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I don't want to be the Harbinger of the Wolf. I've seen enough wolves to last me a lifetime.
I want to be the harbinger of ice cream, or falafel. |
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— Himself |
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The son of the Norse god Frey and mortal woman Natalie Chase, Magnus Chase is just your average newly awoken young demigod trying to make is way in the world. Freed from having the Fate of the Norse Gods hanging over his head, he's now on trying to figure out just how he fits into a world that's both more magical and strange than he ever realized. Being a hero of the nine realms hasn't solved his problems on Midgard, leaving him a wandering presence searching for a place to belong without an ordained destiny to guide him along the way. Fortunately he's not alone in hsi new quest, he's got the best magic talking disco sword around to help him figure things out and ensure that everything turns out okay. Probably.
Personality
Witty, caring, funny, Magnus Chase is an affable teen who can't help but exude a calm tranquility even in the worst circumstances. He's streetwise in the way that only someone who's had to struggle to get by living on them can be, and yet still retains a certain sunny optimism that hasn't been beaten down out of him by his circumstances. He's still haunted by his mother's death as the hands (Paws? Claws? Teeth? Whatevers!) of monstrous wolves, carrying a fear of such creatures with him to this day. He feels an obligation to stick up for those who can't defend themselves, as demonstrated during his heroic stand again Surt before really knowing and believing in his demigod nature. His humor often tends towards a wry sarcasm and bit of snark, used just as often upon himself as it is with friends, it's not often that there's a nasty bite behind such joking and that's usually reserved for foes. Being the son of a good of peace, he lacks the natural tendency towards 'fight first' that many demigods and heroes often display, instead he prefers to outwit, out talk, or out sneak opponents. When fight's are unavoidable, he doesn't hold back, striking with courage and determination to end a battle with his friends still standing.
Background
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Soon to Be Called Jack)
Boston born Magnus Chase never thought his life would be anything but ordinary, he certainly never considered himself extraordinary in any way. Magnus lived a happy normal life in an apartment with his mother, and though she had a falling out with her brothers that resulted in Magnus not seeing his uncles or cousins afterwards, it was still a happy life. They spent much time in nature, camping, hiking, hunting. Then at 14 his life was turned upside down when monstrous wolves with glowing blue eyes broke into their home attacked and killed his mother. Her final words of warning to Magnus were to stay away from his Uncle Randolph. Magnus fled and the apartment was consumed in flames.
Magnus obeyed her last wish and, rather than try to contact any of his family, he instead fled to life on the streets as a homeless teen in Boston. Magnus adapted well enough to his new existence, getting by as best he could for two years before his life changed again. Fliers began circulating around Boston featuring his name and face, which led to confrontation with his Uncle Randolph, during which he was told that his life was in danger, that the Norse gods are real, and that he is the son of one such god. To save his life he'd have to claim a sword stuck at the bottom of the Charles River.
Magnus succeeded in that task, emerging with what appeared to be a corroded piece of pipe, and came under immediate attack from the fire giant Surt in the mortal guise of a tall man with coal black skin in a suit darker than night. When the Surt's attack threatened his two best friends and numerous innocents, Magnus showed his heroism, charging in to attack Surt. That corroded piece of metal flared to life in his hands, becoming the famed Sumarbrander, The Sword of Summer, and Magnus's reckless charge threw both giant and youth into the river far below. Magnus nearly died from both impact and wounds inflicted by Surt, but his demigod nature awakened to his heroic acts and his body rapidly healed itself, though he lost the sword in the process and he awoke to find himself no longer on the Realm of Midgard.
Magnus Chase and the Prophecy of the Norns (Or the Ragnarok That Wasn't)
The Norns, fate-weavers and destiny-readers of the Norse, seeing that their original foretelling of the end times was in danger of being subverted by those wishing to start Ragnarok sooner rather than later, had stepped at this point, bringing the youth that others sought to make their pawn to them to make him into their champion instead. To retake control of the narrative and to prevent seers, psychic, and mystics of the mortal realm from being inundated with dire portents and visions of the end of the world happening rather soon, the Norns delivered a new prophecy to Magnus.
