Swamp Thing
| Swamp Thing (Scenesys ID: 1437) | |||
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| Quote | |||
| "Alec Holland... is dead. He died... many years ago... in an explosion. But it... has taken him... a long time... to lie down. He's gone now. He's at rest." -Swamp Thing. | |||
| Profile | |||
| Full Name: | 'Dr. Alec Holland' ...? | ||
| Gender: | Other | ||
| Species: | Elemental | ||
| Theme: | DC (FC) | ||
| Occupation: | Avatar of The Green | ||
| Citizenship: | The Parliament of Trees | ||
| Residence: | Wherever Life Grows | ||
| Education: | Botanist, Biochemist (Alec)
Connection to the Green (Swampy) | ||
| Status: | Dropped | ||
| Groups: | Excalibur | ||
| Other Information | |||
| Apparent Age: | Actual Age: | ||
| Date of Birth | Inconceivable | Actor: | |
| Height: | Varies | Weight: | Varies |
| Hair Color: | Mossy | Eye Color: | Red |
| Theme Song: | "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull" by Earth | ||
Contents
Profile
Believed to be 'born' the moment the biologist Dr. Alec Holland passed away in an orchestrated laboratory explosion in a Louisiana swamp, the verdant creature known presently as the Swamp Thing is simply the most current incarnation of a far older creature - one as ancient as the planet itself. With his connection to plant-life around the globe - as well as his status as Champion of the elemental force known as 'The Green' - the true extent of the powers and wisdom possessed by this mysterious, nature-dwelling creature are beyond the true grasp of even humanity's best and brightest minds.
This 'Swamp Thing' long thought himself to be simply the mutate form of the former botanist and biochemist, forever changed by the Bio-Restorative Formula and his exposure to the vegetation of the swamp (a belief still shared by most of the those who are aware of his existence). However, recent run-ins with the evil 'Sunderland Corporation', followed by his death and rebirth, exposed to him his true nature. He is not Dr. Alec Holland. That man is dead. He is something... more.
Not a man. Not even a monster. But a plant.
Current Player Approved: Not Applicable
Sheet
Description
Description:
Covered in thick moss and vegetation, branches, twigs and flowers popping out seemingly at random from his skin, this bizarre creature bears a complete resemblance to a vaguely humanoid patch of randomly sewn-together plant life when perfectly healthy. His connection to global plant life does make his appearance change depending on the relative health of the environment at any given place or time.
A walking biomass, an ecosystem onto himself: the Avatar, the Champion of The Green, and Nature's eternal guardian, the Swamp Thing's mind frequently dwells in a realm beyond human understanding.
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History
History:
"Our data is more factual. Alec Holland was murdered by terrorists, his body was never recovered. End of story."
"Not... quite..."
There was once a boy known as Alec Holland. A child who loved nature, who grew up outdoors and later learned to apply his genius to the well-being of the environment, through years of intense study leading to first doctorate.
A skilled botanist, brilliant biochemist, and caring man who wanted nothing more than to heal the planet with his efforts towards developing a healing compound. In theory, this formula would have been capable of healing entire ecosystems, even potentially restoring life to ruined, parched or frozen landscapes.
A man who was consumed by the flames of his own laboratory, and went screaming into a dark Louisiana night. A man soaked to the skin in what little remained of his life's work: the Bio-Restorative Formula. A man who fell into the Bayou, who was taken up and absorbed by the vegetation at the bottom of that dark, still water. A man... who died.
And with that death, this era's Swamp Thing was 'born'. A creature who thought he WAS Alec Holland - but who learned just a small piece of the truth after being assassinated and frozen by the ominous Sunderland. An autopsy followed, and a select few learned the shocking truth: the Swamp Thing was NEVER Dr. Alec Holland, despite his memories of the man's entire life.
This new information, now understood by the Avatar upon his thawing and rebirth, has sent him into a contemplative, self-reflective state. He seeks more knowledge of his true place in the ecosystem, and relation to the mysterious elemental force known as 'The Green'.
