Wyrd
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Wyrd is magic user of a divine nature, his magical lineage tracing back all the way to the ancient Norse god Odin. Only recently realizing his heritage and his destiny, he has decided to use his powers for the good of the world, and is growing in mystical knowledge and ability as he fights crime in Millennium City and beyond.
Contents
Appearance
An imposing older gentleman, Wyrd is strongly muscled, with salt-and-pepper hair and a stern mouth. He shows all of his 50 years, but possesses a strength that surpasses normal mortals, which makes him seem preternaturally young in body. His armor is leather, for the most part, and appears as those it is styled after high-quality Viking-era armor. At times, he wears his battle axe strapped to his back, but when he wears civilian clothes, he goes without. One striking feature, however, is the loss of his right eye. In keeping with his lineage, Wyrd has sacrificed his eye to the Well of Wisdom. In return, he has gained his mystical heritage and divine powers. He wears an eye patch constantly, to spare others the empty socket.
Personality
Once a social worker, and usually one of the oldest heroes in any sort of area, Wyrd can tend toward the paternal. He encourages easily, praising consistently, and worries about putting others in danger. At times, the berserker battlelust will come upon him, and he loses his inhibitions in order to throw himself full-force into the fray. But for the most part, he is free with advice, and willing to lend a hand almost constantly. He takes honor very seriously, and duty as well, so his job as a Statesman and Deputy Federal Marshal has proven a good match.
History
Early Background
In the personnel files of the Statesmen, Wyrd delivered a handwritten letter explaining his personal history. It is reprinted here.
URUZ, the Aurochs, the wild ox. URUZ, master of change, rune of great power and great potential. It was one of the first runes I have ever pulled. I was destined to change, and this rune showed that to me.
I didn’t start out a hero. I actually started out as a regular guy. I was Randy Jensen; that used to be my name. Randy was a young man with a passion for helping others and a high school sweetheart he loved more than anything. It feels like an eon ago, but I can still see him, standing there with his books and his girl on the first day of college. He had a smile on his face, a smile that would light the world on fire. He burned with hope. That was 1977. Things were different then.
Randy Jensen and Susanna Loveheart became Mr. and Mrs. Jensen together, and a year later, he became Randy Jensen, LICSW. Two years after that, their little family grew by one, and Adrian Jensen became the most spoiled-rotten baby New Hampshire had ever seen. His mother claimed it was because he was perfect. His father didn’t bother giving excuses. They made good money, they lived life, and they were happy.
It took Randy Jensen 20 years of happiness before tragedy struck. It was 2003, and he was 44. He doesn’t speak of that year, and he doesn’t think of that day. It took him a year to push back the darkness, a year of constant pain. When he finally came back, when the world turned bright once again, he realized he was alone. The house was empty, and he rattled around in it, never quite still, never quite restive. Like the house, his chest felt empty too. A hole, a gap.
He tried to fill it. He tried friends, but they were banal, and he hated the “chit-chat”. He tried to date again, but that lasted almost a day before he gave up completely. Lastly, he tried reconnecting with his family. He compiled records, spoke to long-distant cousins, and made family trees. He was rebuffed a hundred times by people who had no time for a lonely, middle-aged man. His work suffered, and he began to lose his mind once more.
That’s where I come in.
URUZ, rune of change. THURISAZ, representation of Mjollnir, hammer of Thor and symbol of luck. PERDHRO, secret chalice, symbol of magic. EHWAZ, movement, displacement, new home.
Randy searched too deep, traced his bloodline back and back and back. He found his blood led back to Scandinavia, and, in a burst of inspiration, went to trace it further. He found family trees he had never suspected, records he could never have found alone. And, when he finally found the roots of the tree, when he finally found the one that all of his family had come from, it was in a special museum and collection room in a library in Oslo. When he emerged from that place, he was no longer only Randy Jensen. He had found what he searched for, and it had told him what to do.
It gave him a purpose again.
When I pulled the runes for the first time, it was like coming home. I looked into the future through the ancient letters of the past, and in them I saw the shape of things to come. I can’t help but to see the future, and the past, and all things in between. I lost an eye for that skill, and I’ll be damned if I don’t use it. I spoke to the runes that day, and looked down, and I told myself that Randy was gone now. The cast showed me that I was right, because only one tile was face up.
WYRD, symbol of fate, rune of the hand of the divine.
PRIMUS officially reports that, while Wyrd has attempted to keep most of his old life to himself, he has been shown to be an upstanding citizen with remarkably few problems. Only until he discovered his genetic heritage did things begin to change. Since then, he has officially registered under the name "Wyrd", and took to fighting crime locally in New England, gaining proficient skill in arms and legal knowledge that made him suitable for the Statesmen.
After several years working alone, he decided to apply for the group. The New Hampshire Attorney General received Wyrd’s application personally, and “unequivocally” approved of his membership. He claimed that Wyrd walked into his office one day, unannounced and unbeknownst to the secretary, and placed the finished application on his desk. When asked why he applied to the Statesmen, he responded, in a direct quote:
“I am a lover of justice, and a man who believes in the laws of the United States and the enforcement of those laws. The Statesmen can give me both of those things. Also, I was told to. My runes showed me JERA, and I knew I was meant to come here. It is my fate.”
Since then, he has become an integral part of the government sanctioned group. Only recently has trouble arisen. At a recent break-in at the Millennium City Museum of Natural History, a man claiming to be the god Loki attempted to steal a Lemurian artifact and held multiple hostages. Wyrd, along with a group of Statesmen, attempted to stop the man. In the process, he realized that the man was in fact his son, Adrian. We are currently investigating the situation at this time.
