Manny de la Locust
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Manny de la Locust | |
| Player: @Vangelus | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 33 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Manny de la Locust (assumed) |
| Known Aliases: | Supreme Humanitarian Ruler for Life and Foreign Ambassador of Casa de la Locust |
| Species: | Insectoid |
| Age: | Over 20, specifics unknown |
| Height: | 5'8" (approximately) |
| Weight: | 169 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | None |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Native of Casa de la Locust (questionable) |
| Occupation: | Self-proclaimed Destined One of Arachnos, Supreme Humanitarian Ruler for Life and Foreign Ambassador of Casa de la Locust |
| Place of Birth: | Casa de la Locust (claims) |
| Base of Operations: | Casa de la Locust |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Lupo Trejo ("Blood Brother") |
| Known Powers | |
| Bio-engineered Insectoid Body | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Natural Firearms Expert, De La Locust's Charisma | |
| Equipment | |
| The Liege Throne Pistols of Casa de la Locust | |
| No additional information available. | |
Manny de la Locust is an insectoid man that believes he is Kalinda's foreseen Destined One. Utterly devoted to the beliefs of Arachnos (as he interprets them), Manny follows the "path of Fate" that he believes works to both protect him and guide him to a wonderful future. He is also the sole ruler of Casa de la Locust, a hidden colony of former miscreants, mercenaries, and other societal castaways who found themselves drawn towards Manny's cause.
In terms of the game engine, Manny de la Locust is a Thugs/Traps mastermind created by @Vangelus upon the Thugs powerset's launch in mid-2006.
Contents |
Biography
Real Name: Manny de la Locust (assumed)
Known Aliases: Supreme Humanitarian Ruler for Life and Foreign Ambassador of Casa de la Locust
Identity: Public
Occupation: Self-proclaimed Destined One of Arachnos, Supreme Humanitarian Ruler for Life and Foreign Ambassador of Casa de la Locust
Citizenship: Citizen of Casa de la Locust (This is questionable)
Place of Birth: Casa de la Locust (This is claimed, his true birthplace is currently unknown or classified)
Base of Operations: Casa de la Locust
Known Relatives: Lupo Trejo ("Blood Brother")
Affiliations: None
Former Affiliations: None
Physical Attributes
Height: 5'8" (approximately)
Weight: 169 lbs
Eyes: Green, segmented
Hair: None
Chitin: Primarily Tan-Green
Personality
Manny de la Locust is a born leader. His cuban-accented voice always rings with charisma. Nearly everything he utters sounds like some form of inspirational or storytelling speech. Because of this, many otherwise-destitute people have flocked under his benevolent banner. Manny's followers often sacrifice their very lives for his sake, despite his never asking them to do so.
His own behaviour is that of a curious and confident man. Manny regards anything, be it experimental technology or a simple hobby he has never observed, with absolute interest. He will almost randomly become completely engrossed in the pursuit of information about a specific topic, then switch to another focus within hours. He also does so with little shame, believing that it is his duty to learn at least one new thing each day.
When interacting with other people, Manny is extremely friendly in most cases. He does not speak with egotism or arrogance, but the belief that he truly is destined for great things. Often is the case that he shares his self-perceived glorious future with others so they may find their own ultimate destiny.
A curious recurring behavioural tic is that of Manny's usual greeting ceremony. When meeting someone, he will almost always offer them a cigar (rolled from leaf grown within Casa de la Locust) and a shot of unbelievably powerful alcohol (distilled within Casa de la Locust, referred to as "her waters"). He never seems to be short in supply of either item, and constantly offers them to acquaintances while going through a steady amount himself.
The only major shift in Manny's personality is when he is in action. He will act with little hesitation when at work, and has been seen to take personal insults very deeply. If he feels it is warranted, he will likely not think twice about taking a life. However, he seems to feel a semblence of remorse for lethal activity, explaining that "it must be done". Other illegal activities, however, are seen by him as mere roadblocks to be overcome.
