Empress, Mother Earth's Handmaiden

EMPRESS: MOTHER EARTH’S HANDMAIDEN©
Character Development by Alexander M. Dawe

Title: Empress
Real Name: Ursula Noland
Alias: Mother Earth’s Handmaiden
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 160 lbs. (All muscle, she says)
Eyes: Emerald Green
Hair: Black
Occupation: CEO of Noland Industries
Sexuality: Homosexual [?]
Base of Operations: Ceres City
History:
At first glance, Ursula Noland is the last person anyone would have ever picked to
be the avatar of Mother Nature. Born into a wealthy family, Ursula’s parents, Jonathan
and Diana Noland, were philanthropists and owners of Noland Industries; a giant
corporation headquartered in the heart of Ceres City, dedicated to helping the world
through nearly every field, from technology and transportation to pharmaceuticals and
energy. Despite the success of their company, it was Ursula who they considered to be
their greatest achievement. They loved her dearly and Ursula loved them.
Ursula and her parents also shared a love of nature. Their manor had a massive
garden that took up most of their property. Their home was decorated with portraits of
beautifully-painted landscapes. Their vacations where taken to the richest jungles, most
beautiful forests, and to untouched tropics. Wherever there was green, Ursula felt happy
because it reminded her of the love her parents had for her.
-2-
When Ursula was eight, however, her parents died in a car crash during a huge
storm and left Ursula orphaned. After their deaths, Ursula became a cold person. Ursula
then came to hate nature. Whenever she saw a flower or a forest or even the grass on the
front lawn, she would be reminded of her parents and sadness would fill her heart. So at
a young age, Ursula vowed to destroy nature and never be hurt again. She had the
gardens bulldozed and replaced with concrete; she removed all the paintings and replaced
them with photographs of architecture, and hid all of the family portraits in the attic.
As Ursula grew, so did the stoniness of her heart. She focused on her studies and
refused to let anyone get close to her, verbally attacking anyone who tried to be nice to
her. She did have one friend though -- her life-long friend Juu Lee who stayed with
Ursula because she knew Ursula was hurting inside and that she was only pushing
everyone away out of pain. While Ursula thought Juu Lee was just too happily stubborn
to push away, Juu Lee remained friends with her because she felt she was needed -- and
more importantly she was hopelessly in love with Ursula.
As an adult, Ursula took over Noland Industries and almost overnight turned it
into one of the most environmentally-threatening companies on earth. She expanded the
Company, destroying forests to build new company buildings, dumping chemicals in the
pristine locations, and developing products harmful to nature, including gas-guzzlers,
energy-eaters, and greenhouse gas-inducers. As a human being, Ursula was just as bad.
She refused to attend charity events or social gatherings held by her own company as she
believed they were a waste of time and money, and she would fire her own employees for
talking back to her or not following her instructions precisely. Even her appearance was
evil. She wore dark colors and sunglasses to intimidate those around her and she
straightened her naturally wavy hair to look more severe. She also denied her
homosexuality, as she thought coming out would be bad for business. As a result, Ursula
settled for loveless, painful one-night stands with unattractive men. Although her
business dealings were cruel and often brought out protesters, Ursula’s company
remained successful. All this earned Ursula the nickname “Empress of Industry”
One day Ursula received word that the construction company she hired to build
Noland Industries’ latest corporate building was having trouble. Apparently, a large tree
located on site was as deemed “unmovable.” The crew had tried everything -- saws,
axes, hooks, bulldozers, fire, and even explosives -- to remove the tree from its spot, yet
somehow it remained indestructible. Confused and outraged by this, Ursula, along with
Juu Lee, climbed into her private jet and headed out to the location. As soon as she
landed, Ursula demeaned the person in charge, grabbed a chainsaw and headed for the
humongous tree, determined to cut it down herself. Nothing could have prepared her for
what happened next.
As soon as Ursula started up the chainsaw, the tree came to life! Its roots
exploded from the ground and thrashed around. The tree’s roots tangled and crushed
bulldozers and cranes, threw cinderblocks and iron beams everywhere, and slammed into
the ground causing massive tremors. Ursula, in an attempt to flee, tried to run through
the middle of the building, but the roots encircled the building. With one squeeze, the
-3-
building began to collapse and before Ursula could escape, a huge rock fell on her head,
knocking her out and trapping her under two tons of scrap metal and cement chunks.
Miraculously, Ursula was not crushed; the rubble had fallen on her in such a way
that her unconscious body was trapped in a small gap underneath the beams and concrete.
As she slept, roots and vines emerged from the ground and cocooned her body in a giant
pod of green which sprouted flowers and leaves.
