Xanthus Dominus

	All things from three fundamental concepts: force, form, and consciousness. At times these go by other names, but the core principles remain the same.
	— Himself

A presence across the realms for centuries, Xanthus Dominus has been known as many things over that time. Moving through the worlds, he has acted for various causes and purposes. Most prominently, however, he has come to be known as one who appears to challenge the heroic and the powerful. What few know is, Xanthus is not in fact a villain. He is dedicated to helping heroic individuals be the best they can be, even if he must pretend to be a villain to give them a challenge to rise to meet.

He is currently known in Superia as "Doctor Dominator." In Sangria, he is a larger-than-life professor of sorcery at the Queensmouth Academy. In Arcadia, he is a scholar of the arcana. In Futura, it's said that he travels the galaxies, studying more esoteric forms of mysticism.

Personality

Writers love to wax poetic about the natures of various iconic personalities, describing them as having the souls of poets or hearts of true valor. In the case of Xanthus Dominus, alias Doctor Dominator, his personality doesn't lend itself much to poetry. Shrewd and inquisitive, he has the intellect and disposition of a scholar, but he lacks the obsessive nature to dedicate his life to study of all lore, ever. He is adventuresome, but he's too practical to be a wandering hero. He is even lusty, but he's too self-controlled to give in fully to insatiable desire or make romance a major goal of his life. In truth, he's a fairly well-balanced personality with a tendency toward stubbornness and theatricality. If he has a defining character trait, it's his drive to test the limits of others, helping them discover capabilities they did not realize they had. He turns this trait towards heroes in particular, aiding them in exploring their goals and desires and, perhaps, becoming stronger as a result.

Background

An immortal born beyond the stars might not have a human side at all, but this one fell to earth as a child. Raised by human beings in the ancient past, this child grew up to become a great sorcerer who traveled between the realms and worlds. When this sorcerer came of age, he first tried his hand at being a great hero, and this went well enough for a time, but he eventually learned that others might be jealous of him or seek to turn his power to their own ends by manipulating him. This led him to withdraw, instead setting himself up in time as a mysterious and elusive mentor, a wizard who might advise heroes or, in times of great need, appear to help the people of the realms. Unfortunately, his view toward the greater good and his refusal to engage with society led to him being widely misunderstood, and he came to be seen as more of a villain than a hero. At first angered by this, in time he came to see the humor in it. Choosing to embrace this role, he made it his purpose to test the world's heroes and people of great power, always seeking to do what he could to help them explore the limits of their abilities and needs, in hopes that they would become stronger and better for it.

SKILLS

ACADEMICS - Expert: From history and literature to music and culture, Xanthus is fully versed in a classical education with particular focus in culture and the arts. He also has knowledge of every recorded language on Earth.

ALCHEMY - Expert: There is perhaps no potion Xanthus could not brew. He has a vast number of these memorized, from healing draughts to deadly poisons, and he can mix them all without the need for measuring instruments. Given time, there is almost nothing within reason that he cannot do with herbs, chemicals, and magic ingredients.

ATHLETICS - Expert: When it comes to areas of physical prowess, Xanthus was designed with a certain level of ability in mind. As such, his body is conditioned to behave in the manner that any possible athletic pursuit would require him to.

COMBAT - Expert: Along with the implanted knowledge of athletics comes the knowledge of martial combat, which Xanthus has honed over the past century to allow him to function at the level of an experienced and expert fighter. Xanthus is especially adept at wielding weapons that he has himself forged to his exacting standards. He often favors melee weapon of one sort or another, such as blades, whips, chains, or other simple weapons. He is somewhat less comfortable with weapons that are not of his own making.

DETECTIVE - Competent: Lacking any actual formal training in the science of deduction, Xanthus still possesses a logical mind and keen powers of observation. He is highly experienced at combining these to figure out what has transpired in a given location, solve puzzles, or otherwise perform the various mental skills of the detective.

LORE - Expert: Xanthus most certainly does not have universal knowledge of the supernatural, but he is an accomplished magus and very well-studied in a wide array of paranormal phenomena. What he does not already know, he stands a reasonable chance at being able to research and discover something about.

