Origin of Absolution

General GTG Sentinel Comics Lore
1

So, can we just take a second to ponder a quick question?

Where did Absolution come from?

Ok, so we know that, after Helena left the monistary, she went underground where she secluded herself and found some templar armor. I assume she found "a" sword with the armor as well. Her bio then continues with this strange passage:

 A year passed in solitude, during which she fasted and claims to have been sustained by faith alone. She awoke one morning with her fingertips bloodied and her sword lying nearby. Smelling the acrid scent of smoldering metal, she picked up the sword and found that runes had been carved into its blade. She realized that she could read the Angelic runes - they read “Absolution”. The sword became a focus for her prayers, manifesting radiant flames along its blade

Did she take an average run-of-the-mill sword and carve those runes in her sleep, imparting divine powers into it?

If she did create this relic from an ordinary sword, could she do the same for another sword? We know that during the events of SotM and continuing through Tactics, that Absolution has been shattered.

Were these Templar arms and armor even ordinary to begin with? Or is the source of their power coming directly from Fanatics faith?

The Fanatic/Apostate story is probably the one I am the most interested in hearing more details on aside from the Fixer/Operative/Dragon Clan stuff

2

I still think she's a crazy super human who believes she's on a holy quest.

I think she could create another Absolution, except that she doesn't believe she can, so she can't.  

3

Crazy? Possibly. Human? I think the jury might still be out on this one

This is kinda what I was getting at. Her Aegis of Resurection, is it a powerful artifact on its own? Or is it only powerful because she believes it to be, so it is? Did she inscribe similar markings and runes into her armor that she did for Absolution? Will we ever know?

4

The "it's got powers because she believes it does" thing sounds almost like it could be connected in some way to the Dreamer's powers (and therefore the Visionary's, I suppose), since she dreams stuff (well, has nightmares) and it comes to life...so if Fanatic gave her sword and armour powers unconsciously and without realising it, maybe that's some kind of variant of what Vanessa can do. Except Fanatic sees herself as some kind of religious...sending, or something, so rather than dealing psychic damage she dealas holy-righteous-smiting damage, because that's what she believes she's doing ;).

5

We do? I know Critical Multiplier in Parse's deck shows Absolution breaking. But we currently have no evidence supporting that it has continued to be shattered into the Tactics timeline. For all we know, the sword may reform on its own.

6

Yeah sorry, that is an assumption and not nessesarily fact

7

 

Concerned that she would be pursued once the initial shock wore off, Helena sought refuge in the catacombs under the city. While exploring the tunnels, she stumbled upon an ancient cache of Templar arms and armor. With a determination bordering on fanaticism, she trained herself in the use of it. A year passed in solitude, during which she fasted and claims to have been sustained by faith alone. She awoke one morning with her fingertips bloodied and her sword lying nearby. Smelling the acrid scent of smoldering metal, she picked up the sword and found that runes had been carved into its blade. She realized that she could read the Angelic runes - they read “Absolution”. The sword became a focus for her prayers, manifesting radiant flames along its blade.  Taking up “Absolution”, she emerged from her tomb. It was time for her to fulfill her purpose: to purge the world of evil.

Let's go back to my Angels that fell and Atlantis speculation.

What if the magic of Atlantis was based on the powers of those original fallen angels, and was usable by their half-human offspring.  The masks would have been created through the powers of beings like Apostate, and can be weilded by humans with enough Nephilim blood, or maybe even all humans if they were designed that way.

Fanatic in this version is an attempt by Apostate to create another angel, not a nephilim, but another being like him.  Without other angels he would still be using human beings, but trying to make the Angel DNA dominate the human.  He thinks Fanatic is another failure, but when that car hits her and she is dying her Angel DNA triggers, giving her Superman-like flashbacks of her origins, and when she wakes up she's lost all feeling and has not way of knowing what has happened, except her dreams of Angels.

So she enters the convent, and studies while she continues to become less and less human.  then she shows her wings, and flees to the catacombs.

What we know happened, she lived in the catacombs for a year, found a cache of old armor and weapons, and didn't eat while she was down there.  I think when she went down there her DNA changes were at their climax, and were causing her to go a little crazy, she hides out under the city, starving herself and going crazy, becoming less human and more immortal.

She has a crazy dream and wakes up with her sword alterred (by her unconscious self) and her change largely finished re-enters the world as fanatic.

In this version her powers are tied greatly to her faith, or will.  Her sword does what it does because she believes it can, and her own power extends through her sword as a conduit of her will.  Similarly the aegis is the focal point for her immortality (which wouldn't be 100%)

(REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED)

The other option is that she ran into a cache of weapons that did have atlantean roots, so the items have actual powe that augment her own.

I like the idea that Apostate's relics are extensions of his own power, how he uses them is pretty awesome, Relics protecting relics, which also happen to be focal points for keeping himself from being taken out.  