Ursula thought she had awakened, but in realty she was dreaming -- finding
herself in one of the most beautiful forests she had ever seen. There were plants and
flowers and fruits of all kinds and types she didn’t think even existed. The trees towered
over her, yet she could still make out a sky colored the most incredible shade of blue she
had ever seen. Ursula heard a ruffling noise behind her and turned around to find the
trees and flowers moving to make an opening as a shadowy figure came into light. The
figure was the most beautiful woman Ursula had ever seen. She had long, green hair and
was dressed in a gown made of leaves, vines, blossoms and roses. The woman welcomed
Ursula to her garden-jungle, and when Ursula sarcastically asked if she was Mother
Nature, the woman chuckled and said that was one of many names she had been called in
her life, but she could call her that if she wanted. Mother Nature then beckoned Ursula to
follower her and led her toward the center of the garden-jungle. Ursula looked around
and was, in all honesty, amazed. The center contained a small garden-plaza, with
furnishings carved out of stone and a small pond filled with the purest water.
After a quick look around, Ursula turned to Mother Nature and demanded that she
be returned to her world. Mother Nature stood beside the pond and shook her head. She
spoke to Ursula, stating that she could not leave until she faced up to the damage her
business and personal actions had caused. Ursula scoffed and said she didn’t know what
Mother Nature was talking about. Suddenly, roots shot out of the dirt beneath Ursula and
ensnared her, pinning her in front of the pond on her knees. The roots began to pinch into
her skin and force her to face the pond. Mother Nature waved her hand and told her to
look into the pond and see how her actions had hurt the world around her and herself in
the process.
No sooner had Mother Nature waved her hand than visions appeared on the
surface of the water. Ursula was forced to bear witness to all of the evil deeds she had
committed over the years. She saw how her expansion of the company and her disregard
of the earth was killing the planet and destroying its balance. She saw how her actions
caused destruction and even death. She saw how hurtfully she had treated Juu Lee, the
only person in her life who cared about her and thought she had a good heart even after
what she had become. More importantly, she saw the kind of person she had become: a
cold-hearted woman whose selfish actions were destroying the planet her parents loved
and the daughter they had given life to and once loved. All the while, the roots that had
pinched into her skin made her feel the psychological and physical pain she had brought
to the earth and the lives of those she encountered. After several minutes, Ursula cried
out in pain and begged Mother Nature to stop. With a wave of her hand, the roots
-4-
unraveled and Ursula was released. She curled up into a little ball from the trauma she
just endured.
After a few minutes Ursula opened her eyes and saw Mother Nature towering
over her. Mother Nature asked Ursula what she had to say for herself. What happened
next shocked even Ursula herself. She scrambled to her knees and bowed before the
Earth Goddess and begged for forgiveness. Stammering, with tears in her eyes, Ursula
admitted to the evil of her actions and opened up to Mother Nature. She admitted that all
her actions in life were caused by the death of her parents and that she grew to resent
nature because even when she looked at the simplest of flowers she could see her mother
and father’s smiling faces and feel the warmth that was their love and then she would just
feel sick and hurt over the fact they were no longer there with her. She admitted that she
pushed everyone away so that she wouldn’t get hurt again and suffer more pain. But
above all else, she admitted that she still loved nature and the world around her. With
tears streaming down her face she looked to Mother Nature and said that her garden was
the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and that she wished she could bring Juu Lee
here and spend the rest of eternity engulfed in the majesty of this world. She begged and
pleaded to Mother Nature with all her soul not to punish her.
Mother Nature raised Ursula’s head and smiled down at her. Mother Nature
explained that Ursula had not been brought here to be punished, but rewarded. She knew
she still had a good heart and a deep love of the natural world, and all she needed was to
be reminded of it. She explained that the Earth, while strong, was full of evil and
destructive forces that hoped to destroy the green and with it the inhabitants of the world.
It needed a guardian; a protector of the green and a bringer of Justice against the forces
who would dare bring harm to all life. Ursula had been chosen to be that guardian;
Mother Earth’s Handmaiden and the Empress of Nature.
At first, Ursula was disbelieving; given that she just had her full-of-earthharming-
life flashed before her eyes. But Mother Nature reassured her that there was no
other for the job. She told her she would be bestowed with magnificent abilities
including great strength, speed and control over the elements and vegetation. On that
note, she placed her hand on Ursula’s head and bid her farewell, saying it was time to
leave and realize her destiny. Before Ursula awakened from her “dream”, Mother Nature
said she would always be with her to guide her and that Ursula could contact her if she
ever needed her.
Back in the world once again, the cocoon that contained Ursula’s body grew out
from the rubble and stopped once it had was all the way through. Juu Lee, who believed
that Ursula had been crushed to death and was trying to dig her body out of the rubble,
stopped and stared in disbelief. The cocoon burst open. Ursula slowly stepped out of the
cocoon and gasped. Her clothes had been replaced with a costume made of vines and
leaves, with armor padding and boots made out of biomorphic wood. Juu Lee, who of
course had known Ursula all her life, immediately recognized her and rushed to Ursula
through the rubble, bombarding her with questions. Ursula just looked around and saw
-5-
that the construction lot was chaos. Promising Juu Lee she would explain everything
later, Ursula quickly went to work.
