Cornelius Wendell Caster

by **Cornelius Caster** August 29th 2012, 8:07 am

Cornelius Wendell Caster
The Grandest Maverick

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Personal Information
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Real Name: Cornelius Wendell Caster
Super Hero/Villain/Renegade/etc Name: Mr Paradox
Title: Uncle Corn, Silver Fox, Old timer
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Age: Appears 67 (Actually 134)
Gender: male
Race: Caucasian
Hair: Silvery Black
Eyes: Grey
Height: 6’1
Weight: 158 lbs
Blood Type: AB +

Known Family Members:

Grand Nephew: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Grand Niece: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Physical Appearance

Cornelius is a man who most effectively fits the description of a 'dapper gentleman'. He still retains a sharp eye for fashion in his old age and more often than not goes out of his way to keep his appearance as pristine as possible, particularly his grand facial hair. He is a spritely fellow, always seen with a contemplative gaze and gentle grin, he rarely seen in a 'messy' state and even if he was he'll still appears more normal than anyone else would in particularly compromising positions. His body is toned from his years in the army, scars adorn his aged skin and crows feet crease on the edges of his eyes, from his years of smiling. He does however walk with an ornate cane, this is due to an injury sustained from a battle with a supervillian in the 1970's and without it walks with a strained limp. This minor handicap however does not slow him down and he is often found going on strolls and attending waltzing classes to keep himself in shape.

Personality

Easygoing, friendly and dryly good-humored, Cornelius treated his self-imposed exile from the Caster clan as though it were an extended vacation. Cornelius also has no desire for power, not protesting when his brother took his birthright title of the head of the Caster family. Something of an epicurean in his old age, he does not devote his full energies to the pursuit of world domination or unparalleled power, he is quite simply a man of knowledge, one who chooses the path of wisdom and joy over many other things. However, beneath the easygoing exterior lay a wise man experienced in the ways of the world, a seasoned and wily strategist, and a powerful combatant if one were to ever face him in battle.

Although he appeared hedonistic, Cormelius' personal philosophies are ones of living life to the fullest, and following a path of your own choosing. He is a firm believer that everyone has the power to create one's own destiny and that they and they only should be held responsible for their actions if things were to backfire. He appears laid back because he understands that there are things in life he cannot control, but he also believes that a person is fully responsible for the parts they can. Probably as definitive of Cornelius' character as his love for the good times is his sage advice and wisdom. Cornelius is known by his wider family for his sometimes cryptic proverbs and lengthy anecdotes and often times these small sparks of knowledge prove extremely well thought of if one were to observe them in retrospect.

His uncanny wisdom and easygoing nature have earned him almost universal respect, not only in the magical community but in the society as a whole. He still however retains a level of humility even though he is highly regarded and sees his popularity as a chance to help as many people as possible. His first priority however is the wellbeing and success of his family, particularly that of its younger members. Cornelius, who was once a youthful and impressionable boy understands the pressures the next generation of casters have to face and he puts it on himself to assist them in any way, spanning from their homework all the way to their understanding of ancient magic. Unlike many of the other caster adults Cornelius finds it uplifting to love, respect and nurture the younger generations, especially Anthony Caster who is heir to the Caster title.

History

Born as the oldest son to Arthur and Evangeline Caster during the turn of the 19th century Cornelius was destined for greatness, his family line and the unique magical ability he possessed were just two factors that would thrust him into a world of power and influence. Being the oldest son to the must illustrious and powerful magical family always had its perks, he was gifted with everything a child could possibly want and yet even at a young age he retained a level of humility, often sharing with the other children in the neighbourhood and going out of his way to be their friend, even if they did not want to be his. he doted on his younger brother Eugene and was often the one who took the parenting role whenever Arthur and Evangeline were away. He was always a thoughtful child, constantly reading and learning, never wasting a moment of his younger years indulging in the luxuries his parents eagerly put out for him. He was so absorbed in his studies, both in academics and magical lore that he eventually became so disenchanted with the family's politics that he, at the young age of 18 decided to take some time by himself exploring the corners of the globe. Money was no issue and his parents, who were obsessed with the happenings of the magical community barely batted an eyelid at their talented yet distant son's travellings.

