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From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

The Grave Bell
Metadata
Player:	@TheImperial
Activity Level:	Regularly Played
Archetype:	Defender
Origin:	Magic
Primary Set:	Dark Miasma
Secondary Set:	Electrical Blast
Ancillary/Patron:	Information Unavailable
Level:	12
Legal Miscellanea
Full Name:	Manfred von Metzgervald
Identity:	Secret
Known Aliases:	The Dread Bell, Bell of Damnation
Occupation:	Vigilante
Education:	Unknown
Citizenship:	Unknown
Legal Status:	Wanted Criminal
Marital Status:	Unknown
Known Relatives:	Unknown
Date of Birth:	1-13-1888 (Undead)
Place of Birth:	Unknown
Base of Operations:	The Bell Tower, Nerva Archipelago
Group Affiliations:	Independent
Physical Characteristics
Gender:	Male
Species:	Presumed Human
Ethnicity:	Caucasian
Eye Color:	Unknown
Hair Color:	Dirty Blonde
Complexion:	Medium
Height:	6'4"
Weight:	250lbs.
Build:	Muscular
Distinguishing Features:	Extensive scarring and medical stitching

The man known only as the Grave Bell is ,as a rule, exceptionally polite and affable and just as exceptionally loathe to speak about his past. What is known about him, however, is that he lords power over a supernatural darkness and fear. He uses it in conjunction with a remarkably advanced suit of powered armor to "visit the iniquities of those who have sown sin back upon them." Dark rumors persist that the Bell has no soul, is a member of the walking dead, or both. He refuses to speak of it, yet the heavy scarring that covers his face may lend the theory credence.

[edit] History

In the waning years of the German Empire, there lived a young man named Manfred von Metzgervald, the only son of a minor noble, who spent his days dabbling with women and song in the court of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe. Of particular interest to the young courtier was a certain auburn haired young woman named Karoline, to whom he would make love with in the fields and travel the continent from Paris to Rome.

He had plans to ask her hand in marriage until the day it all went terribly wrong. On their way to Rome, they stopped overnight at a Swiss inn. Manfred awoke to find the building encompassed in flames; he and Karoline were trapped.

Crying out to God for deliverance, Manfred received an answer, just not in the form he was hoping for.

The old gypsy woman from the day before appears mysteriously before Manfred, and time itself seems to stop in the moment. Her power made obvious, he makes a deal with an old gypsy woman to “Give me the power to save her.” Her reply was esoterically bewildering, “In these moments, you may be granted the command of shadows and deepest recesses of night. Robed in their umbral cloak, you will find sanctuary from the fires of this world that burn so bright before your eyes. Yet, young Manfred, know that when your mortal spirit would depart from you, the shadows shall then command you.”

He hastily agreed and a bargain was struck. Yet the devil - and his servants - is nothing if not a liar, and likewise was the witch. Karoline’s life was never promised, only that Manfred would have the power to save her. And power he did have. Tragic for the two lowers it was when Manfred, protected in the diabolic cocoon of darkness, reached Karoline, only to find her nearly burned up and consumed in the hateful flames.

She died, writhing in agony, not even a day later.

So, brokenhearted, Manfred tried to return to his former life and erase the foul, staining memory of Karoline’s death in the fire and his desperate deal with the witch. He never could fully escape the thought of the old gypsy woman’s haggardly looks and deep set eyes; it was as if her memory haunted Manfred in the deeper recesses of his mind. Though he was immersed in that living, pulsating darkness for only a few passing moments, it never fully left him. It was as if night itself pervaded his mind and ate at his soul.

Eventually, he married, had a child, and began to advance through the ranks of the German army. Depression and anxiety were his constant companions, even as the Great War broke out and Manfred found himself fighting for his life on the western front.

Yet, his involvement in the war didn’t last long…

[edit] Rumors & Public Knowledge

Little substantial or concrete is known about the Grave Bell’s past. In fact, he is perhaps best known for who he is not. While personable and charming to an extreme, he refuses to divulge anything of his personal life, not even a first name. Perhaps, so the rumors go, it is because he doesn’t have a personal life or a given name.

Rumors persist (collaborated by the calling cards left behind) of The Grave Bell being a terrifying agent of brutality to any and all manners of victims: heroes, villains, and apparent innocents alike. Sometimes the corpses are discovered, and on other occasions, the victim is left alive but humiliated.