As if she had done this all her life, Ursula moved her hands in slow motion and
made the plants bow to her whim. The roots returned to the ground and vines unraveled
from the scaffolding, returning the machinery to its proper place, and uncovering workers
from beneath piles of rubble. Everyone who was not trapped under concrete and steel
stood in amazement as the natural world around them, that not but a few moments ago
was chaos, became normal again. Once the site was cleared of destruction, Ursula made
a quick get-away, dragging Juu Lee with her, to a large tree near the site. Making sure
the coast was clear, Ursula covered her eyes and encased herself in a giant flower she
sprouted from the ground beneath her. After a few moments, the flower bloomed and
Ursula was, surprisingly, back in her original clothes; though they were a bit torn.
Ursula took a few days to recuperate and plan. She knew she had been given a
second chance, and she was determined not to waste it. After she made sure every last
detail was sorted out, and after she had answered every last one of Juu Lee’s questions
(twice) and ensured Juu Lee’s trust in her new destiny, Ursula called a worldwide press
conference. During the conference, Ursula told a story about how she had a near-death
experience in which she saw her life flash before her eyes and saw all of the evil her
company had brought upon the planet. She told the world how ashamed she was at her
actions and swore she would change for the better if she made it out alive, which of
course she had. So Ursula announced to the world a complete turn-around of Noland
Industries in which the company and all its divisions would return to a company
dedicated to protecting and improving the planet Earth.
The press conference had gone as she had hoped, which, unfortunately, wasn’t all
a good thing. While her decision had gotten her many supporters and additional funding
for Noland Industries’ new direction, it also angered a lot of people. These people
included construction workers, businessmen, and others whose previous jobs involved
Noland Industries’ previously destructive ways. Within days, riots occurred outside of
Noland Industries divisions worldwide. But Ursula did not break. She finally realized
who she was, and was not about to return to her old ways. She would try to find new jobs
for all these people if she could, but it would take time, and she had too much to do
already.
The day after the riots, Ursula made her heroic debut as Mother Nature’s
handmaiden. During the middle of the day, Juu Lee had burst into Ursula’s office yelling
about a group of men with guns who had broken into the building and stolen some old
files. Normally, Ursula would have let the police handle this, but something clicked: if
these men were foolish enough to break into her well-guarded building with guns and a
total disregard for whomever got in their way, then someone was bound to get hurt. She
stood from her desk, held her arms over her head, closed her eyes, and was suddenly
engulfed in a giant flower. Within seconds, she emerged in the costume she had been
given by Mother Nature and jumped out her office window, swinging from building to
building with her vines.
-6-
The thieves had not gotten far. Within minutes Ursula spotted their vehicle
(which coincidentally had been a Noland Industries delivery truck), swung and landed
about a hundred feet in front of the truck. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ursula thrust her
arms out, palms up causing heavy winds to storm the truck, slowing it down until it came
to a complete halt. The men raised their guns, but Ursula used the vines from her arms to
break through the windshield and crush the guns. Ursula then wrapped her vines around
the truck and crushed it, trapping the men within the vehicle for the authorities.
All this drew the attention of those nearby, who had watched as Ursula stopped
the thieves and stood proudly at her victory. One man finally got the courage to walk up
to her and ask her who she was. This dumbfounded Ursula, as she really had not planned
this whole hero thing and was struggling to come up with a quick name. Ursula then
remember her old nickname -- the one that Mother Nature had given her, and declared
herself Empress, Mother Earth’s Handmaiden! As she did this, the small wooden circle
on her uniform glowed green and soon an “E” was uniquely carved into the wood with a
leaf in the middle, giving her an emblem. With her superhero identity known and the
thieves stopped, Ursula returned to her company with the stolen goods.
Since that day, Empress quickly grew to become one of the Earth’s mightiest
heroes. She protects Ceres City and the world from evil and villains who would dare to
bring destruction, pollution and death to the natural world. Out of costume, Ursula’s
company has turned around and develops products that move mankind forward and
improve nature without actually harming it. She is the Guardian of Green, the Venus of
the Natural World, Mother Earth’s Handmaiden… EMPRESS!
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Strength and Near Invulnerability: Empress is stronger than the
mightiest oak, able to lift up to 100 tons and go toe-to-toe with the strongest of
enemies. With her strength also comes invulnerability to harm that would easily
kill any ordinary human.
Super Speed: Though her true speed has never been fully calculated, Empress
has the ability to run at supersonic speeds. She is proven to run even faster with a
good wind at her back.
