Agamotto (Joint Venture)

Agamotto is a sorcerer, a member of the divine trinity of magic known as the Vishanti, and is usually credited as being Earth's first Sorcerer Supreme. This is the Joint Venture Universe version of the character.

Son of Gaia
Agamotto was born at least 20,000 years before the Christian era, in the time of primeval man.

His true origins are shrouded in myth and the fog of milllennia, but it is known that he was the first-born son of the goddess Oshtur -- called Gaia or Gaea by many cultures -- and the Outer God known as Hoggoth. Despite being the son of two beings of pure magic, Agamotto chose to live as a human, dwell among them, and teach this newly-sentient race the secrets of sorcery and magic.

The world at large remains ignorant of Agamotto, but he is a legend among sorcerers and magicians, as the first recorded Master of the Mystic Arts.

The Eye and Orb
It is widely believed among sorcerers that Agamotto's first creations were his most famous, the All-Seeing Eye and Enchanted Orb of Agamotto. As these are artifacts largely concerned with divination -- clairvoyance, prophecy, and discerning the truth of things -- it is believed that originally, Agamotto specialized in divinatory magic before branching out into other forms. It is also believed that his use of the Eye and Orb are what prompted him to seek out the otherdimensional "Powers that Be".

Pacts with the Powers
In addition to teaching magic to humanity, Agamotto is the sorcerer who formed pacts with the "Powers that Be," ancient and powerful beings from other dimensions, whose names are commonly recited in spells cast by sorcerers to this day. In addition to the teachings of his parents, Oshtur and Hoggoth, Agamotto forged pacts with beings such as Ikonn, Watoomb, Morpheus, Raggadorr, Munnipor, Cinnibarr, and the Faltine, as well as darker forces like Cytorrak, Umar, and Marduk Kurios. Artifacts like the Wand of Watoomb, the Cloak of Levitation, the Gem of Cytorrak, and the medallions known as the Twelve Moons of Munnipor were all born from these pacts, as were several of the iconic spells unique to Sorcerers Supreme, like the Flames of the Faltine, Images of Ikonn, Mists of Morpheus, and Rings of Raggadorr, each spell practically an artifact in its own right. Only his successors, known as "Masters of the Mystic Arts", know the true nature of these pacts, and what prices were paid to make them.

The Dread Dormammu
It is known that Agamotto fought many battles to be declared Earth's first Sorcerer Supreme, but the one that earned him his title was an epic battle with the renegade Faltine known as Dormammu, overlord of the Dark Dimension, during his first attempted invasion of Earth. It is said that it was during this fight that Agamotto was given his vision of those who would follow him, of mystic defenders of Earth to come, and thus inspired the creation of the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.

The Father of Magic
Following the battle with Dormammu, Agamotto travelled the ancient world, performing many unprecedented feats of magic, all based on his incredible foresight, and accomplished by way of his unparalleled longevity. He established the three Sanctums Sanctorum in what would someday be known as London, Hong Kong, and New York City, appointing a Master of the Mystic Arts in each location to protect them and the confluences of arcane energy they represented. He organized his most talented and horoable disciples into the Sorcerers' Circle, creating the first council for the regulation and control of magic, to better use it to serve mankind rather than dominate it. Finally, he and his followers created the hidden city of Kamar-Taj, dedicated to the protection, study, and exploration of magic, and laid the foundation for training sorcerers for countless generations to come.

"Death" and Ascension
In his twilight years as a mortal, Agamotto retired to Atlantis, the city at the forefront of civilization, technology, and magical knowledge at the time, in large part thanks to his teachings. Now almost three thousand years old, his final act was to instruct the Eye and Orb to seek out a worthy heir, someone who could shepherd magic into the future after his departure. It would be another five hundred years before the first sucessor surfaced.

Upon the death of his mortal body, Agamotto resumed his true form as a being of pure magical energy and joined with his mother Oshtur and father Hoggoth, forming the trinity of arcane deities known as the Vishanti. They departed for their own realm, a pocket dimension of pure magic tangentially connected to Earth through the Book of the Vishanti, which they jointly wrote. Since then, Agamotto's name has been immortalized, the reverence sorcerers have for him being something akin to worship. He himself has only been summoned back to Earth a small handful of times, usually by one of his Sorcerer Supreme successors, and he has looked different each time, taking on an appearance closely resembling that of his summoner.

