the Old Man

F Gd 10

A Ty 6

S Am 50

E Am 50

R Gd 10

I Gd 10

P Am 50

Res Fe 2

Pop Sh 0

Health: Karma:

116 70

Origin:

The Old Man, as he is known to most people these days, is none other than Ken Connell. The third manifestation of Ken in the universe, the Old Man is the punch line of a temporal paradox involving that man's very existence. As are Ken and the Star Child, the Old Man is a spontaneously created human being, one who simply did not exist until he came to be as a result of the Star Brand's own creation.

Known Powers:

Immortality: after acquiring the Star Brand over 500 years ago, the Old Man was rendered immortal. He can be killed, but he won't die. If brought to zero health points and Shift 0 Endurance, his body will assume a regenerative form, a fish-headed, pink humanoid looking thing with really loose, baggy skin - until he's all healed up. Even total body disintegration cannot stop this regeneration from occurring.

Longevity: while not ageless, the Old Man has lived over five hundred years, barely appearing to be in his middle ages. This is approximately Poor (4) longevity, giving him a likely 2880 year life span; 70-25 (human life span minus the age when he gained the Star Brand) x 64 (power rank cubed) + 25 (again, the age he likely gained this power) = 2905. Of course, he's spent much of that already.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

The Star Brand: for all of his existence, the Old Man has possessed the Star Brand, a device that can be used to draw forth endless amounts of energy from the very fabric of space-time. The Old Man never channels a truly infinite amount of power from the thing, however. He typically manifests Star Brand effects at Amazing (50) rank, at least when he barely concentrates on said effect.

If he wants to, the Old Man can easily increase the effect of any power he knows how to produce with the Star Brand, doing so with a general ceiling of Shift Z (500) unless noted otherwise in a specific power's description. He typically doesn't utilize the Star Brand in this fashion unless it is absolutely necessary, however, as this level of energy discharge often has unforeseen effects.

Furthermore, the Old Man can utilize more than one Star Brand effect at a time. Operating two powers at once requires a green Reason FEAT roll, each additional power adds a -1 CS penalty to this FEAT. In other words, the Old Man can theoretically use all of his Star Brand powers at once, but this is difficult for him to concentrate on. At any rate, he has demonstrated these Star Brand abilities so far:

* Damage Reduction: by spreading the Star Brand's energies throughout his body, the Old Man can achieve nigh invulnerability. If he's not concentrating, however, he can be hurt normally, and even killed (though his immortality would eventually counter that). When he spreads the Star Brand's energy throughout his body, the Old Man possesses 8 CS of damage reduction versus physical and energy attack.

* Energy Generation: by extending its energies outside himself, the Old Man can create startling displays of the unknown, paradoxical power of the Star Brand. While he can focus this into a directional blast of power, it most often manifests as a sort of explosion centered on his body, inflicting power rank Energy damage to everybody within Very Near distance (50 yards).

If he should increase the effect above Amazing (50), the Old Man must pass a red power FEAT roll to focus it into a beam, as opposed to detonating everything within his immediate area. Furthermore, the blast effect is increased by one area for each +1 CS he adds to its power rank; for example, a Shift X (150) ranked explosion would affect everything within four areas of the Old Man.

* Environmental Independence: during his many adventures, the Old Man has demonstrated that the Star Brand allowed him to function without air. It is likely that he wields this power at Class 5000 rank, effectively neutralizing his need to breathe (save out of habit, of course). It is unknown, however, whether or not he needs to eat or drink to survive. He probably doesn't, but he may not know this.

* Flight: simply by willing it, the Old Man can move about in all three dimensions, at up to Amazing (50) speed (375 miles per hour) if he's not really concentrating. However, should he desire, he can kick his flight rank up to Beyond (infinite) speeds, though this would be dangerous in several ways. For instance, he could hit something exceptionally hard at these speeds.

Sure, he would eventually recover, thanks to his immortality, but it'd likely take a good long time; being scattered over several light years tends to cause a body some inconvenience. Furthermore, this would cause a planet an impressive amount of damage if he pulled this stunt in an atmosphere. Again, he'd recover from the resultant plasma cloud, but this would be rather inconvenient.

Especially for the natives. Finally, there's the simple matter of getting lost. Ken Connell did that once while exploring the solar system, and he almost didn't make it back. If he flew too fast, too far, it could be a good long time before the Old Man makes it back home (interstellar space is very, very big). This is why, if he wishes to enhance his speed, the Old Man usually limits himself to Class 1000 rank.

That being, of course, Mach 10 in earth's atmosphere.

* Mind Control: one ability that the Old Man demonstrated regarding his power that the other wielders of the Star Brand have yet to use is his power over the minds of others. By focusing his will, the Old Man can control the actions of others with Amazing (50) skill, forcing them to do what he wants for either short or long periods of time, if his targets fail a Psyche FEAT versus this power's rank.

