Abyst
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Abyst | |
| Player: @Jolly-Roger | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Abyst |
| Known Aliases: | Herald of Oblivion, Archlord of the Dark Sun |
| Species: | Unknown |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 9'0" |
| Weight: | 1200lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Yellow |
| Hair Color: | None |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | N/A |
| Occupation: | Warlord, Conqueror |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown (trans-dimensional) |
| Base of Operations: | Rogue Isles |
| Marital Status: | N/A |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown |
| Known Powers | |
| Super Strength, Energy Aura | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Flight, arcane knowledge | |
| Equipment | |
| Misc. magical artifacts | |
| No additional information available. | |
Abyst's concept comes from a combination of the "penultimate bad guys" such as Darkseid, Thanos, and Apocalypse from comics; Mon*Star, Serpentor, Mumm-Ra, and the like from 80s cartoons; and finally a hint of my Lugian character of the same name from Asheron's Call 2. He's been around since CoV Beta, though he started out with Dark Armor instead of Energy Aura. He was deleted at Threat Level 20 and remade in his current incarnation. The biggest twist I've put on Abyst is that he's not interested in conquering earth, despite being an "overlord/world-conquerer" type of character. This allows him to play nice with other such characters without the typical conflict-of-interests, and makes him much more dangerous (conceptually) as a result.
Due to Energy Aura's sub-par performance (and semi-"requirement" of using Pool Powers to compensate), I've made an alt of Abyst named "Overlord Abyst", a Super Strength/Willpower Brute. This incarnation of Abyst represents his new and improved form after his betrayal, banishment, and subsequent return. Story elements to follow....
Contents |
Appearance
Abyst's appearance is utterly alien. Standing at a little over 9 feet tall, and weighing over half a ton, he is a menacing figure. Abyst has massive wings, is covered in dark grey scales and has black talons on his hands & feet. His upper torso holds a crest of spikes, which extend up & out from his body, and his head is crowned with two large horns (previously, these horns were much smaller, though this changed at the same time he gained wings from using the Ouroboros device [see below]). Though sometimes hard to see, he has a peculiar star-pattern upon his left eye (the meaning for this, if any, is unknown).
However, the most notable feature is the large maw in his abdomen, and skull-like visage upon his chest. It is not clear how his physiology allows for such an obvious "gap" in his body, though the eyes, nose, and mouth all appear to have an inner "glow" associated with Abyst's power aura. Likewise, when this aura is increased, a shimmering golden-orange field surrounds Abyst and distorts the space around him.
Affiliations
Supergroups: The Corruptors of Paragon, The Seekers of Oblivion
Personality
To say Abyst's personality is "humorless" is an understatement. He has never been seen to laugh, or even seem in what could be considered "good spirits" (unless one counted the prospect of imminent power coming his way, perhaps). He is cold and calculating, and little is known of his goals or plans, save when one needs to know how best to play their part. At the same time, Abyst does not waste his time "playing" with others, as more sadistic villains are prone to do. Abyst is goal-oriented and, perhaps surprising for such a power-hungry villain, willing to work with others to share the spoils. Abyst is also unique in that he does not care to conquer Earth or claim it as his own; he merely seeks what advantages and power he might find here. This allows him to work with other conquerer-type individuals without a direct conflict-of-interests.
Powers
Super Strength
Abyst's physical strength is incredible; he can tear apart alloyed steel and even bank vaults with his bare fists. It is known that Abyst can further enhance his strength by channeling the power of the Dark Sun; this is evidenced by an increase in his aura's intensity. Due to the distance from his homeworld (and the Dark Sun), there are brief windows in which his enhanced strength is depleted, before it can be renewed again. Recently, Abyst has been able to mitigate the weakness from these cycles, making him more dangerous than ever.
Energy Aura
Abyst is protected by an energy aura, drawn from his link with the Dark Sun. This aura can warp space around him, causing attacks to deflect or disperse. He can, for brief periods, "overload" this field, giving himself tremendous defensive capabilities and making him nigh-impossible to harm. However, after approximately two minutes, the aura collapses, leaving him vulnerable.
Since Abyst's return, his aura seems somewhat diminished, though this is likely a temporary condition. In truth, he has strengthened both through the forced evolution caused by the Ouroboros artifact, as well as a greater link to the Dark Sun. This has increased his natural toughness and resilience far past their previous levels, negating the need for "external" shielding.
Healing
Abyst is capable of regenerating his wounds by some form of magical conjuration. He needs a brief, uninterrupted moment for this to work, however.
Recently, Abyst's level of regeneration has been observed to be many times what it was previously. The cause of this is unknown, though it is suspected to be the result of the Ouroboros artifact or other self-modification.
Mu Lightning
The signature red lightning wielded by the Mu is also controlled by Abyst, presumably learned from Scirocco during his time of Patronage. It is rarely wielded by Abyst directly.
