Ryuusei Cartwright/NPC

"I am no blood of that Terran scum."

- Ryuusei Cartwright, In the Aftermath of Chaos

Ryuusei Cartwight, also known as Charuske Ryuusei and as Robert Twain by adoption, is a Vesperian and the primary antagonist in the Devourer Saga, alongside The'Galin and Diviara Celegra.

He first appeared in session XIV of the Epic on Caelestia.

Appearance and Personality
"You know better than both our Lord and Lorithia, the Creator, do, do you?! You are a xenophobic racist and a very evil man! The fact that you have associated my name with your efforts is a greater scar on my name than all of my own failings combined."

- Xilar confronting Cartwright, A Network Divided

Dark-haired with hazel eyes, Cartwright appears tall, chalky and slender with boney, narrow fingers, and yet, a well-muscled torso and legs. One of his most distinctive features is that of his facial hair—a, a goatee-like chin puff and a designer stubble—, the only trait that makes him discernible from his analogue at first sight. A snappy dresser, Cartwright wears a distinctive two-pieced red suit, consisting of single-breasted jacket with a notched lapel with golden embroidery in the left sleeve, and trousers with a similar golden pattern in the right leg. Under the jacket, he wears a white shirt with a red gem adorning his neck; he also wears an extravagant golden ring with an orange stone on his right hand. Unlike many others characters, he carries no weapons; instead, he is always seen holding a golden dragon head-topped cane.

During much of his adulthood, Cartwright is a callous man deeply marked by the zealous belief that the omniverse is totally corrupt and needs to be purified through uncreation. In addition, he views Vesperians as inherently superior to all other species, and firmly believes in amorality, believing himself (and others, like Absolix) to be beyond transgressions (Absolix Falling: Salvation!). Despite self-describing himself as a pawn and servant of The'Galin—and even though absolute loyalty was one of the few things that ever mattered to him—, he is hypocritical as his own is not unquestionable. He, recognized by many as an expert at manipulation and machination, can find the way to circumvent direct orders from superiors or disregard them completely, if it means he can further his own goals. Misunderstanding The'Galin's purpose, or simply not caring, his behavior leads him to do many atrocities in the name of his god.

An impatient man, Cartwright finds disobedience and failure to be intolerable, and is not afraid to punish those who do not meet his standards of efficiency, be it through the Cold or through death. Pompous, stubborn, secretive, devious and cruel, he also enjoys playing mental games with his opponents, and is vengeful towards those who manage to escape his schemes, as with Galrick (No Good Deed... Part I). In spite of whatever overconfidence he may have gained due to many successes, Cartwright is physically and mentally capable of being a genuine threat to his adversaries.

After his fall from grace and restoration, however, his demeanor changes a great deal. Utterly abandoned by the god he served, Cartwright reconsiders many of his views on life and learns many things, particularly that there is no future in villainy (Absolix Final Battle!). No longer interested in "epic struggles" or racial purity, he gradually becomes wiser, humbler and less malign than he ever had been, even if he retains much of his deviousness intact. Eventually, Cartwright cmes to sincerely regret some of the things he has done during his life and admits that even if he tried to do good, it felt wrong. (Absol-ution IV)

Early life
Ryuusei Cartwright was born on Vesperia to Elizabeth, but was cast out to Terra as "very young man" before the planet was uncreated; at the time, he was known as Charuske Ryuusei. There, his mother fell in love with and married Matthew Twain, who already had two daughters, Project N1 Morgana Twain and Lisa Runde Smith. Ryuusei was adopted by Matthew, and was renamed Robert Twain. However, Cartwright eventually came to hate Twain as he did with all Terrans—partly out of spite over his father's decision to have Atlas Maxwell as his successor. He eventually killed Matthew, took on his role as head of N.O.V.A. and assumed his birth name (Worlds in Peril). He was presumably involved in Lilly Maxwell's death, leading Atlas to desert the organization and return to The Order. Cartwright also travelled across many worlds to offer himself to The'Galin's service, becoming one of his communicants willingly, but kept his nature as such a secret to many both inside and outside the Network.

At some point, he fathered Gaiden, but soon after his birth, he allowed Lisa to take the child to an alternate Terra, where one of his analogues resided. To make sure he could always watch over him, Cartwright bound his analogue and himself together (Absol-ution IV). Unlike many other analogues, they would interact in many occasions in the following years.

The Truth Saga
Upon renaming himself Ryuusei "Cartwright", he appeared before David Viara, who was holding the Seekers at gunpoint for having done unauthorized chronomancy. Cartwright then proceeded to ...