There are many stories told about the 'accident' that consumed Holland's lab and sent him, soaked in his own restorative formula, flailing into the bayou waters to die. Three are most common, depending on who you speak to.
You will hear that it was nothing but a terrible accident involving the various dangerous chemicals being worked with - combined with Dr. Alec Holland's own focus on the project, leading to long hours and lack of nourishment... mistakes were made, and a chemical spill in a moment of exhaustion set the lab - and the man - ablaze.
You will hear rumours about corporate sabotage - a company or group of men who knew what was being researched in that Louisiana swampland, and decided it could not come to fruition; planting explosives in the laboratory to destroy Holland's work... and the man himself...
And if you are truly in-the-know, if you have connections in the world beyond the physical, you may have even heard other rumours. Darker tales; stories told in the shadows of a primal fear given form... a man, a creature known most frequently as... ARCANE.
Personality
Personality:
...But they wouldn't let me be a monster... so I became a plant."
Once upon a time, the creature known as Swamp Thing could have accurately been called the 'Most Human' of all the Avatars of the Green who have ever existed, and perhaps the day will come again when he serves as a protector of not just plant life, but mankind as well. Once, he embraced the memories of Dr. Alec Holland as his own, and loved all that he loved, felt all that he felt, and remembered his life as though it were Swamp Thing's own. For a time, he was almost happy - believing there was a shred of humanity left in him, something he could reclaim if he only struggled hard enough. If only, he didn't act like the monster that he thought he had been 'transformed' into.
These days, however, ended the moment he was put into a cellular coma by the agents of Sunderland - the scientists dissecting his body to find answers, instead discovering a number of plant-based organ lookalikes that served zero actual function. This was no human. This wasn't even a human turned into a plant monster. This was a plant, who had ABSORBED the consciousness of Dr. Alec Holland. When he eventually thawed out and healed himself, this knowledge drove the Swamp Thing to become something else entirely.
Now aware of but a fraction of his true nature as Avatar, Swamp Thing has become far more detached from the world of mankind, almost dangerously so. The only connection he presently feels to that world he once inhabited - even as a monster - is one former love, one who showed him kindness even with his horrifying, inhuman appearance. Even with this connection remaining, Swamp Thing has lost what little sense of humanity he had left, and declared himself 'finished with the Red world' of man and animal life, retreating into an almost comatose state as he began to explore the depths of the Green, seeking for more answers about his purpose.
As such, he is incredibly reclusive and difficult to reach - one must be incredibly patient, or the Green must be in serious danger, for the Swamp Thing to take action. As a result of this contemplative state, he seems rather distracted from the concerns of this material plane - having far more important answers to seek out, except when he is needed to defend the Green - and has not involved himself in the minor affairs of nearby communities as he once did. No longer the great monster slayer, no longer the horrific protector of backwoods towns, Swamp Thing only knows one thing - he is meant for something greater.
This knowledge has pushed him to reflect both inside himself, and to seek out the few individuals who may possess knowledge of the ancient and elemental forces behind his very existence. A new, previously unexplored realm is about to be visited by an Avatar of the Green, his curiosity overriding his distaste for human matters and driving him to seek out certain respected men and women in the field of magic and the occult.
Abilities
Durability:
As one might expect from a walking mass of earth, leaf and twigs, Swamp Thing is more than capable of absorbing most standard forms of punishment. Even without his rapid healing factor and ability to shape new bodies from the surrounding environment (should his connection to plant life ever been blocked in any way), he still possesses immense physical durability.
Though in his younger years, before he understood the true nature of his origin and his powers - when he thought himself merely a transformed form of Dr. Alec Holland, not something else entirely - a hail of gunfire and a sniper shot to the head was enough to finally fell the creature and place him in what the Sunderland scientists described as a 'cellular coma'.
