. Why could Hela be coming here? What is it she wanted? And why now? It had to be the Odinsleep. It had to be Loki on the throne. But what else? "Then we shall prepare a feast," the boy uttered aloud, providing the most obvious and perfunctory of commands. "Tell everyone that this night we shall celebrate the Lady of Hel."

He didn't spare another glance to the handmaiden. He dared not, so to keep his wits as Sif and Leah left him to carry forth the command. Leaving him with his thoughts - a most dangerous position, for Loki and for Asgard.

It was then that the magpie landed on the base of the column behind where Loki had stood. Turning toward the black bird, the young god asked a question in a whisper. "Will you tell me what I want to hear?"

"No," the bird answered simply, as it cocked it's head and looked back at the boy with eyes that were like his own. Like staring at a mirror. And in that mirror, Loki could see himself. "But I will say what you need to hear," Ikol stated quietly.

Titans!

Spawn (Christopher Welland)

Name:
Christopher Welland

Alias:
Spawn (Hellspawn), Kid Spawn, Spawn Jr., etc. etc.

Role:
Titan

Brief Bio:
Ten years ago, Christopher Welland drowned after falling into a well. It was the kind of ordinary tragedy that happens in Smalltown, America as to have been utterly ignored by everyone who didn't know the Welland family. There was no heroic rescue by firefighters. There was no happy ending to the Amber Alert. Christopher had slipped and fell, breaking a leg in the process so that he had been unable to crawl back out of the flooded drainage ditch he had slipped down into. Those who attended the funeral all said the same thing, sometimes bad things just happen. There no reason to believe that anything sinister was at work behind the scenes, let alone the work of the divine.

No, not God, but a higher power. A man of miracles.

At the same time that Christopher Welland died, along with countless other souls all across the planet, a man named Al Simmons was being tortured to death. Somewhere between life and death, Christopher's soul became intertwined into Al Simmon's very being. Al Simmons emerged from Hell with a demon's pact that had made him into a Hellspawn, trained by Violator and then the ex-Hellspawn Cogliostro - who was in reality Cain, the first murderer. Al was unaware that Christopher and other souls were residing in his body, until a battle in which his heart was torn out. Having become the Hellspawn's heart, Christopher was now free of Al Simmon's body.

And then Christopher introduced Al to all the friends that he had made, inside of Al's body, a legion of over six thousand souls. With Christopher as the heart-key of the Legion, Al Simmons was able to overcome his demons - both those within and those without - and managed to prevent Armageddon. With the task for which the legion's souls had been prepared complete, most of the legion moved on to the afterlife. But Christopher remained behind, one of a handful of the legion's souls. Perhaps to try and make a difference. Perhaps to try and experience some shade of life as we know it. Perhaps for no reason other than to make his own destiny. For whatever the reason, he is an angel from Hell or a demon from Heaven. He is the sum of all lost innocence. He is Spawn.

Now he wanders, a being not of this Earth, and belonging to neither Heaven or Hell. He fights evil where he can, lifts up the impoverished, tries to bring justice to those who have none. But his greatest moment comes when he can help a soul to cross over from this life to the next, protecting them from the jealous armies of both Heaven and Hell so that they might be spared use as fodder in that never-ending story of jealousy and tragedy.

Abilities:
As an entity composed of roughly 9,000 units of necroplasm, Christopher is able to manipulate both tangible and intangible effects in the mortal realm as well as in Hell. He is effectively powerless, and mortal, when in the Heavenly realm.

- Super Stamina. As necroplasm is denser than human bone or tissue, Christopher weighs several hundred pounds more than he otherwise appears, making his body more durable than that of an ordinary mortal. This also contributes to his strength to a degree.

- Symbiote Armor. Having been part of Al Simmon's body, Christopher wears an identical Hellspawn suit that is composed of an off-shoot of K7-Leetha. The suit has a consciousness of its own and has been known to act in its own defense without Christopher's knowledge. As the suit is merged with his central nervous system, Christopher is able to manipulate the armor on a whim, generating chains, capes, spikes, or altering its appearance to resemble more mundane clothing.

- Shadow Teleport. Christopher's unique power, making him the heart of the Legion, Christopher is able to summon souls across the Void or even through the Veil. Using this power, he was able to teleport souls from out of Al Simmons body or summon them from the Great Beyond to the various realms or spheres of Hell.

- Nightmare Fuel. Christopher can recharge his necroplasm by drawing in the childhood phobias and nightmares of other children around him.