During his time on N.O.V.A., Cartwright committed many atrocities, including ordering the assassination of Diviara Celegra's wife to test the Brilhado's loyalty, using Vesperian technology to collapse Lkeas' timeline into a near singularity and then shooting her, almost uncreating her in the process (Absol-ution IV), and enslaving Galrick into joining N.O.V.A. and transforming him into a bloodthirsty beast.

General of The'Galin
"The'Galin's work is never done."

- Ryuusei Cartwright as the "servant", War of the Clans!

Following Celegra's defection from the rank of General, Cartwright becomes his replacement after a quick rising in power (***). However, he saw the threat that the ex-General represented in his plan to achieve the manifestatino of Omega, and decided to use his "treachery" against him. To do so, he carefully manipulated events to bring himself, Celegra, Lkeas and the Truthseekers together. Then, he ordered Celegra into doing as he ordered, threatening to report to The'Galin of his betrayal: he had saved his wife from her death. Diviara bested him, though, showing Cartwright that he had a superior mastery of the Cold. During that fight, Cartwright also threatened Daniel Stoneforge with the Cold.

Nevertheless, Cartwright is assigned to become Omega; as such, he has some Network agents take control of Drakath and arranges the possession of Blackhawke to sow discord among pirates and ninjas. During one of his conversations with a Brilhado Necromancer, Celegra overhears him (without recognizing that Cartwright is Omega) and flies away to confirm the presence of Omega to Falerin Ardendor. (The Evil of Omega) However, Cartwright arranges events so that they adjust to his schedule. He delays Celegra by a week, and begins spreading division among Lorians—trying to take on the Legacy of Xilar—by attempting to separate Unity on Paxia. By abducting the eight Clan leaders, Cartwright thrusts the territory into chaos and provokes a war between Unity and those who stand by their Clans. (War of the Clans!) Following the conclusion of the conflict, Cartwright frees the Leaders, who vow to destroy him for his acts, but he disappears, claiming that he has business in other places. Cartwright teleports and shows himself to Galrick and Diviara—who had just arrived to confirm Omega's presence on Lore—, and tells them that he has taken over Celegra's former rank. Before they can do anything to him, however, Cartwright is gone. (In the Aftermath of Chaos)

Sometime later, he is sent a document from Louis Zephyr, which had orders of evaluating the Signs of Unity found on Lore and halting actions in the meantime, orders stemming from The'Galin himself. However, Cartwright countermands it by telling his subordinates that their attack is to be launched as planned. (Worlds in Peril) Later, and once again acting as Omega, sends a message through a contingent of Network forces by surrounding Falerin Ardendor, Galrick, The Huntress, Eldron the Good, The Eternal and Diviara Celegra, and ordering to have all of them eliminated, except for Galrick. (No Good Deed... Part I and Part II)

After NightBane's defection and Epheel's demise, Cartwright sends Agent Smith to abduct Amilara Celegra, but the attempt proves fruitless due to Falerin and Darin's intervention. (The Fall Forseen)

Following the Battle of Augerthorne, Cartwright expresses his intentions of invoking a god war between the Lorian and Caelestian Pantheons to disable Falerin's actions on Lore. However, he is overheard by Xilar, who proceeds to confront him and tell him everything he considered Cartwright to be, revealing a very low opinion of the General. But Cartwright is not swayed. Infuriated anew, Xilar tells him that he and the Silari will abandon Omega's army and, warning him for the last time, the First Communicant leaves an angered Cartwright alone with Smith. (A Network Divided)

At some point, he "fathers" Absolix, having uncreated him from the non-existence of something, in one of his many experiments concerning Uncreation. To aid him, he forces Visia and the Mutant King to assist in the experiment at the Scar. However, other pressing matters force Cartwright to put the experiment on hold, and to lay Absolix to rest, closely guarded by the mutated agents (Absolix Rising).

More focused than ever on forcing The'Galin's manifestation, he mobilizes the Network forces from Greenguard Forest to the Cor-Dem Gate, planning to reach the Temple of Hope on Deren. During the conflict, Cartwright is confronted by the Chosen and Galrick, who attempt to delay him. In the struggle, however, the General overpowers and kills the latter, laughing at his sacrifice. (The Rise of Omega) Although the battle is won by Unity forces, Cartwright and some Network agents escape through the Gate. The hostilities resume in Deren, where after Smith's defeat, the Chosen directly engages Cartwright in battle. As he attempts to use the Cold against the Chosen, Amilara Celegra stands up to him and bests him at it, injuring the General in the process. In doing so, he allows Cartwright to offer his body as a vessel for The'Galin's manifestation, fully becoming Omega.

