Name

Verstrand Strano, or Strano the Freak.

Gender

Male

Age

Appears about 28 in human years, although in reality, has an age marked by no human counter.

Species

Originally Human. Now the only Vaulgulf known in existence. Can also be called the physical incarnation of Naivectoplasm. (Although for the point of his descriptions and personality, a human measure will be used)

Appearance

Strano the Freak… Truly a Freak to be sure… His body is clad in the dirty garments of the homeless, a pair of faded and ripped blue jeans garbing his long legs. A pair of beaten white sneakers, coated with a millennia’s worth of dust cover his never resting feet. A person’s eyes might turn upward at this point, hoping that the man beneath the clothes will be much more pleasing to the eye then what they have already seen. They will be disappointed. A black hooded sweater covers his upper torso, also beaten and torn with the passage of time and corruption, looking like the ripped black feathers of a disemboweled raven, while still retaining its original shape. The zipper that runs down the middle is broken, and now the sweater eternally lies open, revealing the naked chest that has endured so much, and has enjoyed so little. A long scar runs down the chest of the Freak, a scar tinged with the brown of his skin, and the redness of his blood, a rusty sort of hue that often seems to pulsate with its own wicked power. Framed in this red scar, is a single pendant, one that runs from a thin black rope around his neck. The pendant is that of a small black orb, one with two symbols etched upon it, one on either side. It is a symbol familiar to many. A female might scan up his chest, ever hopeful that the muscles of Strano’s body, received after a lifetime of running, fighting, and escaping, might be matched by a ruggedly handsome face. However, they also, would be disappointed. Strano’s face is often hidden by the black shadows cast by his upturned hood. When it is removed though, one can see the mat of stringy brown hair that cascades down from his tan face. Having not seen the warmth of a shower, nor the cleansing powers of soap, the Freak is by no means a clean man. His face is botched with the dirt and toil of corruption, and his bright blue eyes burn with the rage of one scorned by all luck and fortune. His lips are ever shut tightly, a smile rarely making its entry on the beaten stage of his face, framed in the darkness of an unshaved bit of stubble on his jaw. If he was cleaned up, who knows what he might appear like? It has been so long; sometimes even he doesn’t know…

Personality

What is the result of a man who has been chewed up by fate and spit into the dumps of tomorrow? Does the man pass into the realm of insanity, overcome by his lack of luck and fortune? Does he deny it through uncanny optimism, forcing all spite and pessimism away so that he can walk through his existence with a smile? The answer to this is a saddening no. Strano walks with the air of someone of scorn, someone consumed by deep cynicism. His feet slap against the sidewalks and streets of the worlds around him, each falling foot saturated with a deep distain of those who bear power. Why does the Freak hate power? Because power corrupts… He knows this himself, and in the sway of his arms and the scar on his chest, he radiates this hatred to others around him.With ever bit of intelligence he has, a high amount to be sure, and with every fiber of his being, he hates. He hates the bureaucrats and aristocrats of the universe. He disdains the governments and the politics. He burns with rage at the sound of power working against those with none, and through all this, he hates himself, for bearing the power he so detests... Often disguising the pain and hatred he has with himself with dry and careless humor, he comes off as being unfeelingly selfish. In reality it is much more though…

But can a being truly hate everything? Verstrand Strano has a single soft spot, a single chink in his armor of pessimistic hatred of the powers of these worlds; the laughter of children, the radiant gold of their smiles, and the beautiful innocence that they hold within their bodies. It is only the innocent nature of children, ones who have known no power and known no corruption. Whenever he comes upon ones such as this, a cracked smile sometimes graces his face, and he makes sure to enforce their current beliefs, trying beyond all odds to keep them from facing the corruption as they grow older. Strano the Freak knows that the only hope for the future is in these small children…

Abilities

The powers of the Freak… The thing about himself he detests the most. A power lies within Strano that he acts as a blessing to his actions, yet a curse to his philosophy, whatever remnants of it remain at least. He didn’t always have this power, although it was always present within him… Such a power within him gives him many abilities, all of which he uses to take down others with power… Or maybe just screw with them a little bit… He isn’t quite sure at this point what to do with his growing powers, which he has classified under the term Wunder Magick, although he has decided that it is not truly magick from what very little he knows about it.

Wunder Magick- This is the name for the brand of power that stems from the Freak’s inner self. So far, it has manifested itself in only a few ways, although the possibilities have yet to be seen… How is this Wunder Magick possible? Only a trip through Strano’s history can reveal that…

Optimancy- Optimancy is the Freak’s way of turning “mind-tricks,” such as optical illusions into reality. Through simply childlike belief and a little bit of power within, Strano can turn what a child always thought was possible, and make it into reality. For example, Strano could reach up with his hand, pinch his fingers around the glowing orb of the sun, and pull it down, holding it in the palm of his hand like a bright glowing marble. It would remain like that until he released it from his Optimancy. This can be applied to people, objects, attacks, and all reality. For the one who the Optimancy is acting on, it seems as if the world turning upon them. If Strano placed his fingers around the outside of a man’s head from far away and the man would instantly find himself from Strano’s point of view, in terms of size, and now space. Another point of Optimancy allows him to “edit” the reality around him using his body to trick his mind into believing it has changed. For example, if he placed his thumb over a star and smudged it out, the star would vanish from reality, while blowing on a star would cause it to flare up. Optimancy also allows Strano to teleport, but only when nobody is looking at him. If a person glances away for even a second, Strano can be somewhere else… However this ability does have limits, as he can only teleport as far as he can see.

