Arturo Sunderland
Arturo Sunderland
Arturo Sunderland is a travelling collector and re-enactor of oral histories hailing from far to the northwest of the Snake Gulch Singularity. Equal parts natural philosopher and defender of the unheard, Arturo roams the Earth to gather and protect the history of humanity wherever it may be found so that future generations can benefit from this knowledge.
Physical Description
Special abilities
Like his contemporary, Samuel Vernon, Arturo encountered an unusual source of occult power in the form of a 'leyline,' a naturally-occuring font of psycho-spiritual energy that could be tapped into with appropriate mental focus and conditioning. Unlike Samuel, however, Arturo's psychic anchor into the leyline was the mythology of her mother's culture, particularly the imagery surrounding the qualities of certain coastal birds. By adopting the right state of mind, Arturo soon found that he could actually manifest some of the physical qualities of birds through the power granted him by the leyline, including greatly enhanced vision, ripping claws, resistance to cold and damp conditions, and, at the apex of his power, even the ability to fly. These avian aspects could be focussed through the creation of costume items associated with them, particularly masks.
Arturo's performances, wherein he re-enacts historical figures and mythologies from the dozens of cultures he has come across, also have been imbued with some element of supernatural power through his connection to the leylines. When Arturo sings the songs of a great hero or the defense of some ancient stronghold, his listeners aren't just emboldened, but physically bolstered. Within himself, recounting these tales of historical bravery preternaturally imbues him with some of those heroes' strength, courage, and alacrity at arms. He may even sometimes exhibit some of the cleraly mythical powers of clearly mythical figures, giving him what some observers would call 'spellcasting' to a limited extent, though whether this means the historical figures and events he recounts were actually spernatural or just grandiose retellings of mundane events remains unknown even to him.
Apparel & Accessories
Arturo dresses in warm, loose clothing to help protect him from the elements without restricting his freedom of movement. He carves and paints his own wooden masks and uses them both as theatrical costume and as focusses for his leyline-derived avian powers (see Special Abilities).
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born the son of a prospector camp doctor and a local carver's daughter somewhere west of the Yukon Territory, Arturo was already used to walking in multiple social worlds before he gained the power to traverse the multiple worlds of the Singularity. Young Arturo was interested in anthropology and psychology, especially where these subjects touched on the mythical and spiritual beliefs of the world. He was, and remains, a strongly spiritual person, though he also exhibits an openness to exploring the beliefs of others as part of his quest in life to better understand the contents of the human soul. Arturo never took to higher education, but he poured over books about history, psychology, mythology, and theology all through his young adult years. When he came of age, Arturo bade his mother and father farewell and set to roaming the West, gathering stories as he went in the hopes of writing his own mythological corpus one day.
Intellectual Characteristics
Aside from his wealth of knowledge when it comes to the spirituality and mythology of the West, Arturo is a skilled outdoorsman and survivalist, particularly with regards to cold coastal and forest environments like those where he grew up. He also is a skilled dancer and woodcarver, sometimes selling sculptures, helping theatre companies with their productions, or assisting other woodworkers to earn what little coin he has need of; otherwise, as a true outdoorsman, the wilderness provides everything he needs.
Morality & Philosophy
Unlike in myth, what is good and just does not necessarily win out on its own. Good is only one potential emanation of the natural state. No - if we want good to prevail, then we must make it so with our own two hands!Arturo regards the destruction of knowledge, culture, and nature to be some of the gravest moral ills befalling the world in his time. This is not to say that Arturo does not value human life and comfort, but he views these as products of nature and culture respectively. Arturo fights for his ideals by standing up for people who cannot defend themselves with the aid of his powers, by promulgating virtue and wisdom through historical examples to those with the ears to listen, and by leveraging his preternatural talent for persuasion. He regards apathy towards morality to be a sin on its own and does not consider the human animal to be naturally inclined towards good, believing that virtue is an active, deliberate choice that must be cultivated every day; a deist, not strictly a Christian, Arturo has independently come to the conclusion that faith without deeds is empty.
Alignment
Neutral Good
Species
Ethnicity
Other Ethnicities/Cultures
Age
25
Children
Current Residence
Sex
Male
Eyes
Dark Blue
Hair
Blue-black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light tan
Height
5'11"
Weight
180'
Belief/Deity
Deism
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