Description
Xvander's natural shape is somewhat amorphic, a black tar like creature. However since arriving near Wing City he assimilated the body and knowledge of a local weapon's dealer. He has taken in the man's work with a passion. The vanity of his race not letting him pick someone who isn't attractive by local standards.
Tall and broad shouldered the body is powerful. Short black hair and a close trimmed beard, his nature expresses itself in the man's appearance through a sinister air to the man. When he grows agitated or otherwise is threatened his skin becomes pale and black veins rise to the surface.
Personality
Xvander is a ruthless man, and will go to any lengths to get what he desires. He is ambitious and has large goals, both on and off planet. He is patient and willing to wait for his goals to become more achievable, while setting things in motion for long term pay outs.
Xvander's people have a natural psychic webwork that draws them to one another so they may hunt and/or mate. Being young he cannot consciously use it yet, however this does not diminish his ability. He comes across as having a powerful presence, charismatic, attractive, alluring and dangerous. It also makes him highly aware of any psychic happenings around him.
He is drawn to violence and finds it a perfect expression of his race. The more violent, the more desirable the person is, either as an ally, mate, or possibly target for assimilation. However directionless wrath and destruction are something that he frowns on, finding them distasteful.
Equipment
The basic ability package for his people is one that they all begin with. However they have a form of active evolution that takes positive traits from other species to build into their own skills. Xvander is still quite young and has a limited set at the moment, but he hopes to grow with leaps and bounds in such a... genetically diverse setting such as Gambits.
He is still quite young and mostly restricted to the human form that he has taken, however he has already expanded on the abilities of the mere human. Pushing the peak of strength, stamina, durability, and dexterity along with his own regenerative capabilities and senses have made him formidable to any who expect a normal human. However when he exerts himself in any way his inhuman nature begins to reveal itself: His skin starts turning lighter to shades of white while his veins become more pronounced and instead of red are black to the naked eye. As he matures he will be able to control this, however he is still young.
Xvander's people have a natural psychic webwork that draws them to one another so they may hunt and/or mate. Being young he cannot consciously use it yet, however this does not diminish his ability. He comes across as having a powerful presence, charismatic, attractive, alluring and dangerous. It also makes him highly aware of any psychic happenings around him.
To acquire an ability he must first observe the target and get a sample of their genetic makeup. His primary method of sampling is a sharp nail and a scraping of skin, blood, or even hair. While others of his species seduce others with their mind or bodies he is not yet powerful enough, in his own mind, to leave the sampling up to chance. From there it takes time to replicate the DNA within his body to usable quantities. If the ability is compatible he ads it to his general matrix. He is not automatically proficient with any ability he gains and must also spend time practicing his newly acquired ability.
A gift of his progenitor his has a battle form to help him survive if things get dire enough for him that even his enhanced shell cannot withstand. His battle form lets him briefly draw on his ancestral DNA to its fullest potential and his body shifts into a thing of war and death. However the transformation is painful and short lived, he cannot maintain it for long or else his energy expires and he may die.
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs39/i/2008/321/3/a/Symbiote_by_mseprini104.jpg
History
Xvander comes from a powerful race of creatures spawned from the toxic pits of a distant massive world, located deep within Wild Space, where the gravity is several orders of magnitude greater than on Earth. The creatures of that planet were forced to cope with the lack of sustenance by being able to hunt down any and all sources of food and being able to exact every last nutrient out of them. From this toxic quagmire arose a particularly vicious species, the Uradu. Though small in number they more than make up for it with their natural abilities and diabolical cunning.
The Uradu developed from a symbiotic species that would live among the large predators of the world using their own abilities in conjunction with the hunters. However when they developed their own sapience being second fiddle would not do. They began integrating their bodies with those of the predators, taking them over, eating them from the inside out and, inadvertently, taking their genetic material with them, bonding it to their own. From there the Great Culling began and the Uradu spread. They began devouring every species on the planet, multiplying and absorbing. Each generation more powerful than the last incorporating the various species benefits into their own. It took only a single solar cycle, some 12 Earth years, before the planet was almost entirely barren of life, save the Uradu.
