Master Arcanum
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| a portrait of Master Arcanum, courtesy M.A.G.I. surveillance cameras | |
| Master Arcanum | |
| Player: @Erydanus | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Controller |
| Security Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Alastair Zoria |
| Known Aliases: | The Amazing Z! |
| Species: | human |
| Age: | unknown; appears 24 |
| Height: | 5'10" |
| Weight: | 165# |
| Eye Color: | green (reported) |
| Hair Color: | sandy blond |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Stage Magician |
| Place of Birth: | unknown |
| Base of Operations: | n/a |
| Marital Status: | single |
| Known Relatives: | Baron Zoria (ancestor) |
| Known Powers | |
| Illusion Control, Empathy, Teleportation | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Apparently has some knowledge of ritual magic, especially warding and banishing ghosts and spirits. | |
| Equipment | |
| Tarot cards, stage props, M.A.G.I. axe of Ghost-slaying | |
| Can pull more than a rabbit out of that hat, or at least make you think he did, | |
Master Arcanum is a former stage magician who is a descendant of Baron Zoria, of Circle of Thorns infamy. Pursued by the mages of Oranbega, he has arrived in Paragon City to take the fight directly to them.
Contents |
Affiliations
Supergroup: Paladins of the Night
Relatives: none known; Ancestors: Baron Zoria
M.A.G.I.
Under Surveillance By: The Carnival of Shadows
Personality
Alastair is an uncertain young man burdened by an excess of power. At present, this makes him vulnerable to those who want to use his power for their own ends.
Powers
Alastair possesses a mix of innate magical powers including some similar to those used by a Madness Mage. However, he also wields the power to conjure what are either spirits or psychic projections. He does not at this time possess skill in manipulating darkness, a common trait in Oranbegan mages, but it seems that this technique is something they may learn or gain through soul manipulation techniques. He does have some ability to manipulate life force, but currently uses it only in positive, constructive ways, or to actually share his life force with an injured comrade. His constant pursuit by the Circle of Thorns may have motivated him to hone the ability to cast teleportation spells.
Abilities
A skilled stage performer, Master Arcanum is well-versed in many technical aspects of legerdomain and theater. He also has an unknown amount of magical training, primarily directed towards warding and banishing spells. He is also a skilled Tarot card reader and has strong abilities to perform divinations for other people, but never himself.
Character History
Master Arcanum is a descendant of Baron Zoria, who was tricked by the ancient mages of Oranbega in the 1930s into reviving them, creating the group known as the Circle of Thorns in the process. Though the Baron's body was taken by Oranbegans, he did leave a family lineage that fled Paragon City and went into hiding somewhere in the Central or Western United States.
Zoria's formiddable magical aptitude has been passed down in his family bloodline. While the Circle was sealed in Oranbega, the family remained in hiding and only dabbled in arcane matters. Over time, their wealth diminished and they had to use their mystic and psychic talents to survive. Master Arcanum grew up in a family of traveling performers and eventually became a stage magician. As a child, though, he exhibited strong natural talents for magic, and was trained and cautioned by his family.
The Rikti disturbed the seals on Oranbega during the war and the ancient cult renewed activity on the surface world. After the war, eventually more information about the true origin of the cult was discovered as the Cult continued its new agenda of kidnapping citizens to serve as vessels for the ancient spirit mages. While performing his act at a lounge in a Holiday Inn in Cinncinnati, Ohio, robed cultists broke in and attempted to kidnap Alastair. He used his magical powers to create a distraction and fled the scene. Over the following weeks, minions sent by the Circle continued to pursue him.
After being on the run for some time, he moved to Paragon City to seek the help of M.A.G.I. in dealing with the threat. Gregor Richardson put him in touch with the Paladins of the Night who encouraged him to stand his ground and fight back against the evil unleashed by his ancestor. While in Paragon City, he met supermodel Gia Scarpetti, and began a relationship with her.
The cultist attacks on him stopped soon after he arrived in Paragon City. Master Arcanum believes that he has either hidden amidst the plethora of magical heroes, or that the Paladins have driven off the Circle. In actuality, Gia Scarpetti is an agent of the the Carnival of Shadows, which has been protecting him from the Circle while his powers grow, and they devise a way of exploiting him for their own purposes.
Appearance
Alastair Zoria is a tall, thin, handsome youth. He has neatly-combed sandy blond hair and hazel eyes (which often glow white while he uses magic). He sports a neatly trimmed van dyke beard. His usual attire is his stage magician outfit, featuring a tophat and complete tuxedo in silvery blue.
Trivia
Master Arcanum is based on a character from a pen & paper type role playing game. In that incarnation, his primary ability was to animate images, and his usual source material was the Tarot deck. He had an assortment of other magical abilities as well, including creation of illusions and hurling blasts of mystical energy. Consequently, this is a pretty reasonable adaptation of that character.
External site link: [1] - extended character biography sketch
