Maestro Fortissimo
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Sonic Resonance
Contents |
Theatre Tragedy
As Trevor came of age he discovered his singing voice and swiftly became an entertainer in musical theatre. He spent several years singing and acting for the large crowds of Paragon City and was very close to joining with a major entertainment business, but fate had another plan for Trevor. During one of his many performances, his powers manifested in a very brutal way and as he went for his highest note he unleashed a burst of super-sonic waves, killing or maiming a large portion of the audience.
Trevor stood on the stage in shock, watching as the remaining crowd fled before sinking to his knees. He sat on stage until the police arrived and didn't fight as they took him in for questioning. It was several days before some of the survivors of - what was now being called - the Paragon Theatre Tragedy began to come forth with their own stories about what happened. These stories varied but all of them led to the same conclusion, Trevor's last performance was no accident - despite Trevor's protests, the court only had his word to go by and with no other evidence beside eye witness testimony it was not looking good.
While the case was being arranged Trevor was forced to remain in custody until the end of the hearing. This would be the first injustice that would begin Trevor down his path into the criminal underworld, for while he was in prison, he was given some benefit of the doubt and allowed to stay in a relatively low security cell. This would prove to be the the second mistake the justice system made with Trevor as he was now allowed to secretly hone his power during down time between hearings.
The last day of the trial had finally come. Trevor was forced to sit through sob story after sob story all the while Trevor's anger building at the very idea of his situation. The guilty verdict came as no surprise, Trevor had been honing his skill specifically for this moment. He knew that if it came to this there would be no going back. The people had spoken, they had declared Trevor a criminal, a monster, and a monster they would most surely get. He stood from his seat after the judge had finished speaking and said only this,
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court. I would just like to thank you all for this opportunity. I thank you for giving me this final role to play. I swear to you all that I will put on the best show you have all ever seen."
The room stared at him but before anyone could speak, he unleashed his power upon them. The people fell to the ground as sonic vibrations tore them apart from the inside. As the last of the screams died so too did Trevor's 'singing' he turned to leave the city for good. He had, had plenty of time to plan this, he was done with this city, this life, he was no longer Trevor Winston, he would adopt a new stage name. He had settled on one before the final hearing - Maestro Fortissimo...
He made his exit from Paragon City and journeyed to the Rogue Isles where his villainous side got to shine, and he soon learned that the ways of mayhem and evil were much more satisfying than his old life. He embraced his new persona and plots his revenge against Paragon, one lovely note at a time.
Psychological Profile
The Maestro's psyche has taken a hit for the worst after the Threatre Tragedy. He killed a large number of people and wounded more. On top of that he was tried and founded guilty for it despite his claims to the contrary.
He fled to the Rogue Isles and became an official resident and then soon after, set out on his new criminal career. He makes trips back into Paragon occasionally to tango with the freedom fighters and cause a bit of havoc but he often stays in the Isles, plotting a grand comeback tour. The Maestro has become somewhat obsessed with his music and often sings to make full use of his power, even if it's just a few tuning notes.
From what little can be gleamed from the Maestro's personality, he seems completely sane, no signs of social phobias or mental disorders, he just enjoys causing problems for Paragon because "it was the role he was given." The only mental issue he does seem to posses is his desire to be the center of attention, narcissistic even. Maestro Fortissimo shows no remorse for his actions and takes great pride in all of his schemes.
Modus Operandi
---Excerpt from Longbow File #10057
Maestro Fortissimo, AKA Trevor Winston, Homo Sapian Superior and one of the top members of the United Underworld. Powers include various forms of sonic manipulation. Extremely dangerous even when alone. Only led the Underworld once so far and the damage was immense. Crimes include: Destruction of Public and Private property, Murder, Vandalism, Kidnapping, Theft. All crimes were done with an enormous amount of violence and chaos in its wake. If a crime in progress involves Trevor expect excessive damage and potential casualties. If possible attempt some form of sneak attack. If that fails use everything at hand to overwhelm him: prepare for high casualties. If subject is not alone bring in as much heavy support as possible: Wardens, Ballistae, and Cataphracts. Support these with as much firepower you can manage.
Conclusion: Approach subject with EXTREME caution. Be ready to protect civilians in the area, anticipate collateral damage, and be ready to handle casualties, both your own and civilian.
Powers
Overview
Some might theorize that the Maestro's only power is emitting high frequency sound waves that can only do harm, but there is so much more to it than that. His power is simply not emitting sound, but manipulating sound waves themselves. By controlling sound waves he is capable of anything from hypnosis to flight! Fortissimo can manipulate these waves by either making sound of his own or by waving his hands to weave sound waves as he sees fit. So long as there is sound or if he is able to create sound of his own, then he can use his powers to their absolute fullest.
Master of Sound
Maestro Fortissimo can channel sound waves either through himself or by moving his hands to compose the waves. These waves can do anything from protecting allies to blasting his enemies with concentrated sonic waves.
Hypnotic Rhythm
Maestro Fortissimo is capable of hitting a pitch that can hypnotically control those who hear it. He can put people to sleep, hold them in place and even cause them to attack their own allies. This power requires great focus, so The Maestro is only capable of using a few hypnotic powers rather than a full arsenal of them like Nine-Ball.