This augury, a cosmic relief valve of sorts, gave the newly awoken demigod nine days to recover the Sword of Summer (again) and stop the onset of Ragnarok before it could begin and no longer be kept unseen and unknown. For after that point Ragnarok would become a true and immediate threat they could no longer hide. Along with that prophecy he learned that his demigod nature came from being the son of Frey, god of peace, fertility, wealth, rain, summer, and sunshine. This certainly explained the new and amazing abilities he was now developing. His life was no longer ordinary and he was now the linchpin (at least temporarily) upon which the fate of the world depended.
Magnus recovered Sumarbrander in short order, learned the blade could speak to him (and sing, though terribly), preferred a shorter name and had quite a bit of info Ragnarok. Magnus, with friends old and new and the newly dubbed Jack (Sumarbrander), traveled most of the nine realms on their quest to avert the Twilight of the Gods. Along the way he met many assorted beings and monsters out of Norse mythology, faced numerous threats and challenges to life, limb, and well-being, learned that the Greek and Roman gods were also real and had demigod offspring of their own. Through acts heroism, guile, and compassion, Magnus and company succeeded in preventing Ragnarok before it could begin by diverting, altering, or restoring the status quo to several key components that would have allowed the 'festivities' to kick off. With most of their adventures taking place in other realms and the new prophecy of the Norns providing cover, the potential of that looming threat was kept away from mortal eyes.
Magnus Chase and the Return to Midgard (Or Who Says You Can't Go Home?)
Having successfully postponed Ragnarok to a, hopefully far off and distant, future date, Magnus turned down any reward from the Norse pantheon, instead he wished merely to return home to Midgard, to Boston specifically. With many thanks, he was sent on his way, returned to Earth, but forever changed by his eye opening experiences. However much to his dismay, upon returning to his home turf he discovered that thanks to eye witness reports of his confrontation with the disguised Surt, the extensive fiery damage to the bridge in said confrontation, and recently circulating fliers featuring his face and name, one 'Magnus Chase' had become a much more actively sought Person of Interest within the city of Boston than he had been since his mysterious disappearance following the death of his mother and their apartment home exploding into flames. Rather than attempting to deal with authorities actively looking for him while any true explanation he could provide them of current events would make him seem like a raving crazy person , Magnus instead opted to leave Boston behind.
For now he is content to wander about other parts of New England, with eyes opened to just how much more strange and magical the world really is. Werewolves and Witches and Demigod, oh my. He seeks to deepen his knowledge of such matters, to explore the side of reality on earth that he never knew existed previous to his introduction to the supernatural. To find a place where he might truly belong and perhaps do some good along the way. Also, hopefully, to not have to deal with any other potential end of the world scenarios any time soon. Fingers crossed.
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Peace of Frey
An expression of Frey's ultimate authority as the Nordic God of Peace, the powerful Alf Seidr (Elf Magic) known as the Peace of Frey can attempt to temporarily halt all hostilities upon the field of battle when invoked. Magnus possesses the ability to call upon the Peace of Frey in moments of strife and peril. It is not a thing easily done, not lightly invoked, he cannot summon it upon a whim to stop a random fistfight or to save himself in one on one combat, instead, instead it comes forth during heated combat between multiple foes to be called forth and even then often only when those Magnus deeply cares about are gravely imperiled or the fate of the world might hinge in the balance of the outcome.
When invoke the Peace of Frey is released in a wide spanning expanding circle of mystical force around Magnus that can encompass entire battlefields and affect whole armies. The energies released jolt minds and bodies alike with a sudden burst of intense tranquility designed to try and momentarily shake opposing forces out of immediate violent aggression and loosen grips upon weapons so that the accompanying mild concussive shockwave can forcibly send weapons clattering to away from their wielders. The effects of the Peace of Frey are near instantaneous in reach, sweeping over the entire area in the blink of an eye, and last but mere moments afterwards before its effects can be shaken, weapons reclaimed, and battle started anew. Those moments though can be key, perhaps offering a brief respite to allow retreat, a chance to issue parlay or challenge between opposing leaders, a chance to shift the turning tide in battle and turn a rout into another chance at a final stand.
