Mystik Paladin
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Not just another pretty face... | |
| Mystik Paladin (II) | |
| Player: @demoncaller | |
| Origin: | Magical |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper (broadsword/dark armor) |
| Security Level: | 30 (as of this writing) |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Arithon Kerson |
| Known Aliases: | Ari, Purple Bard, Mystik Paladin |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 23 |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 200lb |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | Dark brown as Arithon; has blue/purple highlights as the Paladin |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Dual citizenship-American/British |
| Occupation: | former rock musician; currently singer/songwriter, philanthropist, teacher |
| Place of Birth: | Wrixville,Long Island, NY; raised in London, England. |
| Base of Operations: | Mansion outside Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | It's complicated |
| Known Relatives: | Mother, sister Eriti Kerson (formerly Titania's Arrow-has retired to concentrate on her studies at Boston College in Boston, MA.) |
| Known Powers | |
| Broadsword; Magic wielder. Limited invulnerability (bullets bounce off most of the time), superfast reflexes - he can use the sword to deflect bullets and laser beams, much in the same way as a fictitious Jedi. A fae spell on the pendant prevents others from recognizing him as Paladin. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Songwriter, vocalist,guitarist,keyboardist, Has had martial arts training, and is currently training with the broadsword. | |
| Equipment | |
| "Paladin" pendant, cellphone, comlink. The pendant grants him his armor and the sword. | |
| Arithon is heir to the Kerson fortune, and to the powers of Oberon's Paladin. To invoke the Paladin pendant, he uses the words, "Paladin! Come forth!" | |
Contents |
Origin
Arithon Kerson was an up and coming rock star from Great Britan, a member of the band Fifth Wheel.
A year or so back, he inherited an immense fortune; he and his sister Eriti had been named heirs to the vast wealth of their grandfather, James Cameron Kerson. He had gone missing about the time of the first Rikti invasion...however, his body had never been recovered. The terms of the will was quite clear in who the bulk of the fortune should go to. While the siblings inherited the bulk of the fortune, there was a condition.
They had to live in the immense mansion near Paragon City, RI, and Arithon was designated the head of the philanthropic foundation his grandfather had set up to help the citizens of that city-
They agreed, Arithon a bit reluctantly. He'd gotten attached to life on the road, the travel and the experiences. However, he was attracted to the idea of making a difference in the world..which factored into his final decision.
The executor of the will, and his late grandfather's lawyer, Connery, soon took Arithon under his wing, encouraging him to take long walks on the estate by himself. It was during one of these walks that Arithon stumbled across a secret room behind a portrait of his grandfather.
The room, as it turned out was a library of journals collected by his grandfather of his ancestors. Exploring the room, Arithon came across a pendant on a table. As if on cue, Connery appeared behind him. He proceeded to tell the young musician that the pendant was the key to 'a great adventure'. But with the adventure came responsibility-Arithon would become a champion of those who could not defend themselves. He could choose to either wear the pendant, or to pass it down to the next generation..and that his father had passed on the pendant. Not only that, his grandfather had been the Mystik Paladin-and had died fighting the Rikti with the powerful magic the pendant had bestowed upon him.
After some consideration, Arithon chose to don the pendant.
The Purple Bard
Arithon soon found out the pendant was sentient, mischievous, and apparently held a grudge against Arithon, insisting on testing his patience.
It enhanced his strength several fold, granting him magical protections, as well as a decidedly clunky set of medieval armor. It took Arithon a while to convince the pendant to update his armor to a more lightweight material akin to kevlar, however, it still maintains an archaic appearance.
To make things worse, when he tried to register as the new Mystic Paladin, he was informed the name was not available. Subsequently, he was given the name 'Purple Bard' for the color of the armor he wore.
He was soon recruited into the Reikai Tantei supergroup, and taken under their wing as a trainee, along with a young woman who called herself 'Demon Caller Oryo', and an overly enthusiastic catgirl named Sailor Mau.
It was during this time that he got to know Ryouko (as Oryo was called). She had also inherited a trust fund and life tenancy in his grandfather's Steel Canyon condominium. It was also during this time that he started to train a fellow musician, Seth Strummer to be the new frontman of Fifth Wheel. Tragically, Seth was killed during what soon became known as the Strummer Incident, and as Bard, Arithon had to talk Ryouko out of taking revenge on Seth's killers (see Oryo Ryou)
It was also during this time that Sailor Mau developed a crush on Arithon's alter ego, much to his dismay. The pendant, delighted at this turn of events, took the opportunity on several occasions to embarrass Arithon.
