Duca Nefando

Ilario Magoni

Duca Nefando can control earth and rock (“the bedrock of Italia”) at will, blasting foes with dirt and stone, and shifting hundreds of tons of rock with no more than a gesture. He can also transform into “living stone” with tremendous strength, resistance to injury, and immunity to most mortal concerns. He considers himself a gentleman and honorable warrior, and prefers face-to-face combat with an equally chivalrous foe.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

There’s always been debate whether Italy’s self-styled Duke Nefarious (Nefando in Italian) was a crook, terrorist, or revolutionary. Those who choose to romanticize his actions consider him a political rogue. As leader of the revived secret society, Cabroni, he sought his own il Risorgimento (The Resurgence, where the various Italian national liberation movements of 1800s banded together to create a united Italy in 1871). In fact he hopes to oust of the Vatican City from Rome and Italy from the E.U. “Italy for Italians,” is his motto. Those who call him a crook, however, point to the criminal empire he founded to fund his movement, while the terrorist label is the Vatican’s and European Union’s, both of which suffered numerous attacks against clergy and members of the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, and the Economic and Social Committee.
In a coordinated sweep, Europe’s heroes banded together for the first time since WWII, and tore through the Carbonari hierarchy, eventually capturing Duke Nefarious himself. Unfortunately, Nefarious still had his supporters, several of whom launched aborted attempts to liberate him from prison. Magoni was a martyr in the making, and too dangerous to contain in Europe, so the E.U. finally exiled him to the U.S. to serve out his sentence in Lockdown. What the Court of Justice doesn’t realize, however, is that they effectively delivered Duke Nefarious into the lion’s den. Magoni’s Carbonari and The Cartel had butted heads in Italy, repeatedly and violently. While the Cartel would love to off their adversary, however, they can’t for the time being. Gaining trust is more important than settling one vendetta that would jeopardize their current contracts. Still, the Cartel is planning for Magoni’s eventual demise.
Despite his reputation, Magoni is a charming gentleman with distinct European charm and aristocratic bearing. In essence, he’s a rogue who rarely, if ever takes matters personally. He has no qualms with the Americans or anyone else really. He’s merely tired of seeing Italy crushed under the weight of Eastern Europe’s refugees who drag down Italy’s economy, or the unwelcome hand of the Vatican in Italian politics. Magoni isn’t racist; he’s a political extremist and an ultra-nationalist. When asked about his criminal empire, Magoni laughs and says: “The mafia is Sicilian, and frankly, I’d prefer to rob my own countrymen than watch outsiders pluck them clean.”

Social

Contacts & Relations

THE CARBONARI Ilario Magoni, alias Duca Nefando (Duke Nefarious), forged disparate Italian criminal and ultra-nationalist factions into the Carbonari, seeking a new il Risorgimento or Resurgence. Whereas the original was a 19th Century movement for a united Italy, Nefando’s secret society wanted “Italy for Italians,” with an ouster of foreigners and immigrants, and an end to relations with the European Union. The heroes of Italy and that selfsame Union eventually
brought Duca Nefando to justice for his crimes. Too dangerous to imprison in Europe, the EU arranged to send him to the American “Lockdown” facility (see The United States of America), where Magoni languished and his power-base at home weakened without his leadership.
Eventually, Duke Nefarious overcame the power-dampening measures of the American prison and used his earth-shaping powers to escape. Authorities believe he has made his way back home to assumed control of the remnants of his organization once again, dreaming of the greater glory of Italia with himself as a new Emperor. They expect war to break out amongst the criminal gangs and fringe political factions as old lines are redrawn and old scores are settled.

Gender

Male

Eyes

Green

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Olive

Height

6'2"

Weight

193 lbs