The Song Bird
With manipulation over sound waves, one has to wonder just how the Maestro flies. By vibrating waves around his body he can give himself lift and even propel himself up, down or even strafe. This kind of power shows just how much he has mastered his power. The Maestro strives only for perfection in his craft and he won't be satisfied until he has gone above and beyond the impossible.
The Mocking Bird
This is more of a trick than a power, but it can be useful all the same. The Maestro can manipulate sound waves to create a variety of sounds which can range from the applause of an audience to an entire orchestra playing an epic theme as he does battle with his foes. The Maestro is also capable of mimicking people's voices with this ability which can be really useful for tricking the unsuspecting hero or even bypassing voice recognizing security. A prime example of this abilities usefulness can be seen when he duped the hero Luficia into a trap laid out by United Underworld by mimicking her own voice.
Weaknesses
Human Origins- Despite being a superior human, The Maestro is not invincible. He's human in almost every sense of the word. As such, he is able to be dealt with in any number of ways from fire arms to melee weapons. However, his powers will make that a challenge.
United Underworld
United Underworld was created by A. Nonymous but he gave command to two up and coming supervillains, Nine-Ball and Maestro Fortissimo. The Maestro has his own reasons for helping to establish the organization: the biggest reason is the amount of attention the group will get. The Maestro strives to get attention when it comes to his schemes and an organization such as United Underworld will bring in a large audience once he puts his plans in motion.
UU believes in working together to benefit everyone in the group and even goes so far as to rotate leadership so anyone with a nefarious plot can make an attempt with the entire UU baking them. The Maestro plans to make full use of UU and expects them to do amazing things in the near future. Slowly UU has grown from a few measly, low-threat villains into a juggernaut of crime and villainy. They are growing more and more, villains from around the Isles have tried to join their illustrious ranks, but few are ever worthy.
United Underworld doesn't have an overall goal but tries to fulfill the goals of each member should they choose to lead. Each member's plans can range from the theft of a powerful item to the attempt to conquer Paragon City, but if United Underworld has any over arching goal it would be to menace the world and its heroic inhabitants. Even if one is to join UU they are not expected to become a leader they can follow if they so choose and UU is always looking for new potential.
The Genres of The Maestro
Maestro Fortissimo adores music of all forms and as such has developed a number of costumes to match the "persona" of the genres they represent. These are a few of the costumes the he has made the finishing touches on...
- Punk Fortissimo - Punk Rock is usually very short, fast and edgy and often focuses on politics or anti-establishment. Maestro Fortissimo uses this costume to express his anarchic side.
Punk Fortissimo
- Disco Fortissimo - While not exactly the most intimidating or serious of looks; Maestro realizes that this is a very iconic costume and is meant to display his comfort with what he has become.
Disco Fortissimo
- Metal Fortissimo - This costume is meant to represent the raw power that Fortissimo has at his disposal and to emphasize that he is not afraid to use it on whoever gets in his way.
Metal Fortissimo
- Techno Fortissimo - While the costume is mostly just a suit of armor it is meant to symbolize the Maestro's future achievement of domination over Paragon and its heroes.
Techno Fortissimo
Allies
Nine-Ball - The co-founder of United Underworld and closest friend to The Maestro. Nine-Ball is a powerful psychic with a fixation on billiards and over-the-top master plans. His illusionary powers and psychic attacks make a nice and deadly addition to the already impressive UU roster.
Black Croc - A mutant in every sense of the word, Black Croc is as his name implies a massive humanoid crocodile with jet black scales. Croc's animalistic nature often takes hold of him in battle and seems to work its way into a conversation from time to time. His strength is matched only by his scales' resistance to harm and is no doubt a valuable member of UU. Sadly it would appear he has long become MIA.
Becky Beatdown - A cheerleader of super villains, Becky's extremely girlish and high school dramatic personality can really get on someone's nerves. The Maestro has every bit of respect for her though and her incredible strength and endurance make her a formidable ally.
Shogun of Sorrow - Shogun has been with the Underworld for quite some time, and yet little to nothing is known about him. The Maestro has very little trust for him especially since he seems to be scheming behind their backs.
Wild Time - Madness given flesh, Wild Time's bizarre nature and outfit is only matched by Nine Ball's. He even possesses similar powers to Nine Ball, but Wild prefers to use it to dominate his foes rather than rip their minds apart (although he certainly does his fair share of ripping minds apart still). Wild Time also has the ability to control time, how he got it is a mystery that The Maestro dares not try to solve, but Wild has proven himself all the same and was even the first member to make it to the rank of Primary Council in United Underworld.
Seismecca - A fallen heroine, now sadistic villain, Seismecca is a force to be reckoned with. She has the natural ability of terrakinesis, or the ability to control the earth around her. Fortissimo admires her passion for destruction, but not so much for her choice of clothing.
Pure Inferno - Born of cinders and ash, Pure Inferno is an elemental of flames. He has an obsessive grudge against The Challenger Blast Cycle and often calls "dibs" on him when United Underworld faces off against The Challengers. Inferno and Maestro have spent some time together and despite his firey nature, Inferno seems pretty laid back when they aren't causing mayhem.
