THIS BLOG IS A WIP. MANY OF THE POSTS HERE ARE STILL BEING PROOFREAD AND TESTED. occasionally i will post unfinished works for others to review for me.
information encyclopedia for the original character, regulus âme dupois, @proditeur !
BLOG ETIQUETTE & DISCLAIMERS. the content on this blog is original to me and my original character. none of this is to be taken or used outside of interactions with @proditeur. all of the worldbuilding and characterizations are my own design with few exceptions â where stated, some characters and scenarios were inspired by my friends' work, used and adapted with their knowledge and permission.
the vast majority of headcanons on this blog have been well-established for years and updated over time. most of his characterization is more than 5 years old.
HOW DOES THIS WORK.
regulus as a character is built to be largely adaptable to any universe and setting. because of this, he has a set of core character traits that never change, as well as traits that are verse-dependent.
rather than confuse and clutter my worldbuilding by trying to cram all of these variations in a single post (via parentheses, footnotes, etc) i'm going to post duplicate headcanons, slightly altered per-verse, and attach those to specific verse tags.
CORE CHARACTER TRAITS.
fdf
NARRATIVE TRAITS.
regulus is not the main character
regulus, the search for personal identity
regulus, abilities and powers.
applicable to : urban fantasy
regulus belongs to a family of sorcerers who primarily practice dark magic. his upbringing and home environment lend well to an extensive knowledge in ancient and cursed artefacts, necromancy, haemomancy, curses and hexes, and most under things under the dark spells umbrella.
while his upbringing was largely centered around "forbidden" knowledge, regulus' curiosity and capacity for self-study have expanded his knowledgebase and abilities into other areas of magical skill.
THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. the magical skills here cover the main and most common areas of proficiency that may appear in plotting and threads. just because something is not on this list does not mean that he cannot do it ( though it also doesn't mean that he can ).
EDUCATION & LEVEL OF SKILL.
importantly, regulus isn't prodigious in any respect. whatever it is that he knows about magic, he knows because he worked so hard to learn it. whatever skills he has, he has them because he trained and practiced and failed and tried and tried and tried and tried again. whatever knowledge he has, he has because he studied and researched and traveled and yearned for it. it's true that he was born with the capacity for magic but the ability to wield it effectively is because of his effort. his curiosity, his blood and sweat.
that said, he does have a great advantage over many other magic-users of his kind â given his upbringing in a magical environment and his access to resources and millennia of forgotten knowledge. he was born into the privilege of access to this knowledge and a safe environment in which to learn it. outside of this self-study and family-provided tutelage, there is no type of magic school or centralized system. those who have connections to other magical people will learn what they can from them, or will rely on their own efforts to discover and knowledge and practice the limits of their abilities.
between his self-study, curious nature, and home environment, regulus develops highly-skilled magic use at a young age â and continues developing it long into old age.
while he could be described as an overall magical proficient, he does have several specialties which have been his particular focus.
MASTERED SKILLS.
CURSES : curses, hexes, and cursebreaking. regulus' access to dark magical materials makes him rather adept at identifying, placing, or unraveling curses. it was a particular interest of his in his youth and he carries this knowledge with him into adulthood, at times working as a cursebreaker in exchange either for favors or services, or for fun. he also takes to the practice of cursing objects as traps for others ( if he believes they deserve it ).
ABJURATION : protective wards, shields, barriers. regulus' father is particularly skilled in this respect and passed that knowledge down to regulus, who later expands upon it. he can produce wards that keep someone out of a space, either by installing an impenetrable barrier or a barrier that harms and disintegrates those that touch it. it could also be a barrier that, once crossed, spits the person out on the other side of the protected area.
he can produce wards that trigger a trap or trigger a quiet alarm to alert the spellcaster, without the intruder knowing an alarm was sent.
regulus' shields can withstand high blast pressure, especially if he's there to continually maintain and repair the shield as it's damaged. however, constant maintenance does draw a lot of his energy and it's not something he would choose to do often without some great need.
regulus also uses wards for more mundane uses, such as soundproofing rooms and spaces or blocking the view in through his windows so outside figures can't see into his home, office, or car.
ENCHANTING : binding spells to spaces or objects to augment existing properties or add new properties. regulus frequently uses magic to enhance clothing and weaponry or to create new things that serve a higher functional use ( ie. a blanket that cannot be penetrated by the cold or keeps a person cool in the heat ). he loves gifting these objects to his friends and loved-ones â especially those leading dangerous or complicated lives. clothing that is fire or cut-resistant, gloves that remain warm in the coldest air, trick arrows that surpass that which technology can perform, etc.
this is a particular fascination for regulus and something at which he greatly excels specifically because he finds so much joy in it. it is the balance of knowledge and creativity that lends extremely well to this kind of innovative magic use.
CLIMATE CONTROL : in his early-20's regulus adopts a deep interest in plant life and, around this time, begins cultivating a massive garden property with flowers, trees, shrubberies, and every manner of flora. in an effort to preserve and care for these plants he put a great deal of effort into learning climate control magic; ie. controlling the temperature, weather, and pressure in a given space. his entire property is interwoven with intricate spellwork for the sole purpose of keeping his garden alive and thriving year-round.
outside of this use, he can also magically control the temperature in the space around him, enchant items to retain warmth or coolness, and otherwise create a comfortable environment without electrical appliances.
MID-LEVEL ABILITIES & POWERS.
there are certainly things that regulus is very good at, even if he hasn't put the most time and effort into learning them. these are things that he uses often and with confidence but wouldn't consider himself to be "one of the best" at.
TELEPORTATION : regulus can teleport from one area to another via "manifesting" or "space-walking." he disappears into a cloud of black, billowing mist and reappears in another cloud of billowing mist, in another location. the action is completely silent and appears as if he's simply walking out of space.
he can take one or two people with him but taking larger groups of people requires more energy than he's usually willing to expend. his butler, paul, was born with the innate ability of teleportation and regulus will often enlist his help for emergencies.
LEVITATING OBJECTS : regulus can levitate large objects, though larger objects ( ie. walls and buildings ) would require more focus and energy. he can lift and move small objects with negligible ease and often does so when he's in the private company of people who know he's a sorcerer. he can also levitate people â however, he can't levitate himself and therefore can't fly. this is largely due to disinterest, as he prefers to teleport.
