A question on interpretations, any physical evidence remains unchanged, correct? I.E. A security camera recording or a picture.
Also, when does he cause people to forget, after or while he is seen by them.
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A question on interpretations, any physical evidence remains unchanged, correct? I.E. A security camera recording or a picture.
Also, when does he cause people to forget, after or while he is seen by them.
Kushiel
Alias: David Houteff
Identity: Secret
Appearance: 6'4'', brown hair, blue eyes. Athletic build. Hair cut short and practical, flucuates between five o'clock shadow and clean-shaven depending on how deep into the hunt he is.
Typically wears a light, leather coat over a plain dress shirt, with slacks. Dark shoes, well-polished. Almost always wears a sturdy pair of leather gloves to cover his hands.
Abilities:
Possessing strong, retractable wings, David can achieve a limited form of flight. While he is no airplane, he can soar throughout Harlow if he jumps from a suitable height and is in luck with the winds. More practically, he uses his wings to swoop down on his prey for the element of surprise and to knock them about. Also serves to ruin many, many, nice jackets, to the point where he pre-slices them in the event of wing use.
Likewise, his fingers are sharply pointed and strong, bordering towards talons with more human functionality. Using them in combat is his primary usage, able to easily slice his prey apart if left unprotected. David wears gloves as he is aware they are quite intimidating and would arouse suspicion.
Background:
Born and raised somewhere north of Flagstaff, Arizona, David Houteff grew up in a religious, survivalist community, his parents assured of the looming Great Tribulations. In his spartan accommodations, young David was allowed a Bible, a selection of technical gun magazines, and as he grew older, a few works by Ayn Rand. Home-schooled, such was the basis of his perspective, that the world existed as a dangerous cesspool of crime, and that opposed to that was a purely good force - there was black, and there was white, and there was nothing in between.
As a young man, David left the community, not in rebellion but due mostly in part to the death of his parents, both afflicted by terminal and inevitable conditions; no bunker nor prep-kit could have saved them. Whereas some expanded their horizons at college, David instead did his own tour, trying to find his way through all the faiths of America, anything that could give him direction. David stepped foot into seemingly every house of worship - a Catholic cathedral, a Southern Baptist chapel, a Branch Davidian compound, and even a few Charismatic hovels up in the Appalachians.
Where his salvation came however was in 1998, when his abilities began to manifest. Kept sheltered from the global Phenomenon, when David woke in a seedy motel with a great pain in his back, his discovery of wings was a not a scientific oddity, but a sign of divinity made manifest on Man. And when he inevitably learned of the rise of superhumans, David attributed this to an act of God, to usher in new warriors, while those who used their powers for evil were demons or fallen angels. Things were that simple in his mind.
With this, David adopted a new identity, one that would define his appointed position in life. He would now become Kushiel, the rigid one of God, an Angel of Vengeance upon the dark forces of the world. Travelling to Harlow, seen as the modern Sodom and Gomorrah in his eyes, David would spend the next 19 years battling crime in the streets, rending flesh and killing the "demons and their consorts" in the name of the Lord. Adverse to pride and the glamour enjoyed by others, his activities began largely drowned out in the beginning, however a long tenure of service and a certain brutality has ensured that most within the established community of supers know of the one named Kushiel, a man on the side of good, but to an extent barbaric.
Working as a courier and a private investigator, Kushiel now spends every day - except Sunday - on the streets, his new title becoming his true identity in his mind.
Alignment: Hero
Neighborhoods of Harlow
Downtown
Downtown Harlow is the central business district of Harlow, Massachusetts, and is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, state and federal government facilities; universities and high schools; and several of Harlow’s most prominent tourist attractions. Similar to other central business districts in the U.S., Downtown has recently undergone a transformation that included the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses.