MAGI-SCIENCE - Expert: Xanthus awoke with a firm grounding in the physical and classical sciences, and quickly picked up the more esoteric disciplines that modern scientists are pursuing. He is capable of understanding most any sophisticated form of technology, though he is most skilled with technology that incorporates a bit of magic or alchemy. This helps him to adapt to worlds where science and magic are balanced very differently than others.

MEDICINE - Competent: Xanthus has trained in various healing and medical arts, from the ancient and mystical to the futuristic and technological. He is not a dedicated healer or master of the subject, but he knows enough of medicine that, combined with his other magics and science, he can generally perform whatever feats of healing are needed.

PRESENCE - Expert: If he puts his mind to it, Xanthus can be reasonably charismatic. Usually, he is more of a strong, forceful presence than a friendly one. He can be pursuasive or intimidating, manipulative to a degree, and is generally good at using his voice, body posture, and other emotive techniques to display exactly what he wants to.

POWERS

AWARENESS - Supreme: Sharp normal senses coupled with a strong magical essence make Xanthus supremely well-suited to detecting and deciphering spells, enchantments, or other mystical effects. As one would expect from a magus of his power and experience, he is highly sensitive to magical creatures, mystical effects, and the ebb and flow of magical energies. He is also quite adept at scrying, seeking, and other forms of magic sensory projection and observation. It is very difficult to fool his senses or to hide things from his awareness.

IMMORTAL BEING - Supreme: Given his age and magical nature, Xanthus has by default Enhanced levels of strength, toughness, and dexterity. He heals from most injuries quickly enough to be visible to the naked eye, and his mind is protected by a carefully constructed mystic barrier that shields him from mental or spiritual attacks, including any powers of compulsion or suggestion. Untouched by time, he suffers no harm from age, cannot be affected by disease, and is generally immune to toxins of all sorts.

REGENERATION - Enhanced: Xanthus' resiliency is enhanced by his body's rapid regeneration. When he is at rest, wounds will flow back together like damage done to a thick cream that is then simply pressed back into a whole. While regenerating, it should be noted, he cannot effectively exert himself in any other way. So, he cannot actively do much else at all while healing himself.

SENSES - Enhanced: This power has three levels of use. At the normal level it gives him a sensory range of 100 yards, which is comparable to a normal human's perceptive ability at 10 feet. This applies to his senses of sight, hearing, and smell. At the second level of magnification, requiring a small amount of concentration, his senses may perceive at the distance of one mile what a normal human perceives at 10 feet. At maximum focus he can magnify this level to such degree that he can perceive at 30 miles what a human can at 10 feet, but to do so requires much more focus and may make it harder to focus on things especially close by, particularly where vision is concerned, so he must be careful to balance perception at a distance with normal perception.

SORCERY - Supreme: Born with the gift of sorcery, Xanthus has honed his craft over the centuries. He can accomplish essentially any feat of magic, from common offensive spells or command over the elements to barriers or wardings, the summoning or banishment of various spirits or creatures, transmutation of matter or energy from one form to another, mystic travel between locations or realms, and many other effects. Notably, the more power he uses at once, spread out over the number and potency of active effects, the more focus and energy he must have. In terms of what he can do, Xanthus's abilities are conceptually almost endless, but they're limited by how he can adapt them to fit each situation, as well as his power and focus. Obviously, some applications of this power are heavily governed by consent.

SPEED - Enhanced: Xanthus' natural speed is such that he could maintain a steady running pace of 50 miles per hour without difficulty. While in flight, which he must accomplish by sorcery, he can also attain moderate aircraft speeds (1,000 mph), which may be maintained indefinitely. This power is usually used to allow him to complete any given task, on average, 1,000 times faster than a normal Human being. This includes thinking, thanks to his advanced brain.

ADVANTAGES

Citadel Dominus

ARMOR Xanthus' battle armor, forged and constructed from celestial materials and imbued with potent magics, grants him a supreme level of resistance to magics that would directly alter him, mind or body, in any way. It is also makes it very hard to damage him with attacks that are turned aside by armor, such as stabbing, slashing, or blasting attacks. On the other hand, sufficient blunt impact damage will affect him even through the armor, and over time sufficient blunt force trauma or raw energy attacks may still harm him if maintained consistently.

ARTIFACTS Xanthus' hoards also include various artifacts, ranging from minor magical baubles to reasonably rare and powerful enchanted weapons. They also contain many curiosities and various memorabilia, and in truth they are as much personal museums and libraries as they are arsenals or vaults.