CONJURING : regulus can conjure smaller and more basic objects, and he can use conjuring to retrieve objects from other locations.
SHADOW MANIPULATION : purely for entertainment, particularly for children. he can move them like actual shadow-puppets and puts on little shows. it is one of his most favourite forms of playful magic.
ELEMENTAL MAGIC : manipulating and creating with the elements. this might be slightly related to his proficiency with climate magic, but generally speaking he does not work often with fire or water; though he can start fires, grow them, subdue them, and manipulate water.
SENSORY MANIPULATION : spells that alter sight, sound, and confuse the senses. can be considered a form of ILLUSION MAGIC, creating images that bewilder, redirect, or otherwise trick another being. regulus prefers to work in this indirect type of combative magic and has therefore focused much of his time and energy into learning it.
SHAPESHIFTING : himself and others. he can shapeshift himself into simple creatures and typically adopts the form of either a black cat or a peregrine falcon. he can transform the shape of others and has on more than one occasion performed rescues by turning someone into a mouse and tucking them into his pocket.
GLAMOUR : he can apply glamour to himself, others, as well as a given space; either to conceal or transform it visually into something else. regulus does not prefer doing this due to the number of factors affecting this type of magic ( ie. others who can see through glamour, the magic somehow failing, someone entering that space and therefore bypassing its appearance ), and it's therefor not a type of magic he typically relies on.
DEFICIENCIES.
while regulus has many high-level skills, there are certain things that have never ever interested him and he's therefore put little to no effort into learning them â or things he has stayed far away from, either for moral or cautious reasons.
BREWING & POTIONS : "how much can a single potion cost? ten dollars?" the subject of brewing has never interested regulus, especially given his resources and connection with those who are highly-skilled. he's always just assumed that if he needs one, he can buy one from someone else.
HEALING : "when will i ever need this?" famous last words, because he needed it and didn't have it. regulus is not a completely hopeless healer, he can heal small scrapes and bruises and he can mend most things long enough to get them to someone who's actually medically-capable, but he shouldn't be relied-upon.
DIVINATION : he wants no part of it. regulus holds no negative thoughts or feelings on others who practice these arts, but he himself doesn't want to know the future, does not want to speak to the dead, and refuses to believe in 'fate,' 'destiny,' or the other wise pre-ordained.
NECROMANCY : regulus himself has no interest in the practice of necromancy though he does have a high academic understanding of it, through the knowledge in his family archive.
HAEMOMANCY : blood magic. i don't think regulus has ever been particularly interested in this, though he does have a vague understanding of how it works and how it is used, through texts in his family's archive.
regulus, abilities and powers.
applicable to : fantasy, high fantasy
regulus was born into a wealthy lineage of mages that live on lavalier, an archipelago in the shivering sea. the mages of lavalier practice unique customs and magical traditions, some of which are passed between its various groups and some of which remain tied to individual families. some families believe that magic is derived from nature, others believe it comes from the stars.
whatever the case â regulus is a highly-advanced, highly-powerful magic user. he was born into a wealthy, old family with endless resources and access to millennia of forgotten knowledge. between his self-study, curious nature, and home environment, regulus develops highly-skilled magic use at a young age â and continues developing it long into old age.
*this list is largely a work in progress as i develop this verse and refine regulus' magical relationship to nature and the stars.
EDUCATION & LEVEL OF SKILL.
importantly, regulus isn't prodigious in any respect. whatever it is that he knows about magic, he knows because he worked so hard to learn it. whatever skills he has, he has them because he trained and practiced and failed and tried and tried and tried and tried again. whatever knowledge he has, he has because he studied and researched and traveled and yearned for it. it's true that he was born with the capacity for magic but the ability to wield it effectively is because of his effort. his curiosity, his blood and sweat.
that said, he does have a great advantage of being raised in a magical environment with access to resources and millennia of forgotten knowledge. he was born into the privilege of access to this knowledge and a safe environment in which to learn it. he was guided by tutors, members of his family, and his own self-study. the dupois family believes that magic is derived from the moon and the stars and their unique customs and motifs are heavily-laden with these motifs. driven by pride and a strong personal interest, and equipped with endless resources, regulus absorbs more of this magical knowledge than most of his family members in an age.
while he could be described as an overall magical proficient, regulus does have several specialties which have been his particular focus.
HIGH-LEVEL PROFICIENCIES.
ABJURATION : wards, shields, protective barriers. abjuration is a particular focus of the dupois family and their unique spells and style are passed down through their descendants. regulus learns these techniques from his father and expands on them later in life. he can produce wards that resist fire, warn him or others of an intruding presence, or cause minor harm to those who cross. he can fortify walls and structures against blunt damage attacks and destruction.
ENCHANTING : binding spells to spaces or objects to augment existing properties or add new properties. regulus frequently uses magic to enhance clothing and weaponry or to create new things that serve a higher functional use ( ie. a blanket that cannot be penetrated by the cold or keeps a person cool in the heat ). he loves gifting these objects to his friends and loved-ones â especially those leading dangerous or complicated lives. clothing that is fire or cut-resistant, gloves that remain warm in the coldest air, trick arrows that surpass that which technology can perform, etc.
CLIMATE CONTROL : altering the temperature in a given space, increasing the air pressure in a given space. perhaps light weather magic. regulus can use this to defend himself or others against both cold and warm climates & improve the life quality of plants.
TELEPORTATION : regulus can teleport from one area to another via "manifesting" or "space-walking." he disappears into a cloud of black, billowing mist and reappears in another cloud of billowing mist, in another location. the action is completely silent and appears as if he's simply walking out of space. he can take one person or animal with him. attempting to teleport multiple people would be an enormous task.
LEVITATING OBJECTS : regulus can levitate large objects, though larger objects (ie. walls and buildings) would require more focus and energy. he can lift and move small objects with negligible ease and often does so when he's in the private company of people who know he's a sorcerer. he can also lift people.
