Russel Raleigh

"Everyone must face their mortality- be it of the body, the soul, or the mind."

- R.R.

Summary
If you ask a Federation employee about the legend of Russel Raleigh, they’d probably be pretty confused. Ask a historian for his, and they’d laugh in your face. But ask the few relics of age gone past, those present all those years ago, and you’ll find an epic of a lonely, determined man, founder of one of the largest Early Era Guilds, creator of The Obligatory and the most powerful spells known to the gods, a self-made man-to-god whose name has long since faded in the bittersweet sea of history.

Personality
Russel Raleigh is a man of anger. Born into a basic world and a basic life, his aspirations left him an outcast to his family. And as much as both sides attempted to reconnect, there was no common ground to build off of. The small, easily irritable child found himself leaving home at a young age, only a few years off twenty, set to never return.

To say Russel Raleigh was a genius would be... wrong. Russel Raleigh was more than that. Genius does not describe it- motivated does. Russel Raleigh was characterized by a relentless chasing of science and discovery, seeking knowledge more than anything else. In a world of infinite possibilities, Russel Raleigh was one of the greatest minds dedicated to that of discovering the mystery that was beyond him. And he did a damn good job, discovering Caelum, the interconnected Consortium, and each level of Caelum.

It was hard to say what drove him so greatly. An easy answer would be knowledge, but that was a small facet. Beyond just understanding was a desire to accomplish something that would make his parents proud. His failings when he was younger crippled him, and he aspired for nothing more than to show the world what he could do. The deep-seated feeling rest inside that, if he could earn the love of the world, he could earn the love of his parents and siblings, long past their death. This emotional boost drove him past ever obstacle, hard at work for thousands of years, to appease his conscious and allow him to live past his mistakes.

Besides that endless desire for accomplishment was a snarky attitude that dictated the largest barrier keeping him from his goals. While his mind was great for logistics, it was far less skilled at appealing to other people. He was known as "inhumanly good at pissing people off," channeling his angers and disappointments with all those who failed to live up to his expectations in rough bursts, taking no shit from anyone. He was rude and foul-mouthed, prone to incredibly descriptive and crude gestures, a lover of comments on parental heritage and inquisitive questions regarding the size and make-up of their brains, along with expletives regarding long, phallic objects and where they should put them. To many, this attitude was a blast, until it was directed at them.

It should come at no surprise that Russel Raleigh was not very popular among people, often restricting him from any attempts at popularity. He was incapable of sucking up to "imbeciles who think they are way smarter than they are" and other "self-righteous pricks," and this fundamental lack of respect barred him off from making the connections he needed to get anywhere. He made a lot of enemies, and very few friends, and never had the foundation necessary to become famous like he desired.

While he was excellent at dishing out insults, he was far less good at taking them. The slightest poke at his work, to him, was an unrelenting assault that demanded only the strongest responses.

"Russel, this paper is quite descriptive, but frankly, the concept is a bit lackluster, a bit dumb..."

"YOU'RE DUMB AND YOUR MOTHER IS A WHORE!"

With how much love and care he put into every last word he put down on a page, every inch of brainpower dedicated to discovery and knowledge, the thought of someone rejecting that infuriated him down to his very core, setting him off in childish fits of unbridled fury on only the slightest provocation. Very, very few people could properly criticize his work and get away with it. Russel adamantly refused to work with others for this reason, though to be fair, there weren't that many people who would work with him anyways.

Russel was never one for combat, despite being incredibly gifted with his Boon of The Flood, being able to warp the flow of Adagio in order to dictate the very fundamentals of reality. He prefers to end conflicts as quickly as possible, though he is very skilled with utilizing his analytical brain to control the battlefield, weaving it to his control in order to never miss a beat, quickly to exploit any and all openings. As a result, he has made an incredibly cunning and efficient member of the Blanket Lovers Club Combat Team, standing from afar and setting every opponent at an unmitigated disadvantage. His weak stature and no-name history often plays in his favor, enemies underestimating him before being torn to shreds by his immensely potent reality warping, the thought of restraint never crossing him.

