Character Background Help - CU Mystic World Questions

[Kristopher]

I'm in the process of writing up a higher-powered version of my longest-played Champs PC for the New Circle thread. Part of this process is adapting his background to the standard Champions Universe, in order to fit with the thread in question. Because I haven't been able to pick up all the books that probably contain the answers to these questions (but I plan to eventually), I have to rely on the helpfulness of those on this forum.

 

1) IIRC, the last Archmage died in 1908, correct? Has it been revealed how that individual perished?

 

2) Has anything about that individual been revealed in print? Was he/she at all likely to have summoned a demon to gain information about another demon, especially if said demon was known for actively betraying other demons?

 

3) If not, is there another individual mentioned, a "good/heroic" mage who might have summoned up a demon for informational purposes? If said individual has since been slain by one of his foes, that would be an excellent fit.

 

Any help would be most appreciated.

[Twilight]

Re: Character Background Help - CU Mystic World Questions

 

I'm in the process of writing up a higher-powered version of my longest-played Champs PC for the New Circle thread. Part of this process is adapting his background to the standard Champions Universe, in order to fit with the thread in question. Because I haven't been able to pick up all the books that probably contain the answers to these questions (but I plan to eventually), I have to rely on the helpfulness of those on this forum.

 

1) IIRC, the last Archmage died in 1908, correct? Has it been revealed how that individual perished? The Circle of the Scarlet Moon did a big ritual, one that killed several of thier members, and summoned a big rock of fire and brimstone that impacted his home and killed him. The rock was later called the Hellstone and is important to DEMON for some reason. I'm not sure why, I couldn't finish reading the DEMON sourcebook.

 

2) Has anything about that individual been revealed in print? Was he/she at all likely to have summoned a demon to gain information about another demon, especially if said demon was known for actively betraying other demons? Not much that I know of, other then the fact that he was archmage and that he died as a result of the aforementioned ritual by the Circle of the Scarlet Moon.

 

3) If not, is there another individual mentioned, a "good/heroic" mage who might have summoned up a demon for informational purposes? If said individual has since been slain by one of his foes, that would be an excellent fit. I'm not to sure about this one. There's several mages mentioned, not with stats though, that could fit but I don't know much about them. Sorry.

 

Any help would be most appreciated.

 

I hope the answers I provided were helpful.

[OddHat]

Mystic World Spoi;ers

 

Major Mystic World Spoilers To Follow: Highlight to read

 

1) The last Archmage was Bohdan Stanislavski (see Mystic World), a Russian mystic who held the office from sometime in the 17th century until 1908, when he was destroyed by the Circle of the Scarlet Moon, in what became known as the Tunguska Blast. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon created a "Hellstone" to do the job. The attack left most of their top members dead, and the rest reduced temporarily in power; it also sparked the split in the CotSM that led to the creation of Demon (see Demon). Without the Archmage to oppose them, the CotSM has come to be one of the dominant powers in the official CU (see Arcane Enemies), and may now actually rule the world through corporate and political front men.

 

2) Nothing has been said about his personality as such, but the Archmage is not obligated to be "good" (Takafones was probably the Archmage of his time) and must receive gifts of power from each realm, including Hell. So, it is possible. However, Bohdan was actively fighting the CotSM, and they were known to traffic with the Infernal; he would have been cautious about Demon Summoning.

 

3) The Eternal Tulku was Archmage before Bohdan, and is still alive. He is immortal but senile, his needs tended by faithful monks in a hidden temple. He will occasionally be called on to train heroes, and can be coaxed by the monks out of his senility long enough to do so. If you don't want to use Bohdan, Tulku is a good choice.

 

Looing forward to seeing the character.

[Kristopher]

Re: Character Background Help - CU Mystic World Questions

 

I hope the answers I provided were helpful.

 

Is this a Zen thing?

 

Am I missing something?

[Moody Loner]

Re: Character Background Help - CU Mystic World Questions

 

Yeah, he left his answers in the quote.

[Twilight]

Re: Character Background Help - CU Mystic World Questions

 

Is this a Zen thing?

 

Am I missing something?

 

Sorry about that Kristopher, I put my answers to your questions after your questions. However I forgot that the boards sometimes add replies in that fashion to the original post, rather then the as something seperate.

 

*Grover mode on*

 

I'm so embarrased.

 

*End Grover mode*

[phydaux]

An Example

 

Here is an example of a character background with as many possible hooks to allow the possibility that the character MIGHT be the next Archmage:

 

Tatiana Romanov was an only child. She came from a very poor family in St. Petersburg, Russia. Both her parents died when she was very young. After a few months living in an orphanage she went to live with her widowed grandmother.

 

Tatiana loved her grandmother very much. The woman was old, but she would never say how old she was. Tatiana assumed she must be over eighty, but often things she would say would make Tatiana think she was even older than that. Tatiana would often listen for hours to the stories her grandmother would tell about being a young woman in a labor camp in Siberia. It was there in Siberia that she met the man who was to become Tatiana’s grandfather. And Siberia was where that same man died in her grandmother’s arms.