Once he learned, however, that he bore only the MEMORIES of Holland - that even his heart and lungs were simply plant-material mimicing the appearance (not even the FUNCTION - they are simply cosmetic) the original organs were supposed to - his durability seemed to increase. He has even absorbed blows from top-level powerhouses without being knocked into the dirt, his powers increased now that he is beginning to understand his real role as Avatar of the Green.
Now capable of shrugging off bullet wounds, the creature is still able to feel pain from unusually intense-fire, to be slashed with appropriate weaponry, and to even have parts of itself frozen using extreme enough temperatures (as well as being vulnerable to various magic traps or elemental attacks). Assaults on the health of the ecosystem around him or his connection to the ethereal plane have the effect of beginning to dry out and weaken the Swamp Thing in a very real, potentially disabling way. It takes, however, great power to assault an environment under such protection.
Earthshaping:
Perhaps the most visually impressive of Swamp Thing's various abilities is his ever-growing control over plant-life around the globe. Though he has yet to fully realize the extent of these abilities, the Avatar of the Green is learning more about this rather unique ability with every meditative trip to the elemental plane.
Able to control any life connected to the Green (plants and vegetation, including his own body), Swamp Thing is theoretically capable of immense feats such as covering an entire city in unnatural plant growth, growing to the size and hardness of a small mountain to divert the path of a flood, and other such powers beyond comprehension.
At present however, without having encountered the Parliament of Trees or fully exploring his own nature, these powers are more limited. Even so, he can grow trees and entangling roots out through even the hard surface of city sidewalks, grow himself to immense size, even create rudimentary 'clones' out of nearby vegetation. If there is plant life nearby or soil below, and his connection to The Green remains strong, there is nothing tied to his elemental plane that he cannot control or shape to his will.
Green Sense:
With an unbroken connection to global ecosystems and environments, facilitated by his supernatural connection to the Green, Swamp Thing is able to feel any serious ripples in the natural order. This allows him to swiftly and accurately respond to elemental threats around the globe, enabling him to serve as Nature's vigilant protector around the entire planet.
This extends beyond a simple 'sixth sense' for things that may pose a danger to the realm he has been charged to protect. With concentration, Swamp Thing is even able to 'see' through healthy, uncorrupted plant life anywhere on the planet (barring serious magickal/elemental interference) - meaning that wherever life grows, the Swamp Thing has potential eyes.
Hallucinogens:
An odd little quirk of controlling vegetation on a magical, otherworldly level is that he is able to produce all manner of intensely potent compounds that could theoretically occur naturally with various flora or fauna. This includes substances previously untested by human or mutant, and he is most notably able to spray hallucinogenic compounds or grow psychedelic fruit from his body.
The effects of these substances vary depending on the Swamp Thing's intent. They can range from benign and calming, or pleasurable, to forcing world-shattering epiphanies and visions on the recipient. They are even occasionally used as a weapon of sorts, to terrify opponents or consume troublesome individuals with their worst fears and deepest insecurities writ large on a psychedelic canvass.
Healing:
As long as his connection to The Green remains constant, and the global or local ecosystems (the primary source of his earthly power) are not under direct attack, Swamp Thing is almost entirely unkillable. In fact, should he ever be destroyed, The Green would simply choose a new individual to become their Avatar.
He has lost arms, and grown them back in seconds. He has been reduced to cinders, and returned in seconds. Physical attacks are merely a stop-gap measure, and one that grows increasingly ineffective as Swamp Thing learns the TRUE nature of his power.
Any time the Swamp Thing has been able to be physically destroyed or simply stopped - be it through fire, bullets, or cryogenic freezing - he has proven himself more than capable of recovering swiftly, if his connection to the Green remains healthy and whole. It is only when this connection is well and truly corrupted, or entirely severed, that Swamp Thing is in serious danger, as his still-immensely durable body loses it's rapid healing factor.
It is for this reason, that those truly serious about attacking the Champion of the Green do so through magic means, and corrupting the very ecosystems and ethereal planes he relies on for most of his power.
