Iñaki Azkhuna, "The Saviour"

Player: Martin Eliasson

Nature: Analyst

Nationality: Spanish (Basque)

Allegiance: ETA

Strength 2

Dexterity 2, drive 1, legerdemain 1

Stamina 3, endurance 3, resistance 3

Perception 4, awareness 1, investigation 2

Intelligence 5, academics (rebellion) 1, bureaucracy 1, computer 2, linguistics (Catalan, English) 2

Wits 5, biz (covert) 4, rapport 1

Appearance 2, style 1

Manipulation 5, interrogation 1, streetwise 1, subterfuge 3

Charisma 2, command 1, etiquette 1

Backgrounds: backing 5, dormancy 5, cipher 5, influence 2, resources 2, node 2

Merits/flaws: Secret (ETA member/sympathiser) (5p), Minority (1p), Devotion (ETA) 2

Willpower: 6

Taint: 4

Quantum 3

Mega-manipulation 3 (hypnosis, trickster, the voice)

Psychic shield 5, domination 3 (includes parasitic possession), mental blast 1, telepathy 1 (only communication)

Iñaki was born 1950 in a small village southeast of Bilbao as the youngest of five children. The family was small, poor farmers. The father had lost a leg in the civil war and developed into a family tyrant. Iñaki soon learned the value of duping other people. His father’s behaviour he blamed on Franco and Spain. Iñaki was in the last generation that got all their education in Spanish but managed school well, perhaps as a means of getting away from his father. He studied economics at Bilbao University in the early 70’s. The mood among the students was fiercely nationalistic but he never participated in any organised protests. He said what he thought about Spain during parties, that was the extent of his commitment. His mild hatred for Spain declined when he met his wife-to-be at the university. After graduating they married and began to work for the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. After two years they got a daughter at roughly the same time as democracy was introduced in Spain. Cautiously positive to the new government both worked and built their family until tragedy struck in 1982: the wife and both their daughters are killed in a traffic accident. Depressed and disillusioned, Iñaki buried himself in work. He soon realized that being very intelligent, exceptionally manipulative and no longer constrained by any moral considerations was a great combination for building a career.

In 1984 an old student friend contacted him, asking for help with a business deal. Several follows, each one shadier than the previous. Iñaki realized that it was not the usual tax evasion but rather that it was terrorist money linked to ETA. He didn’t say anything for over a year until finally revealing to his friend that he has indeed understood what is going on and that he was willing to help. Over the years Iñaki becomes an increasingly important asset for ETA, and Iñaki finally feels that he has a meaning in his life. He builds a perfect double life uniting being a skilled banker and popular employee at the BBVA with being the likely best financier of ETA.

Becoming Nova was the last thing the now 52-year-old banker expected. It could threaten his position, but at the same time he might use his new abilities to further the cause far better. He kept his state secret from both ETA, the Spanish authorities and the bank and negotiated a deal with ENA, making him “translator” for Dr Struck. Using the new international contacts he cautiously began to expand his reach.

Later developments: While possessing Gerhart he learns the secret of infecting other people, and “The Saviour 2” appears – hiding in Marseilles. This new version of himself has his old powers, plus Gerhart's powers. Both plan to quietly use their powers to help ETA. When the second version accidentally infects a number of others they continue to stay out of sight. It was only when the final cataclysm arrived that The Saviour discovered that he had an admirer: Yan-Yan, who admired him for his impenetrability. She suggested how he could use his infection powers to produce the vast number of novas needed to gate parts of mankind to safety. Making the heroic sacrifice of irrevocably becoming a multitude he(/she/it) set to work. In the end the effort paid off: beside saving millions of humans, the nation of Euskadia was saved.

Powers: The original Saviour was able to manipulate people extremely well and convince them to obey. He could also directly take control over people and even possess them. He had telepathic powers enabling long-range communication as well as some limited damaging capacity. He was extremely resilient to psychic attacks. The Saviour 2 combined this with regeneration, forcefields, the ability to change body shape, infection powers, invisibility and infection. The third stage Saviours combined these powers with powerful telepathic scanning, wormhole shaping or remote viewing. They are the most powerful non-stareater novas in existence, especially since they form distributed mental networks.