CURSEBREAKING : ... and its counterpart, cursing. regulus' access to dark magical materials makes him rather adept at identifying, placing, or unwinding curses. it was a particular interest of his in his youth and he carries this knowledge with him into adulthood, at times working as a cursebreaker in exchange either for favors or services, or for fun.
MID-LEVEL PROFICIENCIES.
there are certainly things that regulus is very good at, even if he hasn't put the most time and effort into learning them. these are things that he uses often and with confidence but wouldn't consider himself to be "one of the best" at.
SCRYING : achieving distant sight through reflective surfaces. gaining wisdom from the moon, stars, and nature. tapping into the energy of the natural elements to receive visions, insight, and in some circumstances pass information across long distances.
CONJURING : regulus can conjure smaller and more basic objects, and he can use conjuring to retrieve objects from other locations.
SHADOW MANIPULATION : purely for entertainment, particularly for children. he can move them like actual shadow-puppets and puts on little shows. it is one of his most favourite forms of playful magic.
ELEMENTAL MAGIC : manipulating and creating with the elements. this might be slightly related to his high proficiency with climate magic, but generally speaking he does not work often with fire or water; though he can start fires, grow them, subdue them, and manipulate water.
SENSORY MANIPULATION : spells that alter sight, sound, and confuse the senses. can be considered a form of ILLUSION MAGIC, creating images that bewilder, redirect, or otherwise trick another being. regulus prefers to work in this indirect type of combative magic and has therefore focused much of his time and energy into learning it.
SHAPESHIFTING : himself and others. he can shapeshift himself into simple creatures and typically adopts the form of either a black cat or a peregrine falcon. he can transform the shape of others and has on more than one occasion performed rescues by turning someone into a mouse and tucking them into his pocket.
GLAMOUR : he can apply glamour to himself, others, as well as a given space; either to conceal or transform it visually into something else. regulus does not prefer doing this due to the number of factors affecting this type of magic ( ie. others who can see through glamour, the magic somehow failing, someone entering that space and therefore bypassing its appearance ), and it's therefor not a type of magic he typically relies on.
DEFICIENCIES.
while regulus has many high-level skills, there are certain things that have never ever interested him and he's therefore put little to no effort into learning them.
BREWING & POTIONS : "how much can a single potion cost? ten dollars?" the subject of brewing has never interested regulus, especially given his resources and connection with those who are highly-skilled. he's always just assumed that if he needs one, he can buy one from someone else.
HEALING : "when will i ever need this?" famous last words, because he needed it and didn't have it. regulus is not a completely hopeless healer, he can heal small scrapes and bruises and he can mend most things long enough to get them to someone who's actually medically-capable, but he shouldn't be relied-upon.
NECROMANCY : also wants no part of that. and while i fully believe that he could successfully perform a necromantic ritual, regulus does not fuck with the dead. this is therefore a subject that he actually knows a great deal about, academically, but has never intentionally practiced himself.
regulus, magical abilities and powers.
applicable to : dc, marvel
regulus belongs to the meda, a subclass of sorcery that derives its power from maega ( MAYZH-ah ), a celestial entity.
the meda are capable of general magic use but, like any skill, every person has a different area of competency. the magical potential is there for any person to learn any skill, but their level of skill is defined by their dedication to study and their field of interest.
THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. the magical skills here cover the main and most common areas of proficiency that may appear in plotting and threads. just because something is not on this list does not mean that he cannot do it ( though it also doesn't mean that he can ).
EDUCATION & LEVEL OF SKILL.
importantly, regulus isn't prodigious in any respect. whatever it is that he knows about magic, he knows because he worked so hard to learn it. whatever skills he has, he has them because he trained and practiced and failed and tried and tried and tried and tried again. whatever knowledge he has, he has because he studied and researched and traveled and yearned for it. it's true that he was born with the capacity for magic but the ability to wield it effectively is because of his effort. his curiosity, his blood and sweat.
that said, he does have a great advantage over many other magic-users of his kind â given his upbringing in a magical environment and his access to resources and millennia of forgotten knowledge. he was born into the privilege of access to this knowledge and a safe environment in which to learn it. outside of this self-study and family-provided tutelage, there is no type of magic school or centralized system. those who have connections to other magical people will learn what they can from them, or will rely on their own efforts to discover and knowledge and practice the limits of their abilities.
between his self-study, curious nature, and home environment, regulus develops highly-skilled magic use at a young age â and continues developing it long into old age.
while he could be described as an overall magical proficient, he does have several specialties which have been his particular focus.
MASTERED SKILLS.
MEMORY MANIPULATION ( INNATE ABILITY ) : every meda is born with a single, unique ability. this ability is neither learned nor practiced; it is an innate, advanced-level skill born into each of them.
regulus was born with the ability to wield memory magic. he can read, copy, add, remove, alter, or completely erase memories. this power will work on any being capable of memory, including animals extraterrestrials, and supernatural entities. though not every being's memory works the same, and regulus often has to experiment with techniques to learn how to manipulate different mental spaces.
this power can be used to lethal effect, but regulus, as a highly-principled person, rarely does so. the most common use of this ability ( in combat scenarios ) is to turn his opponents on one another by implanting memories that implicate them against each other. he has also targeted leaders and manipulated them to direct their forces against another enemy force.
ABJURATION : protective wards, shields, barriers. regulus' father was born with the innate ability to produce them â and while regulus can never reach the apex of his father's skill, he learned what he could and expanded on that knowledge with his own experimentation.
he can produce wards that keep someone out of a space, either by installing an impenetrable barrier or a barrier that harms and disintegrates those that touch it. it could also be a barrier that, once crossed, spits the person out on the other side of the protected area.
he can produce wards that trigger a trap or trigger a quiet alarm to alert the spellcaster, without the intruder knowing an alarm was sent.
regulus' shields can withstand high blast pressure, especially if he's there to continually maintain and repair the shield as it's damaged. however, constant maintenance does draw a lot of his energy and it's not something he would choose to do often without some great need.
regulus also uses wards for more mundane uses, such as soundproofing rooms and spaces or blocking the view in through his windows so outside figures can't see into his home, office, or car.