Leviathan
Technically not obtained yet, though it is the planned path for the Overlord Abyst alt.
Since his return, Abyst has forsaken his previous Patron, Scirocco, as weak and ineffectual, and instead chosen to aid Captain Mako. In exchange, Mako has taught Abyst to empower himself with the might of the Leviathan and the secrets of the Coralax.
Abilities
Flight
A recent alteration has left Abyst with large wings, which give him the capability of flight. Coupled with his incredible strength, Abyst is able to fly at very high speeds.
Leadership
Abyst is a mighty warlord, having conquered his home planet. He applies the same skills here, directing his allies in battle for maximum effect.
Weaknesses and Limitations
As previously mentioned, if forced to "overload" his defensive aura, Abyst will suffer from a magic backlash after approximately two minutes, leaving him vulnerable to counterattack. Unfortunately, something must survive for those two minutes in order to use the window. Likewise, the strength-enhancement he channels has a window of vulnerability, though it is much smaller and merely forces Abyst to refocus his energies for a few seconds.
Also mentioned above, Abyst's healing conjuration can be interrupted. While there is a small window for doing so, sustained attacks can be of great use here.
Equipment
Abyst rarely uses anything other than his innate powers. However, occasionally he will used specialized items such as the Blackwand. He acknowledges the usefulness of technology, but Abyst prefers to leave its use to others; he tends to prefer magical means to an end.
Character History
Abyst's race is unknown, as is his dimension of origin. It is known that he maintains contact with his homeworld, and can even travel back and forth between his world and ours, but all attempts by third-parties to gather information on this have failed dramatically. Abyst is not a typical member of his race; it is known that he has augmented himself with strong magics numerous times throughout his life. Such has been done no fewer than three times while on our world, the most recent of which granted him his wings and enhanced his strength even further.
Despite being an Overlord and seeking total dominion of his homeworld, Abyst does not seek to dominate Earth. The exact reasons for this are unknown, though it is speculated that he may not have total control over his homeworld, and thus does not want to over-extend himself. Regardless, his lack of world-dominating ambitions here prevent him from clashing head-on with several other would-be conquerers. The fact that Abyst can work alongside other powerful beings without directly conflicting goals makes him an imminent threat.
After his recent return to Earth (from which he had been banished ages ago), he set about gathering old allies and new followers to establish a power base. As Abyst's return occurred at the start of Arachnos' Operation Destiny, there was a great influx of superpowered beings in the Rogue Isles to help fill out the ranks. This semi-cult was known as The Seekers of Oblivion, and served as a personal force-of-arms, of sorts. With the help of the Seekers, Abyst was able to rid himself of his initial protective wards and begin to channel his full abilities (prior to this time, he had a temporary "cocoon" of dark magic protecting him). In exchange, Abyst furnished them with money, technology, and even magical artifacts, according to their individual motivations. While never a serious threat as a group, their numbers did give the Seekers mutual protection as the individual members carved their own paths through the Isles.
About a year-and-a-half later, Abyst learned of the mighty Corruptors of Paragon, and after a brief display of power, impressed their leaders (the Lords of Corruption) enough to gain the respectable rank of Defiler. After a couple of months, infighting between rival factions left some of the Lords dead or missing, and Abyst moved to claim one of the vacant positions in the ensuing power vacuum. Some months later, following the return of Lord Paragon and his discovery of the mighty Ouroboros artifact, Abyst was able to harness a fraction of its power, increasing his might even further and causing the growth of a set of mighty wings upon his back. As Abyst was the first (and presumably only) one to benefit from the Ouroboros, there was no small amount of contempt and hostility leveled at him.
After the failure of the Ouroboros device to deliver on the promises of Lord Paragon (and his subsequent disappearance), the Corruptors of Paragon drew the ire of Arachnos as an unstable element of power in the Rogue Isles, as infighting once again threatened to overwhelm the group. This led to the Corruptors being hunted by Arachnos personnel, forcing them to go underground and work independently for some time. Eventually, several of the Lords of Corruption gathered their strength and assaulted the Tower in Grandville, forcing a stalemate on Lord Recluse and restoring themselves in Arachnos' good graces (or at least the removal of the "kill on sight" warrants issued by the Arbiter Corps).
Within weeks of the final battle against Arachnos, and having no time to recuperate and thus extremely vulnerable, Abyst was assaulted by a combined force of Seekers, and was forced to retreat to his home dimension. It is unknown if or when he will return to the Rogue Isles.
Notes
The Ouroboros storyline used by the Corruptors of Paragon was initiated around Issues 9-10, and was in place long before the Ouroboros of Issue 11 was introduced. As such, it has no direct links to the I11 Ouroboros, though some ret-conning may take place to smooth things out.
