[ORE] Desecrator Dread

Written by Greg Stolze and illustrated by Kurt Komoda, © 2014

Damon Hastings was an academic, an archaeologist who dreamed of "Indiana Jones" style glory before running into the rather more quotidian milieu of arranging dig sites and wrangling laborers and settling pissy disputes between grad students.  Unlike many of the people in the Villainous Nine, Damon had no outstanding claim to decency.  But he was well educated about antiquities, and when General Null was scouting for demon amulets in the collections of museums, he needed an expert.  He and Damon had been on the same high school basketball team, and they'd stayed in touch throughout college.  When Null discovered the truth of amulets, there was no one closer to him with the necessary expertise.

There's a big difference, of course, between finding the residences of slumbering demons and hosting one.  The original plan Null and Hastings shared was to round up amulets and destroy them.  But identifying the trinkets brought them into circulation, where they were vulnerable to being bought, stolen or borrowed.  More than once, the process of trying to get an amulet out of storage wound up activating it and awakening demons in the bodies of innocent docents and museum volunteers.

Things came to a head when two such devilishly empowered foes figured out what Null was up to and tried to stop him while he and Hastings were hurriedly pawing through the collection of a wealthy collector suspected of a string of kidnaps in the 1950s.  Hastings had found the device when "The Curator" and a demon-host who didn't bother with a flashy persona burst into the chamber.  He hosted the demon in self defense.

Or so he tells himself.  He doesn't like to admit that he loves flying, loves effortless displays of physical might, loves the excitement… and isn't as burdened by the mission of containment as his colleagues.  He suspects that they view him as a weak link, the 'mere mortal' among moral paragons.  This is a concern his demon cultivates like a rare hot-house blossom.

CUNNING 3, PATIENT 1
Greed 1, Generosity 2
Espionage 1, Knowledge 3

SLY 1, OPEN 3
Cruelty 4, Courage 2
Cowardice 2, Endurance 0

DEVIOUS 1, INSIGHTFUL 1
Corruption 1, Nurture 1
Deceit 2, Honesty 1

POWERS: That Hideous Strength, Armor

ASPECTS: Wings, Invisibility

PRIMARY SINFUL STRATEGY: Cunning