From Handbook of the Union Universe

Dante Carver with Masamune Blade
Dante Carver
Player: @Dante
Origin:	Magic
Archetype:	Scrapper
Level:	33
Primary Set:	Katana
Secondary Set:	Dark Armour
Epic Set:	N/A
Personal Data
Real Name:	Unknown
Identity:	Public
Aliases:	Too many to list
Species:	Human
Date of Birth:	Unknown
Age:	Unknown
Height:	5'11"
Weight:	169llbs
Build:	Average
Eye Colour:	Brown
Hair Colour:	Black
Skin Complexion:	Aged, Middle Eastern descent
Distinguishment:	Neatly clipped beard, piercing, too young eyes
Medical Status:	Healthy
Financial Status:	Wealthy due to many years of prudent investment
Religion:	Polytheist
Sexuality:	Heterosexual
Marital Status:	Widowed
Known Relatives:	Anna Taylor (13th Wife – Deceased)
Biographical Data
Nationality:	Unknown
Ethnicity:	Arabic
Legal Status:	Legal British citizen with extended visa to the USA
Place of Birth:	Persia
Education:	Unknown
Occupation:	Hero
Group Affiliations:	Member of the Militia, Archmagus to The Council of Dragons.
Base of Operations:	Wayne Towers, Founders Falls, Farshadow dimension
Residency:	Penthouse, Stanmer House, Founders’ Falls
Known Powers
Mastery of magic and conjuration.
Known Abilities
Expert in bladed weapons and magical artefacts. In good health for his apparent age (mid to late forties).
Equipment
Confidential
Awards and Collections
Unknown
Licenses and Certificates
Hero License.
IC Accessibility of Article
Can be contacted via the Militia, Freedom Corps, MAGI, Hero Corps. Dante is known throughout the magic community but is not always referred to in flattering terms.

A character that has travelled with me throughout all of my roleplaying and has even undergone several different incarnations in CoX. Honourable, mysterious and as cold as ice, he's a far cry from my own personality but always fun to play.- @Dante

Contents 1 Affiliations 2 Personality 3 Motivation 4 Powers 4.1 Primary Powers 4.1.1 Katana 4.2 Secondary Powers 4.2.1 Dark Armour 4.3 Additional Powers 4.3.1 Travel 4.3.2 Power Pool 5 Abilities 6 Vulnerabilities 7 Equipment 8 Character Origin 9 Recent History 10 Additional Information 11 Trivia

[edit] Affiliations

• Field Commander in the Militia.
• Archmagus to the The Council of Dragons, a private magic order.
• Piano teacher to The Amber Banshee.
• Occasional associate of The Sisterhood of Ishtar.

[edit] Personality

Still waters run deep with Dante. On the surface, he appears cold, dispassionate and emotionless and can lead people to think that he doesn’t care about anyone or anything. He is serious minded, focused and not given to trivialities or pettiness. One could argue that his cold approach to most things is due to many years of warfare and he would not disagree. However, to think that he does not care would be a mistake. He cares an awful lot about a great many things and it is his dedication to his duty that prevents him from being more open with his emotions. Occasionally he can be drawn but he has to be very comfortable with his surroundings to do so.

One could describe Dante as being ‘old-fashioned’ given his strong moral stance on things such as honour, respect and chivalry. Frequently he insists on correct procedure, duty and adherence to ethics that many of his peers do not have time for. This can often lead to disagreements between himself and other, more flippant heroes. His patience is often tested with others, especially if it is in the field of magic where he considers a serious mind to be an essential component.

[edit] Motivation

Given his more studious nature, one would almost expect to see Dante employed as a MAGI librarian rather than leading a charge into battle. He would rarely admit to it but he finds most other mystics far too removed from the real world and can be unaware of the dangers that face the city. Having had periods of his life that were consumed with meditation and study, he freely admits that there is a time for study and a time for action and that wisdom is knowing which is which.

His curious take on modern ethics can occasionally cause people to wonder which side he is on. Although abiding by Hero Corps’ non-lethality rules, he has admitted to people that there are times when such practices as torture, killing and even genocide are necessary. Even so, he has no time for heroes who do so unnecessarily and enforces the current law with a firm hand. One could put Dante’s moral stance down to his lifetime as a soldier but most people seem unwilling to go any deeper into the subject with him. For now though, he seems content to work within the law.

[edit] Powers

Attributes
	Statistic	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
	Fortitude
	Stamina
	Speed
	Melee
	Blasts
	Support
	Control

[edit] Primary Powers

[edit] Katana

Sting of the Wasp, Flashing Steel, Divine Avalanche, Build Up, Soaring Dragon, The Lotus Drops, Golden Dragonfly

[edit] Secondary Powers

[edit] Dark Armour

Dark Embrace, Murky Cloud, Obsidian Shield, Dark Regeneration, Death Shroud, Cloak of Darkness

[edit] Additional Powers

[edit] Travel

Fly

[edit] Power Pool

Fitness

Swift, Health, Stamina

Flight

Hover, Fly

[edit] Abilities

Although not possessing any superhuman skills, Dante’s command of magic is immense. This has come from many years of studying and training with various cultures around the world and an often brutal regime of mental discipline. Having attained master level in various forms of magic, he is capable of wielding mystic powers with consummate ease. These powers can take various forms and are drawn from many different sources, normally magic beings or deities. Quite what he has traded to gain access to these powers are often the subject of much speculation amongst younger students of magic.

