The Myrmidon

Dr. Max Madine was a scheming tomb raider who styled himself as a daring archaeologist during the 1920s and 1930s. He specialized in Ancient Greek and Roman history, but his interest in Classics was far from academic. The in­creased number of super-powered individuals in the years leading up to World War II convinced the doctor that there must have been some truth to the myths of antiquity. In 1936 he secured funding from his university to mount an expedition to find the lost tomb of Achilles. He assembled a team of experts, local guides, and mercenaries before setting off to Greece in search of fortune and glory.
The expedition saw a string of early successes, tracking down a map that led them to the fabled island of Leuke in the Black Sea. According to local legend, Achilles’ ashes were brought to the island after the Trojan War, and a temple was erected to house his remains. Dr. Madine and his crew discovered the partially submerged ruins of the temple and began to explore in earnest. However, they weren’t the only party seeking the tomb. A battalion of Nazi relic hunters stormed Madine’s site and seized his crew and research for themselves.
Ever the coward, Max abandoned the others and hid in one of the pits they’d been digging. He slipped into an unex­plored crevasse and fell into a portal between this world and the Underworld. The hapless archaeologist landed with a splash in the River Styx. Madine struggled against the mythical waters to no avail. Before disappearing beneath the waves forever he heard a voice promising salvation, promising to save him for a price. Max agreed without hesitation, without knowing the price, and a strong arm pulled him from the water. The archaeologist found himself standing before Eris, goddess of discord and strife. Eris smiled and told Madine the price for his rescue was servitude, but with his service came great power. He nodded in comprehension and Eris guided him through the crumbling ruins.
She led him back out of the Under­world and to the tomb of Achil­les. There, Eris outfitted Madine with Achilles’ magical shield and armor. She explained that the River Styx imbued him with invul­nerability like that of Achilles, and his first test was to destroy those who’d invaded the site. Max slaughtered the Nazis and then turned on the few survivors of his ex­pedition. Madine butchered them as well before taking off on foot for the mainland, leaving his old life behind. Madine began calling himself the Myrmidon, and used his archaeological expertise to a plunder a number of relics for his new patron. His invulnerability allowed him to wander unfazed through the booby traps and temple guardians he encountered.
He would have caused more damage, but his own invul­nerability proved to be his undoing. He waltzed into a mystical trap set by Earth-Prime’s Master Mage, Adrian Eldrich, and found himself trapped in a pocket dimension. Madine remained in this limbo realm for seventy years and might have died there if Eris hadn’t managed to finally locate and rescue him. The Myrmidon has been given a second chance to prove his worth to Eris, and claim the wealth and power he’s been denied for the last seventy years. Nothing is going to stand in his way.

Physical Description

Special abilities

The Myrmidon’s time in the River Styx gifted him with a number of godlike powers, including superhuman endur­ance, strength, and invulnerability. Most attacks bounce harmlessly off of his enchanted skin. Over the course of his years of adventure, he has developed excellent hand-to-hand combat skills and agility. The Myrmidon is also con­nected in some way to Achilles himself and has access to all of Achilles’ knowledge of mythic and historical events. He uses this knowledge to track down powerful artifacts to increase his already considerable power.

Mental characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

Max Madine is an overconfident, opportunistic boor of a man. He is constantly talking himself up, biting off more than he can chew, and schem­ing for ways to rise to the top. He is dismissive of all threats and tends to subject himself to more attacks than he should just to show off. He resents his dependency on Eris and is always on the lookout for ways to overthrow her.

Social

Contacts & Relations

The Myrmidon’s greatest “ally” is his savior: Eris. He does as she commands, and she has given him considerable access to her own resources to accomplish his goals. Sometimes he leads groups of her other minions into the field, but he usually works on his own.
The Myrmidon is an enemy of the other Greek gods, par­ticularly Hades. The god of the Underworld is cross with Madine for inadvertently stealing the spirit of Achilles from him and works to recover the spirit he lost.