syntheticated | app for thisavrou

IN CHARACTER
Name: mephistopheles
Canon: hellbound / original
Canon Point: n/a
Age: physical: mid/late 20’s, actual: ~ 1,000

History:

The typical atmosphere of the world is a mix of modern versus early 19th century with a little steampunk thrown in. For example, things like refrigerators exist, but cars do not. Electricity is a very odd commodity in that, while it does exist, the majority of people still use candles and gas lamps for illumination. There are several mix and match elements in this universe; television is an unheard of device (as well as computers, the internet, and cell phones), so information is passed along via newspapers, books, and word of mouth. However, weapons such as guns are generally known, but it's rare a person (human) would have one in their possession.

In general context, though, Mephistopheles' world is literally Hell. It's the ugly part of the afterlife, adjacent to its counterpart, Heaven, and the natural world of Tophet, where humans live. Imagine a spiral staircase: they're interconnected by the steps between each landing; Tophet in the middle, and Heaven and Hell at the very top and bottom respectively. Only those with explicit permission may travel the boundaries between each individual location, but the hierarchy of Heaven and Hell are different in comparison to Tophet.

While the human world is a fixed plane, Hell (as well as Heaven) is divided into a total of nine levels where the first is shared with Heaven; it's the purgatory of the afterlife. Each level, or Circle, is inclined toward a specific sin. The damned souls are processed through purgatory and "placed" in the correct Circle with others who have committed similar crimes before death. These Circles, unlike the planes between, can be easily navigated through without much problem and are separated by what the locals call the Divide. The Circles are as follows: (2nd) Lust, (3rd) Gluttony, (4th) Avarice and Prodigality, (5th) Wrath and Sullenness, (6th) Heresy, (7th) Violence, (8th) Fraud. The ninth (and lowest) Circle is where Lucifer resides and houses only the most tortured. Each Circle is governed by a ruler, generally one of the original Fallen or the most powerful of demons that can be trusted with such a position, and they are backed by creatures called cahri. Their origin is unknown, and very few actually witness them in action aside from the rulers themselves.

This is the basic accepted knowledge of Hell. Along with this, it is generally known that humans, though they make up the majority of the population, are not highly regarded. The hierarchy looks something like this: Lucifer > Circle rulers/cahri > Fallen > Demons > Half-breeds > Humans. And while most demons and half-breeds also have something similar to a human form, they are not the souls of the dead. Thus, they're regarded far more highly than humans. However, the human souls that do not take on a more corporeal body can be found in almost everything else: the food and drink, and most especially, the drugs.

As a note, there is no sunlight in Hell. It's mostly a colorless, slightly sulfuric wasteland. It's drab, relatively lifeless with hardly any vegetation at all, and the monotony alone could cause anyone to go insane. But despite the general lifeless nature of the Hell, many Circle rulers and Fallen tend to throw elaborate, festive parties a lot more than is necessary. It's usually on an invite-only basis. The wardrobe style of Hell fluctuates between something like this or this depending on the person.

Mephistopheles’ personal history is a very brief one.

In the beginning, only God was capable of creating and giving life. However, at some point in his exile, Lucifer believed that he could wield the same power and began to test the theory by attempting to create angels. He also thought to infiltrate Heaven required “pure” angels who were loyal to him, not those of the Fallen variety. After several thousand failed attempts, Lucifer finally made a breakthrough with Mephistopheles. Yet, he was quickly labeled a failure due to the angelic script scarred into his flesh along multiple parts of his body and even up along the side of his neck to his face. Still, Mephistopheles was the closest Lucifer ever came to a synthetic angel—until Rum came into existence. Mephistopheles was then charged with the specific task of readying the young angel for a life of servitude beneath Lucifer and to later destroy Heaven from the inside out.

For several years, Mephistopheles’ remained impartial to Rum and his job. He believed himself to be unnatural, so it was only fitting to do as his creator has instructed. Yet, things slowly begin changing when Rum shows more interest in being good and stay with Mephistopheles rather than visit Lucifer to demonstrate his progress. Ironically, this is also the beginning of the War that breaks out between the Circles and Heaven.

Personality:

To know Mephistopheles is understanding very little about who and what you are. From the time of his creation, he has always held a remarkably even temperament, almost passive in a way. He’s loyal to a fault, blindly listening to Lucifer’s orders and not thinking to question them through several trials and failures of other angels having life breathed in them to be snuffed out a moment later. For the most part, Mephistopheles is used to being alone, and generally, because he knows no other way, doesn’t seem to care if others are around him or not. Still, even the most quiet things need an outlet, and as Mephistopheles does have the inner workings of an angel, the desperation to be social is a slowly festering idea that pulls at him as time goes on.

Underneath the solidity of his remarkably resilient demeanor, Mephistopheles is a whirlwind of emotion. He cares for things on an extremely personal level, keeping his thoughts to himself and showing his sincerity for those that manage to wiggle their way beneath his wall in a particularly hard manner. He’s kind but only to a point, drawing the line quickly to protect himself. It’s a reflex garnered from centuries of working for and being trusted by Lucifer to accomplish the smaller errands he’s entrusted with. Though this gave Mephistopheles a great deal more authority over the other Fallen, he never took advantage of it. In fact, it’s another piece to who he’s become: he actually thinks very little of himself.

While his self-esteem is remarkably level despite certain factors - his position in the Ninth, the disfiguring marks running the length of his body - there is also an underlying current of never being good enough that keeps him from seeking things outside his position in Hell. He doesn’t take things for granted, but he knows that others view him as a threat despite Mephistopheles’ own ideals of what and who he is. In the hierarchy of things, he believes he’s no better than a half-breed or a human, though he still holds the utmost respect for them. Perhaps it’s the angel in him, but Mephistopheles isn’t cruel and often appears out of place in a Circle specifically designed for the torture and mistreatment of those having committed the worst crimes in life. He will not, however, let those in any position take advantage of his helpfulness. Though he prefers to avoid a fight, he will defend himself or his charge with everything he has.

At heart, Mephistopheles is a caretaker. He tries to provide for others when they have nothing and helps to guide them along. He doesn’t realize his own potential to grow, but he recognizes it in other people and insists that it’s his reason for being.

Setting:

† adjust reasonably quickly ~~it's not hell~~
† probably question too much considering how much life there is on thisavrou
† try to make friends (but he's sort of a loner)
† adopt all the kids unintentionally basically
† help whoever he can in whatever way he can
† find a real purpose for himself

Abilities/Skills:

† instantaneous movement (teleportation)
† he can fly (his wings are a pretty jade)
† quick healing factor (angelic blood)
† does not age but can be injured
† fast learner
† surprisingly good with kids

Strengths/Weaknesses:

† see skills for strengths

† quiet/keeps to himself
† low self-worth
† not particularly useful in a fight

Items:

† his clothes

SAMPLES
Network Sample:
video;
[ It takes quite some time for Mephistopheles to even access the network, not at all used to any sort of technology. In fact, the MID confuses him, and though he continues to poke at it, trying to gain some sort of understanding, nothing actually registers. He doesn’t realize it’s been recording for the last several seconds until he notices the little function indicating that it’s on. ]

Hello, I —

[ And that’s exactly as far as it gets before Mephistopheles accidentally turns it off and continues speaking to himself in the middle of one of the hallways. ]

Prose/Action Sample: TDM thread