Empyreal

Empyreal
Player: @thesilverserval
"Everyone was born innocent. A hero shouldn't forget that."
Character Build
Class Focus:	Support (Defensive and Offensive)
Power Level:
Research & Development:	Mysticism
Biographical Data
Real Name:	Eustace "Stacy" Vassallo
Known Aliases:	The Hand of Marici
Gender:	Male
Species:	Enhanced Human
Ethnicity:	English, Greek and Scottish
Place of Birth:	Niagara Falls, Ontario
Base of Operations:	North America
Relatives:	Milo Vassallo (Father), Claire Roberts (Mother), Tamara Vassallo (Sister)
Characteristics
Age:	25
Height:	6'0/6'5
Weight:	189 lbs
Eyes:	Blue-Green
Hair:	Red
Complexion:	Fair
Physical Build:	Athletic and Defined
Physical Features:	Obscured
Status
Alignment:	██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ Neutral Good
Reputation:	██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ Reputable
Identity:	Secret Identity
Years Active:	1
Citizenship:	Canadian
Occupation:	Adventurer, Educator
Education:	Bachelor of Education. Diplomas in Mythology, Ancient Cultures and Religious Studies.
Marital Status:	Single, Never Married
Known Powers and Abilities
Divine Elemental Light Manipulation, Flight, Teleportation, Enhanced Physicality, Divine Communication, Enhanced Mental and Mystical Resistances, Historical Knowledge, Mythological Knowledge, Negotiation
Equipment and Paraphernalia
Statue of Marici, Communications Link, Light Protective Wear, Various Books

Attributes
	Strength	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Endurance	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Agility	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Speed	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Fighting	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Projectiles	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Durability	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Resistance	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Intelligence	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Psyche	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Intuition	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Charisma	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
ReldinBox Template

Background

Origin

Eustace "Stacy" Vassallo grew up with many physical, emotional and hobby-inclined traits that caused him to be outcast for the majority of his childhood: a strange name, health issues, conspicuous red hair and a dislike for the status quo of interests. His only outlet originated from being a historical buff and finding extreme fascination and escapism within the tales of ancient mythologies and religious deities since an early age. This was further emphasized as an escapism during the destruction of Detroit in 1992, where his family was evacuated and temporarily relocated to Northern Ontario.

He was able to secure his dream occupation within the internationally renowned Everson Historical Museum of Niagara Falls in early adulthood; acquiring a bachelor's degree in education, as well as several mythological, religious and historical diplomas and qualifications through post secondary endeavors. His daily routine consisted of guiding and explaining the historical importance and legends of ancient and rare Buddhist and Taoist artifacts that the Museum was able to obtain throughout the years of its operation.

Normally a reserved individual and lacking a preference for prolonged social company, Stacy would become a different person while sharing his deepest interests and curiosities with others willing to listen. Fate would place him in the position of closing with the establishment during the day of the grand Ancient Asian exhibit's opening, revealing an impressive display of numerous relics, medallions and miniature statues of the many alternate Buddhist schools and cultures believed to possess some of the highest valuable worth throughout the entire Museum. Word of this arrival from regions of China and Japan made front page news, and naturally attracted the attention of curious and ill-intentioned eyes alike.

Stacy volunteered to remain after hours that night where several armed gunmen orchestrated an elaborate heist; disabling security systems and taking out the various guards situated throughout the layout. He caught wind of the phenomenon, but was confronted while still within the exhibit's showcase room before he could make any attempt of escaping. Despite cooperating with the demands and instructions of the criminals without hesitation, Stacy was gunned down. The spray of bullets would also shatter the glass display behind him recklessly, causing his body to fall onto the layout of ancient artifacts.

Perhaps through an act of fate, his left hand would grab the body of a small miniature statue of the Ancient Taoist and Buddhist Deity Marici during his decent to the floor, causing dormant divine light energy of one of the Goddess's echoes to flow into his body - immediately preserving his life and transforming his physiology. Over a short period of seconds, the "Voice of Marici" would call to him and grant him an innate understanding of the power and responsibility he unintentionally came across, assisting him in utilizing his abilities to repel the group of criminals and preserving the condition of a majority of the other treasures.