Banecroft University
Banecroft University is a private Ivy League research university located in Downtown Harlow. It is regarded as one of the world’s premiere universities, and admittance is highly sought after both domestically and internationally. Founded in 1754 by Elijah H. Banecroft, the university is one of the oldest in America, a pedigree it compliments with great wealth and influence. While the nominal cost of attendance is high, the university’s large endowment allows it to offer generous financial aid packages to students in need. With approximately 20,000 students and 4,000 academic staff, Banecroft University plays a major role in Harlow’s economy. The area surrounding the large university campus consists primarily of low-cost student housing (best suited for raging house parties and affordable to even the poorest tenant), some nicer apartment blocks, many bars, several nightclubs, and a wide range of businesses catering specifically to the needs of the student population.
Financial District
Located in Downtown Harlow near Banecroft University and the South Central residential area, the Financial District is the blue-blooded heart of the city. It contains the regional and world headquarters of many mutual funds, banks, hotels, accounting firms, legal firms, and technology giants. The district also boasts many of Harlow’s high-rise buildings in a fairly densely packed area, such as Jansen Tower and the Langham Center. While Harlow’s City Hall is visible from most of the high-rises, their wealthy inhabitants are under no illusions as to where the true power lies. In the aftermath of the death of manufacturing in Harlow, the city’s elite have prospered by pioneering a transition towards corporate enterprise and growing the banking and technology sectors. While much of the city is stuck in the past or looks backwards with yearning and nostalgia, the Financial District is looking towards the future.
South Central
South Central is a residential neighborhood located in Harlow’s Downtown core. Essentially a gated community in all but name, South Central is known for having some the most expensive real estate in the city. Perched atop a hill overlooking the Channel and the Commons, the neighborhood houses those Harlow elite who disdain the long commute times that come with a place in the suburbs, preferring to live only a few minutes away from their high-paying jobs in the Financial District. Whereas communities such as Seward’s Island are home to those both very rich and of advanced age, South Central is considered to be a bastion of the yuppies: young urban professionals, looking to climb the corporate ladder and attain the life they deserve. While South Central possesses some of the most extravagant and ostentatious houses in Harlow, a symptom of residents’ need to project wealth and status, burglaries are rare due to the sheer amount of sophisticated security systems present in a single space.
Main Street
Whereas the Financial District is the center for banking and white-collar business in Harlow, Main Street is where many of the city’s largest and most successful commercial enterprises can be found. On Main Street, restaurants and bars, clothing boutiques and tailors, shopping centers and retail stores all compete viciously for your money and attention, hoping to fleece the crowds of tourists and locals alike for every cent they own. While not the longest or even the widest street in Harlow, its position between the Harlow Waterfront and Banecroft University has turned it into the axis upon which the entire city turns.
Harlow Waterfront
Essentially a massive boardwalk, the Halifax Waterfront extends along the southwestern shore of Harlow Harbor. It is an area largely geared towards tourism, with many pricey restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. At its north end is the Starlight Casino (an establishment covertly run by the Italian Mafia). The residential area that borders the Waterfront is generally considered an unappealing place to live, if only due to the number of rowdy, drunken tourists that swarm the streets and alleys during the summer months.
City Hall
“City Hall” generally refers to a large area which contains a number of government and municipal offices, such as Harlow City Hall, the headquarters of the Harlow Police Department, and the regional headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The area also contains a number of historical landmarks, and the remainder is middle-income housing and a smattering of commercial buildings.
The Commons
The Harlow Common is a central park in Downton Boston, often erroneously referred to as “the Commons” (the name has unfortunately stuck). It is one of the oldest city parks in the United States, though to the dismay of many it is often poorly kept due to the park’s management service constantly having their funds cut.
New Harbor
Constructed on the southwest bank of Harlow Harbor during the city’s first dramatic expansion in the mid 19th century, the New Harbor is the better-looking and more successful cousin to the Old Harbor across the water, though that is admittedly somewhat of a low bar. Perpetually crowded with small boats, tiny yachts, fishermen, tourists and buskers, it is a lively area and a frequent venue for events. The surrounding residential neighborhood is considered to be “nice enough” in the north, but as one moves south towards the Arm the number of shattered windows, gang signs and graffiti on display increases exponentially.
