Agonus
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Monitoring the Isles. | |
| Agonus | |
| Player: @The New Black | |
| Origin: | Mutant |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Dominator / Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 50 / 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Unknown. (Born Amahl Ghalib al-Aziz ibn Faiz ibn Rasim al-Rashid. Changed to Amahl al-Rashid after the murder of his family.) |
| Known Aliases: | Boss, Lord Agonus |
| Species: | Homo Sapien Superior |
| Age: | Unknown, believed to be mid 30's. |
| Height: | 6'5 |
| Weight: | 205lbs, 270lbs in armor |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Unknown. (Black) |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Unknown, rumored to be European. (Egyptian.) |
| Occupation: | Supervillain, founder and current member of the Supreme Society |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown. (Cairo, Egypt) |
| Base of Operations: | Nerva Archipelago. |
| Marital Status: | None known. |
| Known Relatives: | None known. (Simon Rashid, brother, previously operating as Ultonis in Paragon City. Now deceased.) |
| Known Powers | |
| Mind Control / Psionic Assault / Flight / Fitness / Mace Mastery - Thugs / Pain Domination / Leadership / Leviathan Mastery | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Telepathy and telekinesis | |
| Equipment | |
| During his time in the Rogue Isles, Agonus has constantly worn a metal facemask that covers everything but his eyes. He has also started to wear a modified suit of power armor under his military uniform. | |
| No known records exist of Agonus's true face. | |
Contents |
Early Life
Born Amahl Ghalib al-Aziz ibn Faiz ibn Rasim al-Rashid, the boy who would become the villain Agonus was raised in a noble family of Egypt. His father, Faiz, was a stern and ruthless man who made it clear that he desired a single son to carry on his legacy. His mother, Saliha, upon learning that she was to have twin boys, did her best to keep the second child a secret from Faiz, who managed to spend more time abroad than at home.
As luck would have it, Faiz was called away for an extended political venture during the scheduled birth of his prized son, Amahl. As she had planned, Saliha took the opportunity to have Nura, her most trusted servant, take the secret son, Salman, to be raised in the United States. Saliha would continue to remain in contact with Nura sending care packages so that her son could live the life he deserved. And as much as it saddened her, the most important thing that Saliha requested, was that young Salman would never know the truth of his birth. Saliha asked that Nura raise Salman as if he was her own son. A faithful servant and friend, Nura vowed to fulfill Saliha's wish.
Faiz quickly began preparing his son for a harsh life similar to his own. Above all, Faiz believed in power, both in a physical and psychological sense, and he made certain to instill his belief in his son. From an early age, Faiz also taught Amahl that the victors knew the common people were tools; a means to the end of obtaining what you were meant to have in life.
Oblivious to the existence of his twin brother, Amahl endured a strict childhood. While others his age would be encouraged to play in the streets with their friends, Amahl was witnessing the executions of local insurgents. However, Amahl soon came to enjoy his training to take over his father's fascist political position. As time passed, he was well on his way to becoming as coldhearted and ruthless as his father, until the fateful day that young Amahl noticed he was able to hear the thoughts of those around him.
An Unexpected Turn
At first, Amahl was horrified by his unnatural talent. Was he going insane? Possessed? Some sort of abomination? Many sleepless nights were spent wondering if he should even tell his parents of his ability. Months later, while researching the possible causes of the matter, Amahl learned of the metahuman doctors and scientists located in Paragon City.
Incredibly wary of dealing with the doctors due to the information they could learn, Amahl ultimately decided against seeking such professional help. It took time, and a considerable amount of work, but Amahl was slowly able to master his abilities. He eventually learned how to shut out the minds of anyone he did not want to hear, which proved to be an incredible boon in his increasing political dealings. Amahl was soon pleased to discover the reputation he was developing for being able to discover the truth. Of course, he parents were none the wiser to his special talent.
Time passed, and young Amahl grew fond of his life. While Faiz was a strict and unforgiving parent, Amahl came to respect his sense of discipline. Saliha, on the other hand, was of a considerably gentler persuasion. While Amahl disagreed with how she handled her affairs, she was his mother, and Amahl treated her with the honor due her position. Like Faiz, Amahl came to develop a strong appreciation of his family. Amahl had also decided to never use his powers on parents. They were better than the common people, after all, and meant to rule over them. Of course they deserved to be held in high esteem.
