Darius Valerius
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Darius Valerius was inspired by several characters, mostly Thor, Hercules, Perseus, and Gladiator. He was created out of my desire to have a character that was much more powerful than any other I had made before him. Normally, I'm not a big fan of extremely powerful characters, but I figured I'd make one that would be able to contend with bigger threats than my less powerful ones. And now for the meat of the article.
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| Darius Valerius | |
| Player: @Shadow Nail | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Darius Valerius |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 190 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Golden, with a noticeable ring of black around the irises |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Greek |
| Occupation: | Dockworker in Independence Port |
| Place of Birth: | Greece |
| Base of Operations: | NAM base |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Agatha (mother) Linus (father) |
| Known Powers | |
| Superhuman Strength and durability, flight, Limited Magic-materialization | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Skilled with a shield | |
| Equipment | |
| Carries a Titanium-Steel alloy shield, also has an Adamantine shield. | |
| ' | |
Contents |
History
Humble roots
Darius was born into a small Greek village to two normal parents, Agatha and Linus Valerius. Both parents led a simple life, Agatha a stay-at-home mother and Linus a blacksmith. On the outside, Darius seemed like any normal, healthy baby. His eyes were peculiar, being a dull gold in color with a solid black ring around his eyes. Taking this as a peculiar form of birth mark, most people paid it no mind. As he grew though, it began to become apparent that Darius was not a normal child. As a child, he was able to perform feats of strength far beyond any grown man. Breaking through walls at a run, uprooting trees, twisting bars of steel with his bare hands. The doctors told his parents that he was a mutant with incredible strength and durability. His parents jokingly called him "a little Heracles". Despite his amazing power, Darius was content to live out the rest of his life in his small village, and try to lend his help to any who could use his strength. But when the Rikti invaded Earth, Darius saw that people like him were trying to fight back their hardest. No matter the cost. His small town was spared, mostly because of its remote location and small size. After the fighting had left Greece, he traveled to Athens to help the cleanup efforts. It was there that he decided to make use of his powers in a beneficial way. Hearing that Paragon City, Rhode Island was having the most difficulty in the aftermath of the Rikti War, Darius got a plane ticket to the city. Upon arriving in Paragon, he rented a small apartment in Independence Port and a job working at the docks and shipyards there.
Startling Realizations
It wasn't until seriously beginning the hero work that Darius began to realize the greater extent of his powers. Exploring his limits, he began to discover that what he knew of his power was few and far in-between. But the truth revealed itself upon entering the ancient land of Cimerora. During the grueling task of assisting Imperious and his men assail the Council and Nictus forces that had joined with the traitorous Romulus, Darius eventually found himself face-to-face with Romulus Augustus himself. In one of the most challenging fights of his life, Darius fought against the Nictus empowered Emperor, and was knocked out at the end of the fight.
Theme Song
- Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Demigodhood: Darius is one of the Heraclidae, the descendants of Heracles. Though his relation is generations back, his power is still phenomenal. This is because of divine intervention on behalf of the now-God Heracles. This grants him several powerful abilities, mostly magical in origin.
- Superhuman Strength: Like his famed ancestor, Darius possess extreme amounts of super strength. At his lowest strength level and in his civilian guise, he can lift excess of 100 tons above his head. Using magic or technology, he doesn't have to worry about the object collapsing around him because of a field created around it. It is theorized, however, that if he were to use all his power at full confidence, Darius could well reach far into the ranges of potentially incalculable. He is one of the strongest men on earth, even by metahuman standards.
- Superhuman Durability: While not quite invulnerable, Darius is still incredibly durable and resistant to physical damage. Bullets and physical blows barely scratch him, and he rarely experiences any lasting injuries in a fight. He can survive extreme temperatures of both hot and cold. He can even survive in the vacuum of space unaided. High-pressure environments do not phase him, he can travel to the bottom of the ocean without any ill affects. Sufficient trauma can still incapacitate him, but between his shield and his physique, it is quite difficult.
- Flight: Darius also has the power to lift himself up through the skies by magical means, much like his ancestor Perseus. He has since learned to control this power better and can reach mach speeds. However, he refrains from doing so in the city because of the potential to cause damage to the surroundings. It is rumored he can strain himself to reach escape velocity, though he hasn't attempted this yet.
- Superhuman Lung Capacity: Darius strength also transfers to his lungs. He is capable of inhaling and exhaling huge amounts of air. This means that he can hold his breath for incredible lengths of time. His limit underwater is not known, but it extends well beyond any normal human. It's possible he can even hold his breath in space.
- Magic Materialization: Relatively unskilled in its use, this magical skill allows Darius to materialize various objects out of seemingly thin air. Most of the time, it is used to summon his armor and shield to him from an extra-dimensional source. However, he can also create new clothing for himself and others. The extent of his power is unknown.
Abilities
Darius has little in the range of combat and fighting abilities, but the sheer strength and scope of his powers make him a deadly opponent in battle.
Equipment
- Titanium Shield: To better protect himself, Darius has forged a shield made of a durable titanium-steel alloy shield. While certainly not unbreakable, it does well to protect the wielder and those he wishes to protect.
- Adamantine Shield: Forged from the furnaces of Hephaestus himself using the legendary Olympian metal Adamantine, this shield was given to Darius after his defeat of Romulus Augustus. Being made from Adamantine, the shield is virtually-indestructible, and for all intents and purposes, it cannot be damaged.
- Crimson Armor: Making a costume for himself, Darius also wears armor both to give off an appearance of valiance and as another measure of protection. It is made of the same material as his shield. Recently, Darius has found that he can will the armor and shield away and replace it with his civilian garb. Shocked and confused as to how this happens, he continues using this new aspect of his powers, though he still does not understand it.
- Containment Suit: After a recent incident involving a collapsing structure in Striga Isle after delving into the heart of the volcano there, it was decided by the Paragon City Council that a way to help control Darius strength be devised. The problem was that despite him being able to save the bystanders from the falling building, in lifting it the integrity of the building gave out and the structure collapsed in a heap around him. Only having two hands the size of a normal man, scientists crafted a way to help Darius carry extremely large loads without creating insane amounts of pressure to a small area. This new suit creates a kinetic barrier that surrounds an object and applies more equaling levels of pressure to the object as a whole. Darius finds the look a bit embarrassing, but it was fashioned by scientists. Unbeknownst to him, however, MAGI had a hand in the project. The suit harnesses the magical energies that help fuel Darius' god-like powers, and allows MAGI to keep tabs on them.
Weaknesses
- Confidence: While both an incredible boon and yet also a great weakness, Darius' powers are connected with his confidence in himself and his perceived ability to perform the task at hand. When fully confident in his power, Darius is extremely powerful, able to stand toe-to-toe with the most powerful foes and his strength is truly awesome. However, when his confidence is low, his powers decrease in strength, becoming only a fraction of what they were. Relatively shy, an enemy could manipulate him enough to weaken him to where he would be much more vulnerable.
- Psionics: For all his physical strength, Darius' mind is somewhat vulnerable. Especially to mind control. While he would be able to resist weak invasions, a skilled telepath would be able to easily influence him, much like his ancestor Heracles, driven mad by the Goddess Hera.
