Libertine

Libertine is an American mystic hero and member of NOVA.

## Biography

Robin Frances, bright but totally unmotivated, dropped out of school at seventeen. She had no ambitions of any kind and she seemed happy to squander whatever potential she may have had. She forced herself to take a menial job as a barista just to make ends meet, and settled into place to await whatever might flow her way on the tide of life.

Robin had no way of knowing that fate had greater plans for her. She was having a typically lousy day at work when suddenly the shop's wall imploded. The sorcerous villain Blackthorn raced into the ruined building with NOVA close on his heels. He snatched up Robin as a hostage and quickly took to the skies, dragging the screaming girl along with him.

Blackthorn had just robbed a magical vault maintained by Arcane, a mystic hero and NOVA's leader. The trinkets he'd scavenged included a dimly glowing staff of unknown origin. Gathering her wits, Robin began wrestling with the distracted sorcerer, trying to wrench the staff out of his grip and beat him with it. Blackthorn, frustrated by his troublesome hostage, simply dropped her in an attempt to divert the heroes' pursuit. But the staff, glowing like a brilliant torch, shot out of his grip and raced down to Robin, neatly diverting her fall and flying her safely to the ground many stories below.

In the aftermath of the attack Arcane tracked down Robin in order to retrieve the staff. He was surprised to find that the weapon, until now stubbornly dormant, had attuned to the girl and refused to leave her side. Eager to study the power that had now awakened in the artifact, he invited her to come to the Wellsley Building while they sorted things out. Robin accepted, though she made it clear she had no intention of relinquishing the staff. She was excited by possibilities for the first time in her life and she was eager to explore all the amazing capabilities of the ancient weapon.

Eventually it became clear that Robin and the staff weren't going to be easily separated, and really there was no point; she was a good person at heart and was eager to put her growing powers to use defending the crime-ridden city she called home. After some debate among the members of NOVA, Arcane took her on as a sidekick, and she chose the name 'Libertine' to express her joy in the newfound freedom the staff had given her. She was officially admitted to the team a year or so later, and she parted amicably with Arcane when he decided the time had come for him to move on. By that point she was an accomplished heroine with many astonishing feats to her name, and she has provided NOVA with both magical power and a staunch moral compass ever since.

## Personality

Libertine is as freewheeling as her name suggests. Of all the members of NOVA she derives the most pleasure from just using her super powers. If the team doesn't have any pressing business she spends most of her time soaring above the city, reveling in the joy of flight.

Libertine believes in freedom above all else, but she's not exactly a patriot. She mistrusts the government and follows her conscience rather than the law. She is often compared unfavorably to flag-saluting heroes like the All-American, but she simply cherishes personal freedom over all other virtues. She is the most open-minded member of NOVA and tries to find common ground with both heroes and villains.

## Powers

Libertine's powers come from Freedom's Torch, the glowing golden staff that she carries at all times. While wielding the Torch, she is shrouded in a pillowy veil of light that grants her flight powers, cold resistance, and significant defenses against most attacks. This field also sharpens her vision to allow her to see for miles with great detail, even at night.

Libertine can use the Torch to create and manipulate light. This can be as simple as illuminating darkness, to firing rays of searing energy, to grabbing objects in orbs of golden light and lifting them with a gentle but strong telekinetic force. She can temporarily extend her defenses and flight powers to her allies as well, though doing so takes total concentration. Libertine's control of light is so strong she can usurp the powers of light-wielding enemies, even turning laser weapons against their owners by twisting and redirecting the beams.

Freedom's Torch grants its wielder a powerful innate magic resistance, though the source of that protection isn't immediately apparent. In truth, the Torch is far more than it appears, and although Libertine understands that it is a magical artifact even she doesn't suspect the full extent of its powers. Thousands of years ago, the Torch was one of a dozen identical staves used by the sorcerer-king Takofanes the Undying to darken the sun and rearrange the stars. The staff is still theoretically capable of such titanic feats, but Libertine lacks the skill and magical know-how to draw out these powers. This is probably for the best, as experimenting with magic of that magnitude is more likely to result in harm to the user than anything else.

## Weaknesses

LIbertine is powerless without her Torch. The Torch has a will of its own, and tries its best to return to Libertine if separated from her, but until it does she will be helpless. The Torch also glows at all times, and is particularly bright when she uses her powers at full strength. As such she is easily spotted and not really capable of a stealthy approach to combat.

Powerful magic users who have some inkling of the Torch's value hunt Libertine relentlessly, hoping to use the staff to enact rituals of terrible power. Not all of these magicians are villains; some are just concerned mages trying to take a dangerous artifact out of the hands of an amateur and lock it away somewhere safe.