There was a brief period of peace, about ten whole minutes, before the Second Great Culling began and the Uradu turned on each other. This battle was much longer lasting and brutal that the first. Their abilities multiplied as they devoured their own kind and only the most intelligent and cunning were able to adapt to the influx of genetic material without becoming overwhelmed by the information stored within their genes and going berserk.
After 100 cycles, 1200 years, there were only six Great Families, and the original numbers that covered the world has been reduced by more than 99.999%, leaving a population of roughly 50,000 globally. Each family is the direct descendant of the still living Head of their line, the sole remaining survivors of the First Generation: Mekyl, Clombak, Rith-eon, Pilomak, Zevquori, and Ravlyn. Though there are minor Houses they are subservient to the Great Houses. An uneasy truce exists between them with complicated politics existing between each House. The leadership of the race transferring from one House to another every cycle.
They are still the ruthless hunters and given that all other species were eliminated the only source of sustenance was cannibalism. Until the Visitors arrived. An alien exploratory vessel investigating the possibility of mining the apparently barren world, unaware of the intricate network of volcanic and natural tunnels under their landing spot. Their ship's weight collapsed one such tunnel as they were exiting their ship and in an instant they were beset by the Uradu. A particularly quick thinking Uradu took one of the prospectors prisoner and spirited him away to the court of the leading Great House at the time, Ravlyn. The prospector was tortured for information, however they did not have a translator and communication was impossible. Impossible until one member of the court, one Jerash, an older and highly skilled member of the court, offered to merge with the alien and see what could be gleaned though the process.
It was an unmitigated success as Jerash learned all that there was to know from the prospector, taking all his memories and skills for his own, even taking on the alien's form as his own until he chose to reject it. With his newfound knowledge he was able to take a few likewise cunning members of the court and enter the ship, merging and assimilating the remaining crew. With their queen's permission they left the planet with a raiding party. By acting as a ship in distress they were able to lure in several other ships, then the raiding party would take them over and take them back to the home world. From there the ships were dismantled and the Third Great Culling began. Spreading out across the planet with off world weapons and technology House Ravlyn conquered the other Great Houses. However even the off world weapons were unable to slay the immensely powerful First Generation. Ravlyn was able to capture them and have them moved off world with the captured ships and each left on a different moon where they would have to hibernate just to survive the lack of atmosphere. Thus Ravlyn became the only free member of the First Generation and the defacto queen of the entire race of Uradu.
From there the first great setback of their kind. A raiding party attacked an outpost on the edge of Wild Space and were unprepared for the technologically advanced response. This new race outstripped those that had first been overcome by the Uradu and they were slaughtered. A single survivor was found floating in space, hibernating in the vacuum by an unsuspecting mineral transport ship and the survivor was able to get back to the home world. More incidents like that occurred until there were few of their captured ships remaining, as yet unable to build ships of their own, though the industry, built by slaves and designed by those who had consumed various engineers and those few ship designers they had been able to capture.
Ravlyn's policies changed and the infiltration began. It was clear that thy were not as technologically advanced as other races and there was only so much knowledge they could take at any time. So they would wait and build their power slowly. Raiding parties became more cunning and would take live prisoners to the home world as slaves, though few survived the harsh environment. The rumors of this warlike race have spread among those that venture into the torturous area known as Wild Space and those unlucky ones who come looking for them are rarely heard from again.
-Personal Bio-
The creature now known as Xvander was spawned for the sole purpose of spying on the area known as the Multiverse Convergence. A rocky pod was made to contain and protect his larval form until he descended through the atmosphere near Wing City and crashed into the coast. He swam through the waters, devouring what fish and prey he could, for nutrients refusing to absorb the genetic material of what were clearly 'lower lifeforms' until he came across a human, a man by the name of Alexander Price, a weapons dealer. He had happened to swim into the private beach of the man and none of the man's guards gave the small inky shape, mostly invisible against the rocks any thought. Until Alexander shouted in alarm that he was being attacked. He went down and by the time he was pulled ashore he had slipped into a coma. The only sign of attack a bite had been taken out of his leg, though one of the guards said that they saw something slithering into his leg shortly before he blacked out.