- Hellfire Manipulation. The most basic of the Hellspawn's power, to generate necroplasm as bolts of eldritch energy.

- Necromancy. Christopher can summon, manipulate, command, compel, and commune with the spirits of the dead.

- Flight/Phantasm Form. Christopher can make himself intangible, as though a ghost, allowing him to drift on air currents or pass through otherwise solid objects.

- Psychometry. The ability to see psychic impressions left by traumatic events concerning an object.

Personality:
Merrily, merrily, merrily... life is but a dream. The heart of Spawn, the key to the Legion, Christopher Welland has now been dead for longer than he was ever alive. The memories start to fade, like the taste of a Happy Meal that turns to ash in his mouth. In dreams, he tries to remember what it was like to be alive. In reality, he's grown detached through the decades. The War in Heaven, the self-imposed task of helping lost souls to cross over, have all reinforced that he is the personification of innocence lost. Sometimes though, he can still remember how to smile. It is a very beautiful dream, life, when he can remember it.

Appearance:

Originally appearing as a decomposing Hellspawn who gouged out his own eyes after witnessing Billy Kinkaid's perverse actions upon other children, Christopher's form has changed significantly since his return from Beyond. He appears now as he did when he was mortal. Or, at least, in as much as he recalls his mortal appearance. He has a closely cropped shock of blond hair and eyes that are ordinarily blue - though may glow with green hellfire when he is angered. While he is always attired in a symbiote suit, Christopher is sometimes successful in altering its form to appear to be black jeans and a black hoodie in lieu of the black, red, and white Spawn costume.

Affliation:
Infinity, Inc.

- Blossom Utonium. Christopher was not a founding member of Infinity, Inc, even though his acquaintance with Blossom dates back to the Power Puff Girls. The two have a shared history that is bittersweet for his part in helping Professor Utonium to cross over from this life to the afterlife.

- Dexter McPherson. As a mystical creature, Christopher often offers a supernatural perspective that eschews the dogma-like pragmatism of Dexter, who is the team mate that he understands the least.

- Danny Fenton. The team mate Christopher is closest to, for obvious reasons, as their heroic adventures between the human and otherworldly realms often lead their interests to coincide.

Other:
Theme song: "Demons" (Imagine Dragons)

Titans!

CS submitted via PM. I've included Gowi on it, as it borrows from both Infinity, Inc's history as well as Blossom's personally to a degree, but he and I were talking through it as I was writing it last night so I think it's all kosher.

Also, it's a very obscure Image Comics character. If you need help finding canon references to him, let me know (Comicvine doesn't have an entry for him, but I can point you to specific issues if requested).

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Edit: Gracias, senor. Will have a post up in a few.

Titans!

Gowi seems to be by himself in Infinity, Inc so I'll try and come up with something that suits that.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile.

The young Anzati and the young Nautolan had very little in common. They were both Jedi younglings, but one was an amphibian while the other was quite terrestrial. Zak, the green skinned boy with his large, solid black eyes, was the clan's best swordsman. SJ, on the other hand, with his human features, was the better at Force manipulation. One might grow up to be a great Jedi, the other was destined to become a great monster -- with hope that Jedi training might allow him to off-set his predatory nature.

With all their differences, they were friends. Now, they seemed more than that, clinging to one another for emotional support as the two boys trailed alongside and behind the Vahla padawan. The images of what they saw were reflected in their eyes. Bodies, propped up against the wall, lying prone on the floor, many missing parts or limbs or with terrible wounds that left no question as to their death. The smell of death choked their nostrils, sickening as it hung in the air. The sounds of the dying echoed through the halls.

If there was a hell, then surely they had found it.

As he overheard the Temple Guards arguing, new tears slipped down his face for the realization that they were leaving those not yet dead to die here, alone. It didn't seem right. It didn't seem Jedi. But, for all he had witnessed, Sor-Jan wasn't certain he knew what a Jedi was anymore. He had seen bravery, courage... and a savageness that had been too real, too primal.

He was scared and confused. All he could think of now was that he wanted to leave this place.

Titans

All this Spidey talk makes me want to drop a CS for the Katie Power Venom from Marvel Adventures.

Ultimate One Universe: Marvel/DC RPG

Am on the road, so it will be a few days before I can get a Loki post up.

Titans

Nightrunner said
.BOUNCE!! :) !!!!

CS is coming. I'm on the road this weekend and following week, so it'll have to wait a bit.

Titans

Interested.