Tempest's History - from many online sources
Most of this is from http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/garth.html
This is long.
The Idylists were a group of pacifists living in self-exile from Atlantis. The Idylists settled in the Hidden Valley over 4,000 years ago. They knew no violence; Peace and serenity were their way of life. King Thar came into power and ruled from Shayeris, the Idylist capital city. Thar had inherited much of his ancestor's mythic power, and practiced sorcery alonside his brother, Slizzath.
The history of Atlantis is fraught with a recurring theme: brother against brother. King Thar was no exception. Thar's brother Slizzath thought the power should be his and resented his brother ‘taking' it from him. Slizzath was denied his birthright because he dabbled in the black arts (practicing necromancy - the evocation of the dead). He was banished from the Hidden Valley but returned 20 years later with an army of undead soldiers. Thar assembled an armory of weapons, specifically designed to stop Slizzath.
The pacifist Idylists thought Thar was going insane. Thar's peace loving people revolted, killing their once-beloved king. Fearing the monarchy was tainted by foul violence, the Idylists banished his now-pregnant wife, Berra. Berra found her way to Atlantis and gave birth to a son - known she named Garth.
Before Thar died, he was able to use his magics to trap Slizzath in an other-dimensional prison. It was, however, an imperfect spell. Slizzath would be able to manipulate particular spells as a means of escape. Such a spell was Garth's birthright ritual spell he would perform to seal his mystical powers. Upon giving birth to Garth, Berra gazed upon his purple eyes (the Idylist mark of power). She knew he had the power and would one day evoke the birthright ritual spell, thus freeing Slizzath. Sadly, she left Garth to die.
The Idylist recorded history made no mention of Slizzath's dark magics; When Garth investigated, the Idylist archives only made mention of King Thar's insanity and the Idlysist's subsequent revolt. Garth also believed he was left to die because the superstitious Atlanteans thought his purple eyes were a sign of inferiority. Garth would only learn the truth years later, when he would invoke his birthright ritual spell and become Tempest.
The Idylists sent word out that all babies born with purple eyes (the Idylist mark of power) be cast out and left to die - so the ritual birthright spell could never be performed, which would in turn unleash Slizzath. Later, when the Idylists discovered Garth was alive, they lied to him about his past so he would not learn of his mystical heritage. Years later, when Atlan trained Garth in the mystic arts, his birthright - and the Idylist's deception - was made clear.
Berra was eventually welcomed back by the Idylists, and they kept themselves hidden from the rest of the sentient ocean-dwellers. Recurring attacks from Slizzath's undead army plagued the pacifist Idylists. This is what drove them into seclusion. Garth had long believed his mother to be dead.
Meeting Aquaman
Garth was found by Aquaman, who became a father figure to the young boy. Taking the name Aqualad, Garth worked closely with Aquaman for a number of years, learning to overcome his initial fear of marine life.
Befriended by Aquaman, the youth was cured of his fear and became Aqualad, the Sea King's junior partner in crimefighting. Aqualad possessed abilities which, while not increased by a hybrid metabolism as are Aquaman's, were greater than those of the average Atlantean. Like Aquaman, he could telepathically control and converse with all manner of sea creatures, as well as being able to breathe underwater like all Atlanteans and to swim at fantastic speeds with super-human endurance. Also like his mentor, his sole weakness lay in his inability to remain on land without contact with water for longer than one hour without asphyxiating.
A few years later, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad joined together to stop the menace of Mr. Twister. It was the first time the sidekicks joined forces.
After roaming the ocean depths with Aquaman (while attending school at a coastal facility by special arrangement), Aqualad returned to Atlantis as a permanent resident when Aquaman married Mera, the queen of an extra-dimensional water-world, and became the new king of Atlantis.
Aqualad eventually took an extended leave of absence from the Titans in order to aid Aquaman in a lengthy quest for Mera, who had been abducted by parties unknown, and to care for the royal couple's infant son in their absence. Aqualad was replaced in the group by Speedy. It was about this time that Garth began dating Tula, who was also known as Aquagirl. This began a long relationship that lasted until Tula's tragic death.