Over the years, Amahl came to believe he was a mutant, and his telepathic abilities were a genetic gift. Regardless of his theories, he kept his powers secret from his family. He still practiced, however, and his power and control over his telepathy increased as the years passed. Then, suddenly, on Amahl's 16th birthday, his world turned upside down.
A Tragic Discovery
It came to Amahl's attention that his mother was hiding something from his father. Curious, Amahl began to research his mother's personal communications, and he soon found evidence of a series of letters that were being sent to an address in the United States. To Amahl's surprise, none of the servants had any idea as to what Saliha was hiding. During the aftermath of an unusual break-in at his family's compound, Amahl was finally able to begin to piece together the puzzle of his mother's secrets.
Once his surprise over the situation subsided, Amahl went about confirming the disturbing information slowly and carefully. His graceful mother Saliha had been in contact with one of her old servants who had left for America 16 years ago. That in and of itself, Amahl could excuse due to sentimentality. However, once Amahl was able to determine the reasoning behind the correspondence, he was furious. Saliha had the gall to hide a twin brother from him and his honorable father Faiz! How could she do such a thing?! And for 16 long years!
A New Life
Livid yet still holding onto a shred of hope that this horrid secret was some game and not the truth, Amahl tracked down his mother in her private rooms to questions her. Maintaining her innocence during the interrogation, Amahl resorted to that which he swore years ago he would never do, and he used his telepathic abilities on his mother. However, a combination of the force Amahl applied to probe his mother's thoughts, Saliha's trauma over her son's presence in her mind and her own guilt over hiding her other son from the rest of her family was too much for Saliha, and she died in Amahl's arms as he attempted to learn the truth.
Taken aback at the unexpected result of the use of his powers on his mother, Amahl became frantic. Saliha was convinced that she needed to hide her other son from Faiz, and now, she was dead. This was all Faiz's fault! Trembling with determination, Amahl decided to confront his father. As he made to leave his mother's rooms, however, an approaching servant saw his mother's corpse. Without pause, Amahl lashed out at the mind of the servant, attempting to wipe clean their knowledge of Saliha's death. Amahl's hasty attempt to cover up the accidental murder proved equally disastrous, and the servant fell to the floor in a lifeless heap. Increasingly distraught over the situation that had gone from bad to catastrophic, Amahl ran to his father's quarters, making sure now to kill everyone on his way. No one would know what happened here.
Upon finding his father studying a pile of documents, Amahl reached out for his father's mind without even bothering to speak. Faiz quickly slumped forward in his chair, and Amahl turned around before Faiz's head even hit his desk. Amahl had a lot of work to do now, and very little time to do it. There were a number of other relatives, business associates, and servants at the compound. They all had to die. No one could know what had happened.
While bloodless, the massacre was still a grisly process, and it gave Amahl precious time to think. The final step of his plan had to be his own life. Like his mother and father, Amahl Ghalib al-Aziz ibn Faiz ibn Rasim al-Rashid was dead, it was now merely a matter of making things official. After slaughtering the remainder of the occupants of the compound, Amahl began planning to fake his own death. He soon decided though that the death of his former life and everyone connected to it was not enough for the disgrace he had suffered. His previous life needed to be erased from existence entirely.
Amahl went into hiding for several years, and during this period he shortened his name to Amahl al-Rashid while he sought out all records of his previous life, living or otherwise, and destroyed them. He also spent a considerable amount of time fruitlessly searching for his long lost twin brother to finish the parricide he had begun so long ago. Otherwise directionless, a chance encounter with a costumed adventurer in the Mediterranean gave Amahl the inspiration he had been looking for to provide purpose to the rest of his life. He would develop a new identity to take advantage of the weak minded, and start wearing a modified uniform that would conceal every portion of his skin, as well as a mask to seal his face away from the world. On his 20th birthday, Amahl put on a silver facemask that would soon become his second skin, and Agonus was born.