While his powers and name are invoked by sorcerers worldwide, Agamotto himself is only summoned due to dire events, or world-altering mystic conflicts. To this day, magic-users only dare summon him personally in times of greatest need, when no less than the fate of the world itself hangs in the balance.

Powers
Agamotto was a sorcerer of unapralleled power, and today is hailed as the Father of Magic, the first Master of the Mystic Arts, and the first Sorcerer Supreme.

Sorcery: Because of his heritage as the son of a goddess and an Outer God, Agamotto had nearly unlimited magical power at his disposal, which he utilized in a myriad of ways. Every sorcerer in existence owes something to him, for blazing the trail of sorcery and laying the groundwork for magic, both ancient and modern. He could fly, teleport, fire bolts of mystical energy, command elemental forces, heal the sick and injured, raise powerful force fields, change his appearance in any way he desired, and perform countless other mystic feats.

Spells of the Vishanti
Agamotto recorded some of his most powerful spells in the Book of the Vishanti, which he co-wrote with his mother Oshtur and his father Hoggoth. The ability to cast any or all of these spells is sufficient for a mage to be titled a Master of the Mystic Arts.

These are some, but not all, of the Spells of the Vishanti:
 * Bolts of Balthakk: An attack spell, drawing on the Power known as Balthakk to fire powerful energy blasts from one's hands or eyes. There are hundreds of spells that fire bolts of mystic energy, but all of them are derived from this.
 * Chains of Krakkan: a powerful entrapping spell learned from the Power called Krakkan, conjuring strong chains of mystic energy that can be used in any way needed.
 * Crimson Bands of Cytorrak: One of the most powerful binding spells in the Book. The Crimson Bands draw on the force of Cytorrak, the Power of Destruction. These bands of bright red energy can bind anyone or anything so that it cannot move, or moves only according to the wielder's will. They can also protect the wielder from harm.
 * Crystals of Cyndriarr: Another powerful attack spell, this conjures razor-sharp golden crystals that can be controlled by the caster, and hurled at enemies or obstacles for devastating cutting and shredding attacks.
 * Daggers of Denak: One of the darker spells in Agamotto's repertoire, this one conjures invisible blades -- like daggers, talons, or claws -- that unleash savage, slicing attacks. The cuts made by the Daggers are cleaner than the cuts made by the Crystals of Cyndriarr, but can also go far deeper.
 * Fade of Farallah: A special symbol that, when drawn on a surface, enables people who touch it to teleport instantly anywhere the caster wants them to go. While primarily used as a mode of transportation, the Fade can also be used as a trap for enemies, sending them miles away, or to certain death (i.e. inside a volcano, under thouands of feet of water, or into deep space).
 * Flames of the Faltine: The first of the Four Elemental Invocations, this pyrokinetic spell conjures the fire of the other-dimensional race known as the Faltine. These flames can be wielded in a variety of ways, most often as an offensive power, but they also have protective and even survivalist uses as well. It is said that a wielder of the Faltine Flames can never freeze.
 * Green Geas of Gaea: Invokes the power of Oshtur to command plant life, including vines, tendrils, or flowers. How it is used depends on the caster -- a benevolent sorcerer can use it to grow healing herbs or whole crops of fruits and vegetables, or restore life to a barren wasteland. By contast, a mage with his mind set on harm can grow whole forests of brambles and thorns, trap enemies with vines or tree branches, or poison their opponents with toxic plants of all kinds.
 * Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth: Hoggoth's domain is death, rebirth, and the realm of the spirit. This necromantic spell can summon the spirits of the fallen, either the recently deceased or those long-dead. A sorcerer who summons the Hosts can communicate with the dead, provide closure for the living, bring peace to troubled spirits, or -- in a more combative use -- command legions of spirits into battle. There have been rumors over the eons of sorcerers who used this spell to reincarnate the dead into new, living bodies, or possess living people with dead spirits, but those are dangerous practices, and almost always have dire consequences for all concerned.
 * Ice of Ikthalon: The functional opposite of the Flames of the Faltine, this spell commands ice and cold in any way a caster desires. While someone wielding the Ice of Ikthalon has the potential to be as powerful as the mutant Iceman, most spellcasters only use it for offensive blasts of cold, to raise walls of ice, or to create simple ice constructs.