Strength:
Due to his nature as the kind of creature that doesn't frequently engage in knock-down, drag-out fistfights, it's difficult to gauge the upper limits of Swamp Thing's physical strength. What is known is that superhuman feats of strength, such as uprooting trees to use as weapons, lifting semi-trucks and tossing them, and so forth, are well within the realm of possibility for him - and seemingly require little to no effort, as well.
Like all his powers, this is highly variable depending on his 'health' (a far different concept than the health of a human being, but something that still colours Swamp Thing's behaviour and powerset), but he has been shown to take punches from Kryptonian-tier threats and, in turn, be capable of striking them with equal or excess force.
His true strength, however, comes from other, more mystic forms of doing battle - and he will generally only engage in outright physical violence when forced into doing so, either to defend himself or others, or to make a point to some bone-headed metahuman type.
Transportation:
An ability possessed by every previous Avatar of the Green, Swamp Thing should theoretically be able to absorb himself into a swamp on one side of the planet, and emerge in an oasis on the other side. It will take far more practice and mastery of his true gifts to achieve such skill with this unusual power, and he is presently only capable of making slow, small numbers of short jumps - but, given a bit of warning and preparation, it is conceivable for him to travel anywhere in a geographical region in one or two 'trips'.
Unfortunately, his ability to guide these teleportations is, at present, very easy to corrupt or otherwise mislead. As such, Swamp Thing has found himself sent way off-course, or transported into traps or ambushes, more than once in the past.
Skills
Astral Travel:
In part an ability granted to him inherently through his underlying connection to the ethereal realm which houses the Green and - unbeknownst to him at this time - the Parliament of Trees controlling these elemental forces; and partly a skill learned through many hours of meditation and psychedelic exploration. These two parts come together to grant Swamp Thing not just abilities to travel on the ethereal realms and transport himself limited distances from ecosystem to ecosystem - but also the bizarre ability of astral travel, as well.
Capable of projecting himself into others' subconscious with great concentration on his part, Swamp Thing has increasingly come to focus on this more... attention-grabbing way of contacting those who he feels need to be forewarned of certain events, or changes in the earth's natural order. After all, wouldn't you take a giant plant monster seriously if they showed up while you were daydreaming and told you something called 'The Rot' was, like, five days away from destroying all life on Earth?
I know I would.
Biochemistry:
The deceased Dr. Alec Holland's main field of expertise - and that which primarily enabled him to finally crack the formula to the Bio-Restorative Serum - the construct created with the memories of the former scientist possesses all his knowledge on the subject as well. It just so happens that this is knowledge on-par with the top scientific minds in the field, it being his particular speciality in the sciences. However, since becoming the Swamp Thing and coming to terms with the true potential of his powers, he has found himself less relient on this information; and rarely finds cause to put it to use, when he is capable of shaping plant-life to his whims through elemental power alone.
Botany:
Resources
Ancient Wisdom:
A constant source of hidden wisdom and elemental knowledge is available to Swamp Thing through his connection to The Green. This gives him the ability to project his form onto ethereal planes, to seek out long-buried truths unknown to the human world, and even sense disturbances in the natural order far before they would be obvious to others (even most expert magicians do not even possess this kind of deeply intimate, personal connection to the elemental). It can also give him some unique perspectives on the hidden pasts of certain individuals - sometimes information that they, themselves, are not even aware of. The Green knows many secrets, and Swamp Thing is it's champion across all planes.
Holland's Memories:
As a result of Holland's consciousness being absorbed into The Green and transplanted into Swamp Thing, the creature possesses all the former memories, skills, and learned knowledge of the botanist and biochemist. This led to him believing he was Dr. Alec Holland, but even with the stunning realization that the Doctor died years ago the Avatar can still remember moments from Holland's childhood, relationships he had and moments he shared. Though he no longer recognizes himself as human, but something more ancient, this knowledge is still there whenever he might find use of it.
Parliament of Trees:
As his journey of self-discovery continues and he seeks more knowledge on the astral plane (along with making connections to magicians), it is certain he will eventually make contact with this secretive council of ancient elementals... and with that meeting, inevitably learn more knowledge of the Green (and the other elemental forces) and his true role on this planet.