In that state, The'Galin kills NightBane, and attempts to kill and uncreate the Chosen—who is saved from those fates by Edward and by being Forsaken by Hope, respectively—, tells the Loremaster that he has kept his promise to Falerin and Galrick, and enters the Temple. In there, he finds that the Archmagi had been chanting the Hymn of Elemental Unity, awakening the eight Avatars in the process. He is, then, approached by his wife Lorithia in the form of Lauren, and together, they abandon the scene. As The'Galin leaves Cartwright's body, he pledges his master not to abandon him, but the god does not listen and Beleqwaya Melamin takes the opportunity to transport them to the Void through a portal. There, Melamin sacrifices himself to destroy Cartwright by disincorporating him, as he himself suffers the same fate. (The Manifestation, The Final Battle)

Restoration
"But it is not the mistakes we make in life that ultimately matter. Instead, it is what we learn from them."

- Ryuusei Cartwright to Absolix, Absolix Final Battle!

Cartwright's seeming destruction, however, does not last long. As the Chosen, the Archmagi and Falerin Ardendor rescue Melamin from the Deep Void, the Vesperian (who recovers his physical form) manages to get through the gates, escaping his fate. (The Restoration) However, as Cartwright has been cast aside by The'Galin and no longer is a part of the Network, much less a General. He decides to return to the Scar, where Absolix rests. There, he finds that Visia and the Mutant King want to manipulate Absolix for their own ends; he compels them with the Cold not to interfere, and to keep unwanted visitors busy as his son awakens. Once he does, Absolix decides that his purpose will be dominating Lore with a great army. (Absolix Rising) Although Cartwright rebukes him for it, he does not interfere, fully knowing that his son will not succeed, and solely provides him the information he needs. (Absolix's Army)

After Absolix's second defeat, Cartwright cries over the dead body of his son, begging the Chosen to leave him in peace. Somehow, Absolix rises up once more and threatens to once more wage war against Lore, but Cartwright grounds him. Once the Chosen leaves, he scolds his son for trying to be villain. Knowing that, in spite of his adult appearance and mind, he needs a real childhood, Cartwright sends Absolix away to school off Lore, first to Louis Zephyr's Orphic School in Terra and later, to the Kresh Nebula. (Absolix Final Battle!, Absolix Falling, Absol-ution I)

Sometime later, Cartwright acquires the Astramorph Device thanks to an alien called The Finder. As he wishes to try it on someone, a Darkness Dragon named Rath approaches him, seeking his help so he could conquer space. In exchange of a considerable amount of gold, the ex-General accepts and, in K'eld Alorin, he transforms the Dragon, who would call himself Shearhide. Once he is defeated, Cartwright congratulates the Chosen and offers to hand the device over as he knows how to make more of them. (Shear Madness)

Unexpected consultant
"Now then, what has gotten into you, Cartwright?" "Progress, Minister. Progress."

- Minister Bree-Ha and Ryuusei Cartwright, Double Take

During the Bizarre Flecks shower over Lore, Cartwright has a meeting with Drakel Minister Bree-Ha in Greenguard Forest, at the same time that his analogue arrives from an alternate Lore. Due to initial fears concerning his Cartwright's evil, Ryuusei hides from him and asks the Chosen to lie in his stead. Cartwright sees his analogue's copy of the Mirror of the Wyk and thinks it familiar, but quickly dismisses the idea. After apologizing, he leaves the Chosen and Bree-Ha moments later. (Double Take) However, Cartwright quickly deduces the Flecks' nature and that, as the presence of his analogue suggests, his older son, Gaiden, is in danger. Asking his Lord to watch over Gaiden, he returns to the Scar and verifies that Absolix remains safe. (Meteor Storm)

Thereafter, he makes an agreement with the Celegras so that they can return to the Mirror Lore once he prepared the pathway with his analogue. (Us vs. Regeirk!) He awaits for his analogue and the Chosen to come to him and prompts Ryuusei to prepare the Mirror so he could channel away the uncreation. Joined by Visia and Cenara, they transverse realities and both Cartwrights confront Xitra Regeirk, who has Gaiden under his influence. He, along his analogue and the Celegras, combine efforts to dispel the Cold's effect on his son; however, Regeirk escapes. (On the Night's Plutonian Shore) The necromancer later captures Cartwright and Diviara, who are both held captive at the New Battleon Tower. They are freed by the Chosen shortly before the Necromancer is defeated in battle and re-created by a stray Fleck. (Us vs. Regeirk!)

