Raise the Earth application

[willdareanything]

OOC Information

Player: Nick
Contact: Plurk
Age: 30
Current characters: Raye Satterfield, Kirara Hoshimoto

IC Information

Name: Preincarnation: Skeletor. Reincarnation: Anton Keldek
Canon: Masters of the Universe. 2002 reboot version.

Preincarnation Information

Appearance: Look at this delightfully handsome fellow.

History: Keldor was born the eldest son to the reigning king of Eternia, King Miro and brother to the heir to the throne, Randor. With his mother being an unknown member of the blue-skinned Gar race, making Keldor a half-breed child. Information of his childhood and early life is scarce but what is known that Keldor faced prejudice and mistreatment for his halfblood heritage and soon became bitter rivals with his brother.

Somewhere along the way he denounced his family line and departed from Eternia’s capitol. It was during this time that he encountered the spirit of Hordak, an ancient demonic sorcerer who once menaced Eternia eons ago and became his pupil, learning the dark arts under Hordak’s tutelage. Finally, having mastered the disciplines of both magic and science he embarked on his quest to conquer Eternia and became a feared warlord gathering a powerful force of fellow misfits and rejects from society. After many years of evading the Eternian army, he finally marched on the Hall of Wisdom, the source of all of Eternia’s power and knowledge.

It was there that his fate changed forever.

Randor was there waiting for him, along with Eternia’s most powerful warriors and a battle erupted for control of the very planet. Keldor and Randor met in battle and fought viciously until their duel ended in Keldor’s defeat. Rather than surrender, however, Keldor launched one final assault by throwing a vial of corrosive liquid at his brother. Before it struck, Randor was able to deflect the attack and splashed it back into Keldor’s face, hideously mutilating and fatally wounding him.

With their leader felled, Keldor’s forces sounded the retreat and fled the battle. At Keldor’s direction, their flight took them all the way across the planet to Eternia’s Dark Hemisphere, a volcanic wasteland perpetually shrouded in smoke and ash, and the location of Hordak’s Sanctuary. There, he summoned the spirit of his old teacher and begged for his life. Hordak obliged in exchange for “a price” and merged Keldor’s lifeforce with a demonic spirit called Demo-Man. Keldor was gone forever, and Skeletor was born. This was part of a ruse by Hordak who had hoped that by creating this new entity he would have a servant in Eternia who could open a portal between the world and the dark dimension Despondos where he was imprisoned. However, Keldor’s will proved too strong and asserted itself over the Demo-Man’s and with his newly magnified power, continued his efforts to dominate Eternia.

The next few years are once again shrouded in mystery. What is known is that Skeletor’s newfound power proved too much for the defenders of Eternia and, as a last resort, a Mystic Wall was created, separating the Dark Hemisphere from the rest of the world and trapping Skeletor on the other side.

The resulting peace lasted for nearly two decades, but Skeletor was not idle for a moment of it. Years of searching led him to discover an overwhelming energy source called the Corridite Crystal which in turn gave him the means to shatter the Mystic Wall and invade Eternia once more. His newest assault brought him within moments of finally destroying his rival and brother, King Randor but before he could, he was stopped by the one who would become his most tenacious and hated foe: He-Man! The defender of Eternia and so-called most powerful man in the universe!

So, began Skeletor’s eternal struggle to destroy He-Man and gain entry to Castle Grayskull in order to gain the ultimate power and become the Master of the Universe.

More detailed information can be found under his entry on the MOTU Wiki. This particular version is taken from the Mike Young series, so you’ll have to scroll down a little ways to get there.

