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Violence is always the last and worst possible resort.
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— Himself
Garth was born the orphaned and exiled prince of the Idylists, a splinter colony of pacifistic Atlantean mystics, and raised first by Atlan the Sorcerer, later becoming Aqualad, the ward and sidekick to Aquaman. He was a member of the
Teen Titans as Aqualad, until much like Robin becoming Nightwing, Aqualad chose to become Tempest, striking out on his own while remaining on good terms with Aquaman. He remains close to many of his fellow Titans, and he has now gained some renown as a hero and sorcerer in his own right.
Personality
There is a duality to Garth, two sides to a coin. He has the heart of a lion, and the strength and courage to match, but the soul of a peacemaker. His compassionate and peaceful approach to life temper his more aggressive side, and he's reached that age where the ire of youth begins to balance out. He doesn't like fight, but will also never flinch from battle if it means protecting what he believes in or what he cares for. This said, Garth's experiences have made him very self-assured, and he is quick to act when he knows what course to take.
As so many before him, Tempest has seen that he has power that many do not. His sense of compassion and duty drives him to use his gifts for the benefit of others, instead of only for himself. He will always stop to aid a person in trouble, and he cannot stand to see anyone suffer. He's idealistic enough to cares about the whole world, and he tries to follow the best of his former mentors in order to do so. The drive to do what is right has led Garth to dedicate himself to the defense of others.
Garth believes in preserving innocent life above all else. He spends his professional life running around in a costume. That tends to require a certain special something, and in Garth's case it's a boundless compassion and idealism.
Background
There was once a great nation called Atlantis. It sank into the sea. Garth's story begins many, many years after that in the underwater city-state of Shayeris, where a splinter group of Atlanteans known as Idylists lived. Their king and queen were Thar and Berra, Garth's parents. Sadly, to the best of his knowledge, both were killed in an uprising led by his uncle, Zath, though with Thar's final breath, he was able to banish his monstrous brother. Garth's mother gave birth to him in the Poseidonis, one of the domed cities of Atlantis, but he was born with purple eyes -- a mark of power to some, an ill omen for others. It was claimed that this ill omen was the reason the baby was taken from his mother and abandoned on a reef. The probable truth is that this was merely an excuse made up by his parents' political rivals in an attempt to justify such an act.
Either way, Garth was secretly aided by the sorcerer Atlan so that he would survive. It may also be Atlan, though Garth does not know for sure, who ensured that Garth would not be left alone. Instead, Garth was found by another who understood what it was to be an outcast from his own people: Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman.
Arthur, or Orin, became Garth's guardian and mentor. Garth became known as Aqualad, and when Arthur claimed the throne of Atlantis, Garth became a member of the royal court. Garth was also a founding member of the Teen Titans, and he was active on the team for several years. On one mission, though, he was captured by a malicious group of shark-folk, who tried to kill him, but Atlan appeared to whisk Garth away to a different dimensional realm known as the Grotto. There, outside the flow of time, Atlan taught Garth the ways of magic and began to unlock his true potential and to prepare him for his role as a guardian of Earth's oceans. Garth has since returned to the Earth, more mature and powerful, and become known by a new codename, Tempest. He has rejoined the Titans, seemingly only gone for a few days on Earth, and began forging his destiny with renewed confidence and purpose.
SKILLS
Academics - Competent Level
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Along with his much more esoteric knowledge -- such as the history of Atlantis, court etiquette, etc -- Garth has been educated on the history, language, and culture of the surface world. Basically, this skill represents his various "book knowledge," including his study of politics, communication, literature, and other social studies.
Garth was always a likeable guy. Even when he was younger, as Aqualad, he was a friendly and charismatic person. His skills have been honed since, and he is now a confident public speaker with highly effective interpersonal and persuasive communication skills. His academic knowledge has reinforced this some, but mostly he is just naturally charismatic, and able to make a strong impression on others.
Marine Biology - Expert Level
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One does not grow up under the sea without becoming accustomed to living with sea creatures. He honed his skills working with the giant seahorse, named Imp, whom he used to ride. (Even younger than that, he had a walrus friend named "Tusky.") Since then he has befriended dolphins, whales, and other, more exotic creatures. He is an expert at dealing with marine life, and understands them well. He could easily pursue a career in marine biology, if he were so inclined.
Martial Arts - Expert Level
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Along with his occult training, Tempest received extensive instruction in self defense, much of it from Aquaman himself. His style is very fluid, designed for use underwater if needed, and has some things in common with Tai Chi. He is easily capable of facing up to several opponents of lesser skill, or one to two of comparable ability, though he often relies more on his powers than on his physical training. Instead, he primarily uses martial arts to keep himself in top physical shape, as a way to focus his abilities and find his emotional center, and to train with his fellow Titans.
