Hafiz, the Prophet of the Snake Deity

Full Name: Quentin Richard Watson
Nickname(s): N/A
Codename: Hafiz
Alias(es): Prophet of the Snake deity
Age: 29
Classification: Altered human
Affiliation: Evil





Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Golden
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 151 lbs
Other Traits: Has a large snake tattoo on his back. When not wearing the mask, he looks like this:





Hafiz's powers are granted to him by the symbol on his back, and the mask that he wears. Both are the gifts of the Snake Deity to its 'champion', so to speak, and grant him rather unusual and useful powers, to aid in his mission to bring the deity back to this mortal plane. Using any of them is possible only when having both the symbol, and the mask on.

Powers:

• Reptilian physiology: Although hidden by many layers of clothes, the mask instantly changes the person wearing it, into a reptilian-like creature. The user becomes covered with hard scales, which are able to hold a blow of a knife, is able to lift around 600 lbs, run at 35 mph and reaction times are also greatly improved - he is able to catch a ball lobbed by a professional baseball pitcher without much trouble. The user's eyes also take a change, shifting from human to snake-like ones.
  
• Snake magic: With the mask on, the user is granted arcane powers by the deity he serves to, which allows him to conjure spells in order to attack, or defend himself. These spells require no ritual words, or special items like a wand or whatnot, and can be activated via the user's mental command. These spells are:
  
  - Escape of a dozen snakes: The user turns his body into more than a dozen snakes, which scatter in many directions. This can be used to attack a singular foe, infiltrate into places, or escape. As long as at least one snake survives, the Prophet can reform himself out of it, however, his level of fatigue depends on how many snakes have survived, in the end. Should all snakes die, he would die as well.
  
  - Poison haze: The user summons forth a purple mist, which can cover an area of 25 meters in radius. Anyone, who would inhale said poison, or let it get into open wounds, would feel a long, painful burning. Trying to wash it out with water only makes it worse - the poison's effects multiply when getting in contact with H2O. Should one spend too much time within the mist, it may cause the lungs to fail, and the person would die of asphyxiation. The user is immune to effects of his own poison.
  
  - Curse of the Snake Deity: In order to activate this, Hafiz has to touch and get a hold of the opponent. Upon contact, a black, ink-like snake transfers unto the victim's skin, like a tattoo. [The hold must not be broken within one post for the curse to activate] When under the effect of the curse, the victim's body feels greatly restrained, strength and speed dropping by 50%, and their powers are weakened to the same degree as well. The curse rarely lasts longer than a day, being non-permanent.
  
  - Snake summons: The Prophet can summon snakes to do tasks for him. These snakes he controls with his mind, and is able to see what they see, and sense what they sense - the information relayed back to him via telepathic link. Hafiz can summon up to 8 snakes, up to three times. The snakes are all venomous, and their poisonous bite is dangerous and deadly.
  
  - Blessing of the Snake Deity: Just like the Deity punishes those who stand against her will, she rewards those who follow her. Just like the curse, the blessing can be transferred upon touching the individual. The person is then marked by the snake sign where he or she were touched, and their bodily and special powers are increased by 50 percent. This doesn't hold for longer than a day, so if you want to have more, you have to come to the Prophet to get it, again.
  
  - Protection of the Snake Deity: There are some things that are valuable to the Snake Deity or her followers, and she graciously lends her protection over such valued items. Transferred by the prophet's touch, the spell coats the object (of size not bigger than a door) with magical energy, which shields and protects it from harm. As such, it is immune to any sort of physical damage, with only magical powers of high tier, available to warlocks, wizards and magical beings of his own strength or more powerful, able to damage what is protected. The objects enchanted like this are limited to solid, one-piece items, usually weapons and artifacts, but not clothes or armors.
  

Skills:

Languages: Quentin knows many languages, including a few dead ones, which were used by civilizations of ancient times.

History: Being an archaeologist prior to the 'event', the man has extensive knowledge about this world's history and mythology. After the event that turned him into the prophet of the Snake deity, his knowledge was expanded with information on magical artifacts.

Martial artist: The Snake Deity has implanted knowledge of a particular fighting style, when Quentin came into an involuntary contact with her. Now, the man, who barely knew any martial arts before, is able to hold his own in a close-quarter battle, whether armed or not.


