Agent of Discord
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Hide your face forever Dream and search forever | |
| Inquisitor Rector Agent | |
| Agent of Discord | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 50* |
| Private Identity | |
| Real Name: | Forgotten |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Mercenary |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City, RI |
| Base of Operations: | Sharkhead Isle, Etoile Islands |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Forgotten |
| Physical Data | |
| Species: | Spectre (post-human) |
| Age: | 32 / 6 |
| Height / Weight : | 5'7" / 120lbs |
| Eye / Hair Color: | Confidential / Gray |
| Known Powers | |
| Netherworld energy channeling and manipulation. Shadowshaping. Lost Soul manipulation. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Military training. Manipulator. | |
| Equipment | |
| D.I.S.C.O.R.D. combat armor. BRST-1 SMG. GRID focus. Assorted tricks up his sleeve. | |
| *Full team. Personal Threat Level est. 30-35. | |
| Player: @Most Definitely Skary | |
"Let us assume for a moment that my transformation has given me the power of foresight. You see, under that assumption, I would happen to know your immediate future can go, broadly, in one of two ways. On the first path, I would see you sitting back in your chair and wondering what to do with some newfound wealth, idly wondering who were the nice people who just walked by."
"A-and the other...?"
"Ah yes, the other path has you wondering when will the pain stop as you lie in a pool of your own blood as me and my men fight our way to what we came for. Of course, that is all assuming we choose to believe in such fickle things as destiny. Myself, I've always been a fan of choice. Which is why I suggest you now choose wisely."
Contents |
Physical
Although still human in shape, Agent is very lithe, with seemingly no fat on his body and a musculature that doesn't stray far from atrophy. He values his secrecy, hiding his mutated body from sight at nearly all times. Still, the suit does nothing to hide his clawed fingers, sunken belly, or voice.
Agent's voice deserves a small section of its own. His vocal chords have withered to the point he is incapable of any intelligible speech that isn't a whisper. His mask is tuned so that is amplifies that voice to normal speech levels but it still retains its characteristic, hissing sound. It should be noted that if agitated, and especially if irritated, Agent's voice becomes even more hissing.
As for his face and skin, Agent keeps those secret; perhaps for the best.
Personality
Reclusive, polite, and more than a bit paranoid, Agent resents being called a villain, much preferring the less loaded and more fitting description of 'mercenary'. He is loyal to those few he considers friends, but to his work and his kin above that. He enjoys causing the odd bit of chaos, but takes no pleasure in killing others.
A faithful worshiper of the Church of Redemption Day, he constantly seeks to strengthen himself by gathering contacts and resources, at the same time actively avoiding making enemies. He's remarkably effective, in no small part due to his politeness, in more than one case being immediately hired for a retaliatory strike by his previous target. He's adept at subtly stacking the odds in his favor both in battle and in negotiations, setting enemies against each other while he profits from it all or finding ways to be paid for what he was doing anyway for entirely different reasons.
Some consider his ability to lead long, drawn-out and metaphor-laden exposition a power in its own right.
Powers
For a detailed description of Agent's powers, see Powers.
Spectre powers
As a Spectre, Agent is bound to a Netherwordly being called an Entity. This seemingly symbiotic bond lets him channel and manipulate energy from the Netherworld, to aid his allies and weaken his foes rather than for direct combat.
Shadowshaping
Following Archmage Tarixus' failed attempt to siphon off unleashed powers that were rightfully Agent's, the Spectre gained the ability to magically solidify channeled Netherworld energy into a shiny, opaque black matter that is cool to the touch, shaping it to his whim. He can also animate those Shadowshapes, instilling them with part of his own life-force and granting them enough rudimentary sentience to perform simple tasks.
Lost Soul Manipulation
Almost as much a magical as a Spectral power, the ability to summon and harness Lost Souls was taught to Agent as payment for services by none other than Ghost Widow herself. It is similar to the Widow's own powers, however it is custom-tailored to suit Agent's abilities. Rather than the souls of those slain, Agent summons to himself and to the physical world Lost Souls, small, nimble, playful and dangerous Netherworld denizens believed to once have been souls of the living. A normal person that is touched by a Lost Soul will find their freezing touch draining them of life but Agent's unwanted aura, once inverted, protects him from that effect and lets him wield the beings as weapons.
