Magnus Rathe

"'Look, I won't begin to understand what goes on around here, but you really don't want to keep me here. If I go under... things are going to get real bad.' - Magnus, to Rook"""Magnus Rathe is an Ascailian who originally hailed from an alternate dimension. Having arrived on Earth eventually, Magnus quickly earned renown as a hunter of demons and other malevolent entities, supernatural or otherwise. After being ambushed by a mysterious assailant, Magnus found himself forced into transit towards a place both familiar and unfamiliar; the world of Avashesh.

The Rise
For much of his existence, Magnus earned reputation worldwide as a hunter of the supernatural. Initially, he had acted as a lone wolf act; this was mostly mercenary work that saw him traveling frequently, killing malicious threats or exorcising demons. This nomadic purpose earned him quite a lot of allies, but an equal amount of enemies as well. The exact timeline between then and now is incredibly muddy; details are surprisingly scarce, and much of it has been consigned to rumors or tall tales that far exaggerate the hunter’s exploits. To subset his expensive traveling, Magnus set up a side project called Maverick; using his strength and innate flame attacks, he was able to open Maverick as a blacksmithing shop. Business was infrequent as many common folk had no use for such things, but the shop helped Magnus hone his craft nonetheless; this allowed Magnus to create his twin revolvers, which he still uses to this day.

The particular city that Magnus had stationed himself in was unnamed at the time, likely due to ownership issues or the fact that it had been newly built. It was inevitable that his many enemies would catch up with him, signaling a major siege on the city. Since the majority of his foes were demons, the source of the invasion was none other than Lucifer. With the help of allies abound and abroad, Magnus was able to stave off this threat and claim the city victorious. The powers that be in the city awarded ownership rights to Magnus and their friends, who each took up different roles to help maintain the place. Magnus became the protector, eventually reforming Maverick into Maverick Corporation, a company full of like-minded people who also want to defend innocents from supernatural threats. The city’s name? Haven City; a sanctuary where people could finally feel safe from the uncertainty of the world. Beyond that day, Haven City would stand as a testament to the determination of mankind and their many protectors. Many, many events were stirred up over the years, seeing the city stand against the son of Lucifer, two deadly plagues, a dozen invasions of various natures, and even the gods themselves.

Haven City stood through it all. When it fell, it was rebuilt, stronger than ever. Magnus experienced love, loss and sorrow as many of his allies came and went, killed or disappearing into the annuals of history. He was very grateful for what alliances he had managed to forge, finally having moved away from his lone wolf personality. Magnus had grown into a charismatic leader, and a master at his art. Due to being so busy with managing his company, his travels were now infrequent. The man rarely even saw action anymore, but he was okay with that. Knowing that the people could protect themselves was more than enough comfort for him. Then again, he still had many adventures ahead of him, some of which would finally spur the man out of his office and back into action. However, there was one final task for the city to surmount.

The Fall
It was a day like any other day, and Magnus had been managing his company like always. The events that would proceed were unlike anything that Haven had experienced before; a massive palace of flesh and bone suddenly emerged from the bay area, and the city was flooded within hours. Some sort of eldritch abomination had set its sights on the city’s inhabitants, likely for no other reason than the innate desire to conquer and rule lesser subjects. Maverick was overrun by the sheer volume of forces that the abomination offered, as well as a man who seemingly couldn’t die. Allied forces were quickly scattered in the ensuing chaos, with communication cut off between neighboring cities. Magnus tried to do his best on his own, but lacking allies and on the run from an insurmountable foe, he was forced to retreat. Days would pass and the situation would only grow worse; Magnus attempted to coordinate efforts from outside Haven, but to no avail. All hope seemed lost and this threat may have very much completed their grand scheme, if not for outlying factors.

The pure anarchy in the city had seemed to attract a different entity; some sort of extra-dimensional abomination who devoured the stars. Even the eldritch abomination seemed to fear this creature, and pulled her forces out of the city, leaving only a handful of shamblers behind. The rest was left unknown; a dark presence shifted down upon the Earth and began to swallow the skies, but it was providence that saw the darkness quelled that day. A piercing light destroyed this creature from another time, but even then, it was made clear that the defeat was only temporary. Having been forced out of town, Magnus had no idea of the details. Only that the enemy occupation had mysteriously vanished, but the city was still in ruins. With his allies scattered and his main HQ destroyed, Magnus did what he could to help those who survived.

