Sandstorm
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Contents
Affiliations
- The Statesmen - United States super-powered Federal Martials
- UNTIL - The United Nations Tribunal on International Law, the UN's anti-supervillain "police force." member
- Meta-S.W.A.T. - a MCPD/MARS branch that serves as a special team composed of meta-natural (heroes), answering calls for help from both the civilian public, and the caped community.
- The United Nations - The United Nations is an international organization committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Former delegate
Personality
Sandstorm is an educated man, preferring knowledge over fighting. However his sense of duty is unshakable, and as the avatar to Al-Qaum (ancient Arabian god) it is his responsibility to maintain order and peace. Both polite and proper, Sandstorm can be a very charming man and has a reputation of being a heart breaker. But his duty to eradicate evil and uphold the values of justice do not allow him the luxury of settling down.
He is also extremely passionate of his values and morality, and will stand his ground in defense of them, no exceptions. His battle prowess and frenzy can be attributed to his Arabian blood. He does not boast and initiate challenges, but will defend his pride and integrity and not back down from confrontation.
Appearance
Sandstorm is a tall, dark man with long black hair. He is in his early thirties but sometimes is mistaken as older. On duty, the power of his amulet will cause his eyes to glow a bright orange hue, which normally are a lighter brown. He is of significant build and wears a heavy front piece of specialized Kevlar, and is never seen without the Amulet of Qaum around his neck. He wields dual scimitars when in battle, but are not on his person, rather they are summoned from a magical pocket dimension.
He has many faded and unnoticeable scars, and a few prominent ones, mainly around his chest and back.
Abilities
Sandstorm is a master swordsman, and skilled martial artist. Accompanying his own natural talent are the magical powers bestowed to him by the powerful Amulet of Qaum.
Dual Blades
Sandstorm wields with unimaginable speed and accuracy two scimitars. Sayf spent almost his entire child and young adult years practicing martial arts and the art of swordsmanship. From fencing to street style, Sandstorm enveloped all the disciplines he had come to know into his sword fighting. Even to this day, Sandstorm sets aside some time to practice his forms and find new techniques he can use in the fight against crime. The magical ability he possess from the amulet has also helped improve his sword fighting. It has granted him a "sixth" sense that allows him to "feel" when another being or object is near him. Sandstorm is already a worthy swordsman, but with the addition of his new powers he can easily detect and hold off enemies from all angles without having to actually see them.
Arcane Magic
After having found the Amulet of Qaum, Sandstorm was inadvertently made the avatar to the old Arabian gods. With such power came that cost, which he learned to gladly accept with both honor and pride. The arcane magic he possess allows him to ward off enemies from a distance with a concentrated blast of magical energy that damages its target both physically and spiritually, draining their life force each time they are hit. Other powers are a shield of magical energy, able to stop or slow a myriad of attacks. Arcane sigils summoned from the earth itself that create a circle around Sandstorm. Those who enter within the radius are attacked by ambient electrical energy harnessed from the earth. Another and very lethal ability is that Sandstorm can call upon the natural forces of nature, summoning lightning to strike down his enemies. With the amulet, he is also able to create a magical cone of negative energy that assaults the mental and physical state of his enemies. With the concentration of his own will and power of the amulet, Sandstorm has the ability to mold extremely compact magical energy around his fist, whatever he swings at will take severe damage. Lastly, as part of the enchantment Al-Qaum had given to the amulet, the bearer is able to resurrect the recently deceased.
Other Abilities
Super Speed and Teleportation
Originally, Al-Qaum created the power within the amulet so that his champion could cover all parts of Arabia in seconds. This super speed allowed the first avatar to do just that, however as Sandstorm being the most current champion of the gods, his duty as such requires his presence not just in Arabia. The amulet still grants Sandstorm super speed, but its also granted him another means of travel, teleportation. Sandstorm prefers super speed as his main means to travel, but in times of emergency he can teleport great distances by thinking of the destination.
Increased attributes
Along with magical powers, Sandstorm was granted amazing growth in almost all attributes. He has increased strength, enough so to lift an automobile. His speed and dexterity have been heightened to such a degree that he is able to dodge or even deflect bullets with his swords. His senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing have all been amplified to a degree as well.
Regeneration
In order to keep his champion in the living world for as long as he could, Al-Qaum enchanted the amulet so that its bearer would know slowed aging and a resistance to illness. But most importantly, the ability to regenerate muscle, organ and bone. Many of the wounds Sandstorm has suffered only lasted moments before closing themselves up. The only time when his regenerative ability almost failed him was during a confrontation with Naga, where his right arm was nearly severed.
