Victor
Victor Hieronymus Prophet
When they say some people are “born to greatness” it’s usually in retrospect: “He was always destined for great things.” In Victor Prophet’s case, it was true even before he was conceived.
In the 1920s and ’30s, Doctor Thomas Osiris Prophet, better known to the world as “Doc Prophet, the Man of Marble” was a famous explorer, adventurer, and crimefighter. Doc was the scion of a long line of men driven by destiny, including his father, Adam Prophet, the Pale Ranger. Perhaps it was his father’s own exploits—including exposure to Magic Mesa and a return from death—that led to Thomas being born an albino, but still possessed of remarkable strength and intellect.
After a long career, Doc Prophet sought to protect the world in a different way. He founded Vanguard, a secret organization devoted to preserving knowledge, peace, and the future of humanity. Among other works, Vanguard hunted escaped war-criminals and fought against a variety of threats, from Nazi experiments gone wrong to mythical monsters and alien beings from other worlds. They also accumulated a considerable store of knowledge and resources.
Although incredibly long-lived, even the legendary Doc Prophet was mortal. He passed on, leaving a legacy of knowledge and an organization devoted to using it. Vanguard, however, was lost without their founder, rudderless. They saw a world plunged into darkness, in dire need of heroes. So the torchbearers of Doc Prophet’s legacy decided to provide one. In Vanguard’s secret laboratories, DNA samples were recombined, cultured and—months later—a child came into the world who was the genetic offspring of the Prophet line, the success of “Project: Victor.”
Victor Prophet was raised by some of the world’s greatest minds. Under their tutelage, he studied the skills necessary to be the kind of leader the heroic community needed. Taught from birth the values of leadership and teamwork, young Victor was isolated for much of his life, without the company of other children. Times changed, as they do, and the dark times that inspired his birth passed. New heroes took up the cause, while Vanguard raised their charge in secret.
Once he reached adulthood, Victor chaffed under the guidance of his mentors. He was eager to take his place in the world, to do what he had been born for, but Vanguard had become conservative and overcautious. They counseled patience. The right time would come, they said.
Never had Victor wished so badly for the guidance of his father. So he sought out a relic in Vanguard’s Area Five archives called the Sands of Time, which once belonged to his grandfather’s ally, the shaman Broken Crow. The multicolored sands flowed around Victor and showed him confusing images of the past and future, of the long line of Prophets before—and after—him, but one thing was certain: A threat was coming, and the world needed heroes more than ever before. So, that night, Victor left the secret Vanguard haven, to seek his own destiny and the allies he would need to reach it.
Physical Description
Apparel & Accessories
Victor “borrowed” one useful item from Vanguard’s arsenal: a high-tech blaster pistol with multiple settings, able to fire bolts of destructive force or a neural scrambling beam to stun a target’s nervous system.
Specialized Equipment
Victor has no super-human powers, although Vanguard science and his Prophet heritage make him about as physically perfect as a human being can be. He lacks his father’s brilliant intellect, however.
Victor is a skilled athlete and a masterful unarmed combatant and marksman. He’s also an insightful judge of character and well-trained in working with, and directing, a team.
Mental characteristics
Intellectual Characteristics
Victor has surprisingly “old world” manners for a young man; he could easily fit into the 1950s in many regards. He’s forthright, honest, and compassionate, a true “Boy Scout” without a hint of irony about it. He has a commanding presence and a tendency to slip into giving orders without thinking, especially in crisis situations. He’s trained to take charge and to help coordinate people, and generally manages it without coming off as arrogant.
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