Aqualad became involved in a separate solo adventure, which saw him reunited with his adult counterpart only after the quest for Mera had been completed. In his absence, the Teen Titans had undergone radical changes, becoming the non-costumed, pacifist participants in the special training program run by Mr. Jupiter.
Aqualad rejoined the Teen Titans, only to find himself at odds with their new ideologies, under the guidance of Loren Jupiter. He became an occasional member, helping out with a handful of cases. And as he did participate in the group, he was plagued with an undiagnosed sickness, which was actually a manifestation of an inferiority complex. It seemed Garth felt useless to the team, largely in part due to his one hour limitation away from water. Garth officially resigned from the team shortly before they eventually disbanded anyway.
After a falling-out with Aquaman, Garth decided to search for the truths behind his family roots. Aqualad barged into a meeting of the Idylist ruling council, demanding information about his parents. The council refused to give Aqualad any information as they feared he may learn the truth. Soon after, Aqualad found a banished Idylist hermit who admited to killing King Thar. Upon seeing a picture, Aqualad immediately recognized Thar as his father.
Aqualad broke through security and accessed the ancient files to learn the truth: His parents were King Thar and Queen Berra, who ruled peacefully until King Thar went mad and became hungry for war. Thar's peace loving people revolted, killing their once-beloved king and banished his wife - then pregnant with the future Aqualad. The Idylists, ashamed of the sins of this dark day, buried this information. Garth left knowing the truth and searched for Aquaman, who he had rebuffed earlier.
Garth believed his mother was dead and his father was indeed insane. He would later discover that this information was false.
The next incarnation of the Teen Titans was gathered by Raven, which Aqualad was not to be a part of, although he did assist the team on various cases. Garth assisted other heroes during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. During the Crisis, Garth's longtime love Tula was killed. Garth was devastated.
Aqualad remained in Atlantis, and grieved for a long time after the death of Tula. Still, Garth assisted the Titans on various cases. On one such case, Garth was abducted by a then-insane Mento (Steve Dayton). Mento used his helmet that granted him vast mental powers to inflict psychological torture on Garth. This somehow effected his ability to telepathically control sea life. It did, however, allow him to come to terms with the death of Tula, to some degree.
Garth's marine telepathy would return a short time later, during the 'Millennium/Manhunter' conflict. Following that, Garth remained a close ally of the Titans. When the Titans were attacked and captured by the Wildebeest Society, Garth and Golden Eagle were savagely attacked; Golden Eagle was slain, and Garth lay in a coma for weeks. Garth recovered but regrets not being able to save Golden Eagle.
Garth continued to assist Aquaman, as needed. As the team tried to stave off an alien invasion, Garth was whisked away by Aquaman's father, Atlan. Atlan was a mage who existed in another dimension, and told Garth his destiny was to become a powerful mage as well. Atlan trained Garth in his dimension, and taught him how to greatly augment his powers. Garth studied with Atlan for a couple of years, although only a couple of months passed in Aquaman's world. Thus, Garth returned a short time after his disappearance (yet having aged a couple of years) with new powers, including the ability to control the temperature of water and fire mystical power blasts from his eyes. Garth was also given a new purpose by Atlan, who told him his destiny was to protect all who live in the ocean.
Upon his return, Garth encountered his uncle, who had transformed himself using dark magic and became Slizzath. Slizzath was King Thar's brother, who was forbidden the throne for practicing dark magics. Thar imprisoned his brother in a mystical binding prison. Slizzath wanted to siphon Garth's mystical energies for his own dark purposes. Slizzath created a mystical a doppelganger of Tula, who was created to dupe Garth. Garth saw through the plan and was able to defeat Slizzath, and once and for all maintain a sense of closure about Tula's death. Garth also adopted a new identity as Tempest.
During this time, Garth also discovered his mother Berra was still alive, and living with a group of Idyllists. This forced Garth to confront his feelings of abandonment by his mother, and mother and son began to take tentative steps toward rebuilding their relationship.
