Post by Maxim Horvath on Mar 6, 2011 11:57:28 GMT -8
~~~Friends in High Places~~~
~~~The Basics~~~
Character Image
Character Name Maxim Horvath
Character's Origin The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Affiliation—Friends, High Council, Faerie Courts, Unaffiliated, or Untouched? Unaffiliated
What is your character's status? Are they a hero/heroine, sidekick (includes non-speaking animal sidekicks), guardian, princess, High Council Member, Faerie, Inner Circle, Client (villains in a formal deal with the Friends), Agent (villains allied with the Friends but not in their debt), or Villain (unaware/not working for the Friends directly)?
Your chosen status will become your Custom Title.
Villain
~~~About My Character~~~
What is your character's history? Are they on the side of the Friends, the High Council, neutral, or are they unaware of the conflict? What has happened to them in their lives to make them the way they are today?
Once upon a time, Maxim Horvath was one of three apprentices to the great sorcerer Merlin, along with Balthazar Blake, a baron's son his closest friend, and a woman named Veronica. The three apprentices were very close, until both men fell for Veronica. One can only speculate as to how things might have gone if Veronica had chosen Maxim Horvath to have her heart.
Instead, she chose Blake. Unable to deal with the rejection, and the knowledge that no matter how hard he tried, Blake would always be considered the greater, more important man and sorcerer, Horvath turned to the Morganian path of magic, focusing on power and revenge. Morgana welcomed him to her circle, though she did not reveal the existence of the Friends to him, concerned that he would replace her in their esteem or that they might persuade him to try and destroy her. Horvath grew important enough to Morgana to be used as an assistant when she sought to steal the spell for the Rising from Merlin's tower, and it was due to his distraction that Morgana was able to slay Merlin. Victory was short-lived, however, for when Horvath fled with the Rising spell, Veronica absorbed Morgana's soul and both were trapped in the Grimhold by Blake.
Horvath spent the next several centuries trying to obtain the Grimhold so he could free his mistress, subtly pressured by the Friends and impeded by agents of the High Council. At every turn he was foiled by his friend-turned-nemesis Blake. In 1929, Blake (with the assistance of the faerie Puck) finally captured Horvath in the Grimhold, where the sorcerer then spent the next seventy-one years.
In late 2000, Horvath was accidentally freed by a young boy. The battle that broke out between the Morganian and Blake decimated most of the shop until both sorcerers were trapped inside a Chinese urn. There they remained with only a third-grader's report on Napoleon Bonaparte for reading material for exactly ten years. At the end of that decade, Horvath resumed his hunt for the Grimhold with a vengeance, which he had last seen in the possession of the young boy who'd accidentally freed him from it. The boy, Dave, became Blake's new apprentice.
Horvath's attempts this time were more successful. He did obtain the Grimhold and, with the help of a young Morganian-turned-stage-magician named Drake Stone, released the two sorcerers occupying the Grimhold levels between himself and Morgana. He even managed to free Morgana herself. Morgana, however, was defeated by young Dave, who turned out to be the prophesied Prime Merlinian and the only person capable of defeating Morgana. Horvath himself escaped in the battle and disappeared, hoping that one day he would find an opportunity to destroy the Merlineans.
He was fortunate enough to locate a person who could become a fine prize to whichever side managed to win her loyalty- a young woman named Annabelle Stutler, the twin sister of Dave Stutler. Female sorcerers, though rarer than their male counterparts, were typically the more powerful, and Anna proved to be no exception. Taking advantage of her estrangement from her twin brother, Horvath eagerly took the girl as his apprentice, intending to train and mold her into a weapon that would destroy the remaining Merlinean sorcerers. The Friends were delighted by this turn of events and subtly encouraged the Morganain, for if Horvath and Anna could eliminate the powerful sorcerers of the High Council, it would give them a great advantage. Conversely, if Anna and Horvath were to ally themselves with the Council, it could spell disaster for the Friends.
Describe your character's personality. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their passions? What qualities do they have that are good or bad?
Horvath is a powerful sorcerer, proud and completely certain of his magical strength and his ability to outthink and out-manipulate people. He is highly intelligent, the sort of person who is rapidly exasperated by those who don't think as quickly as he does, or are simply less clever than he is. This does not mean he can't be outflanked- his arrogance makes him a bit blind in this regard. But he does his best to control every outcome so that it turns in his favor.
