RATING INFO :: This RP is rated PG-13, and may contain content such as the following:
--> Action/Fantasy Violence
--> Relatively Mild Language
--> Partial Nudity
--> Some Drug/Alcohol Use
--> Crude Humor
2
Past & Present
Spoiler: Short Summary
It's the beginning of a new school year at Sky High: the sophomore year of Will Stronghold, son of legendary heroes The Commander and Jetstream. It's been several months since Will and his friends thwarted the villainous plans of Royal Pain at last year's homecoming, and much has changed in the status quo at Sky High since then. Thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Hero Support students (a.k.a. "Sidekicks") who'd helped to save the school, the earlier favoritism shown to the Hero class as opposed to the Sidekick class has been corrected to provide more equitable treatment for both classes. Some divisions and other issues still exist, as is typical for any high school, but all in all things are starting to look up.
But while Will and company eagerly prepare for the new school year, a new threat is already brewing. Villains from all over the world are gathering in Egypt, summoned by a mysterious benefactor to take part in the grandest evil scheme to date.
A scheme involving the world's very first super villains.
Spoiler: Full PlotSpoiler: Kemet (Egypt) - 13th Century B.C.
Long ago, under the reign of Ramesses II, the ancient kingdom of Kemet enjoyed great cultural and economic prosperity, and to this day Ramesses is hailed as one of Kemet's greatest pharaohs. Odji, one of the pharaoh's foremost high priests, was a highly respected figure in the royal court, and enjoyed a close friendship with the royal family that afforded him considerable political influence in the kingdom. As time went on, however, Odji's high status slowly led him to become arrogant and corrupt, and he secretly aligned himself with Apep, the spirit of chaos and darkness, in exchange for the limitless power that they each craved: Odji over the land of Kemet, and Apep over the mortal world. Odji and his mistress, the concubine Neferet, went on to learn the dark arts from Apep, who blessed them with a vast array of dark powers. They became the first super villains, and began preparations to conquer Kemet in Apep's name.
Only Khnumhotep, one of the pharaoh's many sons, suspected Odji and Neferet of plotting against the kingdom, but by then it was too late. Using their new powers and Odji's political influence, Odji and Neferet managed to take over the capital city of Pi-Ramesses in a single night and take most of the royal family hostage, with only Prince Khnumhotep and a small group of loyal citizens managing to flee the city in time. Once in control of the capital, Odji and Neferet kept their end of the bargain and proceeded to spread Apep's influence throughout Kemet, allowing Apep to reign virtually unchallenged in the mortal plane.
While seeking refuge in an abandoned temple, Khnumhotep discovered an ancient set of manuscripts, from which they learned how to unlock hidden powers within ordinary mortals such that would transform them into supernatural beings. Using the information from these texts, Khnumhotep blessed himself and his resistance fighters with incredible powers, and likewise bestowed these same powers on others who joined their fold. Together, they became the first super heroes.
And so, over the course of many great battles, Khnumhotep and his rebellion clashed time and again with the dark forces led by Odji and Neferet, before the war ended with a final one-on-one battle between Odji and Khnumhotep in the palace throne room. Khnumhotep won the duel, ending Odji's reign by driving a sword through the villainous pharaoh's heart, while Neferet fled the city at Odji's request.
But the story did not end there, for with his dying breath, Odji placed one final curse on Khnumhotep:
My death shall one day be undone
within this very room
when he who mixes your blood with mine
shall raise me from my tomb.
Only then did Khnumhotep realize that Neferet had been carrying Odji's child when she fled, but all subsequent efforts to find her proved fruitless. Meanwhile, the newly-reinstated Pharaoh Ramesses II ordered that Odji's body be burned to ash in a desperate attempt to stop his curse from coming to pass, but the body was stolen by Odji's loyalists before it could be destroyed, never to be found since.
Spoiler: Maxville, USA - Present Day
In the centuries that followed, the reign of Odji and Neferet gradually faded into nothing more than a distant memory, barely remembered, if at all, by even the most knowledgeable of experts. But one Heroic History teacher at Sky High refuses to forget. Having paid close attention to the recent villain activity in Egypt, he has sensed the imminent fulfillment of Odji's curse and is already doing everything in his power to try to prevent it.