Shortly after this, Garth began a relationship with Dolphin. Dolphin was formerly involved with Aquaman; Initially, Garth and Dolphin concealed their relationship from Aquaman, unsure of what his reaction would be. Eventually, Aquaman learned of their relationship and gave them his blessing.
The Titans later gathered together to save their former member, Victor Stone (Cyborg) - and prevented him from putting the earth in jeopardy. They came into conflict with their mentors and friends in the JLA, but were eventually able to come to a truce and save Cyborg while preserving the safety of the planet. The original five Titans then decided to re-form the team, including Tempest.
Dolphin then discovered she was pregnant. Garth was happy at the news and proposed marriage. Garth and Dolphin were married in a traditional Atlantean ceremony with friends and family in attendance. Dolphin has since given birth to a son. Dolphin and Tempest's first child was named Cerdian by Aquaman as a gesture to the surface-country Cerdia, which had recently fallen under Atlantean control.
When Atlantis faced disaster, Tempest used his sorcery to transport Atlantis out of harm's way. But something went wrong, and Atlantis was sent into the ancient past. The Justice League eventually discovered Atlantis and Aquaman were trapped in the distant past. With the help of Tempest, the JLA was able to retrieve Aquaman and Atlantis.
As Garth's obligations to the Titans increased, he seemed to have trouble balancing his family life with his dedication to the team. Dolphin rectified the situation by moving into the Titans Tower with Cerdian. But soon after, the Titans Tower was destroyed by enemy forces. To put a further strain on the situation, Tempest was almost killed by an addictive drug from a Chemical World. After these events, Dolphin insisted Garth retire from the Titans - and Garth reluctantly complied.
Recently, Garth moved his family to New Atlantis, where he was greeted by suspicion from the new sorcerous rulers and placed under house arrest. Leaving his wife and small child behind, Tempest used his wizardry to escape New Atlantis, finding Aquaman in hopes of persuading him to reassert his rule.
This is long.
The Idylists were a group of pacifists living in self-exile from Atlantis. The Idylists settled in the Hidden Valley over 4,000 years ago. They knew no violence; Peace and serenity were their way of life. King Thar came into power and ruled from Shayeris, the Idylist capital city. Thar had inherited much of his ancestor's mythic power, and practiced sorcery alonside his brother, Slizzath.
The history of Atlantis is fraught with a recurring theme: brother against brother. King Thar was no exception. Thar's brother Slizzath thought the power should be his and resented his brother ‘taking' it from him. Slizzath was denied his birthright because he dabbled in the black arts (practicing necromancy - the evocation of the dead). He was banished from the Hidden Valley but returned 20 years later with an army of undead soldiers. Thar assembled an armory of weapons, specifically designed to stop Slizzath.
The pacifist Idylists thought Thar was going insane. Thar's peace loving people revolted, killing their once-beloved king. Fearing the monarchy was tainted by foul violence, the Idylists banished his now-pregnant wife, Berra. Berra found her way to Atlantis and gave birth to a son - known she named Garth.
Before Thar died, he was able to use his magics to trap Slizzath in an other-dimensional prison. It was, however, an imperfect spell. Slizzath would be able to manipulate particular spells as a means of escape. Such a spell was Garth's birthright ritual spell he would perform to seal his mystical powers. Upon giving birth to Garth, Berra gazed upon his purple eyes (the Idylist mark of power). She knew he had the power and would one day evoke the birthright ritual spell, thus freeing Slizzath. Sadly, she left Garth to die.
The Idylist recorded history made no mention of Slizzath's dark magics; When Garth investigated, the Idylist archives only made mention of King Thar's insanity and the Idlysist's subsequent revolt. Garth also believed he was left to die because the superstitious Atlanteans thought his purple eyes were a sign of inferiority. Garth would only learn the truth years later, when he would invoke his birthright ritual spell and become Tempest.