Weaknesses
Easily Tricked:
Though his knowledge is ancient and potentially endless in its depth, Swamp Thing is a product of long days of silent contemplation and travelling the Green. As such, he is not well-versed in the ways of mankind's lies and trickery and can be very easily fooled into a potential harmful situation. In this way, a clever foe or expert magician could lay a trap that Swamp Thing could easily be led into with convincing promises from a silver tongue.
Someone like John Constantine (as an example), despite not possessing the sheer elemental powers of the Green, is smart and convincing enough to put Swampy at a disadvantage with a particularly vexing trap or series of spells. When he learns he has been fooled, however, his anger can be intense and frightening to behold.
Horrifying Loner:
His hideous, inhuman appearance limits his chances to make allies and friends in the human world, even back when such a thing interested him. Even though he now prefers the calm, quiet, shadowy places of the world where he can rest and travel through the Green freely, Swamp Thing would find it remarkably hard to find human help even if he tried. It would take a strong mind and iron constitution not to be seriously horrified or unnerved and, potentially, treat the relatively benevolent creature as a threat. It is for these reasons and others that he rarely ventures out into the world of men, except when the health of the Green truly depends on it.
Slow To Act:
Having recently lost the last connection he felt he had to any remaining humanity, Swamp Thing has shifted his attention inwards. He no longer has the care he once possessed for human affairs, or that which threatens the world of men. As such, he is not only utterly disconnected with the human realm - once more becoming a lone monster in the shadows of the world - but also generally unaware of threats to humanity unless they also impact ecosystems or plant life.
It takes great effort to convince him to act when it is not directly in the Green's interest. For one, one would have to convince Swamp Thing to show itself (or find him - a hard thing for a creature that can be anywhere plant life grows). And once that task is achieved, one would need to find a way to communicate to and convince such a detached creature to once more care for human matters.
At present, there is only ONE woman he still seems to have any genuine emotion towards. And it seems to be her danger, alone, that can force him to meddle in strictly human affairs.
The Rot & Magic:
Though he possesses little knowledge of this force except through his numerous run-ins with their Champion (Anton Arcane), his greatest defeats and most existential threat come from this destructive, all-consuming element. There is a constant battle happening both on earth and on the elemental planes involving the Rot and that which represents life.. and it poses a peril to more than the Green, but to all life itself. It is the thing which Swamp Thing can most often find himself unprepared for, even overwhelmed by.
This largely has to do with the Rot's decaying influence on not just surrounding life, but the very heart of life in the elemental realm. He is also susceptible to certain magic traps, tricks and spells - far more than any traditional, physical attacks. The tricky nature of mystics can often overwhelm the plodding, contemplative Swamp Thing.
Logs
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| Title | Date | Scene Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Carousing in Caernarvon | October 5th, 2019 | Friends, old and new, enjoy an evening under the stars |
| A team of Mistfits invade the sanctum | September 20th, 2019 | Two teams invade the sanctum and two baddies leave. |
| Nice Night For A Walk | September 18th, 2019 | Brian, Faith, and Tim meet Swamp Thing |
| A dark and stormy night.. | September 13th, 2019 | Buffy meets a lonely giant in the middle of the night. |
| Swamp Magic (Working Title) | September 13th, 2019 | The scene concludes. |
| Sentinels-Genosha Rises: Remembering Daniel | September 4th, 2019 | The vigil gathers and surprisingly the event ends peacefully! |
| Great Intentions: Little China, Big Trouble | August 28th, 2019 | Kid Arachnid gets into arcane trouble. Silk, Doc Strange and Swamp Thing arrive to sort it out. |
| Pixies and Monsters | October 5th, 2017 | Summary needed |
Cutscenes
To Refresh Character's Log List Click Here. Then hit the resulting button to dump the old cached list.
| Title | Date | Scene Summary |
|---|---|---|
| No logs submitted yet. | ||
