Character information:
Name: Kaspar Rafer
Gender: Male
Species: Pantera Tigris sapien (tiger)
Age: 35
Height: 6ft.
Weight: 175lbs.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Alias: Arcanum

Specification: Mystic

Kaspar Rafer a renowned theologist and archeologist from Germany who graduated from the university of Berlin fifteen years ago and had since then contributed much to the world of archeological research.

A genius with an I.Q of 170, Rafer descends from Germanic royalty dating back to the 1500s with a massive fortune and the sponsorship of several benefactors.

At the age of 25 Rafer lived a glorious and happy life with his wife Geneva. Saddly, Geneva was abducted by local thugs who demanded a hefty ransom for her return. Fearing for the life of his beloved, Rafer refused to turn to the police and instead complied with the ransom. The ransom was taken and Geneva was freed, but it turned out the thugs had abused her and the experience left her emotionally scarred. Only months later Rafer and Geneva were both apprehended by the same thugs who were in fact working for one of his sponsor companies. Having recently unearthed a mysterious archeological find from Egypt, an artifact called the Eye of Apep, which the sponsor desired for himself, along with various other artifacts Rafer had hoarded for his research, as well as a fraction of his fortune. Geneva begged Rafer to not give in, as the Eye of Apep was his crowning achievements in his career. For refusing to comply, Rafer was forced to watch as her wife was brutally murdered before him and he himself had his left eye gouged out, Having lost the will to continue living, Rafer surrendered and begged for death. Strangely, the Eye of Apep instantly obliterated anyone who attempted to touch it.

At that point Rafer had changed from a polite and insightful researcher into a nihilistic and hateful shell of his former self. Resuming his research, he discovered the truths behind the Eye of Apep as a powerful dark conduit of the powers of the dark god Apep. Inserting the emerald artifact into his now ruined eye, he gained to knowledge and a portion of Apep's power, as well as the ability to sense magical energies and conduits all around him.

With the death of his wife and the eye's constant reminding of his life's sorrows and the state of the world, Rafer became convinced of humanity being the ultimate evil. He began to recruit anarchists, social outcasts, demonic worshippers and various criminals and indoctrinated them in this new and twisted philosophy, eventually establishing a cult of sorts dedicated to the destruction of humanity to cleanse the world from its sins.

With the Eye of Apep aiding him, Rafer, sometimes referred to as Arcanum, set out to acquire various magical artifacts from around the world to harness their powers for the benefit of his goals. During a personal expedition to Japan he even unearthed the bound dragon demon Akonnen and freed him from the corpse of Hachirou Etsuko's ancestor. Due to being bound for generations, Akonnen was severely weakened, hence Rafer allowed the oni to use his body as a vessel, the Eye of Apep, his determination and the various wards he'd created within his mind keeping the demon under his control. His fusion with Akonnen increased Rafer's physical and mental powers, making him one of the most powerful mortal mystics.

Retaining his vast fortune, Rafer resumes a positive, but secretive public image, still backed by his various sponsors, while his underlings scour the world in search of magical artifacts, Rafer slowly builds his power in the hopes of taking his revenge on humanity, the humanity that destroys the Earth and itself, the humanity that took his happiness, the humanity that would only destroy everything eventually.

As Arcanum, Kaspar Rafer has grown into one of the greatest dangers ever to jeopardize the future of the world.

Powers and abilities:

Magic sense: The Eye of Apep grants Rafer the ability to see magical energy and ley-lines, as well as sense them several miles away via arcane residue.

Dark magic: As a master theologist and archeologist, Rafer had access to many ancient texts, scrolls, tomes and artifacts. With the aid of the Eye of Apep and his own knowledge, Rafer studied and mastered several arts of magic, his particular favorites being dark magic:
-Hypnosis: With the Eye of Apep as a conduit, Rafer can bend sentient being of varying power to his will.
-Energy blasts: Utilizing a basic form of magic, Rafer can fire various blasts of energy from his hands. The blasts can take various forms, including beams, orbs, etc.
-Telepathy: Rafer can commune with sentient beings with his thoughts alone. With the appropriate conduits at hand, this power can be used over great distances and can even transmit to other planes of existence.

Flight: Having fused with the dragon oni Akonnen, his spirit granted Rafer some of his abilities. Rafer can levitate at will by displacing arcane energy around him.

In addition, Rafer owns numerous artifacts, some of which he keeps on his person that grant him more abilities. Notable artifacts include:

"Chestplate of Empathy": An ancient piece of armor that grants protection from various forces be it conventional or magical. Rafer modified the chestplate and made it a piece of his outfit.

"Maul of the Blood King": An iron mace once wielded by a powerful Oni warlord. With Akonnen bound to his body, Rafer can use the mace to a devastating effect, being able to crush through even the sternest barriers.

“Spear of Ares”: The spear wielded by the Greek god of war Ares. It was forged by Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship and imbued with power over fire and earth. The spear is indestructible when competed against conventional and most magical items. Though when used in combat it acts as a regular spear but when thrown, its power unleashes volcanic force which crushes enemies and causes the earth around it to shatter. Due to Hephaestus’ power over volcanic forces, the spear can also ignite volcanic eruptions and can even be used to move tectonic plates. However, due to the lack of power, Rafer cannot utilize its more devastating abilities, often using it for combat or allowing his minions to use it.

“ Key of Life”: An Egyptian Ankh originating from a temple revering the Egyptian god Osiris. With the appropriate conduits and ley-lines, Rafer can use the key to speak to spirits of the dead.

“Rod of Anubis”: A golden rod said to belong to Anubis, the infamous Egyptian god of embalming and guide to the underworld. An item of terrifying power, utilizing its magic allows the wielder to reanimate dead corpses in a limited vicinity, depending on the wielder’s power. Due to being in possession of the Eye of Apep and fused with Akonnen, the Rod of Anubis is one of Rafer’s most devastating weapons, summoning armies of the dead to act as soldiers and cannon fodder.

“Shield of Horus”: An articulate shield empowered by the Egyptian god of the sky, pharaohs, war and protection. Carved in the likeness of a falcon’s head, the Shield of Horus is a powerful artifact that can repel any and all conventional of magic attacks.

-

Kaspar Rafer is meant to be a character who’s so powerful and intelligent that he is nearly impossible to defeat on regular terms. He’s sort of the Dr. Doom of the setting these comic-style characters of mine belong to.
Regarding his history, I couldn’t come up with a better idea than him having a rough youth and in his adult life coming upon to conclusion that humanity in itself is evil and wanting to destroy it. The fact is, he doesn’t want to destroy the world itself; he personally feels that he’s saving the world by ridding it of what his troubled experiences convinced him is responsible for all the woes in the world; the hate, greed, pride and cruelty of humanity.

Inspirations include: Dr. Doom from Marvel, Magneto from Marvel, Morpheus from D.C, Emperor Griffin from Dark Chronicle and Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh (especially on the bit with the eye).

Also sorry for the edges. My new sketchbook has trouble fitting inside the scanner... :(