Emmanuel Drodd

"*1...1...2...3...5...8...13...21...34...55...89... everything in this world is governed by patterns. Those who understand and exploit them, and those alone, can emerge victorious... but is victory truly what we're born to crave?*"
— Dr. Drodd

* RPG
 **Personality**

**Emmanuel Damian "Manny" Drodd** is a renowned and covertly ancient mathematician, chemist, engineer, and professor of unknown age and origin. It is believed he was born in a now-destroyed archipelago nationstate west of Aphelion, where he was educated and served as a court scientist for the monarchy. Following a mysterious disaster, he joined the Aquilan Chemical Society, an organization of intellectuals shrouded in mystery. He became a scholarly nomad, traveling throughout Aquila to study its peoples, architecture, and religion as well as disease and compounds hidden in every corner of the world, all the while evading the eye of the Nightmare Legion.

At some point early on, he became semi-immortal; his aging was halted, he was immunized against every known disease and developed a superpowered immune system, and modified himself to have very rapidly acting platelets and red-blood cells to regenerate physical injuries. However, he is not immune to death itself.

His travels throughout the 3000s took him to places such as Occa, Sivistys, Audax, and Dashari, spending years at a time living in communities before suddenly disappearing to the next. Through his many "lives", he learned at least a dozen language, including Zetashari and some dialects of Khotanese. Also due to his agelessness and travels, he is the subject of many legends of varying credibility. In eastern Khotan, they tell the story of "The Boy from The Moon" who enamored a princess from Omaku but was summoned to his own world 7 months into their romance.

Toward the end of the 3000s, he chose to remain closer to his believed birthplace, taking up residence in communities in the Sultanate of Dashari and serving as a doctor and educator as well as teaching the other men the more modern medical techniques of the time. Because of his fair skin, light eyes, short statue compared to Dashari men, and quiet demeanor, he was sought after and proposed to by many women of high status, but is not known to have accepted any of them.

His stay also saw heightened interest in northern Ybrameas by the Nightmare Legion, and he helped the Dashari forces repel their incursions; on one occasion, he personally teamed up with the legendary Sultana Jymeyhd in defeating the warrior of darkness and general Zorro, known in Zetashari as Sutekh. His exploits in the Sultanate led to the legend of Kamariti (or Suuhiti), a gentlemanly spirit appearing in times of the country's greatest need. Romantic myths were also told of him and the widowed Sultana Jymeyhd, although there is little proof behind them other than knowledge of a steady exchange of letters between the two that lasted until her death. Regardless, "Kamariti" is commemorated in her tomb, and the military island of Suuh was named after him.

The turn of the 42nd century saw Drodd voyage southward with a cadre of other society members to the settlement of Dreiton, with the ultimate goal of studying the mages inhabiting the area. Although the Knights of Dreiton of the time were suspicious of a group of seemingly all-knowing, enigmatic young men, but were convinced upon seeing the effects of their miraculous cures on their wounded men. They struck a deal: the society men would heal younger, severely injured knights to full capacity; in exchange, they wanted to recover and keep the corpses and relics of mages. Drodd himself was interested in the research, perhaps hoping it would help him avenge his mysterious homeland. The fruits of this labor are unknown as of yet. The research would mark the *de facto* start of the Dreiton Chemical Society under Drodd's leadership. A headquarters was formed on the island of Spica off the coast of Dreiton that would be expanded greatly over the coming centuries, as more and more society members were drawn into the area to serve as itinerant doctors. Much of the development of Dreitonese medicine is credited to these doctors.

Over the centuries, Drodd would retreat into the shadows and take charge of the society's central mission: to protect Aquila from extradimensional abnormalities that threatened its way of life. Still, he was involved in the society's politics, and even supported the Dreiton Exchange Mandate, hoping to explore the waters around Aphelion more for traces of his past. He also took a position at the University of Dreiton, teaching multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and electric and magnetic physics. Sometime in the early 4800s, he met Hinterlandic mercenary and hired-gun Jeremiah Garland, and the two somehow became close friends. Garland became Drodd's eyes and ears to the outside world, while Drodd gave Garland a sense of purpose. The two are believed to have been involved in the formation of The Outlanders as part of a greater mission by the chemical society. The six came into contact at least once during their journeys, and Drodd and Garland aided the Outlanders during the final battle against Moros, helping repel the Enderman onslaught from the city of Windforth.

In the modern day, Drodd continues his work as both a professor and a protector of Aquila. In Garland's old age, Drodd has become a mentor to his nephew Octavian, aiding him in his own ascent through the Templar ranks and travels. However, he remains in search of a higher purpose. He is not married and not known to have any children.

