The Horror Begins
Oct. 9th, 2011 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
horror_showName: Nikolai Balshoy Ursus
Family: Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus/Ursa Major (father), Laynia Ursus (formerly Petrovna)/Darkstar (mother), Nikolai Krylenko/Vanguard (Uncle), Sergei Krylov/The Presence (Grandfather, believed deceased)
PB: Alex Pettyfer
Powers:
Nikolai is a shapeshifter, able to adopt a number of forms, gaining the powers and abilities inherent to those forms. After emerging from the Darkforce Dimension, there was a psychic element to his abilities, but also a restriction. It is unknown if either of these things were a part of the power before he disappeared.
1. Nikolai can only transform into 'Nightmare Forms' - making his abilities quite obvious. While some of his forms are quite stealthy, none of them are precisely unnoticeable, making his abilities of limited use in the typical shapeshifter realm of deception. In vampire form, for example, he might be able to pass as human - but will still stand out in places outside of a goth club.
2. While potent and wide-ranging, he gains all of the stereotypical weaknesses of his forms. His werewolf form will not heal injuries inflicted by silver, his vampire form cannot cross running water and is repelled by holy symbols, etc.
3. He gains only the powers that society at large typically associates with the form he takes. He cannot turn into one or another movie's version of vampires, and thus cannot gain, for example, every power ever associated with vampires - only the powers generally attributed by mainstream society to vampires.
4. He so far has not demonstrated an ability to grow larger than about 12' tall, or smaller than 1'
5. He cannot take on forms with godlike powers. Thus, while he can turn into demonic forms, they tend to have powers like fire generation and winged flight - not reality manipulation.
6. Ever since emerging from the Darkforce Dimension, Nikolai is immune to fear - whether natural or generated by other sources such as emotion control powers, and highly resistant to most telepathic powers. Those trying to read his mind, whether he wishes them to or not, get horrible visions of nightmare images drawn from their own worst fears. He cannot turn this off or mitigate the effect, and otherwise has no telepathic or mind or emotion affecting abilities of his own, aside from, for example, a vampire's hypnotic gaze, and then only in that form.
7. As his powers are partially psychic in nature, his forms will gain the powers and weaknesses of the associated creature per local mythology. While in most of America, for example, he can take on only the form of a typical western vampire, not an eastern vampire with its invisibility, etc. - but while in Japan, could take on only the powers and abilities of an Eastern vampire - his powers are keyed to the overall societal perception of nightmare creatures.
8. He must have some access to a reasonable 'universal unconscious', or perhaps the astral plane. Psychic nullification effects can prevent him from shapeshifting.
9. Nikolai has extraordinary nightvision, even in human form, and can see in anything short of total darkness, but is sensitive to bright lights.
Skills:
Nikolai has an odd selection of skills. While he wanted to be a super soldier like his parents, these dreams were twisted during his years in the Darkforce Dimension. He is skilled with a variety of weapons and fighting styles, for example, including many he may not be familiar with - be it archaic weapons, or things only native to other dimensions, while he may know nothing about a modern Earth style or technique.
Likewise, he has bits and pieces of knowledge regarding things like geography, occult lore, history, etc. - he may know, for example, the rules of a particular hell dimension should he end up there, or the succession of rulers with the Soulsword in Limbo, without knowing how he knows - while sometimes having no idea of basic Earth history, countries, etc. at times.
While, as a whole, he has something akin to a viable education, and lots of esoteric knowledge, some of what he knows about the contemporary world may be flawed, useless or simply random, and other times he is unaware of some of his knowledge about occult or other-dimensional affairs until confronted with it.
Predictably, he tends to be far more aware of things related to darker, evil dimensions, black magic, etc. than other related topics.
History: Nikolai is the son of two of the long-standing members of the Winter Guard, Ursa Major and Darkstar. He was raised in Russia, very much looking forward to learning what he'd be able to do, and hoping to become a super soldier like his parents.
When he was nine, his powers manifested - and he disappeared into the Darkforce Dimension. His mother searched for him for seven and a half years, never giving up - occasionally finding hints of his continued existence, but never her child.
He emerged in New York during a battle with some of Apocalypse's people - his new Famine also being a darkforce wielder.
He had spent all the times since his disappearance being raised, taught, and influenced by, as he calls them, Voices in the Darkness. He has no idea who or what they are, other than they never did him harm, and, according to the mystics who have worked with his parents, his soul is intact - but his mind was definitely altered, and his powers may have been as well.
The Russians determined that they did not have the resources to help or train him, and were worried about who or what might be interested in him. Likewise, his parents wanted to have his abilities looked into - especially as no one can read his mind and memories to try and determine if he's missing anything - so Darkstar eventually contacted Xavier's, having remained friends with the Drakes and McCoys, letting him attend the school to learn finesse and control, and have the resources around him should anything go wrong.
In turn, Nikolai has decided that if Russia does not want him, perhaps the X-Men are a viable option.
He has been classified, potentially, as an omega-level mutant, but as with Magik, there is considerable concern about the nature of his abilities, and not everyone entirely trusts that there isn't something dark trying to manipulate the situation.