ENCHANTING : binding spells to spaces or objects to augment existing properties or add new properties. regulus frequently uses magic to enhance clothing and weaponry or to create new things that serve a higher functional use ( ie. a blanket that cannot be penetrated by the cold or keeps a person cool in the heat ). he loves gifting these objects to his friends and loved-ones â especially those leading dangerous or complicated lives. clothing that is fire or cut-resistant, gloves that remain warm in the coldest air, trick arrows that surpass that which technology can perform, etc.
this is a particular fascination for regulus and something at which he greatly excels specifically because he finds so much joy in it. it is the balance of knowledge and creativity that lends extremely well to this kind of innovative magic use.
POCKET DIMENSIONS : regulus opened his first pocket dimension when he was fourteen, largely out of curiosity. three years later he created the memorium, which became his lair base and private refuge.
â> there's a more detailed look on pocket dimensions and the memorium here.
while regulus has the ability to open new dimensions, he doesn't do this often. the amount of energy it requires to complete the spellwork would knock him out for a few hours at best, and a few days at worst â and regulus doesn't invite that kind of vulnerability without a good reason.
it is, however, something at which he's extremely skilled and he would do if a particular need arose, such as finding a new base of operations in the event of an emergency, hiding or trapping figures, or creating areas of absolute secrecy.
*interdimensional travel is not a particular skill of his but may fall under a "skills that regulus can learn later in life" category.
CLIMATE CONTROL : in his early-20's regulus adopts a deep interest in plant life and, around this time, begins cultivating a massive garden property with flowers, trees, shrubberies, and every manner of flora. in an effort to preserve and care for these plants he put a great deal of effort into learning climate control magic; ie. controlling the temperature, weather, and pressure in a given space. his entire property is interwoven with intricate spellwork for the sole purpose of keeping his garden alive and thriving year-round.
outside of this use, he can also magically control the temperature in the space around him, enchant items to retain warmth or coolness, and otherwise create a comfortable environment without electrical appliances.
CURSEBREAKING : ... and its counterpart, cursing. regulus' access to dark magical materials makes him rather adept at identifying, placing, or unwinding curses. it was a particular interest of his in his youth and he carries this knowledge with him into adulthood, at times working as a cursebreaker in exchange either for favors or services, or for fun.
MID-LEVEL ABILITIES & POWERS.
there are certainly things that regulus is very good at, even if he hasn't put the most time and effort into learning them. these are things that he uses often and with confidence but wouldn't consider himself to be "one of the best" at.
TELEPORTATION : regulus can teleport from one area to another via "manifesting" or "space-walking." he disappears into a cloud of black, billowing mist and reappears in another cloud of billowing mist, in another location. the action is completely silent and appears as if he's simply walking out of space.
he can take one or two people with him but taking larger groups of people requires more energy than he's usually willing to expend. his butler, paul, was born with the innate ability of teleportation and regulus will often enlist his help for emergencies.
LEVITATING OBJECTS : regulus can levitate large objects, though larger objects ( ie. walls and buildings ) would require more focus and energy. he can lift and move small objects with negligible ease and often does so when he's in the private company of people who know he's a sorcerer. he can also levitate people â however, he can't levitate himself and therefore can't fly. this is largely due to disinterest, as he prefers to teleport.
CONJURING : regulus can conjure smaller and more basic objects, and he can use conjuring to retrieve objects from other locations.
SHADOW MANIPULATION : purely for entertainment, particularly for children. he can move them like actual shadow-puppets and puts on little shows. it is one of his most favourite forms of playful magic.
ELEMENTAL MAGIC : manipulating and creating with the elements. this might be slightly related to his proficiency with climate magic, but generally speaking he does not work often with fire or water; though he can start fires, grow them, subdue them, and manipulate water.
SENSORY MANIPULATION : spells that alter sight, sound, and confuse the senses. can be considered a form of ILLUSION MAGIC, creating images that bewilder, redirect, or otherwise trick another being. regulus prefers to work in this indirect type of combative magic and has therefore focused much of his time and energy into learning it.
SHAPESHIFTING : himself and others. he can shapeshift himself into simple creatures and typically adopts the form of either a black cat or a peregrine falcon. he can transform the shape of others and has on more than one occasion performed rescues by turning someone into a mouse and tucking them into his pocket.
GLAMOUR : he can apply glamour to himself, others, as well as a given space; either to conceal or transform it visually into something else. regulus does not prefer doing this due to the number of factors affecting this type of magic ( ie. others who can see through glamour, the magic somehow failing, someone entering that space and therefore bypassing its appearance ), and it's therefor not a type of magic he typically relies on.
DEFICIENCIES.
while regulus has many high-level skills, there are certain things that have never ever interested him and he's therefore put little to no effort into learning them â or things he has stayed far away from, either for moral or cautious reasons.
BREWING & POTIONS : "how much can a single potion cost? ten dollars?" the subject of brewing has never interested regulus, especially given his resources and connection with those who are highly-skilled. he's always just assumed that if he needs one, he can buy one from someone else.
HEALING : "when will i ever need this?" famous last words, because he needed it and didn't have it. regulus is not a completely hopeless healer, he can heal small scrapes and bruises and he can mend most things long enough to get them to someone who's actually medically-capable, but he shouldn't be relied-upon.
DIVINATION : he wants no part of it. regulus holds no negative thoughts or feelings on others who practice these arts, but he himself doesn't want to know the future, does not want to speak to the dead, and refuses to believe in 'fate,' 'destiny,' or the other wise pre-ordained.
NECROMANCY : also wants no part of that. and while i fully believe that he could successfully perform a necromantic ritual, regulus does not fuck with the dead. this is therefore a subject that he actually knows a great deal about, academically, but has never intentionally practiced himself.
verse â ( high ) fantasy.
inspired by the settings & worldbuilding of : chronicles of narnia, lord of the rings, a song of ice & fire, nightrunner, the elder scrolls, beyond the edge chronicles
this is a formalized and simplified version of regulus' fantasy verse which should cover general and high fantasy settings. it is adaptable and designed to lift in and out of existing spaces, but where it heavily conflicts with other fantasy media, i am happy to discuss and adjust pieces where necessary. the verse as-is lays the groundwork necessary to preserve regulus' character as well as slot neatly into other worlds!
