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Nox
| Van Smythe, "Nox" | ||||||||||||||||
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Van Smythe is a resident of the Xavier Mansion and a student just learning to use his powers. He has no real reputation as he enters into play, except that he has recently moved to the area from California and that he may have some sort of "history with the law."
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Background 
Edit
Van grew up in Crescent City, California, a place where superheroes were fairly common, if not so much as they are in New York City. His childhood was far from the worst it could have been, but it was also far from the best. His parents were decent people, but they were definitely not cut out to raise a child. They did drugs, were often too short on money to afford groceries... and they really thought of it almost as more of a game. They also called him "Stephen," his middle name, since they hated "Ivan" -- both names had come from his grandsires, but they liked his mother's father's name best. Van hated it, and as soon as he was of school age would go by "Van" away from home. His parents focused on special occasions -- birthdays, holidays -- which were nice, making for good photos and memories, but they day to day of life was generally ignored, leaving Van fending for himself at an early age.
When he was eight, they lost their apartment and Van was sent to stay with an "aunt." She was arrested for prostitution, though, and Van ran to avoid the police, ending up on the street for three days. When his mother finally found him, they moved into the apartment vacated by his "aunt," the hooker. When Van turned ten, his parents started leaving him more frequently on his own. He was on the streets sometimes, and sometimes he was just left alone at home without enough food or essentials. He was taken care of, sometimes, by his neighbor, an old woman named "Ginny." She also taught him some Spanish.
His only refuge during all this time was school, where he became a skilled liar to avoid revealing what his home life was really like. After all, things were /usually/ okay. He spent some time after school with other classmates at a community center, where he learned some self defense and picked up survival skills among others whose lives were similarly difficult and, in many cases, much worse than his own. Van never felt that badly off, especially in comparison. At school, his favorite subject was art. It was easier for him, and he never got poor grades for failing to answer questions correctly. Even so, he did fairly well in his other classes. Things all changed, though, when his powers manifested at age fourteen -- and he accidentally blew up an art classroom. His parents were available at the time, and they were called in for a conference. Van was confused and upset, not really understanding what was happening, but fortunately, there was a teacher at his school whose nephew was also a Mutant.
Van's teacher's nephew, when he was younger, had attended a special school in New York -- the Xavier school. Phone calls were made, and letters were exchanged. After reviewing Van's case, the Xavier school decided to admit him as a student. So, a little over a year after the "incident," Van left home and traveled to New York to begin a new life, learning what it means to be a Mutant.
Personality Edit
According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® personality test, Van would be an "INFP": Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving with fairly low "preference scores," meaning that he's more ambivalent about these qualities than sharply divided. As is typical of this personality type, Van sees things in terms of what potential they have for the greater good. He truly does desire to be a good person, though he tends to get lost in life's complexities -- he sees few things in pure terms. A natural problem-solver, he often finds himself pondering the solutions to matters which do not even actually involve him. He does not always plan ahead very well, though, tending to act more on instinct when his emotions get the better of him.
Van differs from the typical INFP on several points, however. Most notably, he is not a purely introverted person. Rather, he draws his strength from within and, to a degree, from a select few of others who are close to him. While most INFP's are shy, Van tends to be either standoffish or determinedly social. He is not so much shy as he is reluctant to trust others, fearing that he might not be able to depend on them -- or vice versa. Like the classic INFP, though, Van has difficulty dealing with feelings. They're so often just a confusing tangle.
Van's motivations are as complex as those of most other human beings. He is strongly driven by a desire to experience life, but this is counterbalanced by fear of trusting others or truly letting them in. He is naturally inquisitive, but too often he errs on the side of caution rather than pursuing what he would love to. He strives for independence, yet all the while he hates to be alone and wishes to share in meaningful relationships. In the end, no matter how embattled he might be on the matter, he seeks understanding of the world around him and a place within it to belong.
When it comes to morality, Van tends to be fairly fluid. He might be called "Neutral Good" in some sense; he believes in treating others well and in a general karmic sense of "what goes around comes around." He really does not have much regard for the law, nor for authority in general. He wants to be part of "normal" human society, but he's spent many years living on the outside -- even before his mutation manifested. As such, his notions of morality are much more functional than they are idealistic. Still, he shares the core beliefs that many do in this regard: do not harm others, do not steal, do not betray a trust.
