Deus Ex
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Deus Ex | |
| Player: @Sunajus | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Deus (D'yeus) |
| Known Aliases: | D Ex, The Black Ally, Dex |
| Species: | Construct |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 200 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Crimson |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Citizenship: | Was granted American Citizenship in 1944 |
| Occupation: | Registered Superhero, Operative of Vanguard and Special Advisor to M.A.G.I. |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Current Residence: | Unknown: Believed somewhere in Perez Park |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Brothers and Sisters |
| Known Powers | |
| Hyper-Sensory Perception, Extraordinary Physical Attributes, Eidetic Memory, Magical Resistance | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Ambedexterity, Willpower | |
| Equipment | |
| A various collection of weaponry and armor, which ranges from the common to the exotic to the painfully wierd. | |
| Footnotes | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Personality
In a purely social setting Deus tends to be a slightly withdrawn individual, even in the presence of his closest friends and associates. He does not argue or quibble, though often in conversation he has the annoying tendency to point out deviations from logic in one way or another. Rarely if ever does he understand why other people do the things they do and appears to have no conception of such things like propriety or social subtlety. Most men react poorly to Deus, seeing him as overbearing, sinister or competition. With women, his demeanor coupled with his innocence and naiveté places him invariably in the proverbial 'best friend zone', not that Deus would ever notice such a distinction (or care). All in all, he is a bit of a stoic goof, unknowingly making social gaffs virtually every time he interacts with others.
In combat, he is a different sort of creature. Grim and cold, he meets battle with a perfectionists touch in what is usually a blur of motion. Those around him have drawn half-joking parallels between Deus Ex and the Terminator, in that he is often absolutely relentless and will generally not stop unless it is tactically favorable to do so.
Powers
Hyper Sensory Perception
Perhaps the most advanced ability in Deus's arsenal is his sensory perceptions and their simultaneous interplay with each other. His senses by themselves are refined to the point where they are indeed superior to most animals famed for such perception ability. He has exhibited examples of 20/.1 vision, his hearing tested in the 10hz - 100khz range, and has on many occasions tracked criminals for miles with his olfactory sense, much like a bloodhound.
However, the real beauty of it comes out in their connection. Each sense is directly tied into the others; sights have a feel, tastes have a sound, noises have a visual key, etc. Each of his five senses produces a response that is perceived by the other four simultaneously. Deus Ex can sift through this information with surprising accuracy and speed, as his mean reaction time has been measured in the 10-15 millisecond range. Some have speculated that the understanding of so much sensory data and the ability to interpret and react to all of it at such an alarming rate gives him a limited form of near-precognition in battle, accounting for his ability to dodge and parry projectiles, to say nothing of melee combat.
Extraordinary Physical Attributes
Deus’s physical prowess is beyond a doubt far beyond the human norm, superhuman pushing into the supernatural across all spectrums. Included in his repertorium of physical endowments is a lack of lactic acid build-up within his muscular geography as well as a heightened healing rate. This level of physical aptitude has been seen evident in a number of related abilities that Deus Ex is capable of; Of course, the activities where it is prevalently noted by others is in combat in and about Paragon City.
One particularly incredible aspect of Deus Ex's physiology is that he does not experience cellular or organismal senescence of any kind. Indeed, studies have found that comparing older samples obtained from Deus Ex during his registration and more recent ones, his cellular structure has become more resilient. What is more, during mitosis the corresponding telomeres regenerate themselves; it is believed by absorbing ambient nutrients. All of this combined has the effect of making Deus Ex, in effect, biologically immortal.
Eidetic Memory
Otherwise known as photographic memory or ‘total recall’; the ability to remember individual instances with near-perfect clarity. Near-perfect being the operative word as all memories are by default distorted by the viewer the moment they are witnessed. Never was this statement more true than it is with Deus, due primarily to his odd amalgam of sensory abilities, mentioned above. Deus has memorized specifics on thousands of subjects, not the least of which includes languages. He is one of a handful of true hyper-polyglot individuals within the contiguous United States.