Calling upon the Peace of Frey is incredibly taxing for Magnus, greatly draining him and leaving him unable to perform his more active abilities until he's had at least some chance at recovering from the strain. Beyond that he will eventually crash hard after using the Peace of Frey, he may have enough left him him last the rest of a renewed conflict, or just enough to get out a few words depending on the situation and his current state of well being, but at some point the drain will hit him fully and he'll be out like a light.
SKILLS
Thanks to a long association with a deaf elf (of the Norse variety), Magnus is fluent in the use of American Sign Language as a means of communication.
Charisma - Competent Level
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Magnus has that certain way about him, a natural charisma combined with good looks and an ability to project expressively what feelings he wants to convey and a general self confidence about himself that gives him an edge in many social situations. He's able to run the gamut from charmingly polite guest, invigorating motivational speaker on the eve of battle, a convincing liar to authority figures, a keen and hard dealing negotiator, all the way to a chillingly intimidating presence warding off those who might try to mess with him on the streets with just a look of haunted grey eyes when he puts his mind to it. In other words...Magnus rhymes with Swagness.
By dint of birth, namely being the grandson of Njord the god of fisherman, sailors, and ships, Magnus has an innate and literally god-given expertise when it comes to the fine art of fishing. Whether by spear, line, or casting of net, Magnus is amazingly skilled at laying claim to the bounty that the waters can provide.
Jack possesses a wide breadth of lore at a competent level from the ancient past. Though Jack's lore is primarily focused on Nordic knowledge, he has crossed paths with other gods from different pantheons, magics, realms, lands, monsters, and famed (and hot!) weapons in his long history and so has a smattering of knowledge on such things as well. He did end up half buried at the bottom of the Charles River in Boston so there's little doubt that Jack got around and his breadth of lore reflects that. Jack's more than willing to share this information freely with Magnus, though getting him to be concise and to the point can be a bit of a chore.
Magnus learned the basics of wilderness survival from his mother including how to start a campfire, navigating by the stars, setting a camp, and other such skills. Spending time living as a homeless person has further expanded his survival lore to include getting by and survive in urban settings with limited resources.
Swordsmanship - Expert Level
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Magnus: Novice
Magnus as been given a basic level of training in fighting with swords, from his sword the sentient Sword of Summer known as Jack. He knows the sharp end from the not sharp end of a sword and how to reliably not stick himself with the sharp end and to hold his own with a blade for a bit in battle, but relies more upon his enhanced agility, strength, and durability to keep him in the fight, operating at a Novice level. Generally, when it comes to throwing down in combat Magnus prefers to let Sumarbrander handle the actual fighting.
Sumarbrander: Expert
As a sentient magic sword, Jack can either guide his bearer in using him in combat (essentially controlling their body's movements to wield him) or be entirely self wielding with no need for a person holding on to him at all, flying and hovering about to engage in battle. Whether guiding his wielder or wielding himself Jack fights with Expert level Swordsmanship.
Living on the streets Magnus has, at times done what he's had to in order to merely survive, he's occasionally stolen from those he's deemed deserving of a bit of lost revenue, such as folks parking in handicap parking spot. He's dabbled in picking pockets, sneaking about stealthily, sleight of hand, and other shadier aspects of life on the streets with enough success to get by without getting caught. Even if not getting caught sometimes meant running away very fast.
As the son of the Norse god of Peace, Magnus lacks the natural combat instinct that most demigods seem to have in spades, instead he favors thinking and talking through problems where he can and possesses fair aptitude for finding alternative, outside the box, solutions that don't always have to involve the situation devolving into combat. When he is thrown into 'shoot first and ask questions later' situations he proves just as flexible in his tactics and thinking inside of combat as he is outside of it.
ABILITIES
Power: Demigod Physiology - Enhanced Level
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Magnus is the son of Frey, Norse Vanir god of peace, fertility, wealth, rain, summer, and sunshine, making Magnus a demigod. By virtue of divine heritage he's gone from scrawny half starved street kid to possessing a body that now operates beyond human norms with strength, agility, and durability all at enhanced levels. Additionally, he has an enhanced level of resistance to extremes of both heat and cold, able to withstand the freezing environs of Niflheim for an extended period of time and the flames of Surt during the heat of a prolonged battle with the fire giant equally well.
