Suzerain
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Recall a certain iconic superhero and how he was adopted as a child by simple folks who raised him to be good and do good. Now imagine that instead of landing near a little Kansas town, that pod had crashed in Nazi Germany. Now imagine that the little otherworldly boy had been found by a couple of genuinely fascist parents and taught every value of that regime. Now substitute the Rogue Isles for Nazi Germany and you have a pretty good idea of what Suzerain is all about.
| |
| "For law, order and the Arachnos way!" | |
| Suzerain | |
| Player: @Pulcinella | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | 38 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Joel King |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Unknown |
| Age: | 25 |
| Height: | 6'3 |
| Weight: | 244 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Rogue Isles citizen |
| Occupation: | Reporter for WSPDR, unofficial Arachnos enforcer |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown but raised as a human child in Mercy, Rogue Isles |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Horatio King (adoptive father), Barbara Hambling King (adoptive mother), Amanda Vines (reporter for WSPDR and secret object of affection) |
| Known Powers | |
| Super strength and resilience, flight | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| None | |
| ' | |
Contents |
History
Foundling Child
Horatio and Barbara King never thought they'd be one day blessed with a child. Nature had always denied these Mercy residents this simple joy but quirky fate would redress that oversight. One night, as the couple was hurrying home before dark, all the while dodging gang members, crooked cops and Destined Ones on the prowl, they spotted a strange light emanating from a back-alley. Despite knowing that survival in the Rogue Isles meant for the ordinary citizen to look at the ground and mind his own business, the curious couple nonetheless edged around the corner and was greeted with a wondrous sight.
There, among the garbage and the dumpsters, lay an infant boy, cold and crying, as something like a portal to another world was quickly closing next to him. Unable to abandon the child, the Kings took him home as their own. As Joel, as they named him, grew up, the otherworldly heritage of their adoptive son would become more and more apparent: he seemed capable of remarkable physical feats. Understanding the significance of such a boon in the boy, they raised him to use these gifts in the best way they thought possible: fighting for law, order and the Arachnos way.
Rise of the Suzerain
After graduating in Journalism at the Cap au Diable University, Joel obtained a job as a reporter for WSPDR News, the main media organ of the Rogue Isles. Being a junior journalist, he was assigned to assisting Amanda Vines, the hard-nosed investigative reporter. Although Amanda's ideas on Lord Recluse's regime were quite contrary to Joel's beliefs, he couldn't help but falling for her and relished every opportunity to accompany her on her duties. Amanda, on the other hand, was slightly irked to be saddled with whom she perceived to be nothing more than a bumbling, if somewhat endearing, embarrassment.
She was sure happy to have him there however the day she got caught by some renegade Arachnos soldiers. They were investigating Dr. Aeon's Mount Diable power plant when they were set upon by a Wolf Spider patrol. Joel slipped away as Amanda shouted for him to go get help. He could have helped her there and then but he knew that exposing himself as a superpowered being could mean being dragged into the byzantine politics of Lord Recluse's lieutenants and even possibly exposing his adoptive parents to harm. Fate at this point led him to a storage area where the stationed troops kept equipment belonging to old prisoners. One of the first things that caught his eye was a leather suit bearing a crown as its emblem. Although not a superstitious man, Joel King still saw this as a sign and donned the suit, completing the outfit with a red cape made from a tarp.
Amanda had her eyes closed, getting ready for the coup de grâce, when she felt a rush of wind and heard the grunts of the falling soldiers. When she opened her eyes, her caped savior was extending a hand: "Need assistance getting out of here, Miss Vines?" He flew her out of the plant, fighting his way through numerous patrols, and delivered her safely back to the WSPDR building. The next day, the news were talking about a mysterious new "Suzerain" of the Rogue Isles.
Unfortunately, the power mysteriously went out before they could report Amanda's findings in the power plant.
Lord and Vassal
Currently, Suzerain stands as a rising if ambiguous symbol of order in a world gone mad. Although he is feared and despised by the common RIP or Arachnos grunt, he has garnered respect among the higher officers who use his services to fight against internal strife and outside threats like Longbow, Wyvern and the Legacy Chain. One thing is sure though, Suzerain has succeeded in securing himself a place in the heart of the little people of the Rogue Isles, for he stands as a proof that someone out there will look out for them - as long as they stay put and keep quiet.
As for Joel, well now he's stuck with Amanda Vines assailing his ears daily, alternating between praising and demonizing Suzerain. He figures he's got half a chance more than the next guy...
Appearance
As Suzerain, Joel is a tall, muscled and broad-shouldered man, carrying himself with the mien of a noble knight. He is easily recognizable with his black and red leather outfit and red cape. His symbol, a black and white stylized crown, adorns his chest and the motif his repeated in his cape brooches.
In his street clothes however, the whole physical persona is transformed. His normally unsteady gaze becomes shifting and he stoops, thus appearing a lot less impressive. In addition to a dark burgundy suit, he picked up the habit of wearing glasses - even though he doesn't need them - which surprisingly enough have proven sufficient in protecting his secret identity.
Personality
Joel was raised by people who have grown used to living in a totalitarian regime to the point of relying on it to maintain worldly order. They have raised him to respect the special hierarchy in place in the Rogue Isles and to use his powers for what they believe to be good, that is to protect Arachnos interests so that it can prolong its "benevolent" government.
That is not to say that Joel is cruel or evil - quite the contrary. He genuinely believes that what he does is right. Even though he is sometimes called upon for quite questionable deeds, he will, with a heavy heart, admit that small evil is sometimes necessary to prevent a greater one, namely any threat that might incur the collapse of the Rogue Isles socio-political system. Thus in all other matters, you will find him to be polite, amiable and quite easy-going. Suzerain is the type of "hero" you'd find getting kittens out of trees for children - as long as those kittens are not Longbow in disguise.
It is unknown at this point how his affection for Amanda Vines, a known activist for civil rights and liberties, will affect his beliefs. For the moment, he is torn between the façade he's constructed - that of a meek but liberal-minded reporter - and the role he's given himself as protector of the Rogue Isles. Will love win out over years of upbringing? Only time can tell...
Powers
Joel's powers stem from his otherworldly origin, his species being apparently greatly physically enhanced from residing in our dimension.
Lordly Strength
Joel possesses physical strength that far surpasses that of a normal human. He has often been seen going up against overwhelming numbers or single opponents as well as bare-handed destroying things like safe doors and SWAT trucks.
Lordly Resilience
Joel has proven highly resistant to damage, seemingly being able to regenerate incredible amounts of injury. This ability appears proportionally related to the threat he is facing.
Flight
In this dimension, Joel can escape the grasp of gravity,
Trivia
Joel's costume was once the property of a hero called the Duke of Nuke that had been caught by Arachnos troops a few weeks prior. The whereabouts of this hero are still unknown.
The idea for Suzerain came to me one evening as I was watching the first Superman movie with my then five-year-old kid. I had bought the DVD for seven bucks to share with him my love of superheroes - and he does LOVE them! He's a future CoH player, I'm sure! Anyway, as we were watching the first part with Kal-El's arrival on Earth and his upraising by the Kents, I caught myself thinking about the eternal struggle between nature and nurture. I thought "Gee, good thing the Kents were such good people! Imagine if Superman had been raised by a couple of deviant sociopaths, the world would have really been in trouble." (I shudder to think of the Elseworlds title that would make.) So as I sat there, watching Christopher Reeve give one of his best performances and listening to my son's questions about every damn thing on screen, Suzerain slowly took form in my mind...
