Nick
In the sweltering summer of 1880, a boy was born in a tiny farmhouse in rural Missouri. Nicholas Buchanan was always a big lad, and life on his sleepy little dairy farm made him tough and strong. But like so many farm boys in the world, he dreamed of adventure and excitement. He yearned to go out and see the world, and do great things. He wanted to be a hero, like in all the old stories his Grandpa Josiah would tell him at bedtime. But in his humdrum little hometown, Nick knew he would never find what he truly craved.
In 1915, German U-Boats sunk the Lusitania. Nick, by now a grown man and a farmer himself, felt something inside him snap. He couldn't let this injustice go unanswered. He took out his life's savings, sold his farm, and headed out to join the Army. He was going Over There, to join up with the Allies in the Great War, and finally become the hero he'd always dreamed of being.
It was at the Battle of the Marne that Nick's life would change forever. On that fateful day, he and his chums went over the top and stormed the German position. A hail of machine gun fire tore him to shreds. But as Nick lay dying, he felt something in him stir. Something powerful, something that no evil could vanquish. It drove him to get back to his feet and continue his charge. Bullets could not stop him. Nor barbed wire, nor mustard gas, not even a mortar shell. His comrades watched in awe as he siezed a tank by its treads with his bare hands and flipped it on its side. In the end, the Allies would win the battle, no small thanks to Nick's daring. The medics couldn't explain it. There was no way a man could have suffered the injuries Nick had and survived. Yet survive he did.
Luck was on Nick's side though. His incredible story reached one of the British medics at the field hospital where he'd been taken. Dr. Quentin Gallagher, known in some circles as The Miracle Medic, was no ordinary physician--he was a rebel Scientist. Only twelve years prior, he had been one of the ringleaders that had helped stage the revolt of the Electrodyne Engineers against the Technocratic Union. He and his colleagues had forged a new identity for their group--the Sons of Ether--and had found sanctuary with their age-old enemies, the Council of Nine Mystick Traditions.
Nick would talk with Dr. Gallagher long into the night. Over the course of that conversation, Quentin confirmed his suspicions--Nick had undergone Enlightenment and Awakened his Genius. When the armistice was signed and the war ended, he invited Nick to return to his estate in Scotland. Recovered from his wounds and ready to embark on a new adventure, Nick eagerly accepted. In Barnburrey Row, Nick would meet the rest of Quentin's cabal, the Æon Society. He would undergo Dr. Gallagher's Prometheus Protocols, a series of super-soldier treatments designed to unleash the ultimate potential of the human form.
In time, Nick would join the Society as a fully-fledged fellow, serving as their token Yankee and the muscle of their group. He was proud to serve as a champion of Science, a herald of Utopia and the Better Tomorrow they all strove to build. The 1920s was a thrilling time to be alive, as the Æon Society traveled around the world on countless adventures. The best of Nick's exploits were published in both Paradigma and the growing realms of pulp fiction as 'The Amazing Adventures of Nick Daring, the Unstoppable Man!' At long last, Nick had achieved his dream. At long last, he was the Hero he'd always dreamed of being.
In 1925, Nick would have his final adventure: Upon The Precipice of Eternity. The Society had discovered an African ruin that was ancient even before the first mud bricks of Sumer were laid. It had been built by the enigmatic Zantu, a race of ancients who were the direct descendants of the remnants of Atlantis. Their advanced technologies had culminated in the creation of their Time Engines--vast mechanisms that could control the flow of Time. But they were not the only ones--Nick's entire Rogue's Gallery of Villians had converged upon the ruin as well. If even one of them siezed the Time Engines, they could turn time itself into a weapon for world domination. Ever the selfless Hero, Nick ordered the rest of the Society to fall back, before detonating the Engine core. In a blinding flash and a massive explosion, the Zantu ruins were erased from the face of the earth. No trace remained of them, nor of Nick Daring. The Sons of Ether mourned their fallen hero, and history moved on.
But for a confused and terrified Nick, inexplicably awakening in Houston in the year 1994, a new Adventure is set to begin...
- Time for Adventure! - Nick is a doughty, two-fisted hero straight from the pages of 1920s pulp fiction. He's still learning his way around the 90s, but he's always on the lookout for a chance for thrilling heroics and derring-do. If you crave Adventure as well, you'll have something in common!
- The Man From Yesterday's Tomorrow! - Seventy years is a lot of history to miss, and Nick still struggles with his unexpected shift into the future. This is not the Better Tomorrow he envisioned, and he has a lot to learn about life in the Information Age. Have you taken note of the strangely anachronistic man wandering the mean streets of Houston?