Weaknesses
The most prominent limitation to Sandstorm is his humanity. Though powerful, he is still human and should he be lethally wounded (I.E. decapitation), he will die unless by some divine intervention. The amulet which is the source of his power is not permanently attached to him. Though it magically is able to stay around his neck in situations where any other piece of jewelry would have fallen off or broke, it can be removed with enough force.
And then there is the ever present possibility, that should Sandstorm use his powers for evil or personal gain, he will begin to transform and loose his title as avatar and his power. What has yet to be seen is whether or not this is true should he be taken control of, be it mind control or some other form of manipulation.
Sandstorm is also susceptible to forms of mind control and and psycho-kinetics, as his magical ability would help fight off an intruder into his psyche, it would not last long.
Equipment
Sandstorms Attire
Sandstorm wears a thick vestment of synthesized nano-Kevlar with a classic leather finish. The material stops small arms ammunition with ease and can withstand up to .50 caliber rounds with only minor injury to the wearer. Beneath the vestment is a thinner, less reinforced version of the vestment, and his leggings are also of the same material. Due to Sandstorms unique powers, protection is always important but mobility and speed are also variables that must be addressed. His magical power protects him from most of the things one would worry about at such high speeds when travelling. But during battle, as quick as he may be, one stray bullet in the right way could in fact hit him. But with the right protection, it won't matter.
Dual Scimitars
Dubbed "Ifrit" and "Bahamut", the swords were inspired by the ancient swords Sandstorm was given to battle Amr the Fallen. The handles are made of ebony and oak, cured and treated for heavy usage, but it is the blades of the swords that are his most deadliest asset. Forged with a titanium crystal-alloy, this breakthrough in metal science allows the blades to be near indestructible. But what's more is that they always remain extremely sharp, being able to cut through most metals. The magical ability possessed by Sandstorm is infused with the blades, allowing them to physically damage beings, objects and entities from magical or arcane places.
The Amulet of Qaum
The Amulet of Qaum is a brightly glowing orange jewel, enchanted by the Nabataean god Al-Qaum, who created the amulet to bestow upon his champion to keep order in the world of the living. The wearer of the amulet is given tremendous magical abilities, but not without risk. Al-Qaum understood the natural greed of mortal men and made it so that the power bestowed by the amulet would only be used for keeping justice and peace among the living world.
Character History
Early Years
In 2002 at just twenty four, Sayf interned for a local governmental agency, in which he quickly worked his way up the political ladder until he found himself as a candidate to represent Jordan at the United Nations, as well as act as emissary. Not long after, the congratulations letter came.
For seven years, Sayf diligently acted as emissary and represenative in the UN, and it was during this time that he began to discover his passion and love for ancient antiquties and artifacts.
Birth of the Sand
During a trip to Saudi Arabia, Sayf was giving the name of a bookstore, a shop almost no one seemed to know about, except for the locals who have lived there for many years. The shop was called "كتبقديمة" which in English translates simply as, "Old Books". It was the quintessential hole in the wall shop, tucked away quietly and neatly in the shadow of several old crumbling buildings in the poorer section of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. A journal entry from Sayf better visualizes what entering this store was like, the store that began a journey that changed his life.
"As I came upon the step, the smell of ancient air abound me. The heavy door, emboldened with adornments of copper and gold that were embedded into the old grain of the wood, slowly arched open with a push. I took caution as I entered what felt like a sacred place, of reverence and things holy. The proprietor greeted me, a sullen and small man, half visible as his garb was mostly cloth which appeared as grey and dark as the room itself. His voice was low and old, but it held a mystery and a welcome and I bade him good tidings and asked if it would be acceptable if I perused the store, he simply nodded in kind. And so I had anxiously and delightfully touched and handled books and tomes and scripts, some hundreds of years old. But there was one book, a small tome that almost slipped my attention. In the far back of the dimly lit room, upon the utmost tiered shelf, was a black leather book. I pulled it down and flipped through its old pages. The copyright was circa 1901, old, but nothing timeless. However it was upon putting the book back that I made a discovery. A plank of wood, though very subtle, had fallen out of its concealed hinge above where the book in my hand just was. I grabbed a small stool by me and gently pushed some of the books aside upon the shelf. As I stood, I looked and noticed the proprietor sleeping and so I quietly went to work. I cocked my head sideways to a point where it may have looked as if it was snapped. I wriggled and wrested for the plank to come free. Finally, it had come loose and I carefully lowered the wood, and a heavy but small book slid down the plank of wood like a slide. It was not bigger than the bibles you find in hotel bedside tables, but just as thick. Its cover was hard like cured and aged leather, black as jet and bore the inscriptions that are related to the Phoenicians. It was instantly something I knew, I felt, was important and of some historical value. I turned to see the man still sleeping, and I pocketed the book leaving all the money I had on my person upon his desk."
