Van der Meer
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Van der Meer | |
| Player: Walkabout | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Controller |
| Security Level: | Moderate |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Christian Van der Meer |
| Known Aliases: | None at present |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | Mid-20s |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 185 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Red-brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Dilettante scholar |
| Place of Birth: | Amsterdam |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | None living |
| Known Powers | |
| Illusion and manipulation of senses | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Extensive knowledge of the occult | |
| Equipment | |
| Seemingly endless supply of cheap talismans and spells | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
In his own words
"No one looks me up because they think I'm the best magician they can find, my dear. They do it because they're desperate enough or foolish enough to think that the trivial tricks I have to offer can actually change the course of their lives. Who am I to argue, so long as they're willing to pay?"
Background
Christian has little to say about his past, except that his youth was privileged, but often lonely, and that he no longer speaks with his parents. He might explain that he took several shortcuts to magical power as he was growing up, shortcuts that nearly cost him his life and his soul and may still do so at some later date. If offered a few drinks, he'll admit that he's spent time in the Rogue Isles as well, but came back for reasons he doesn't care to discuss.
Reputation
Only a few people in the local magical communities have heard Christian's name, and those who have usually don't have good things to say about him. They will tell others that he's a thief of magical secrets, that his career should be a cautionary tale to warn apprentices not to seek too much power, and that no one in their right mind should trust him.
Associates
Christian is one of the Sky Pirates, although a fairly junior one. Whenever a few of them gather in public, he's likely to appear, although some (particularly Emergency Break) are more likely to draw him out than others.
Opinions on Others
- Emergency Break: She invited Christian to join the Sky Pirates, and she's remained his closest contact in that group. For someone whose values are generally so fluid, he's fiercely loyal to Holly: she is, he will admit, the only person he'd willingly let kill him.
- Shade Nefarious: If Christian had his way, Shade would die after seeing everything he cherished taken from him. Of course, Christian has neither the power nor the means to accomplish this, and is further hindered by a binding oath not to harm the demon unless Shade hurts Holly first, but it doesn't keep him from the occasional daydream of revenge.
- Decorus Angelus: Few people have the opportunity to meet their guardian angel. Fewer still put that angel in a position to Fall and live out the rest of their days more or less as a human. Christian regrets many things in his life, but his part in the fate of this particular angel bothers him more than most.
Public Persona and Style
The face that Christian wears most often in public is that of a foppish dilettante. He speaks in an affected accent, maintains a dry wit in the stormiest of situations, and rarely seems to take the world around him with any degree of seriousness. When he drinks, this persona may drift: his wit veers towards bitterness, his observations become more cutting, and his distance from the world around him turns into self-loathing.
He doesn't maintain a secret identity, doesn't wear a mask, and while he his wardrobe can range from formal to roguish to extravagent, he doesn't cling to any one style as his particular image and has no calling card to let others know that he's been involved in the apprhension of a criminal. (Unless the disappearance of every other item of value in the criminal's lair could be considered a calling card.) The nearest thing he has to a battle cry is, "Let me see if I can do something here." Its close second is, "I'm hurt. Can they do that?"
Powers
"How aware are you of your life? If you were to lose a second here or there, would you notice? I can tell you already that you wouldn't, because even in the time I've been watching you, I've stolen a few moments that you'll never miss. I'm sorry if you find that intrusive, but I assure you, I can put them to better use."
Christian describes most of what he does as his "little tricks." In some cases, that's accurate; in others -- such as when he tricks the universe into believing that someone is where they're not, or when he borrows someone's lifeforce and dreams -- it's clear he just doesn't want you to know what he can and can't do.
Trivia
- Sacrificed his left eye to the Well of Mimir in order to gain information to pass along to Shade Nefarious. "It turns out," he now says, "that only works if you're a god. Who knew?"
- Despite the occasional attempt to reform, he is almost certainly an alcoholic.
- At present, will answer to any of the following: Chris, Christian, Mr. Christian, Mr. Van der Meer, Van, Meerkat, Timon, Mr. Eyeball, and Perv.
- He has admitted to having a decent singing voice, but so far resists most efforts to make him prove it.
- He is woefully unfamiliar with popular culture: television and video games are entirely foreign territories, and his knowledge of music and film is at least sixty years out of date.