Following the conflict's conclusion, the Cartwrights spend much time together as Ryuusei and Gaiden decide to stay in Lore, having much to discuss. Cartwright himself is involved in matters concerning the Temple of Hope in Deren, and has several meetings with the Celegras. (Darkovian Ultimatum)

Cartwright also meets with Eldron and the Chosen during a war against Seth Cay Dhows, detecting a strange gathering of uncreation energy. This occurrence brings him and many others to Darkovia Forest, where there are strong traces of it. There, he asks The'Galin where the source of the energy is located. Once the god answers, Cartwright, his analogue and the Chosen travel to Mount Thrall, where they meet with Scakk, Anna, Hollow Stoneforge, and confront Atlas Maxwell and Dhows. Cartwright vows to take actions against the shadow, thinking his apparent plans go against The'Galin's wishes. (Mostly Harmful)

Conflict between father and son
"Son, I only wish the best for you."

- Cartwright, trying to teach amorality to Absolix, Absol-ution IV

However, his aid against Dhows is cut short by Absolix's arrival on Lore, who returns after a year of absence. Intending to do something about his father's future actions, Absolix engages in a battle with Cartwright, who wants to teach him amorality. They take their conflict far away from Lore (Absolix Falling: Salvation!), ending up in an unnamed planet in the Kresh Nebula. There, they eventually develop a routine, in which they fight, break to have lunch, argue philosophy until dinner, and then fight some more.

One of his habitual fights, however, is interrupted by the arrival of the D.E.N.N.I.E. Phantom to the planet. Galrick and the Huntress split from the group and locate Cartwright and Absolix, who agree to put on hold their battle to see Ryuusei. Once they go to the crash site, they find his analogue already in his last moments, dying from. He proceeds to tell Cartwright that it is not too late for him and that amorality never worked, leaving Cartwright to **** about his analogue's words. He reminisced much about his past and all the wrongs he had done, eventually reaching an epiphany.

After his analogue's death, he witnesses as Galian, Lauren, Adel, Serenia, Falerin, the Lady of Light and the Dark Lord deal with Etherseid and then, return to their respective places. However, as Etherseid is still alive, Gaide attempts to avenge his father's demise, prompting Cartwright to join the others into swaying him from doing so. Once he does, however, Etherseid attacks Gaiden and Galian allows Cartwright to uncreate the NightMare. As Omega, he uncreates Etherseid and then brings back his analogue, whom he intends to recohere with. After an exchange of words with the others, the recoherence finishes, with Cartwright effectively dying in the process. (Absol-ution IV)

Legacy
"For years I feared what that mind might do. Now, I think the universe is less without it..."

- Ryuusei Cartwright on his analogue, Absol-ution IV

In the end, although never actively attempting to redeem himself, Cartwright managed to become a better man as he changed for the better. In the process, he even earned the respect of those whom he had wronged, as well as some kind of forgiveness for his actions, most notably from Lady Lkeas. Ultimately, Celestra admitted that he and The'Galin were good men, and the Uncreator himself would tell Cartwright, in his last moments, that he had always known there was goodness in him, even if it took a long way for him to show it. Cartwright did not truly believe them though, knowing that he had spent his life in evil and corruption.

Though he is gone, something of him remains in his analogue. Most importantly, Cartwright has passed down the mantle of Omega to his analogue during the recoherence, changing the alternate Ryuusei into The'Galin's avatar. (Absol-ution IV)

In Battle
Though Carwright is fought as an enemy three times, he also appears as a guest in two quests: On the Night's Plutonian Shore and Absolix Falling: Salvation!.

As a guest, Cartwright deals Melee Darkness damage with a single attack, in which he quickly teleports to his enemy's side and, with his arm transformed into a shadowy claw, attacks it, only to return to his position at the Chosen's side. As a standard guest, he requires Skill Points to attack and will leave if the player does not have enough SP.

Battle
Cartwright is fought as a Boss Enemy in three quests: The Rise of Omega and Absolix Falling: Salvation! on his own, and in The Final Battle! while possessed by The'Galin.

In the The Rise of Omega, Cartwright is a Boss Earth enemy with immunity to Paralysis and Freezing. He possess two attack moves: His Ice-elemental Magic attack, which consists in using the Cold to damage the player and reduce his/her BTH, is able to paralyze the player and skip one of his/her turns. His Melee attack, in addition, heals him HP equal to one half the damage dealt.