The book had led Sayf to the Sahara, with directions in great detail and accompanied by a very old map, to a location of something that the tome only described as "Tomb of Roc". Three days later he found himself covering his eyes to what appeared to be a very large dune of sand in the middle of the desert. The book called for a phrase of passage to be said, and so, having nothing else around and the map ending here, Sayf uttered the words:
العبارة من الرمل ، وفتح.
أنا أدخل إلى روك ، السياده القديمة
انا اقدر تقديس آلهة لم يعد يعرف
وأنا صنع السلام الآن ، بالدخول ،
'''لانني قد لا يعود.
The gateway of sand, open.
Into Roc I enter, dominion of old
I hold reverence for gods no longer known
And I make peace now, to enter,
for I may not return.
Suddenly, the ground began to quake, and the sand vibrated and shook and layer by layer, something began to emerge from within the giant sand dune as if painstakingly crawling from within the earth to the surface. Before long, all of what was a sand dune had vanished and in its place lay a giant skull, a head, of what appeared to be a bird. The beak was open, the doorway, to what was inside. Sayf, hesitant at first but more amazed as to what he witnessed began his slow walk into the deep underground of Roc's tomb. As he made his way further in, piles of bones were strewn about, and laying beside them were armor and weapons from vast time periods. Mysterious candelabras held flames upon the walls all the way through the underground labyrinth. Sayf could feel he was deep into the earth. It was quieter, the air was heavy and it felt timeless, as if everything within was slowed. He had finally reached the end of the walkway where before him opened a vast circular space, dimly lit by an unknown or at least invisible source. In the middle of this unknowingly large room was a pedestal, and upon it an amulet.
The amulet was adorned in black, silver and gold and set upon it in the middle was an orange jewel that glowed like warm fire. Sayf approached it cautiously, but as he got closer his curiosity overtook him, and he stood before it in awe. He reached down and paused... and very carefully caressed the exterior of the jewel with his finger. Suddenly, strings of dust and particles of rock began to trickle down from above and the ground shook for a few moments. An orange mist began to fill in all around him and through the large pool of mist a figure appeared. Transparent and of no features, it soon took shape. Before Sayf stood a man, or what appeared to be a man. His feet and legs were there, but the edges where fluent and would wisp away and return, as if made of air. His waist and torso were more noticeable and less transparent, wearing simple garb of dark cloth that was featureless, old, and ragged. His head held a face that had two very bright glimmers of light for eyes, which were about the size of a pin head. The rest of his features were hard to make out, masked by shadow, but what was most noticeable of all was the wide toothy grin.
"I am Amr, and you have come at last... Sayf Al Din."
Sayf stared, speechless. Was he dead, he wondered, or was this all a fever dream? Did he actually pass out from heat exhaustion and this is all in his head?
"I assure you, young one, that this is no illusion. You have woken me from my slumber and have finally come."
Sayf blinked and finally found some words, which he struggled to project. "I...is... ar.. what are you? I, I awoke you? You know of me?"
Amr's grin only widened and the room rumbled with a deep echo which sounded like a chuckle.
"I am what you call a Djinn. And I have been waiting for you, yes. You see, I knew you would come the moment I felt your presence." Amr waited for the response.
"When did you feel my presence? When I enter.." Sayf asked before being cutoff.
"The moment you touched the tome. The book that led you here contains the lost passages of the Mahabharata. You are familiar with this text?"
Sayf almost lost his breath. Being a Jordanian and antiquities connoisseur, he was well aware of the ancient book; but to have in his possession the lost passages of it, that simply made it priceless.
"Like these men before you, whose remains you have seen, they too had found this book, and they too, had found me."
Sayf finally started to feel fear creep up his spine. All those men and women had perished here, and the last thing they all did was awake Amr. Sayf stood silently, unknowingly backing away slowly.
"They died by their own decision, Sayf, so fear not... yet. I present to you an offer, an offer which will give you great power. Power to rule men and nations if you so choose too. Power to change this world, if used correctly. Power that is as old as the desert, but know that this power is not without cost. You may choose to walk away now. Or, if you wish to use this power, you must answer a riddle, and pass a test."