Alexander spent two weeks in a hospital while doctors tried to diagnose what was wrong with him. All the while Xvander grew, spreading along his neural pathways and devouring them, replacing them with his own cells, absorbing the genetic material of the man, infesting his brain and gaining his knowledge and skills. After two weeks all of Alexander's core had been replaced and Xvander woke in his place. He immediately went about a new and aggressive business strategy, eliminating other local weapons dealers, his predatory mentality not allowing any competition. In the weeks following he has completely replaced the man's every cell with his own aggressive ones.
However he has received his directive and has moves his business into Wing City proper, using what connections he can gain to gather genetic material from across the multiverse. Some he takes for himself, trying to increase his own power. Other samples he sends to his homeworld through a currier.
So begins...
Xvander motions to the seat as he looks at Elsa with his blue grey eyes, his face a careful mask of neutrality. "Can I help you with any thing?" Perhaps it was a business proposition, his name was becoming more well known as his business' spread, but he had been careful not to let his face be too well known. Given the nature of his business ventures he has attracted a number of enemies. His fingers tighten on the glass and the veins barely visible around his eyes darken ever so slightly to give him an ominous cast.
"Xvander Price," he smiles for a moment and reaches up to the breast pocket of his jacket, slowly, making sure not to make a threatening movement and pulls out a business card. It has his name in black with gold ivy work around the edge of the card. Under his name is ASI, Aggressive Solutions International. A name that while new, was attracting some attention for the quality of the work it has done in many fields. Contact information on the back of the card is sparse, an untraceable e-mail and phone number, no website. He sets the card down on the bar top by her and lets it go, taking another sip of the better acid, this time his body is ready and the reaction to the powerful chemical is barely noticeable.
Xvander watches the girl who made off with his business card and smiles a little. He relaxes and downs the rest of his toxic mixture, feeling it literally burn away the lining of his throat as it made its way to his first stomach. He chuckles softly and sets the empty glass down. He reaches up and rubs his forehead, his psychic potential makes for an interesting strength and weakness given the particular range of customers that Gambits is accustomed to. He chuckles softly to himself and puts on a sinister smile as he tries to reign in his psychic aura, pulling it in under his skin is quite a chore, but he is managing. He rubs his forehead, feeling the building pressure there before he is forced to gradually release his aura once more to it's full reach.
Xvander walks down the street feeling his hackles rise. He has spent too long in this charade of humanity. He is a predator, apex of apex, his only peers those of his own kind, and even then they must be elder. He has sampled many local genetic samples now, and has been enhancing his system for weeks. But now he feels the urges of a predator, to stalk and hunt, to maul and devour. To revel in the blood and carnage that his hidden people know so well. His lip curls into a snarl but his reaction to the desire within is immediately slammed back and put under control. It would not do to let his base instincts take control. It could ruin everything he has been building. And he must tread carefully. He pauses outside the bar, adjusting his impeccable suit, brushing off a bit of lint and carefully altering his cuffs to be more comfortable. He was more used to the human clothing now, but when he felt like this it was monumentally uncomfortable to him, though he refuses to let that show.
Xvander steps into the tavern, glancing around with his cold predatory eyes. He naturally gives off the air of an apex predator, one who fears nothing, and with reason. He is dressed in a grey suit with white shirt and jet black tie. The material of his suit is actually an oddworld manufactured smart material that can flex around his body should he need to call on extra muscle, instead of ripping apart. It had cost a small fortune to have it made into a suit like this, but in his opinion it was worth it. There is a briefcase hanging from his left hand, though what it contains is anyone's guess. He walks over to the bar and runs a hand over the touch screen while keeping all his heightened senses open to what is around him, trying to filter out the useless babble.