* Portability: the Star Brand itself is easily portable, and the Old Man can move it about on his person as he sees fit. If he wants to get rid of the Star Brand, it is similarly easy to just move it onto the body of another person, should they want the thing. However, it is vital to note that the Star Brand cannot exist on an inanimate object. Attempting this is a very, very bad idea.

This is because, without a true sentience to control it, the Brand's power will rage out of control, disintegrating the object (and a very large portion of the surroundings). For instance, placing the Star Brand into a bent ten pound weight destroyed said weight and all matter within a twenty-five mile radius, accidentally creating the Pitt. Needless to say, this also ruined Ken Connell's day!

Similarly, placing the Star Brand into a non-sentient animal isn't a good idea, either. This won't cause the calamity described above, but it will kill the animal over time, as the Star Brand's energies, unchecked, will consume it within days. This was, of course, discovered by the Old Man during his many attempts to rid himself of this thing.

* Super-Strength: while his strength has been considerably enhanced by the Star Brand (to its currently Amazing level), the Old Man can use the device to raise his lifting ability to astounding, Shift Z levels - enabling him to support up to 500 tons - though this doesn't add to his Health score any. Oddly enough, thanks to the Star Brand's belief-based nature, structural integrity doesn't affect this ability whatsoever.

In other words, the Old Man really could lift up a building, or a small town, or an ocean liner, without it falling to pieces. Luckily, he never took engineering or physics courses, or he might have thought differently. In addition to this, the Old Man could use his flight power to carry lifted items with similar, equivalent strength. If he dropped such items, however, the results would be disastrous.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Driving / Motorcycles: in his past, the Old Man was a rather skilled driver of all sorts of two-wheeled vehicles, like motorcycles and dirt-bikes. He receives a +1 CS on any Control maneuver he has to attempt while operating such a vehicle, even in exceptionally rough terrain.

Martial Arts type B: the Old Man knows how to fight - with or without his powers - doing so quite underhandedly. As such, while in a scrap, the Old Man can attempt unarmed melee attacks as though his Fighting rank was +1 CS in rank, either using fists, kicks, or whatever.

Repair / Tinkering: also, the Old Man used to be a skilled auto mechanic, having worked at an auto repair shop for years (and having had to put his bike together after crashing it several times). His Reason in such matters should be considered +1 CS.

Contacts:

None.

While he is an older version of Ken Connell, the Old Man didn't know this until the very end of his existence. As such, he cannot claim any of his 'modern' self's contacts as his own, or anybody else for that matter. In fact, he has primarily been a loner during his long life.

Costume:

The Old Man wore no costume, per se. While going about his business in recent times, however, he has worn a consistent outfit, one that included a brown leather jacket, gray trousers, brown leather shoes, a black turtle neck sweater, and a black leather belt.

Personality:

Stubborn and obsessed, the Old Man is the essential Ken Connell, even if he didn't know it. Though he believed himself to be someone else, he shared all of his previous self's mental issues, heaping on the additional problems concerning a complete lack of scruples

The quintessential narcissist, the Old Man's world revolved around him and him alone.

Real Name: Ken Connell
Occupation: former Dutch duke, formerly performed various odd jobs
Legal Status: Danish citizen with no known criminal record, legally dead
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: various, but unrevealed
Group Affiliation: none

Height: 6' 5" (growing to 7' 6" thanks to the Star Brand's ever-increasing power)
Hair: white
Eyes: blue
Weight: 230 lbs (growing to around 350 lbs as the Star Brand's power increased)
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Ken Connell, in his aspect of the Old Man, had a rather large beard and moustache - and was balding around the temples.

Story:

After agreeing to help the Star Child plug up the apparent paradox that the existence of both himself and the Star Brand represented, Ken Connell merged his mind, body, and spirit with both the Star Child and the Old Man, and this combined entity acted at once to stitch up the damage to the space-time continuum it perceived. It reshaped reality somewhat in the past, and sent Ken back there.

Of course, before he arrived, Ken's memories were tampered with, and he was made to believe that he was a Dutch duke all his life, a memory that was enhanced by the subtle alterations in causality made by the tripartite Connell entity. Immediately after his arrival and submergence into this false life, this man who was Ken Connell was struck by a wave of unstoppable energies.

These energies were the White Event, a discharge of temporal energies that he himself would cause in the future, which traveled faster than light and thus wound their way back through time. Being there to collect them, the former Connell acquired great power, power he hid from his 'fellow' Danish folk and tried not to use, lest he be branded a witch or some such - and be driven from his home.

However, as time passed, the Duke noticed that he wasn't really aging alongside his peers, and eventually left his Duchy to wander Europe, doing odd jobs and other things to pass the time during his otherwise endless existence. He was content with this life until a cave-in at a mine he was working at caused his untimely demise, crushing him flat under a mountain of stone.