The Idylists sent word out that all babies born with purple eyes (the Idylist mark of power) be cast out and left to die - so the ritual birthright spell could never be performed, which would in turn unleash Slizzath. Later, when the Idylists discovered Garth was alive, they lied to him about his past so he would not learn of his mystical heritage. Years later, when Atlan trained Garth in the mystic arts, his birthright - and the Idylist's deception - was made clear.
Berra was eventually welcomed back by the Idylists, and they kept themselves hidden from the rest of the sentient ocean-dwellers. Recurring attacks from Slizzath's undead army plagued the pacifist Idylists. This is what drove them into seclusion. Garth had long believed his mother to be dead.
Meeting Aquaman
Garth was found by Aquaman, who became a father figure to the young boy. Taking the name Aqualad, Garth worked closely with Aquaman for a number of years, learning to overcome his initial fear of marine life.
Befriended by Aquaman, the youth was cured of his fear and became Aqualad, the Sea King's junior partner in crimefighting. Aqualad possessed abilities which, while not increased by a hybrid metabolism as are Aquaman's, were greater than those of the average Atlantean. Like Aquaman, he could telepathically control and converse with all manner of sea creatures, as well as being able to breathe underwater like all Atlanteans and to swim at fantastic speeds with super-human endurance. Also like his mentor, his sole weakness lay in his inability to remain on land without contact with water for longer than one hour without asphyxiating.
A few years later, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad joined together to stop the menace of Mr. Twister. It was the first time the sidekicks joined forces.
After roaming the ocean depths with Aquaman (while attending school at a coastal facility by special arrangement), Aqualad returned to Atlantis as a permanent resident when Aquaman married Mera, the queen of an extra-dimensional water-world, and became the new king of Atlantis.
Aqualad eventually took an extended leave of absence from the Titans in order to aid Aquaman in a lengthy quest for Mera, who had been abducted by parties unknown, and to care for the royal couple's infant son in their absence. Aqualad was replaced in the group by Speedy. It was about this time that Garth began dating Tula, who was also known as Aquagirl. This began a long relationship that lasted until Tula's tragic death.
Aqualad became involved in a separate solo adventure, which saw him reunited with his adult counterpart only after the quest for Mera had been completed. In his absence, the Teen Titans had undergone radical changes, becoming the non-costumed, pacifist participants in the special training program run by Mr. Jupiter.
Aqualad rejoined the Teen Titans, only to find himself at odds with their new ideologies, under the guidance of Loren Jupiter. He became an occasional member, helping out with a handful of cases. And as he did participate in the group, he was plagued with an undiagnosed sickness, which was actually a manifestation of an inferiority complex. It seemed Garth felt useless to the team, largely in part due to his one hour limitation away from water. Garth officially resigned from the team shortly before they eventually disbanded anyway.
After a falling-out with Aquaman, Garth decided to search for the truths behind his family roots. Aqualad barged into a meeting of the Idylist ruling council, demanding information about his parents. The council refused to give Aqualad any information as they feared he may learn the truth. Soon after, Aqualad found a banished Idylist hermit who admited to killing King Thar. Upon seeing a picture, Aqualad immediately recognized Thar as his father.
Aqualad broke through security and accessed the ancient files to learn the truth: His parents were King Thar and Queen Berra, who ruled peacefully until King Thar went mad and became hungry for war. Thar's peace loving people revolted, killing their once-beloved king and banished his wife - then pregnant with the future Aqualad. The Idylists, ashamed of the sins of this dark day, buried this information. Garth left knowing the truth and searched for Aquaman, who he had rebuffed earlier.
Garth believed his mother was dead and his father was indeed insane. He would later discover that this information was false.
The next incarnation of the Teen Titans was gathered by Raven, which Aqualad was not to be a part of, although he did assist the team on various cases. Garth assisted other heroes during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. During the Crisis, Garth's longtime love Tula was killed. Garth was devastated.