The sorcerer, Atlan, gave Garth extensive instruction in the mystic arts. Most of this knowledge went into teaching him the ways of magic, but a good portion also went into understanding the nature of magic and mysticism and in the ability to recognize various occult creatures, abilities, and so forth. Due to the teachings of the ancient Atlan and the Silent School of Atlantis, Garth is quite an expert in the mystic arts.
Science - Competent Level
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Garth's education included an overview of all the basic sciences -- from physics to astronomy -- and he is a competent and capable student of these disciplines, aided by the advanced technology and science in much of Atlantis' culture. His emphasis in this area is, fittingly, oceanography. When it comes to the study of the sea, Garth's ability ranks at Expert level.
Vehicles - Competent Level
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A variety of vehicles, mostly undersea conveyances and a few used by the Teen Titans in the past, have been convenient for Garth to learn to operate. He is solidly experienced, though not a particular expert, at the use of a variety of sea and air craft. Notably, he has only limited knowledge of land vehicles and, for instance, does not know how to operate an automobile.
Weaponry - Competent Level
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From traditional Atlantean weaponry to harpoon guns, Garth is well-versed in the use of a variety of weapons. Notably, he does not know anything about firearms, and in most cases he uses weaponry more as a support ability, primarily relying on his magic and, secondarily, on his hand-to-hand combat skills.
ABILITIES
Power: Aquatic - Supreme Level
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This power represents Garth's ability to be completely at home within water. From the surface to the bottom of the sea, Garth can move with total ease and breathe just as easily. He suffers none of the drawbacks that a normal person would; he is not significantly impeded by drag forces, moving through water as readily as a flying human would through air, and does not cause perceptible wake, ripples, or other effects unless he wishes to. In addition, he need not fear the cold or pressure of the deep. This also gives him significant resistance to attacks based on either water or cold. Perhaps most importantly, this allows him to travel through water, whether gently or like a torpedo moving via supercavitation; basically, he can move through water faster than a speeding bullet, at speeds in excess of 200 knots. (This speed can be greatly increased, however, with his sorcery.)
Magic: Control Temperature - Supreme Level
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Garth channels the the ability to reduce heat (or induce cold) through his right hand. He is quite powerful in this regard, able to generate sufficient cold to flash freeze vast bodies of water or a smaller volume of a hotter, more dense substance, such as magma. Garth channels the ability to increase heat through his left hand. Equally as able to affect heat as cold, he can instantly raise the temperature of similarly the same bodies of water from frozen solid to boiling. He can also use this power to create projected beams of heat or cold, focusing his power over a smaller, more targeted area. Use of this power is limited to Garth's range of perception, usually line of sight.
Magic: Control Water - Supreme Level
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Another of Garth's most refined powers of sorcery is his ability to control water. He can manipulate water as though he were in direct telekinetic control of it, making it do anything he likes. He can directly control more than a million gallons of water, while indirectly, this allows him to effectively manipulate large bodies of water, such as a lake or bay, to create water currents, whirlpools, typhoons, or similarly large aquatic phenomena. This power is limited to Garth's range of perception, usually line of sight.
Power: Dexterity - Enhanced Level
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Garth has speed and agility far beyond even the most accomplished human levels. His agility is even further increased when underwater, to the upper end of Enhanced (Enhanced+).
Magic: Energy Blast - Enhanced Level
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Garth is able to channel magical energy in the form of eldritch blasts, unleashing powerful streams of concussive magical force, usually focused through his hands or eyes. These blasts are capable of rupturing a steel wall on impact. However, with the proper magical enhancement, the blasts may be strong enough to damage or destroy even tremendously strong alloys, such as a barrier made of depleted Promethium. This power is limited to Garth's range of perception, usually line of sight.
Magic: Flight - Enhanced Level
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By using his magic, Garth can focus his will to defy gravity and fly through the air. He is able to travel nearly as fast in flight as he can while swimming.
Magic: Force Fields - Supreme Level
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Garth can shape arcane energy into powerful force fields, sufficient to hold back even a Kryptonian-level threat. However, when creating a shield of such power, he has little focus available to do much of anything else with his powers beyond, say, basic movement.
Power: Resilience - Enhanced Level
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Garth's body is adapted to the crushing pressure of the ocean's depths. As a result, he is durable enough to resist gunfire or multi-ton impacts without harm. Even if he is hurt, though, Garth recovers from injuries at a tremendous rate, far faster than peak human recovery times. He is also immune to most human ailments and more resistant to some common drugs and toxins.