GRID Focus
Although he is not equipped with specialized equipment and implants, Agent has the authority and experience to use the GRID for long-range near-destination teleportation of friendly targets. This can be used both to (re-)deploy his Intervention Squad to himself as well as to bring unaffiliated allies within a certain, considerable range nearby.
Background
Agent doesn't remember his past. Where his memories used to be, now stands a wall built of agony and denial. The vows he took prohibit him from going around it; still, others and himself to an extent have been capable of piecing together some basic facts.
The man that would become Agent was born in Paragon City in either 1974 or 1975; it was also there that he spent his childhood, overall happy years once fondly remembered, now completely forgotten. After graduation, he chose to serve his country, enrolling in the renowned West Point Military Academy, emerging a second lieutenant. Somewhere between 1997 and 2002, he was part of a group who fell off the face of the Earth. As far as anyone were concerned, they were still members of the United States Army, keeping in touch with their families and receiving assignments, but in reality, they had slipped through the cracks of bureaucracy, joining D.I.S.C.O.R.D. as mercenaries full-time. It was then that the Agent of Discord chose the name that would later become his only one.
At that point, the records become only minimally clearer. Agent rose through the ranks slowly in recognition of his combat and leadership skills, after a longer period as a Acolyte being accepted into the Inquisitors. It was as a Inquisitor Neophyte that the twenty-secondth of May 2002 saw him. Here his memories become a twisted mass of half-remembered battles, the faces of forgotten friends lost, injuries sustained and victories earned. But with each passing day, the War eroded the man's spirit, turning a optimistic youth into a jaded, war-worn man, until eventually, towards the end, he snapped.
Having lost too many friends and brushed too closely with death, Agent made peace with God and considered his life forfeit. Officially a casualty, he volunteered himself for the Spectre program. He took up the Spectre's Vow, ultimately abandoning his identity and past ... and against expectations, survived.
Affiliations
Defenders of Paragon
- Michael Moone
- Maelthra - The manner and, in fact, very existence of a relationship between the two is a closely guarded secret. She has enough problems without being associated with a mercenary and "terrorist".
- Ozell One - Although odd at first glance, Agent's befriending of the artificial hero makes sense. Ozell represents Agent's hero ideal - dedicated to the protection of everyone, while lacking the holier than thou attitude that rejects the likes of Agent. Some suggest Agent may even be helping Ozell in unspecified behind the scene plots. Only time will tell.
- Wyndsong - The closest Agent has to a nemesis, the harpy made herself known by showing herself capable of taking on and out Agent's entire Intervention Team, repeatedly, through subtlety rather than brute force. Their initial relations were strained but Agent managed to show her he's not as bad as she believed, sometimes being called a friend to his great surprise. Still, she can't get over her blindness to the world's imperfections, and it grates upon him somewhat.
Etoile Islands Freelancers
- Lost Wish - Koji earned the right to be counted amongst Agent's closest friends fairly. Hired to lend magical expertise on a task set by Archmage Tarixus, then later on numerous other arcane endeavors. And during that, the two gentlemen became fast friends.
- Sonja Isegroff - Koji's acquaintance, the demon huntress was hired alongside him and also remained in contact. Although sometimes disturbing, Agent enjoys her presence and advice.
- Bunny Anomalous - Another friend met through Koji, one Agent enjoys running into, whether for her optimistic attitude or heavy firepower.
- Static System - No one is exactly sure why or how Agent befriended the homicidal robot supremacist. Some suggest it's a way of getting into his good graces in preparation of the upcoming robot revolution. Agent considers this relationship as based on martial respect, but sometimes is forced to carefully hide disgust at the robot's carefully orchestrated shows of cruelty. Besides, killer robots sometime make for good conversation.