Banecroft University is a private Ivy League research university located in Downtown Harlow. It is regarded as one of the world’s premiere universities, and admittance is highly sought after both domestically and internationally. Founded in 1754 by Elijah H. Banecroft, the university is one of the oldest in America, a pedigree it compliments with great wealth and influence. While the nominal cost of attendance is high, the university’s large endowment allows it to offer generous financial aid packages to students in need. With approximately 20,000 students and 4,000 academic staff, Banecroft University plays a major role in Harlow’s economy. The area surrounding the large university campus consists primarily of low-cost student housing (best suited for raging house parties and affordable to even the poorest tenant), some nicer apartment blocks, many bars, several nightclubs, and a wide range of businesses catering specifically to the needs of the student population.
Financial District
Located in Downtown Harlow near Banecroft University and the South Central residential area, the Financial District is the blue-blooded heart of the city. It contains the regional and world headquarters of many mutual funds, banks, hotels, accounting firms, legal firms, and technology giants. The district also boasts many of Harlow’s high-rise buildings in a fairly densely packed area, such as Jansen Tower and the Langham Center. While Harlow’s City Hall is visible from most of the high-rises, their wealthy inhabitants are under no illusions as to where the true power lies. In the aftermath of the death of manufacturing in Harlow, the city’s elite have prospered by pioneering a transition towards corporate enterprise and growing the banking and technology sectors. While much of the city is stuck in the past or looks backwards with yearning and nostalgia, the Financial District is looking towards the future.
South Central
South Central is a residential neighborhood located in Harlow’s Downtown core. Essentially a gated community in all but name, South Central is known for having some the most expensive real estate in the city. Perched atop a hill overlooking the Channel and the Commons, the neighborhood houses those Harlow elite who disdain the long commute times that come with a place in the suburbs, preferring to live only a few minutes away from their high-paying jobs in the Financial District. Whereas communities such as Seward’s Island are home to those both very rich and of advanced age, South Central is considered to be a bastion of the yuppies: young urban professionals, looking to climb the corporate ladder and attain the life they deserve. While South Central possesses some of the most extravagant and ostentatious houses in Harlow, a symptom of residents’ need to project wealth and status, burglaries are rare due to the sheer amount of sophisticated security systems present in a single space.
Main Street
Whereas the Financial District is the center for banking and white-collar business in Harlow, Main Street is where many of the city’s largest and most successful commercial enterprises can be found. On Main Street, restaurants and bars, clothing boutiques and tailors, shopping centers and retail stores all compete viciously for your money and attention, hoping to fleece the crowds of tourists and locals alike for every cent they own. While not the longest or even the widest street in Harlow, its position between the Harlow Waterfront and Banecroft University has turned it into the axis upon which the entire city turns.
Harlow Waterfront
Essentially a massive boardwalk, the Halifax Waterfront extends along the southwestern shore of Harlow Harbor. It is an area largely geared towards tourism, with many pricey restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. At its north end is the Starlight Casino (an establishment covertly run by the Italian Mafia). The residential area that borders the Waterfront is generally considered an unappealing place to live, if only due to the number of rowdy, drunken tourists that swarm the streets and alleys during the summer months.
City Hall
“City Hall” generally refers to a large area which contains a number of government and municipal offices, such as Harlow City Hall, the headquarters of the Harlow Police Department, and the regional headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The area also contains a number of historical landmarks, and the remainder is middle-income housing and a smattering of commercial buildings.
The Commons
The Harlow Common is a central park in Downton Boston, often erroneously referred to as “the Commons” (the name has unfortunately stuck). It is one of the oldest city parks in the United States, though to the dismay of many it is often poorly kept due to the park’s management service constantly having their funds cut.
New Harbor
Constructed on the southwest bank of Harlow Harbor during the city’s first dramatic expansion in the mid 19th century, the New Harbor is the better-looking and more successful cousin to the Old Harbor across the water, though that is admittedly somewhat of a low bar. Perpetually crowded with small boats, tiny yachts, fishermen, tourists and buskers, it is a lively area and a frequent venue for events. The surrounding residential neighborhood is considered to be “nice enough” in the north, but as one moves south towards the Arm the number of shattered windows, gang signs and graffiti on display increases exponentially.
