Der Eisenmensch
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| L to R: Conrad, Ausgabe-1β, Ausgabe-2, Ausgabe-3 | |
| Der Eisenmensch | |
| Player: Captain Sammitch | |
| Origin: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Conrad von Schrobenhausen |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 31 |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 260lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Grey |
| Hair Color: | Lt. Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American citizen but born in 19th-century Germany |
| Occupation: | Physicist, engineer, prolific inventor, executive shareholder |
| Place of Birth: | Schrobenhausen, Bavaria |
| Base of Operations: | Jadewire HQ |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | no immediate surviving relatives |
| Known Powers | |
| Numerous, conferred by armor | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| Multiple suits of powered armor | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Backstory
Bavaria
Conrad von Schrobenhausen was born in the town of Schrobenhausen in southern Bavaria in the year 1856. His family was part of the landed aristocracy in the south of what would soon become Germany, and since the thirteenth century had employed some of the most skilled armorers and weaponsmiths in western Europe. Conrad's father Karl had thrown his hat into the ring as the Industrial Revolution first took hold in Germany, building a factory to assemble artillery and the newly-invented rifled muskets for the Bavarian principality amid the growing German nationalist movement. While his older brother Michael studied business in anticipation of taking over the family business, Conrad threw himself into the study of engineering and science, especially the emerging field of physics. Fascinated by electricity and stories about the American Benjamin Franklin's kite - not to mention the news from across the sea regarding a brilliant young inventor by the name of Edison - Conrad hoped to make his own contributions to science. However, all this was derailed when Kaiser Wilhelm and Chancellor Bismarck's fledgling German empire emerged from war with Denmark and Austria only to find itself at war with France.
Working With Tesla
Geschützanfertigen von Schrobenhausen was pressed into service cranking out weaponry for Bismarck's army, and both Michael and Conrad hoped to make names for themselves - as a businessman and an inventor, respectively - through involvement in what looked to be a brief and hopefully fairly bloodless conflict. In reality, the German armies - largely on the strength of artillery produced by GAS and designed by Conrad von Schrobenhausen - waded through the French forces handily, but the loss of life was greater than either of the brothers anticipated. The siege and bombardment of Paris in 1870-71 was too much for Conrad, and following the end of the Franco-Prussian War he left for Austria-Hungary, disheartened by the destruction wrought by his inventions. While in Budapest, Conrad encountered a brilliant Serbian scientist/inventor named Nikola Tesla, who was developing methods for using turbines to generate electrical current. The two men became good friends and collaborated on a number of electrical experiments; von Schrobenhausen expanded upon his knowledge of electricity thanks to Tesla, and Tesla's research and development benefited greatly from Conrad's metalworking and machining skills.
Experiment 83-θ
Ever the eccentric, Tesla was able to remain grounded in some semblance of reality thanks to Conrad's single-minded determination and enviable organizational and management abilities. However, he eventually prevailed upon Conrad von Schrobenhausen to explore some of Tesla's more outlandish theories about the applications of electromagnetic fields. Experiment 83-Theta, carried out in August of 1883, was to test the ability of a very powerful electromagnetic field to bend light around an object, rendering it invisible to the human eye - eighty years before the alleged Philadelphia Experiment! Feeling rather adventurous, Conrad volunteered to monitor the experiment directly. To protect himself from the intense bursts of electricity and powerful magnetic fields, Conrad constructed a suit of powered armor that could absorb and redirect the current, protecting him while granting him some measure of control over the extraordinary levels of energy. With everything in place, and Conrad in position, Tesla threw the lever and Experiment 83-θ began.
Welcome to Paragon
The trouble began almost immediately, when Tesla's primitive safety fuses began to malfunction, making it impossible for Tesla to regulate the flow of current from his generators to the experiment apparatus. The field strengths quickly grew to levels that would not be approximated until the Manhattan Project - or, supposedly, the Philadelphia Experiment - and unknown to Conrad, phenomena similar to those described as occurring in conjunction with the Philadelphia Experiment began to manifest themselves. The compression of electromagnetic fields into increasingly confined volumes began to open a rift in spacetime - and without warning Conrad, protected only by his armor suit, was pulled through that rift and unceremoniously dropped into the harbor just off Liberty Pier in the Paragon City of 2006. The heavy armored suit began to drag him underwater, but Conrad was plucked from the harbor by no less a hero than the passing Statesman himself.