Mostly though, he finds function in this ability in adapting muscle memory quickly and efficiently. The student who must strike a thousand times to teach his body to respond instinctively, Deus Ex need only do so once or twice. Often, this allows Deus to copy unknown warriors and their form, utilizing their own maneuvers once they are displayed. On the other hand, this has caused Deus Ex more trouble than it is worth in the past with martial artists, and he is reluctant to initiate this aspect actively.
Magic Resistance
A side-effect of him being bound and made via magic is an inherent resistance to such effects. Spells often inexplicably have less effect upon Deus as they should, or sometimes not even working at all. This applies to both positive and negative effects. A healing spell can be dramatically reduced in function or cancelled as easily as an offensive ability. There is one exception to this resistance, seen below in vulnerabilities.
Abilities
Ambidexterity
Due in part to his integral abilities as well as his long years, Deus is equally proficient with the use of his right or left hand, from the broadest sweeping strikes of a sword to the finest handwriting. While fighting with his trademark weapon, he often switches hands mid-swing without losing his blinding speed or clock-like tempo. At others, while his blade is striking down, his other hand has likely already begun another swing/parry/riposte which intercepts the hilt and sharply redirects the momentum of the sword. This gives his 'style' a terrifying degree of alacrity that have left more than not seeking escape rather than a furtherance of combat with Deus.
Willpower
Deus has had to overcome tremendous adversity in his past; from his own burgeoning code of ethics running contradictory to his instincts, simply dealing with who and what he is, and the plethora of opponents he has faced down. Particularly, in dealing with the Sigil of the Soulless (details in vulnerabilities) and combating against it has strengthened his mind and focused his will. He is still susceptible to light mental abilities and fine manipulation therein, but has proven in the past to be possessed of a high degree of identity and is remarkably resilient to powerful forms of mental invasion and all but immune to possession itself.
Vulnerabilities
Sigil of the Soulless
Long ago, during his creation, his creators sought means to readily and instantly control the Constructs they had devised, insuring absolute obedience. The Sigil of the Soulless was the answer, a vastly complex magical rune that was placed visibly onto their flesh, but ostensibly attached deep into their relative psyche. Deus Ex has tried several times to remove the offensive brand, but the magic present is integrated and has proven impossible for him to be rid of, as of yet.
The Sigil of the Soulless, if activated, is a method of issuing commands to Deus Ex. It overrides the will of Deus as an independent entity, instead forcing him to act on the commands to the best of his ability. Under this state of influence, the Constructs have killed thousands of people from various eras, people that could have potentially changed the world for the better.
While his makers are destroyed or absolved of the ability to operate the Sigil, and very few know of even its theoretical existence (much less it’s actual), they represent a bypass through the will of the Constructs, a means to enslave them to any purpose. Deus Ex is very aware of this fact but is at a logical loss on how to proceed. The fact that Deus (named first D'yeus by the Oranbegans) has been present during and through certain events that have become occult history and esoterica, it would be conceivably possible for a powerful magician with the right obscure knowledge and willingness to delve into forbidden arts to potentially know of and perhaps, even seize control of the sigil. And thus, Deus.
Anti-magic
The most evident weakness of Deus is his response to anti-magic. His bloodline is of many creatures that cannot interbreed, his digestion system is more akin to a blast furnace than a mild acid pit. Some organs over-sized, some over-small (or non-existent). In essence, he is a being of impossible existence which is made possible only by the magic that binds it together. Thus, a powerful enough dispel, drain or counter, targeted or in an area, can kill him instantly by rendering the magic inert and letting his being deal with it's impossibility suddenly as his bones grow brittle and the temperature of his internal self burning it's way through him. Even a weaker one will hurt him severely, causing instant cellular-death over large portions of his anatomy. What is more, this will bypass his magic resistance very often. It would be the function of relative miraculous luck for his own resistance to counter the effects.
