Nicholass Machiavelli Strauss

"'Afraid not, son. There isn't much you can keep secret around here. Besides, you think we wouldn't notice the severe drop in crime over the last few months?' - Strauss, to Adakis"Nicholass Machiavelli Strauss is the head of HEAVEN's Paranormal Investigative Division, also known as PID. Having been born before the Divide, Strauss has witnessed the decay of the world first-hand, and does his part in ensuring that humanity isn't totally lost to the encroaching darkness. Employing his talents as a spiritualist, he can commune with the dead and make sure that more don't join their ranks. He has close, almost familial ties with HEAVEN's boss, Hector Alms.

Origins
Strauss was born in the Pre-Divide era, in the sleepy hamlet of Dunwitch, Massachusetts (not to be confused with its modern-day incarnation). From an early age, Strauss always experienced unexplained occurrences, which he eventually learned was a product of his sensitivity to the afterlife. One of his earliest experiences still sticks with him to this day; he had seen a ghastly woman stalking the halls of his childhood home, skin burned off and muscle visible beneath. It was something that stuck with him, haunting him in fear and also curiosity. His parents didn't believe him, thinking he needed a therapist more than anything else. Not Strauss; these spirits were real, and he needed to know why he could see this visions from the beyond.

Strauss studied in secret for the next few years, always returning from school to brush up on the occult. It became a pastime to him, and that same fear from before never returned again. He began seeing these specters less and less as time went on, specifically as he grew into young adulthood. Even after moving away from Dunwitch, he continued to pursue a fascination into the afterlife, and all other sorts of paranormal activity. He ended up in Haven City, trying to strike out on his own after moving away from his parents. His first sight after stepping off the bus was watching a few delinquents toss rocks at a crow in a tree. Naturally, this frustrated him to the point of stepping in and scaring them off. Just before he could, a stray rock struck the crow dead-on, killing it easily.

Strauss buried the ill-fated bird, lamenting that he couldn't have arrived sooner. Some days passed, with Strauss settling into his new life in a new city. It wasn't long until he started receiving visits from the undead, however. This time, it wasn't a person, however. Instead, it was the spirit of a crow who came to visit him in the morning hours. Surely, it was that same crow who he failed to save just a week ago. Despite his protests, the crow had remained by his side since then, and largely serves as the catalyst that reignited his interest in the paranormal. Strauss soon began seeing them more often, and sooner still earning that he could communicate with the phantoms who visited him.

World's End
Given Haven City's constant troubles with the paranormal, Strauss proved to be a perfect fit. He managed to craft quite the reputation for himself, self-styled as a spiritualist and an exorcist. His unusual talents landed him a position at an organization that specialized in the supernatural and paranormal. While this helped Strauss in the long run, he was quick to make friends, including a ten year old Hector Alms. It was worthy of note that in the years to come, Haven City began to go through a troubling time; another disaster saw Strauss' company crumble, leaving the entire world at odds with how to handle the aftermath. The company's owner grew towards more drastic measures to keep things under control, but Strauss could see them buckling under the immense responsibility. Strauss had considered himself to be good friends with the owner, but even that too did fail, as the world grew ever closer towards a final and inevitable, calamitous conclusion.

The Divide happened. Most of the world was swallowed up by a ravenous darkness, leaving little in the way of survivors. With what did survive the calamity, the Earth would be forever marred, a mere shadow of its former self. While Strauss could not rescue as many people as he had wanted to, he managed to save the child Hector from a horrid fate. Perhaps, at the expense of his own life. History takes a confusing turn here; it isn't exactly clear what happened to Strauss during the Divide, or how he even managed to live for so long. Even to this day, his features remain transfixed in time, an image of how he was during that fateful day. Strauss has guided Hector since then, helping the boy grow into a man worthy of defending a broken earth. Sometime in the mid 26th century, Hector would go on to take over HEAVEN, with Strauss remaining at his side the whole way through.

Bad Omens
Well and after the offensive against Jasper, Strauss started to hear troubling rumors from the undead; the same darkness that had caused the Divide was becoming active again. Strauss knew this, and Hector knew this; it was only a matter of time before it came back to finish the job. Everything since then has been in the name of preparing for the inevitable, with Strauss focusing on a recruitment drive that specifically targets powered individuals. His first mark was a Nephilim, residing right within their own home city of Neo Haven.

Appearance
Having somehow survived over 500 years without aging, Strauss still looks the same as he did before the Divide. Strauss appears as a man in his 40's or 50's at the least, with slicked back, shoulder-length black hair. A five-o-clock shadow covers his lower face, with his upper face often obscured by the brim of a wide hat. He does this on purpose, as his eyes have an unnatural glow to them. His business attire consists of a dress shirt and tie, with a suit vest and knee-length, black overcoat on top. Strauss always maintains a level of professionalism wherever he goes, believing that no matter he's doing, he's representing his company.

Personality
While not born in the south, Strauss was raised with southern hospitality; he insists that he treat everyone with kindness and respect. However, he can be a bit overzealous when it comes with dealing with potential threats against the state, and often times will take things a bit too far as a result. He only means well, even if it isn't always readily apparent. His over-zealousness can be stemmed back towards just how deeply he cares for HEAVEN, specifically Mr. Alms. At the end of the day, Strauss means well and does his best to protect what's his. He also has a love for animals, especially his crow familiar, Corvus.

Abilities
Strauss touts himself as a spiritualist, acting as a medium between the living and the dead. He can freely communicate with the deceased, guiding them and helping them move on. Often times, these spirits that he aids will lend their assistance to him, in the form of harnessing spirit energy to craft weapons. These "spirit" weapons are exceptionally deadly against the undead, being one of the few things that can consistently harm them. Strauss' skill set and knowledge about the afterlife makes him perfect for dealing with malevolent or otherwise dangerous spirits, like Dreamrunners or Mourners.

Hector Alms
Strauss and Hector share something of a close relationship, not unlike father and son or teacher and student. With Hector's biological father often away, Strauss looked after the boy; when the Divide came, Strauss saved Hector and helped groom him into the leader he would eventually become. While Strauss and Hector don't always see eye-to-eye in how to handle particular situations, it may very well be their strong bonds that prevents Hector from actually acting against Strauss.