* this verse is a reworking of my original fantasy verse from 2023. most of the pieces are the same, but i've reworked and reconnected them to make better sense.
VOCABULARY.
MAINLAND : refers to whichever main region belongs to a given piece of media.
LAVALIER : archipelago in the northern sea, on which regulus was born.
HIGH PRINCE : same status as "king." ruler of one island ( or island cluster ) within lavalier. non-gender-specific.
PRINCE : child of a high prince. non-gender-specific.
ISLANDOM / PRINCEDOM : independent state on lavalier, composed of 1 large island with a surrounding small island cluster.
HIGH COUNCIL : a council that oversees the archipelago. each of the 5 princes sit on the council and speaks on behalf of their individual islands, as well as the archipelago as a whole.
GREAT MAGES : the original groups who fled the mainland and found the archipelago. now referred to as lavalierans ( lah-vah-LEERANS ).
THE HISTORY.
CENTURIES AGO â the great mages were nomadic groups that roamed the mainland. they were scholarly, innovative, and highly invested in their surrounding communities â often called-upon by king and commoner alike. they traded their magic and knowledge for goods and coin, battled plague and famine, and offered tinctures that cured aches and stirred affections.
as the mages grew into and with their communities, they found themselves ever more relied-upon. the mainland kingdoms, embroiled in their various wars, sought the aid of their mages. poisons for my enemies. storms to batter their ships. brews to confuse and bewilder. and the great mages became less a part of the community, and more the sword of the king â a tool and a weapon. and soon their aid was no longer requested but demanded, expected, and commanded under threat.
the great mages, scholars-turned-weapon, fled.
they took to the shivering sea and headed to the far north where the ice dragons live. with their magic, they believed they could navigate these waters and survive the dragons' winter breath. some kingdoms followed â some ships were lost and some returned with strange stories of great beasts with snow wings and breath like the frost. some kingdoms never chased them at all, too burdened by the expense of war.
the great mages were gone, and no one knew what became of them.
what became of them... they landed on a cluster of islands in the middle of the sea, dotted with snowy peaks and grassy meadows. while the land was uninhabited, the surrounding water was home to a civilization of seafolk.
the great mages named their archipelago lavalier ( lah-vahl - YEY ) after its unique shape, and the now-lavalierans established trade and community with the seafolk who loved around and among them.
and the great mages, like the seafolk and the ice dragons, disappeared into myth. and it is said that they took all the big magic with them.
THE MAGIC.
the great mages were inquisitive, innovative and scholarly. born with the power to transform the energy in things all around them, they sought both to further their understanding of this power as well as use it to the benefit of their community.
the mages ( also referred to as sorcerers or enchanters ) were split into multiple, large groups who shared knowledge and practices between one another. some groups believed that magic is found in the earth while others believed that magic is found in the stars. some specialized in healing, enchanting weaponry, the cultivation of plants, or spiritual effects like dreamwalking or prophesizing. some groups specialized in crafting objects with magical properties. families within a group may also have their unique specialties, typically passed down through their line.
when the great mages fled to lavalier, they carried their practices and traditions with them. over time as the individual states became more insularly-established, each became known more for a particular practice and type of magic than others. they began to trade knowledge and customs through marriage and trade agreements rather than free-sharing knowledge between one another.
* this area is pending an upcoming writeup of the specific magical abilities of regulus in this verse.
LAVALIER.
lavalier, or the lavalier islands, is home to the once-great mages who fled the mainland.
the island is named for its unique shape which takes the form of a lavalier necklace. according to lavalieran myth, the islands were formed during a disagreement of the gods when the goddess hilde's necklace was cut and fell into the ocean. the shape of the archipelago mirrors hilde's lavalier, a constellation in the northwestern sky.
the archipelago is composed of 73 islands. the 5 largest islands and their nearest-most smaller islands each form a "cluster," an "islandom," or an independently-governed state. the ruler of each of the 5 islands is called a high prince. combined, the 5 high princes form a high council which oversees the archipelago as a whole and helps to mediate disputes between the islands.
throughout the centuries the islandoms have been embroiled in small-to-large scale disputes. there were at one point several dozen independent colonies â due to these disagreements, these were consolidated, merged, and ultimately stagnated into the five existing pricedoms. they continue scheming and warring with one another over control of the smaller islands.
some of the islandoms have also developed stronger relationships with the surrounding seafolk than others.
both lavalier as a whole as well as the independent island states have developed their own unique traditions and customs. one such shared custom is THE QUEST, an expectation that each prince must meet in order to be considered worthy of their place.
THE QUEST.
THE QUEST is a centuries-old tradition in which the children of a high prince must take to the sea, "find where the ice dragons sleep," and retrieve a scale. it is said that when they touch the scale they will be shown a vision of their "purpose."
in accordance with the legends, a prince's "purpose" is guided by the wisdom of the ice dragons and serves as a primary goal for the one who receives it. one's purpose might be to unify two islands by marriage, restore diplomacy between the princedoms, discover a new or old magical spell, serve as a great warrior. whatever their purpose is, it will benefit and improve their community. it may also be considered a "prophecy."
if the quest fails and the prince is left without a purpose, they are considered unfit; and to sit on their islandom throne is to curse and diminish their remaining line.
ICE DRAGONS.
ice dragons are the great beasts that live in the far north and roam the skies between the lavalier islands and the mainland. unlike the great fire-breathing dragons of the south, the ice dragons are neither ridden nor "claimed" â they are revered as wise spirits and their guidance is often sought-after through visions and prayer. though the ice dragons are real, they are greatly-believed to be myth.
( i borrowed the concept of "ice dragons" directly from asoiaf and expanded on it with my own thoughts, oop. )
PRESENT DAY.
the myth of the ice dragon's purpose may have been true at one time but by the time regulus is born, the journey has become largely symbolic. many people who embark on this quest lie â they take to the sea for days or weeks at a time and return with a fabricated "purpose." some do return with ice of some kind, but whether this is a real scale or a forgery, no one knows. everyone simply pretends.
regulus, second son of a high prince, has gone on his quest. he has found the ice dragons. he has found the scale. and he is the first person in many decades to have been shown his purpose. and like all those before him who have lied about having received one, regulus, too, lies â he returns with a fabricated purpose, conceals the nature of his quest. tells no one what he saw and what he was told.