Due to this limitation, Deus is nigh obsessed with the various verbal keys and gestures from all magical philosophies which would indicate an effect being produced along said lines, so he can bodily avoid the ability and reassess combat priorities (meaning more often that not, he comes for the caster with a cold fury). He does try to hide this vulnerability, but a handful of the most persistent of villains with access to rudimentary magic (ala: those that are still alive) are very much so aware of this particular weakness, to say nothing of better intentioned magicians that seek his death, ones that know more of Deus's past and little of his present.
Life in Paragon
What's in a name?
Deus arrived in Paragon City in late April of 2004, and took a very circumspect attitude to registration, in that he did no such thing initially, avoiding city hall within Atlas Park and a very dogged Azuria for the better part of a year. It was not until fate stepped in did he finally manage the leap away from unknown vigilantism and towards what became his operating identity.
The name “Deus Ex” was the brainchild of Archmagi Azuria and a young mutant named Solaria. Originally intended by Azuria to be Deus Ex Machina after the bad plot device where an intractable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved (given Deus’s track record, this seemed apt), Solaria instead suggested to remove the “Machina” and end with Ex, both as something that was “more catchy and less dumb” and as a private nod to the mythos of mutant-themed comics which included some derivative of X. Although assured by Azuria that Deus was not a mutant, she could not readily identify the baseline species and as such, the fifteen year old Solaria was eager to suggest he was a magical mutant. This caused a not insignificant amount of eye-rolling, but nonetheless, Deus Ex remains his professional name to this day.
The Killer Hero
The Killer Hero is a more in-depth narrative of the events that occurred in November of 2005 in and about Paragon City regarding a string of kidnappings and also represents the first claim to promience the hero Deus Ex achieved within the Paragon community, albeit infamous promience.
The fallout synopsis is included here.
Free to do something
Deus Ex went into obscurity after his brush with celebrity status and limited incarceration for a time, second-guessing his decision to come to Paragon City. He seemed to spend the majority of his time rushing into more cloak and dagger plots involving major felonies and resolving it as quickly as possible, then fleeing before any media could arrive. Though little had changed in his predilection towards lethal combat, the footage obtained from various security cameras showed Deus fighting to defend himself and others. Though at times it was brutal and more often than not, the perpetrators were eviscerated, what little the media obtained ironically fueled public opinion of him upward.
In an exposé on Deus Ex, one reporter found that the criminal underworld was becoming more and more terrified of this hero who basically did not take prisoners or attempt, by all appearances, to make arrests. More than ever, he had a reputation as a proverbial boogie-man, only it was the criminal mind that was haunted, and the public loved it. Though he remained firmly on the outs with the P.P.D. and Longbow, he began to acquire a following; not as a hero who was fighting the battle, but the war.
In truth, many of the older citizenry of Paragon City and the more traditional heroes did not approve of the example Deus was setting. Needless to say, the police were eager to find any cause to harass him, when they could find him, while Longbow did their best to beat him out to any crime scene, blocking him from activity. Neither truly met with much success. However, the youth of the city began to adore him, his Q-rating skyrocketing, and even unapproved merchandise becoming wildly popular.
When it seemed like he was destined for prominence, Deus Ex inexplicably disappeared.
The Zenvious Foundation
After a few years, when most of the public interest in Deus Ex had faded and his past actions became more or less a footnote in Paragon City’s history, he returned to public life with the decision to attempt to better interact with humanity. It was at this time he met a operatic heroine named Artemis's Siren, became fast friends and formed an operating partnership. Through her, he was introduced to the well-known and well-loved Zenvious Foundation. He accepted a position among them, but not before the Axiom himself, Mr. Zen, received Deus's promise that he would not take human life while he operated under the auspices of his organization.