Family: Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus/Ursa Major (father), Laynia Ursus (formerly Petrovna)/Darkstar (mother), Nikolai Krylenko/Vanguard (Uncle), Sergei Krylov/The Presence (Grandfather, believed deceased)
PB: Alex Pettyfer
Powers:
Nikolai is a shapeshifter, able to adopt a number of forms, gaining the powers and abilities inherent to those forms. After emerging from the Darkforce Dimension, there was a psychic element to his abilities, but also a restriction. It is unknown if either of these things were a part of the power before he disappeared.
1. Nikolai can only transform into 'Nightmare Forms' - making his abilities quite obvious. While some of his forms are quite stealthy, none of them are precisely unnoticeable, making his abilities of limited use in the typical shapeshifter realm of deception. In vampire form, for example, he might be able to pass as human - but will still stand out in places outside of a goth club.
2. While potent and wide-ranging, he gains all of the stereotypical weaknesses of his forms. His werewolf form will not heal injuries inflicted by silver, his vampire form cannot cross running water and is repelled by holy symbols, etc.
3. He gains only the powers that society at large typically associates with the form he takes. He cannot turn into one or another movie's version of vampires, and thus cannot gain, for example, every power ever associated with vampires - only the powers generally attributed by mainstream society to vampires.
4. He so far has not demonstrated an ability to grow larger than about 12' tall, or smaller than 1'
5. He cannot take on forms with godlike powers. Thus, while he can turn into demonic forms, they tend to have powers like fire generation and winged flight - not reality manipulation.
6. Ever since emerging from the Darkforce Dimension, Nikolai is immune to fear - whether natural or generated by other sources such as emotion control powers, and highly resistant to most telepathic powers. Those trying to read his mind, whether he wishes them to or not, get horrible visions of nightmare images drawn from their own worst fears. He cannot turn this off or mitigate the effect, and otherwise has no telepathic or mind or emotion affecting abilities of his own, aside from, for example, a vampire's hypnotic gaze, and then only in that form.
7. As his powers are partially psychic in nature, his forms will gain the powers and weaknesses of the associated creature per local mythology. While in most of America, for example, he can take on only the form of a typical western vampire, not an eastern vampire with its invisibility, etc. - but while in Japan, could take on only the powers and abilities of an Eastern vampire - his powers are keyed to the overall societal perception of nightmare creatures.
8. He must have some access to a reasonable 'universal unconscious', or perhaps the astral plane. Psychic nullification effects can prevent him from shapeshifting.
9. Nikolai has extraordinary nightvision, even in human form, and can see in anything short of total darkness, but is sensitive to bright lights.
Skills:
Nikolai has an odd selection of skills. While he wanted to be a super soldier like his parents, these dreams were twisted during his years in the Darkforce Dimension. He is skilled with a variety of weapons and fighting styles, for example, including many he may not be familiar with - be it archaic weapons, or things only native to other dimensions, while he may know nothing about a modern Earth style or technique.
Likewise, he has bits and pieces of knowledge regarding things like geography, occult lore, history, etc. - he may know, for example, the rules of a particular hell dimension should he end up there, or the succession of rulers with the Soulsword in Limbo, without knowing how he knows - while sometimes having no idea of basic Earth history, countries, etc. at times.
While, as a whole, he has something akin to a viable education, and lots of esoteric knowledge, some of what he knows about the contemporary world may be flawed, useless or simply random, and other times he is unaware of some of his knowledge about occult or other-dimensional affairs until confronted with it.
Predictably, he tends to be far more aware of things related to darker, evil dimensions, black magic, etc. than other related topics.
History: Nikolai is the son of two of the long-standing members of the Winter Guard, Ursa Major and Darkstar. He was raised in Russia, very much looking forward to learning what he'd be able to do, and hoping to become a super soldier like his parents.
When he was nine, his powers manifested - and he disappeared into the Darkforce Dimension. His mother searched for him for seven and a half years, never giving up - occasionally finding hints of his continued existence, but never her child.
He emerged in New York during a battle with some of Apocalypse's people - his new Famine also being a darkforce wielder.
He had spent all the times since his disappearance being raised, taught, and influenced by, as he calls them, Voices in the Darkness. He has no idea who or what they are, other than they never did him harm, and, according to the mystics who have worked with his parents, his soul is intact - but his mind was definitely altered, and his powers may have been as well.
The Russians determined that they did not have the resources to help or train him, and were worried about who or what might be interested in him. Likewise, his parents wanted to have his abilities looked into - especially as no one can read his mind and memories to try and determine if he's missing anything - so Darkstar eventually contacted Xavier's, having remained friends with the Drakes and McCoys, letting him attend the school to learn finesse and control, and have the resources around him should anything go wrong.
In turn, Nikolai has decided that if Russia does not want him, perhaps the X-Men are a viable option.
He has been classified, potentially, as an omega-level mutant, but as with Magik, there is considerable concern about the nature of his abilities, and not everyone entirely trusts that there isn't something dark trying to manipulate the situation.