 * Images of Ikonn: One of the most powerful illusion spells ever created. The things created by the Images of Ikonn register as real to every sense. And unlike psychic illusions, the Images' magic is both seen and recorded (or in the case of invisibility, not seen or recorded) by any electronic device or scanner as being real. Only someone with a truly indomitable will, someone wielding a powerful truth spell, or a telepath of sufficient power, can pierce through them.
 * Light of Truth: Devised by Agamotto himself, this spell creates a powerful light that pierces illusions and reveals the true nature of whatever it illuminates. No one on whom the Light of Truth shines can tell a lie or falsehood, or fail to speak the truth. This is perhaps one of the most sought-after and most-feared spells ever to be crafted.
 * Mists of Morpheus: An obscuring fog that can blind and disorient. Should a caster desire, they can use the Mists to cloud people's minds, causing them to forget or ignore anything they desire, or even put them to sleep entirely. These Mists are an incredibly useful tool for keeping magic secret, as any Master of the Mystic Arts can attest.
 * Moonlight of Munnipor/Moonlit Mists of Munnipor: A silver mist, not dissimilar to that of Morpheus, save that it possesses the power to heal wounds, cure curses and illnesses, and dispel harmful magics.
 * Oshtur's Mighty Hand: Second of the Four Elemental Invocations, this spell commands the soil, stone, and metal of the Earth itself to bend to the caster's will, drawing on the authority of Oshtur, the Earth goddess and Agamotto's mother. The Mighty Hand can shape earth and metal however it's needed, from fortifications to tools, projectiles to landslides, or protect it against manipulation by outside forces. Stephen Strange, the thirteenth Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, once used the Mighty Hand on a metal cage, rendering it immune to the mutant powers of Magneto.
 * Ruby Rings of Raggadorr/Seven Rings of Raggadorr: Seven rings of energy that can protect a wielder against harm, bind an opponent from moving, or else be flung like chakrams, controlled by the sorcerer's will, to slice through anything.
 * Sapphire Sphere of Storaan: A spell that generates a globe of blue light that can be manipulated in any way the caster desires. It can be reshaped into a hard-light construct, raised as a protective barrier, or fired as a grenade of mystic energy, which explodes with powerful concussive force.
 * Shackles of Sheol: A specific kind of binding spell, the Shackles are magenta manacles and chains that can be flung like bola. They will pass through ordinary beings and mundane objects, but can hold spirits, supernatural beings, and otherworldly forces fast. While they lack the raw power of the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak, the Shackles' unique ability to hold the incorporeal makes them a useful spell for any Master.
 * Shield of the Seraphim: Derived either from an ancient order of angels, or the race of bird-people from Akah Ma'at created by Oshtur, this Shield protects against harmful and offensive spells of all kinds, but in particular, it is effective at protecting against dark and demonic magic, and the corruption of inherently evil areas like Mephisto's Realm or Limbo under the rule of Belasco.
 * Storms of Satannish: Despite its origin as a demonic spell -- specifically, a spell devised by a denizen of the Dark Dinension -- the Storms of Satannish grant a sorcerer power over lightning and electricity, enabling anything from powerful thunderbolts to devastating electrical storms. In the modern age of technology and electricity, the Storms of Satannish can be used to a far finer degree to control, strengthen, weaken, or disrupt any device that uses electricity, from car batteries to cell phones.
 * Suns of Cinnibar: A spell that conjures the energy of Cinnibar the Sunlit, sometimes as a bright golden light, with healing properties similar to the Moonlight of Munnipor, sometimes as a powerful, searing blast of solar fire.
 * Vapors of Valtorr: Third of the Four Elemental Invocations, this spell usually appears as fog (hence the name) but someone wielding the Vapors has the ability to control water in any of its fluid or gaseous forms, be it salt or fresh, liquid, fog, or steam. They cannot command frozen water, but an intelligent caster can melt ice with heated steam, such as fog from one's own breath, and then command the water that results. The Vapors can even turn salt water into fresh, or vice versa. Historically, the Vapors have usually been used to create water in otherwise-dry conditions, or raise an obscuring mist similar to the Mists of Morpheus or Munnipor, but their potential applications are far more varied.
 * Winds of Watoomb: Last of the Four Elemental Invocations, the Winds of Watoomb grant a caster command over the wind and air itself. A sorcerer using this can control the wind and air, but also create shackles of hardened air to bind someone, or a globe of silence to muffle sound around them. They can draw the air out of an enemy's lungs, cause projectiles and things that fly to veer wildly off-course, and even fly themselves, by commanding the wind to envelop and carry them wherever they wish to go.