The Arm
The Arm, a narrow limb of land once renowned for its single-minded dedication to manufacturing and maritime trade, as since become a decaying, gangrenous appendage. Centered around the Port of Harlow and the abandoned husks of factories and warehouses, the Arm is one of the poorest areas of the city with a plethora of broken streetlights, cracked and crumbling roads, dilapidated houses and abandoned buildings.
The Port of Harlow
The Port of Harlow, while still moderately busy, is but a shadow of its former glory. Exacerbating the decline is the institutionalized corruption and neglect of the Port Authority, workers’ unions and Coastguard; as a result, criminals frequently smuggle illicit goods in and out of the port with impunity. An oft-touted promise by local politicians throughout the years has been to “Clean up the Port”, though these are always either hollow or hopelessly naïve.
The Devil’s Elbow
The Devil’s Elbow, so named for its reputation as a neighborhood negatively impacted by crime and poverty as well as its general geographic shape, stands in stark contrast to the bustling and prosperous Downtown to its north. It is home to the Merchants, a criminal organization with deep pockets and a penchant for drug smuggling, gun-running and human trafficking. The numerous abandoned warehouses in this area (and elsewhere on the Arm) make it a frequent haunt of villains and their crews. It also provides free storage for organized crime groups. Due to the investment of so many rival criminal groups in this small and vital area, the Devil’s Elbow is a major site for gang-related violence in the city. Only the criminal, the insane or the desperate would ever live here.
The Stretch
The Stretch is a residential area located towards the southern end of the Arm. It is considered to be a better place to live than the Devil’s Elbow, if only by a hair. A diverse community that speaks probably half a hundred languages, the only thing most of its inhabitants have in common is that they are bitterly poor. Housing conditions are abysmal, a problem only worsened by the fact that the Stretch is one of the most densely populated residential areas in the city. The ability of civilian forces to respond to crime is limited by the presence of the Devil’s Elbow to the north, with many men and women in uniform (justifiably) afraid to traverse such hostile territory on the way to a call.
Fort Rodman
Fort Rodman is, without mincing words, a failed tourist trap. A historic American Civil War-era military fort that has undergone far too few restoration efforts, the fort’s crumbing battlements ensure that it is always perilously close to being condemned. The site’s proximity to such an impoverished and dangerous area of the city does not help it in the slightest.
The Port of Harlow, while still moderately busy, is but a shadow of its former glory. Exacerbating the decline is the institutionalized corruption and neglect of the Port Authority, workers’ unions and Coastguard; as a result, criminals frequently smuggle illicit goods in and out of the port with impunity. An oft-touted promise by local politicians throughout the years has been to “Clean up the Port”, though these are always either hollow or hopelessly naïve.
The Devil’s Elbow
The Devil’s Elbow, so named for its reputation as a neighborhood negatively impacted by crime and poverty as well as its general geographic shape, stands in stark contrast to the bustling and prosperous Downtown to its north. It is home to the Merchants, a criminal organization with deep pockets and a penchant for drug smuggling, gun-running and human trafficking. The numerous abandoned warehouses in this area (and elsewhere on the Arm) make it a frequent haunt of villains and their crews. It also provides free storage for organized crime groups. Due to the investment of so many rival criminal groups in this small and vital area, the Devil’s Elbow is a major site for gang-related violence in the city. Only the criminal, the insane or the desperate would ever live here.
The Stretch
The Stretch is a residential area located towards the southern end of the Arm. It is considered to be a better place to live than the Devil’s Elbow, if only by a hair. A diverse community that speaks probably half a hundred languages, the only thing most of its inhabitants have in common is that they are bitterly poor. Housing conditions are abysmal, a problem only worsened by the fact that the Stretch is one of the most densely populated residential areas in the city. The ability of civilian forces to respond to crime is limited by the presence of the Devil’s Elbow to the north, with many men and women in uniform (justifiably) afraid to traverse such hostile territory on the way to a call.
