Fallen Avenger

[Peregrine]

I need help with an NPC idea: a "fallen" PRIMUS Sliver Avenger. The intent would be for the character to be on par with Black Paladin, Dark Seraph, etc.; conceptually if not in power level. Also, this character would not follow in Kevin Armstrong's footsteps; that is, he would not join a rival organization (VIPER, DEMON, etc.) but would fall to some other temptation that would lead to a life of villainy. I'd also prefer to avoid the "artifact of instant corruption" and "no win scenario set up by an evil entity" tropes as well.

 

First up would be name. Preference would be Avenger, the latter to indicate his past and the filed in with something that indicates his current fallen nature. I have considered Black Avenger, Dark Avenger, and Shadow Avenger, but none of those really grab me.

 

Ideas?

[Cygnia]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

How about instead Avenger Omega ("omega" usually denotes the end of certain things and this villain has ended his time with PRIMUS).

[ghost-angel]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

For the eventual fall and turning away from good - the long slow fall where he puts in years, possibly more than a decade of service, but continuously feels like he's making no headway.

 

There was always one more villain, one more terrorist, one more plot, one more dead hostage around the corner on the next mission. He could possibly have developed a manic-depression where only the momentum of a mission itself kept him from thinking of all the mistakes, all the times they didn't do enough or were just a minute too late, or to question if all his work really is helping.

 

Finally, he simply faded away one mission, and put himself on The Ultimate Mission - he never stops acting by whatever means needed, disposing of whomever he perceives to be in his way. And no one is even sure what this mission is. Possibly not even him anymore. . .

 

As for a name. . . I don't got much. Silent Avenger?

[Clonus]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

First up would be name. Preference would be Avenger, the latter to indicate his past and the filed in with something that indicates his current fallen nature. I have considered Black Avenger, Dark Avenger, and Shadow Avenger, but none of those really grab me.

 

Ideas?

 

Vengeance. Depending on his motivation of course, but if his only objective to is to damage his former employers, it works.

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

For the eventual fall and turning away from good - the long slow fall where he puts in years, possibly more than a decade of service, but continuously feels like he's making no headway.

 

There was always one more villain, one more terrorist, one more plot, one more dead hostage around the corner on the next mission. He could possibly have developed a manic-depression where only the momentum of a mission itself kept him from thinking of all the mistakes, all the times they didn't do enough or were just a minute too late, or to question if all his work really is helping.

 

Finally, he simply faded away one mission, and put himself on The Ultimate Mission - he never stops acting by whatever means needed, disposing of whomever he perceives to be in his way. And no one is even sure what this mission is. Possibly not even him anymore. . .

 

As for a name. . . I don't got much. Silent Avenger?

 

Hm. Vigilante instead of villain? That leans toward Grey Avenger... But for a villain, perhaps instead of the full "fade to gray" you outline, he reaches a point and "snaps". Hm.

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Vengeance. Depending on his motivation of course' date=' but if his only objective to is to damage his former employers, it works.[/quote']

 

Doesn't fit the naming pattern I had in mind, but it works well enough that it wouldn't have to. My only hesitation would be due to the fact that it was already done in 4th edition - as chronicled in the 4th edition Mutant Files supplement, a Silver Avenger defected to GENOCIDE and took the name Vengeance.

 

Still, "Vengeance, the Fallen Avenger" has a nice ring to it.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Hm. Vigilante instead of villain? That leans toward Grey Avenger... But for a villain' date=' perhaps instead of the full "fade to gray" you outline, he reaches a point and "snaps". Hm.[/quote']

 

He can keep going down that line, go Kurtz on the world and perceive EVERYONE as an enemy.

 

He doesn't have to even continue to target "Bad Guys" - but people he perceives as bad; the senator who didn't pass the harsher bill against corporate pollution. Other heroes he doesn't think are going far enough and adding to the problem. . .

 

Or just become a full on terrorist and hitting civilian targets as well to get whomever he thinks is the actual target. With overwhelming force of course. (that strip mall was a front for an enemy cell, the whole thing had to go - and all the people too so he could get "the organization").

 

Of course, this delves into a kind of paranoid-delusion you may not want to add.

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

He can keep going down that line, go Kurtz on the world and perceive EVERYONE as an enemy.

 

He doesn't have to even continue to target "Bad Guys" - but people he perceives as bad; the senator who didn't pass the harsher bill against corporate pollution. Other heroes he doesn't think are going far enough and adding to the problem. . .

 

Or just become a full on terrorist and hitting civilian targets as well to get whomever he thinks is the actual target. With overwhelming force of course. (that strip mall was a front for an enemy cell, the whole thing had to go - and all the people too so he could get "the organization").

 

Of course, this delves into a kind of paranoid-delusion you may not want to add.