Xvander pauses as he orders a drink. There is another predator here. A hunting one, similar to himself. He peers around, his grey blue eyes darkening visibly as he scans the room and finally spots Templewick in the corner, slowly consuming the man. A feral grin plays across his lips as he watches the scene. The victim and the victor. And what is more, this creature is not one he has encountered. Perfect, just what he needs.
Xvander looks at Templewick and smiles a predatory grin, letting his iris' open fully until his entire eyes are pitch black. But as soon as Mason enters with his armed guard they snap back to their normal size as his grey green eyes slowly survey the group. His drink arrives and he takes it, moving quickly away from the bar. He pauses and tilts his head before taking a booth seat not too far from the Naga, the look he gives it an invitation from one predator to another. He sets his briefcase on the table but makes no move to open it, keeping an eye on the armed contingent at all times.
Xvander smiles darkly as Templewick speaks with him. "I was not present for the initiating event, but I did see it's conclusion." He smirks a little. "My name is Xvander Price," he holds out a hand to the Naga in way of greeting. His hand prepared, the cells of his palm barbed like a jellyfish's stingers with some slightly alien modification. Each cell houses a small stinger that injects a minuscule needle into the palm of the naga, but instead of injecting poison it instead injects a numbing agent and extracts genetic material. If the Naga takes his hand he will grip tightly so the creature cannot let go for the instant it takes.
Xvander grins as he pulls his hand back, closing it and letting his cells go to work. Soon they will break down the DNA into random components and a complex series of mutations will take place within his body. Placing the random segments into portions of his own DNA, a conglomerate of cells from all over his body will begin to mutate rapidly after the exposure, evolving over a period of weeks instead of millennial and within his own body. Then after a time when the mutations have settled and the strongest cells survived they will be reintegrated with the rest of his body and the new genetic material will be spread through his whole body. In a few months he will have evolved into a more perfect predator, all due to a handshake with Templewick. "Well that is of no concern to me. What is your name then. I am aware of many species on the planet, but I don't think I have seen one such as yourself before."
Xvander frowns and waves a hand to clear the air. That makes him pause and his frown to darken, he is becoming too human. He needs to spend some time remembering his ancestry, and to hunt. He looks at Templewick and raises a brow because he had introduced himself earlier. He had gathered that the creature was intoxicated, which had assisted with the gathering of the DNA. However he had not suspected it went to this extent. "Xvander Price," he reintroduces himself as he reaches into his suit and selects a card from his pocket placing it on the table by the Naga. It is a simple card with his name and under it the inscription "Aggressive Solutions International". It is one of his normal cards, not one that had the codes to the encrypted site that he gave to prospective employees or those requesting jobs.
"I have an interest in... predators. And you have clearly demonstrated yourself to be one. And that has plenty of cause for me to be interested. As for my company, we are... problem solvers, aggressive ones. A wide variety of skills, primarily one or two person jobs that require swift and decisive action." He smiles a little and it is one of dark pride in what he has made. "We cover a wide variety of situations. And I feel it is a step up from being a mere weapons dealer that I was."
Xvander shrugs a little at Templewick's admission. "There is the potential to be a great predator in everyone. Be it genetic, spiritual, magical or otherwise. To be an apex predator is to be king of one's domain. Do you not desire to rule?" It didn't make sense to him. Everyone desired power, and the predator was the perfect expression of that power. The more perfect the predator the more complete their power.
Xvander nods. It is a well known fact, especially among his people, that there is always someone more powerful. Given how young he was in comparison to many of his own people he is quite weak, despite his own personal power. "My family believes that the perfect predator will have no rivals, and all the universe will be its prey." He watches the Naga push away from the table. "Think about what you can achieve if you ignore those simple moral platitudes." He smirks and reaches over, picking up the card and flipping it slowly between his fingers then putting it away in his pocket.
