La Calavera
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| La madre de los muertos! | |
| La Calavera | |
| Player: @SusieBot | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 36 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Maria Carmen Vargas |
| Known Aliases: | Vera Callas |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | Confidential |
| Height: | 5'6" |
| Weight: | 120 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Mexican Citizen |
| Occupation: | Criminal |
| Place of Birth: | Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Base of Operations: | St. Martial, the Rogue Isles |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Pedro Vargas (father), Maria Lucinda Vargas (mother), Paulo Vargas (brother) |
| Known Powers | |
| None | |
| Known Abilities | |
| None | |
| Equipment | |
| The Mask of Mictecacihuatl | |
| No additional information available. | |
La Calavera was born of my fascination with the Mexican "Day of the Dead" festival, combined with an affinity for zombies. Like most of my characters, she is very strongly Silver Age -- or, at least, as Silver Age as one can be when one raises armies of zombies from the grave. She possesses that one great identifier of ethnic Silver Age heroes -- she throws in a bit of high school Spanish at strange times when she is talking.
Contents |
Personality
Maria Carmen Vargas, the girl wearing the Mask of Mictecacihuatl, is shy, innocent, and strongly religious. She is a "good girl" from a good family. On the rare occasions that she is separated from the mask, she lives a law-abiding, decent life. However, she and the Mask always seem to find one another -- Maria Carmen actually seeks out the mask from some compulsion (magical or otherwise).
La Calavera, the personality within the Mask, is cruel, merciless, and finds great mirth in the suffering of others. She meticulously cultivates the vices of others (hence her empire of crime founded on drugs, artifacts, and slaves), and revels in the destruction of law and order. She is seldom angry, but can be dismissive of those she considers inferiors in intellect or power.
Equipment
The Mask of Mictecacihuatl
The Mask of Mictecacihuatl is an ancient Aztec artifact, which dates back to pre-Columbian Mexico. Created from an actual human skull, the mask was made by a dark, cannibalistic cult that worshipped a twisted version of the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl. Mictecacihuatl is an Aztec deity that presided over various Aztec funerary and memorial rites. Historically, she is not portrayed as a malevolent being. The Mask of Mictecacihuatl, however, clearly has been infused with a malevolent energy. It surfaces multiple times in the myths of Mexico, generally worn by conquerers, cultists, or mass murderers. It reportedly possesses the wearer with "The Wrath of Mictecacihuatl", giving them a thirst for bloodshed and power, and granting them necromantic powers, including the ability to raise the dead and enslave them to the wearer's will.
The primary ability of the mask is the power to raise specially prepared cadavers as servants to the wearer. The process of preparing these cadavers takes several days, and involves treating them with numerous potions, herbs, and chemicals. The risen corpses can be extremely powerful -- some are even empowered with a portion of the mask's dark energies, granting them magical abilities similar to the wearer's.
In order to protect itself, the Mask also grants the wearer a variety of dark magic abilities. These include fear-based spells, invisibility, and pools of energy-sapping darkness. The Mask uses the wearer's own energies to power these spells -- extensive use will exhaust the wearer, but not sap the potency of the artifact.
The Mask's malevolent personality subsumes the personality of the wearer -- when she is wearing the mask, there appears to be no trace of Maria Carmen Vargas in La Calavera.
Character History
Early Life
Maria Carmen Vargas was born on 1 November 1984 in the town of Piedra Blanca, Oaxaca, Mexico. Scant records from the region indicate that she grew up in relative poverty, and from the age of 12 commuted via bus to nearby beach communities to serve drinks in a variety of tourist bars. School records indicate that Maria Carmen was highly intelligent, excelling at mathematics and chemistry. At the time of the "Skull Island" incident, she had been accepted to attend the national university in Mexico City.
The Skull Island Incident
The "Skull Island" incident occurred on 1 November 2002, Maria Carmen's 18th birthday. A group of California youth arrived in Bancos del Oro, Mexico, on their yacht, and proceeded to the "Los Huesos del Pescador" tavern. There, they met Maria Carmen, impressing the young girl with their wealth and carefree attitude and luring her to a large "Day of the Dead" party on "Las Isla de la Calavera", a small atoll three miles off the coast of Oaxaca.
Maria Carmen went with the teens, arriving at a large bash on the island. What happened afterwards is conjecture. In the course of the event, Maria Carmen became intoxicated and wandered into the woods, closely followed by a boy named Trevor Eads. They rendevoused at a half-buried Aztec structure, and became briefly romantic before proceeding inside to explore. Within the temple, Maria Carmen discovered an altar, covered with fresh marigolds and offerings, surrounding a grotesque mask in the shape of a female skull. Maria Carmen tried the mask on, and was instantly possessed.
La Calavera
None of the young adults present at the "Skull Island" party were ever found again. Maria Carmen disappeared from Oaxaca. She reappeared one year later in Mexico City as an upstart crime lord, calling herself "La Calavera" and wearing the rainment she currently effects. In the following three years, she established a substantial criminal empire. The cornerstones of this empire were drug trade, slave trade, and a swift trade in forbidden artifacts. Rumors quickly spread that la Calavera was served by an army of zombies, and that she wielded terrifying, supernatural powers against her foes.
In time, la Calavera's ambitions extended beyond Mexico, and she made contact with Arachnos. It is currently unknown in what capacity she serves Lord Recluse. She has reportedly established a base of operations in the Rogue Isles, and has been seen (accompanied by her undead servants) performing a number of criminal tasks for contacts throughout the Islands.
Three times in her history, La Calavera has been separated from the Mask of Mictecacihuatl by law enforcement or masked heroes. On all three occasions, she reverted to her Maria Carmen Vargas persona, and has expressed gratitude at being released from the thrall of the mask. Each time, however, she has re-acquired the mask and resumed her activities as La Calavera. It is unknown whether her Maria Carmen personality is a ruse, or if the mask exerts some influence on her when they are separated.