Weaknesses:

The mask: Should it be shattered, or torn off his face, Quentin would revert back into human, with no powers, and no martial abilities. The mask cannot be destroyed forever, being a physical manifestation of the will of the Snake, and would always, always find its way to Quentin, one way or another.

The Cold: Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, meaning that they do not fare well when temperatures drop low. Hafiz, when transformed, shares this weakness, and in cold environments his movements become sluggish, and mind works slowly.

The Piper: Snakes can be enchanted by the whimsical sounds of a sinister flute. The music is Hafiz' foil, as it can hypnotize him into a state of deep trance. Needless to say, he also likes it very much.

Equipment:

- Staff: a wooden staff with a head of the snake carved out of the handle. It is roughly 6 feet tall, and is strong and heavy enough to be used as a weapon.

- Mask: The mask Quentin wears on his face, the source of all of his powers.




Personality:

The man has ... two personalities, to speak of. One of them, when he is not wearing the mask, is Quentin - his real personality. Quentin is a timid man, who feels awkward around ladies at times, and would rather bury himself in work, than interact with the outside world. He has a passion for history, and works as an archaeologist, in order to uncover mysteries of the past. He enjoys traveling, and is able to walk many miles under desert sun, without breaking a sweat. He is not very brave, and would prefer to avoid any sort of confrontations, if it is possible.

However, when Quentin puts the mask on, he becomes...

Hafiz. Prophet of the Snake Deity. And his personality becomes completely different. Hafiz is a powerful, commanding and charismatic individual, with a powerful voice that is able to move people. He is not afraid to use any means at his disposal to get his way, and cannot be intimidated by any display of power. Hafiz believes that he is protected by a greater power, and that it is his destiny to serve his goddess, and assist her in return to this mortal plane. He is intelligent, cunning, and with magical powers at his disposal - certainly dangerous.

Frequently, either as Quentin or Hafiz, the man hears a strange female voice within his head, which often tells him what to do. That voice often urges the man to put the mask on, and continue to do the bidding of the Snake Deity. Unlike Hafiz, Quentin is actually scared of things he does when he puts the mask on, and from time to time tries to resist the call. But, being a weak-willed individual that he is, he loses all the time, and is too afraid of consequences of his deeds to tell anyone, or ask for help. As his resolve weakens, the grip of Hafiz only grows... stronger.


Strengths:

- Intelligent
- Powerful warlock
- Champion of the Snake Deity

Interests/Habits:

- Reading
- Playing chess
- Tapping against the floor with his staff
- Watching fishes swim in a fishbowl
- Working till passing out.




Family Members: John Watson (56 years old, alive); Judy Watson (53 years old, alive)
Place of Origin: Jump City
Current City: Jump City
History:

Quentin was born in Jump city, in a simple family. his father was a museum worker, while his mother - a teacher in school. Both were very kind and intelligent people, who have taught the boy to love books and enjoy reading. Since young age, Quentin had been fascinated with history, and mythology, preferring them to ridiculous comic books other kids read. Always a bit 'away from this world', he never meshed well with people around him.

Pulling through school years was a bit hard. There was the bullying of course, and other stuff that came with being a teen. Quentin's grades were very good, and he was the History Teacher's favorite student, but he never had much friends, and girls shunned him as well, preferring strong soccer jocks to a shy, quiet boy with glasses, in the corner.

After school, Quentin went to University, aiming to major in History and Archaeology. This was a great opportunity for him too - easily getting on friendly terms with professors, he often got to accompany them on expeditions, as part of his study. The teachers had also noticed his talent and enthusiasm, and predicted a great career for the young man. And, for the time, their predictions came true.

Quentin managed to finish the university with an excellent diploma, and had enough connections with the historical community to be allowed to go on larger, more important expeditions. It was then, when his destiny was decided. The day when he chose to embark on an expedition to a far away land, previously known as Mesopotamia, a region between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. A region which was known to be the cradle of earliest of the ancient civilizations.

