Journal of J'onn Str'anje the Sorcerer Supreme of Ma'aleca'andra and Earth
On my homeworld Ma'aleca'andra, the planet humans call Mars, magic was a part of daily life. Millennia ago my race was used as an extension of the will of the Dread H'ronammu in his attempt to conquer this dimension. Luckily my species was saved by the Vishanti and in removing H'ronammu's influence we were split into two races. Magic had permeated our very cells, every Martian had the power of telepathy, telekinesis, shape-shifting, invisibility, intangibility among others. Each individual Martian's skill was dependent on their own drive and will to master the more complicated techniques. Among the Green Martians those with the greatest ability to master these techniques became peacekeepers known as the Magicians of Mars. One of the Vishanti, the great Agam'otto gifted an eye made of pure mystical energy to the greatest Magician of Mars and they became the planet's Sorcerer Supreme.
Martians visited ancient Earth and shared secrets of magic with its inhabitants influencing cultures such as pre-cataclysm Atlantis and ancient Egypt. The White Martians however wished to continue H'ronammu's lesson of conquest while the Green Martians just wished to live in peace. There was civil war and the Green Martians were victorious exiling the violent White Martians to another dimension they called the 'Still Zone'. Martian society experienced a renaissance of culture and art though there was still much conflict on Earth. The Green Martians eventually chose to limit their sojourns to Earth and it experienced it's own cultural renaissance which the Green Martians took as validation of their decision.
However the destruction of martian society didn't come from without, it came from within. My brother Mor'dolefa'ak and I were among the most respected Magicians of Mars, both in line to become the next Sorcerer Supreme. Unbeknownst to anybody Mor'dolefa'ak coveted the power of the position so he could subjugate the rest of our race. He had begun using his most complex techniques to violently invade the minds of others and erase any memory of the experience. I discovered his crimes and had to bring my own brother to justice. It was decided that his mind reading abilities would be permanently removed and he would forever live as an outcast in Martian society. Out of anger he turned to dark magics and managed to contact Dread H'ronammu. Mor'dolefa'ak unleashed H'ronammu on the Martian people like a mystical plague spread by contact either physical or mental. Attempting to once again control the people of Mars H'ronammu found that they had evolved beyond his ability to simply dominate them. H'ronammu could enter any Martian mind but could only not forcibly control any unwilling host. Unfortunately the consequence of resisting his control was death in an all consuming mystic fire. The only person capable of resisting H'ronammu's Curse would be the possessor of the Eye of Agam'otto. Knowing that my destiny lied elsewhere the Sorcerer Supreme gifted it to me.
The only two survivors of H'ronammu's Curse were my brother who had unleashed the curse upon us and myself thanks to the power of Agam'otto. For the next year we fought without ever resting, but we were too evenly matched, neither of us could gain the advantage. Eventually one of us, I don't even remember which, knocked the other away and just didn't pursue. We both chose solitude rather than each others company. For the next few decades I buried the bodies of my entire race in the soil of my homeworld. Once that was done I began to wander the lifeless planet not even knowing how much time had passed. I began to fear that I would lose my mind, or that perhaps I already had.
Suddenly in a bright flash of light I found myself transported elsewhere. Before I could even process the change in location I witnessed a motor vehicle accident. It was Earth, it was raining and right before my eyes an automobile being driven erratically crashed. Perhaps it was my surprise at finding myself on Earth. Or the fact that the flame from the accident reminded me too much of H'ronammu's Curse. Perhaps even the idea that this could all be a delusion of my mind is what caused me to hesitate. I reached out to the mind of the vehicle's occupant a successful neurosurgeon who had spent his night like so many other nights drinking. Even if I had removed him from the blaze he would have died from his injuries. He no longer had any friends or any family and he accepted death. However in touching his mind I saw his entire life before it ended. His name was John Strange. I believed it was some kind of cosmic joke that I would appear here at the moment of the death of a man with a name so similar to mine. Despite envying his acceptance of death I took his identity as my own and used the car crash as an excuse for retirement. There wasn't anyone who was too concerned by my story of the accident damaging my hands to the point where I could no longer perform surgery. John Strange would not be missed.
I felt disconnected from life as I traveled aimlessly seeing all humanity had to offer. Eventually I found myself in Tibet sensed a power that matched my own Eye of Agam'otto. It lead me to a hidden mystical refuge called Nanda-Lun and the Ancient Stranger. He explained that like on Mars Agamotto had given a human sorcerer his other eye in the form of a golden amulet to be Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. The other Eye of Agamotto now sat in Nanda-Lun waiting for Earth's Sorcerer Supreme to claim it. It was Agamotto that was responsible for my transportation to Earth in time to witness John Strange's death. I needed to see what a man who had truly given up on life looked like and see that some beings never give up on life even if they think they have. In Nanda-Lun they believe that anyone fighting to live deserves a second chance at life even if they don't know that they are fighting.
Feeling nothing for humanity I decided Nanda-Lun was at least a good place to cloister myself from the world. Over time other lost souls like myself found their way to Nanda-Lun. One was a girl named Cynthia Wong who had left home because of her untrained illusion powers. The Ancient Stranger asked me to train her in the use of her powers and she became my apprentice and friend. She helped me learn to care for others again and eventually I became a surrogate father to her. Another lost soul was a celebrity athlete by the name of Danny Brand who was murdered just outside of Nanda-Lun. Seeking more exciting activities he sought out the legendary city of Nanda-Lun. I begged the Ancient Stranger to save his life but he said that only the Vishanti had the power to intervene. In order to beseech the Vishanti for their aid I took up both Eyes of Agamotto and became Sorcerer Supreme of both Earth and Mars. We managed to reunite his body and soul long enough to give him a chance to fight for a second chance at life. Danny was offered a choice, he could stay in Nanda-Lun forever never aging but being unable to leave. Or he could face Rama-Lao an immortal dragon goddess to earn a portion of her lifeforce to sustain him away from the city. For Danny there was no choice, he fought Rama-Lao and won. Seeing him fight for a second chance awoke something more in me. I have the power to help this world, wallowing in self pity in Nanda-Lun was an insult to the departed souls of my race. I decided to leave Nanda-Lun and safeguard this world from mystic threats. Cynthia and Danny wished to accompany me so we have made our home in New York City.
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The Orb of Agamotto, a mystical crystal orb, finishes replaying the journal entry J'onn just dictated. The orb descends back into it's container and ceases glowing. It is another artifact handed down to each Sorcerer Supreme. Among it's many powers it is also a repository of the Sorcerer Supreme's thoughts.
Levitating in the center of my spell chamber I turn in the air to look out the window of my Sanctum Sanctorum. I felt it was necessary to finally get that entry recorded since I have begun to feel something I haven't felt for decades. Somewhere on Earth I can feel the presence of my brother Mor'dolefa'ak, and if he is here H'ronammu is here as well.
"I will find you brother. You will not destroy these people like you have destroyed our own. I will see to that"
That my friend was epic! Nice merging of the two in a beautiful tapestry that I honestly am looking forward to reading more. That is some good writing! An absolute pleasure to read, keep up the good work!
@joshmightbe: I figured both Dr. Strange and J'onn are classically overpowered characters but are of similar power levels. One way to keep them from being too powerful or being not powerful enough is to mix people of the same level. Strange probably could do anything that J'onn can do if he wanted to and I figured why not have Martian powers come from a mystic heritage. They're both kind of the 'swiss army knife' of superheros. Plus Strange wandered the world when his hands were injured and J'onn not only wandered Mars after his people's death but wandered Earth for years before revealing himself as a superhero.
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