A New Beginning
Greatly troubled by the abrupt change in scenery and even more troubled by the seeming unwillingness of scientists and magic users to return him to his own time, Conrad found it difficult to adjust to life in a new land and a new century. He soon discovered that GAS still existed as a subsidiary of Krupp back in Germany, and after proving his identity was granted his family's majority share in Geschützanfertigen von Schrobenhausen. Conrad disliked the business world, preferring the comparatively sedate competition within the scientific community, but his origins as a temporal outcast led many scientists to dismiss him as an anachronism and a curiosity - at best. Despondent and lacking any sort of direction, Conrad found a semblance of purpose as a 'pest controller' - wandering through Paragon sewers in his old armor suit, dispatching of vermin and villains alike using electrical weaponry he had developed. After one such patrol, Conrad emerged from the sewers into Atlas Park, where he intercepted a radio transmission from K.C. Krystal inviting would-be heroes to interview for roles in The Jadewire, a prominent Super Group. In the Jadewire, Conrad found the purpose - and the family - he had seemingly lost over the course of his trip through time, and he quickly set about developing the technology of his armor suits to fight crime as Der Eisenmensch...
Conrad's Armor Suits and their Powers
To date, Conrad has constructed three separate armor suits, each with a unique appearance and powers.
Ausgabe-1
The Version One began its life as the protective armor Conrad wore when conducting his own electrical experiments or assisting Nikola Tesla with his. Once Conrad found himself in present-day Paragon City and began using his inventions to fight crime, he saw the importance of adding a vast array of both offensive and defensive hardware, and the current Version One-Gamma has only eleven percent structural commonality with the 1883 lab equipment from which it originated.
Ausgabe-1β
The first incarnation of Der Eisenmensch was a massive, lurching all-metal contraption that could barely manage a steady hover, but in Conrad's skilled hands, the Version One-Beta - his original protective armor with electrical-blast weaponry bolted on - sent many a Skull, Hellion, or Lost gangbanger to the Zig at the business end of a sizzling bolt of electricity. However, the original armor's great weight and sluggish pace severely limited its usefulness, and as soon as he joined the Jadewire, Conrad went back to the drawing board hoping to up his game...
Ausgabe-1γ "JadeRitter"
Conrad's brief stint as a Jade Knight and his continued presence as a technical consultant to the Knights compelled him to give his old armor a new look, one worthy of the 'Wire's elite strike force. Simultaneously, the great success of the Ausgabe-2 and its many technical improvements prompted him to incorporate these new technologies into the Ausgabe-1. The result was the Version One-Gamma. Much of the chassis components and almost the entirety of the Ausgabe-1's exterior were replaced by lighter alloys, tough composites, more compact servos, and more efficient power relays, but it was the stunning green cape and winged medieval-styled helmet that made the JadeRitter armor such an impressive sight in the skies above Paragon City.
Ausgabe-1ω
Until recently, rumors of Conrad von Schrobenhausen developing a so-called "ultimate" refit of the Ausgabe-1 were largely unfounded. However, several credible eyewitnesses have reported sightings of Der Eisenmensch in an armored suit which is vaguely similar in profile to the Ausgabe-1β yet appears slightly larger and "flashier" and is clad in a highly visible white-and-green color scheme. The Jadewire have released no official statements concerning the inventor's alleged recent projects at this time, and if any criminals or villains have encountered this new armor - provisionally dubbed the Version One-Omega - they are either unwilling or unable to describe such an experience.