Fort Rodman
Fort Rodman is, without mincing words, a failed tourist trap. A historic American Civil War-era military fort that has undergone far too few restoration efforts, the fort’s crumbing battlements ensure that it is always perilously close to being condemned. The site’s proximity to such an impoverished and dangerous area of the city does not help it in the slightest.
Midtown
Perhaps one of the most diverse and vibrant parts of the city, Midtown serves as a melting pot of many different ethnicities. Formed by successive waves of immigration that hit Harlow throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, this district is a mosaic of ethnic enclaves which is constantly shifting. The confluence so many unique cultures has led to Midtown becoming a hub for many foreign restaurants and other businesses; however, the economic state of the city has also forced some members of immigrant communities to turn to crime, with Midtown housing the headquarters of most of the city’s major ethnocentric organized crime groups. Fortunately, these groups prefer not to defecate where they eat, reserving their violent clashes for neighborhoods farther from home.
West Lisbon
First established in the mid-to-late 1800s, West Lisbon has existed as one of the world’s most significant Portuguese enclaves - and a major immigrant community in Harlow - for over a hundred years. The inhabitants retain firm ties to their country and culture of origin, yet despite their adherence to tradition they have in many ways managed to integrate successfully with the rest of the city. Portuguese cuisine, language and customs are celebrated by many in the city in a manner similar to the cultural appropriation and homogenization of the Irish, and crime in West Lisbon is comparatively low.
Chinatown
Chinatown is the most prominent neighborhood in Midtown Harlow. Along with Boston’s Chinatown, it is one of the only surviving historic ethnic Chinese areas in New England since the demise of the Chinatowns in Providence and Portland. Because of the high population of Asian Americans living in this area, there is an abundance of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants located in Chinatown. It is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Harlow, and is the center of its Asian American life. Located just north of Main Street, it is the part of Midtown closest to the Downtown core and is by far its most economically prosperous, though it is certainly not without its criminal elements either; recently, a group called the Dragon Killers have forcibly unified many of the disparate Asian gangs in the neighborhood into a single cohesive group under their leadership, and have also begun aggressively moving in on the territory of others elsewhere in the city.
Little Italy
As the name would suggest, Little Italy is known for its predominately Italian American population as well as its Italian restaurants which range from expensive fine-dining establishments to small, family-owned businesses. Perhaps most notably, Little Italy houses the headquarters of Harlow’s Four Families, the four major Harlow organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia. While previously existing as four warring gangs, in the late 1930s the Marchesi, Calabresi, Romani and Pisano crime families were united in a manner reminiscent of the Five Families in New York City. The Four Families are likely the most influential criminal organization in Harlow, though their power today is much diminished from their height in the 1970s and 1980s. Whereas many criminal groups benefitted from the Phenomenon, developing the ability to project influence disproportionate to their membership with only a few metahumans on retainer, the highly-stratified nature of the Mafia made them less attractive to superpowered criminals outside of the existing structure. Nevertheless, the Four Families’ pockets continue to run deep, and their tendrils reach far beyond the borders of Little Italy itself.
Red Square
Red Square is a neighborhood first formed by the first wave of Eastern European immigrants that came to Harlow in the 19th century (many of them Jews), then later by Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Armenian and Jewish immigrants following the break-up of the Soviet Union. At its center is Rackham Square, colloquially referred to as “Red Square” after the Moscow plaza and the inhabitant’s ethnic origin. This moniker came into prominence during the height of the Cold War and has since come to refer to the neighborhood at large. The Red Hand, a multi-ethnic Eastern European organized crime group, has extremely strong roots in the neighborhood, and they are often in bitter conflict with their Italian neighbors (though rarely does this conflict occur in Midtown itself).
First established in the mid-to-late 1800s, West Lisbon has existed as one of the world’s most significant Portuguese enclaves - and a major immigrant community in Harlow - for over a hundred years. The inhabitants retain firm ties to their country and culture of origin, yet despite their adherence to tradition they have in many ways managed to integrate successfully with the rest of the city. Portuguese cuisine, language and customs are celebrated by many in the city in a manner similar to the cultural appropriation and homogenization of the Irish, and crime in West Lisbon is comparatively low.
