Smolder (James Burnside)

Question

Origin Story (Revised): After being dishonorably discharged from the military for killing a fellow soldier during a violent altercation, James Burnside was sentenced to serve time in a high-security correctional facility. Given his military background and specialized combat skills, he was offered a choice: remain incarcerated or participate in a government-run experimental rehabilitation program. Desperate to escape the confines of prison and redeem himself, James reluctantly agreed to the program.

The program placed him as a guard at a secret government facility known for conducting classified experiments on advanced weaponry and bioengineering. Though the job was framed as rehabilitation, James quickly realized the facility was more of a ticking time bomb—a place where ethics were ignored in the name of science. It was there, during a catastrophic accident involving fire-based nanotechnology, that James was caught in an explosion. The nanotech fused with his body, granting him the power to control fire, heal instantly, and sprout fiery wings.

The accident left James disillusioned with the government and the program that exploited him. Escaping the facility, he assumed the mantle of Smolder, a violent vigilante who wages his own war against those he believes perpetuate injustice. His powers became a double-edged sword, allowing him to enact vengeance but exacerbating his already volatile temper.

Embarak
Origin Story (Refined): Long ago, Embarak was a cosmic entity formed in the heart of a collapsing star—a living embodiment of fire and molten metal. Ancient civilizations revered him as both a destroyer and a creator, believing his molten essence held the power to shape worlds. For millennia, Embarak thrived, gaining strength from the rituals and sacrifices of his worshippers. But as human civilizations advanced, science began to replace myth, and his worship faded. Enraged, Embarak retreated to the Earth's molten core, biding his time and growing in power.

In modern times, his slumber was disturbed by humanity's greed. A government project aimed at harnessing geothermal energy drilled too deep into the Earth’s mantle, inadvertently breaking the ancient seals that held Embarak dormant. The very same facility where James Burnside was stationed became the epicenter of the disaster. Embarak emerged, driven by fury and a desire to reclaim dominion over a world that had forgotten him.

Seeing humanity as parasites who squander the fire of creation, Embarak vowed to annihilate the world and rebuild it in his own image. His molten-metal form makes him nearly invulnerable, and his mastery of fire surpasses even Smolder’s powers, creating an epic conflict between them.

The Connection:
The same explosion that gave Smolder his powers was caused by the geothermal energy experiments that awakened Embarak. This ties their fates together: Smolder views Embarak as the ultimate threat to humanity, while Embarak sees Smolder as an insult—an impure imitation of fire’s true power. Their clash becomes not just a battle of strength but a war of ideals: vengeance versus destruction, justice versus chaos.

Answer 1

Smolder (James Burnside)

Origin Story (Revised): Discharged under dishonorable circumstances for taking the life of a fellow soldier during a heightened altercation, James Burnside found himself serving time in a high-security correctional facility. Stripped of his military name and reputation, he was given a grim choice: rot in prison or become a test subject for a government-run experimental rehabilitation program. Faced with the prospect of retribution against his past, James chose the latter, hoping to find a path to redemption.

Assigned as a guard in a secretive government facility notorious for its ethically questionable research on advanced weaponry and bioengineering, James quickly recognized that he had traded one cage for another. The facility was a powder keg, its ambitions steeped in a disregard for human life. During a disastrous event involving volatile fire-based nanotechnology, everything spiraled out of control. James was caught in the explosion; the aftermath left him fused with the very technology that was meant to be weaponized. It granted him extraordinary abilities: control over fire, rapid healing, and the gift of fiery wings.

Disillusioned and fueled by a sense of betrayal from the government that exploited him, James chose to break free from the program’s chains. Embracing a new identity as Smolder, he became a fierce vigilante, unleashing his wrath on those he deemed guilty of injustice. Yet, as he wielded his fiery powers, the simmering rage within him began to fester, blurring the lines between justice and vengeance.

Embarak

Origin Story (Refined): In the primordial swirl of a dying star, a powerful cosmic entity formed: Embarak, the living embodiment of fire and molten metal. His very essence was revered as both a force of destruction and a catalyst for creation by ancient civilizations. For eons, Embarak drew strength from the rituals and offerings of those who believed in him. However, as humanity progressed, embracing reason and science over myth, Embarak's worship began to wane. Enraged and betrayed, he retreated to the depths of the Earth, nestled within the molten core, waiting patiently for a time of reckoning.

This reckoning arrived as humanity’s greed drove a geothermal energy project to unprecedented depths, inadvertently shattering the seals that held Embarak in slumber. The same accident unleashed a cataclysm at the facility where James Burnside was stationed. Awakened and fueled by vengeful fury, Embarak surged forth into the world, hell-bent on reclaiming his place as a deity.

Seeing humanity as parasites that had squandered the primal fire of creation, Embarak vowed to purge the world and reshape it in his own molten image. His form, nearly impervious and imbued with unfathomable power, positioned him as a formidable adversary to anyone who stood in his way, especially the newly emerged Smolder.

The Connection

Their fates intertwined during that catastrophic explosion, which gave birth to Smolder's powers at the same moment it disrupted the age-old slumber of Embarak. This connection crystallizes their conflict: Smolder perceives Embarak as an existential threat to humanity and the embodiment of the very chaos he seeks to fight against. Conversely, Embarak views Smolder as a tainted reflection of his essence—an impure imitation that taunts him with the remnants of humanity's defiance.

Thus begins their epic confrontation—a battle not just of fiery might, but a clash of ideals: vengeance against creation, justice against chaos, and the struggle for dominion over destiny itself. The world stands at a precipice as Smolder and Embarak represent the opposing forces of destruction and the hope for a renewed existence amid the flames.