Ausgabe-2 "Erzwingen"
The lessons Conrad learned in his first few months of fighting crime with the Ausgabe-1β led him to introduce numerous innovations when he constructed the Version Two, which he christened the "Enforcer". Lighter metals and extensive use of composite materials allow the Ausgabe-2 to fly at a much greater speed than the meandering hover of the Ausgabe-1β, and improved emitters able to withstand throughput of greater energy levels provide it with more firepower and greater endurance efficiency. The Ausgabe-2 is painted the customary green and black of the Jadewire, but its streamlined look sets it apart from Conrad's other suits, as does the faint greenish aura emitted by the suit's defensive field. The Enforcer is the armor in which Der Eisenmensch is most frequently encountered, and its green-and-black starstreak-patterned cape has become a welcome sight to many of Paragon's citizens when in danger.
Ausgabe-3 "Stillestürm"
Mixed success in several high-risk, high-threat missions prompted Conrad to construct a newer and even further improved armor suit, one that could not only dish out and take heavier firepower than his previous suits but could escape detection in cases where discretion might be the better part of valor. The result was the Version Three, dubbed the "Silent Storm". Free of a cape, aura, or any other extraneous cosmetic detail which might draw attention to itself, the Ausgabe-3's menacing midnight blue and gunmetal grey chassis is light, fast, and agile. Anechoic radar- and infrared-avoiding surface composites and a special cloaking device can render this armor suit virtually undetectable, making it the incarnation of Der Eisenmensch most feared by Paragon's criminal element. But when the time comes for Conrad to cease reconnaissance operations and enter combat, the Silent Storm is anything but silent, and the Thunderous Blast it can emit has sent Nemesis back to the drawing board on several occasions.
Conrad and the Jadewire
Over the course of his tenure with the Jadewire, Conrad has gone from being a curiosity and a newcomer to being an essential personality within a prominent and powerful supergroup. His unassuming, easygoing personality makes it easy for him to make and keep friends, and his technical expertise, which he continues to expand upon constantly, is absolutely invaluable to the 'Wire.
Conrad von Schrobenhausen, resident tech guru
Conrad von Schrobenhausen being promoted to the rank of Jade Operative
As a scientist and inventor, Conrad von Schrobenhausen has assumed responsibility for much of the Jadewire's research and development efforts and production of much of its base and field-issue equipment. His holdings in GAS finance both these enterprises and the ongoing development of his armor suits. Conrad has cooperated with the Jade Knights - the Jadewire's elite special strike force - almost from the beginning of his involvement in the 'Wire, and was for a while a de facto member of the Knights; he remains a reserve member and technical consultant. Conrad enjoys helping his friends in the 'Wire create or obtain the newest and best hardware for use in the field and is a trusted advisor to the Jade Captains on matters of scientific and technological relevance.
Friendships and Relationships
Having lost his family in his abrupt jaunt through time and space, Conrad has felt a deep sense of loneliness for quite some time. Consequently, he has been eager to develop friendships with fellow members of the Jadewire, and thus far this has been quite therapeutic for him. Conrad is particularly good friends with Hiryu Kushinada, Captain of the Jade Knights, who has been one of his most outspoken supporters from the beginning. At this point Conrad has no romantic prospects, citing the frustrating differences between courtship practices of his own time and today's comparatively bewildering array of dating games, but he once privately confessed to his friend Hiryu that he found Jade Captain K.C. Krystal "intriguing".
What some have said...
"Conrad is my first man to go to when i need something beyond of my realm of abilities to produce things of technological genius. He's a warm minded man with a strong will to stop the evils of this world. He's invaluable to the wire and a good friend. I hope to work with him for many years to come."-Dark Zephir's/Reeve Blue's thoughts on Conrad.
"Conrad is like a drunken Einstein, incredibly intelligent and very fun. I can't think of a better man to call friend." -Rider's thoughts on Conrad.
OOC stuff
Even if you don't speak a word of German, by now you've probably guessed it - I took elements of Iron Man's character and backstory and rolled them back to a Victorian-era/steampunk setting. Then I chucked the poor guy into present-day Paragon City and waited to see how he'd cope. He started life as my sixth or seventh toon - I lost count a long time ago - but since has become easily my most-played and most-roleplayed character. This page is kind of a work in progress, and I hope to fill in details as I go, but hopefully this is a good start. By the way, Matt King was the one who got me to sign up and create this page, so thank - or blame - him...