JOURNEY, INTERACTIONS, & PLOT HOOKS.
REGULUS' PURPOSE â the vision that regulus is given when he sees the scale is flexible per-plot. it might have something to do with a journey your character is on, or his purpose might be to impede or divert your character's journey. this follows the concept of regulus being a CATALYST FIGURE, whose true narrative impact is how he impacts others' stories. his presence may aid or otherwise greatly-diverge events.
POTENTIAL DIRECTIONS...
-> regulus' island seeks to reestablish a connection with the mainland. he is sent as part of a diplomatic convoy to ( kingdom/location ) where he meets your character.
-> regulus' purpose takes him back to the mainland alone, in search of something. he comes across your muse on his journey, concealing his true identity as a prince of lavalier.
-> your muse has washed ashore or has otherwise arrived on lavalier's ports. they may be there intentionally for diplomatic purposes or their ship has been drastically set off-course either by some storm or other event.
-> your muse is an inhabitant of another one of lavalier's princedoms. they could have amiable relations with regulus' island or be some covert political adversary.
-> your muse is an inhabitant of lavalier who has also, unbeknownst to everyone else, received a real 'purpose.' regulus and your muse's purpose are companions, and their journeys are meant to be shared.
-> your muse is one of the seafolk who live in the surrounding waters. lore-flexible, as i have no particular vision for who the seafolk are.
-> rather than being an isolated believed-to-be-myth archipelago, regulus and your muse's lands are known to one another and have regular contact. they either have amiable relations or not. they may have shared customs or close trade agreements.
... or anything else! the above list is not exhaustive. this au is, again, designed to be highly adaptable. i love building stories with people and would love to see how this plays with other lore.
R E G U L U S D U P O I S. the boy who carried his last name like a burden. i was looked at, but i wasn't seen. [lying] honestly... i was so sure and i was so wrong. i wonder how much of what weighs me down is not mine to carry.
verse â invincible.
based on invincible (2021â) with cherry-picked info from invincible (2003)
this au explores empathy and curiosity as a vehicle for character growth, modeling regulus' inherent character archetype. i do reference other canon characters but will 100% adjust anything necessary when writing with those characters, if there are conflicts! i also took some liberties expanding on & adding characters and details for my own convenience.
regulus is a young viltrumite, between 50 and 100 years old. he was born in a cruiser laboratory by two scientists ( referred to as his "parents" ) attempting to produce a child invulnerable to the scourge virus. regulus was not the first attempt but he is the first and only one who survived.
due to the nature of his birth and the many unanswered questions around the plausibility of this science as a solution to their dwindling population, regulus was heavily-sheltered and raised in the laboratory setting for most of his life. he is, as a result, inexperienced with peoples and cultures outside of viltrum and the stories he's been told. he is highly intelligent and science-minded, albeit naive and ignorant ( in the beginning of his journey ).
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.
because of regulus' age and his so-far sheltered life on the cruiser, he has not reached the level of battle expertise and experience exhibited by the rest of his kin. however, he has been well-trained in controlled environments and he does possess all other physical qualities of his fellow viltrumites.
because there's a lot, i'll just pull some of the most important things from the wiki ( this is mostly relevant to those who have not seen or read invincible ) â
viltrumite musculature and skeletal structure are extraordinarily dense and resilient, forming a single integrated system that governs their strength, durability, and speed.
they can exert immense force, withstand catastrophic impacts, and generate devastating kinetic damage through both physical strikes and high-velocity movements.
their bodies can continue operating even after sustaining catastrophic internal damage, with fatality typically occurring only when critical organs (heart, brain) are destroyed, or when overall bodily trauma becomes overwhelming.
they are capable of recovering from severe injuries as long as critical organs such as the brain or heart are not destroyed, and have been shown to regenerate damaged internal tissue
neurologically, viltrumites possess heightened sensory perception, reflexes, and spatial awareness, allowing them to perceive, track, and engage targets moving at extreme velocities.
their internal organs are equally reinforced, enabling survival in environments instantly lethal to most life forms.
viltrumites gradually become stronger over time as a result of prolonged survival, combat experience, and continuous physical development. this results in older viltrumites generally being more powerful than younger individuals.
PERSONALITY, MENTAL ATTRIBUTES.
a few decades into regulus' life, his parents noticed in him the emergence of empathy. they attempted to quash this, to some initial success, but succeeded mostly in causing him to repress and ignore these feelings rather than eliminate them entirely. he learns to keep these feelings well-buried to the degree that he himself doesn't notice they exist â until they make themselves known at the most inconvenient times.
while regulus is highly empathetic, this empathy does not hinder his ability to take a necessary killshot. consistent with his canon universe, regulus is pragmatic and realistic and understands life as a contest of "kill or be killed." his ultimate disillusionment with viltrum might make him slightly less-inclined to take a life but he will never pull his punches against enemies that he knows won't pull them with him.
above all else, regulus is a being driven by curiosity. he is eager to learn and absorb, to understand and to study. he will tolerate things he once considered intolerable for the sake of gaining new knowledge. this, combined with his latent feelings of empathy, eventually define regulus' journey towards actual change and defection from the viltrumite empire.
JOURNEY / PLOT HOOKS.
while regulus has left the cruiser at several, limited points ( in the short years immediately preceding this au ), his experiences off-ship are few and far between. his first real mission is to travel to earth and help to convince mark grayson to join them, and secure viltrum's rule over the planet. it is suggested that regulus' age might help him "relate" to mark, and therefore be more persuasive without the need for endless infighting.
while this seemed like an excellent idea on paper, this mission ultimately succeeds only in turning regulus against the empire...
â
FOR INVINCIBLE MUSES : inside of the invincible setting, regulus is wandering earth and exploring the planet's ecosystem and studying humanity. he is endlessly fascinated, sometimes to the point of overwhelm, and learning to shed the biases he learned as a subject in the viltrumite laboratory.