- Eve Summers - The obvious winner for the woman who caused the most drama in Agent's spectral life. Met through Moone, her and Agent's relationship evolved from threats, through friendship, alleged adultery, support, death and back, and to friendship again. Agent is equal parts fascinated and frightened by her, knowing full well that she is not sane in the common sense of the word. Breaking through her hard outer shell is a fascinating challenge in and out of itself, and Agent for one considers it well worth the reward.
- Rekhyt - Met through a circle of mutual friends celebrating another's return, the two's friendship was cemented on the streets of Siren's Call. Agent trusts the firemage, and has helped him in more than one tight spot, and conversely, Rekhyt has lent Agent his eldricht might at times.
- Mitsuko Yubari - At first a sworn enemy, the mistress of one of Agent's targets, later turned contact as Agent freed the very same target from Malta Group captivity. Agent enjoys her natural attitude even if she sometimes disturbs him in ways he didn't think possible.
- Mirrorscythe -
- The Crimson Cutlass - Agent had the pleasure of running into the air pirate and her crew of misfits a few times, even going as far as to pay for their services at times. He seems to have a fondness of them all and Crimson in particular. Despite her best efforts, he still claims she saved his life.
- Don Giordano - Agent has followed the third Don's rise to power with professional curiosity. He vaguely recalls having worked for his father and considers the Don a potential, potent business partner.
- Krait Master - Krait. If asked, Agent just might say that Krait showed up in his life and largely turned it upside down. One could say he appears happier, more lively since then. He does not intend to let her engagement ruin that beautiful friendship.
Brethren in Arms
- Templar 'Rage' - Beyond doubt, Agent's oldest and best friend. Agent saved his life once, since then they've been exchanging that particular favor on a almost regular basis. In combat, the two often team - to devastating effect.
- Asylum of Discord - Like all younger Spectres, Agent owes a great deal to Asylum - on top of that, he trusts the man fully.
- Zealot Thompson - Although their relation is purely professional, Agent has a fondness for the Zealot. He's proving to be reliable and an invaluable tool during the planning of anything. As a result, he's often in on whatever scheme Agent is up to lately.
Chronicles
In chronological order.
---- End of Rikti War ----
- Rebirth of a Monster
- Shattered Bird, prologue
---- The Betrayal ----
Trivia
IC:
- Agent was part of a music band in his youth, being the youngest member and the bass player.
- Agent is taking dancing lessons infrequently, ever since the 2006 Winter Gala. Curiously enough, he also used to take them before his transformation.
- Agent's comm can be accessed by a redirected phone number. It can be found in some Etoile Islands phone books under Darth Rentacop.
- Agent claims to have danced with the devil in the pale moonlight.
OOC:
- Agent was created as a throw-away character designed to show me how SpecOps looked and sounded. By level 12 I was long ago hooked. He has since become my main.
- At the time of creation, I wasn't aware of the eponymous badge.
- Answering all those PMs, yes I DO have the Agent of Discord badge.
- Agent, ingame, is "The Catastrophic Agent of Discord, Raider". Other badge titles he uses are Freak of Nature and Coldhearted.
- Agent's costume is re-used verbatim from another character I never got to play, Bass Discord. Agent's name is a reference to him. The only changes were the addition of a cape and reshaping of the head.
- Additionally, Bass Discord was created as an evil twin to another character I didn't play, Bass Silence. Both were sonic/sonic, and the Discords' costume is very similar to Silence's, except black/yellow instead of white/blue and with a hood replacing the helmet. They even used the same markings and shading scheme.
- Agent wears his hair in a topknot. The reason is that it makes his head seem even thinner.
- Agent's first RP concept was for him to represent an Agent of Discord, not any one in specific. I quickly realized that would be a nightmare to RP, not to mention shallow and not fun in the long run.
- Although he has no clear inspiration in comics, he has been jokingly compared to Cobra Commander. I'd like to think he has a better win/loss ratio though.
- Anarchist themes aside, V from V for Vendetta is proving to be quite similar to Agent. Both are black-wearing gentlemen who hide terrible disfigurement behind emotionless masks and speak in long, metaphor-laded tirades.
- Agent didn't take Fly and Stamina until 18 and 30 respectively.
- All the trivia entries start with A.
