Description

Personality

The personality of Edward Vuchter's final experiment is one of constant change. He extends a constant effort to further replicate the actual personality of Dr.Rossberg by being polite,intelligent and at times very witty. He struggles to maintain a human appearance and often drives himself to madness with the thought of his own brand of mortality, though such things are of a relative term. He is socially awkward with strangers and further employs an effort to avoid detection as an automaton but upon discovery often acts as if he is shocked by the sudden revelation. ( " You're a robot ? " " It appears I am ! " ) He maintains a deep interest in aether technology and further understanding his capabilities as both a colleague of his creator and a body guard of sorts. He often avoids conflict, considering his bout with 'depression' following the accidental murder of Edward Vuchter. He can be described as an eccentric gentleman that will often smoke given the chance ( though he has no capable means of lungs or any other vital organ. ) He partakes in various 'human' activities such as watching sports, drinking and smoking. He possesses no variant of a heart or any other organs, but rather an assemblage of parts and circuitry--His method of sleep is more of a period of being 'plugged in' to a small network of high voltage systems at his creator's former lab.

Further detailing of lab : Edward Vuchter's lab is a small complex of four rooms tucked within a small hyper-dimensional pocket. The contents there-in could be considered a wealth of information, from prior experiments of the rogue doctor to various details about true aether technology. Vuchter was an avid musician and a constant drinker--his liquor cabinets remain in tact in the main room,adjoining to a mass of shelving which contains the majority of basic literature he possessed. The flooring has become worn with time and still contains a few scars from the tussle with the original attempt at reincarnating Johannes Rossberg. Most of the books have been torn from their locations and shredded--flung carelessly about the main room in an obvious fit of panic. Within this same room there are a few crushed, burnt or altogether destroyed pieces of furniture--one can only assume it is the work of the autonomous variant of Johannes Rossberg.

The two 'exits' of the room are not marred by any means of doors or other obstacles but rather remain open--though one still possesses a single hinge in it's original obstruction's removal. The east entrance leads into a small room containing various stores of food, mostly canned--also within this room there seems to be a pile of rusting and broken mechanized parts--some resembling human appendages while others seem to be only cogs and various circuitry--one is further led to assume this is also the work of the new Johannes Rossberg. The west entrance point leads into a small bedroom containing a twin sized bed crafted out of wearing cotton--the majority of the springs are further exposed and the actual bedding seems to have developed a slight bit of mold over time. The contents of the bed remain untouched--a few shattered pictures, a few unidentified instruments of Vuchter's craft and a pile of pictures that bear resemblance to the creator of Johannes Rossberg.

A door can be located beneath the bed within this room by the discovery of a small button--steel dooring that opens vertically to reveal a small staircase--at the base of these stairs there is a large room containing several extended size tables--covered in various bits of parchment, along with a drying residue of a slightly gelatinous decree. One can assume that these are the remains of either Edward Vuchter or the real Johannes Rossberg's reborn variant. There are various charred bits upon the wall--what could be described as 'claw marks' along the brickwork and a multitude of scientific instrumentation. As time progressed, a small 'garage' of sorts was adjoined to this room to contain Johannes' method of transportation, a spherical mass of metal that bears a slight resemblance to a pinball, the contents of the actual vessel are unknown but it is assumed that within there is an interface by which Johannes can control the vessel or even power it.

Equipment

Johannes is in possession of several aether driven devices--most should be considered weaponry while others are put to a more practical usage. Johannes is capable of producing a legendary assemblage of aether driven power known as a death beam from his chest--As time progressed Johannes eventually disabled the device located within the chest cavity of his being and has left it to deteriorate over time. Contained within either hand are a series of devices--One being of which being a series of aether driven oscillators that Johannes uses for various techniques--he is entirely capable of detecting the tiny frequencies of most man made materials and is capable of further enacting somatic induction via his appendages. He often uses them for more 'destructive' purposes--such as disassembling walls. Also contained within his digits are a series of various instruments including antennae for further capabilities of expanding his 'powers'. A palm of various other instruments are allocated within, most of which could be assumed to be general purpose utensils such as small knives, scissors and anything else he feels is needed. Upon the index finger of his right hand there is a small device capable of opening 'pinholes' within the aether--he uses this to create portals to and from where he needs to go, he also uses this device as a key to gain entry into his lab. Contained within the forearm of either arm is a small 'generator' of sorts that is capable of compressing aether molecules and functioning as a 'lightning' gun--he rarely puts these instruments to use, but he does maintain the effort of keeping them in working condition.

His "skull" contains various sensory devices--none of which allocate the ability to feel physical pain, he is capable of hearing sound on multiple frequencies along with 'hearing' electricity. He is capable of interpreting sights and sounds but smells still elude him--it is possible for him to identify a scent but he is incapable of drawing an emotion about it. This means he can smell, but has no opinion on whether it smells unpleasant or not. It is to be assumed that his robotic decree allows him an extended amount of strength, but by no means to the point of making him far more capable than the above average human. It is within his power to lift no more than the weight of a midsized car for a brief period of time. He is, however, capable of moving at an increased amount of speed because of the mechanized variants of muscles. He does not experience fatigue, hunger or a need to 'sleep' though he often expresses a sense of exhaustion when his battery runs low. Johannes physical being is subject to various things a mechanized personality would experience--including but not limited to : Rust, Low hydraulic fluid, faulty mechanisms ( including joints, circuitry and various other instrumentation in his being.) The most recent addition to his list of abilities is the small Aether modification device located within his stomach--it is a personalized 'shrinking' device much akin to those used by other Aether scientist--he is incapable of shrinking others but is able to lower his size at a whim. Johannes is capable of also 'recharging' himself from various electrical devices if he is able to make true surface to surface contact with them.