As well as his skill with magic, Dante is also skilled in the use of most military weapons, particularly those with blades. He has a disdain of ranged weapons, considering them ‘dishonourable’. Therefore it is not uncommon to see him in battle with foes using guns and pistols with only his magic and his sword to fight with.

Given his exceptional longevity, Dante also has a wide knowledge of various different subjects that can often be of use in difficult situations.

[edit] Vulnerabilities

Although in good shape for a man of his age, Dante can often tire easily. The strain of battle and his command of various magics can rapidly exhaust him of his energy, leaving him helpless. Using such powers also requires a degree of mental control which can occasionally be broken either by other magic users of simply becoming distracted.

Occasionally, Dante’s dedication to honour can also be his undoing. Although he is not above brutality when required, he can sometimes be the victim of dirty tricks that take advantage of his code.

[edit] Equipment

Dante’s signature weapon is a katana style sword which he calls the Masamune Blade. He forged it himself over 400 years ago with the help of one of the last great masters of sword making. It is a magical sword that incapacitates its foes by stripping them of their life-force when it comes into contact with them as well as boosting its wielder’s natural defences. However, such a weapon comes at a cost. A powerful dampening field surrounds the sword, suppressing many of Dante’s more powerful magics and reducing his effective range to the area immediately surrounding him. There is also a curse on the sword that affects the fortunes of its owner. For more details, see below.

Dante often carries various magical artefacts and components, mainly used for his spellcasting but sometimes for other uses as well. Although he carries a hospital teleporter, he dislikes using it given his disdain for modern technology.

[edit] Character Origin

To date, Dante has never discussed his origins, the matter appears to be a sore subject for him. What little that can be gathered is that he is very old and from the comments he has made, he has a history that stretches back at least 2,000 years. The reasons for his longevity appear to relate to a curse that he is under that require him to remain bound to this plane of existence. Although he is trans-dimensional and has travelled to many different realities, he must always return to this one no matter what his current status is. As such, he has died many times in his long life but always returns after a period. He could give detailed descriptions of other realms but prefers to remain silent on the subject.

Unable to die, he wandered the world for many years, searching for a way to end the curse. Through his searching, he encountered many different cultures and began to study magic, hoping to find a solution to his situation. Since then he has been involved in many events in the world although he has always attempted to remain clear of major events and keep himself out of the public eye. However, he has not always been successful in this and any major student of the magic arts would discover him popping up in various historical texts sometimes on the right side, sometimes on the wrong ones, hence the magical community’s somewhat guarded opinion of him. There are some references to him being involved with the creation of the Circle of Thorns but it a subject he refuses to be drawn on.

Dante has been active in Paragon City since the first Rikti war where he fought alongside his 13th wife Anna Taylor, then known as Lady Lilith. Unfortunately, shortly after the close of the war, the curse of the Masamune Blade struck and she was consumed by her own ice controlling powers. The loss of his wife devastated him and he withdrew from public life for over two years. When he re-emerged from his convalescence, he joined with The Militia, recognising that the fledgling supergroup needed a magical advisor within its ranks. He deliberately lay down the Masamune Blade, vowing not to use it ever again. He has since fought using solely his magic.

[edit] Recent History

Dante’s detective skills were put to the test when fellow Militia member GhostSpy vanished. He was able to uncover information relating to his colleague’s disappearance but was detained by the PPD and unable to conclude his investigation.

Despite swearing to never touch the Masamune Blade again, Dante was recently forced to return to the weapon following the kidnapping of his Militia comrade, The Amber Banshee. Knowing that the forces that they would be facing to reclaim her would be immensely powerful, he returned to the secret cave where his wife lay entombed in ice and appealed to her to be released from his promise. He took the sword and participated in the mission to free the Banshee from the Hand of Andros. Unfortunately, taking the sword greatly angered his patrons, the deities Innana and Hades. When he sustained a fatal wound during the mission, his body was recalled to the heavenly realms where he was forced to stand trial. It transpired that the curse was on the sword as it was not destined to be wielded by Dante himself, but to be safeguarded by him until its rightful owner appeared. However, Dante argued that much good had been done by using the weapon, even if it was not meant for his hand. The trial jury was forced to agree and the powers that be consented to him continuing to use it as long as he relinquished it once its rightful owner was found. They ruled that the loss of his wife was punishment enough for his transgression and his sentence was commuted to time already served. Even so, one of his patrons, unconvinced by his arguments decided to inflict her own punishment. Innana withdrew her support from him, ensuring that he could no longer call upon her power. Hades was forced to inflict a punishment as well, a temporary reduction in Dante’s powers for an indefinite period of time. Dante conceded and was returned to the mortal realm. The wound that temporarily took his life this time is still not fully healed and he occasionally suffers pain from it.

[edit] Additional Information

Dante has had three incarnations due to alterations in his powers during his time in Paragon City. Details of these can be found under Dante M. Carver and Dante S. Carver.

The Council of Dragons is a society dedicated to fighting threats to the mortal realm from other dimensions. It was founded by Dante in the 19th century in response to the sudden upsurge in mysticism which in turn attracted the attention of otherworldly beings. He remains Archmagus of the society but speaks very little about it. It has a vast collection of arcane books and provides sanctuary during times of crisis.

[edit] Trivia

Dante has had many names in his lifetime, some earned, some invented by him to begin new lives. However he has never, as yet, revealed to anyone what his real name is. He carries the name Dante following the relation of a journey through the heavenly realms to an embittered poet in 14th century Florence which went on to become The Divine Comedy. He takes no credit for this.