 

I was originally thinking of more of a mystic fall: demon possession, deal with an entity, etc. But what I want is a scenario where he would choose a dark path rather than having it thrust upon him with no choice. Unfortunately, the first thing that comes to mind is ripped straight out of Star Wars Ep 3 - he seeks a way to save a loved one and is desperate enough to choose a dark path. Other than that I have nothing that would explain why a Silver Avenger would delve deeply enough into mystic matters to corrupt himself.

 

Edit: No sooner had I posted this than another possibility hit me. He's a scion of the Sylvestri or Vandaleur clan. Sylvestri edges close to "no choice", so maybe the Vandaleur clan would be a better option. That gives him the mystic connection, but it still leaves the motivation for the choice unidentified.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Perhaps he's become so desperate to Save The World he'll try anything at all, even a dark pact he thinks he can control. . .

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Perhaps he's become so desperate to Save The World he'll try anything at all' date=' even a dark pact he thinks he can control. . .[/quote']

 

Possible, but still skirting close to Anakin's secondary motivation in Star Wars. Maybe he went undercover into a mystic organization and got in too deep? Even though he successfully completed the undercover mission, the corruption was too great and he disappeared from PRIMUS shortly thereafter

 

That still leaves open his being a scion of one of the great occult dynasties, which is why he went too deep into the undercover mission - he discovered his mystic potential due to his heritage and misjudged his ability to handle it "without proper training and discipline" (sidebar, p.72, Mystic World).

[Clonus]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Magic? Go with Argent.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Ebon Avenger!

 

I like the dark magic approach. It provides a stark counterpoint to PRIMUS' technological paradigm.

[The Hawk God]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

If the path he now follows is paved in blood,

 

The Crimson Avenger.

 

Of course I am just partial to that name since I used it for my ex-Silver Avenger.

[Metaphysician]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

IIRC, there have been efforts to infiltrate DEMON. . . horribly failed ones. He could *conceivably* be involved in one.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

IIRC' date=' there have been efforts to infiltrate DEMON. . . horribly failed ones. He could *conceivably* be involved in one.[/quote']

 

The initiation of a new member of DEMON features terrible rituals, including human sacrifice, designed to test the candidate's willingness to commit evil acts. This could very well be the crucial choice that the character has to face -- to continue with his "undercover" mission he has to stand by and watch as an innocent person is murdered -- that would lead him down the path to evil.

 

Also, the Morbane in charge of a Demonhame uses his powers to search among the duped cultists who are not yet inducted into DEMON's ranks, for those with potential to wield magic. That could be your character's first inkling that he has any magical heritage.

 

Note that the Dragon exists within the minds of all humanity, and might take notice if someone related to his favored servants, the Sylvestris, begins to explore his magical potential. The Dragon would probably subconsciously prod him toward ever greater wickedness.

 

BTW I like both "Ebon Avenger" and "Crimson Avenger."

[ghost-angel]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Magic? Go with Argent.

 

ARGENT is tech based though.

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

There's a critical flaw - why would PRIMUS assign a Silver Avenger to an undercover mission? Answer - after he became a Silver Avenger, his familial connection with one of the occult dynasties was discovered.

 

Based on that, a mission was conceived to leverage his newly-discovered connection in order to infiltrate him into either the Mystic World in general or a specific group therein. (Note: I am personally disinclined toward DEMON as the infiltration target, though there is some pre-5th history associated with a PRIMUS-DEMON conflict.) As a part of that mission he began developing his mystic abilities and either consciously overestimated himself or deliberately chose to abandon his mission in favor of greater mystic ability. This does not disallow the possibility of any influence from the Dragon, but I still prefer to avoid any blatant "this was done to him" in favor of "he did this to himself"/"he chose this".

 

As to name, "Crimson Avenger" was a Golden Age DC hero, and "Ebon Avenger" sounds more like a subtitle (e.g. "Batman, the Darknight Detective"). I'm currently favoring Vengeance, even though he likely does not have a specific jones to target PRIMUS, though I'm still open to other suggestions.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Blood Avenger.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

There's a critical flaw - why would PRIMUS assign a Silver Avenger to an undercover mission? Answer - after he became a Silver Avenger' date=' his familial connection with one of the occult dynasties was discovered. [/quote']

 

Perhaps he's a relative of someone in the Circle of the Scarlet Moon?

 

Remember, the Circle is extremely covert, and PRIMUS or whatever group wanted the Avenger to go under cover might not realize the mystical connection; they might assume that the Avenger's relative is involved in mundane political/financial scheming. It's only as he penetrates deeper in the Scarlet Moon's occult schemes that he discovers the basis of its power, and his own magic potential.