Making friends does not come easily for Van, even though he can relate well to others on the surface. He fears abandonment, being used or ignored, or simply vulnerability; he's learned not to trust others. This has given him a loner streak, but in his heart he loves people. The fact that he has been taught to distrust those he meets makes it harder for him to actually build meaningful relationships, however. It is not that Van sees the world as a bleak and dismal place -- quite the contrary -- but he feels displaced from it, and so has difficulty connecting to others... yet at the same time, it is through others that he finds meaning in his emotional life and hope for redemption.
When Van does forge relationships, however, he is utterly loyal and steadfast. He might make a bit of a show of grumbling or dragging his feet, but really he would do anything for a friend in need. If a friend were in trouble, Van would go to any lengths to assist them and sacrifice his own life or safety if the need arose.
Powers Edit
Darkforce Manipulation Edit
Van has the power to pull energy from the Darkforce Dimension, conjuring it into energy shapes in a fashion somewhat similar to the way a Green Lantern's power ring operates. These shapes are restricted to simple forms, shapes, or the like. They may resemble machines if he concentrates hard enough, but they will not work beyond what their physical shape allows.
Darkforce Sense Edit
Van is capable of sensing minor Darkforce activity up to a mile away. He can sense larger effects from farther away. He can also sense his own constructs at nearly endless distances. Beyond planetary range, though, he could only sense a vague direction and distance -- nothing specific until he got closer.
Energy Blast Edit
These are focused beams of Darkforce energy. Van can create a beam varying from the width of a human hair to a beam five feet in diameter. His blasts can range in intensity from harmless, to slicing or blasting through concrete with ease, while at a medium level of effort he can destroy "virtually indestructible" barriers.
Flight Edit
Van can fly unaided, reaching the speed of slower aircraft with ease, and with a bit of focus and exertion, can reach supersonic speeds. With somewhat greater effort, at his top speed, he can reach low hypersonic speeds, but traveling at such velocity for any length of time (more than a few minutes within an atmosphere) will exhaust him and leave him in need of at least an hour's rest. Notably, this power functions as Hyperflight when operating outside the pull of a strong gravitational field (such as in outer space), he can last up to an hour at 50% of H FTL travel.
Forcefield Edit
Van can create a powerful forcefield of Darkforce energy, just millimeters above his skin, though it can be expanded to a ten foot sphere or a twenty foot flat disc in shape. This field can range in intensity from minor, which is not truly solid and only filter out impurities and such in the air, to full power, which will withstand almost any conventional weaponry and provides some protection from even the most powerful attacks. It will defend against just about anything for at least one blow. It would protect from a full-force punch from Superman or optic blast from Cyclops, but would quite likely be breached quickly after that. Once broken, the field cannot be brought up again for up to several minutes.
Permanent Constructs Edit
Creating permanent constructs is more draining than creating temporary ones, but Van can do it. In general, once he has created a permanent construct he loses the points spent on it from his general Darkforce Manipulation pool until he's either recharged himself or had a full night's sleep. These objects are generally simple, and they can perform any functions that his constructs usually can. The one added ability they have is allowing communication with him from afar, as he can sense them at a distance.
Stealth Field Edit
Just as Van is able to create forcefields, he can create stealth fields in much the same fashion. At ten feet in diameter, the field will fully obscure all senses up to its full power rating. For each point it increases in size, however, the field will decrease one point in its Effect Value to conceal whatever is behind it. (For example, at size of 100 yards, it would have a concealment EV of 10.) It does not leave "gaps" behind the fields, but rather it selectively conceals only that which it is meant to by siphoning off the energies that would reveal its presence into the Darkforce dimension.
Warp Edit
Using his power over the Darkforce Dimension, Van is able to open up portals through it, effectively teleporting to other areas. He can move up to 125 miles instantly, and for each further point of distance he travels, it will take an equivalent number of points in time (so, if he wanted to go 1,000 miles, it would take about 30 seconds). He can bring others with him, so long as they are carried within his forcefield.