Power: Senses - Enhaned Level
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Garth's senses are especially keen, and he has effective "night sight" due to his eyes being adjusted to the dark and murky depths of the ocean. His hearing is highly acute and several times more accurate than a human's, and his sense of smell is sufficient to use for tracking purposes. Even his taste buds are enhanced, such that he can pick out "flavorless" compounds, enough to easily notice, say, poison in strong-flavored food. While underwater, his sense of smell increases to Supreme level, such that he can track by scent all the way around the world and back.
Magic: Sorcery - Enhanced+ Level
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Garth is capable of using magic for a wide variety of effects. With the right spell in mind, he can accomplish nearly any feat. However, he is formally trained in Atlantean magics, which tend to gravitate toward elemental manipulation. Garth is able to use a variety of general effects, such as traveling through dimensional portals, teleportation, invisibility, telekinesis, astral projection, and mystic energy blasts. Generally, he uses water as a focus for the various tricks and applications of sorcery, such as using a pool of water as a gateway for teleportation.
Garth's potential as a sorcerer is even greater than his practical abilities, but at present he lacks the power of a master sorcerer on the level of, say, Dr. Fate or Zatanna or Zachary Zatara. When it comes to certain areas, though, Garth's powers are much stronger. These abilities are detailed in separate entries.
Power: Strength - Enhanced Level
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Atlanteans tend to be stronger than humans, and Garth is considerably stronger than even the average Atlantean. He can break through steel barriers, demolish concrete structures, and otherwise display tremendous, Enhanced-level strength.
Power: Telepathy - Enhanced Level
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Garth can communicate with any other mind as though he had Basic-level telepathy. He can primarily communicate over short distances, such as line of sight, unless the other party has telepathic abilities of their own. (He might be able to reach a familiar mind over greater distances, but it would be a very faint message.) This also affords him Enhanced-level mental defenses against telepathic or other mental intrusions or attacks.
The true application of this power is that which is often called "aquatic" telepathy. When communicating with marine life, Garth's telepathy functions at Enhanced level, allowing him to communicate with and, if he wishes, compel the minds of various sea creatures. However, given his respect for marine life, he is far more likely to ask for help than to attempt such domination.
Further, when underwater the Garth's telepathy with humanoids increases to the upper end of Basic rating (Basic+), and his ability to communicate with marine life and defend his mind increase to the upper end of Enhanced (Enhanced+ level).
ADVANTAGES
Primarily, Tempest has ties to Aquaman, who was something of a foster father to him, and to the Titans and, by extension and reputation, the Justice League and others. Many are likely to give him aid if he were at need.
Garth does not own any particularly fancy technology, but he has a comfortable income from home, and he can afford most conventional things that he cares to spend his money on. He tends to keep these assets liquid, but he does have the general trappings of a well-to-do person in normal society -- even if he doesn't always use them. He also has the standard resources available to any member in good standing of the Titans.
Garth's parents were usurped as the monarchs of Shayeris, but being the son of well-regarded monarchs still has its privileges, and his heritage has remained an important part of who he is. Perhaps most importantly, he has lived the life of a prince at Aquaman's court and has a reputation among the undersea kingdoms. Many forms of marine life are able to sense by instinct some aspect of his status, and may be more likely to agree to his telepathic requests for help as a result.
WEAKNESSES
Garth has a strong, undeniable link to the elemental forces of the planet Earth. When negative mystical influences affect the planet, he feels them. For instance when there's an oil spill, he might wake up with a migraine. The more serious the threat to the Earth and its ecology, the more unpleasant the mystic echo of that threat is impressed upon him. Given the constant modern threats to Earth's ecology, Garth is compelled to spend a great deal of his free time and energy working to improve the state of the planet.
While Garth's sorcery power can afford him much greater level of power than his normal abilities, it comes with limits and drawbacks all his own. This power works by channeling mystic energy through Garth's body, which requires both concentration and stamina to do properly. The more Garth attempts to do with this power, and the longer the duration, the longer the potential cost to his physical stamina and mental focus. It's kind of like sprinting: maybe one can keep it up for a good while, but sooner or later it tends to wear one down.
Garth needs to immerse himself in water for at least an hour every day to keep his powers operating at peak levels. For every hour past that point, he begins to show significant fatigue. This limitation can be somewhat tempered by the fact that Garth can draw moisture from the air and replenish himself, but even this requires an hour's rest with the moisture condensing upon him. If he goes for prolonged periods (such as weeks on end) without actually immersing himself in water, his "drawing moisture" trick will begin to lose effectiveness.