 

As to name' date=' "Crimson Avenger" was a Golden Age DC hero, and "Ebon Avenger" sounds more like a subtitle (e.g. "Batman, the Darknight Detective"). I'm currently favoring Vengeance, even though he likely does not have a specific jones to target PRIMUS, though I'm still open to other suggestions.[/quote']

 

Well, how about following the "metal" motif of both the Avengers (Golden, Silver) and the ages of comics? Make him The Iron Avenger.

[bubba smith]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

interesting

[Peregrine]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Perhaps he's a relative of someone in the Circle of the Scarlet Moon?

 

Remember, the Circle is extremely covert, and PRIMUS or whatever group wanted the Avenger to go under cover might not realize the mystical connection; they might assume that the Avenger's relative is involved in mundane political/financial scheming. It's only as he penetrates deeper in the Scarlet Moon's occult schemes that he discovers the basis of its power, and his own magic potential.

 

Hm. We seem to have a number of open questions with possible answers:

 

1. What is his initial connection to the Mystic World? Current leader for the answer to this question is familial relationship with either an occult dynasty or members of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Technically, these are not necessarily mutually exclusive; a scion of a cadet branch could easily join the Circle in their quest for mystic power, especially if they did not know of their heritage beforehand.

 

2. Why does PRIMUS send an Avenger on an undercover mission? Best answer so far is that his familial connections are discovered and PRIMUS decided to leverage those connections to get him "inside", even though Avengers are not otherwise used for undercover work.

 

3. Who was his infiltration target? Candidate answers: the Mystic World as a whole, a specific group (e.g. the Circle), his family (as a mystic or mundane faction of interest to PRIMUS).

 

I have a satisfactory answer to how he falls - he discovers and overconfidently pursues his mystic heritage, not realizing that he is in over his head until it is to late.

 

 

Well, how about following the "metal" motif of both the Avengers (Golden, Silver) and the ages of comics? Make him The Iron Avenger.

 

I thought about that, but Iron has too much of a steampunk robotics connotation to me. And I can't think of another metal that carries a dark/evil connotation.

[pinecone]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Hm. We seem to have a number of open questions with possible answers:

 

1. What is his initial connection to the Mystic World? Current leader for the answer to this question is familial relationship with either an occult dynasty or members of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Technically, these are not necessarily mutually exclusive; a scion of a cadet branch could easily join the Circle in their quest for mystic power, especially if they did not know of their heritage beforehand.

 

2. Why does PRIMUS send an Avenger on an undercover mission? Best answer so far is that his familial connections are discovered and PRIMUS decided to leverage those connections to get him "inside", even though Avengers are not otherwise used for undercover work.

 

3. Who was his infiltration target? Candidate answers: the Mystic World as a whole, a specific group (e.g. the Circle), his family (as a mystic or mundane faction of interest to PRIMUS).

 

I have a satisfactory answer to how he falls - he discovers and overconfidently pursues his mystic heritage, not realizing that he is in over his head until it is to late.

 

 

 

 

I thought about that, but Iron has too much of a steampunk robotics connotation to me. And I can't think of another metal that carries a dark/evil connotation.

 

I suggest he was not sent on a mission, he went undercover on his own, someone close to him got involved in a weird cult. So he went in to find him/her only he went in too far, some one came out again, but no one who knew him recognises him now.

 

"Crimson the color of blood? Most aceptable, the first knight of the End shall be called Crimson...."

[pinecone]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Though...I gotta say Crimson Avenger sounds like a nosferatu to me ...a vampire Avenger?

[bubba smith]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

Hm. We seem to have a number of open questions with possible answers:

 

1. What is his initial connection to the Mystic World? Current leader for the answer to this question is familial relationship with either an occult dynasty or members of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Technically, these are not necessarily mutually exclusive; a scion of a cadet branch could easily join the Circle in their quest for mystic power, especially if they did not know of their heritage beforehand.

 

2. Why does PRIMUS send an Avenger on an undercover mission? Best answer so far is that his familial connections are discovered and PRIMUS decided to leverage those connections to get him "inside", even though Avengers are not otherwise used for undercover work.

 

3. Who was his infiltration target? Candidate answers: the Mystic World as a whole, a specific group (e.g. the Circle), his family (as a mystic or mundane faction of interest to PRIMUS).

 

I have a satisfactory answer to how he falls - he discovers and overconfidently pursues his mystic heritage, not realizing that he is in over his head until it is to late.

 

 

 

 

I thought about that, but Iron has too much of a steampunk robotics connotation to me. And I can't think of another metal that carries a dark/evil connotation.

LEAD avenger( the metal lead that is]

[Cygnia]

Re: Fallen Avenger

 

You could always go for gemstones instead: Onyx or Obsidian Avenger