Methos

Name: Methos
Door: Door Pass: Submissive

Canon: Highlander TV series
Canon Point: Season 6x13 'Not To Be'

Age: 5000+
Appearance: Here

History: Wiki Link

During his time here previously, Methos didn't change in many largely significant ways, although because secrets are so impossible to keep in Duplicity with the truth being laid out to everyone whether he liked it or not in Finder posts or otherwise, he's slightly more forthcoming with the fact that he's an Immortal. He's still prone to lying or omitting certain less-than-savory facts about his life although those things had a way of coming out too. His time here has made him ever so slightly more open although it's entirely against his will. If he'd his choice, he'd be lying through his teeth. It's just that he understands it's ultimately pointless to pretend something that will be easily disproved. The only other difference is that because death is less of a concern in Duplicity he's slightly more willing to take risks because the risks seem far less permanent than they might have been at home. He still fears death and will do anything to avoid it, but his guard is slightly more down than it's been back home.

Personality:

Because of his age, he is very good at letting things go, but it is partly as a means of self-preservation and cowardice. He moves on from pain and doesn't live long in regret. Even if he does have regrets of previous actions (namely his time as Death, one of the Horseman of the Apocalypse) he doesn't not dwell on them. He's far from a brooding Immortal. He also doesn't hold grudges and when someone he cares for dies. while he does grieve for a time, it's not a pain that leads him to be careless. For example, in the 1800's while he was a practicing doctor he began a relationship with a slave only to have her get killed by her Master because of it. That Master happened to be another Immortal. While Methos was horrified by her death, he refused to fight the Immortal when confronted by him. Instead, he ran away. He recognized that his fighting Morgan Walker would serve no purpose. She would still be dead and he wasn't going to risk his life just for revenge. He might risk his life to save someone who was still alive if he cared for them enough, but to do so when they were dead was pointless. He did wind up fighting Walker again in the 1990s in order to save Joe Dawson's daughter, which highlights that distinction clearly. He cared for Joe and so was willing to fight Walker at that time. He's said in regards to 'revenge', that he's 'given it up'. In his youth he was certainly more prone to such desires. For example, in Ancient Egypt, he mummified alive the Immortal that was responsible for his wife's death. Anger for those mortals who'd feared him for what he was had led him to become a Horseman too (although he grew to love the violence over time and then later left after the killing soured). As he grew older, he saw more and more the futility of revenge. Everyone dies sometime, risking his own life only served to increase the chance he'd join them.

Methos is a very private person, for the simple fact that his name could kill him. Being the eldest of the Immortals means that many of his kind would gladly take his head for his powerful Quickening. As such, he keeps his name close to his chest and only gives it to those he'd trust with it although in this game he will be given his 'real' name and will not be able to hide it, much to his chagrin. He told Duncan MacLeod his name because he knew he was a good man, perhaps the best among Immortals. By comparison, he spent years in the company of Lord Byron, who was an Immortal, serving as his mentor for a time and the man only knew him as 'Doc'. He joined the Watcher's council to not only protect his identity and perpetuate the idea that Methos was a myth but to also make sure he knew where other Immortals were so that he could steer clear of them.

Positive Trait: LOYAL: Despite his selfishness and all of his words that he doesn't care, he is loyal to a point to those he considers friends or that he loves. It's not an absolute loyalty if it does come up against his own self-preservation and there is a struggle for him to decide which he'll serve first and foremost when they come into conflict. However, he has shown a willingness to put himself in harm's way in the past for those he cares for. He's done things for Duncan MacLeod even if it had the potential to hurt him (fought other Immortals, gone up against the Watcher's Council, helped Duncan when he was possessed by a Dark Quickening) and he also risked everything and nearly got himself killed in trying to save his dying love, Alexa Bond. If there were anything in his life that might lead him toward a dangerous path and have him meet an untimely end it would be love. Duncan MacLeod's influence has a lot to do with an increase in his tendency to loyalty-- frequently helping the idealist younger Immortal out of problems due to how much he's grown to care for him.

Negative Trait: SELFISH: Methos tends to think first and foremost about his own personal safety and in this way can be remarkably selfish. He wants to stay alive and this is the driver of most of his actions and it is chief-most in the reasons he's the eldest of his kind. He's not the oldest Immortal because he's the strongest or the most skilled fighter but because he's careful with his life and tries not to take risks, He's clever and he'll be more likely to avoid a fight than seek one out. He's also not actively a part of the Game (which pits Immortal against Immortal in order to be the last to gain some 'mysterious prize'). He only takes the head of another Immortal when he views it as absolutely necessary for his own continued survival or the survival of his friends.

Negative Trait: LIAR: Methos is prone to lying, both to protect himself and in some cases. He rarely goes by the name Methos back home even to other Immortals (especially so, so they aren't tempted to take his head). He knows that telling the truth when most histories say something else isn't worth the trouble. He also finds some personal amusement in talking out of his ass, even talking to Joe about vomitoriums (which are really just what the entrances/exits of amphitheaters are called) as though Romans actually ate until they puked which wasn't true in the slightest. It sometimes makes it hard to know when Methos is telling the truth or he's simply having a laugh at your expense.

Negative Trait: CYNICAL: He is prone to sarcasm and cynicism, not above mocking those whom he views as being naive about the world. He's lived many years and experienced a lot, which has understandably made him slightly jaded about certain things. He loves humanity, but he is still routinely cynical about their motives, for example, scoffing at Duncan and his ideas on chivalry that nearly got him killed by an immortal woman using it against him. He's in many ways a foil to Duncan's eternal optimism, routinely mocking him when he feels that Duncan is being foolish. He's not always right, but when he is, he'll be sure to let Duncan or anyone else know so.

Powers and Abilities: Methos is an Immortal, so he cannot die unless he gets his head lopped off, and if that is done by someone who is not an Immortal, his Quickening (lightning and soul energy that discharges on his death to enter the Immortal who killed him) would have nowhere to go and would cause a lot of damage in his wake. Because of this, he'll also heal any injury, won't get sick, and can't be drunk/drugged for long before healing. Naturally in the game, if the plot requires it, Methos can be susceptible to the various influences Duplicity can inflict.

Inventory: An old personal journal

Samples: 1 | 2