 

Tatiana always felt her grandmother possessed a wisdom and strength that belied her frail, old woman’s body. Listening to her grandmother speak of the man she loved so many years ago, Tatiana often thought she could see her grandmother’s eyes glow with an inner fire. But, even as a little girl, Tatiana dismissed such thoughts as just her childish imagination.

 

Even when Tatiana was very young she knew that, growing up poor and Russian, she was doomed to a life of poverty and misery UNLESS she got out of Russia. Taking stock of herself, she saw education as her way out. If she could get a scholarship to a western university, then she could have a chance at a decent life.

 

She studied hard in school, and was pleased to discover she both enjoyed and excelled in sciences. Being a long time fan of Russian super heroes, she was drawn to paraphysics, and magic in particular. Her grandmother was very surprised at the young girl’s choice of study, yet never tried to discourage her. In fact her grandmother seemed to ignore Tatiana whenever she brought up the subject of magic or superheroes.

 

Tatiana’s hard work paid off, and in high school was accepted to an exchange program to an all-girls prep school in Scotland. She was very surprised when she discovered one the teachers shared her interest in mystical studies. She offered Tatiana private tutoring in paraphysics and mysticism, and Tatiana jumped at the offer.

 

While teenager in Scotland she was on a school field trip to the Imperial Museum in London when a DEMON assault team tried to steal some artifacts from the museum. Suddenly confronted with magic used as a weapon and not as just some interesting, esoteric mental exercise Tatiana was TERRIFIED. She was also fascinated that such power was available to those who could simply comprehend its use. She also learned firsthand how helpless most of the world was when faced with true mystic power. Upon her return to school she threw herself even more deeply into the study of paraphysics and how it relates to mysticism.

 

On her return to Russia Tatiana applied for, and was accepted to, the paraphysics program at the University of Moscow. She surprised her professors in that she seemed to have an innate understanding of the aspects of paraphysics that pertain to mysticism. She soon surpassed not only her fellow students but also her professors in her understanding of many deeper mysteries.

 

Her excellence in the field soon came to the attention of L'Institut Thoth, and she was invited to move to Switzerland as a Research Fellow. This seemed to Tatiana to be a dream come true! But before she could begin her studies Tatiana received heartbreaking news – her grandmother was very ill. She returned to St. Petersburg in time for one last visit with her grandmother before she died. At this time Tatiana’s grandmother passed along several “family heirlooms.†“I have been holding them,†she told Tatiana, “until you were old enough to understand…†Tatiana was stunned to discover they were in fact highly powerful magic items. Her grandmother never told her where the items came from. Tatiana suspects her grandmother found them while she was in a labor camp in Siberia. She will never know for sure, however, because her grandmother died just hours later.

 

Tatiana set off for Switzerland. Before arriving at L'Institut Thoth, however, she locked away her grandmother’s magic items in a bank safe deposit box. She didn’t understand why she felt compelled to keep her grandmother’s items secret. Nor could she understand why she “knew†they were magic items in the first place. But she has a suspicion.

 

While studying at L'Institut, her suspicions were confirmed - she herself was both a super AND a gifted mystic. She also met several other mystics who coached and tutored her in using her skill. To her joy, one was her old teacher from her brief stay in Scotland, who she soon learned was a member of the Trimagistus Council. Working with the researchers at L'Institut Thoth and the mystics from the Trimagistus Council Tatiana quickly learned to harness and control mystical energies.

 

Tatiana finished her Ph.D., and relocated to Millennium City in America soon after. With her impeccable credentials as a Doctor of Paraphysics and a trained mystic, she was quickly accepted as a professor at Millennium City University. She has an office on campus and teaches classes twice a week.

 

She never forgot the feeling of helplessness she had when, as a young woman, she was confronted with magic used as a weapon. While her power as a mystic is truly extraordinary, Tatiana has always seen herself foremost as a researcher. Therefore she seeks to use her knowledge and skills as a researcher and teacher to protect the modern world.

Tatiana maintains a small third-floor office just off the University campus, with a view of the downtown area and the park. Every afternoon she scours newspapers and police reports looking for possible mystical activity. She works with the University’s Research Department to identify any possibly mystical artifacts that students and other professors bring in. Tatiana offers this service to other Universities and police agencies across the country. She also travels to local, state and federal police agencies across the country, briefing them on how to identify and contain unusual mystical happenings. This has landed Tatiana in good stead with the FBI, and she is often called in to consult on cases where mysticism plays a part. She has maintained her tied with L'Institut Thoth and the Trimagistus Council. She also regularly teaches seminar classes in paraphysics and mysticism at smaller universities and collages across the country.

 

She keeps a list of the many super hero teams in operation and regularly questions them about mystical foes they have encountered. She also briefs them about new and existing mystical threats. This has brought Tatiana at cross-purposes with several DEMON Demonhames. At these times she uses her grandmother’s artifacts and goes into combat with the name Mystica. More than one Morbane has fallen before her in mage-battle, but several have escaped, and bare her no small grudge.

 

Thus, using her knowledge, skill and the magic items her grandmother left her, she works to protect the mundane world from the many mystical powers that threaten it.