Chinatown
Chinatown is the most prominent neighborhood in Midtown Harlow. Along with Boston’s Chinatown, it is one of the only surviving historic ethnic Chinese areas in New England since the demise of the Chinatowns in Providence and Portland. Because of the high population of Asian Americans living in this area, there is an abundance of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants located in Chinatown. It is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Harlow, and is the center of its Asian American life. Located just north of Main Street, it is the part of Midtown closest to the Downtown core and is by far its most economically prosperous, though it is certainly not without its criminal elements either; recently, a group called the Dragon Killers have forcibly unified many of the disparate Asian gangs in the neighborhood into a single cohesive group under their leadership, and have also begun aggressively moving in on the territory of others elsewhere in the city.
Little Italy
As the name would suggest, Little Italy is known for its predominately Italian American population as well as its Italian restaurants which range from expensive fine-dining establishments to small, family-owned businesses. Perhaps most notably, Little Italy houses the headquarters of Harlow’s Four Families, the four major Harlow organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia. While previously existing as four warring gangs, in the late 1930s the Marchesi, Calabresi, Romani and Pisano crime families were united in a manner reminiscent of the Five Families in New York City. The Four Families are likely the most influential criminal organization in Harlow, though their power today is much diminished from their height in the 1970s and 1980s. Whereas many criminal groups benefitted from the Phenomenon, developing the ability to project influence disproportionate to their membership with only a few metahumans on retainer, the highly-stratified nature of the Mafia made them less attractive to superpowered criminals outside of the existing structure. Nevertheless, the Four Families’ pockets continue to run deep, and their tendrils reach far beyond the borders of Little Italy itself.
Red Square
Red Square is a neighborhood first formed by the first wave of Eastern European immigrants that came to Harlow in the 19th century (many of them Jews), then later by Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Armenian and Jewish immigrants following the break-up of the Soviet Union. At its center is Rackham Square, colloquially referred to as “Red Square” after the Moscow plaza and the inhabitant’s ethnic origin. This moniker came into prominence during the height of the Cold War and has since come to refer to the neighborhood at large. The Red Hand, a multi-ethnic Eastern European organized crime group, has extremely strong roots in the neighborhood, and they are often in bitter conflict with their Italian neighbors (though rarely does this conflict occur in Midtown itself).
North Shore
While it has historic origins as an English Protestant residential community, in recent years the North Shore has become a neighborhood dominated by African-Americans, to the extent that the look and feel of the area has changed dramatically from what it was even twenty or thirty years ago. The neighborhood is predominately lower-class. Until recently the African-American gangs of the North Shore lacked a single criminal organization binding them together, making them vulnerable to encroachment by the Asian American gangs and Italian Mafia. Seven years ago the leaders of the various gangs in the North Shore came together to form the North Shore Cooperative in order to rectify this problem, allowing them to regain territory and begin pushing north towards Riverside.
While it has historic origins as an English Protestant residential community, in recent years the North Shore has become a neighborhood dominated by African-Americans, to the extent that the look and feel of the area has changed dramatically from what it was even twenty or thirty years ago. The neighborhood is predominately lower-class. Until recently the African-American gangs of the North Shore lacked a single criminal organization binding them together, making them vulnerable to encroachment by the Asian American gangs and Italian Mafia. Seven years ago the leaders of the various gangs in the North Shore came together to form the North Shore Cooperative in order to rectify this problem, allowing them to regain territory and begin pushing north towards Riverside.
South End
Harlow’s South End consists primarily of upper-to-middle class residential neighborhoods. Once dominated by Irish immigrants, the area has since become more diverse but still retains its blue-collar roots. Major neighborhoods include Buttonwood, South Shore, Ossett, Dunley, Bay Village, and the Reach. Buckler Hill, a park constructed on the site of an armory which burned down in the early 19th century, is the city’s largest public greenspace after the Commons and the location of a popular annual summer fair. The Channel is a man-made waterway made to accommodate large ships, though now it mostly serves to provide a nice view of the water. In recent years the South End has experienced an influx of well-off, educated young people, threatening to change the area's identity for good.