The final key point of Manny de la Locust's personality is his unflinching loyalty to what he believes to be the basis of Arachnos's ideals. He will always answer to an Arachnos Operative of superior rank, though he will readily combat them if he feels it follows Lord Recluse's proclamations of "survival of the fittest" and "strength through conflict".
Powers & Abilities
Bio-engineered Insectoid Body
Manny de la Locust's body is a uniquely engineered Insectoid construct. Though bipedal and apparently-human in proportion, he is coated in a thin layer of chitin plating. His face also bears both antennae and segmented eyes, though his mouth looks more or less human.
Physically, he has above-human stamina and leg strength. Manny has rarely been seen in a tired or fatigued state, and he is able to leap several stories in one bound.
A lingering mystery is that of Manny de la Locust's metabolism. In a casual setting, he is never seen without two forms of consumables.
- Cigars: Rolled in Casa de la Locust, they are generally considered to be a good smoke. The leaves that they are made of seem to be of the highest quality.
- Alcohol: Carried in individual shotglasses, Manny is never without "the waters of Casa de la Locust". Though the distillation process is currently unknown, the liquid seems to be a ludicrously potent form of alcoholic beverage. Its precise contents are not known, but are only as harmful to others as any given hard liquor.
Manny has been seen to find the taste of any other drink to be somewhat unpleasant. He also finds the taste of simple H2O to be revolting. He has also never been seen eating solid food, though he remarks about feasts at Casa de la Locust.
It is currently unknown how he is able to survive on this apparently suicidal diet.
Natural Firearms Expert
No ranged weapon has long mystified Manny de la Locust. He appears to have an innate sense of how to use firearms, be they mechanical or mystical in nature.
The Liege Throne Pistols of Casa de la Locust
His most common armaments are twin pistols, loaded with custom-cast bullets that he has claimed are "forged by the men and women" of Casa de la Locust. It is not uncommon to see Manny retrieve spent bullets so as not to "waste the efforts of [his] people". The weapons themselves bear crudely engraved livery.
Onyx Wand
Several months after beginning his campaign as the Destined One, Manny de la Locust acquired a magical relic from the Circle of Thorns during a raid on one of their strongholds. It appears similar to the legendary Blackwand in both structure and functionality. Manny does not know how the relic works, but has been seen wielding it as a ranged weapon nontheless.
De La Locust's Charisma
Manny de la Locust's greatest power is that of his innate charisma. His voice seems to inspire many who have otherwise given up on life, which is what has led to the thriving number of followers who support his endeavours. Many are outright fanatic, willing to lay down their lives for the betterment of Manny himself. Their cry of "Viva de la Locust!" is a common herald of his appearance on the battlefield.
There are also three men who commonly accompany Manny into combat, along with the horde of fanatical Casa de la Locust residents.
- Mr. Piker: A grim and short-spoken man that has made Manny de la Locust's wishes and well-being his single priority. He is a master of espionage, often unseen and hidden within a wall or the very ground itself.
- Mr. Morden: Manny's personal "secretary" who takes care of nearly all administrative decisions. While Piker oversees Manny himself, Morden's priorities lie in the actions and repercussions of the insectoid man.
- Lupo Trejo: This multiple-conviction behemoth is the only man Manny de la Locust refers to as family. The pair became "blood brothers" during a heated riot some time in the past, and have been inseperable ever since. Lupo had been incarcerated for the first few months of Manny's campaign, but was eventually broken loose by Manny himself. The two are never short on exciting (and violent) stories of their exploits. Lupo is a generally brutish and vulgar hispanic man, though he often defers to his "blood brother's" wishes. Manny is intent on teaching Lupo to be what he considers a gentleman, most often resulting in his correcting Lupo's vulgar vernacular in the prescence of women.
His charisma has also brought him several friends in the interdimensional nightclub, the Pocket D. His demeanor and generosity has led to many metahumans on either side of the law to think of him as, in many cases, a nice fellow that's a little strange.
History
It is currently not known precisely when Manny de la Locust was created/born/mutated into his current state. He has, however, been an operative of Arachnos since his debut.
The Zig Assault
Shortly before Arachnos launched its first major attack on the Zig prison facility, Manny de la Locust was ordered to meet with the seer known as Kalinda. It was here that his long-running suspicions about himself were "confirmed": He was among those named as the Destined Ones.