Emerging from the rubble in his fish-like regenerative form, this former nobleman was horrified, believing the power was mutating him into some unrecognizable monster. He eventually reverted to normal, but his fears remained. As such, he tried to rid himself of his might, starting by giving his power, his Star Brand, to various flora and fauna - since they wouldn't use the power irresponsibly.

However, the Brand consumed these non-sentient hosts within a short period of time, and forced to reclaim the Brand, he who was Ken Connell flew to the stars rather despondent. There, he came up with the idea of transferring his power into an inanimate object, and the closest object fitting that bill was a nearby asteroid. Hoping this would work, he moved his Star Brand into the space rock.

The resultant explosion totally eradicated his physical presence, and energies given off by the absolute disintegration of that asteroid washed over the earth. Yes, this was the White Event that gave all the paranormals of earth their powers. The former nobleman, protected by the echo of the Star Brand in his body, eventually came back to life, making for earth due to some unknown urge.

Descending to the planet's surface haphazardly in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, the centuries old man, now appearing in his early forties and significantly taller than he was when first arriving in the past, attracted the attention of one Ken Connell. At this point, mental programming placed in his mind by the Star Child activated itself, and this Old Man gave the Star Brand to this (to him) stranger.

Shortly afterward, Connell found the corpse of the Old Man, and believing him to be dead, buried the body nearby. This was a ruse, however, as (responding to those Star Child given mental directives) he immediately began to pose as a strange alien life form, trying to reclaim the Star Brand from Connell. The young man decided to keep the power, however, and managed to drive the disguised Old Man off.

After many months, he returned to Ken Connell in an effort to reclaim his power, though he still retained a small portion of it. Stating that he needed the power to fight an alien war across the cosmos, the Old Man almost regained the Star Brand, until Ken began to question the Old Man's claims. When guile failed, the Old Man resorted to extortion, threatening all of Connell's loved ones to regain the Brand.

This ultimately failed, however, when his scheme left Connell no other choice but to deal with him - permanently. In a pitched battle on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Ken Connell and the Old Man fought savagely amongst themselves, a battle the Old Man ultimately lost. Once he'd won, Ken blasted the Old Man's lifeless corpse back into space - believing him dead at long last.

The inherent immortality that the Star Brand had granted him revived the Old Man in time, however, and a year after his devastating defeat, he returned to reclaim his power once more, attacking Connell while he acted as the guest of honor at a local comics convention, as he had since gone public with his powers. The Old Man was victorious this time, returning in kind the damage Connell inflicted on him a year ago.

Of course, doing so utterly destroyed the convention center Connell was in, and their battle wiped over five thousand lives off the face of the earth in one fell swoop. Not caring about this, the Old Man simply waited for Ken to revive, at which point he would try to convince him to return the Star Brand once again. This plain failed, however, for Ken found another way to dispose of the weapon.

Freaked out by his transformation into that pink, fleshy fish-headed thing, Connell thought he was changing into a monster, no thanks to the memories of his past life the Old Man shared with him as a part of this plot. Deciding to get rid of the thing, Ken didn't go to the Old Man; he instead decided to transfer the Star Brand into an inanimate object to discharge its power.

Though he knew doing so would cause an explosive result, Ken thought he was far enough away from Pittsburgh when he made the transfer. He was wrong, however, and totally annihilated his home city - and a large area around it - as a result. In Pittsburgh at the time, the Old Man was similarly obliterated, and it took him another year to pull himself together after this carnage.

When he finally did so, the Old Man was confronted by a new bearer of the Star Brand, one Jacob Burnsley, who found himself on the receiving end of the Old Man's wrath immediately. Burnsley eventually defeated the Old Man, however, and towed him out to an asteroid in orbit around Jupiter, where the other bearers of the Star Brand's power had assembled at the so-called Star Child's behest.

Once the Old Man was there, the Star Child explained that the existence of the Star Brand was causing something of a paradox, in that it was created when the entire sum of space-time was folded in on itself. Hoping to correct this before all causality collapsed, the Star Child proposed a dangerous scheme - sending the various aspects of Ken Connell - himself, Ken, and the Old Man - through time.

This plan would tidy up all the various problems that seem to have come into being by the existence of both Connell and the Star Brand, this because the bizarre logic of the paradox the Star Child was trying to resolve involved Ken Connell apparently creating himself - an impossible act. It took some doing, but Connell and the Star Child convinced the Old Man to go along with this plan.

As such, once all of their other loose ends had been dealt with, the three aspects of Ken Connell merged themselves into one being, and after subtle alterations were made in each of their minds and the world around them, dispersed themselves through time and space to trap themselves in an endless temporal loop. The Old Man mostly got the short end of this stick, however.

You see, his mind was completely wiped clean, and his essence was transported into the body of Debbie Felix. That's right. While the Star Child became Ken Connell, and Ken Connell became himself, the Old Man apparently became the Star Child. Though somewhat confusing, this loop in time has indeed been closed, and as such, we shall never see the Old Man again - unless causality breaks down, of course!

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