The expedition had been prepared due to a very interesting discovery that had occurred recently. Remains of a temple, probably as ancient as Babylon itself, if not more. But it wasn't the temple itself which was amazing, it was who it was dedicated towards. The Mesopotamian civilization had plenty of gods, but all of them were human in appearance. The temple, on the other hand, seemed to be dedicated to some sort of a ... Snake Deity. Which didn't fall in with the region's religion, or, at least, according to the data they had.

Quentin was very excited to participate in the mission. This promised to be the greatest archaeological discovery of the century! He, along with many others, departed from USA, and towards Iraq, where the temple had resided.


The man was barely able to believe his eyes, when he finally got to see the temple. It was large, pyramid-like in shape, and with snake heads on the sides. Inside of the pyramid there was an intricate system of mazes and floors, with lots of writings on the wall. The language was unknown, it bore some resemblance to both egyptian and mesopotamian writings alike, too mixed to understand what it was saying. Bravely, the explorers have ventured inside. And then ... something happened.

No one that entered the building, managed to get back. Radios went offline, doors closed, and the labyrinth became a series of dangerous traps, which picked off the archaeologists one by one. Those outside were desperately trying to break through the stone doors, while screams of those inside were fading away, as they were dying.

Quentin was scared. When panic attack struck, and he broke away from the group, running down a narrow path, with hands covering his head. He screamed, and by sheer miracle, managed to get through a field of deadly trap doors, snakes and spikes, unharmed. For hours, he sat in the dark, when his flashlight went off, fearing that he would die out here. However, fate smiled upon the unfortunate man that day. And, perhaps, the whole maze may have been a test. To find a ... worthy one.

Eventually, his path came to a close. Quentin found himself in front of a large door. It was engraved with many hieroglyphs and signatures of unknown meaning and origin. Two snake heads on each half of the door were signifying that behind was something important. And through the cracks of the door, he could see... light. Some sort of a light. Desperate, and completely driven by fear, Quentin didn't think of anything else, and entered the door...

The young archaeologist, and everyone who went with him, were presumed dead, victims of the deadly Snake Temple. Quentin, however, wasn't. And three years after his mysterious disappearance, the man had reappeared again in his native town, the Jump City. His parents were incredibly happy, crying tears as their son had finally returned to them. But the man has ... changed, and did not speak a word about what has happened, or where he had been all these years. He brought nothing with him, aside from a staff, and a strange mask. He became more secretive and reclusive as well. But little did they know, that Quentin returned to the city not just as their son...

But as a prophet of the Snake Deity...

Sample RP:

It was yet another starless night.

The clouds were hanging heavily above the city, blocking the moon and the stars, and sentencing Jump into pitch-black darkness. Lamp poles, which were dotting the streets, were unable to dispel it, their tiny circles of light seemingly consumed by the heavy blackness that surrounded them. It was a perfect night for all sorts of dark deeds...

Quentin could not sleep this night. His elderly parents were asleep already, in their room, and the house was silent. Well, seemingly silent. The man twitched and turned in his bed, eyes open, no matter how often he tried closing them. With the blanket, it felt too stuffy, without - too cold. And he could hear things too. The wooden floor cracking on its own, from time to time, and the night critters outside. But, most importantly, he could hear... a voice. A gentle hiss, inside of his own head. Calling out to him...

- Quentin... Quentin...

- Ugh...

The man turned on his side, and put a pillow over his ears. He knew that voice. He heard it often. Too often. During those three years he had been missing. And every night, it was the same. It was so alluring, so convincing... He tried resisting it every time too. But the more he tried, the worse he was getting at it. The grip was too strong. The venom already coursing through his veins.

He looked at the mask, which was standing behind the glass, in the cup-board. It was glowing slightly, as if it was made of luminescent materials. The eyes... Quentin couldn't look away from those pitch-black eyeholes, which were drilling through his very soul. Resolve was weakening, and soon, he would give in. Like plenty of times before. Again, the mysterious voice rang in his head, this time a bit more demanding in nature:

- Come now, Quentin. There are many things to be done tonight... You promised me...

And with that, he approached the cupboard, opening it, and taking out the mask. Breathing out, he placed it over his face, feeling it fit perfectly, almost glued to the surface of his skin. For a few moments, he would freeze like this, standing immovable, like a statue. And the silence was broken yet again, Quentin's voice piercing it, words spoken quietly, yet surely:

- Of course, mistress... Your wish is my command.

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