The Exodus
Thankfully, all was not completely lost. Coordinating with other allies that he had made, along with other Maverick branches, the long process began of evacuating survivors from the city. Many had perished in the straight week of pure chaos, and many more had been labeled missing. Families were torn apart due to these abrupt circumstances, and some no longer even had a home to come back to. It was a difficult process and even though it was something Magnus had become used to by that time, it never got any easier. He hadn’t been there to save anyone, not that he could; the least he could do was help them out of the city. Most of the displaced citizens were able to be relocated to the city-state of New Eden, as the large landmass had more than ample room to compensate for the thousands of refugees. Though the main branch of Maverick had been wiped out, there were smaller branches stationed in major cities around the world. For the first time in a long time, Haven City had fallen and it didn’t seem like it was coming back anytime soon.

Not that it mattered. The survivors had lived through another harrowing situation, and that was all that mattered to Magnus. These were people he had confided in, trusted even, with the development of the city. To see that development disappear was still saddening but, he would recover in time, as would the city. Still, many lives had been lost in the ensuing conflict. Magnus felt some degree of regret for not being there when he needed to be. It was always a major flaw of his; not being able to save everyone. Though it was a feeling that would come to bother him, he had no choice but to stow it away. There remained the matter that many of his allies had scattered themselves to other locations. These were close allies; ones who he had been through thick and thin with. If he could not find them, at the very least, he could locate other, old allies and perhaps earn aid to help make up for the heavy losses. This would see Magnus in transit away from his own world, but not before making sure that his company was left in good hands. Unbeknownst to him, someone had been watching him this entire time, and they already knew where Magnus was going to go.

It happened late in the day, in the remains of Maverick HQ. What remained of the company had been scattered, forced to work undercover at Magnus' behest. Given the severity of the situation, tensions had become volatile yet again, with multiple world factions unable to trust each other. He felt it just that this was the likely outcome; Magnus often considered Haven City to be a linchpin for human/subhuman relations, and without it, the world order began to break apart. Though this Earth had dealt with many threats before, the revelation of not one, but two back-to-back potent threats became a point of contention. Paranoia grew rampant. What should have brought unity to the people of the world, ultimately did not. Magnus knew that he would need help to fix this, so he ultimately decided to temporarily leave his home and go elsewhere. Before he could, he was ambushed by his stalker. A struggle ensued, though it was short-lived as the attacker had the upper hand, thanks to their element of surprise. Everything beyond that point had become a blur to him; he was only granted a brief look at his assailant. What this entailed had yet to be revealed, but it was clear that this mysterious foe had much planned for Magnus.

The Reveal
Magnus' arrival in Neo Haven was sudden and unexpected, as he appeared before his doppelganger with a swift foot. Garbed in nothing more than a black cloak to obscure his appearance, Magnus attempted to kill his doppelganger right then and there, though he was stopped by Weiss Kiryu. It had seemed that his copycat managed to convince several people that he was the real Magnus, and a fight ensued between Magnus and Weiss. It was short-lived as Weiss struck the earth, electrifying it and sending Magnus off his feet. Though Weiss would come to express concern at the cloaked stranger's identity, Fake!Magnus only wanted to kill him and be done with it. He came close to doing so too, but stopped for some reason. Fake!Magnus instead slipped away unnoticed, leaving Weiss confused. His confusion only grew as he unmasked the stranger, revealing it to be the real Magnus, and that the man he had been traveling with for most of the day was a fake.

After a long drink, Magnus went on to explain how he had been ambushed back in Haven City, though had no idea he would be thrust into some alternate world version of it. Fake!Magnus attached some kind of device to him, which disabled his powers and inhibited memories, leaving Magnus in a constant berserk state that he couldn't even remember. Magnus silently feared that he may have caused great harm to any number of people, and it was made all the worse because he couldn't recall a single thing after Fake!Magnus knocked him out. Magnus and Weiss agreed to travel together, mostly because Magnus' doppelganger has extended the same courtesy. Their band of two quickly became three after Weiss' brother suddenly appeared, causing Weiss to fly off into a fit of rage that saw the two brothers punching the shit out each other in the street. After Magnus pulled Weiss off, the brother introduced himself as Atreyu, and also agreed to tag along.

Magnus decided to do some shopping around, due to the fact that he had lost his signature revolvers back in Haven. Before he was able to do so, a young girl called out to from from across the street. He didn't recognize her, but she recognized him; Magnus realized that it must have been another person who Fake!Magnus had greeted, so Magnus felt obliged to warn her that she was in danger. The young girl was named Juni; a teenager with earth powers, who seemed to style herself after a superhero. Despite thinking he was helping, Magnus immediately crushed Juni's dreams by informing her that they had not actually met, and the person she encountered was an impostor. She seemed notably heartbroken by the news; not because she believed him, but because she didn't. She didn't believe there was an impostor running about; this had to be the same Magnus she met before, but he didn't want to hang out with her anymore. She ran away afterwards, prompting Mag's other half to chide him for breaking a child. Magnus retorted by telling his inner voice to shut up, and he continued shopping. Only now he knew, there was a lot more at stake than just clearing his name.