The time was 1909 and the first great war of the modern era was slowly coming into fruition. Much of Europe was going through a particularly tense period and the young Cornelius took this as a chance to join the war effort, joining the allies in their attempt to overthrow the triple Alliance. He was conscripted under a different name and was taught the art of war, how to handle a firearm and what to do when facing particularly merciless enemies. When the war reached its forefront Cornelius was ranked as a lieutenant, his wily strategies and uncanny skill to sneak into enemy lines was greatly respected by both his men and his superiors. Eventually the Entente Powers defeated the triple alliance and the battered, yet considerably more mature Cornelius was given an honorary mention back in the United kingdom. His efforts on the battle field were highly regarded amongst the general public. Unfortunately the Caster family only expressed a passive disdain to his worldy success, believing he had simply become another gun toting brute.

Their obvious loathing of his life choices caused his parents to make the decision to pass the title of 'heir to the Caster family' to Eugene who was still a teenager at the time. What surprised everyone, particularly Eugene was Cornelius' gracious congratulations to his beloved brother; he cared not for the title or its assumed benefits...he simply wanted to experience the world in the wider scope of things and from then on absorbed his time educating himself in various teachings and eventually came to love the philosophical teachings of Lao Tzu, Aristotle, Jesus and Plato. This newfound knowledge gave him a a more detailed perspective of human morality and this was particularly effective in consoling his war torn friends. He was a comforter, a sage and a genuinely good person and even at the young age of 35 had gained recognition throughout the military as the most reliable source of strategic thinking and words of wisdom. This popularity not only attracted the attention of the thinkers and warriors of the world but also that of the fairer sex and by the time 1926 came he was married to the woman of his dreams, Lydia Hemingway.

She was the apple of his eye, the most delicate and beautiful women he had ever met and even though his parents did not approve of the non-magical women he went on to marry her and provide for her like any good husband should. During the great depression Cornelius and Lydia were the lucky few who remained unaffected by the drop in the economy and tried their best to provide food, water and shelter for those who were struck with the troublesome time. It was during this time of suffering that Lydia bore a child, a beautiful baby girl and they named her Annie and just like her mother she was a normal human, completely devoid of any magical abilities. Cornelius however loved his firstborn regardless of her lack of power and he not only assumed the role of military advisor, loving husband but also doting father.

All was good until the third Reich arrived under the power of Adolf Hitler and the sagely caster was once more dragged into the war zone, his knowledge unparalleled. He was so influential that Winston Churchhill himself specifically arrived to convince Cornelius of the need to join the war effort. Although he was predominantly located in the head strategists tent he did go out onto the field more than once to assist his troops. The 'nverted Zone' he controlled proved highly effective in the battlefield, completely disorientating enemies whilst the allies shot them down. However he did not leave the war without any scars and was shot through the hip, causing him to walk with a limp since that day. This was just a minor setback however and he revelled with his comrades when they once agin succeeded in toppling a world threat and when he came home to embrace his wife and daughter he was only greeted by a mourning teenager...Lydia had passed away.

Cornelius was completely shattered from the news, his beloved wife, the purest most beautiful person he had ever met slipped away from lives grasp and left him a widower..one who was left to nurture and protect his growing daughter. The death of Lydia caused him to withdraw his involvement in his philosophical classes and various other activities...choosing to take care of his one and only child and attempt to lead a normal life.

As time went on Annie grew up to be a successful businesswoman and surprisingly married a man with a magical bloodline. Although his powers were not as potent as the Caster's the powerful genes of Cornelius were passed through to his grandchildren and eventually the Caster family had expanded. Although he was not particularly fond of the uptight code of honour within the Caster family he was taken back into their exclusive circle , an older and more wiser man who stood by his brother's side for the rest of the 20th century up until today. Even though Eugene has passed on his title to his son, Nolan Caster who would in turn pass it on to Anthony Caster. Although his presence in the Caster household is rare and often spontaneous he always sends exotic gifts from his many adventures across the globe...never forgetting to spoil his grandchildren with ridiculous magical artefacts and trinkets.