Enhanced Agility and Reflexes: Empress moves with the grace and quickness of
the ever-changing winds, giving her the ability to dodge any attack with ease and
the balance of an Olympic-level athlete.
Healing: With her powers, Empress has shown the ability to heal herself nearly
three times as fast as any human. She can also use her control over plant life to
mend any wound and heal others as well, regardless of injury or ailment.
-7-
Weather Manipulation: One of Empress’s main abilities is control over the
weather. While the full extent of her abilities are yet to be known, Ursula has
been shown to use her weather powers to conjure up storms of any kind such as
rain, snow, hail, and lightning. She can move the earth by creating vibrations.
She can ride the earth as if she was walking on an elliptical. She can create and
control bolts of lightning, moisture and temperature levels, and wind patterns to
create huge gusts of wind as powerful as tornadoes.
Control Over Vegetation and Plant Life: Because of her connection to the
Earth, Empress’s main power is complete mental control over all plant life.
Ranging from algae to the rarest orchids, Empress can control the growth of
plants, create hybrids, sprout new plants in environments, and animate them to fit
her needs such as entangling enemies, catching falling objects, or repairing a
burnt field.
Arsenal:
Arm Vines: Encircling Empress’s arms are two throne vines that Empress can
grow and enlarge to give her an edge in her super heroine duties. The vines
include two pairs of whips and lassos capable of crushing a large plane, grappling
hooks and lock picks. These give her the ability to swing from building to
building.
Personality:
Ursula used to be a cold and scary person, pushing everyone away in order to
protect herself from getting hurt. In reality though, she was still hurting from the death of
her caring parents. That is now no longer the case.
Since her encounter with Mother Nature and her transition to Empress, Ursula has
become the person she buried inside her all those years ago. Ursula is a strong-hearted
and determined woman with a deep love of nature and the beauty of the natural world.
She now takes life by the hand and lives like there is no tomorrow, enjoying every minute
of it. While she has few close friends, she is loyal to those she has. She has an eye for
business and knows how to deal with tough clients and the company’s workers. Her love
of nature influences her to change the world to ensure that modernization and the natural
world can exist in peace.
As Empress, Ursula is brave-hearted and fights like a warrior. Her need to protect
the earth is what allows her to keep going and defeat evil where it threatens the natural
world. She has a strong sense of justice and knows the difference between right and
wrong. When facing evil, Ursula knows innocent lives come first. She is an inspiration
to the world, both as Empress and Ursula Noland.
Ursula, believe it or not, also has a bashful side. Due to years of stubbornness and
focus on her company, not to mention repressing her true sexual nature, Ursula is
-8-
inexperienced at dating and expressing her feeling for her friend, Juu Lee. Ursula cares
for Juu Lee with all her heart, but the mere thought of just flirting with her causes her
entire body to turn as red as a heart on Valentine’s Day. Even the simplest things, such
as complimenting Juu Le, causes Ursula to stammer and shake like a tween with a crush.
It doesn’t help either that she and Juu Lee often find themselves in awkward situations,
like tripping and falling on Juu Lee. However, Ursula is able to maintain a friendship
with Juu Lee and will always be there for her; just like Juu Lee has always been there for
Ursula.
Weaknesses:
While the Earth is Empress’s strength, it is also her weakness. Due to her
connection to the Earth, Empress can feel when the Earth is being hurt and thus feels the
pain of the Earth. For example, when a tree is cut down, she feels a sharp, slicing pain in
her stomach. When the tree burns, Empress screams as the ashes fall. The point is,
pollution and deforestation, among other things, cause Empress to grow weak and lose
strength, killing her as the world around her is damaged. As such, Empress must
surround herself with as much plant life as she can in order to recover.
Due to her years of cold-heartedness, Ursula also sometimes doubts herself as a
heroine. When things go bad, Ursula begins to think she is not worthy of being Mother
Earth’s champion and begins to think of herself as a monster again.
Because she is such a big star in the hero community, Empress has a huge Rogues
Gallery with many enemies ready to come back.
Interesting Fact:
Despite her love of nature and green, Ursula is NOT a vegetarian. In fact, she
LOVES meat! It is her favorite of the food groups. Be it beef, pork, poultry, lamb, or
fish, Ursula will have one or the other with every meal. Because Juu Lee is a vegetarian
(who eats sushi once in a while), Ursula has tried to give up eating meat for her, but that
is one battle she will never win.
Personal Quote:
“The Earth is strong as the toughest stone but also as precious as the smallest
infant, and it is my duty to guard it. I fight for justice and the harmony of the natural
world. And to all those who wish destruction upon our planet, beware. Because by
Mother Nature’s hand, I WILL stop you.”
©2012 by Alexander M. Dawe