In The Final Battle!, Cartwight acts as The'Galin's vessel: Omega. He is immune to Powerword Die and to the old versions of Freezing and Paralysis. At the beginning of his turn, he boosts himself slightly until, eventually, the boost increases greatly; after this happens he no longer receives any periodic boost. Same as Cartwright in Rise of Omega, he possesses the ability to attack with the Cold to similar effect: possibly infecting you while reducing the player's BTH and skippin his/her turn if it occurs often enough. Furthermore, Omega is able to skip the player's turn and attack again, able to do it repeatedly so that he attacks several times in a row. Lastly, he heals himself whenever he attacks.

In Absolix Falling!, Cartwright is an Energy Boss due to the Salvation Armor he is wearing. In this battle, he makes use of SP, regenerating and using them according to his level. When he accumulates enough SP, then he spends that much to use his corrupted blast, for increased damage.

Powers and Abilities
To compliment his unrivalled skill at manipulation and machination, he gained much magical knowledge and stamina. Very powerful and very capable, Ryuusei Cartwright had the ability to use the Cold excellently, being able to use three cold strikes in quick succession in battle (a feat that only he and The'Galin as Omega were shown to accomplish). He considered himself, and indeed was, a master of the Cold, and yet he knew that Diviara Celegra was more skilled at it than he was.

However, his talents were not limited to it, as he also acquired much knowledge in Necromancy, Chronomancy, the multiverse (which encompassed transdimensional travel and an ability to sense "alterations in the fabric of the worldwalls" without the need of devices) and Uncreation. He was considered by many as an expert in the last field, partly because he had studied it and experimented thoroughly with it, and partly because he had the ability to call upon The'Galin's powers following his ascension as his avatar. Such demonstrations were, however, rare after his restoration, as Cartwright was apprehensive of his master's reaction. Whenever he did, though, he changed physically and his power increased substantially (though significantly less than if he allowed the god to possess his body). In addition to being his avatar, he was one of his communicants as well, being the first person to demonstrate the ability in-game.

Element-wise, he was had clear preferences towards Ice and Darkness, the latter most notably used by him to damage whenever he turned his arm into a shadowy claw, retaining the partial transformation for as long as he wished, or using simple Dark spells to attack. He was also able to achieve rapid teleportation, which he used many times to reach his destination, seemingly without growing tired in the process.

The only object Cartwright was seen using as a weapon was his extravagant cane, which is not known to possess any magical properties of his own, as it was merely used to focus his magic. It is worth to mention that he had in his possession many powerful devices, such as the Astramorph Device, and had access (and knew well how to manipulate) Terran and Network technology, particularly of the Vesperian kind.

Appearances
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The Devourer Saga

 * 1) In the Aftermath of Chaos
 * 2) Worlds in Peril
 * 3) The Fall Foreseen
 * 4) A Network Divided
 * 5) The Rise of Omega
 * 6) The Manifestation
 * 7) The Final Battle!

The Bizarre Flecks Saga

 * 1) Part I - Double Take
 * 2) Part II - Meteor Storm
 * 3) Part IV - On the Night's Plutonian Shore
 * 4) Part V - Us vs. Regeirk!
 * 5) Part VII - Mostly Harmful

Other Quests/Events
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 * 1) Absolix Rising
 * 2) Absolix's Army
 * 3) Absolix Final Battle!
 * 4) Frostval Saga 2009
 * 5) Shear Madness: AQ/WF Crossover War!
 * 6) The Hall of Memories - Darkovian Ultimatum
 * 7) Absolix Falling: Salvation!
 * 8) AQ's 10th Anniversary: Act 5 - The Devourer
 * 9) Absol-ution IV
 * 10) The Past Unravelled I

Trivia

 * He was called "the man in Sandy Claws suit" by Dewlok.
 * Cartwright appeared in some deleted Frostval 2009 scenes, in which he baked cookies and had tea with Loremaster Falerin Ardendor. He also helped the Chosen to defeat Kabak and in the delivery of presents, lending a train of his to the cause.
 * Despite being known by three separate names, he himself does not know his true name, according to Falerin.
 * Cartwright was referred to as "Servant of The'Galin" before his true name was revealed.
 * He likes to play chess in his free time.
 * Thinking the anglicanization of Charuuske falls off the tongue, he adopted his current surname from Fleet Admiral Cartwright, from Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as he believes the character to be "something of a model for 'human' behavior".