Personality: If pure evil truly exists in the world, then Skeletor is it. Malicious, cruel, greedy and spiteful, Skeletor is evil on the both the most grandiose and world-conquering levels to the smallest and pettiest levels. Any redeeming qualities that a man as power-hungry as Keldor may have had were burned out of him entirely the day he became Skeletor.
Even as a human, Keldor’s drive and ambition for power and conquest new few bounds. No matter how much he gained, he always hungered for more. Now as Skeletor that same drive has become all-consuming. He cares for nobody and nothing but his own boundless lust for greater and greater power. There are no lines he will not cross in this pursuit, no consequences too great and no acts too vile. Everybody around him is either a pawn to be used, or a hindrance to be dealt with and nothing more. Treachery, deceit, hostages, all of these are merely means to an end to what he considers to be his ultimate destiny of ruling the entire cosmos with an iron fist. Only then will he be satisfied.
While his cruelty and evil are his foremost traits, he is also exceedingly cunning. While he typically rules through a policy of fear and intimidation, he’s also aware of when a more subtle approach is necessary. He’s quick to make rewards and promises of sharing in his power, even if they are false ones. He’s cunning and manipulative and while his main tactic is to bully others into servitude, he’s quite capable of wielding a silver tongue when it suits his needs. Despite that, his power-mad nature will quickly reassert itself and make any partnerships with him doomed to be very short-lived indeed.
Still, Skeletor suffers from the same weakness that all great villains seem to share: arrogance. In his mind, he’s already the lord and master of everything and claiming that title is merely a formality. This means he tends to underestimate his enemies and overlook small details that inevitably lead to his defeat, especially when he senses his drawing near. He also has a hideously bad temper and is prone to flying into rages and dealing out severe punishments for failure. In other words, he’s a terrible boss.
Completely lacking in empathy, compassion, or humanity, Skeletor is assuredly a tremendous threat not only to Venture City but the entire planet. He is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, who will gladly see the world turned to ash.
So long as he and he alone sits on the throne of it.


Abilities: Skeletor’s primary strength is his overwhelming magical power. His former human self, Keldor, was already well-versed in the dark arts and was one of the most powerful sorcerers in Eternia with only a few exceptions. With his mastery over black magic, he can direct potent blasts of destructive energy, cast curses, conjure illusions and summon dark spirits. As of his transformation, Skeletor’s power was increased by several orders of magnitude easily making him the most powerful sorcerer in all of Eternia, surpassing even the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull in sheer mystical might.
Adding to this power is his chief magical tool: the Havoc Staff. The Havoc Staff is an ancient magical weapon designed specifically to channel and augment chaotic, destructive energies although Skeletor has been known to use it for other purposes as well such as generating barriers and even remote viewing. Besides its potent mystical power, the Staff also serves as an effective melee weapon and is able to trade blows with He-Man’s Power Sword on multiple occasions. Finally, it doesn’t even need to be in Skeletor’s hands to be used. He can command it telekinetically or even have it fire blasts of energy remotely.
On the physical side, Eternians in general seem to have incredible physical strength and endurance by human standards. Able to leap dozens of feet through the air, survive blows that would turn a human being to mush and shatter stone with a swing of a sword. Keldor had all of these abilities and was an expert swordsman, making him a powerful and deadly fighter. Similar to his magic, his physical abilities are also greatly increased by his transformation into Skeletor. While he may not be able to overpower He-Man in single combat, the fact that he can even hold his own against “The Most Powerful Man In the Universe” marks Skeletor as one of the deadliest combatants anyone can face.

Reincarnation Information

Age: 67
Species: Human
Appearance: For starters he has a face. Moreoever he’s considerably older than his past self was at the time of his transformation. White-haired, weathered features but rather tall and still capable of being a rather imposing figure. Typically dresses in tailored suits

Starting Location: His own territory: Infinita City

History: To many people, Anton Keldek is a symbol of the American dream. The product of a difficult childhood, he grew up in a poor household with an alcoholic and abusive father who tended to take out his anger on the world on his wife and son, Anton’s life was one of violence from the beginning. Between his difficult life at home and the environment of poverty he quickly learned to fight, to take a punch and most importanly. He learned to never, ever forget.

One thing he did have going for him was a surprisingly sharp mind. He performed well enough in school but his situation left him with little options. As such, he joined the military at the height of the Vietnam War and was promptly shipped overseas. There, he almost flourished in conditions that left other men broken. He spilled blood, he watched comrades die ugly deaths but above all else he survived his first tour and went back for a second a battle-tested soldier. During that time there were some who believed the young man could have a promising career in the military, possibly making officer and climbing the ranks but instead, after his second tour, he left the military, choosing instead to go into business.

And that’s where the image of the determined young man fresh out of the military and pulling himself up by his boostraps began. He started out in entry level jobs, making connections and working his way through college as he began the steep climb up the corporate ladder. Within a decade after returning from war, Anton Keldek had amassed his fortune.

It was around that time that an old drunk from a rundown neighbourhood in New York turned up dead in a filthy alley. Never, ever forget.