Despite his failings, Russel Raleigh is a very passionate man, a man built in his words, always there to keep a promise no matter the situation. He is honest and good at the heart, aiming to improve the world with his actions. He wants to be famous for good, not famous to be famous. If his name is to be remembered, he wants it to be written down as a man shedding flesh and blood to better The Consortium and make it a perfect realm for the days to come.

A shoulder to cry on, those who get close to Russel Raleigh often get to see the incredibly soft core inside, a future seer who strives for greatness not just for him, but for those around him. He gets attached easily, and will go above and beyond to protect and help his allies in their times of need, moral in his actions and devoted to his allies. He spent several centuries crafting Valev's Collective and his method of immortality, as a way of keeping his friend's dying soul alive.

In the end, Russel Raleigh is a man who thinks he's fighting against the world, but is really fighting against himself. A great mind held back by itself, every stroke of genius shut down by stubborn denial. A softie at heart, extending out his fullest efforts to every last ally, utilizing both pragmatic and emotionally idealistic methods to build up those around him, but always unable to build up himself. A man who works every day for a dream that simply can not come true. Yet, this harsh antithesis of himself maybe helped define his greatest quality near the end of his life: self-reflection. Unlike every last Blanket Lover, Russel Raleigh was the first, and last, to truly recognize the destruction they had spread, and the first to seek to repent. The first to analyze their impact of history, and how they were so selfish and cruel, never to realize it until it was too late. And in those final days, that self reflection purified his soul, as he was able to sober up and realize just how pointless his life and goals had been. But knowing your past was pointless leaves you only with the present, and with that present came a new Russel Raleigh, calm and serene, clearheaded for the first time in his life. And from there, the final step was departure.

Backstory
"I’ll do what they all said I couldn’t."
 * -|Early Life=

From a young age, ‘Lil Russ was known as the runt of the Raleigh family, child to Thompson and Maria, sibling to Jack and Haley. Despite his short, lean stature, he was actually the oldest child of the three, three years more than Jack, five more than Haley. He grew up in a small Jade province, living wealthy among the riches afforded by the many Raleigh farms. As the oldest of the children, he was set to inherit the many plantations his family held.

And with this future came much responsibility. His mother, Maria, held great faith in him, and looked up to the lanky child to help raise and support his younger siblings while their very busy father was around and about. Russel had no qualms; he loved his brother and sister, and took joy in teaching them how to tend to the farm and fix tools, just like their many laborers and farm workers. After all, it was a Raleigh tradition to know the meaning of hard, dirty work, even despite their wealth.

Russel was a studious child, obsessed with learning and improving. And he liked to share this with his siblings, often ranting off to them about his magical studies as they plowed the fields. They never really cared. That never stopped Russel, though. For a time, he was a golden child- hard at work, in studies and in the sun.

But as he grew older, much to the dismay of his parents, the truth came out: Russel did not enjoy teaching about farming, he enjoyed teaching. More specifically, the trading and learning of new information had him intoxicated- the unrelenting handwork of crop harvesting did not. Russel, even at the age of 16, was a small, weak kid, unfit for physical labor and often left exhausted after short periods of work. In truth, he held only contempt and disdain for the work, and had little interest in ever maintaining it when he was older. He found both the physical and economic labor menial, and instead, hid himself in his studies.

Soon, the admiration from his parents turned to disappointment. Jack became the star, a great farmhand, good with people and money, unlike the socially awkward Russel. His siblings and his family, in a sense, forgot about him, in part due to his tendencies to hole up in his room every day and focus soley on his work. Some servants said ‘Lil Russ wouldn’t eat for days when a large project caught his attention. Those days he did exit to eat at the table, while physically present, was mentally absent. There was no fighting, only a solemn understanding that his interests were lonely ones.

At the age of 19, Russel took his magical handiwork and left, leaving only a small, emotionless note to his parents. They would never see him again.

"You know, I always use to tell myself, “Things could always be worse”. Then I became a slave."
 * -|Trouble in Paradise=

In five weeks, Russel found himself forcefully in labor as a laboratory scientist, his bright mind paylessly locked fourty feet under.

