Athanasius Crey
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
A cultured gentleman of another age, who becomes a fierce swordsman in the heat of battle.
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| Athanasius Crey | |
| Player: @Mister Fetch | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Confidential |
| Known Aliases: | Athan |
| Species: | Altered Human |
| Age: | 32 (apparent) |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 180 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Pale Blue |
| Hair Color: | Blond |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Swiss |
| Occupation: | Adventurer/Book-dealer |
| Place of Birth: | Geneva |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Confidential | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| Confidential | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Background
In the year 1684, Count Antoine Crey hired the services of an alchemist who promised that he could turn his household guards into unstoppable soldiers. The Count's younger brother, Athanasius, was skeptical -- partly of his brother's need for such soldiers, but more of alchemists and of magic in general. In an effort to prove his brother wrong, he volunteered for the experiment himself.
Unfortunately for Athanasius, it turned out the alchemist was almost entirely correct. Both the guards and the young nobleman were transformed into superior swordsmen, capable of withstanding tremendous injury without faltering. The experiment, however, was not without side-effects: a certain recklessness that made its subjects unwilling to be commanded, and a battle-lust that took over at even the hint of a conflict.
The Count took the only steps he could: inviting his brothers and the soldiers to a feast, he had them poisoned, then chained inside iron coffins and buried beneath the family estate. It was over three hundred years later when, during her own research, the modern Countess Crey discovered records of the early experiments and had the bodies exhumed. Five of them, including Athanasius, were still alive.
He was the only one who escaped the laboratory.
Current Situation
Athanasius has been living quietly in Paragon for seven years now, and has adapted almost entirely to the modern world. He still maintains a taste for reminders of his own era -- certain antiques, books, and styles of clothes -- but rarely gives away any sign of his true origins and never speaks of his family. He divides his time between research in the Occult Studies Annex in Croatoa, hoping to find a remedy for his still-erratic personality, and on the streets of Paragon, channelling violence for good ends. To date, he has managed to avoid drawing the attention of Crey Industries, but he knows it is only a matter of time before he does something to spoil that.
Talents and Personality
Although scholarly by nature, Athanasius has been turned into an expert swordsman, and given the temperament to match. His fighting style is based largely on the Italian schools of his day, but as battles go on, he tends to get wilder and wilder, more and more unpredictable. It takes a considerable amount of restraint for him not to kill his opponents in the heat of combat, and that restraint has failed him on more than one occasion in the past.
When his sword is sheathed, he is largely a classical gentleman, with an appreciation of literature, music, fine wines, and amusing banter. He is well-read in the areas of alchemy and ritual magic, but his success with either on a practical level is meager at best.
Although educated in matters of religion, he does not consider himself a religious man, nor was he ever one. This does, however, mean that he has more or less overcome the religious biases of his day.
Allies
Athanasius counts few people as his allies, and fewer as his friends. He maintains a working relationship with Razor's Edge, Inc., a loose affiliation of troubleshooters drawn from diverse backgrounds, but has recently established his own group, made up of people whose lives have been touched and changed by magical forces.