- The Unstoppable Man! - Nick is big, strong, and tough--the strongest man alive! Or, at least, he was. But even so, his super-soldier treatments have gifted him with peak strength and stamina. He's already taken a liking to local gyms. You may see him working out with a truly staggering array of weights!
Nick Woolgathers About The TraditionsThe Akashic Brotherhood: Well, they sure are mighty good fighters. They kin even take one o' my punches, an' that's sayin' somethin'! But I don't git how they kin all be pacifists. Don't they know we's at war? The Celestial Chorus: I'm absolutely convinced that thar's a God. Even if I ain't got no notion whut God is. Ain't no reason a'tall that Science an' Faith cain't co-exist. The Cult of Ecstasy: Hoooo-ee! Now these fellers got the right idear! Ain't no point in our Utopia if we cain't have us some fun in it! The Dreamspeakers: I won't never understand 'em Scientists who look down their noses at the Dreamspeakers. Hell, I'm jest an ignorant hick from nowhere Missurah. Am I not welcome in the Halls o' Science? The Euthanatos: They say Heroes never die. That the Adventure never ends. But endings is all they know. They give me the willies. The Order of Hermes: History books says we used to be Hermes too. Sure, they kin do some mighty impressive stuff with their spells n' their wands n' stuff. But Tomorrow lies ahead, an' all they do is look backward. The Verbena: A feller'd best take care 'round these dames. They kin git awful damn mean if'n y' rile 'em up enough. But other'n that, they ain't so bad. It's good that women's lib kep' on goin' after I left. The Virtual Adepts: Hunh! Well how d'ya like that? The Difference Engineers wised up an' joined the Good Guys. Well good fer them! I'd rather have 'em on my side, I always hated fightin' 'em. Slick, sneaky sumbitches ain't never where yer punchin'. Nick Fumes As He Discusses the Enemies of UtopiaIteration X: Oh, they think they kin make folks better by makin' 'em machines? Well I tell you whut, I've punched plenty o' HIT Marks in my day. They ain't so impressive when they's jest heaps o' scrap! New World Order: No sir, Officer. I sure as hell ain't gonna git in line an' shut up jest 'cause you tell me to. Progenitors: The things these sumbitches do to livin', innocent people makes me sick. They's some o' the worst in the whole Gawd-damn Union. Syndicate: I ain't real sure which ones I hate more--the Black Hats or these assholes. At least the Black Hats don't brag about how rich they are when they've gotcha at gunpoint. Void Engineers: Y'know... I could almost git along with this bunch. Almost. If I didn't think they'd turn me in to their buddies in the Ivory Tower first chance they got. Nephandi: Oh, they like to talk a good game. They like to make y' think they's all-powerful an' evil. But feed 'em one good-sized knuckle sammich. Let 'em go crawlin' back to their Dark Overlords. Suddenly, they ain't so scary. Marauders: Jesus Christ on the Cross. An' folks call us Mad Scientists? There ain't no justice, I swear t' Gawd... Nick Muses on the Night FolkVampires: I cain't say as I care much for 'em. I only fought one the one time, an' Gawd damn he was tough to put down. Shapeshifters: I've heard some stories. I'd love to have a friendly tussle with one some time! Ghosts: Not really my area of expertise. All my Villains were alive. Or, at least, tangible. Don't think punchin' a haint would do much good. Faeries: I met a lady who said she was one o' these, once. We spent one hell of a night together. But the next mornin', she was gone, an' I ain't never seen 'er again since. Funny thing is, I can barely remember anything. Was it all jest a dream...? Mortals: Anyone kin be a Hero. Anyone. You don't need our powers to do whut's right. Ever'body got somethin' they kin do to build our Utopia. Hell, we're mortal too. |
| Full Name: | Nick 'Daring' Buchanan | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Tradition: | Sons of Ether | |
| Faction: | Adventurers | |
| Nationality: | USA | |
| Age: | 45 | |
| Apparent Age: | Mid 40s | |
| Height: | 6'6" | |
| Weight: | 510 lbs | |
| Eyes: | Summer Blue | |
| Hair: | Salt and Pepper | |
| Blood Type: | A+ | |
| Occupation: | Pulp Adventurer | |
| Concept: | Time-Lost Pulp Hero | |
| Nature: | Crusader | |
| Demeanor: | Idealist | |
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Notable Attributes and Abilities
Stamina:
Charisma:
Brawl:
Survival:
Magickal Traits
Arete:Life:
Matter:
Merits
Legendary Attribute - Stamina
Circumspect Avatar
Flaws
Addiction - Cigars
Anachronism
Intolerance - Cowards
Lustful
Overconfidence
Short Fuse