Sumarbrander: Flight - Basic Level
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Magnus can use Jack's ability to self animate as a method of flight. By hanging onto Jack's hilt Magnus can be pulled along through the air behind the blade as Jack flies himself about. Of course doing so will cause Magnus to experience all the strain and drain of hauling himself around through the air at whatever speed and height, and across however much distance Jack carried him for once he returns the sword to pendant form. This, along with the need to actually keep hold of the sword to stay flying, generally limits such flights to short distances and relatively slow speeds.
Power: Healing - Supreme Level
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As son of a god of growth and vitality Magnus can heal both himself and others at incredible rates, repairing most physical injuries within a mater of moments, while those that would otherwise be fatal may take a few hours to repair. So long as an injury isn't instantly fatal in himself or another, Magnus can eventually restore a patient to full health, including restoring missing limbs, though such regeneration might take multiple sessions over a few days to complete. The more grievous the injuries, the more energy Magnus must expend to heal them which can leave Magnus himself drained and weakened for a period of time afterwards. When performing more demanding healing Magnus glows with a golden light, the more energy he uses in the healing the brighter that light. He can of course, spread his healing out over a longer period or multiple sessions to lessen the personal expenditure involved at the tradeoff of a slower overall healing process. Magnus cannot bring back the dead, those who have truly and fully passed beyond the mortal realm are beyond the reach and aid of his healing powers, though he may attempt to revive the only 'mostly dead'.
Power: Heliokinesis - Enhanced Level
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As the son of a god of summer, Magnus can produce both sunshine and warmth around himself, turning his immediate surroundings into the full bloom of summer, or edging close to it depending on surrounding environmental conditions. In addition to producing his own sunshine glow, Magnus can also call sunlight to him during the day. Doing so can cause shifts in localized weather conditions, stopping rain, burning away fogs or mists, parting clouds to allow it the sunshine through, and in an extreme case urging plants roots to burrow and expand to collapse an underground ceiling to let the light reach him.
Sumarbrander: Multilingualism - Enhanced Level
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Jack claims to speak and understand 'human language' and whether it's an innate mystical property, some form of sword based telepathy with humans in particular or simply a result of much travel is unclear, but the claim has stood true and Magnus has yet to find any spoken human language that Jack doesn't already seem to know. So long as it's a verbal human language, then Jack is fully able to serve as a translator for Magnus. Nonverbal languages, including the written form of verbal ones, are outside Jack's purview as he has no eyes to see writing, gestures and/or expression with, nor can he generally make whatever expressions or gestures that are needed to convey information back to the communicator, since he's a sword. With languages that are a mix of verbal and nonverbal, the verbal component can be readily translated while the non-verbal portions are completely lost to Jack. Jack serving as a translator does mean that Jack is serving as the translator and quite likely interjecting his own personality and foibles into the communication process while doing so which could lead to miscommunication or at the least a bit of aggravation.
Power: Pacemiakinesis - Enhanced Level
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Magnus has the ability to project an aura of calm and peace about himself that can soothe and diffuse tense situations and help put others into physically and mentally restful states or make them more receptive to talking things out rather than devolving into arguing or battle. It works best, of course, on those without mental defenses, on mortal and normal beasts and less so on aggressive monstrous creatures, magical beings, and fellow demigods. In situations that have already passed beyond the stage of peaceful resolution, such as in the middle of a battle already in progress, or when dealing with someone already fully determine to break peace and engage in a fight, it has little to no influence at all. Though for those situations there's always the Peace of Frey (see signature ability).
Power: Plant Growth - Enhanced Level
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As the son of Frey, Magnus has the ability to greatly speed up or temporarily halt the growth and plants. Though he can quicken the growth of plants, decide which plants in which areas around him are affected, and exercise some degree of control in how they grow he cannot directly control or manipulate plants on a telekinetic scale. He cannot, for example, cause a tree to swing a limb around at someone in a deliberate attack, though he might be able to cause a tree to rapidly grow a new branch that does end up hitting someone standing in the right spot or planning it so that someone runs right into the newly sprouted limb.