In the aftermath of the foiled heist, a lack of witnesses to the paranormal phenomena enabled Stacy to keep such events to himself along with the three other pairs of criminal eyes, and retrieve the statue into his own possession. Conspicuously he would be further guided by the Goddesses voice, studying the depths of her mythology to obtain an understanding he required to find purpose. Somewhat motivated by his experiences of being evacuated by local superheroes during the Detroit Attack early in its decade, he discovered a secondary responsibility that ran parallel to his civilian life - vowing to use his power to assist others and donning his own heroic identity as Empyreal.

Current Timeline

2013

• (January) Empyreal arrives in Millennium City, and is introduced to the Champions after assisting them along with other heroes in fending off another Qularr threat.

Personality

The Civilian

Years of consistent ridicule and embarrassment has left emotional and social scars. Stacy is a rather emotional, quiet-natured but compassionate individual who does not go out of his way to interact with others. However he is more than willing to hold a small conversation when approached himself - even more forward, if his deep interests are tapped into, he becomes quite talkative. Despite the fact that he is considered a rather handsome man, Stacy possesses little if any existing acknowledgement of such an impression (and quite frankly, his increase in height from the initial surge of Marici's power has added another minor subconscious insecurity). While a passive individual at heart, he is certainly not completely wishy-washy in that he still retains his opinions and strength of his convictions. At times of being overwhelmed emotionally, he can become very flustered. Thankfully others are able to pull him back to a stable place quite easily.

The Hero

While his face is completely obscured, his wise beyond years impression commonly encourages others to incorrectly assume him to be older than he actually is. While still quiet-natured and not keen in unnecessary interaction or small talk, Empyreal definitely takes Stacy's convictions and beliefs to the next level; he is able to move to action more readily as the hero. He rarely experiences the need to be 'in the limelight', and is more than happy to support the greater good as he understands it to be without reaping fame or fortune. His criminal outlook tends to have the potential in frustrating other heroes however; usually trying to see the grey between the black and white of almost every situation or individual. He believes in learning the 'why' of the nature of others opposed to immediately dismissing or labeling them.

Attributes

Known Super Powers

The most prominent ability in which the hero Empyreal possesses is his connection to the Heavenly Realm through Marici, granting him the ability to channel Divine Elemental energy from this plane. He is then able to manipulate and channel this energy, which manifests as light, through various means of usage by allowing it to unite with his own physical, mental and emotional will; in theory limiting such a degree of manipulation only to his imagination and discipline.

Divine Energy Projection: A common offensive use of projecting the energy through simple bolts or blasts of light toward targets, causing physical harm through blunt forces or stunning the body and mind directly.

Divine Energy Protection: By solidifying the energy he is able to generate solid barriers of Divine Light capable of deflecting physical afflictions, various types of energy and even magical-oriented offensive forces.

Divine Energy Portals: Through controlled circumstances only, Empyreal is able to open small rifts between the Heavens for limited amounts of time, enabling raw and overpowering amounts of the Divine elemental energy to pour through.

Divine Energy Emanation: His body calmly, passively and consistently radiates the raw Divine elemental energy in which he channels through his physical form, emitting a soothing aura that promotes a naturally healthy state of body and mind.

Healing and Resurrection: Successfully channeling the Divine elemental light through its most raw state of positive and life-giving energies toward others through himself enables him to heal the mind, body and soul - repairing physical minor to moderate injuries, regulate thoughts and emotions and maintain or excite consciousness and life. Completely resurrecting someone from death is possible, though requires a huge amount of energy and may only be successfully accomplished within a limited time frame.

Levitation: Channeling the energy through his own being, he has the ability to levitate himself for moderately long periods of time and sustain convenient speeds of flight; retaining complete control of his own body.

Teleportation: The utilization of his portals allows him to travel back and forth from the Heavenly realm and material world within very short periods of time, thus enabling him to travel from one point to another without disturbing space in between. This is sometimes confused as a form of super-speed.

Divine Communication: The esoteric communication between the Goddess herself through emotions and intuitive recognitions, opposed to utilizing other psionic or basic senses. This level of communication typically occurs on a passive and sporadic manner.