As a person, Emmanuel is highly eccentric, going on tangents regarding mathematical or scientific theories and trivia in conversations. He is well-respected among his colleagues, and puts himself in danger before others. In his free time, he can either be found in his office at the DCS solving math and physics problems, or at his personal space in the Isle of Eternity conducting experiments. He is known to dislike intrusions at these times.

## Physical/Biological Abilities

Although Emmanuel physically appears to be in his early 20s, he is in fact well over 2000 years old, his aging been artificially halted at his biological age millennia ago. His precise birth date or even year are unknown and the subject of debate and speculation; he recalls events at least as far back as the war between the Aquilan Empire and Khotan, which began in the early 2700s, with details only one present at the time could.

Beyond being frozen in time age-wise, Emmanuel is also immune to all known poisons and diseases that inhabit Aquila, with an immensely powerful immune system engineered to destroy all internal threats and never turn on Drodd himself. Somehow, his body fights off infections even from physical wounds, which themselves heal at a greatly accelerated pace. Finally, he shows increased resistance to extreme temperatures, even embarking on Society emissions in the peaks of Sivistys.

However, Emmanuel is not immortal; he can be killed by a fatal blow to the vitals as all humans could, or with the infliction of damage too great to heal. Theoretically, esoteric poisons could also kill him, although the existence of those should be all but reduced to 0 and well within Drodd's sight as Chief Technical Officer of the ACS.

The source of these physical modifications is not certain; it is most believed that they are the results of centuries of chemical therapy and exploration combined. However, there are also more outlandish theories, such as the real Drodd being long deceased and having been replaced by an extradimensional being.

## Skills and equipment

*It should be noted that, owing to his peculiar age and prolonged exposure to mystic materials, Manny's attributes have changed vastly since his youth. Experience and alchemical enchantments have boosted his power tremendously.*

Manny Drodd is a unique fighter in that he eschews physical ability not for magical power, but for an unmatched ability to turn the health and physical stabilities of his allies and opponents alike to his advantage. Throughout his career, he extensively studied biology, chemistry, and physics, and implements his knowledge in battle through a great collection of potions and arcane brews that wildly turn the tides of battle when combined with good timing. Additionally, he wields an array of portable battery-operated machine weaponry to inflict an array of different types of damage on faraway foes. As part of a team, he commonly remained behind his more sturdy allies, giving them a much-desired edge at just the right times. In light of his supportive capabilities, Manny works well with physically stronger and faster allies who could potentially lay waste to countless mobs given his destructive buffs. However, he is a powerful battle machine on his own, able to exploit enemy weaknesses from a distance with fantastical rays and explosives - given they are charged enough.

Apart from his range of offensive debuffs, Manny also excelled at giving his teammates direct aid, restoring their health, curing them of ailments and hunger, and granting them powerful buffs whenever need be. This made him a particularly strong teammate when facing powerful, ruthless foes that called for more than raw physical strength.

* Battle
* Personality/Skills

 Sedative
 Liquid Obsidian
 Scintillator
 Panacea
 Hyper
 Salvation

* **Life Sciences** - The knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics and their applications i.e medicine, animal husbandry, industry.
* **Mathematics -** The knowledge of modes of quantitative reasoning in areas such as algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics and their applications i.e engineering, research, logistics, cartography, astronomy.
* **Cooking** - The art of using base materials to create sustenance, for necessity or enjoyment, using knowledge of ingredients and experimentation with their quantities and modes of combination i.e freezing, heating, stirring.
* **Writing** - The art of composing text, for communication or enjoyment or for academic purposes.
* **Music (Flute)** - A combination of the skills of playing the flute and reading/composing music pleasant to play and listen to on said instrument.
* **Horticulture** - The art of cultivating and maintaining a garden for decorative or recreational purposes.
* **Mechanical and Electrical Engineering** - The industrial skill of designing, creating, and repairing devices
* **Dark Exploration** - The skill and hobby of cave exploration, expanded in this world to ruins and temples.

Outside of "scientific" combat, Manny was also adept at using his own designed pulse blades when an enemy wandered too close. The enchanted blades, outside of their natural form of bright blue obelisks, were easily concealed and resembled pens when deactivated, but expanded and coursed with mesmerizing compact electric waves when activated. Despite his lackluster strength, he possessed a fearsome dexterity and could damage nearby foes, outmaneuver them, and reposition to resume long-range combat.

Manny's high wisdom and intelligence also made him strong against many forms of offensive magicks, such as artificial lightning and fire spells. However, he had a notable weakness to the darkest magicks and wither ailments, likely due to the unique discoveries made and powers earned during his journeys. While many of these did not have their intended effects on him, he experiences searing pain and near-insanity upon their usage.