Dominatriea - Former member of ERA and good friend to Nine Ball and The Maestro. Maestro first met the fortune telling sorceress in Cimerora, but thought nothing of her. She began appearing more often and eventually quit ERA to join United Underworld. The Maestro is pleased with her abilities and she seems to trust The Maestro greatly.
The Disguise Duo - A strange couple to say the absolute least. These two are not often seen but they certainly leave their mark when they are. No one but themselves seem to know their true identities but even that should probably be doubted.
Autosaurus Wrecks - Fortissimo doesn't have much love for this titanic death machine, but he, at least acknowledges his uses. Wrecks doesn't seem to posses much liking for anything that isn't synthetic life and even that appears to have its limits. The Maestro would prefer to keep him at arm's length if anything.
Hammer Shark - Fortissimo doesn't trust this one any farther than he could throw him. He's nothing more than a brute meant to be tossed at an obstacle and then be done with, at least in the Maestro's eyes. While he'd never say that to his face, he isn't exactly afraid of him, he just doesn't want to cause a rift in the Underworld.
Enemies
- The Challengers - This group of Paragon’s finest has been in United Underworld's crosshairs since Nine Ball first took his position as leader. They were United Underworld's first target and would have been a grand display of United Underworld's power had they succeeded in destroying them. But Nine Ball's plan to erriadicate them failed, and they were now wary of the threat that lurked in the shadows. When it came time for Maestro Fortissimo to claim his revenge on Paragon City it was The Challengers who mobilized to stop him and his allies who were taking advantage of the situation. Maestro Fortissimo spent several weeks in prison because of them and he has sworn to destroy them for making him suffer defeat at his moment of glory.
- Paragon City - Maestro blames the entire city for what has become of his life. He believes it thrust the role of the villain upon him, and while that is true, Fortissimo quickly became fond of the role. At one point he did try to destroy Paragon, but he has realized that Paragon may be the best audience he could ever have. Thus chaos will be made in its streets and Fortissimo will make sure the people get front-row seats.
Past Performances
Maestro Fortissimo is as much a villain as he is an artist, and he is no stranger to creating villainous plots. Some of them might be simple and others may be truly diabolical, but every single one of them is but a single note in his grand symphony.
Music of Mayhem
The plan was to take a device being developed by Longbow. A helmet called The Meta-Amplifier, a device that can increase a Meta-Human's power drastically. This device was meant for Longbow's Wardens, however, The Maestro had grander plans for such a device. The device was located in a facility on Peregrine Island and was heavily guarded by Longbow, so a distraction was in order before The Maestro and UU would even dream of attacking the facility.
The Maestro foresaw such a complication so he dispatched the lunatic swordsman of United Underworld, Slaughter Bolt, to stake out the facility holding the Meta-Amplifier. After a few days had passed, Slaughter Bolt informed Fortissimo of a way to weaken the Longbow stationed at the facility. Slaughter Bolt said a gang of Freakshow, lead by Dreck, was hold up on Peregrine Island and that they would make a perfect distraction. Bolt instructed that the Freaks had a certain respect for those who have power and if The Maestro and UU could defeat Dreck then his Freakshow would fall in line.
The plan was underway. The Maestro gathered all the United Underworld members he could muster, including: Nine Ball, Wild Time, Storm Thane, Chemi-Kill, Autosaurus Wrecks, Becky Beatdown, Shogun of Sorrow, and Eel Maloy. They made their way to the Port Oaks Architect building where Slaughter Bolt had rigged the portal tech to beam the strike force into the Freakshow hangout. The team easily put down Dreck who was more than willing to do what The Maestro wanted. Soon after a massive riot began in the streets of Peregrine, and all available law enforcement, including the Longbow guarding The Meta-Amplifier, were dispatched to quell the Freak uprising.
United Underworld only had a small time frame to work; they used the Architect building to teleport into the Longbow base and began to cut a swath through all opposition. No witnesses could be left to tell the tale. While a majority of the Longbow had been called away, a large force was still in the base including a Black-Ops Warden by the name of Captain Vex; whom was also using a prototype Meta-Amplifier. This new surge of power was still not enough to handle the coordinated effort of The United Underworld and shortly after Vex's fall Maestro Fortissimo had claimed his prize, a Meta-Amplifier that he planned to have tweaked in order to better suit his power.
And so the moment had arrived! Maestro Fortissimo used the power of The Meta-Amplifier to spread a hypnotic rhythm across Paragon City in order to provide cover for his companions in United Underworld. His song slowly drove the citizens of Paragon City mad and forced them to attack one another, and while he expected the heroes to retaliate, he did not expect them to be so organized and efficient. Several teams of heroes were created, composed of members of both The Challengers and The Gray Watch and each one managed to thwart, not only The Maestro, but also most of his allies! A final team of The Challenger's finest were made to finally confront The Maestro, and while he tried his best to escape, he was defeated. Currently he is now serving time, but one thing is for certain: Paragon has not heard the last of Maestro Fortissimo!