Power: Portals - Enhanced Level
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As the son of a god of growth and fertility, Magnus possesses a connection to Yggdrasil, that enables him to tap into the World Tree's nature as a connection between realms and worlds to find and manipulate portals between places. With concentration and focus Magnus can gain a sense of the existence of portals within his immediate vicinity, whether they are currently active, recently closed, or exist in a state of potential, such as a spell circle that could summon a portal or a 'thin spot' in reality where a portal could form. He can try to manipulate such portals or the places where they were or could be in a variety of ways at a Basic level. From opening, closing, or holding open portals, expanding or shrinking them, shifting the intended destination to a different location that he knows, are all within his potential, though this requires intense focus and energy expenditure from him that can leave him weakened and drained after using portals in this manner, especially if something about the nature of the portal is actively resisting him.
In the right hands Jack can cut through the very fabric of reality, opening portals to other realms and worlds. Magnus, with his innate tie to Yggdrasil already giving him some ability to manipulate portals on his own, happens to be just the right hands for the task. With Jack in hand, Magnus gets a boost in his ability to manipulate existing portals or their locales to an Enhanced level and can do so with less exertion on his part. He is also no longer limited to utilizing existing ones, previously existing, or potentially existing portals as he can instead use Jack to cut open the fabric of reality to form a new portal between places that he or Jack has some knowledge of, though at a cost of serious drain to himself depending on physical and metaphysical distance the portal is bridging.
Magic Weapon: Sumarbrander - Supreme Level
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The Sword of Summer, AKA Jack, for short. Originally the sword of Frey, and now belonging to Magnus, he is a sentient weapon that can 'speak' and understand human language (though he claims not ASL as he has neither hand to sign it nor eyes to read it), is reputed to be the sharpest blade in the Nine Realms, able to cut through even Gleipnir, the mystic chain binding Fenris, is well nigh indestructible, can wield himself in battle, can transform into a pendant when not in use, and has a terrible singing voice. Though Jack speaks he does not do so with an actual 'voice' and real 'words' but instead communicates through a mixture of vibrations along his blade that create audible sounds in the form of buzzing pulses and beats and a mental communion with his bearer that allows them to fully understand those sounds as words. Those who spend enough time around Jack and Magnus to listen in on their conversations may learn to pick up the gist of Jack's side, gaining a basic and broad understanding of the vibrations the blade puts out, and with further time might become fully fluent in Jackspeak. Those with enhanced hearing will be better able to pick up on the nuances of Jack's 'words' and have an easier time in learning to understand what the blade is saying.
Jack provides or enhances some of Magnus's skills and abilities when utilized. See the following individual entries for details:
Skills: Swordsmanship and Lore
Abilities: Flight, Multilingualism, and Portals
See Flaws: Sumarbrander for the downsides.
Power: Telepathy - Basic Level
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Magnus has a minor telepathic ability that tends towards the unreliable as he can generally only pick up on very strong thoughts from very close by. Sometimes this gift comes in the form strange dreams showing the events of the recent past or present that are important to him or those he cares about that he would otherwise have no way of knowing about, or dreams where friends, enemies, or other beings speak to him directly. While healing someone, Magnus can often find himself sharing in his patient's thoughts and memories without intending to, as the connection between healer and patient fully triggers his otherwise usually latent and untrained telepathy.
Power: Zoolingualism - Enhanced Level
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Magnus has the ability to speak with animals, allowing him to freely communicate with all types of beast. This does not allow him to control animals, merely to talk to them with all parties involved having full understanding of each other. He may, of course, try to convince animals to help or at the very least not hinder him, but they're under no obligation to do so. Horses, being sacred animals to Frey, are generally extremely friendly and accommodating to Magnus.
ADVANTAGES
Magnus spent two years living on the streets under the name of Jimmy Seach to keep himself hidden and safe from those looking for Magnus Chase. Though he has no documentation to back up this alias, he has lived with it long enough that it's become second nature to him as an alternative identity. He doesn't falter or fumble when introducing himself under that name and responds readily and without confusion to being called out to as Jimmy instead of Magnus.
Magnus enjoys a few perks beyond the powers that his demigod heritage provides particularly due to his being the offspring of Frey. Though he remains mortal, in that he can be killed by a variety of outside means, if he manages to survive the often tumultuous teen years that most demigods suffer through, he can expect to live a very long time as the son of a god of growth and vitality.
