From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

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"There is no such thing as death. There is only Change."
The Maniac Machinist
Player: @Celtic Oracle
Origin:	Technology
Archetype:	Mastermind
Threat Level:	50
Personal Data
Real Name:	Dennis Chamberlain
Known Aliases:	'
Species:	Human
Age:	84
Height:	5' 4"
Weight:	180 lbs
Eye Color:	black
Hair Color:	bald
Biographical Data
Nationality:	Decline to state
Occupation:	Savior of Humanity
Place of Birth:	Decline to state
Base of Operations:	Decline to state
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	All deceased
Known Powers
None inherent
Known Abilities
None inherent
Equipment
Cyborg combat frame, semi-autonomous intelligent combat drones
'

The Maniac Machinist first started as just another Bots/Traps Mastermind. He is also the result of my single moment of weakness in regards to my policy of not rolling well-known FOTMs. But after doing some thinking, and playtesting, I have come to the conclusion that I wouldn't have him any other way.

I've included the subversive content banner up at the top, because frankly, MM takes a rather militant bent on transhumanism, a belief that I share (to an extent) as well. I believe that eventually, humanity as a whole will benefit from using technology and science to enhance the human experience, improving our cognitive and physical abilities, improve our emotional aptitude, and to ease the inevitable downsides to the human condition; i.e., "Life is the slowest form of death".

MM takes this a step further, believing that technology is what will unite the world, (example cited: The Internet) and that unless everyone augments themselves with technology, then evolution of the human race will stop, and that as a species, humanity is doomed to the bottom of the global/intergalactic/trans-universal food chain. His main body of evidence regarding the latter belief points towards the inability of conventional weaponry and manpower to effectively combat the Rikti, instead relying on the superhumans, one, he notes, consists of a good number of Everymen, with powered battle suits, or self-invented weaponry, or the like. As a result, he offers technology and science as a means of "raising up" those not gifted with mutations, magic, or extraordinary ability. He notes that in contrast to Communism, which brings down the wealthy, the fortunate, and the gifted to the level of the least peasant, he would bring the least peasant up to the level of the former.

To a lesser extent upon that, MM has extended his lifespan far beyond the normal human life expectancy, going so far as to uploading his consciousness into supercomputer, and subsequently utilizing robosurgeons controlled by the consciousness to transplant his brain into a robotic body. While he does not condone artificial immortality through technology, he notes that his case is necessary to humanity, to serve as the the villain, and spur technological advances through his threat to the world.

Knowing that his time is long past, The Maniac Machinist prepares one final scheme, one final plan. And after that...

History

The story of MM begins as one Dennis Chamberlain, a fairly obscure apprentice to Nikola Tesla. While Dennis was let go from Tesla's employ soon after beginning work at Colorado Springs, Tesla's "mad science" left a great impression on the young man, scarcely out of his teens, continuing his pursuit of science long afterwards. A number of small, but important patents led to a steady stream of income for Mr. Chamberlain, which allowed him to pursue science and philosophy.

Mr. Chamberlain disappears into obscurity for some time, however, he is noted in government documents as having been a part of The First Hero Brigade, and served as technology advisor and analyst, analyzing the remains of Zenith Mek Men, while at the same time reverse-engineering it to support the technology-based heroes out fighting. During this time, Chamberlain, well into his sixties, fields his first set of battle drones to great effect against chemical warfare troops. It is noted that Mr. Chamberlain also sustains several serious injuries as a result of the requirement that the operator of the drones be within a certain radius for proper operation. For his bravery in combat, Mr. Chamberlain was awarded the Purple Heart. Various documents and blueprints from the time indicate that Chamberlain continued his service, grafting Mek Men arms in place of his own, as well as what appeared to be the beginnings of a powered suit of combat armor.

Mr. Chamberlain disappears into obscurity again in the period leading up to the Cold War, however, his name does show up as part of tax forms as having made significant donations to causes advancing the cause of science and technology. And then he simply disappears. CIA documents from the time indicate that Mr. Chamberlain might have been an agent drafted under the Might for Right Act, codenamed Machinist. While infuriatingly obscure as to his real identity, the documents do make mention of "prosthetic arms derived from military-grade hardware and Mek Man technology". Machinist's file was closed, indicating his status as MIA.

Decades later, in the late nineties, a prisoner was shipped to Zigursky Penitentiary, having been apprehended in an attempt to steal Crey technology. With his appendages destroyed by Paragon Protectors a quadriplegic, permanently encased in what DATA scientists and SERAPH researchers termed "a walking hospital bed", with a large amount of internal organs either supplemented by life-support devices, or replaced entirely. One report states, "It's not possible for him to be alive. Based on blood and tissue samples, we estimate the Prisoner's age to be approaching one-hundred and twenty years old. On top of that, the patient is a long-time sufferer of Polio, based on what little testimony he has volunteered, as well as lab tests confirm he apparently contracted it sometime during the fifties, and has been using technology to supplant or support failing motor and organ function."