He is an opportunist, working with others when it suits him, and turning on them when it suits him. Interestingly for a man from his time period, Horvath seems perfectly willing to work with a female associate and does not discriminate based on gender. Anyone can and may be used by him for his own goals. That said, Horvath does have a bit of a romantic streak that hasn't been entirely crushed out of him or twisted into hatred. His jealousy towards Blake stems from partly a longing for love, and if approached in the right way, that longing might be reawakened and turned against him. The rest of the aforementioned jealousy stems from Blake's heritage as a baron's son- as apprentices, it was always Blake who had the best of everything.
Typically a loner, Horvath is quite charismatic when he decides to turn on the charm and is not opposed to working with others if he can see the advantage in it. Like any sorcerer, he is particularly vulnerable to electric shocks.
Horvath channels his magic through a silver ring focus set with a blue gemstone. Additionally, his cane also acts as a secondary focus for magical power, amplifying the strength of his spells. He relies mainly on spells cast using the cane, and is so used to using it to direct magic that if it is taken from him he is at a severe disadvantage for a few minutes. Focus rings and power stolen from other sorcerers are stored in the cane- at one point, he was known to have stolen the magic from two sorcerers and the rings from three, all contained in the cane at once. He used this 'power up' to break through the defenses on the Morgana layer of the Grimhold. The energy is gone, though it is not known whether he still has the stolen rings. The cane itself is ebony and silver, topped with a blue gemstone.
If your character is listed on one of these pages, please copy their entry here. Will you be playing by this description, or are you going to take a different spin on things, and how so?
“Maxim Horvath: A very powerful sorcerer once apprenticed to Merlin who later turned to Morgana's service and helped slay Merlin after being rejected by fellow apprentice Veronica. His effectiveness was limited by his long-term incarceration in the Grimhold; however, upon his release he immediately set out to free Morgana and try to destroy Balthazar Blake and his apprentice, the Prime Merlinean Dave Stutler. Horvath is currently MIA and may be aiming to pay off his debts to the Friends in order to act as a free agent. Remarkably intelligent and quite ruthless, as evidenced by his willingness to recruit assistants and then turn around and steal their magic to fuel his own power. Indeed, should he turn free agent, this tactic may be how he continues to accumulate power.”
Here, Horvath is actually unaware of the existence of the Friends. With his cunning, the Friends are concerned about bringing him into a formal deal that he could probably turn against him. Horvath's own magic is strong enough that he is a match for many of the lesser members of the Friends, increasing the dangers of crossing him. Additionally, Merlin still has a significant interest in his one-time apprentice that could make it dangerous for the Friends to reveal themselves to Horvath. Horvath's current alignment with evil makes it impossible for the High Council to recruit him themselves, so both sides watch him carefully and only manipulate him from a distance. The one person who has any real influence on him is his apprentice, Anna Stutler.
~~~Sample~~~
Give us a small sample of how you will play your character. Give us at least three paragraphs.
For centuries, he'd been defeated at the hands of Balthazar Blake. Ever since he'd turned on his fellow apprentices, Blake had been after him. Admittedly, Maxim Horvath returned the attention, regularly trying to kill his one-time friend. For centuries the two had dueled, neither able to gain the upper hand until Blake had tricked him into the Grimhold.
Now had come the ultimate defeat. Morgana had been destroyed, the Grimhold emptied of potential allies and power sources. He had come to the end of his plans. So odd, to go through life without a goal. It seemed empty to him. He needed a new goal. Something to give purpose to the power and control he'd amassed.
Well, there was always revenge. Revenge so sweet, against those who had humiliated and defeated him. Perhaps he ought to change tactics, create an army? That would be new. He'd need to be careful to ensure no footsoldier got overambitious, but it would be the last thing Balthazar would expect.
The sorcerer smiled over his steepled fingers. Yes. That would serve nicely. He would create an army even Morgana herself would have been proud of.
Then, he would destroy Balthazar Blake and his little 'apprentice'.
~~~Bonding~~~
Why this character? What draws you to them? What makes you want to play them?
Snark, mostly, and a sympathetic desire to bang my head against the wall at stupid mistakes made by my underlings... Yes, I have a thing for Alfred Molina villains. They're just awesome.
Who else do you play here?
Puck