Frey, being a god of peace, wealth, and growth, is typically well received, and liked among his own pantheon and even others, though often with the exception of particularly warlike gods and pantheons. That reputation can't help but rub off at least a little bit on his son Magnus when he has to deal with other godly or semi/demidivine beings, giving him a bit of a boost when it comes to breaking the ice and dealing with them socially.
Magnus also 'enjoys' a particular celebrity and prestige within the Norse realm of Alfheim and with the elves that live there due to Frey being the ruler of that realm. This makes Magnus something of prince of sorts among the inhabitants of Alfheim and they'll generally treat him as both honored guest and teen idol. It's possible that this status might carry some weight among other elves, but that would depend entirely upon their knowledge dealings with, or general attitude, if any, towards Frey or Alfheim.
Also known as The Big Yellow/Mikillgul in old Norse, The Big Banana is a boat gifted to Magnus by his father Frey as a means of transport during the demigod's quest to curtail the the start of Ragnarok. It resembles a a large viking ship with five rows of oar and a dragon figurehead that is completely neon yellow in color. The ship can row itself and navigate to any destination its passengers wish reach, or at least the closest place reachable by water to that destination. Much like Frey's own ship Skidbladnir, The Big Banana can be folded up into a small handkerchief (Also neon yellow, of course) when not in use, expanding once more into boat shape when the cloth is tossed into a body of water big enough to hold it.
WEAKNESSES
His time spent living on the streets and in hiding, protecting himself from threats both supernatural and mundane, have left their mark on Magnus. He is slower to trust and open up to those he does not know and more skeptical of their motives. He routinely hides who he is from strangers by giving a false name and in general keeps his guard up and reveals very little of himself until someone shows that he really can trust them.
To those that Magnus calls friend, to those that can break through his walls and earn his trust, he is an unflinchingly loyal supporter and ally. He will face down monsters, dragons, and giants, literal and figurative, without thought or qualm for his own protection. To protect his most treasured possession, the only one that can be taken anywhere, friendship, he will hurl himself headlong into harm's way without hesitation whether he's actually equipped to deal with the threat or not.
The traumatic attack that left Magnus on the run for his life and resulted in the death of his mother by monstrous wolves with glowing blue eyes, has left him a deep fear of wolves and related creatures and beings. Though not entirely debilitating in that Magnus has bravery enough to face his fears rather than become completely paralyzed by them, there's always a moment of flight or fight when finding himself confronted by wolves and their ilk. This can leave him momentarily panicked, off guard, and hesitant to act or prone to over react until he has a chance to mentally confront his fears and push himself past them. Prolonged exposure to specific individual wolves or related creatures and beings may allow Magnus to rid himself of his fear in their specific case, but his general Lupophobia will remain an overall part of his traumatized psyche.
Magnus Chase is currently actively sought by Boston police as a person of interest/missing person in regards to his mysterious disappearance, the events surrounding the apartment fire that apparently resulted in the death of his mother, and more recently the confrontation on the Charles Bridge with an unknown assailant that resulted in extensive fire damage to the bridge. Though reports of witnesses and and the still open investigations of these events seem to indicate that Magnus may well be innocent of wrongdoing he remains both a material witness to those events and a person who has been reported missing by members of his family.
Though Jack is capable of amazing feats, the magic blade has one serious drawback (besides his singing voice) to using him. Upon returning Jack to pendant form, Magnus will be subjected the sudden and complete expenditure of energy necessary to account for physical strain and exertion that he would have experienced had he been wielding the sword himself during the time Jack was active. Depending upon the amount of energy expended by Jack between being drawn forth and put away, the abrupt drain on Magnus's physical resources could be greater than what his body actually has to give and therefore potentially be fatal. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet, though Magnus has been knocked unconscious a few times just from putting Jack away after a grueling battle or other daring feats. Additionally Jack has a strong and oft times snarky personality that can be difficult to deal with and he can sometimes be distracted by the presence of weapons that he deems to be 'hot', either not wanting to clash with them, or spending time flirting with them rather than focusing on whatever task is at hand. Also, he has a terrible singing 'voice' comprised of jarring buzzes, pulses, scrapings and the like.
