Mran Gantorn
| Mran Gantorn | |
| The Laid-Back One | |
 | |
| Superhero warrior | |
|---|---|
| Powers | speed barrier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1813 FR |
| Died | 1901 FR |
Mran Gantorn was a Gantolian superhero warrior and socialite who in 1856 FR visited the Kingdom of Nadd and unwittingly saved it from the invasion of Mosk-Sopoh Dolysoh. As a result, Gantorn was first asked to prolong his stay, and later kept as a captive in Nadd as the only way to preserve the sovereignty of the kingdom.
Abilities
See: Speed barrier
Mran developed what is known as a speed barrier, a superhero warrior ability that a number of other Gantolian superhero warriors also had. It involved having a barrier around the superhero warrior that prevented fast traveling objects from penetrating it. One had to move very slowly in order to be able to move through it. The barrier would expand with the age of its bearer, eventually spanning many kilometers.
Early life
Mran was born into a wealthy Gantorn family. His father, Bontorn Gantorn, owned several houses in Barmijanj, the largest city in Gantolia at the time.
Mran's abilities were discovered when he was a teenager. As normal in these cases, the radius of the speed barrier grew with Mran's age. His older brother was Linnit Gantorn, who became an influential politician in the same city. Mran served as his bodyguard until the age of 22 when the edges of the speed barrier moved too far away to be useful to protect a small group.
As an explorer
Mran then decided he is going to be an explorer. He made several trips to the north, once visiting Yammoe and visiting many cities in Asdoh. He was normally accompanied by a group of about 50 guards, three cooks, his personal physician, some of his wealthy friends and several artists who were supposed to document his voyages in prose, song and painting.
However, these "voyages" were less about genuine exploration and more about partying and women. He did become a close acquaintance of several officials and local rich people in Estonoh, but his reputation was superficial: he was liked as a guest who spends an inordinate amounts of money. The conclusion of his trips usually coincided with the expiration of his funds.
A trip to Nadd and the Long Siege
Eventually, Mran decided to undertake a more ambitious trip, this time to the famous Laeooy Coast. His journey began in 1855 FR and he reached the Kingdom of Nadd in he beginning of April of 1856. His arrival was a notable event, since visitors from Gantolia were rare.
As he was staying in Nadd, Mosk-Sopoh Dolysoh's army attacked the western walls of the city. Mran's speed barrier prevented the attack, stopping projectiles in mid air. Realizing that this might be due to a superhero warrior within the city, Mosk-Sopoh commenced with the siege.
Mosk-Sopoh's was considerable, but as he couldn't really encircle Nadd due to the geography of the place, he simply stationed his troops under city walls.
The naddians quickly understood that Mran's barrier is what's keeping them safe and asked him to stay for a bit longer. Mosk-Sopoh coldly refused to stop the siege. While he moved some of his troops away, enough of them were left under city walls indefinitely, which resulted in the famous Long Siege. Naddians, thus, refused to let Mran leave and held him captive for the rest of his life.
Personality
Porteek quotes a diary of an oora from Nadd:
Cool, relaxed, with an air of superiority about him, our guest exhibited the kind of curiosity typical of wealthy powerful people: palaces and gold and statues hardly entertained him, but if he sighted a rat or an unusual flower, he would get excited like a child.
His demeanor was changing gradually. It seemed that he was unused to adversity and the realization of what was unfolding took time to register with him. When he was told he couldn't leave, he complied, but didn't seem to take the situation seriously. I even remember a smirk on his face: it was all a game to him.
But when his family's messenger came for him and couldn't get him out - that's when his face, maybe for the first time in his life, began to show genuine concern. He sent a letter to his father with the messenger, asking for help and also for money, as he was largely out of funds. Weeks went by, but there was no response. I remember that day when I came to visit him in his chambers, which were getting simpler by the day, as his purse was getting thinner. And that day I saw it in his eyes, in his shoulders, I heard it in his voice. It was a man who finally realized - he is finished. He is now no more than a prisoner in a foreign land.