It happened rather quickly. Just a week after leaving home, he applied for a government job, and with his vigorous studies, easily got the position. There, he was put on The Spark Projectc tasked to advancing knowledge on the fundamentals of magic, to accelerate the training and strength of their mages.

Russel was, frankly, a natural. It was everything he dreamed of, working endlessly to delve into the unbreakable mystery that was What is magic? and there was no doubt that he was damn good at it. But, while his work ethic was astounding, his treatment of authority left much to be desired.

After Russel made several stirring dissertations regarding King Arthur’s many budget cuts on his team, (including but not limited to suggesting Arthur was an “imbecile with a head similar in density to his empire” while making several aggressive comments regarding Arthur’s parentage and his wife’s relations with various other nobles), Russel Raleigh found himself among prisoners of war in status, sleeping in a jail cell at night, only to wake up and work by day. While he was often beat and whipped for minor misdemeanors, he still held pride in his research, though he vowed to find escape. Despite being gifted in the research of magic, his actual magical potency was next to null. He decided it would be best to start with that.

And so, the disgruntled young man got to work, relentlessly taking the attacks as he delved into the fabric of magic, beyond the layers of reality, discovering the smallest hint of something greater, much greater, a force of white that makes up every leyline of existence... There was something there, and he was so close. This spark would eventually come to be known as Caelum.

He bid his time, a recluse, only begrudgingly working the bare minimum- work too fast, and they'd reverse engineer his work and kill him off. Work too slow, and they'd kill him anyways. Either way, he was on a time limit, and the pressure was crushing him. Yet, he stood strong, though the stress and tears and blood, waiting for the time to strike... Expect more soon!
 * -|Endless Horizons=

Valev ‘Valev’ Valev
"You were the last bastard who ever cared about me, never let me feel alone. And it pains me that I can’t return the favor. But knowing you? You’re nothing, if not adaptable. Hang in there, bud."

- R.R., The Epilogue A friendship forged in the crucible of war and hatred, bringing out the laughs derived from tears. The fateful day of their first meeting came at the apex of The Jade Revolution, when Valev, Haiti, and their armies stormed the castle, usurped the throne, and saved those within. (Though, Russel went on to say that when he first heard their footsteps down the corridors, he thought it was for his execution.)

Once freed, Russel Raleigh was fine with signing allegiance to the rag-tag gang of revolutionaries as they figured out what to do in the aftermath. Though, he really didn't plan on staying long. He aspired for discovery, not war, and he was stick and tired of being strung around in political games. So, he already began to plan his departure, to leave at dawn and to never come back to this god-forsaken empire.

The night before his leave, he found himself in Mr. Valev's tent, called in to discuss matters of his science and discovery. While flattered, Russel was initially untrusting and hostile, suspicious of the flamboyant fellow's motives. But, as the alcohol around them did it's thing, he slowly found the conversation drifting away from that of science, and to that of anger. The two drunken men laughed their asses off and ranted off about their hatred towards the world and everything it had ever done to them, how everyone was a bunch of fuckasses that needed to "suck a dick so long it comes out the other end and is called double penetration".

Russel Raleigh went off about his anger towards everyone around him, how not a single person really cared for not just his work, but him as a person. How he felt alone and forgotten, his work never good enough no matter how much he tried, and how he truly aspired for something that his parents could of been proud of, but it never came, and now he was here. Valev returned the favor, indulging in the festering hatred inside, how he holds contempt for his world abandoning him, how he feels terrible for thinking such things, and how he feels he was left behind to fend for himself.

It was a day of many tears and laughs, but there was a spark of brotherhood between the two of them. As they woke up hungover the next morning, Russel grew a smile from ear to ear and went off about his magical discoveries. For once in his life, he had found someone who cared about him and what he did.