The Adventure Continues
After getting a new jacket and a new revolver, Magnus had learned from Weiss that his doppelganger approached the royalty, asking for aid for Haven. It was a concept that baffled Magnus; until the truth came forth, Fake!Magnus seemed to know pretty much everything about his life, perhaps even influencing where he showed up. Magnus and company resolved that since Fake!Magnus was now MIA, they might make the most of their visit. Neo Haven wasn't all that different from his old city, though his company had been replaced by a dominating force; a company called HEAVEN. While the Boyband was unable to gain a meeting with the Boss in charge, a representative of the company was there to inform them of the ongoing war between their nation and the neighboring Rubidia. Figuring it might help them gain an audience with said boss, and because he had nothing else to do at the time, Magnus decided to pitch in and lend a hand.

The Boyband would meet with what forces the Spiral Isles possessed, mostly consisting of the elite military known as the Angels. In a way, their prowess and gear reminded him of his own forces back home; or what remained of them anyhow. The more he stayed here, the more he began feeling nostalgic. With the Angels launching a large-scale offensive on one side of enemy territory, and the Boyband would be tasked with a small-scale infiltration of the other end. Joining them would be Holy Diver, of the Northern Raiders. They were a mercenary outfit who operated out of the northern island of Eden. It seemed like they had plenty of experience when it came to naval warfare.

Magnus and company agreed to help the Raiders, and hopefully end the war between the Spiral Isles and Rubidia. While he awaited for the rest of his comrades to join him, he was visited by Isabelle Lightwood, a familiar face from Haven and an old flame. He was surprised to see her, perhaps more than he would have liked due to his reaction. They caught up, best as they could, though Magnus was reluctant to depart, he knew he had to. Hours later, they had all convened aboard Holy Diver's ship, a jet-black submarine named the Barracuda. With the rest of the Spiral forces away ahead of them, the Barracuda would follow behind and arrive at the battle late. While Magnus initially hadn't agreed with the plan, he felt that he had no choice if he wanted the help he needed. Weiss and Atreyu followed along with him anyway, and soon, all of them shipped off from Neo Haven, towards the neighboring nation of Rubidia. The trip wasn't without problems, however.

On a late and clear night, what appeared to be a meteor began to approach the top deck of the emerged Barracuda. Magnus paid no mind to it, as he knew what the origin of it was, but he was amused to see the ship's crew begin to panic. The meteor in question wasn't a meteor at all, but an old friend of his from Haven; Artyom Blithe. It had appeared Weiss had called him prior to their departure, prompting the inter-dimensional biker to pay a visit. Thus, the Boyband was back together: Magnus, Artyom and Weiss, with Atreyu in tow. The former three had involved themselves in plenty of adventures together back in Haven, though it had been years since they were all together. The reunion was heartwarming, and their old mate settled in as they continued on the voyage. Days later, they had finally approached the shore of Rubidia, only to get caught in a sudden hurricane. It was violent and appeared out of nowhere, threatening to throw them off course or capsize them. With no other choice, Magnus and the others headed below deck, as the Barracuda began to dive to avoid the most of the hurricane. Magnus noted that the sudden change in weather was definitely not natural, and their foe was watching them.

The Spiral Campaign
Despite the rough waters and the incoming storms, Magnus, the Boyband and the Raiders managed to make it to Rubidia unharmed. Though, it would only be the first of their trials as the final battle was already in full swing. The Boyband took the skies, flanking the Red Army from behind. While the rest of the group picked their battles elsewhere, Magnus got into a fight with the leader of the Corpus Diaboli. The explosive-tempered soldier managed to put up quite the fight, even briefly disarming Magnus of his weapon. In the end however, Magnus proved to be the more capable fighter, outsmarting Helman enough to yank the detonator pins on his grenades, thus granting him a swift death. Afterwards, Magnus reunited with the rest of his comrades, who had already finished their battles elsewhere. The rest of the war was out of their hands, and Magnus merely resigned to watch two titans duke it out before they all would realize that it was unsafe. In a final desperate plea, their enemy dropped his floating city in the sky, which threatened to strike the lake below and cause a tidal wave. The Boyband decided to pull out. Magnus and company survived, with Magnus deciding to make good on his vacation time, heading out to the lands nearby.