Rumors and Early Activity
A military leader looking to build a new army? A traveling noble with aspirations greater than his original homeland could provide? A mutant cultist with doomsday plans? A reclusive advocate of the forces of anarchy? There are many rumors and few confirmed facts in regards to the life of the man now known as Agonus before his arrival in the Rogue Isles. The reasons why he has gone to the lengths he has to hide his true identity are also not publicly known.
What is known about Agonus before he came to the Isles is that the first record of his activities was a weapons deal conducted with local organized crime in Ithaca, Greece in 1996. After his first known appearance, there were repeated sightings and records of a man wearing the same silver mask throughout the Mediterranean. Arachnos records also reveal that Agonus came to the Rogue Isles for the first time on a private flight from Libya in October of 2008.
Also, while in the presence of members of the Supreme Society, Agonus has shown a tendency to angrily curse under his breath in a foreign language. As of this point, no one has made a sincere attempt to determine the exact language Agonus speaks when he is irritated.
The Rogue Isles
Intrigued by the word spread of Lord Recluse and Arachnos, Agonus was drawn to the Rogue Isles. Upon his arrival in the area, however, he was extremely dismayed at what he found. Numerous groups were working under Arachnos, both obviously and secretively, in an attempt to gain power. These various villainous factions were all striving for essentially the same goals, but the constant strife amongst them prevented any of the groups from reaching their true potential. In addition to the warring between the factions, the so-called heroes from Paragon City would interfere with anyone from the Rogue Isles who managed rise above the internal rivalries to focus on greater goals.
Shortly after his arrival to the area, Agonus began building a private meditation chamber using power amplification technology obtained from several different groups. The chamber would allow him to monitor open areas of the Rogue Isles from the safety of the psychic plane. While he could not immediately act on what he observed, Agonus used the information he gathered, and continues to gather, to find like-minded individuals who could aide him in his vision for the Isles.
The Formation of the Society
After gathering sufficient information, Agonus set about the second step in his plan; the formation of a supreme Society that would take advantage of the chaos in the Rogue Isles. While Agonus was fully aware that many of the organizations already firmly established in the Isles were well beyond his immediate reach, the multitude of lesser groups were prime targets for annihilation or assimilation by the Society.
The heroes of Paragon would prove to be a similar problem. Many of the misguided fools were far too powerful for the Society to immediately deal with, but Agonus remained content to gather his forces and strike when the opportunity presented itself. It would take time to prepare for the battles to come, but when the dust was settled, no one would be able to stop the Supreme Society.
And that time has come. After proving to be a match for Arachnos and finally emerging victorious against the Freedom Phalanx, the Supreme Society declared war in the Rogue Isles.
Allies
The Supreme Society- A group of like-minded individuals Agonus has gathered who share in his ultimate vision for the Rogue Isles. While Agonus no longer leads the Society, he still maintains close ties to the organization.
Of note among the members of the Supreme Society, Agonus has been seen frequently with the woman known as Black-Mercy, a new arrival to the Rogue Isles. The nature of any connection between the two beyond their allegiance to the Society is unknown as of this time.
The Teen Tyrants- The Society has started to work alongside a group young malcontents nicknamed The Teen Tyrants. Mirroring the so-called heroes of Paragon who often guide younger heroes, the Society seeks to prepare the next generation of the new world order.
The Secret Syndicate- A shadow organization started by Ahreman the Red that fell apart with his guiding hand, the remnants of the Syndicate have also been absorbed into the Society.
Direct Enemies
The Global Guard- Gathered by the alien hero Star Scion, the Guard were one of the few groups to have openly challenged the Society. Though the heroes were defeated in the first battle and have returned to challenge the Society on numerous occasions, Agonus has hesitant to deem the Guard a threat to the Society's plans. During a brief hiatus from the Isles, however, Agonus returned with information that the Star Scion was acting on orders from the mysterious hero called Ultonis. Since then, however, Ultonis has not been seen, and the Guard have not been in public operation.
Joint Task Force Hero- Prior to the formation of the Society, Agonus usurped control of a secret Syndicate lead by the villain now known as Ahreman the Red. This was primarily done to acquire the services of the three main agents of the Syndicate, Ahreman, the nobleman Count Logan vonDrake and the young technology savant Eiko-chan. Agonus was aware of the main enemy of the Syndicate, a militaristic group known as Joint Task Force Hero, and welcomed the chance for his own Supreme Society to make an example of the heroes. After a number of heated encounters, the JTFH ended up in a state of disarray, and have been unable to challenge the Society since.
