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I purposefully avoided specifying Variel's capabilities for a very long time. Besides never particularly becoming important to a story that I was telling, it's been my experience that enumerating and elaborating upon "powers" is an open invitation to other "writers" whose only motivation is establishing the "physical dominance" of their imaginary creations over the imaginary creations of others. As you might expect, this avenue of writing is even less important to me than the quality of the powers themselves. People familiar with contemporary editions of Dungeons and Dragons might know one story behind the creation of the Lady of Pain. As I understand it, her creators refrained from setting down things like physical statistics and abilities as a way to avoid receiving letters to the following effect from particuarly persistent powergamers:

 

Dear Wizards of the Coast:

 

You can go ahead and delete that Lady of Pain chick from your canon. We ran a sanctioned campaign in Sigil and destroyed

her... 

 

With that said, I've decided more recently that trying to put Variel's capabilities into a box couldn't hurt when it came to certain avenues of writing. If reading this somehow gives you the idea of crashing through the roof of a sound stage on the Carnal Cinema lot for the purposes of a battle royal, then you should know that I'm not really trying to write with you anyway. But if reading this gives you a greater sense that a supernatural creature is there to be discovered through correct approaches to writing, then you're probably the sort who understands suitable ways to use this knowledge, and I look forward to discussing ideas with you.

 

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Faster Than A Speeding Bullet?

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So then, what exactly does being a Celestial creature in the fast-paced 21st century gain someone?

 

• To avoid having to repeat it, spending four hundred years masquerading as a human being has made Variel into a consummate actor. While this might not strike the reader as a very special ability, it makes it so that – in the guise of Pieter van Rhyn – Variel can measure and mask his other abilities to within human parameters. Nothing makes you stick out more in a crowd of normals than accidentally tearing a door from its hinges while trying to open it. In that same vein, Variel's capacity to restrain his abilities avoids hilariously messy consequences of the sort that Larry Niven describes in the article "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex."  

 

• Variel possesses superhuman strength, endurance, and reflexes. Notably, he is not superhumanly fast; there are consequences to having his particular size and build. But to put things into perspective, he could likely catch a faster being (a normal, or a super whose abilities did not surpass his own) simply by running as fast as he could in pursuit until his quarry's aerobic capability gave out and the consequences of anaerobic exertion took their toll.

 

• Variel has a powerful psyche, even if Pieter doesn't always display it. He is highly intelligent and armed with a potent memory, a critical eye for detail, and an enhanced capacity for learning new things. As the Celestial equivalent of a soldier and spy, he also has a mind for tactics and strategy. Whether the instruction in statecraft that came with noble upbringing in his first lifetime or subsequent covers as corsair, soldier, and "explorer" helped to hone these Cosmic abilities or simply relied upon them is a mystery to everyone except for Variel, who isn't telling.

 

• Variel's senses are keener than those of a human being. This likely involves a combination of physical means (such as being able to perceive radiation in a wider band of the EM spectrum than is covered by visible light and having cochlea whose frequency and amplitude responses surpass those of humans) and paranormal means (such as clairvoyance and clairaudience).

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• Variel can attempt to draw thoughts from an unshielded mind. He can also place them there; this has the general effect of causing the owner of the mind to sense or perceive things that are not actually there. (Those familiar with D&D might consider this to sit at the cusp of the Psionic and the Illusionist skill sets.) He can also shield his own mind from others trying to do the same. He cannot do both at once with any expectation of success. (The expected tactic is as it would be in a sword fight: feint on defense, and then counterattack.)

 

• Variel can perceive the differences in aura that emanate from supernatural creatures, and use this to identify them as masquerading non-normals. He can also identify their specific creature type – if he is familiar with it. With respect to this ability, I employ the following devices to discourage irresponsible and lazy writing:

  • Almost all supernatural creatures possess some form of this ability.

  • Most supernaturals who have a reasoned interest in hiding their true natures may do so, suppressing the visibility of their auras. However, I have borrowed a concept whereby doing so interferes greatly with the ability to see the auras of others. In general, the degree to which a supernatural creature suppreses the visibility of his own aura is proportional to the degree to which the ability to see other auras is also suppressed. Thus, making a great effort to "see" others of interest will (figuratively) cause Variel to light up like a Christmas tree, while making a great effort to hide out will make it difficult for him to "see" who else might be around.

  • Using other abilities will cause a supernatural's aura to become visible, without any corresponding improvement in the capacity to see the auras of others.

  • Neither the ability to detect an aura nor the ability to suppress one is perfect. Consider (figuratively) the means by which USS Enterprise was able to target and destroy the cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: all supernaturals have a "tailpipe" of some sort regardless of how good their "cloak" might be.

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• Depending on the way in which he chooses to manifest his aura. Variel can project an image of great beauty (even greater than the generally-accepted handsomeness of his physical form) or great terror into a lesser being's subconscious. A projection of beauty has the means to either hold or charm affected beings, while a projection of terror has the means to hold or create fear in affected beings.

  • A held being will be unwilling to move in the absence of words or actions that disturb the held state, generally because the vision (whether exquisite or grotesque) has overwhelmed the target's body control.

  • A charmed being will be so enamored with the vision as to respond to suggestions from Variel that do not significantly violate the target's personal ethos. Even after the charm subsides, the target will remember the "good time" that came with the experience – this can make the target more susceptible to future enamorment.