Thought-Formation- Although Wunder Magick is not the only way of bringing about the art of Thought-Formation, it is an ability achievable by few. Based on the beliefs of others and himself, Strano can manifest belief into physical form, resulting in the creation of Thoughtforms, or reality created from belief. In order to do this, he focuses the belief of those around him and/or myself, focusing this belief through the power within him, and outward into a certain area. This as the belief passes through the power within him, it warps reality to a certain degree and allows for the creation of the believed concept. For example, if Strano truly made the people around him, and himself believe that there is a tunnel beneath a prison cell, a tunnel will be manifested into existence. Strano can create certain Thoughtforms using his own belief, but these usually are designed for a certain purpose, and will not last for more then a few days. Thoughtforms created by more people will last longer, and possibly will last eternally, fueled by the people's own belief in it. Thoughtforms can also be manifested through powerful emotions; the more emotions, the stronger the Thoughtform. An example would be a high amount of fear in a community creating powerful fear Thoughtform, which would remain in existence depending on the intensity of the emotions. Every time that specific emotion is repeated, the Thoughtform would be recharged, revitalizing it as it grew steadily weaker.

Innoceancy- Another strange ability, one that is innate and the most mysterious of them all. Rooting deep in the powers within him, Strano uses the innocence of childhood to protect himself from harm. If he does not know what an attack does, it will not harm him in any way. If he does not know an attack his coming, it will not cause his destruction either. If he remains innocent, oblivious to what strange forces strike against him, they will not harm him, effect him, or destroy him… Such a powerful ability has allowed him to escape many assaults unscathed, and for many years, it is the only ability he has ever given a bit of gratitude for.

Weapons

The Freak hates power. Weapons give power. Therefore, he chooses not to wield weapons unless it is a matter of saving his own neck. A single item he always carries with him though lies around his neck. The simply black orb, hanging like a disk from the black rope around his neck, bears two symbols, one on each side of the curve. These symbols make no sense to others who see them, and the Freak has admitted on occasion that he barely recognizes them any more. They appeared blurred or obscured to most, and those who can read them fully, will only see a small white etches before Strano forces them away.

The small pendant’s ability does not wither with time, no matter its outward appearance. Through its connection with the “power” within Verstrand Strano, it can filter or downright stop Strano from sensing various things. Illusions and mental attacks are of no use already, because of the expertise Strano has in causing mind-tricks to become reality. However, he can filter out light, causing him to not see what he doesn’t want to see. He can block out certain sounds, so he cannot hear what he doesn’t want to hear. The same goes for touch, smell, or any of the other senses. Anything communicated through the mind or any other means can also be filtered out, leaving the Freak totally isolated from outside input… It cannot stop physical and magical attacks however.

History

Power.

Are people born with power? Or is it thrust upon them, with or without their consent? It is certain that there are some who achieve power solely through their own drive. Whatever the case of receiving power, there is one incontrovertible fact that none can deny.

Power corrupts…

Enter a man, a simple human of the planet Earth. Into this universe came Verstrand Strano, brought into existence by a Veronica Strano, a barely 17 year old teenage girl, who had given birth to him as the result of a single night of poor judgment. Tears filled her eyes as she stood with her parents, looking down at the result of her mistake. She glanced up at the two adults standing beside her, her eyes clouded and misty with sapphire drops of water. Her parents, the first beings with power that Verstrand Strano experienced, shook their heads sternly, and crying softly, Veronic Strano lifted the baby Verstrand into her arms, and slowly began the long walk to the orphanage…

(Incomplete)

Basically, what you need to know, is that as Veronica walks to the orphanage, she is ambushed, raped, and Strano falls into the sewer system of the cities., dying instantly It is then found that he was born without a soul, and as such, when he enters the gates of heaven, he is sent back to Earth, but only after passing through the Gulf to receive a soul. The Gulf is the place where the souls of the unborn are kept, and are filled with the special substance/energy that is found inside souls, called Naivectoplasm. It is the thing that gives children their innocence, and it dies off as a child gets older. It filled Strano, a being without a soul and without power, and he returned to earth, unawares and crying softly in the sewer.

He grows up, not realizing that because of a glitch in the system of heaven, his Naivectoplasm never loses its potency, and when combined with his growing intelligence, gives him powers beyond comapre. It leads to his new name, the Freak. He is eventually banished from school, and without a job or parents now, he lives on the street, growing hard and cynical despite the high amounts of naivectoplasm within him. That's basically it.

However, Naivectoplasm is unique in the fact that it cannot be controlled by people with power. So Strano cannot control Naivectoplasm, despite the fact that it fuels him and all his power. It should be noted that pure Naivectoplasm actually strips power away from beings. Strano is unique in that his power is actually fueled by the Naivectoplasm within him.