Powers and Abilities

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Powers

THE SHATTER-BANG GANG(8 ABI) - Typical of a member of the Caster family Cornelius possesses a strong affiliation to some strange power source. Unlike his kin, he does not need to conjure spells to attack and defend. His magic is within him. The Shatter-bang gang is a self-made technique combining the defensive capabilities of magical mirrors with the theatrical properties of pyrotechnics; combining these factors has allowed Cornelius the zany ability to replicate his reflection like a mirage, multiple times across an area spanning 100 meters. These mirrored clones (which do not possess any of his power other than his appearance and voice) create a particularly frustrating experience for anyone unlucky enough to be caught in his Inverted zone (see below). Aside from providing distractions the true strength that lies in these mirrored images is what happens when one comes into a close enough range of them. Cornelius can will these mirrored images to explode in a dazzling, disorientating and dangerously damaging blast of enchanted glass which can be particularly harmful to anyone within a 30 ft radius of them. The blast radius of these glassy explosions range from 30 -50 ft with the impact and shrapnel being much more harmful the closer one is to them.

Cornelius specifically focused on the defensive aspects of such an ability and due to this is capable of conjuring particularly confusing scenarios for his foes. The sound of shattering glass, combined with the multiple reflections alongside his other powerful assets would more often than not leave his opponent attacking at the wind...and not at him. Although an evasive style of combat is what he often uses when against an opponent, he can manipulate this uncanny ability to become an offensive weapon and when he does he can is quite deadly.

(The maximum amount of Shatter Bang copies he can create at one time range from 15 - 20)
Inverted Zone(6 ABI) - This peculiar ability spans a 150 foot (45.72 m) radius around Cornelius and is activated when he releases a purplish twilight haze, anyone caught in the pleasant aura fall subject to an optical illusion. This is effectively his trump card. Up and down, left and right as well as forward and backward are opposite. It is not just the sense of direction that is changed; direction of incoming attacks, and injury locations are also inverted. Countering the damage from the inverted directions simply by processing it all within the mind is rarely achievable, only a few extremely gifted individuals have managed to work out this uncanny ability and even then they would have sustained damage from him. What makes this power so potent is the fact that opponents 99% of the time fight through reflexes and due to the unfamiliarity of the 'inverted world' their bodies will more often than not succumb to the power's effect. The effect of the inverted world can be targeted at or neglected from specific opponents, making it ideal for use in group fighting.
Eidetic Memory(INT) - Cornelius is one of the few rare individuals gifted with eidetic memory, otherwise known as photographic memory. He can theoretically recall other aspects of the event including sensory information that is visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory, as well as other factors. Due to this he is incapable of forgetting an old face, small details and specks of information that would have otherwise been ignored by a normal person

Abilities

Magical knowledge - His position as a Caster elder has allowed Cornelius access to ancient and sometimes forbidden magical secrets and techniques. He has an almost endless knowledge of the history of magic, its uses and limitations and the intricacies involved in the arts of summoning, necromancy and manipulation. His eidetic memory has allowed him to absorb countless amounts of information from ancient scrolls, texts and parchments under the ownership of the caster family.
Expert Tactician - Years of training in the battlefield and his involvement in several wars has allowed Cornelius to grasp the art of war and how to strategically oppose any number of opponents, regardless of their abilities. He is a fearless and wily tactician, always conjuring new and inventive ways of approaching battle that would be both efficient to him and his allies.
Omnilingual - From his years of travel across the globe Cornelius has gained an impressive understanding of the world's languages. He is capable of conversing many native tongues and not only that has an understanding of the languages of magical creatures in effect allowing him to spread his sagely advice throughout the fantastical world as well.
Master Philosopher - Whilst not exactly an ability that will help him defeat opponents his bountiful knowledge and wisdom will almost always be applicable, even in more modern times. He has a way of comforting his friends, and even foes if they allow it. He is an open-minded man, one who has dived into the teachings of various religions and sciences and has thus gained a considerable understanding of human nature and what morality really is.

Power grid

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Weaknesses

Although he is tremendously powerful and almost impossible to confront he is a frail man. His years in the war caused considerable stress on his body and due to that he is handicapped, forced to walk everywhere with his cane.

Trivia

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Cornelius collects Whiskey, Scotch and Brandy. his collection is probably the most extensive in the world. He is a firm believer that one can start drinking at any age...as long as they can handle the burn!
Although he hates to admit it he is absolutely horrible at working modern day technology and grudgingly prefers to ignore technological items rather than submit to discovering how to function them.
Cornelius is an avid beard enthusiast and has entered various moustache competitions across the globe. He has won them all with flying colours.
He has ties with Elena Marie, the antagonistic Crimson witch and hopes that his shared history with her when she was child would sway her malevolent ideals.
When teaching his pupils he often incorporates his Shatter Bang technique to hone their observation and defensive skills.

Images

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