Belial

Powers: Possession-- Rusti can possess a person after making eye and

physical contact with them; his body turns into insubstantial black

smoke and typically enters the subject through the mouth. While he is

possessing, Rusti has access to all of that host's powers including

physical, mental, and magical, meaning anything the human/mutant knows

how to do, he will know how to do. This does not transfer into

memories, or thoughts - while possessing someone Rusti has no

telepathic access to their minds. The mind of the possessed is still

consciously aware but will not be able to control their bodies.

Alter Mind Persuasion- Rusti can influence decisions or actions with vocal

suggestions after a touch. When hearing his request, the person will

feel compelled to comply, or simply become very agreeable. The

influence will generally last five minutes after the touch happened,

or if his request is a task, his influence lasts until the task is

performed or completed. Even after the affects wear off a person will

usually never realize Russell was persuading them.

Power Limitations: Possession-- Rusti's ability to possess depends on

both eye and physical contact with living beings; if he is blinded,

the person's eyes are closed, or the being he attempts to posses is

not a organic creature, his power fails. The touch is important

because it triggers his body's intangibility to pass into the person's

body and is not hindered by clothes or body armor. If the possessed

body was to be badly wounded, or fall asleep/unconscious, Rusti is

automatically ejected from their body. If leaving the body naturally

the person is often disoriented and groggy, and Rusti needs a resting

period of five minutes between possessions. While it is possible for

him to possess a psychic he could be forced out of the body quickly.

Alter Mind Persuasion-- His persuasion on the other hand does not work

on telepaths at all, they may not be able to detect his power but are

simply not affected. He has to touch the person, and to persuade

someone he must be able to vocally speak his requests, if he was

unable to speak aloud or the target could not hear him it would not

work. A person can never be influenced to do something they are

completely against subconsciously, so he could not suggest someone

kill themselves or hurt another person unless subconsciously they are

willing to do so. He also has to be careful how to word his commands,

as the person tends to take him literally and for example, asking for

'the truth' may give him more information than he wanted. While

possessing someone, he does not have access to this power.

Background: Russell grew up in a family of Polish-American immigrants.

He was the darling of the family, usually favored over his elder

brother and almost always getting his way.  After he got older and his

powers kicked in, that changed from 'almost always' to literally every

time.  His older brother complained about it, but nothing changed.

The house was run the way Russell liked it.  Most times it was for

what he considered the best, like getting his parents to force his

brother to come to church with them.  He usually felt pretty

justified, though after a while the habit leaked over to just getting

his way every time, even with something as petty as what to have for

dinner or what to watch on TV.

He dated a girl briefly, one normally out of his league but with his

powers that wouldn't stop him.  After a while he got bored, and used

his powers to get her to sleep with him.  He felt a little let down

after that, like it was all right but not the magic he'd come to

expect.  He stopped doing his homework for the most part, and

controlled his teachers into giving him the grades he wanted without

actually doing any work.  His abilities just made everything too easy,

and after a while he'd just given up on resisting temptation.  If he

wanted something, he took it, and there really wasn't anyone to stop

him.

Eventually he got bored with his home town and hit the road.  He

wandered a lot, traveling wherever the mood hit him.  He had an

unexpected encounter with a man, Russell being drunk enough at the

time to be open to that, and since then neither women nor men have

been entirely safe from him and his growing hedonism.  His longest

lasting 'encounter' with anyone was with a man who claimed to be from

Atlantis.  He was something special, but after a while Russell got

tired of him as well and just moved on.

He ran into some others like himself, mutants that weren't afraid to

use their powers to their own advantage.  He drifted from group to

group, usually leaving when things got inconvenient for him, or when

he got bored.  He wasn't much for world domination, he'd settle for

dominating one person at a time.  He left his last "villain" group and

was flying to Europe, having decided to see a little more of the

world, when the pilot asked everyone to strap themselves in due to

engine trouble.  A minute later the plane was dropping like a rock.

Russell closed his eyes, fully expecting to die, but when he opened

them again he was with the Exiles.

Personality: Russell long ago gave in to the temptation of using his

powers to get his way, and now it's like second nature to him.  He's

past seeing it as wrong.  He thinks since he was born with the ability

then obviously he was meant to use it.  He's something of a hedonist,

taking what he wants for his own amusement and pleasure without a lot

of thought for what anyone else wants.  He's only committed enough to

the Exiles to get him home again, believing that by finishing the job

he'll earn a safe pass out of the death he'd avoided.