But one night, he came in, wounded after a particularly difficult battle. It was Mau who tended to his wounds. After that, Arithon/Bard started to warm up to the catgirl, although he continued to gently refuse her advances.
Soon afterwards, Arithon inadvertently discovered that Sailor Mau was the alter ego of an aspiring singer, Cally Maunako. Subsequently, he revealed his secret identity to her, smitten with Cally. It took him some time to fully accept Mau, who continued to be overly enthusiastic-as it turned out, Mau's soul had merged with Cally a few years back, in order to save Cally's life..two different people living in the same body. Eventually, he fell in love with Cally, eventually accepting Sailor Mau, enthusiasm and all.
Arithon also found out more about his pendant, when he discovered his younger sister, Eriti, had become the purple clad Titania's Arrow, and she had been given a similar story to his, by Mr.Connery. They both confronted the lawyer, who confessed the whole story-
Centuries ago, two men, James Kerson and his friend Will Shakespeare, had come to the aid of the Fairy Court. As a result, the pendants had been given to the men. One pendant was called "Paladin" (Arithon's pendant) and called out the Paladin-the champion of Oberon. The other was called "Bard", which called out Titania's champion. They were then charged with the protection of the innocent, and to be guardians of justice throughout England. This they did for a few years, until Will became a playwright, retiring and giving his pendant to James. The linage continued through the Kerson clan after this, throughout the centuries-sometimes pendant was passed from father to son or daughter, or mother passing it down...the men almost always used the name "Paladin" or "Bard", while women used the name "Sword" or "Arrow", depending on which pendant they had been given.
To make things more interesting, Connery was actually Puck-of the court of Oberon and Titania!
Eventually, he was accepted by his pendant after several adventures, during which time he became engaged to both Mau and Cally. Since they lived in the same body, Arithon figured that wouldn't be a problem. Sadly, Sailor Mau recently died in the line of duty. Cally, Mau's host, still lives, although she has moved on with her life. She remains friends with Arithon to this day.
Mystik Paladin (II)
Eventually, Arithon was able to obtain the name 'Mystik Paladin' from the Hero Registration board. He's retired from touring; however he continues to write songs and give the odd performance in his spare time; He is also chairman of the Kerson Philanthropic Trust. Arithon also owns Kerson Indutries-the company that made his grandfather a rich man-but Ari has left the day to day decisions to Connery/Puck, along with new research into plastics.
He has also become involved as a backer for a business dealing with the adaptation of alien technology. The business, known as Timecraft, Inc. is a front for a group of scientists, superheroes, and time travelers. As Paladin, he was one of the original members of the organization.
He recently become involved in the rebuilding of a high school that was destroyed in a recent Rikti incursion. This school, the Paragon Junior Supers Academy, takes young kids just coming into their own super abilities, and trains them in the use of their powers, and in police procedure and law enforcement. He is a backer in this venture, and and keeps an eye on the day to day comings and goings..
Arithon is also studying magic and practicing his swordfighting. After the pendant accepted him, it granted him access to the Paladin Sword-which is an item of power unto itself-but that is another story. And his armor is no longer purple, but sapphire blue.
Most recently, he has found love again- times two! Currently, through no fault of his own, he has become involved in a polygamous relationship with with a former villaness named Chaotic Theory, and a capricious Djinn named Klymestria-much to his chagrin.
Powers and abilities
The pendant grants him most of his powers-although, his ability to wield magic is his own, and enhanced through the pendant. He also wields the Paladin Sword, which grants him extra strength and enhances his already honed reflexes. When not in use, the Sword disappears into a pocket dimension, to wait for the call. The armor he was granted at first was heavyweight, but over time, it has turned into a lightweight material, which grants him ease of movement, as well as protection from extreme elements and bullets. (This happened after he was wounded in a fight as Bard..)
Arithon is also an athlete- not quite Olympic material in his civilian identity, but could hold his own in a fight if necessary.
Stories
So far one, The Inheritance.
Miscellaneous
The original MMO incarnation of Arithon Kerson was on the Shadowfire server of Star Wars Galaxies. He was a musician, scout, and eventually Jedi. Like Paladin, his original costume as a musician was purple-and was later known as the "Purple Paladin" as a Jedi. Of course, the original Arithon was also somewhat colorblind, which explained his sometimes outrageously colored wardrobe.
Although I wrote *most* of Arithon/Paladin's background, several rps with my real life husband fleshed out the origins of the pendant. He also created Eriti Kerson aka Titania's Arrow ;Sailor Mau/Cally Maunako and most recently, Chaotic Theory.