A summary of Johannes' abilities :
Assumed ability to produce a 'death beam' for limited amounts of time from his chest.
Producing artificial light from his eyes.
Extended strength ( Limited to around 2,000 pounds.)
Heightened speed ( Capable of achieving speeds upwards of 60 mph on foot. )
Opening portals for brief periods of time.
Self shrinking apparatus
Lightning 'gun' within either forearm, producing it's beam from palms.
Oscillation related abilities including somatic induction in very small amounts. Meaning, he is incapable of handling cancer or any other complex material, but shaking his hand can cure your cold if he so wishes.

Perks of Johannes' state :
Speed,strength, long life, no true state of exhaustion.

Cons of Johannes' state :
Deterioration of mechanical parts, No sense of pain, a lack of understanding of morals,principles and various 'human' characteristics, Forced to maintain a period of rest no shorter than 24 hours every four days.

History

The original intention of Edward Vuchter's invention was to be a replicated for of his former colleague and longtime friend Johannes. The aether, she is a fickle mistress and revealed to Edward that all experiments are not as lovely as they could be--The embodied shell of his former friend, brought once more back to being by the power of science, had become a cold,manipulating and ultimately murderous thing. A spree of senseless killing, raping and primal urges that he had never seen out of the former Rossberg ultimately led him to his own first act of madness, perhaps the second. He had both reclaimed his friend's spirit and immediately damned it back to the ether without much afterthought--the stinging ache that was solace soon became to much and his venture sought once more to recreate his longtime partner in science. A puddle of gelatinous ooze had become his only means of rebuilding Johannes--he had recalled him to be a portly fellow with a sharply trimmed moustache, though the actual appearance of Johannes Rossberg was lost with the final act of a friend's dedication. He had been warned to avoid dabbling in the dark arts--avoiding those beams of destruction, the rebirth of humans--but he had avoided the harbinger to his sorrow.

Edward was distraught in his actions--reforming a likeness to his former friend as best he could manage, though at the time a mechanized version of a human visage wasn't exactly the easiest thing. He had managed to reassemble the man's likeness through a series of interconnected gears,pipes and various devices of his own creation. As a final act of desperation he threw himself headlong into the creation of a single,sentient 'ghost' from the ether and placed it within the mechanized cogwork he had soon come to know as Rossberg once more.

The being that was to come to replace Johannes Rossberg was no of exceptional intelligence, nor was it much akin to the man it was to mimic. Over time, the worry that was mortality came into the creature's bones--lost of it's master ( this loss to be further described in a 'flashback'. ) A goal came within the artificial being to discover the true origin of the man by which it had received a name. The cogs and pipes of features were soon covered--originally by no more than a monocle and a bit of a chair's cushion--with time the assemblage was replaced--each day spent further learning the art of it's master along with developing techniques of it's own, further understanding the assemblage of parts it was. Ultimately, Johannes Rossberg was the second in line of recreational attempts at rebirth from Edward Vuchter, but it was indeed the most successful, if success could be measure in determination.

The recess of space that the automaton inhabited became a prison in it's own right--His only company the drying ashes of his 'former self' and the freshly congealed slop that was his master. He sought to reclaim mortality and venture into discovery--his time spent researching his own master's work--truly learning of this fickle thing that the ether was. With time, he developed the ability--the knowledge--and the skill required to ultimately escape from the hyper-dimensional pocket that his creator's lab resided within--Reborn truly as Johannes Rossberg, a sort of birth from the womb that was the ether. His initial inception into the world of humanity, as he came to know it, was one of turmoil and misunderstanding--Unable to comprehend that indeed a Johannes Rossberg had indeed once existed but did no more, the automaton was forced to claim the likeness of the man reborn in steel and copper. As time progressed, the pieces became replaced--the true threat to his sanity, forced to slowly rebuild his being to a further likeness of true human decree. He established the mentality that he indeed was a mortal--in some fashion or another.

The robotic variant of Dr. Johannes Rossberg can be found further chasing knowledge in the aetheric arts, along with further searching for a more human likeness to his autonomous decree.



Writing example :


...The sudden flood of light, sound and scent caused processors to near hit capacity--a momentary stare, blank and devoid of understanding fell upon Vuchter--a wash of color hit his cheeks, the first life created by the hands of a genius. The being now known as Johannes gave no more than a fading tilt of head--clear eyes perceptive to the smile and exclamations of joy that his creator expelled. The blank stare of the automaton came soon to the waving hands of the one who had granted him life, unsure of their reasoning, further unsure of the words presented, though a sequence of provided information and ultimately an understanding of his joy came into being, further causing metallic pipework, the steel grate known as his maw--to hiss and sputter in a vague attempt at recreating the sound. The sudden cackle, electronic, brittle and ultimately foreign to that of a man's voice came excitedly into the room.

" It lives ! "

The robot echoed, causing Vuchter to snap his smiling features into an almost confused tilt, further replicating the one curious tilt the eyeless being before him presented. He had been so surprised by the recreation of voice that he exploded into a rant--explaining how he had thought it inconceivable, how this living thing made of steel and copper was certainly not capable of truly replicating human thought--of personality--of filling the shoes of his colleague. His eyes were wild--devoid of sanity, his features obviously shaken, hair sprinkled in mad spikes from endless attempts to pluck it from the roots..A clenching jaw caused his words to spur into a hiss--further enticing the robotic being to crawl quietly from it's bind...The moment was one of simple determination--to witness it's master--to further venture into the discovery of it's true purpose, with a final exclemation, a turn and a point of finger towards the automaton's way, a name was given.

" You ! You shall be Johannes from this day forth, Rise ! Rise and embrace the life I have given you ! "