Enhanced Physicality: The first touch of the Goddesses being permanently transformed and enhanced his body. While not at the level of other 'super-powered' beings, his strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, senses and health have been augmented to peak human conditions and capabilities.

Mental Resistance: The aspect of the power granted within him has rendered Empyreal with moderate mental resistances through strong supernatural will; those who attempt to read his deepest thoughts or take control of his mind or perceptions must do so with healthy effort.

Abilities

Academic: Empyreal is quite knowledgeable and well-versed in subjects that revolve around ancient religions, traditions, locations and origins.

Negotiation: Though he is quick to underestimate his own charisma and ability to influence others around him, Empyreal has an innate and natural ability to turn potentially fatal situations into more manageable circumstances through non violent means, and exercises this trait (whether he is consciously aware of it or not) wherever possible.

Modern Technology: While not considered especially gifted with technological development and usage, Empyreal retains an updated knowledge of modern technologies; allowing him to quickly adapt to the use of basic programs or technological devices.

Fitness and Health: Even before his body was augmented to function at peak possible human performance, he started to maintain a very healthy lifestyle.

Equipment

Statue of Marici: The miniature statue in which was previously possessed by one of the echoes of Marici. Empyreal keeps this in his own home for remembrance, good luck and symbolism.

Communication Link: Utilized basic communications technology enabling him to communicate via alternate radio signals over convenient distances.

Protective Wear: The materials of his suit are reinforced with heatproof and bulletproof material over the chest, back and limbs for precautionary measures.

The Library: Empyreal is the owner of several dozens of ancient mythological, historical and religious books, some of which are very rare finds.

Weaknesses and Limitations

• While not regarding the use of his powers or any form of other physical protection, it is still possible for him to be mortally wounded or killed where the opportunity allows.
• Empyreal tends to be the favoured hero of apprehension for criminals within imagined worst case scenarios, due to his nonlethal methods and being a giver of the benefit of the doubt. At times he leaves himself vulnerable to exploitation.
• Though the rate in which he uses his abilities is effective and powerful, Empyreal is still learning how to further the utility of his abilities; his full potential is not close to being realized yet.

Affiliations

The Goddess

Marici (The title she is known within Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism) is a solar deity; Divine Goddess of light and the Heavens. She is also known as the Dipper Mother in Taoism (and referred to as the Queen of Heaven in Dou Mu, also worshiped as Beidou), Molizhitian Pusa in China and Marishi-ten in Japan. Marici is also sometimes included as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Buddha of Healing and Medicine. She is depicted in a variety of ways through picture and art: A beautiful woman sitting upon a lotus perched upon seven sows, a multi-armed woman carrying a different weapon in each hand upon the back of a boar, a woman riding within a fiery chariot pulled by seven savage sows or boars, or as a ferocious wrathful deity upon the back of a boar.

Group Affiliation

Currently Solo.

Allies

None Notable.

Indifferent

None Notable.

Foes

None Notable.

Miscellaneous

Those Hooks

• Those capable of perceiving auras may pick up on the fact that he radiates a divine-natured energy of inhuman origin; distinct from anyone else.
• More of those originating from Southern Ontario may already know of his costumed identity compared to those who have heard of him through Millennium City itself.
• His steadily growing 'passive' and 'soft' reputation may leave those that prefer to live outside the grey confused, indifferent, annoyed or already deem him unsuitable.

Trivia

• He suffers from a moderate depression-anxiety disorder, bi-weekly visiting a therapist or counselor and taking medication in addition to maintaining a healthy diet. He has also discovered that the act of channeling the Divine energy immediately and temporarily regulates his own chemical balances, mind and emotions.
• While seeing no reason to be publicly open about his own sexuality, Empyreal generally works on a 'you ask, I tell' basis.
• He is what is coined as a "Flexitarian", typically enjoying vegetarian meals though occasionally open to fish and poultry as well.
• Some (but not all) influences regarding the theme, origin, costume design and abilities of Empyreal listed: Quetzalcoatl (FF), Baron Zemo, Doctor Fate, Doctor Strange and Dove.