The Superior Crisis
When the supervillain Superior emerged on the scene, Wyrd had very little involvement. However, after some incidents with certain members of Meta-SWAT, he was informed that there would be a meeting with the Ministry of Order, and in an attempt to represent the Statesmen and to learn more about the group, Wyrd attended. There, a plan was devised concerning the elimination of Superior, but mystical energies were required to enact the final step. His powers having advanced to the point of planar interaction, Wyrd was a willing and able participant.
Along with Menhir and Nidhoggur, the other two magic workers, Wyrd infiltrated the Great Beast Bookstore and obtained information concerning the Qliphotic Realm. When the time came, he cast the protective runes that would hold a portal into the Qliphotic in place, and Nidhoggur enacted the portal which cast Superior into that chaotic plane. Many other heroes were also present, and only with their brave sacrifice and Nidhoggur's final spell was Superior finally defeated.
Temperance and Siege Knight
While still recovering from injuries taken during the Superior event, Wyrd was approached by a pair of heroes: Temperance and Siege Knight. Temperance, being the physical manifestation of the concept of temperance, had sensed Wyrd and his divine blood, and decided to bring her charge Siege Knight along for the meeting. There was a certain resonance of mystical forces at the meeting, as Wyrd possesses the blood of Odin, Temperance was herself a demigod of sorts, and Siege Knight (also known as Dominic), being a time-displaced holy warrior, possessed armor and abilities that resonated with divine energy. They attempted to keep in touch even after the first meeting.
Later, Wyrd happened to be heading the the Cityview Coffee House for a cup of coffee when he discovered Temperance and Dominic were there ahead of him. Temperance, however, had fought her opposite, Indulgence, and events had transpired that the two concepts were forced to share one physical body. Indulgence, being violently moody and prone to rapidly changing extremes, was causing trouble. In an attempt to assist, Wyrd volunteered to place a bindrune on Temperance, allowing her greater control over Indulgence's appearances. Unexpectedly, aid came in the form of a woman named Perthro. Perthro, Wyrd instantly recognized, was somehow all of the three Norse Fates bundled into a single form. Perthro and Wyrd bound Temperance, but Perthro gave Wyrd strange tidings, informing him that he was in some way important to the destinies of many, and that she was watching over him. What this means, and what may come of it, will be seen.
Powers and Abilities
Wyrd's powers range from the martial to the mystical. A complete list of his known powers and abilities is currently confidential, but a summary can be found here.
Eldritch Bolts: Bolts of mystical blue energy seem to emanate from his missing eye. These bolts have been known to cause the enemy to become immobile, or "snared", on occasion.
Reaper's Caress: With the enhanced strength of the Asgardian gods, Wyrd has also acquired some skill with an axe. He can seemingly wield a broad-bladed axe with incredible ease, and can swing it multiple times in succession with devastating effect on his foes.
Scything Blade: The battle axe he uses has been known to cause deep and bleeding wounds. He is not prone to murdering his foes, and tries to never hurt someone more than is necessary. However, the bleeding caused by moves such as this make the foe weak and prone to collapse, leaving him unconscious until he is healed again.
Sigils of the Arcane: While officially referred to as "sigils", these are in essence rune stones mystically created. Wyrd uses these stones in a circle around himself, and they are very unstable. The merest touch by an enemy will cause the magic contained in the runes to explode, doing fiery damage to those around him.
Sigils of the Primal Storm: Again more runes. These, when summoned, call upon the lightning of Thor to aid Wyrd in battle. The lightning arcs between the runes, causing significant damage to any enemy caught between, but remarkably avoiding friends and allies.
Wolves: The wolves Freki and Geri once belonged to the All-Father in the ancient past, and Wyrd can summon what appears to be mystical, but material, manifestations of them. They are vicious and strong hunters, who can be riled into a frenzy at Wyrd's command, but they do all that they can to assist him in his battles.
Circle of Primal Dominion: Using an intense ritual, Wyrd scrawls runes in a protective circle around himself, providing him with increased resistance to attacks and also feeding him health when he is desperately hurt. The circle is strong, but only as long as he stays within it.
Force Shield: Using the power of his magical nature, he can summon a round shield of pure arcane energy, absorbing incoming damage and feeding his own energy levels to increased heights. This shield, supported by his magical abilities, lasts a short time even after he has let it go and moved on to attack.
Arcane Vitality: Using the powers of the health runes, Wyrd calls upon his divine energy to heal either himself or his teammates. This is not an exact art, and he cannot save someone from certain death, but his abilities help close wounds, increase life, and stave off unconsciousness.
Urthona's Charm: The Norse were mighty fighters, but Wyrd, like Odin before him, has taken to using cunning and subtlety to defeat his foes. Calling forth the force of mystical chaos, Wyrd tricks his enemies into fighting themselves, causing enough confusion to allow him to wade into battle.
Known Personal Connections
As a Statesman, Wyrd has become close with many in the group. Lady Incendiary, Willem Wendel, Enigma, Dusk Owl, and others have shared time with him, and appear to be friends. Sunspot, a hero in the supergroup Meta-S.W.A.T., has also become a close friend. Through her, he has formed ties with Flynn and Keioseth, also of Meta-S.W.A.T. He has been known to speak with many other heroes, including but not limited to Azunai, Nidhoggur, Menhir, Temperance, Siege Knight, Perthro, and Overwatch, but none are as close as the previous listed.
His son, Adrian, is now operating under the name Loki, and is expected to be of great impedance to Wyrd. More information on this villain is necessary.
Special Information
To be added.