The truth was that Anton’s rise to success and power was hardly spotless. For years rumors have abounded about accusations of blackmail, bribery, extortion, even mob connections though nothing was ever proven. None of it slowed him down for an instant and soon he was standing at the top of Infinita Industries, a massive technology conglomerate with hands in everything from GMOs, technology and even weapons manufacturing.

During this time of his life, he both gained and lost a family as well. He married, had a daugher, and lost his wife to illness. To make matters worse, his child didn’t agree with his harsh, ruthless outlook on the world and broke off contact with him. As such, he moved into old age alone, with no family and few friends… only the empire he had constructed. One built both by his own hands and by the hands of others whose companies had been devoured by the conglomerate.

When the events surrounding the emergence of the Numbered began, his company found itself in stiff competition with Thunder Corp’s rise to power. A bitter rivalry that has persisted even after the war has ended. As the animals began to emerge, Infinita’s profits began to drop for the first time since its creation but all the same, Keldek sensed the brewing storm and prepared, hoarding his resources and preparing.

When the invasion hit the US, he directed his own forces, largely composed of his private mercenary company Serpos to hold a small area surrounding Infinita’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado. An effort they were successful in. When the aliens finally left, Keldek held nearly undisputed power in the State. Unfortunately, in the days that followed, he would receive even worse news: his daughter had been killed in the fighting in Locke City. Her body was never found.

Enraged at what he saw as a failure of the world to protect itself and its people, Keldek decided that the old model of government had failed and that something new needed to be built in its place. Something stronger, better, something that could stand against any threat, either from outside or within.

Now with his seat of power set, along with remarkable new avenues of technology and science, he’s well on his way to pursuing that goal. Starting with the remnants of North America and then, everywhere else.

Personality: Keldek is not yet the monster that Skeletor was, but he is a far cry from what anybody could consider a “good” man. Ruthless, cold, and driven but not needlessly cruel or without mercy or caring, albeit the latter two are rarely ever put into practice.

The first impression one might have of him is intense. He’s brusque, shortspoken and always to the point. Keldek is a man accustomed to being in charge of whatever room he walks into and this simple fact is reflected in his mannerisms.

Like both versions of his previous self, he’s driven above all else by a lust for power and standing. The big difference is in their methods. Keldor/Skeletor was a warlord, but Keldek is a businessman. He fights his wars in boardrooms rather than on battlefields but to his mind, they’re war nonetheless. He’ll pursue his goals by any means necessary. Blackmail, extortion, bribery… even murder if it happens to be necessary.

But he hides it well. To the public eye, Anton Keldek is a well-spoken, charismatic individual with a strong presence. He’s well-spoken and compelling and knows how to garner public support. He knows the value of a silver-tongue just as much as he knows the value of harshness, and when to exercise it. But it almost always has some degree of venom behind it.

Starting Echoes:
1st Echo: Tier 2 - Ability/Memory. Both the ability to wield Keldor’s dark magic as well as the knowledge of how to perform it effectively.

2nd Echo: Tier 1 - Item. The Corridite Crystal. A powerful energy source that can be used to generate massive amounts of power, from an explosion strong enough to shake the entire planet to mutating an animal into an unstoppable rampaging beast.

4rd Echo: Tier 1 - Ability. Eternian physiology. Eternians are supernaturally strong and tough, even the elderly ones. Keldek can shatter stone with his bare hands and shrug off getting hit by a truck. Into a wall.

5th Echo: Tier 1 - Item. The Havoc Staff.

6th Echo: Tier 2 - IT’S A SECRET. After discussion with the mod team, it’s been decided that what he regained from this Echo will be a mystery for player characters to uncover.

Goals for RtE: Skeletor’s gonna do what Skeletor’s gonna do. Keldek’s whole purpose here is to be a villain for characters to go up against. He’s going to start out bad enough… and will get a hundred times worse when he Echoes back his ultimate transformation to his classic boney-headed self. His goals as Anton Keldek will begin with conquering the Earth and taking his place as its ruler, and as Skeletor those goals will ultimately stretch far beyond that.

Of course, I’m certain this will also lead to his inevitable downfall but until then I hope to set him up as a formidable threat to both the player characters and the other NPCs. Good guys and villains alike.

Samples

Third-Person Sample Test drive post.

First-Person Sample A brief network conversation. Also on the test drive.