We can only hope that it's not too late.
Spoiler: Zahra NassarUsername: Lady Celeste
Civilian Name: Zahra "Sarah" Nassar
Nickname(s): "Cat Girl", much to her amusement.
Age: 14
Placement at Sky High: Not Yet Placed
Grade: Freshman
Power(s): Though she doesn't have super-speed in the conventional sense like Speed does, Zahra has inhumanly quick reflexes that make her exceptionally agile. She can also climb on walls and ceilings with ease, and can also communicate with cats, including big cats such as lions, tigers, etc.
Weapon(s): ???
Fighting Style(s): ???
Other Skills: Zahra's powers make her very well-suited for parkour and free running, and she is also good with animals, especially cats.
Favorite Class(es): Heroic History, Gym
Least Favorite Class(es): Math
Civilian Occupation: N/A
Spoiler: Appearance
Personality: Though not really shy per se, Zahra has a tendency to become so absorbed in whatever task is given to her that she subconsciously blocks out all distractions, making it difficult for her to socialize with new people. Despite this, she is very open and friendly with the friends she does have, and is a loyal ally to any good cause.
Backstory: Born into a family of Egyptian immigrants, Zahra has recently been sent to live with her uncle in Maxville so that she can attend Sky High. Not much else is known about her family, mostly because she rarely goes into any specific detail about them, but by all accounts she lived a happy and relatively normal childhood. She's also somewhat more knowledgeable about the current villain activity in Egypt than most, primarily because many of her relatives in Egypt are current or former superheroes.
Other Notes: Zahra has a pet Egyptian Mau kitten named Cheetah, who is rather curious by nature and has a habit of sneaking into Zahra's backpack so she can go with her to school, much to the dismay of some of Zahra's teachers and the amusement of others.
Spoiler: Jesse Jones (Price)Username: Price
Civilian Name: Jesse Jones
Nickname(s): N/A
Age: 15
Placement at Sky High: Not Yet Placed
Grade: Freshman
Power(s): Prolonged contact with his skin induces comatose and/or death
Weapon(s): N/A
Fighting Style(s): Boxer and Brawler
Other Skills: Poetry, Art, Singing, Plays Guitar
Favorite Class(es): None
Least Favorite Class(es): All of them
Civilian Occupation: N/A
Appearance: Jesse
Personality: Shy introvert who prefers one on one close relationships rather than being in a group. He is searching for anything good of his powers, and can only see the negative. He feels as though he was born to be bad, born to be a villain.
Backstory: Although most of his history remains hidden, he was born to two "hero" parents. They do not know of his powers, as he has never used them around his parents. In fact, the only time he ever used his powers was by accident when he held a girl's hand in the sixth grade. She was nearly killed, although authorities had no clue as to why. To this day, Jesse has never spoke to her on what happened. In fact, he has avoided her all together. Jesse's parents enrolled him at Sky High, despite his objections, with hopes that he would discover his powers would manifest while at the school.
Other Notes: Jesse SUCKS at talking to people. He also wears long sleeves and gloves at all times for the protection of others. (Sorta like Rogue from the X-Men series)
Spoiler: hide=Tau Nassar (Lady Celeste)Username: Lady Celeste
Civilian Name: Tau "Todd" Nassar
Hero Name: His original hero alias most closely translates to "Herald of Amun-Ra" in Egyptian Arabic. Following his relocation to Maxville, this name was americanized to "Sun Herald".
Age: 30
Placement at Sky High: Did Not Attend Sky High
Power(s): Can generate and control light for various effects, ranging from simple torch lights to powerful beams.
Weapon(s): None yet that he has mentioned.
Fighting Style(s): Krav Maga
Class(es) Taught: Heroic History primarily, but he does occasionally assist in other classes as well.
Job at Sky High: Teacher
Other Skills: Tau wasn't made a Heroic History teacher at Sky High for nothing, y'know. By extension, he is also very knowledgeable in various aspects of magic and mythology that most modern heroes and villains would tend to overlook, and is adept at first aid and survival in the wilderness.