FOR OTHER MUSES : outside of the invincible setting (dc, marvel, comicspace), i imagine most of this is very much the same, but the viltrum empire has not made an attempt to attack earth ( yet? we could do that ) and regulus was sent to earth as a reconnaissance mission, or it's possible he has already defected and arrives to earth to blend in and live a peaceful life. which ends up being anything but. idk this is the point at which i got lazy
this is an expanded writeup of details i posted in may 2026 and further developed in private with friends!
while regulus boasts an exceptional level of magical power, physiologically, he's just human. his physical attributes sit in a range of above-average for a human, but he is just human nonetheless. this qualifies him as a glass cannon archetype with the capacity to do incredible damage to others while being ill-equipped to withstand it himself.
AGILITY, DEXTERITY, SPEED, REFLEXES.
regulus is enormously agile. his footwork is dancer-like, graceful, and fluid. he's not prone to stumbling or tripping and navigates difficult or unexpected terrain with ease.
his mental reflexes are also quite sharp and, in combination with his above-average speed and agility, he's adept both at dodging blows and blasts and erecting his own magical defenses in time to block incoming attacks.
however, he does not have any kind of forewarning "6th sense" and is limited to the upper-limit of standard human reflexes and speed. his magic can sometimes act in his defense without his active control, but this is unreliable and inconsistent.
FLEXIBILITY, RANGE OF MOTION.
regulus' body could overall be described as that of a dancer â he is flexible, agile, with an excellent range of motion. when performing magic, he uses his entire body like a channeling instrument and directs and guides the flow of energy primarily with his arms, hands, and occasionally his footwork. this is inspired by the bending movements in avatar: the last airbender, though regulus' movements do not reflect martial arts styles.
MAGICAL AUGMENTATION.
to make up for his lack of physical resilience regulus does use magic to augment his clothing and tools and occasionally his own body to increase its robustness and overall performance.
he has enchanted his suit to be resistant to fire, slicing, and to withstand blunt blows and blasts. his boots are enchanted to better stand falls from great heights as long as he lands on his feet.
though this is incredibly rare, he can enchant himself to maintain increased speed or physical strength. he prefers not to do this, as that kind of physicality is not a part of his standard wheelhouse.
the city of grimmton is located in new jersey, usa, slightly north of gotham. it is adjacent to the pinelands along most of its border.
grimmton is somewhat smaller than its neighbors with a population of less than 1.43 million. its population density is higher on its southern border and decreases as it approaches the heavily-wooded pineland area.
in the modern day it has become a hub for boutique fashion and artisan entrepreneurs.
DIER CO.
some time in the 1990's*, uk-based company DIER CO opened its first north american headquarters in grimmton.
the headquarters building is located in the center of the most highly-dense part of the city. it replaced a popular shoemaking factory that mysteriously burned down some years prior. the building is 63 stories tall.
it remains the largest and most profitable business in the area and heavily influenced the surrounding industries, attracting a younger and more entrepreneurial population.
several years after the north american branch was established, its operations were taken over by the founding family's heir, regulus dupois , who greatly altered the company's social and economic direction.
THE DUPOIS FAMILY ESTATE.
the dupois family estate is located in the northernmost part of grimmton, bordering on the pinelands. it is owned and inhabited only by regulus dupois and his butler paul.
the estate covers 200 acres of land with a large manor to the north west. the property is fenced and gated, with a variety of security features. sometimes, strange things are spotted here.
* regulus doesn't have a fixed birth date and nothing in his story has any fixed year, so this is completely adaptable to whenever it needs to be placed.
** i have no idea if any of this conflicts with existing gotham canon re: surrounding towns and cities or structures. i actually spent an absurd amount of time pouring over maps and wikipedia pages and now i'm tired
regulus, the search for personal identity.
... and alice's journey down the rabbit-hole.
the struggle to define one's personal identity is one of the more prevalent themes in regulus' character and narrative. it sits at the foundation of many of his trials and is responsible for much of his character growth.
in a sense there are two versions of âregulus dupois,â there is regulus dupois, the heir and there is regulus dupois, the individual. and for a large part of his young life he was only ever allowed to be regulus dupois, the heir.
being a dupois comes with the enormous privilege of wealth and status but it is not without its drawbacks â the one iâm focusing on here is the fact that regulus was raised to always regard himself as an extension of his family name. everything you do reflects back on the family, everything you do will either help or harm the family, everything you do will be noticed and judged and criticized. his talents, merits, flaws and outward image are weighed in with the sum of the family as a whole and he can not allow his actions to devalue that sum.Â
in other words, regulus was raised to always view himself as one part of a whole and not as an individual; and this had enormous, detrimental effects on his outlook and self-perception throughout his life.
in all things from his interests to the friends that he keeps regulus must consider his family. is this appropriate? will this make me (us) look bad? is this considered proper, respectable behavior or should i reconsider?  his outward appearance (the way he styles his hair, his choice of fashion, even his body language and posture) is all dictated by what is considered âproperâ for their corner of society. and while regulus isn't actively thinking, âi canât do[this] because itâll make my family look bad in society!â it is definitely a subconscious, deeply-rooted factor that touches everything he does.
THE JOURNEY.
now â we know how this manifests in his young life: he adopts his family's elitism, makes friends with the "right" kind of people, has all of the "right" skills and interests, and is the otherwise perfect son of a wealthy and influential meda sorcerer family. but in ways in which regulus himself couldn't recognize, there was always, always a disconnect between the person he was taught to be and the person he inherently was. he parroted his family's beliefs because it's what he knew but those beliefs never reached all the way down to his core. it never felt exactly right. and because his family never fostered an emotionally-intellectual environment, regulus had absolutely no way of unraveling these tangled feelings. he can't tell the difference between things like discomfort, guilt, anger, sadness, confusion. he is not equipped with the skills necessary to process his own thoughts and feelings â and he's a master of self-denial. it's easier to be ignorant and naive than it is to learn to reconcile the person he's told that he is and the person he actually is.
regulus is a rectangular block who thinks he's a square block, forcing himself to fit in a square hole.
things really only begin to change around the age of 17-18, when his involvement in the vesperan war forces him to confront the physical manifestation of these elitist ideals. he sees the people he is meant to respect perform unspeakable acts of cruelty towards nonmagical communities and those who defend them. he forms bonds with people from outside his corner of society who challenge his perception of wealth and status, who redefine friendship and love. regulus learns to give a name to the dead weight sitting on his chest â i'm the wrong one.