Sprinkled sparingly in the middle of his philosophical diatribes and casual banter is talk of his “Ordination,” to which he claims to be carrying out. When pressed about the nature of it, his typically oblique reply is along the lines of “being in the business of karma, or returning to reap damnation to those who have sowed it.”

[edit] Recent Events

The Grave Bell is seen in the Rogue Isles, carrying out acts of barbarism against local gangs and paramilitary units. At the same time, he socializes in with the metahuman community in the Pocket D club and elsewhere.

[edit] Personality

As a rule, the Grave Bell is exceptionally polite and affable. Not given to insult or narcissism, he has proven himself to be exceptionally hard to offend, often times simply smiling politely through an angry tirade. After a thank you and the occasional formal bow for effect, he usually simply walks away.

Eager to debate philosophical points with strangers, he is equal in intensity to avoid any discussion of his past, often carefully turning the topic of a conversation away from himself and onto the other party.

For all the brutality and single-mindedness regarding his villainy, he views it all with a generally amoral detachment. From his skewed and perverted perspective, his work is simply a necessary aspect of the world. In a peculiar sense, he is God’s angel of vengeance, and he takes to his work with religious fervor. Yet, he does not particularly enjoy or dislike his work. He remains stoic throughout it all, not giving into personal feelings to withhold punishment upon victims he would otherwise be personable to. Neither does he inflict a greater amount of suffering upon those he would in different circumstances personally dislike. He simply ascertains a certain end for each victim and then methodically proceeds with a specific course of action to reach that end, never deviating.

[edit] Goals & Motivations

The Grave Bell is a singularly driven individual, wholly committed to the “Ordination” by the gypsy witch has bound his unlife to. Its premise - and thereby his motive - is simple: visit the corruption, destruction, and pain wrecked by men back upon them. Backed by his dabbling in philosophy and his voracious intake of world news and history, the Bell has come to view the whole of mankind as corrupt and sinful. As such, the whole of mankind is equally marked without discrimination to receive his wrath, although that doesn’t mean he blindly selects his victims.

In practice, he has taken to methodically destroying those whose evil deeds have yet to be made known to the broader world. Socioeconomic class, gender, age, and other considerations mean little to him. He often goes to painstaking length to plan his vengeance, often studying his victims for lengthy periods of time. Depending on the severity of his judgment, he will show no qualms with torture or murder.

On those rare occasions he takes to more general purpose criminal activity - such as bank robbery - it is with the express purpose of funding the Ordination financially or providing parts and materials for the upkeep of his technological arsenal.

[edit] Hobbies & Interests

Since reawakening, the Bell has devoted himself intensely to several pursuits, but it is doubtful if any of them could be deemed recreational hobbies. He reads constantly, choosing to focus on philosophical readings of all stripes as well as world history. His reading often extends to topics pertinent to the study of his intended victim.

[edit] Myers-Briggs Personality Type: ENTP

(The following summary is taken from the Personality Page.)

“ENTPs are idea people. Their perceptive abilities cause them to see possibilities everywhere. They get excited and enthusiastic about their ideas, and are able to spread their enthusiasm to others. In this way, they get the support that they need to fulfill their visions... Although the ENTP is more interested in absorbing information than in making decisions, they are quite rational and logical in reaching conclusions. When they apply Thinking to their Intuitive perceptions, the outcome can be very powerful indeed. A well-developed ENTP is extremely visionary, inventive, and enterprising.

“ENTPs are fluent conversationalists, mentally quick, and enjoy verbal sparring with others. They love to debate issues, and may even switch sides sometimes just for the love of the debate. When they express their underlying principles, however, they may feel awkward and speak abruptly and intensely.

“The ENTP personality type is sometimes referred to the "Lawyer" type. The ENTP "lawyer" quickly and accurately understands a situation, and objectively and logically acts upon the situation. Their Thinking side makes their actions and decisions based on an objective list of rules or laws. If the ENTP was defending someone who had actually committed a crime, they are likely to take advantage of quirks in the law that will get their client off the hook. If they were to actually win the case, they would see their actions as completely fair and proper to the situation, because their actions were lawful. The guilt or innocence of their client would not be as relevant.”