The two of them were allies for life- Valev's very Collective was formed by Russel Raleigh's own work. And every time Valev formed another child of the Valev family, Raleigh served as Uncle Russ, mentoring them on all Consortium matters. Where Raleigh lacked in social skills and temperament control, Valev had the extroverted livelihood. And where Valev lacked professionalism and long term goals, Raleigh had the perceptiveness and self-reflection. Together, they achieved immortality, liberated entire empires of the oppressed, and brought knowledge to The Consortium as a whole.

Valev is one of the few people Russel felt comfortable around in his long life, even out of his own guild. His anxiety and lack of self-worth was cleansed by the energetic socialite, and Valev's selfishness and emotional swings were often reined in by the no-bullshit scientist.

Russel Raleigh truly admired Valev's energy and social expertise, but even more than that, loved that Valev had the balls to say the things that needed to be said. Far too often, people persons such as Valev would shy away from giving someone what they deserved, but Valev and Russel both shared a sense of judgement and retribution, more than willing to screw around and laugh at those who took themselves too seriously. The sheer energy brought out that childish attitude in only a positive manner, allowing Raleigh to live without a care in a world.

Naturally, there were some angers. Russel always felt a twinge of jealousy at Valev's luck with women, and more than that, held a deep-seated contempt for Valev's popularity among The Consortium. Despite Russel's work, his name was rarely known- out of every member of The Blanket Lovers Club, his name was often the least known. And this would always create a rift between him, and everyone else, for that matter.

Deep inside, though, Russel felt a throbbing desire and indescribable emotion towards the red-haired slasher. It was a feeling he was never able to indulge in, but a feeling that remained throughout his entire life, all the sensations things he was unable to control. He wished to be together with Valev, together, and imagined that Valev felt similarly. But unfortunately, he would never live long enough to share the story.

Near the end of their lives, Russel Raleigh saw his worst fears manifest as Iona Riveras stepped onto the scene, and even worse when Valev, his closest friend, fell in love with her and crowned her as his wife. His anger bursts became even louder, and slowly, he lost the support of his guild. Iona was voted into the guild in a nearly unanimous vote, and with that decision, Russel immediately quit the guild and left to the smallest subsection of The Consortium, never to return.

These days were the most poor of his life, where he saw every last thing he wished to accomplish never manifest. His desires for fame, his desires for friendship, his desires to be remembered, all faded away. Yet, in this time of calm, he came to learn the flaws in The Blanket Lovers Club. How they were self-righteous, ignorant of their impact, and destructive. How so many died because of their war-aspiring actions. And in this moment of realization, he decided his time in the world was up.

And in his dying days, he wrote one final message, The Epilogue, to his desire, before laying to rest.

Iona Riveras
"SHE IS A MOTHERFUCKING RANCID WHORE AND A DISGRACE TO EVERYTHING WE DEDICATED OURSELVES TO! SHE STOLE MY GUILD, MY WORK, AND MY ENTIRE LIFE! EVERY LAST THING I EVER SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH, NOTHING! BECAUSE OF HER! AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO TAKE HER TO BED IN THE SAME FUCKING FORTRESS I MADE WITH MY BEAR HANDS? Why... How could you do this to me?"

- R.R., Farewell Address Utter hatred. That is the singular emotion Russel Raleigh felt for the woman known as Iona Riveras.

Iona represented literally everything Russel desired. Fame from the masses, the popularity and adoration of those around her, and the intimate love he never had. And Russel Raleigh felt that Iona didn't fucking appreciate it. In his eyes, Iona took her gifts for granted, and this left only a sour taste in his mouth. But at least, in the early days, she was not a concern. Not a part of any guild, nor did she have any intentions of joining.

All this changed after The Bellard Conquest.

Iona Riveras emerged from the depths of The Consortium like a storm, assisting in dealing the final nail in the coffin for The Boon of Chains. And with this, came her first interactions with the guild. Soon, Iona's popularity spread like a wildfire. Many of Russel's older works, usually attributed namelessly, were suddenly known in her name. Russel could not stand it.

When Iona officially married herself to Valev and signed herself into the guild, that was the final straw. Iona was the antithesis of everything Russel stood for- hard work, accomplishment, and perseverance. The very goals Russel dedicated his entire life towards, working for thousands of years and sacrificing everything he knew and loved for, Iona had accomplished, just like that.