realizing that he was wrong is the first, very small step to the much longer journey of rewriting his entire existential understanding. in that moment, regulus loses everything. he can no longer trust his parents, he no longer even trusts himself. he questions his own experiences. he needs to learn how to understand his own feelings and emotional reactions. regulus does all of this alone, without support or guidance â a boy who was raised to be mislead and controlled, without boundaries for the first time, and absolutely no way of knowing which direction to take. a mentally-taxing process for someone who has never been allowed to deviate from a given norm before now. regulus begins separating himself from the person that he is and was and begins trying to find the person that he needs to be.
what if he takes another wrong turn? how is he supposed to decide whether or not heâs actually getting better? what if heâs just adopting another kind of ignorance?Â
considering the many factors in regulus' life at this point ( the vesperan war is still ongoing, he is isolated and friendless, he is heavily involved as a shadow of anwir ) the shift is slow and ongoing. he begins to shed ties with his family but he doesn't do so completely; he does not cut them off, he does not flee. he begins by removing himself from the family home and finding a private property in a different city where he can be truly alone with his thoughts. and while this is daunting and at times harmful ( given the dark and tumultuous nature of these thoughts ), being able to exist without the looming shadow of someone else's influence really allows regulus to discover the sound and shape of his own wants. regulus begins to make decisions for his own benefit, rather than for the benefit of someone else.
the path he was raised to follow doesn't exist anymore, leaving him something of an aimless wanderer trying to find roots.
the biggest and most immediate shift comes from his home environment. in the privacy and freedom of his own space regulus is able to live in such a way that gives him the most joy and comfort; on the surface, there's no clear separation between his manor and the home where he grew up. the house is large, empty. a lavish property dripping with finery and privilege. but the tone of that environment couldn't be more different than his parents' mansion â it is bright, open, warm, comfortable. because that is his identity: something softer, something natural, something welcoming, something more like a home. modeled after his own tastes, regulus' manor is a stark opposite to the cluttered gaudiness of his childhood home. the spaces are wide and open, the curtains are drawn, he dots the tabletops with potted flowers. but even this process is slow, an incremental journey wherein regulus learns what he needs to be happy in the space he's inhabiting. and what makes him happy is warmth and life.
for many years regulus remains isolated, cold, pessimistic. these are the products of a person still trying to find himself, trying to understand who he is and what he wants. he was raised as an extension of a family name and was never allowed or taught how to individualize himself from that. the early years of this journey are spent quiet, secluded, subdued, because he's learning to separate himself from the world he came from â and he has no idea which world to go to. it takes years for regulus to build a strong foothold independent of his lineage, and there will always be something of a heavy weight on him that he's forced to carry. however, with the right influences and in the right environments regulus really does have the potential to flourish and find happiness.
DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE.
if all of the above defines regulus' character journey, then his thematic journey takes heavy inspiration from alice's adventures in wonderland.
symbolically and thematically, regulus as a character is driven by curiosity and nonsense. despite his enormous caution and moderate wisdom, regulus routinely falls victim to his own curious nature and almost-violent need for knowledge and discovery. it's this need that, fueled by his empathy, subjects him to life-altering scenarios that challenge his perception and outlook.
just as alice's perceptions and sense of identity are warped by her experiences in the rabbot-hole, regulus is altered by the challenges he faces once he leaves the confines of his sheltered bubble. he is introduced to a world in which the rules he was raised on are upside-down and backwards, and he either learns to adapt or allows himself to be swallowed by the unyielding weight of it.
âWho are you?â said the Caterpillar. âIâI hardly know, sir, just at presentââ
âWhat do you mean by that?â said the Caterpillar sternly. âExplain yourself!â
âI canât explain myself, Iâm afraid, sirâ said Alice, âbecause Iâm not myself, you see.â
the world from which he comes is structured and rigid â a no-nonsense adherence to society and status and public perception. if regulus' disillusionment with his family's ideals is what sends him down the rabbit-hole, then this fall is what forces him to confront a reality in which the rules are warped and nonsense thrives.
regulus' "wonderland" challenges him to understand who he is by showing him what could be. at the start this is a harrowing journey â he forces himself to make sense of the nonsensical world around him, rather than allowing himself simply to exist and enjoy it for what it is. but because "wonderland" is, by nature, not a world that can be made sense-of, regulus' inability to shift and adapt works endlessly against him. his wonderland holds a mirror to his face and he refuses to look into his own reflection â regulus wears identity like an ill-fitting suit because the only one he has ever known is the one that was made for him by someone else.
itâs not really until regulus learns to confront his issues, seeing things for what they are rather than what heâs been told they are, that he grows, and learns, and finds his strength-of-self â and he ultimately pulls himself out of the rabbit hole.Â
an intrinsic part of regulus' character is that he is not meant to be the main character of a given space. he is not the chosen one. he is not the most important. his primary function is and has always been a supporting role to others. but despite a role that appears "lesser" on the surface, his impact on the story and the world around him is so profound.
by nature of the fact that regulus is alive, the way he lifts and interacts with those around him has always had broader implications on the narrative as a whole. it's ironic that one of his greatest fears is "being used by others" when regulus is actually at his most powerful when playing a supportive role. there are things that regulus would never do for himself but he would do for others â a deeply-rooted hypocrisy where he cannot accept or forgive his own mistakes but he will listen to the mistakes of others with a realistic understanding. this understanding has drawn people of all kinds to him, a "found community" of unalike-minded individuals of various abilities and intelligences and flaws and virtues, all collected in the same space because of him.
just because regulus isn't the most important character doesn't mean he's insignificant by any stretch. part of his strength as a person is rooted in the fact that he was never meant to be a âchosen one,â he never received a call to arms, never rose to a higher power, and his motivation is largely rooted in selfish endeavours. but his indominable sense of responsibility coupled with an unguided empathy drives him to interact with his environment causing great, often positive change.
regulus as a character, in-universe, is underappreciated and underestimated â this is by design. appearing small, oftentimes unimpressive, and sometimes insignificant while having a powerful impact on the narrative is the whole point.