Showdown in Shanghai
The Boyband resurfaced in Shanghai, deciding to enjoy their free time in the city's seedier venues. They met up at one of the more popular locations in the city, that being the nightclub called Toxin. While the others enjoyed themselves, either through drink or women, Magnus reunited with Isabelle; the two had met briefly before the Boyband's departure to defeat Jasper's army. Now, she came to him with an offer, claiming to have very powerful benefactors who were interested in his services. Magnus was unable to make a decision either way, though his original plans of leaving back to his home dimension would end up taking a hiatus. Their discussion was brief, and with Magnus leaving the VIP room they met in, trouble came in the form of a familiar face. Fake!Magnus had returned, now styling himself under the name Komodo. He clearly came for Magnus, but intended to pick a fight with all of the Boyband if necessary. Magnus quickly dove for cover, hoping to catch his psychotic doppelganger by surprise. A brief talk with Artyom decided that Komodo was not acting alone; Magnus was quick to provide a game plan, with Artyom setting to intercept Komodo's helper, and Isabelle would evacuate the club.

Komodo had managed a captive audience, making things much more dangerous for the Boyband. Thanks to the local DJ, the innocent clubbers got the picture and began to flood out of the club. Magnus blindsided him with gunfire, while Weiss approached from a different direction to attack up-close. Due to the commotion, Isabelle was able to evacuate the civillians. Soon joined by a bystander named Emris, who coincidentally happened to be a Kiryu as well, Magnus, Weiss and Emris attempted to take Komodo down. Thanks to Weiss, Komodo was ejected out the wall, but ended up shrouding the entire city in darkness for their troubles. It seemed like now, Komodo appeared to be even larger as his silhouette lingered at the edge of the shadows. All attempts to fight him at this point proved futile, as he eventually launched a burst of darkness that threw everyone off their feet.

With the Boyband incapacitated, Magnus was left to watch a menacing Komodo approach him. Despite a brief interception from Isabelle, Komodo quickly knocked the female out and continued. Despite his attempts to retaliate, Magnus took a sickle through the arm for his troubles, leaving himself vulnerable as Komodo did what he came for. Using a seemingly ordinary compass, Komodo siphoned out the souls from Magnus' scythe, destroying the weapon's blade in the process. Komodo was easily able to leave after that, with his accomplice making short work of Artyom. Before leaving, Komodo decided to announce his real name; Issac Ivanoh.

Weakened and demoralized, Magnus tried to make the best of a bad situation. Hope showed itself in the form of Damien Artweir, an old ally from his homeland. The two exchanged words, but Magnus knew that time was short. The only way they would get out now was if Damien removed them from the city, but Magnus decided it was best to make the sacrifice and stay behind to stall for time. With the police closing in, he would let himself get arrested, since whatever city authority was in charge would likely view the events at the club as an act of terror. It panned out exactly how he had planned; local authorities showed up, arresting him and Isabelle while the rest of the Boyband were able to escape.

The Flame Smothered in Shadows
Along with Isabelle, Magnus was quickly transferred to the local police precinct to be interrogated. Most of Shanghai considered them terrorists now, while Issac managed to get off scot-free despite being the true culprit behind the attack.

Mortal Form
As it is in his normal appearance, Magnus shares the looks of a 32 year-old male with a slender build and higher than average height; his pale skin, dark hair and red eyes are among the most notable features of his face. His teeth are abnormally sharp, only slightly more so than the average teeth of a human being. Without being up-close, it would be impossible to notice the difference. His torso, arms and legs are covered in a multitude of various scars; all inflicted by various methods, like blades or gunshots. His usual attire consists of a thick-fitting black jacket, overlaid a simple t-shirt that he changes every now and again, A brown belt fastened with a silver buckle hugs his waist, hoisting a pair of dark trousers. Magnus has a single holster attached to his belt where he stores his firearm, Calamity.

Consumed Form
When Askal consumes Magnus, his body becomes enveloped in a thick and smoky veil of negative energy. The Consumed Form is a physical manifestation of Askal's psyche, as he is unable to create a body of his own. The entire figure is enshrouded with these shadows, though the body shape remains much of the same. Fingers become elongated and claw-like, more akin to talons from a bird. The body adopts a cold chill as well, seeming to actively drain heat away from the immediate environment. Albeit the fact that Askal is unable to manifest his original body through this possession, it does share notable traits with his base form. He stands tall at 7 foot 3, with a single red eye piercing the dark shroud; this is a direct representation of the fact that Askal himself is half-blind.