[edit] Powers & Abilities

When he sealed his fate with the gypsy witch, Manfred von Metzgervald was given certain nefarious, black powers that helped keep him from harm. Upon his reconstruction into unlife, his powers were augmented greatly. Yet, as a portion of the witch’s power of her former wraith began to fade and he returned to a state of consciousness, the Bell quickly discovered that even with his dark powers, he was vulnerable in the new world of super powered heroes and villains. So, he created a suit of powered armor to help him fulfill his esoteric Ordination.

[edit] Powers

Diabolical Darkness: As a result of his bargain with the gyspsy witch, the Bell is now enveloped within a diabolical darkness than empowers him in a number of varying ways:

• Darkness Manipulation: Able to create large scale illusions out of the darkness. Tangible objects can be created temporarily as long as they are sufficiently small and simple in design.

• Environmental Resistance: The darkness protects the Bell from extremes in temperature, environmental pressure, and radiation.

• Fear Projection: He can project fear into the heart and souls of his adversaries.

• Teleportation: The Bell can teleport both himself and others through the dimension from wherein the Darkness comes from.

[edit] Abilities

Polymath: Despite not receiving formal training or education, the Bell has extensively studied numerous subjects. This includes, but is not limited to, anatomy, computer science, electrical engineering, history, nanotechnology, philosophy, physics, and theater.

[edit] Strength Level

Without the armor, the Grave Bell possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise. The armor magnifies his strength to superhuman levels, enabling him to lift (press) roughly 75 tons.

[edit] Weaknesses

Undeath: The Bell is no longer a naturally living human being. As a member of the living dead, those weapons and tactics typically employed against the undead work equally as well against him - given that the weapons penetrate his formidable armor.

Mental Instability: While he is unable to consciously remember his past life as Manfred von Metzgervald, the memories still remain locked inside his mind. On occasion, he is subjected to traumatic flashbacks and hallucinations that effectively paralyze him. Powerful psychics would be able to exploit this weakness.

[edit] Paraphernalia

[edit] Equipment

Titanium Armor: The Grave Bell dons a highly advances suit of titanium armor that renders him extremely well protected against most forms of attack as well as equipping him with a variety of electricity based offensive capabilities.

• Super Strength: The armor augments the Bell’s natural strength significantly.

• Electric Shock: The outer surface of the armor can generate a massive electric shock on command.

[edit] Weapons

See equipment.

[edit] Transportation

None known.

[edit] Base of Operations

The Belltower: An abandoned cathedral serves as the Grave Bell's primary base of operations. There, the Bell keeps a vast library, computer system, and medical supplies.

[edit] Affiliations

[edit] Individuals

Bell has worked alone and stayed largely to himself. Yet, as of late he has been seen more and more in the interdimensional club, Pocket D. Time will tell if he begins to establish any semblance of a social network.

[edit] Organizations

Arachnos: He has taken to working under the guise of Arachnos' supervision as a way to better go about his true business. Accordingly, the Bell views the ubiquitous criminal organization as but a means to an end.

[edit] Trivia

• The Bell never touches alcohol. Instead, he prefers to drink a copious amount of hot tea.
• Presently, he has no memory of his former life or identity as Manfred von Metzgervald.

[edit] Character Evolution

The character was originally created to explore the tension and interaction between magic and technology as influenced by pulp heroes such as The Shadow. However, that first concept quickly gave way after the character’s creator watched V for Vendetta, read an overview of dystopian fiction, and delved into White Wolf’s Promethian character archetypes.

From those general influences, the character’s general concept began to take shape in a more defined form. Ultimately, the Grave Bell serves as a plotting, nefarious foil to the player’s other villain character, the more laid back, morally grey Hellcat Jones.

[edit] Costumes

The look of the Grave Bell is directly traced to two sources. One is the costume designed for the creator’s first villain from the City of Villains beta named Steam Engine. The power armor under clothing look is from this character. Secondly, the cape and hues of rich purple are an homage to classic proto super heroes from pulp magazines.

[edit] Influences

• V (V for Vendetta): Vigilante on a philosophically driven mission where little is known to the public about his past or identity
• Edmond Dantès (The Count of Monte Cristo): A man who goes to great lengths and makes great preparations to carry out his plans of vengeance methodically and diligently.
• The Monster (Frankenstein): The quest to become human from monstrous origins
• The Specter (DC Comics): Supernatural being bent on accomplishing a great mission whose very existence and purpose seems more akin to a force of nature than a single individual

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