Amr stood, arms crossed and his smile wide, his sharp glints piercing Sayf, who was still taking this all in. But now he found himself deep in thought. He could very well walk away now, and forget all of this and return to his life. But could he ever really live afterwards? Sayf knew himself and he knew he wouldn't. "Tell me your riddle, Amr, and I will answer it."
The vast room again echoed its rumble, and again Sayf could swear it sounded like a laugh.
"The more that there is, the less that you see. Squint all you wish when Surrounded by me."
Sayf put his hand to his chin and scratched his beard, hard pressed into thought. There he stood for a long moment, not moving, his eyes closed as he thought. Then, Sayf grinned a short smile and lifted his head with confidence. "Darkness."
"Yes! Yes indeed. You have passed the riddle... but not yet the test..."
Amr's grin suddenly grew dim and withdrawn. The figure of the man violently wisped and twisted and grew into a figure much larger than before. Horns had emerged around his face and above his head, the robes he wore were now tattered rags by what used to be feet, and now seemed to take the shape of hoofs. The beast grew to such a size that Sayf was covered in it's shadow and it roared a loud bellowing howl.
"Your test is to defeat me, young one! I give you these swords, use them well for I will not hold back!"
Suddenly two ancient scimitars appeared within Sayfs hands. He looked at both of them wearing a confused expression. "What are you!?" he yelled to the monster.
The creature that no longer shared any resemblence to Amr, hulked himself down in a battle ready position.
"I am Amr, but what you see is my true form." the voice was deep and earthy
"What your eyes gaze upon is Amr the Fallen. I had once worn the amulet, and used its power for good. But greed and corruption festered within me and before long I was using my power for evil."
The beast snarled and howled
And for my transgression, I was cursed by the amulets enchantment and transformed into the monster before you. A living picture of my sins, and sentenced to guard it for the next person worthy enough to weild its power once again!
Sayf narrowed his eyes and raised the blades, taking a long, deep breath inwards.
"Then come..."
The History of the Amulet
The history of the amulet dates back a couple thousand years, a time known as Pre-Islamic Arabia, or Ancient Arabia. It was in this time when djinns, demons and demigods walked the sandy dunes of the desert. When the gods of old ruled, such as Al-Qaum, who was the god of war and night to the Nabataean people. They were an ancient Semitic people, Arabs of southern Jordan, Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea.
It was in this this time when a council was held among the ancient Arabian gods. It was in this council that they decided an avatar must be amongst the people of Arabia to keep order. Bands of thieves and and murderers plundered and drove the peace loving people away in fear. Rogue djinns and demons plagued the sands of the Sahara tricking and killing unknowing travelers. The result of the council was that Dushara would create an amulet and Al-Qaum would enchant it with his own wisdom and prowess of battle. The wearer of the amulet would be chosen and he would be bestowed great power.
The chosen man was called Amr the Bolden. He was a tribal leader of the Nabataean people who he loved and protected. When asked to be the avatar of the gods, to help maintain order, he gladly accepted. The night before Amr would find the amulet, he had a dream and in it Al-Qaum came to him and told him where to find the amulet. However he warned Amr, that with it he would have great power and with that power he is to do good to keep order in the land. Should he offend this privilege and the gods and use it for his own ends, then the amulet would transform him into a hideous beast, and be stripped of all his power.
Amr woke the next day and found the amulet where he was told it would be. When he put it on, he was enveloped in an aura of orange light. His eyes glowed the same hue that the amulet did and he could feel the power throughout him. It wasn't long before he discovered his new abilities; such as incredible speed. He was able to run from one end of Arabia to the other in a matter of minutes. His senses were heightened to great lengths, even his strength was increased as he could now single handedly move statues that would take several men weeks to move. And one time in a battle to protect his tribe, he took several arrows to his chest and it was much to his surprise that the wounds had already started closing up around the shafts.
A few years had already gone by and all of Arabia knew of Amr the Bold. Thieves would scatter at the whisper of his name, murderers would drop their weapons and cower, even the demons and djinns would avoid him. But the power he had soon began to go to his head, and the greed and lust for control festered inside Amr. He soon became so blinded by greed and power that he completely forgot the warning Al-Qaum had given him. Other peaceful tribes were being forced off their lands, their abodes burned and their people driven away or murdered. Amr began hording riches for himself instead of sharing it with his own people. As time went on, and fear and death became synonymous with his name, Amr suddenly began to feel different. He would wake up in the middle of the night in sweats that would leave him drenched. Other days he would suddenly have fits of rage and wild muscle spasms.