Captain Vendetta- Several battles have been fought between the Society and the heroic Vendetta's Vigilantes, primarily stemming from a rivalry between Count Logan vonDrake and the leader of the Vigilantes, Captain Vendetta. After a successful assault on the Destine Academy the Society gained the upper hand against the Vigilantes. Seemingly unable to recover from a series of defeats at the hands of the Society that soon followed, Captain Vendetta and his group have since faded from the public eye.
Gemuse Force- Another rivalry carried over from the now defunct Syndicate, to Agonus' surprise, the Gemuse Force have followed Ahreman the Red to the Society. A group of former reality TV stars lead by Strawberry Trooper, the Gemuse Force confronted Red (while insisting he had to maintain his previous name of Nemesis Red due to marketing) and his new Society allies in the Pocket D nightclub, though the encounter itself was far from overtly hostile.
Wary of dealing with the young heroes through brute force, Agonus brought in the services of Jade Costa, (mafia heiress Lazuli Fade acting under a false name, which Agonus is aware of but has chosen to remain silent on). Costa has been tasked to use a more business oriented approach against the media friendly Gemuse, the results of which are not public knowledge at this point.
Powers
Agonus is mutant with high telepathic potential and a limited telekinetic ability. He is capable of manipulating the minds and emotions of his enemies in a variety of ways, among them; inducing unconsciousness, confusion, fear, and paralysis. Agonus has so far only exhibited brute force telekinetic feats, such as creating forcefields, hurling his opponents short distances or using his power on himself for flight.
After meeting with Mako, Agonus began modifying his psychic energy blasts so that the energy manifested in various shark related forms. Agonus' exact reasons for this change are unknown at this point.
Trivia/Inspiration
((-UPDATE 5- In hindsight, while a Mind/Psi Dominator fits the theme perfectly, it doesn't level anywhere near as fast as a SS/WP brute, so he stalled out a bit, hence an early Thugs/FF MM version named "Boss Agonus," which was partly inspired by everyone calling him Boss, and the temporary reincarnation of Darkseid into Boss Dark Side. That didn't make it past level 28 for any one of a number of reasons though. It finally hit me to try Aggie as a Fortunata. Upon urther review, yeah, the Fort thing didn't work out so well either. Made another MM, and I'm sticking with that (hopefully) especially after I learned the in-game explanation for Pain Domination is mentally making people ignore pain, not actual healing, per se.
-UPDATE 4- Agonus was initially meant to be a mutant with telepathy and telekinesis, and his brother Ultonis was going to be telekinetic with "energy transfer" powers. I got to thinking though, and it struck me as a more thematic idea to have Agonus be a telepath and his brother Ultonis be a telekinetic. Sort of a psychic yin and yang, y'know? But... even after 10 levels I'm still trying to get use to Agonus with boot jets, so I don't know where that's going just yet. >.>
-UPDATE 2- The first inspiration for the character came from DC's Supernova back in 52 and his full body costume, after it hit me that I didn't have any characters here with full costumes. Tucked that idea away until I saw the mask for the modern version of Marvel's the Blue Marvel. Yes, I do have a habit of designing characters around a particular costume. The initial inspiration for Agonus to have militaristic leanings came about after something (though I don't remember exactly what) reminded me of Destro from G.I. Joe.
-As far as the name goes, I was just trying to come up with a DC style play on a word, like Despero or Atrocitus. After a good bit of trial and error, I came up with Agonus. I left the name as gibberish for the longest time until I got on a kick for Latin names. I looked it up and it turns out that, according to the interwebs anyway, agonus is Latin for "combat" or "public contest," which amusingly enough works quite well for the goals of the character. Huzzah for dumb luck!
-Agonus is my umpteenth attempt at an energy manipulator character, like Magneto, Green Lantern, etc. It's one of the two basic templates I've tried in the game since I started playing. The other one template is a "flying brick" which I was able to pull off pretty well with Ahreman the Red. Why have I been try for the two templates? Most of the characters I like fit in one or the other, pretty much.))
