Natural Perfection
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Warden of Ceri | |
| Natural Perfection | |
| Player: @Facepunch | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 29 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Amihan Marapao |
| Known Aliases: | Ami |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 33 (appears 24) |
| Height: | 5'9" |
| Weight: | 140 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Filipina |
| Occupation: | Warden/Priestess |
| Place of Birth: | Manila, Philippines |
| Base of Operations: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Insufficient data |
| Known Powers | |
| Heightened strength, reflexes, and stamina. Assumes the physical form of Ceri. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Accomplished martial artist | |
| Equipment | |
| Hero Corps Mini-Comm | |
| No additional information available. | |
Amihan Marapao, now registered with Hero Corps as "Natural Perfection," served as a priestess in the service of a powerful nature spirit for years. After coming to Paragon City on a research mission, she was nearly killed by the Circle of Thorns in a botched possession ritual in Gimri Ridge. This upset Ceri, the lesser guardian of Paragon City's parks and forests, who revived Amihan as a Warden, a warrior bearing the image of Ceri herself.
Contents |
History
Encounter in the Amazon
Amihan was born in the Philippines to a poor family she only has faint memories of, before being adopted by a wealthy American family in Chicago. Her stepfather was a successful businessman on his way to early retirement, her stepmother was an accomplished defense attorney. Both of them loved to travel, and when Amihan was eight years old, they took an expedition to the Amazon rainforest.
Several hours in, Amihan was separated from the expedition party and began wandering further into the forest, eventually becoming completely lost. After two days without food or water, Amihan encountered Teia, a beatiful and powerful nature spirit. Amihan was terrified at first, but Teia comforted her, conjuring a spring and a tree that bore fruit for her to eat.
Teia watched over her for the next three days and their bond grew stronger, Teia showing Amihan the beauty of the world around her. At the end of the third day, Teia guided Amihan to an expedition outpost and she was reunited with her family shortly after. She spoke of her encounter with Teia, but her family and medical experts dismissed it as a hallucination caused by dehydration and anxiety. Amihan knew what she saw though, and it would change her life forever.
Pursuing the Guardians
For years, all Amihan could think about was her encounter in the forest. As she grew up, she devoted more and more of her life to learning about Teia and other natural spirits. Doing so was no simple task, as the mythos of Teia and other natural spirits was loosely integrated into countless folk religions with little accuracy. She did eventually find like-minded individuals though, who taught her how to commune with natural spirits, and enlightened her to the actual order of nature.
Her communion with the spirits taught her of the other two guardians: Yau, the guardian of the wilderness of Asia, and Kora, the guardian of the jungles of Africa. Amihan's focus quickly shifted towards finding more about the other two, a search which even more addled by lack of information than her search for Teia.
One of her research leads seemed to show a huge amount of potential: M.A.G.I., a magic investigation organization in Paragon City. The abundance of powerful communers and detailed research seemed like the perfect place to discover more about them. Within days, Amihan was packing up for an expedition to Paragon City.
A Higher Calling in Paragon City
While M.A.G.I. was a treasure trove of information, they were also bound by red tape. Inquiries were simple to file, but took days to complete. Weary of her extended stay and "concrete jungle" surroundings, Amihan planned a few park visits to get back in touch with the spirits. What ultimately changed her life was a visit to the park at Gimri Ridge in Steel Canyon.
After the serene backdrop of Atlas Park, the last thing Amihan expected was to be ambushed by Circle of Thorns mystics and subjected to one of their ghastly possession rituals. The first step of the ritual was naturally to destroy her soul to make room for one of their own. This step was nearly completed when two of the participants lost concentration and failed the ritual. Unable to resume, the mystics left her for dead and went searching for a new victim.
Broken and dying, Amihan had a vision of Ceri, a lesser guardian whose lands included Paragon City's parks and woodlands. Ceri was stricken with guilt: "I mend these broken lands every day, but the wicked infest them like a plague, and now a priestess is to die at their hands. This trespass is the last I shall allow. My lands need more healing, they need protection... Would you be the first to offer yourself to me, and accept life anew as their keeper?"
Her life fading away, Amihan looked up towards Ceri and spoke the last words her lungs could muster before finally collapsing: "I will."
Amihan could feel a warmth radiating deep within her soul as Ceri lifted her chin up and offered her hand. "Thank you. I grant you my blessing, brave one. Rise up, not as a lowly priestess, but as a warden, a mighty warrior imbued with the boundless strength of the wild." Her strength returning, Amihan took hold of Ceri's hand, and the vision faded away as she returned to her feet.
Amihan felt incredible, filled with vitality, awash in sensation from her newly-heightened senses. She could feel the wind running through the leaves that now covered her body, the weight of the two grand spiraling horns adorning her head, and the slightly pointed teeth behind her feline face. She smiled happily, knowing that she had been transformed into an avatar of Ceri herself.
Amihan returned to M.A.G.I. and informed them of what had happened. M.A.G.I. saw great potential in her and recommended that she register as a hero and gain access to the immense resources provided by the city, but first to create a new name for her heroic persona. Amihan chose the name "Natural Perfection" to honor the perfect balance of nature that she now embodied.
Personality
Amihan is well-educated, but socially inept. Her attempts to socialize within Paragon City were originally nothing more than a means to gain allies sympathetic to her goals, but she is slowly discovering the true value of lasting friendship.
Amihan is extremely neutral and pacifistic. She views the villains of the Rogue Isles as acting more on survivalism than malice (with exceptions, of course), and avoids confrontation with them as they are hardly encroaching on Ceri's grounds. Her time in Chicago has taught her to accept and understand technology, even though she has little use for it in her official duties. She believes that Paragon City has done much to limit its development within Ceri's territory, growing up rather than out and fostering growth in its numerous parks.
While Amihan holds little ill will towards villains that keep to the city, such as the Council and Arachnos troops, she has few qualms with sending them to the Zig if it means gaining allies within Paragon City, discouraging those groups from expanding to the wildlands, and training to engage more-serious threats.
Appearance
Ceri granted Amihan a degree of control over her form to allow her to better interact with Paragon City's denizens. She rarely assumes more than basic human facial features, though when she does, the rejuvenating effects of Ceri's blessing cause her to look about 24 years old.
When socializing, she assumes some human facial features and dons either her traditional priestess robes, or whatever the salesmen at the mall can convince her is "trendy." In most other situations, especially combat, Amihan has no need for clothing and prefers to go without it, generally wearing only a red combat harness and cloth belt, if anything at all.
Powers
Heightened Strength and Senses
Ceri's blessing grants Amihan the strength and fury of the wild and an unparalleled awareness of the world around her. Combined with her continued martial arts training, Amihan is a fierce and agile fighter.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Amihan's soul was severely weakened by the Circle's expulsion ritual, and Ceri's power is the only thing keeping it strong enough for her to survive. If Amihan falls out of harmony with nature, her attunement to Ceri's power weakens and she begins feeling dazed and exhausted. The use of weapons or heavy armor in combat are known to trigger this reaction. Her ability to shapeshift is also accomplished by suppressing Ceri's power, and anything beyond minor changes causes fatigue. Assuming a completely-human form causes her to become instantly exhausted, and she begins feeling the soul-crushing agony of that fateful night if she stays for more than a minute.
Amihan's potential is vast, but is limited in scope to applications that are in harmony with the natural world.
Affiliations
Amihan is a devout servant of Ceri and Teia, but currently has no affiliation with any of Paragon City's other heroes.
Adversaries
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