Then one day in late summer, Amr felt sick and buckled to his knees. He spit up violently and his muscles tensed and strained, his breathing became labored and he started to flail and rip at the air, as if he had a fire burning from within him. The amulet around his neck undid itself and it fell to the ground, the orange glow faded from Amrs eyes and replacing it was a dark red hue. He writhed and twisted on the sandy floor as his rich and elegant robes ripped and tore off of him as he grew in size. His skin changed to a red stained hue and became leathery and unsightly, horns began protruding out from his head and face. His followers fled in sheer terror at the sight of him and as he stood he realized what had happened. He no longer felt as powerful as he did before, but he was a hulking brute none the less and still remained stronger and more powerful than any human. But what good was power and strength when he knew he would no longer know love or the touch of a woman. Joy, sadness, companionship, friendship... all of these things were replaced by loathsome hate for everything, and himself. He reached down to try and grab the amulet, but found it was impossibly heavy. As hard as might try, the amulet lay carelessly in the desert sand.
Amr wandered the desert alone and bitter, when suddenly a very large shadow blanketed the sun. Amr turned around and raised a hand to his brow, and coming down towards him was a giant bird. An eagle in fact, the size of which could only be described as a bird that could easily carry off a fully grown elephant. It landed in front of the brutish monster that was once Amr the Bold, and it spoke to him. The bird known as Roc told Amr he was sent by Al-Qaum to retrieve the amulet, and that as punishment for having killed so many innocent lives and offending the god who personally chose him; he was to be eaten by Roc and bound inside, to act as guardian of the amulet. Only those truly worthy enough to retrieve the amulet and slay the beast now known as Amr the Fallen could then be the next avatar to the ancient gods.
Relationships
Relatives
Sandstorms father passed away very early on, and was raised by his mother and two older brothers. Currently, his brothers lives in Millennium City; Hasan, the eldest son works as a contractor for the defense department. Mahir, the second eldest is a particle-engineer who works to develop new energy methods for consumption and use at Harmon Industries.
Allies and Friends
Sandstorm currently operates in Millennium City and is part of the cities "Champions Channel". A communication channel for active heroes within the city. He has also worked with several prominent super hero groups, such as Meta-S.W.A.T., Statesmen, PRIMUS, and UNTIL. To date he has worked with many local heroes, as well as international ones, lending aid to Canada, the southwest desert, and other parts of the world including Saudi Arabia, Australia, Iceland, Haiti, and France.
Among his friends in the super hero community, Sandstorm has many allies in the levels of state and government. Previously being an emissary and UN delegate, Sayf Al Din is not an unfamiliar name in the circle of national politics. It is with these ties he tries to enact and help those less fortunate by assisting in pushing through laws and regulations that would benefit lesser privileged people. He helps fund non-profit organizations and other local charities and regularly tries to donate to walks and benefits for terminal illnesses.
Enemies
Sandstorm has unfortunately made many enemies since becoming the avatar of the ancient Arabian gods. But of them, there are a few worth noting.
Naga
Cryosinthese
Mogul
Trivia
- Sayf loves fish.
- As Sandstorm he feels he represents his country, much like he did in his old life. In the times in which he lives, men and women of middle-eastern decent are cast in a negative light. He fights crime and right injustices to help break this negative perception and represent the Arab people.
- Though he has become very adapt at his abilities and powers, Sayf does not truly understand or even know the amount of power he possesses. Perhaps one day he will find out.
- He is currently single
- Is an excellent bowler
- Speaks Arabic fluently and does have a noticeable accent
- Sandstorm is considered to be one of the most powerful and skilled heroes to come out of the Arab world.
OOC Trivia
- I was inspired to create a hero who would be comic book worthy of their own title, but broke the barrier of white american male. Many of the comic book heavy hitters (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Wolverine, Gambit, Deadpool, Ironman, Spiderman etc) are all white male men. I wanted to create a character that would not be a spotlight leader such as Superman, or Captain America, but would fall in place as one of the badass "co-stars" such as the Green Lantern or Hawkeye. Though I wanted to do this with a character who was not only not white, but not American, and in fact middle eastern.
Also, this layout was inspired by Hoplites, here in the PRIMUS Database, he did an excellent job!
Player contact information
Global: @NewberL337
CORP Forums: NewberL337
RP Hooks
In game, Sandstorm knows the history of the amulet and the role in which he plays. What he does not know is the extent of his powers and abilities. Players with characters who would have clues or an idea of Arabian lore or the realms of the arcane and magic could use this as a hook.
Currently, Sandstorm lives in Millennium City, as does his two brothers. Their mother, who also lived here had gone missing sometime back, her whereabouts are currently unknown. This could lead to a possible RP collaboration or nemesis plot.