8

Skippy, I like all of that a ton. Especially the the idea of her undergoing a transformation of sorts that was triggered by the car accident.

Because I like to find stuff that will fit my own ideas of the narrative, this shares a lot of similarities to how Galactus creates and/or recruits heralds (Silver Surfer was the 2nd of his heralds I believe). Anyway, Jack Kirby in interviews has stated that the whole Galactus character and story was heavily influenced by biblical stories, and anyone who read my Footenotes on Apostate knows where I am going with that. Heck, the first herald of Galactus was "Fallen One". Apostate could be the Fallen One to Fanatics Silver Surfer. Apostate could very well have created Fanatic in a way, just like he said he did, in order to create another "herald", or in Apostate's case, "Emissary" for The Host. The "why" is still a major question there, but its possible.

 

Connections to Atlantis to this whole part of the story is also so interesting. We know there is a large source of mystical energy and power there, but how that ties in to everything else remains to be seen (if its ever explored at all).

If she created Absolution, what does that say about Condemnation? Do all "angels" have the power to create powerful artifacts in this fashion? If the Host is connected in any meaningful way to Atlantis, this could very well explain why Atlantis is such a seat of power and energy, as its defenses and artifacts might have been created in the same way.

 

Edit: Gotta go back to Absolution shattering. Her sword is iconic for her. First off, how in the world did Truth break that thing? Second of all, how do we think she reacted to Absolution shattering? I can't imagine she took it well. She had to disapear for days at just the mere mention of her not being a real Angel, what would she do if she lost such a strong physical symbol of her faith and purpose? I wouldn't be surprised if the incap art for Redeemer took place shortly after that sword shattered (we have no idea how good she would be at hand to hand combat, and the background art looks the same for the incap and Crit Multiplier).

IF the powers of her relics originate from her will and faith, then I am going to guess she figures this out sometime after her sword shatters. She has to find some way to be still be an effective fighter without that sword, and I am sure that she finds a way.

9

I would like to expand on this for a second. Firstly, lets talk about The Scholar. Now I can't recall where I have read/heard this, but I know it was from Christopher in some form, but it was about The Scholar not having the Philosopher Stone as an equipment card. The reason being, The Scholar will never be without the stone, he uses the stone for just about everything he does. Looking through the deck, you can actually see that this is very true. The only cards where the stone is not visible are; Proverbs and Axioms, Bring What You Need, Solid to Liquid, and Offensive Transmutation. I will point out, that in every one of those cards, at least one of his hands are not visible. Proverbs and Axioms and Bring What You Need may actually not have him holding it at all.

Why is this important? Because Absolution is an equipment card in Fanatic's deck. You can go through her deck and find plenty of cards without her using Absolution. Sure it's still a very big part of her, but she is certainly seen fighting without it. On Undaunted, we can even see her looking like she is going to start fighting without her sword. Continueing with Undaunted, the flavour text she states she is invincible. While this is probably an exaggeration, she is certainly very resilient, which certainly will help in hand-to-hand combat, even if she lacks training.

10

In the mutants and masterminds thread Christopher commented that Fanatic should have a higher Strength characteristic than Ra.  Super strength would probably make her a pretty effective fighter. 

11

So if relics are in some way created by angels, where does Ra's staff come in? We know that when a new host takes the staff, Ra takes over, and that the staff is in some way able to regenerate. We know tihs because it is broken in his original incap, while new Ra has it back. It does appear that the staff isn't necessary for the spirit of Ra to remain in charge of the body, but whenever there is a new Ra they possess the staff.

12

I'm still waiting on proof of a "new" Ra.

13

Fair enough, but he does have a functional staff, which still appeals to my original question of how Ra's staff works. 

 

The kicker for new Ra for me is the personality change. He sounds like a kid, where "old" Ra was worn down and very adult after the desert. But I won't have this argument here because it's off topic

14

Ra is a god.

I have absolutely no proof of this but I would think that he can imbue his own staff with a portion of his power, I think he crafted a new one himself.

On looking at Ra's incap I see that the Staff being 'destroyed' just means the head piece has broken off, I'm not sure I see the wooden part as integral to the staff's power. I don't see making a piece of wood five  Kadans high as being particularly difficult for a god.

15

If Indy can do it off-screen, I'm confident Ra can.

16

Ra isn't a god.

That is all.

17

Ra packs 3 staffs in his deck. He's like Batman.

18

I thought 4.

19

More than 1?

20

Are you a gully dwarf?

(Now there's a gaming-related reference I don't expect most folks to get… :wink: )

 

On topic, I think I'm with phantaskippy on Absolution (and Fanatic, in general).

With Ra, well, I think that staff head-piece is a powerful relic created long ago by a powerful superhuman (the original Ra) and imbuded with his essence. When a person touches it, Ra can manifest into that person - but that person influences that manifestation (which is why we have a different Ra right now - in my opinion, anyway). I have nothing to base this on other than what we've seen to date, though.