Xvander watches the Naga slithering away and frowns. He looks down at his hand and considers purging the stolen DNA. However for a worst case scenario the pathetic pacifism would have to be a genetic trait, something that was almost entirely unknown in the universe. He closes his hand and nods, triggering in his mind the sequence that would lead to his further evolution. He snarls a little at the thought of becoming a weak pacifist. He rises from his seat, downing the rest of his drink and picking up his briefcase. He needs to make preparations for a hunt, something suitably dangerous to remind him of his roots on a practical level. He smiles at that thought as he heads out the door and into the night, confident he is more than enough to take care of any that might stop him.
Xvander has come out of... well he wouldn't call it hiding, though perhaps a 'tactical retreat'. The head of Aggressive Solutions Inc, or just ASI arrives at the Gambits parking lot in a white convertible. The car is of a sleek and predatory design that he is quite fond of. He exits the car and with the flick of the keys the roof unfolds and the car locks. He is not wearing his customary suit today but instead a simple white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, and silver grey slacks. He looks like he came from a day at the office. He steps into the bar as he pockets the keys and glances around. He is quite glad to see it is mostly empty and walks over to the bar. He relaxes as he walks and his stiff posture becomes more fluid and his movement graceful, almost inhumanly so. With a flick of his wrists he undoes his cuffs and rolls his sleeves up a bit as he slips onto a bar stool.
He cast an eye at Ada, letting an eyebrow rise slightly to indicate his curiosity without seeming too eager. He was about to speak when the noise from the rowdy soldiers overtook him and he was bumped. He scowled darkly at the man, dark veins beginning to creep along his skin from the corners of his eyes as he bit back a snarl, but he made no sound as he reached a hand up quickly to hide the change as he carefully shifted them back. He slowly straightened to his full height and looked at the man. "Pardon me, but I aspire to more civilized things than a barroom brawl." He glances at Ada and gives her a small smile, that of a predator to another when prey wanders too close. "Allow me to buy a round of drinks for you and your... friends. What would you have?" His fingers brush over the touch screen easily and bring up various drinks that might be to the soldiers liking.
Xvander nods and steps deftly out of the way of the soldier. "Of course," he makes a minor bow. "Anything for our Aschen Benefactors." He slips away from the soldier and purposefully towards a bar stool which just happens to be next to Ada. He pointedly does not look at her though his posture indicates he is very aware of her presence and has not let his guard down just yet. His fingers dance over the touch screen as he selects a particularly strong brand of Ambrosia and has a bottle of it delivered to the soldiers. Then he goes about ordering his own drink, a whiskey sour.
"Only pointless ones," he glances at Ada briefly, his grey green eyes taking in her form before meeting her black eyes with a level gaze. "There is nothing to be gained by antagonizing drunken soldiers, and much to be lost." He sips his drink and sets it down, closing his eyes, giving the appearance of lowering his defenses for a moment, curious as to how this woman may react. "However the hangovers they will enjoy in the morning shall hopefully be a reminder to be careful when accepting bottles from strangers."
Xvander grins and opens his eyes as she touches him. Not aggressive but a probing touch, seeking understanding perhaps? Or testing limits? "Survival of the fittest? Oh yes, my family has a long tradition of that. Any means necessary to get what we want," he gives her a look as his own hand reaches over and ghosts a tough along the inside of her wrist. "I am Xvander Price." He gently lifts her hand off his arm and brings it up to his predatory smile. His lips brush lightly across her knuckles, if she allows. The scent of her reeks of magic to him, not unpleasant at all, but a warning to his instincts that her DNA would not be compatible for assimilation with his own.
"A pleasure, Ada," he smiles at her. He can feel her magical probe but isn't aware of what it is doing. He doesn't fear it, it is just another play in the Game that has formed between them. "Well, after a long day in the office, I like to come here to unwind," the office is an obvious lie and he doesn't care. "I come here to get a drink, listen to gossip, make connections, and, if I am lucky, meet a creature as lovely as yourself." A slight emphasis on creature. "Clearly inhuman, magically potent, and skilled with its use," he comments easily as he picks up his whiskey sour once more for another sip as he waits for her reply.
RPG