Civilian Occupation: Archaeologist
Spoiler: Civilian Appearance
Spoiler: Hero Costume
Personality: Content with his relative obscurity in the hero world, Tau has little interest in the spotlight and prefers to be a team player whenever possible, though he can and often does prove to be a strong fighter and a very capable leader when the situation calls for it. As classes at Sky High go, his is definitely not the most exciting or glamorous, but his professional, no-nonsense demeanor in the classroom commands a lot more respect than he is usually given credit for. Tau is a strong believer in the old saying "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it", and this is reflected in his teaching style.
Backstory: Originally a self-taught hero from Cairo, Tau had no formal heroic training in his early years, instead learning virtually everything he knows either from his civilian career as an archaeologist or from battles with the local criminal element. Though never as famous as the likes of The Commander and Jetstream, Tau grew into a capable hero in his own right as time went on, and by the time he reached adulthood he was able to hold his own against the modern technology used by some villains despite having little more than a basic knowledge of technology himself. He first accepted a job at Sky High just last year, replacing the previous Heroic History teacher upon her retirement.
At first, since Tau was a relative unknown in America, none of the faculty and staff at Sky High really knew what to make of him, and the class he was hired to teach (Heroic History) was not viewed as particularly important to the school curriculum, which was aimed at working toward the future rather than the past. However, during last year's disastrous homecoming, Tau was among the few heroes present brave enough to try to fight Royal Pain directly after The Commander and Jetstream had been pacified; Tau was ultimately pacified himself, but not before managing to give at least a handful of the students enough time to escape, including the very students who would ultimately rescue them all from Royal Pain. Since then, Tau has begun to gain a bit more respect at Sky High, enough so that he has managed to become friends with Coach Boomer, Mr. Medulla, and Mr. Boy since the incident.
This year, Tau has kept a close eye on the recent villain crisis in his native Egypt. Discovering a possible connection between this crisis and the ancient legend of Odji and Neferet, but unable to convince the rest of the faculty of his theory without concrete proof, Tau has now taken to surreptitiously preparing his students, especially his niece Zahra, for what he believes to be the impending resurrection of the evil pharaoh, in hopes that something can be done to stop the First Villains' return to power before it is too late.
Other Notes: Tau has developed a friendly rivalry with Mr. Medulla due to their opposite specialties, with each of them occasionally making good-natured jokes about the other.
Spoiler: Abdul Mansoor (Lady Celeste)Username: Lady Celeste
Civilian Name: Abdul Awwal Mansoor
Hero/Villain Name: N/A
Age: 33
Power(s): None known.
Weapon(s): None known.
Fighting Style(s): None known.
Other Skills: Abdul's past experience as an archaeologist has made him a surprisingly adept investigator in addition to affording him a great deal of knowledge of past cultures, including many details on famous super-beings throughout history. He is also surprisingly skilled at keeping himself off the grid, making him an ideal spy or intermediary.
Civilian Occupation: Archaeologist (formerly)
Spoiler: Civilian Appearance
Hero/Villain Costume: None known.
Personality: Abdul has always been a very private individual, and so few details about his private persona are commonly known. Those closest to him generally say that he would at least try to be friendly to others, although the combined stresses of his job and his personal frustrations ultimately took their toll on him, making him more cynical and withdrawn over time.
Backstory: What little is commonly known of Abdul stems mainly from a scandal in his native Egypt. An employee at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Abdul was eventually revealed to have exploited his position at the SCA to cover up an ancient artifact smuggling ring. After his illegal activities were exposed by a local superhero, Abdul fled to avoid arrest and has not been seen since.
Other Notes:One of the last artifacts to have been stolen by the smuggling ring Abdul worked for was a set of Old Kingdom era scrolls discovered in a temple dedicated to Ma'at, the spirit of truth and justice. The scrolls remain missing to this day; rumor has it that Abdul sold them to a super villain in retaliation for his public disgrace, but no evidence has been found to prove or disprove this.
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