Zambo
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Behold the wonder that is Zambo! | |
| Zambo | |
| Player: Inquizitor | |
| Origin: | Magic |
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| Archetype: | Controller |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Peter Danielson |
| Known Aliases: | The Amazing Zambo |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 58 |
| Height: | 6" |
| Weight: | 113 |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | None |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | US Citizen |
| Occupation: | Magician |
| Place of Birth: | Kansas City, MO |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | None Living |
| Known Powers | |
| Spells, psionic ability, Astral Projection | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Parlor Tricks | |
| Equipment | |
| A large Variety of Magical artifacts. Of note The book of Thoth and the Clasp of Mobility | |
| Themesong: Ladies and Gentlemen, by Saliva | |
Zambo (pronounced Zahm-bo) was origionally something of a joke character. In a way he is named after Hondo,TX. When I was a Truck Driver I would go through that town alot on my way to Del Rio. Everytime I did I would says 'It's the amazing Hondo!' This silly response actually got me thinking about an elegant Circus magician and Zambo was thought up. My first few days playing him I fell in love with the powerset and he has evolved into a lovable and wise character. At his core he is an eccentric Circus Magician. Since then I added elements of Dr Strange to his personality.
Contents |
Personality
Coming Soon.
Powers
Most of Zambo's powers come from spellbooks and magical trinkets. The only inherant ability he has devoloped is Empathy. This ability allows him to know someones emotional state. He feels what those around him feels. It is an ability he must concentrate to turn off so it is always active. As a side effect he is hard to sneak up on but this ability does not give him any directional sense. He can feel a mind but could not tell you where that mind is if he cannot see the person.
Amplification Spells
Zambo possess many spellbooks and through intense study has learned various spells that he can use to augment his natural ability.
Telepathy
Through intense concentration this spell allows Zambo to read anothers thoughts. It is quite taxing however and Zambo would be quite reluctant to preform such a spell on an unwilling subject.
Sleep
This spell has a focused and unfocused version. As the name inplies this spell places individuals asleep. The unfocused version can place a crowd to sleep. The focused version is more powerful and can even shock the individuals system slightly.
Guilt
This spell has a focused and unfocused version. The target is forced to feel guilty about whatever crimes they have commited for a time. If the individual has never commited a crime then this spell has no effect. The unfocused version can effect a group while the localized version furhter stuns the system of the individual.
Levitation
This spell can Lift up and repel group of foes in front of him. It is extremely taxing and requireds a geat deal of concentration.
The Wonder of Zambo
Zambo is not just a name but it is a state of being. Using this spell Zambo can enlighten a foe on that which is Zambo. Such enlightenment pacifies his foes and they will even take up arms and fight as a hero for a time. This spell has a focused and unfocused version.
Clasp of Mobility
A Small trinket he came across in Italy a few years ago. This Trinket can be mentally triggered to teleport him to another location. More recently Zambo has unlocked a further feature of the clasp that allows him to levitate himself without the need of a spell.
The Book of Thoth
Thoth himself bestowed the book of Thoth upon Zambo several years ago. Since then he has catiously studied this powerful spellbook to further enhance his abilities. The book itself is his sngle most valuable possession. The spells contained within contain spells as minor as brightening a flower to spells that could rip the universe apart. As a result Zambo is afraid to delve too deeply into the book. He is also afraid it could fall into the hands of those who would exploit its power. He guards it jealosyl and of all the artifacts he has recovored this is the one that is most secure. He is always looking for new ways to protect the book.
Spells of Thoth
Through the limited research he has permited himself Zambo has several new spells at his disposal. While these spells are Egyptian in thei origin it should be noted that Zambo is not Egyptian and is able to learn other spells. He is constantly searching for more knowledge. These spells, given their source, are simply easier to use in the heat of a battle.
Judgment of Ma'at
This spell has three parts that can be activated in any order and even as a spell alone by iteself. The different parts allow Zambo to weaken his foes as the spirit of ma'at weighs down on their heart. Similar to the guilt spell but the effects are far differnet.
Mystic Sands of Anubis
This spell creates a swirling vortex of sand around Zambo that causes anyone near him to choke.
The Winds of Shu
Calling upon Shu Zambo can teleport an ally to his location.
Judgment of Set
Zambo can instill a glimpse of the punishment wrongdoers may experience in the afterlife. This can unnerve even the most steady of foes.
Wrath of Thoth
An extremely powerful spell. Zambo has only used this spell on rare occasions and only to protect a fallencomrade who has been surrounded by enemies. Zambo causes an explosion of energy centered on his fallen comrade causeing his foes great distress.
Power of Thoth
A variation of the Wrath of Thoth but less painful. Zambo can release a controlled explosion that can stun his foes. It has a disruptive effect on robotic foes as well.
Glow of Wadjet
This spell has three variations to it. The first spell can sooth the wounds of those near him. The second version boosts teh health of those around thenm so the are stronger and quicker than normal. The final version of the spell allows Zambo to revive and strengthen an uncouncious ally.
