Asclepius

Origin:

The son of Apollo, Asclepius has become a member of the Greek pantheon of gods. Though less powerful than some of his cohorts, he is nonetheless blessed with a large array of deific powers that he can wield for the benefit of others, should he choose to.

Known Powers:

Cure Disease: while healing one's body can undo any kind of damage it has suffered, such a boon will not cure the recipient of any illnesses they may possess. Thus, Asclepius may also cure diseases any unfortunate beings may harbor, doing so with rank value 100 skill.

Detoxification: in addition to healing the actual damage suffered by others, Asclepius can remove contaminants from their bodies which may have caused it in the first place! He may cleanse a living body of toxins of any stripe with rank value 100 ability.

Healing / Others: his true sphere of influence, Asclepius has the power to heal others. Wielding this power at rank value 150, he can easily heal all the wounds of any mortal in one go, though damage taken by folks with super-human Health may take more effort.

Immortality: though one of his parents was a god, Asclepius himself was originally a mere mortal, albeit one with divine healing talents. Though smote by Zeus for his many offenses against nature, Asclepius' following was nonetheless powerful enough to deify him!

* Boon: one side effect of his newly found divinity is that Asclepius may now share his power with others, typically when they use an entreaty spell of some sort to request the use of his power. Asclepius may grant boons to others with rank value 40 ability.

Regeneration / Others: supplementing his 'basic' healing power, this ability allows Asclepius to heal more serious wounds, such as lost limbs and the like. Also wielding this power at rank value 100, he can rebuild most broken bodies with very little to work with.

Resurrection: the power that got him in trouble to begin with, this ability allows Asclepius to actually raise the dead! He may wield this power at rank value 100, and is not limited by the duration a body has been deceased by any means.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Rod of Asclepius: the Rod of Asclepius ( ⚕ ) is a symbol of healing and medicine worldwide, even if people tend to confuse it with the Caduceus. This powerful artifact serves to focus Asclepius' powers, granting him a +1 RS on all healing efforts.

It is unknown if the Rod will allow others to wield the power of healing or will simply enhance their own skills and powers. At the very least, it should provide practitioners of Medicine a +1 RS to any medical ACTIONs, and if one has healing powers, it should improve them by a like amount.

Quirks:

(none)

Skills:

Medicine 3: It may go without saying but Asclepius is a master of the medical sciences, having learned everything he knows form the revered centaur, Chiron. His Intellect trait in such matters, honed by millennia of work, should be considered +3 RS in value.

Contacts:

Sort of a roguish member of the Greek pantheon of gods, Asclepius is not looked upon favorably by either Zeus or Hades. Of course, the Greeks in general seemed to like him very much, as did his father, Apollo (who likely made use of his power when implored for healing miracles).

Costume:

Whether or not he deigns to present himself to mortal beings, Asclepius tends to wear the same, simple garb. It primarily consists of a loose white toga and a pair of comfortable sandals. Of course, the 'look' would not be complete without his Rod in hand at all times.

Personality:

Asclepius is a powerful proponent for mortals, wielding his healing arts fast and loose to help them in their time of need. Of course he has been known to do this for the love of money, a trait that has gotten him into hot water on more than one occasion.

Real Name: Asclepius (pronounced 'as klee pee ahs')
Occupation: Greek god of medicine
Legal Status: citizen of the multi-planar realm of Olympus
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Veiovis (Roman name)
Group Affiliation: the Gods of Olympus

Height: 6'
Hair: blonde
Eyes: brown
Weight: 185 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Asclepius wears a full beard and moustache, and has curly hair.

Story:

The child of Apollo and Coronis, Asclepius almost died with his mother, herself the victim of a jealous rage his father felt upon finding she'd been unfaithful to him. Of course, Apollo rescued the unborn child from Coronis' womb, and thus was Asclepius born (after a fashion).

Given to the centaur Chiron to raise, Asclepius learned the very best of the age's medical arts, skills he honed healing many a hero over the years. He was present in the battle of Troy in fact, fighting alongside the Achaeans, and he even cured Philoctetes after his famous snake bite.

Asclepius led a reasonably full life, marrying Epione and having eight children with her. His six daughters each bore a power representative of his own mastery of medicine, and his two sons had successful careers as surgeons and medics. Life seemed to be good for the young doctor.

Though wildly popular with his fellow Greeks, Asclepius quickly found his way onto the bad side of the gods. You see, he had a habit of wielding his talents to resurrect the dead, sometimes as favors for others and sometimes just for the money, and Hades was not amused.

Going so far as to petition Zeus in the matter, Hades caused the lord of the Greek gods to smite Asclepius for his troubles, striking him down with one of his mighty thunder bolts. Naturally Apollo took exception to his son being wiped out thus, so Zeus at least made one concession.

Collecting Asclepius' remains, Zeus scattered them into the sky, where Asclepius became a part of the constellation Ophiuchus in honor of his good works. The idea was that Asclepius would live on in the memory of men forever - which is sort of what happened, after a fashion.

You see, Asclepius developed a strong following after this, eventually ascending to godhood himself. Evidence of this left in the mortal realm includes a temple built in his honor, the Asclepieion, and remnants of his cult, which became popular around 300 BC.

In fact, Asclepius was so popular that others trying to cash in on his fame, such as the false prophet Alexander. This fellow was so shameless that he would praise the word of 'Glycon', a snake puppet he would introduce as a new aspect of Asclepius himself.

Though it's not readily apparent to most, facets of Asclepius linger on even in modern day society. For example, many medical institutions sport the image of the Rod of Asclepius even now. These include the American, Australian, and Canadian Medical Associations, just to name a few.

Furthermore, the original Hippocratic oath invoked Asclepius' name. Such signs could point to the possibility that the Cult of Asclepius has not faded into history like one would tend to believe. Asclepius could be cultivating belief in his person to continue his very existence.

On the other hand, Asclepius could simply be walking the earth, going on adventures. Healing a body here, sharing his knowledge there, that sort of thing. He could easily be a most welcome site after a particularly tough battle, assuming he were in a charitable mood at the time.

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