It was an interesting time for Deus, where he learned powerful lessons as to the nature of how human beings view good and evil, and began to make sincere friends by attempting to reach out to them and promoting conversation, a definitive first. It was also perhaps the height of his effectiveness in combat, ironically. What is quietly heralded as his finest moment among his fellows and select of the U.N.’s Vanguard is when he rescued a team (of which included Artemis's Siren) from the Rikti Horsemen by engaging, and remarkably defeating, all four single-handedly and simultaneously.
New Beginings
After the Zenvious Foundation disbanded, Deus Ex briefly followed Daria and Laurette into the ranks of the Paragonian Knights under the leadership of the vaunted but ethically conflicted (at least, in Deus's eyes) Grae Knight. As much as he seemed to mesh well and respected the Paragonian Knights and their massive list of accomplishments, he felt out of place in such a large organization and departed in lieu of solo activity for a time.
Little is known about the activities of Deus during this time frame, only that he left Paragon City for weeks at a time, returning occasionally to deal with more serious threats to the city and to delve into M.A.G.I.’s records, researching more than crime-fighting.
When he did surface again in the hero community, it was with Artemis's Siren, Tempest Fist and Daria St. Claire, by assisting in the formation of the Invictus Foundation, where he operates this day.
Affiliations
One of the first individuals he met after his return to his chosen profession, Ariata DeSilva was the first in long memory to embrace Deus Ex as a person and not an animate 'thing'. The two are very close, often operating as a duo around and about Paragon City. Ironically, their dispositions could not be more differant, with Artemis being an eternal optimist and generally a paragon of virtue. In Deus's mind, this is a good thing, as Arty compensates for his natural limitations magnificently.
The storied and famous Laurette Merle was first introduced to Deus Ex when she joined the Zenvious Foundation, not long after he did. Initally, Deus was skeptical if a hero who lost her powers would be able to stand on her own against the foes they engaged in. Much to Deus's surprise, her fighting prowess was superb, enough to check even him. Ever since, Deus's perfered sparring partner is Tempest Fist, having seen no other pure human combatant with her level of efficency or aptitude.
Deus was initally extremely wary of Daria St. Claire, having had mostly negative encounters with Archmagi prior to her. He warmed to her quickly though (rather, as much as he ever warms to anyone), taken in by her pleasant disposition and unwavering loyalty. As much as he found the presence of her magical ability uncomfortable, he became fast friends with the very educationally-minded Daria.
Perhaps one being he can readily identify with is the flamboyant Chris, due solely to his existance as a lab grown human in a super-soldier project. There, the similarities seemingly stop. Chris has had off-again, on-again relationships with Artemis's Siren. As friends to both individuals, Deus attempts to make sure their hearts are not battered to pieces when he can. In fights, they often compliment each other very well, both being tactically minded and naturally moving to compensate for enviormental weak points.
The relationship Deus and Blue had with each other was complicated, forged mostly out of paradoxical ideals. Often they would take recreation in the Pocket D or the base within the Rikti War Zone and simply converse about life. Deus was able to open up to her to a degree most women found to be pedantic or annoying. Often, oddly, they were able to dispassionately discuss men and women and their interactions. Recently, she returned from Dubai and their friendship resumed at pace.
The Seven-Fold Immortal and Deus have a very long history, dating back to before Christ. At the time, Deus was firmly under the grip of the sigil and his maker's, and was often sent to deal with the being directly. In recent times, they have become associates and partners in the field off and on. Most mistake her for being the equivilant of a 'dumb blonde' with how she behaves. Deus knows that she has seen the birth of nations, the death knell of ages and is wise beyond the scope of most living things. He treats her accordingly.
Miscellania
Where did he go?
Those times in his past within Paragon City when Deus Ex has virtually disappeared, it has always been related to relation. His brothers and sisters, now operating out of the Rogue Isles, are more often than not a source of frustration and even a threat to those around them, and bear checking in with occasionally. Recently, they have been working towards something big, gathering an astounding amount of magical resources and data to do… something. Deus Ex is still unaware of the particulars.
The ties that bind
- coming soon*
Trivia!
- coming**