Jealousy raged inside of him on a level never before. And in a snap, it manifested, as Russel Raleigh attacked Iona, attempting to tear her wicked soul apart in a surprise attack. And if not for Haiti's restraint, he likely would of succeeded. In that moment, that flare of anger, Russel felt only the judging eyes of all those around him. Failure. What he had aspired for, was gone.

In a fit of tears, he delivered his Farewell Address, a final deliverance of his every sentiment and passion, before departing from the guild, never to return.

Personal Statistics
Alignment: Neutral Good

Name:  Russel Raleigh

Origin: The Infinite Consortium

Gender: Male

Age: At least several thousand.

Classification: Founder of The Blanket Lovers Club, scientist, nobody relevant.

Birthplace: Opeka

Weight: 150 lbs

Height: 5'7"

Status: Deceased

Affiliation: Previously Blanket Lovers Club

Powers and Stats
Tier: 5-C

Name: Russel Raleigh, R.R., Mister Angry

Origin: The Infinite Consortium

Gender: Male

Age: At least several thousand.

Classification: Founder of The Blanket Lovers Club, scientist, nobody relevant.

Powers and Abilities: Genius Intelligence, Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Martial Arts, Power Nullification, Power Absorption, Reality Warping, Air Manipulation, Physics Manipulation, and Magic with The Boon of The Flood (Russel’s Boon allows him to control the flow of Magic and Caelum that fundamentally makes up reality. With Starvation, he drains all the energy and mana out of a target to leave them instantly exhausted, and draws the air from their lungs to leave them unable to breathe while their lungs rupture violently in a vacuum. He uses this to mend physics, in order to create phenomenon such as large vacuums to permanently trap enemies in place), Forcefield Creation (Russel commands a field fo magic to permanently surround him and block attacks, while absorbing magical attacks into it), Statistics Amplification (Russel and various Deities amplify their speed to the point where people who normally can act and perceive planck time easily, see them as moving at impossibly fast, planck time speeds), Creation and Matter Manipulation (A part of The Obligatory, most Deities have learned to manipulate Caelum in order to create or destroy matter, manipulate physics, turn energy into matter, or vice versa. With The Boon of The Flood, Russel is exceptionally skilled at this art, more so than most), Magic Creation (Russel was the original creator of many of the techniques in The Obligatory, immensely powerful magical abilities that all mages worth their salt had to have), Conceptual Manipulation (Caelum and The Consortium are both beyond earthern concepts such as time and physics, and work behind entirely different base concepts. Russel Raleigh identified this, and learned to warp Caelum, the very foundation of concepts, in order to bend reality to his will), All Consortium and Obligatory abilities, Invisibility and Higher-Dimensional Existence (Russel can temporarily become one with Aria, granting him nigh-complete invisibility via existing in an utterly imperceptible form beyond normal concepts of sight and light).

Attack Potency: Moon Level (Comparable to Helena, who casually obliterated the atmosphere of a Jupiter-sized planet).

Speed: Massively FTL+, Higher with The Obligatory (Performed The Planck Dance).

Lifting Strength: Unknown (Gravity is of little concern to his abilities).

Striking Strength: Moon Class

Durability: Moon Level, likely Higher (While physicaly weaker than most Deities, his shields provide nigh-impeccable defense against most forms of attack).

Stamina: Nigh-Infinite (Manipulating the very flow of Caelum, he can never run out as long as there is Caelum around him).

Range: Universal+ (Russel’s Boon of The Flood can pierce interdimensional boundaries, though he still needs to have a general idea of what and where he is controlling).

Standard Equipment: Things a character can be expected to have on hand at any given time.
 * Optional Equipment: Things that the character has owned or made usage of before for an extended period of time, but does not always have available on their person.
 * Can Create/Summon: Important/relevant things that the character can create or summon.

Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius (While his name is known by few, Russel was the biggest magical mind back in his day, creating The Obligatory and being the first to delve into Caelum, as well as discovering the possibility of The Nothingness. He fostered many of the fonest magical arts, even if they were falsely attributed to Iona after his death. Valev notes that Russel Raleigh was the man responsibile for his development of immortality, and that he’d be dead otherwise. Russel single-handedly crafted the most powerful standard incantations and magical enhancements known to man. Valev says that Russel’s mind far surpasses his own, and likely rivals even Iona Riveras).

Standard Tactics: The usual behaviour exhibited by a character during battles. For example, which actions a character will first perform when fighting an unknown opponent or which abilities they will use frequently, rarely, or never. This section is optional and should not be added if the character's behaviour is too inconsistent to identify a common pattern.

Weaknesses: Russel is angry and short-tempered, and greatly antisocial. His greatest accomplsihments were all lost and attributed to others, and he failed to achieve nearly as much popularity as his allies, on account of his lack of charisma and general anti-socialness. He is quick to angrily lash out when things don’t go his way, and as a result, lost the support of all his friends and his entire guild to Iona. As he retired to a far away laboratory in the middle of nowhere, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything but rot away into nothingness.

The Boon of The Flood
The Boon of The Flood is an immensely powerful Aspect-type Boon, manipulating the fabric of mana in the air to his control. This ability represents the overflowing flood of mystique and knowledge in the world, all to be channeled by this one man of legend, to grab The Consortium within his palm, and everything beyond.

With The Boon of The Flood comes a fundamental control of many things, rooting from a simple fact that mana makes up everything. With mana, Russel can reshape the earth, create matter, energy, and warp the firm laws that otherwise dictate the reality they stand on. Warping reality was a commonplace in The Consortium Race, but Russel was above the rest, the entire battlefield a plaything to the flick of his hand. With a thought, gravity could flip upside down, the crust could curl into an earth burrito with the enemy inside, space and time could be torn through and pieced back together.

Upon reaching the state of Adagio, Russel could fundamentally control the concepts of existence on a level previous unknown to all of humanity, and much unknown to even himself. The fullest potential of his warping of Adagio is a mystery, and while his magic does not reach very far into this level beyond everything commonly known, the potential is nigh-limitless. The Inverse is a common effect of Russel's Boon of The Flood, manifesting as a constant barrier around his form, passively activated. Skintight and constantly flowing, it absorbs attacks and matter, completely engulfing swings of 'pure' magic, such as bursts of Consortium Flames. While less effective against physical strikes, manifestations of magic and the metaphysical are completely eaten up by The Inverse, only powering it further.
 * The Inverse

More physical strikes, such as stabs and punches, are met with great resistance, often resulting in severe cuts and burns to that which contact it. The barrier provides immense durability, allowing him to make up for his more feeble base strength. Another common use of The Boon of The Flood, Russel draws the mana and the air violently from a pocket of space, leaving only a vacuum of existence. This starves an enemy of their energy needed to fuel their abilities, be it electricity, magic, or air- especially with air, he often uses this to instantly crush an opponent's lungs with the immense power of a vacuum, killing them before they can make a move.
 * Starvation

He moves this barrier with the opponent, making it next to impossible for typical forms of flight to work; without any material to apply pressure to, winged flight or similar simply fails to activate. As well, the lack of mana and drawing it from the soul tears the opponent out in a horrible battle of attrition, rendering their souls and abilities null.

The Obligatory
Crafted by Russel Raleigh himself, it is only fitting that his mastery of The Obligatory far exceeds that of others. This series of abilities that all mages worth their salt had to have if they were in any contention in The Consortium Race is an often abused tool by Russel Raleigh. See more here.

Beyond The Coil
A technique incredibly difficult to master, some Deities of The Race managed to temporarily ascend themselves to a higher plane of existence, becoming nigh-invincible and completely imperceptible to lower beings. While their offensive abilities in these forms are next to none, due to being unable to control their strength and magic properly, this makes for an excellent escape tool, as even the best senses fail to track down travel based on a completely different plane of existence. Russel Raleigh, with The Boon of The Flood, achieves this by deconstructing himself into Aria in order to avoid attacks, though more powerful Aria-level attacks can still harm him.