Astral Library
One of Zambos most ingenious ways of keeping his artifacts secure is a spell that creates a small pocket in the astral that he can store these items in. Access to this library is easy for Zambo and he can recover these items at any time.
Astral Projection
Zambo often goes into the astral as he searches for new artifacts to bring under his protection or to commune with the entities. While in the astral form Zambo must be in deep meditation and cannot be disturbed. Any disturbance brings him immediately back to the real world.
The Way of Zambo
People who first meet Zambo may feel he is a bit full of himself. He often refers to himself in the third person and seems to gloat about even the most minor of acheivments (Minor by Superhero standards anyway)
In fact The name Zambo means more to him than a simle name. To him Zambo is a state of being. To be "that which is in keeping with the way of Zambo" is his fancy way of saying something good is happening. Something that is Zambo is good. Something that is not Zambo is evil.
To be Zambo is more than possessing super powers. It is a Hero who is selfless and careing not only for those he protects but for those he fights. No crime is to large or terrible for mercy. He is a beacon of safety and of happiness to the people he serves. It is service.
There can only be one true Zambo but to be one with the way of Zambo is more. He began to use this term origionally for the entertainment value. Over time it became part of the way he thinks. Bringing happiness to the citizens of the city is what he is all about. Fighting crime is only one of the ways he does that.
Character History
Zambo was born Peter Danielson near Kansas City. Alway facinated by stage magicians he began to learn the art when he was 12. When he graduated from high school he joined a traveling circus and preformed magic tricks for the audiance.
Always wanting to better impress the children he began to dabble in real magic. Through this experimentation he opened his mind and became passively empathic. Through hard work he began to form his talent and continued to preform in the circus.
He soon found however that he was nearly always empathic and could feel the pain and terror crime caused. Unable to resist the urge to right these unpleasant emotions he took his stage name as his own and moved to the one city that would allow him to pursue his newfound vocation. Finding even the act of fighting to be empathicly unpleasant he often charges into battle with 'It's the amazing ZAMBO!' to focus his mind back to a time when those words brought elation from thousands of children back at the circus.
At first he had great difficulty being the hero he wanted to be so he set out on a journey in hopes he would fins something to improve his magic. His travel was for nothing however as he soon realised that his journey was a nothing more than a desperate hope. Before returning to America he visited the museum where the artifacts recovered from Pharoh Tutenkamen's tomb rested. While he visiting the museum was raided by the Circle of Thorns.
Things happened very quickly, Robed figures appeared out of thin air in a flash of light. They grabbed several relics and began to teleport away. Once such relic was a large status of Ma'at which the thief had difficulty carrying. He dropped it once causing the statue to break but succedded in heaving the majority of the statue away.
In the rubble of the statue Zambo found a large silver block. He brushed away some of the rubble to reveal it was a book instead of a block. He picked it up to take a closer look and the world seem to stop around him. Before him stood two spirits both huminoid but one had the head of an Ibis while the other as a woman with great wings.
They identifed themselves as Thoth and Ma'at and explained that the book he held in his hands had been placed in the statue to be protected from the mortals. The spells the circle had used had disrupted the spells protecting the statue causeing it to break as it did. Thoth began to pass judgment on Zambo for attempting to steal the book of Thoth but Ma'at interviened.
Looking into his heart she found the truth of the matter and also found the him to be a man of virtue. As such he was found worthy of the afterlife. After a long silence Zambo asked if he was dead then. Their reply changed his life. He was worthy but not dead. He would be unable to pass into the afterlife having never left the previous. As such he was bound to what brought him to this judgment, The book of Thoth.
It was explained to him of what the book was. It was a book containing spells rangeing from the mundane parlor tricks to spells that would change the cosmos themselves. It was not a book to be read as reading it would bestow such infinite knowledge on him that his mortal mind would not be able to contain it. It was this book the Circle was after in their raid and since he was now bound to it he would be its keeper. He was also charged with keeping other powerful artifacts safe from those who would abuse such magic.
As such Zambo began to research magic in earnest and began to gather mystical tomes and artifacts for both study and safekeeping. He is afraid of the book of Thoth but has used it on certain rare occasions. Instead he uses other books he recovered from sites around egypt. It is these first few books that laid the foundation of the magic he uses. They are the most familiar to him so he can readily use them in stressful situations such as combat. He did return to the circus for a time but his divine quest soon grew much more important than the minor dealings of a circus.
Zambo studies and recovers magical artifacts from all traditions. The more vile ones he simply stores away while others he will study to both improbe his understanding of magic and to search for clues about other artifacts. One such discovery lead him to finding a means of storing the artifacts he recovers in a self contained universe of his creation. At first he found this spell to be useful on stage but he soon found it to be the most secure place he could store his magics.
He takes his search and responsibility very seriously. Upon joining the United paragon he has been able to fulfill his mandate much more efficiently and quickly. As such he is always happy to assist its members whenever he can be it advice, tutoring, or aid be it magical or otherwise.
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