CITADEL DOMINUS Citadel Dominus is a techno-magical stronghold that can travel between worlds and places. It is often positioned somewhere in outer space, able to transport people there and back from great distances. It also possesses exceptionally powerful defenses, making it an extremely difficult place to assault or infiltrate. There, Xanthus can operate in security and safety, either working in seclusion or offering surprisingly excellent hospitality to favored guests.

EQUIPMENT Xanthus has various equipment typical of a tech-based superhero, though many of these devices are partially magical, or at least alchemechanical, in nature. This includes such varied things as protective armor and masks, tracking devices, detective kits, burglary tools, and all the other sorts of standard gear. It may include magi-tech versions of various conventional weapons or other super-tech sorts of devices, but anything particularly powerful or unusual would need staff permission in advance.

INFLUENCE Between the magical communities of Sangria and countless individuals in Arcadia, Xanthus is very well-connected. In Sangria he is widely known in mystic circles as an elder, if reclusive sorcerer. In Superia he is widely regarded as a supervillain, popularly known as "Doctor Dominator." Even those who consider him an enemy are likely to know of him. Still, in many circles he is fairly influential, able to achieve a fair bit by exchanging requests and personal favors alone.

RESOURCES Long years of placing careful caches of wealth here and there have granted Xanthus almost limitless wealth. The value of his hoarded resources defies calculation, such that he will most likely never lack for funds in either Sangria or Arcadia, no matter how long he lives. For him, money truly is no objectTemplate:--ever.

WEAKNESSES

HONORABLE Apart from his personal code of ethics, Xanthus believes strongly in testing and teaching others. That means that, when testing someone (or even battling a hero or other seemingly well-meaning person for another reason), he will do everything possible to limit himself to their general level of powers and abilities. This does not mean that he will allow himself to be defeated, per se, but he would not use power so disproportionate against such a foe that they had no hope of meeting or countering. His purpose, after all, is to test, not to overwhelm.

LOYALTY Once Xanthus' allegiance or friendship is given, he considers this a bond that cannot be broken except by the blackest of betrayal. Because of this, he will go to great lengths, ignoring what is best or safest for himself, to help a friend in need. This is doubly true if the person is directly related to him by blood. His loyalty is not given freely or even easily, but once earned, it is absolute. The only thing that could force him to compromise such devotion would be an Oathbond he had willingly sworn.

OATHBOND When Xanthus gives his word to someone, he literally cannot break it. He will be compelled to do all he can to fulfill his oath, no matter what the cost or difficulty to himself, until the bond is fulfilled or he is released from his vow. Notably, he cannot make a vow which is impossible, and if he cannot promise to do something, then it is a very good sign that it is beyond his power. If he can promise to do something, then it is potentially within his grasp, but that does not mean it will be easy to accomplish.

PERSONAL CODE While Xanthus does not kill human beings or other sentient creatures, and he never spills innocent blood (unless, of course, doing so helps them in some direct wayTemplate:--this does not bar him from, for instance, performing a surgical procedure), he avoids excessive force and would sooner let harm come to himself before allowing injury to innocents. For those who he has judged as guilty, he will treat them with exactly the same regard they have shown for others. Murderers may be harmedTemplate:--though not killedTemplate:--liars may be manipulated, and thieves may be stolen from.

PURPOSE Xanthus' need to serve a higher purpose can be an overwhelming compulsion. As a result of his need to test others and to act for the greater good, he is very widely misunderstood and is even generally believed to be a supervillain. He has come to accept and even embrace this belief, as it allows him to act as an antagonist and further test his goals, but it certainly causes difficulties and complications at times.

RULE OF THREE Xanthus' magic carries a kind of karmic balance to it. If Xanthus works to serve the greater good and help others, then things tend to go quite well for him. However, anything he does that is undeservedly malicious will be revisited upon him threefold. Notably, this does not mean acting to please others--it means sincerely acting in their best interests. What a person believes they want is not always the same as what they need, after all. Further, he is always free to act in self-defense or to protect others, but malicious, unprovoked use of magic that do not aid others or serve the greater good may come back to haunt him later.

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Faction Memberships Queensmouth Academy Professor at the Queensmouth Academy.

Character Connections

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