Doctor Occult

Richard Occult’s life became bound to the supernatural before he was old enough to understand it. On New Year’s Eve in 1899 Richard and Rose Psychic were taken by a demonic cult that intended to sacrifice them. The children were rescued by a mysterious order of sorcerers known as the Seven. Recognizing strong mystical potential in both children the Seven took them into their care and raised them in the occult arts. Richard eventually left their protection and established himself as Doctor Occult. He became a private investigator who specialized in hauntings and possessions and other supernatural crimes with Rose working beside him.

Doctor Occult spent decades confronting supernatural forces that ordinary investigators could neither understand nor fight. His unusually slow aging allowed him to remain active across generations. He aided other defenders during major crises and eventually worked alongside mystics such as John Constantine and the Phantom Stranger and Mister E. He also helped guide Timothy Hunter through dangerous magical realms when the boy’s potential drew attention from powerful forces. When supernatural threats endangered the wider world Doctor Occult joined other practitioners in organized efforts such as the Sentinels of Magic.

Richard’s connection with Rose eventually became far deeper than an ordinary partnership. Their existences became mystically joined and they have shared a single physical form while remaining distinct individuals. Richard can yield that form to Rose when her abilities or perspective are required. Their bond has endured separation and journeys through hostile spiritual realms. Doctor Occult has also become closely associated with the House of Secrets and remains one of the experienced occult investigators called upon when disturbances cross the boundaries between the mortal world and supernatural realms.

Appearance: Doctor Occult has fair peach skin and a tall lean athletic build. His eyes are bright blue. His hair is mostly concealed beneath a brown fedora with a wide brim and a black hatband. Several thin scars cross his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

He wears a tan-brown trench coat with broad lapels over a pale blue-gray collared shirt. A narrow black necktie hangs loosely down the front. The coat has darker brown sections along the sleeves and edges with heavy folds through the arms and lower panels. Black trousers cover his legs with a dark belt and a small rectangular silver buckle at the waist.

His shoes are black and plain with a slightly pointed shape. His hands are bare.

Personality: Richard is calm and methodical after a lifetime spent dealing with entities that thrive on panic and ignorance. He approaches supernatural problems as investigations rather than immediately treating every strange presence as an enemy. His knowledge has made him cautious around magical bargains and artifacts because he understands how quickly apparently minor consequences can become catastrophic. He is willing to enter dangerous spiritual realms himself when an investigation demands it. His long life has also made him comfortable around events that would overwhelm people with less experience.

Rose Psychic is Richard’s closest companion and the person most intimately connected to his existence. They were raised together by the Seven and later became investigative partners before their mystical bond joined them within the same body. Richard trusts Rose as an equal rather than an assistant and their different perspectives allow each to handle situations that the other may approach differently. He also has longstanding associations with other experienced mystics including the Phantom Stranger and John Constantine and Mister E. Those relationships are usually practical since Doctor Occult prefers cooperation when a supernatural threat is larger than any single practitioner can safely confront.

Doctor Occult is an accomplished sorcerer with extensive knowledge of demons and spirits and curses and supernatural dimensions. He can astrally project his consciousness and use telepathy and telekinesis. His magic allows him to create illusions and influence minds through hypnosis. He can perform exorcisms and generate protective mystical barriers while using divination to investigate forces that cannot be detected through ordinary senses. Richard is also an experienced detective whose investigative knowledge allows him to identify the rules and weaknesses governing unfamiliar supernatural threats.

His primary mystical artifact is the Symbol of the Seven. The black-and-white talisman channels powerful protective and investigative magic and can be used for clairvoyance and exorcism as well as the deflection of attacks and the creation of force fields. Richard’s connection with Rose also allows control of their shared physical form to pass between them when necessary. His magical training has greatly slowed his aging and allowed him to remain active for well over a century while continuing to accumulate knowledge of the occult.