  • A terrified being will be so repulsed by the vision as to flee from the sight of Variel until someone or something manages to prevail upon the target's sense of calm. Even after the fear subsides, the target will remember the experience and be shaken when recalling it – this can make the target more susceptible to future intimidation. 

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• Variel keeps his wings folded in an extradimensional space. (Fortunately, he has not given way to a growing trend among Celestials stationed on Earth of having them appear generally as back-tattoos of "angel" wings.) When he manifests his wings physically, Variel can sustain a flying speed of 60 to 70 miles per hour, and can achieve twice that speed when diving. While in flight, he can carry an additional encumbrance approximately equal to his own weight without slowing or losing significant maneuverability. Variel does not suffer from any environmental ill-effects while flying in what amounts to an unshielded state, but if the encumbrance represents another being, then that person might have his own problems.

 

• The coexistence of Variel's physical body and Celestial "spirit" can lead to "amusing" effects. For example, Variel does not need to breathe, sleep, or eat but does all three.

  • Breathing furthers the illusion that he is human.

  • Sleeping is fun. When sleeping, Variel does dream. Dreams of "home" feature South Africa more often than they feature Paradise; usually, mental images of one or the other give him the best indication of whether he is daydreaming or dreaming. Variel possesses a general ability to remain conscious in his dream state if he sets out to do so. While conscious, he can change the complexion of his dreamscape with a reasonable exertion of will. Variel's dreamscape is subject to being entered by supernatural creatures having the ability to manifest in the dreams of others. Maintaining a conscious state in his own dream state is an effective (but not perfect) defense against unwanted intrusion. Competing efforts to change the complexion of his dreamscape is typically settled by a battle of wills.

  • Eating is a great sensory pleasure. It may or may not be his favorite; the one that forms the basis of his current "profession" is probably the only real competition for the title. However, it is worth noting "research" that suggests Celestial (and Infernal) creatures – far from having no need to eat – actually have an increased caloric need as a means of fueling the spirit power that resides in their physical forms. Variel himself doesn't know any Celestials or Infernals who can't put away some food. He is probably the "worst" among them – a distinction that gives him no small amount of satisfaction. But what can you say? His Mum was the best cook!

 

• Continuing with the previous theme of body-spirit divergence, Variel's physical form is subject to certain infirmities, but his spirit power is able to resist and repair most of them, if he chooses to do so.

  • Variel's skin will tear. His bones can break. He can bleed. These conditions do not generally persist for long, if he decides that he can accomplish the repair in a way that doesn't mark him as something more than human. Having a knife wound or a burn "fix itself" before the eyes of someone who isn't in the loop is a bad way to maintain his masquerade.

  • Variel could probably "get" sick but doesn't. This is most easily explained through good luck and good genes, or by taking precautions that are becoming more common these days: hand-washing, anti-bacterial soap, and the like. That he doesn't take other "occupational" precautions (or their counterparts in his "recreation") have left some at a loss for why he takes his monthly HIV test in much more stride than his fellow "actors" do. Fortunately, biological samples have not (to date) revealed any clues about his true nature.

  • Variel can also apply the energies of his spirit to healing others. Running around curing chronic and terminal diseases is a good way to draw unwanted attention. Having a technique for massaging someone's temples to relieve a headache, or knowing how to give "the world's best massage" as a way of getting rid of another's aches and pains? That's better than foreplay – with the right person, of course.

 

• Four hundred years is a long time to collect talents, and Variel has the benefit of not having lost significant proficiency with those talents as he has shifted from form to form.

  • Variel speaks his "current" native language of Afrikaans fluently. He also speaks his longtime native language of Dutch with fluency, but generally hides this fact behind the linguistic premise that Afrikaans and Dutch share some degree of mutual intelligibility. He now speaks English most frequently, but maintains his rough and ready accent as an outward symbol of Boer pride and heritage. He has also had time to develop proficiency in French, Spanish, and the dialects of Papiamento. Under normal circumstances he'd never admit to the first two, while the third one never seems to come up.

  • Variel is handy with a sword and still has a good command with most simple firearms. He is good on horseback, and can make his way easily around a sailing ship. Once again, most of these things never seem to come up, but Variel displayed obvious glee at easily disarming the "technical experts" who were brought on the location of his first piracy-themed film for a day to make the "clueless porn stars" look less clueless in their fighting scenes. Fans attributed it up to natural talent; detractors chalked it up to dumb luck. As usual, Variel knows better. In the sequels, the "experts" have tended to spend their time helping others. 

  • Variel's singing voice is said to be pretty, even though its baritone color occupies a lower register than it did during "choir practice" in Paradise.

 

 

Just remember two things when you are putting all of this together:

 

• This list is not necessarily exhaustive. I learn more about Variel the same way others do: by writing about him. This is not meant to leave an opening for me to god-mode my way out of writing difficulties. You may accept my sincere commitment to avoiding what I have called "lazy writing" to whatever degree you want. With your help, I expect that I can exercise some license in determining what a being like Variel can and cannot do in a way that makes our writing fun.

 

• What I have listed might strike you as the basis for a very powerful being. What I have listed might strike you as the basis for a wuss. Both of these things are beside the point. See the previous point: what matters is that we have a basis for knowing what kinds of writing avenues are reasonable, and which ones have a greater chance of being fun to craft.

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