Maestro

Few understand music like Basil Father­ton. Music—its harmonies, its complexi­ties, its beauty and majesty—has been his lifelong passion. Basil acknowledges only the works of geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven—and himself, of course—and the noise so-called “musicians” grind out in clubs or recording studios these days is unfit to bear the same name. He wanted to under­stand the art and the science of music in every possible way, and studied acoustics, musical notation, composition, conducting, and more in pursuit of his dream. 
To his disbelief, Basil was neither a Mozart nor a Beethoven, and his teachers and critics told him so. Frequently. While technically competent, with an unmatched understand­ing of the science of sound—able to arrange and conduct complex performances of others’ symphonies—his own works lacked anything remarkable to set them apart.
The rejections and reviews embittered Basil, and he set out to create music that would reach people beyond just an emo­tional level. His research stumbled upon certain harmonics that affected the human brain, and he began using them to create music no one could resist. For a very short while, classical music—and his works in particular—became all the rage in Freedom City. When the truth about Basil Fatherton’s success came out, his reputation and career were ruined.
Basil adapted his musical technology and used it to pull off a series of daring robberies, calling himself “the Maestro.” He was caught and imprisoned, but always found ways to escape and continue his reign of crime, often seeking to avenge himself on those who tried to silence him and the “so-called musicians” who stole his spotlight. For decades, the Maestro single-mindedly pursued his revenge, in and out of prisons and asylums and working with various criminal allies and alliances, particularly The Crime League. Still, the virtuoso of vil­lainy never even earned much respect as a career crimi­nal, considered “B-list” at best by many.
Eventually, the Maestro’s years began catching up with him. He was a senior citizen with a criminal record longer than the lives of many of the heroes he was fighting. Still, his mind and keen desire for revenge were as sharp as ever. So he pursued forbidden techniques of science and sorcery to extend his life, hitting upon just the means to suit him: with the assis­tance of his old Crime League partner Medea, he challenged the Devil himself to a musical contest at a midnight cross­roads with his soul on the line—and won.
So it was that Freedom City saw a crime wave from a young and vigorous “new” Maestro, who claims to be the origi­nal restored to his full vigor and then some, and wielding apparently-innate sonic powers. This Maestro has no use for his old partners in the Crime League, but will orchestrate his own schemes. Once he has conducted a few crimes to accumulate seed money, the po­tential of his own organization and agents can begin to take form.

Physical Description

Apparel & Accessories

The Maestro is a master of acoustics. The ultimate expres­sion of this knowledge is the array of sonic emitters he wears beneath his dapper suit. Originally controlled by his conductor’s baton, Maestro has updated the technology so it responds to his conducting gestures. He carries and uses his trademark baton—both for effect and to mislead foes into thinking it houses his power—but even without it he easily commands soundwaves, leading some heroes to believe this new Maestro’s powers are innate rather than technological.
With a gesture, Maestro can create virtually any sound, in­cluding music or specific voices. He can create harmonics that influence the human brain, causing people to fall into a trance or dance against their will. He can generate ultrasonic notes and concentrated blasts of sound or build “walls” of sonic force to deflect bullets.

Mental characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

Once, it could be said the Maestro cared about music more than anything else, but these days he cares more about revenge, paying back a lifetime of slights against his talent, his genius, and his ambition—with interest. Maestro wants to see them all humbled: those who have stolen the accolades and spotlight that rightfully should have been his, those who have encouraged the degeneration of the musical arts, and those who have presumed to stand in his way.
Still, with experience comes a measure of wisdom, and the Maestro has no intentions of squandering his new lease on life on a long prison sentence. He means to enjoy both his revenge and all of the pleasures and opportuni­ties his restored youth can bring. So he certainly has no objections to making—and spending—some quick ill-gotten cash, setting some aside towards the eventual es­tablishment of a new criminal “symphony” with himself as composer, conductor, and sole critic.

Other Affiliations

• The Crime League
• The Crime League (G.A.)