Trader

Melee RV 10

Coordination RV 20

Brawn RV 10

Fortitude RV 50

Intellect RV 50

Awareness RV 75

Willpower RV 75

Lifestyle RV 150

Repute RV 0

Health: Fortune:

90 200

Origin:

As are his fellow Elders of the Universe, the Trader is a being so obsessed with his chosen field of study, finance and trade, that his overwhelming devotion to it has actually extended his lifespan indefinitely. His sheer age has also granted him the Power Primordial!

Known Powers:

Immortality: thanks to his driving passion to understand trade in all its myriad forms, the Trader has effectively become immortal. He can be killed by being brought to zero (0) Health and rank value zero (0) Fortitude, but he will eventually recover from any injury or demise.

Unless he somehow loses his passion for commerce, that is. Furthermore, the machinations of the Grand Master have barred him from Death's realm. Death was forced to claim the Trader temporarily after this, but he got better; Death is a rather intransigent entity after all.

In other words, the Trader effectively has this power twice. For him to pass permanently, he would have to a) lose his love for commerce, and b) somehow have Death convinced to kill him - and keep him dead - or else he'll eventually return.

Power Primordial: as do the other Elders, the Trader has access to the Power Primordial, the energies loosed by the Big Bang itself. Though able to produce virtually any effects with it, the Trader has only demonstrated the following thus far:

* Empathy: while he cannot control the emotions of others, per se, the Trader is more than adept in reading them. He uses this rank value 100 power to gauge how best to manipulate his would-be trading partners, in order come out better in his dealings.

* Environmental Independence: tapping the Power Primordial to handle the sundry requirements of a physical existence, the Trader has done away with such base needs. Possessing this power at rank value 5000, he no longer needs to breathe, eat, or drink to sustain his life.

* Invulnerability: the Power Primordial has granted the Trader protection from a very wide array of threats. He effectively possesses complete immunity to Disease, Energy, Pressure Variance, and Poison assaults of any stripe.

* Telepathy: the Trader has not done great things with this ability, mostly wielding it to communicate with others who are in the void or, as is usually the case, no longer speak his dead language. He possesses this power at rank value 2, at least.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Bodycase: the Trader keeps a belt with a special case attached, one he can use to retain particularly valuable property. When held by this device, an object is seized with rank value 150 power, and is tied to the Trader's very life force.

Since the Trader is immortal (in more ways than one), this means one must overcome this immensely powerful binding or simply trade for the object within - which is what the Trader usually wants in the first place. Objects or entities can be held by the bodycase.

Quirks:

Mania / Monomania 3: his love for finance is so great that the Trader pursued it to the exclusion of all else in life - and it shows whenever you try to talk to him. He is at his Willpower -6 RS to resist talking about anything related to his chosen art in any situation.

Skills:

Business / Finance 3: it should probably go without saying but the Trader knows just about everything there is to know in this area of expertise; he's had billions and billions of years to get good at it, after all. His Intellect score is +3 RS in financial matters.

Psychology: as a necessary aside to his one true passion, the Trader has made a habit of studying how people think - the better to more easily trade with them. His Intellect in relation to behavior-based ACT rolls is +1 RS higher than noted above.

Contacts:

The Trader is an Elder of the Universe, a collection of extremely old beings that are all the last member of their respective species - and immortal due to their obsessive pursuit of their greatest passion. He can rely upon his fellows for aid should he ask it of them.

Costume:

The Trader wears a simple outfit most of the time. It consists of a short, white robe, accented by an exceedingly long blue cape; it's actually longer than he is tall. He also wears blue sandals and small white wrist bands as well.

Personality:

As is the case with most of his fellow Elders, the Trader shares a passion for his art which may be described as 'monomaniacal' - and he loves to talk about it. He gains the most satisfaction when he trades to his advantage - but makes the other guy think he won in the end.

Real Name: Cort Zo Tinnus
Occupation: trader, financier
Legal Status: citizen of an unknown, dead world
Marital Status: (very) single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Elders of the Universe

Height: 4' 5"
Hair: orange
Eyes: black
Weight: unknown
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: the Trader has deep purple skin, a disproportionately huge nose on a larger than normal head, and a large orange 'unibrow'.

Story:

Little has been revealed about the past of the entity now known as the Trader. It is known that, as a mere mortal, he was obsessed with the fine art of trading, whether he be bartering for food or arranging the wholesale acquisition of an entire planet.

His love of trade drew him away from his world, working hard to master every aspect of business dealings known to the cosmos. Over time, his obsession began to take a toll, after a fashion, for the Trader could think of nothing else in this life, for good or ill.

Instead of just dying an old, unfulfilled man however, the Trader's intransigent passion for his financial pursuits stretched out his lifespan, like taffy. He found that his aging slowed, and his need for mere physical sustenance was growing less as the unending years dragged on.

Having lived for so long that he forgot where he actually came from, the Trader has actually managed to outlive his entire species, itself lost to history as he alone continued, crossing the universe and beyond in his search for one satisfying transaction after another.

The Trader was more than content to simply live out his existence in this fashion but was approached by another being like himself. This fellow, the Grandmaster, was also the last of his kind, and also found his life eternally extended by his overwhelming passion for gaming.

He explained that, as some of the oldest beings in the universe, men like the Trader and himself were more fit to rule it than interloping outsiders such as Galactus. Finding the acquisition of an entire universe an enticing deal, the Trader agreed to help take over the joint.

To this end, the Trader helped his fellow obsessives, the so-called Elders of the Universe, to collect six artifacts of staggering power: the Infinity Gems. They used these to set up a trap to capture and destroy Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, but this plot ultimately failed.

In its immediate aftermath, the Trader and two of his fellows were cast into the black hole their machinations created, until the Silver Surfer came after them - and the Infinity Gems that fell in with them. Of course, this was when things got worse for the Trader.

You see, he and his cohorts were followed by the so-called In-Betweener, who developed staggering power as he rested in the spot between two universes - the very heart of the singularity the Trader's actions helped to create. Furthermore, he no longer needed the Elders.

When they sought to oppose the In-Betweener's plan to dispose of Galactus in his realm, the In-Betweener seemingly used his unbelievable might to summon forth Death herself. The idea was to force that entity to slay the three Elders outright - though there was a catch.

Since the Grandmaster's scheming had previously barred the Elder's from Death's embrace, the In-Betweener actually summoned forth Oblivion, who appeared in his sister's guise. He then wielded his full power against the three Elders, negating their very existence!

Once the In-Betweener had ultimately been dealt with, the Trader eventually came back into being, and he skulked away to parts unknown. He was not seen again until after the multiverse was destroyed and recreated, at which point he was drawn to a new source of the Power Primordial.

Wishing to barter with his fellow Elders for it, the Trader ultimately found himself wrapped up in another of their Contests of Champions. Being that combat is not his forte, the Trader and his Champion were rapidly eliminated from the Contest, as were all the Elders, ultimately.

Leaving the site of the Contest for parts unknown, the Trader's current schemes have yet to be revealed to mere mortal eyes.

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