Aqualad remained in Atlantis, and grieved for a long time after the death of Tula. Still, Garth assisted the Titans on various cases. On one such case, Garth was abducted by a then-insane Mento (Steve Dayton). Mento used his helmet that granted him vast mental powers to inflict psychological torture on Garth. This somehow effected his ability to telepathically control sea life. It did, however, allow him to come to terms with the death of Tula, to some degree.
Garth's marine telepathy would return a short time later, during the 'Millennium/Manhunter' conflict. Following that, Garth remained a close ally of the Titans. When the Titans were attacked and captured by the Wildebeest Society, Garth and Golden Eagle were savagely attacked; Golden Eagle was slain, and Garth lay in a coma for weeks. Garth recovered but regrets not being able to save Golden Eagle.
Garth continued to assist Aquaman, as needed. As the team tried to stave off an alien invasion, Garth was whisked away by Aquaman's father, Atlan. Atlan was a mage who existed in another dimension, and told Garth his destiny was to become a powerful mage as well. Atlan trained Garth in his dimension, and taught him how to greatly augment his powers. Garth studied with Atlan for a couple of years, although only a couple of months passed in Aquaman's world. Thus, Garth returned a short time after his disappearance (yet having aged a couple of years) with new powers, including the ability to control the temperature of water and fire mystical power blasts from his eyes. Garth was also given a new purpose by Atlan, who told him his destiny was to protect all who live in the ocean.
Upon his return, Garth encountered his uncle, who had transformed himself using dark magic and became Slizzath. Slizzath was King Thar's brother, who was forbidden the throne for practicing dark magics. Thar imprisoned his brother in a mystical binding prison. Slizzath wanted to siphon Garth's mystical energies for his own dark purposes. Slizzath created a mystical a doppelganger of Tula, who was created to dupe Garth. Garth saw through the plan and was able to defeat Slizzath, and once and for all maintain a sense of closure about Tula's death. Garth also adopted a new identity as Tempest.
During this time, Garth also discovered his mother Berra was still alive, and living with a group of Idyllists. This forced Garth to confront his feelings of abandonment by his mother, and mother and son began to take tentative steps toward rebuilding their relationship.
Shortly after this, Garth began a relationship with Dolphin. Dolphin was formerly involved with Aquaman; Initially, Garth and Dolphin concealed their relationship from Aquaman, unsure of what his reaction would be. Eventually, Aquaman learned of their relationship and gave them his blessing.
The Titans later gathered together to save their former member, Victor Stone (Cyborg) - and prevented him from putting the earth in jeopardy. They came into conflict with their mentors and friends in the JLA, but were eventually able to come to a truce and save Cyborg while preserving the safety of the planet. The original five Titans then decided to re-form the team, including Tempest.
Dolphin then discovered she was pregnant. Garth was happy at the news and proposed marriage. Garth and Dolphin were married in a traditional Atlantean ceremony with friends and family in attendance. Dolphin has since given birth to a son. Dolphin and Tempest's first child was named Cerdian by Aquaman as a gesture to the surface-country Cerdia, which had recently fallen under Atlantean control.
When Atlantis faced disaster, Tempest used his sorcery to transport Atlantis out of harm's way. But something went wrong, and Atlantis was sent into the ancient past. The Justice League eventually discovered Atlantis and Aquaman were trapped in the distant past. With the help of Tempest, the JLA was able to retrieve Aquaman and Atlantis.
As Garth's obligations to the Titans increased, he seemed to have trouble balancing his family life with his dedication to the team. Dolphin rectified the situation by moving into the Titans Tower with Cerdian. But soon after, the Titans Tower was destroyed by enemy forces. To put a further strain on the situation, Tempest was almost killed by an addictive drug from a Chemical World. After these events, Dolphin insisted Garth retire from the Titans - and Garth reluctantly complied.
Recently, Garth moved his family to New Atlantis, where he was greeted by suspicion from the new sorcerous rulers and placed under house arrest. Leaving his wife and small child behind, Tempest used his wizardry to escape New Atlantis, finding Aquaman in hopes of persuading him to reassert his rule.