Personality
Under completely normal conditions, Magnus presents himself as easy-going, with a wry sense of humor every now and again. His will is legendary, and his determination has seen him through various doomsday scenarios and apocalyptic threats. Concerning close friends, Magnus cares deeply and will go to great lengths to keep them safe, no matter what risks he needs to take. He takes great pride in his work, knowing he’s an expert in his field; to this extent, he shows a great deal of confidence whenever his interactions involve business. Due to the sheer amount of hardship he's been through, Magnus has become emotionally desensitized to the messier aspects of his profession. Possibly due to the fact that he shares his mind with another, more morally ambiguous persona, Magnus may be more unstable than most people. Even with his kind facade, he has been known to snap on occasion, usually under great duress. This translates into an incredibly sadistic and brutal fighting style, sometimes to the point where he’ll leave his enemies in pieces.

Abilities
Having experience between two different minds, that spans well over 4,000 years, to say that Magnus is a combat veteran is a vast understatement. Magnus is skilled in many different weapons, though he prefers his main arsenal; his morphing scythe, Gilgamesh, and a revolver, Calamity. He also possesses decent skills in hand-to-hand, though he rarely fights without a weapon. Magnus' abnormal physiology grants him inhuman strength, able to dent cars or break stone with relatively low effort. His speed is average, and though he can be particularly agile if he needs to be, his talents revolve around taking things slow and methodical.

The main attraction of Magnus' arsenal is his control of negative energy. On the surface, it may just look like shadow manipulation, though it has a much more in-depth explanation. Using any shadow on any surface, Magnus can draw in energy and manifest it in many different ways. The most common he uses is what he refers to as "mimic". Using negative energy, he can manifest large projections that follow his movements, such as massive fists or extensions of his other limbs. He can use negative energy in other ways, limited only by his creativity and light levels. If the current area is too bright, it limits what he can do and makes the ability less effective.

If Magnus' life is endangered or he becomes unconscious, Askal can possess his body and manifest as the Consumed Form. Alongside enhanced base abilities, Askal himself becomes a conduit for negative energy, able to use himself as a source of the energy. This allows him an even wider range of manipulations compared to his counterpart, including growing extra limbs, unleashing lethal tendrils from the body or even spiked protrusions. Much like in the mortal form, the consumed form's critical flaw remains to be light levels. While it limits the sources he can draw from, Askal can use himself effectively, though at limited range. Since Askal is effectively a different personality, he prefers straight physical combat or usage of his powers over firearms.

Askal
Askal represents a split personality; rather, Magnus is the split personality and Askal is the body’s original persona. Though the two have had numerous altercations for who remains in control, they have come to certain mutual agreement when it comes to doing what needs to be done. The two remain close allies out of necessity and survival, seeing how one would likely not exist long without the other. Still, Askal's sociopathic tendencies leave him willing to do things that Magnus will not, purely for the sake of survival.

Isabelle Lightwood
Magnus had entered a romantic relationship with Isabelle somewhere during the mid-years of Haven City. Though no longer together, Magnus still considers himself very fond of the woman and most definitely still has feelings for her. When they were still together, they represented a kick-ass fighting duo that couldn't be stopped or tamed by anyone or anything. It was a bit ironic considering their professions; most assuredly, their bond would have been seen as forbidden in certain circles, but it made the pursuit of it all the more satisfying. While Isabelle acts as the face, Magnus is the shadow, never far behind and always having her back.

Weiss Kiryu
In the distant past, the two had known each other as enemies, with Weiss attempting to kill Magnus on numerous occasions due to their conflicting allegiances. With said allegiances shifting over time, the two were eventually able to make amends over their shared past and became allies. Magnus holds no ill will towards Weiss, as Mag of all people knows how valuable duty and loyalty can be. After having not seen each other for almost 5 years, the two share a relationship of amicable friends, holding solace that their familiarity with one another may help in braving this brand new world.

Artyom Blithe
Another face from his past, Magnus and Artyom were good friends back in the heyday of Haven City. Since both of them were rather adept at slaying monsters, the two, along with Weiss, would often find the biggest, most threatening creatures they could handle and see which of them could best the thing. This forged a lasting friendship that persisted for years, even after their years-long departure from each other's company. Magnus considers Artyom to be a close friend, and someone who will always follow him.

Damien Artweir
An old friend from days past, Magnus and Damien had personally saw to the end of a vile terrorist group that had killed the boy's parents. While the two don't always see eye-to-eye, mainly due to Damien's constant dabbling into the dark arts, Magnus has come to respect the kid as if he were his own. Time has changed both of them, and only time will tell if their bond remains as strong as it used to be.