[Edeia] Marduk

Personality: Charismatic and self-assured, Marduk rarely ever doubts himself and his convictions. Actualization seems to have changed his personality little from when he was a human, and he acts accordingly. He may come off as a bit slimy sometimes, but he’s someone who fully believes in the intrinsic good of people and especially those to whom he grants his guidance. He can’t stand injustice and seeing people being treated unfairly, so he’s quick to act when he sees an innocent person in a bind. 

He does have a bit of a complex about helping people. He’ll intervene whenever he senses a person who needs to be vindicated and absolved of any doubts against them. But he views them as his clients, and while he works pro bono, he does expect to be repaid in, at the very least, respect. Marduk likes it when people owe him because it makes him feel important. 

He may be an optimist who tries to see the good in people, but it doesn’t mean he’s innocent and naive. He’s cunning and has a manipulative streak, even if it’s for a good cause. Actualizing has done little to humble him, as he now has godlike powers at his disposal. It’s probably for the best that he’s more focused on defending others than casting judgment upon them. 

Abilities

• Revelation: Marduk can peer into a person’s soul to get an objective view of their actions, without any influence of the person’s emotions. This only applies to whatever they need to be absolved for, though - he can’t view everything from their entire life unless it’s relevant to what they’re facing judgment for. But if it’s anything that may have affected how they acted, he has complete access to it. 
• Overturning: Marduk can clear a person of their wrongdoing not just legally, but in the minds of others. They can selectively wipe the memories of others, causing them to forget about whatever it was that his client may have been accused of so they can go back to living a normal life. For all his faults, he refuses to erase other parts of people’s memories, stating that that’s not his business.
• Negotiation: Marduk is capable of minor hypnotic suggestion, being able to plant ideas in people’s minds without them realizing. He can’t compel them to fully believe these ideas or do what he says, but he can implant them in people and influence their actions in a passive manner. 
• Protector of the Innocent: Marduk’s staff possesses similar powers to the Edeia themself, but can be used to create barriers and shields made of spiritual energy. They can only be broken by other Edeia. 

History: A relatively recent Edeia, Marduk was once a human defense attorney struggling to get by. While they had the idea of vindication from birth, they were initially unaware of the existence of Idea Magic due to the fact that they grew up during the Age of Secrecy in the early 1900s. While some of their peers experimented with the mysticism and spirituality that was popular at the time, Marduk dismissed it as charlatanism and instead put most of their time into their work. It was difficult to do the right thing as a young lawyer, though - they often went up against powerful attorneys hired by the rich and were not always able to get the innocent verdict they believed their clients deserved.

Much of this changed, though, during a chance encounter on the boardwalk one day. Marduk was out having fun with some friends when he looked away for a moment and managed to lose them in the crowd. They took momentary shelter in the tent of a fortune teller set up on the boardwalk who happened to be an expert in Idea Magic. The old woman said she sensed potential in him for something much greater, if he only took the time to look into himself. Marduk, again, dismissed this at first, but it gnawed at him for the rest of the day and in the following weeks.

Following the fortune-teller’s advice, Marduk began researching the arcane and stumbled across an ancient text that detailed Idea Magic. It seemed similar to what the old woman had described. Through years of dedicated research and personal efforts, he managed to awaken his own Idea Magic, gaining the ability to peer into a person’s soul and to influence the actions of others. A lesser man may have used this magic to take advantage of others, but Marduk decided to use it to absolve his clients in court. It may have been partially self-serving, but it was still dedicated to vindicating others.

Marduk’s Idea Magic blossomed and flourished over the years, and he became known as a hotshot attorney who could get any client off the hook. But he was able to use his newfound abilities to be more discerning, and only worked with those he knew could be properly vindicated. He turned down offers from those who had clearly done wrong and were just looking to avoid responsibility. As he got older, though, Marduk became frustrated with his limits as a human. There were so many people in the world who needed to be absolved. It was this frustration that caused him to Actualize, becoming a higher being who could fully vindicate anyone in the world who needed it.

As an Edeia, Marduk sits on the Council and continues to assess the wrongdoings of others. Much to the chagrin of other members of the Council, though, he has a tendency to play devil’s advocate and try to argue for the innocence of those who have clearly done wrong. This isn’t because he fully believes in them, because he can tell that they’ve done wrong. It’s just because he’s kind of a shithead. 

Abstraction: Marduk’s abstraction is a courtroom rendered in non-euclidean geometry. It’s difficult to fully comprehend the structure of the room - the jury box extends onto the wall and stretches on for miles, the floors twist and churn underneath one’s feet, the judge’s bench looms impossibly tall. Unlike an average courtroom, it has a very defined aesthetic. All the furniture is rendered in shimmering bronze metal, with the floor and walls being made of a reflective navy material. With their aesthetic similarities, the courtroom and Marduk seem to be one and the same being.