His confidence sealed in the words of Kalinda's prophecy, Manny joined the Arachnos assault teams as they broke open Paragon City's largest prison. Standing out from most of the other Arachnos agents, Manny spent several hours roaming the Zig's halls while delivering speeches to the inmates. He spoke of Casa de la Locust, a lush nation that Arachnos had given to him as a gift for his loyalty. He spoke of how they all had a new chance to join him there as friends and peers, and how they would be at the side of Kalinda's Destined One. Through this, he gained an incredible number of followers, all of whom took up residence at Casa de la Locust.
Destiny's Path Begins
After returning from the assault on the Zig, Manny immediately began to follow the path of the Destined One. Kalinda and Mongoose sent him on the tasks they demanded of all those who wished to gain the favour, and Manny eagerly dove into battle. With the help of his ever-growing legion of followers, whose numbers would grow from many of the survivors of Manny's continuing exploits, his Threat Level grew steadily.
Soon, the deputy overseers of Casa de la Locust were able to train replacements for themselves and join Manny in the field. Piker and Morden brought a unifying organization to their leader's powerful charisma, and many individuals fell before the combined power of Casa de la Locust's finest.
During this time, Manny began to frequent the Pocket D nightclub. Within a few weeks, he had met one of his first longtime acquaintances in Kyle Helsing, the supernatural adventurer. Helsing would become a recurring face in Manny's leisure time in the Pocket D, though his primary goal would often appear to be discovering the location of Casa de la Locust. Manny's descriptions of his homeland were all but enticing, doubly so when he revealed that there was a small group of De La Locust women who idolized Kyle Helsing.
Blood Brothers Reunited
Shortly after defeating Ms. Shock and claiming her cape in an attack on Paragon City itself, Manny became scarce for several months. Only Piker, his stoic and silent personal assistant, was sighted in several locations around the Rogue Isles.
Then, out of the blue, Manny and a small army of Casa de la Locust natives raided an ancient vault somewhere in the underground city of Oranbega. It was here that he took the Onyx Wand. Having stolen the artifact, Manny and his raiding party vanished.
Less than 48 hours later, the group re-appeared at the gates of an offshore correctional institute. Demanding the release of one of the prisoners contained in the facility, Manny was met with hostility and an armed force of hi-tech guards. Subduing many of the well-armed security detail with the mystic power of the Onyx Wand, Manny and his followers blasted their way into the building and freed exactly one prisoner: Lupo Trejo. Reunited with his blood-brother, Manny and Lupo personally defeated the facility's armored warden before returning to Casa de la Locust, triumphant.
Pirates and Gore-Tex
As the summer of 2007 blazed down upon Casa de la Locust, Manny realized that its people were short on breathable garments. They had long produced most of their own clothes and supplies, but a particularly merciless heat wave was causing discomfort throughout Manny's people.
Relating his woes to Kyle Helsing one night at the Pocket D, Manny was told about the breathable material called gore-tex. Thanking Helsing for the information, Manny wandered the nightclub deep in thought as to how to acquire enough of the material.
Later that evening, he came across Crimson Cutlass and the Dread Aces in the red-side bar. After hearing of his plight, the air pirates provided him with a (stolen) means to pay for a stockpile of gore-tex material, in order to gain it easily and without conflict. Shocked both at the gift and the notion of acquiring supplies without a battle, Manny thanked Cutlass and the Aces profusely. Crimson Cutlass herself was somewhat chagrined to discover that Manny's rather zealous followers regarded her as a near-messianic saviour.
It would only be a few weeks before Manny was able to return the favour. Upon hearing of a planned invasion of Cap Au Diable by a contingent of Paragon City's heroic community, Manny joined forces with the Dread Aces and several other Rogue Isles denizens to drive back the heroes in Bloody Bay. He was furious about the invasion attempt, declaring the Paragon natives as villains and holding a vendetta against Capt. Starfall for his apparent part in leading the attack.
Invasion: Casa de la Locust
Coming Soon.