West End
Harlow’s West End is a lower middle class, predominately white residential area. In general, incomes rises when moving to the interior (close to Downtown) or the outskirts (towards Romsey), and fall when moving towards the middle from either end. Prominent neighborhoods include Preston Heights, Brockton Terrace, Westridge, Ashburn, Grantham and Milton.
North End
Harlow’s North End is something of an anomaly. Existing at the confluence of Midtown's diversity and the much more uniform East Harlow, the North End is perhaps Harlow’s most varied district, where poor immigrant communities and relatively well-off neighborhoods can be found in almost equal measure. The area’s proximity to Harlow International Airport and several highways makes it unusually well-frequented, albeit often through the window of vehicle. However, the airport does serve to provide gainful employment to many North End residents. Prominent neighborhoods in the North End include the Loop, the Fringe, Riverside, Stone Bridge and Pryor Park.
East Harlow
East Harlow is a large and densely populated area of Harlow, located on the eastern shore of the Harbor. A majority working-class Irish Catholic community, much of East Harlow’s prominence came from its links to the city’s maritime trade. Much like the Arm, when Harlow’s mercantile and industrial status flat-lined the community fell upon hard times. The Docks had been the epicenter of the East Harlow, an area historically populated by those whose jobs were tied to sea: first as whalers, then as sailors and shipbuilders. In the present day, East Harlow is more like two neighborhoods than one. Those who live in the south, closest to the Docks, are largely dependent on the low-wage service sectors and the declining remnants of their once flourishing industry. Dockside and Doldrums are two such neighborhoods. Crime is also rampant here, with several gangs vying for influence among a struggling, dissatisfied community; perhaps the most powerful gang is Eastside Empire, a white nationalist group that specializes in the drug trade. North of the highway, along the east bank of the Acushnet River, residents tend more towards middle-class and the area is much better policed. White Oaks is by far the wealthiest neighborhood of East Harlow (tellingly, it is also the furthest away), though it utterly pales in comparison to South Central or Seward’s Island. Other prominent neighborhoods include Wayside, Fairhaven, Allendale, The Triangle, and Far Bank.
Lawrencetown
Lawrencetown is the oldest neighborhood and continuously inhabited residential area in Harlow, residing upon the site of the original colony founded in 1652. It is named after Lawrence of Harlow, a wealthy British merchant who was the principle financial backer of the initial settlement. It has had a substantial Irish American population since the migration of Irish people during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s. Residents of Lawrencetown, referred to as “Townies”, have a distinct identity reflective of their Irish heritage and cultural roots, working-class history, and an opposition to immigrants and high-income earners alike. Lawrencetown contains several historic districts that are popular with tourists (such as the Old Quarter, which contains many museums and famous monuments), which has somewhat softened the impact that the Old Harbor’s decline has had on the neighborhood. While crime was once a major problem in the area, especially in the chaotic years following the emergence of the Phenomenon, extensive efforts by the city to gentrify and improve the neighborhood have been (surprisingly) relatively successful.
The Neck
Located on a narrow strip of land dividing Harlow Basin from Nasketucket Bay, the Neck is a relatively new neighborhood located on the outskirts of Harlow. Its residents tend to be older and upper class, though there are exceptions. Its layout and style of houses is reminiscent of suburbs, and when compared to the rough and chaotic streets of Harlow, the Neck seems positively idyllic. It frequently makes the top of "Best Places to Live in Harlow" lists.
Seward’s Island
Named in honor of John L. Seward, a 20th century architect and industrialist who designed and built many of the city’s most iconic buildings (he was also a raging homophobe), Seward’s Island is considered by many to be the wealthiest and most exclusive community in Harlow. Far from the city proper, it is accessible only by boat save for a single bridge connecting it to the Neck; as a result, it is isolated, and deliberately so. A refuge of the very rich or famous located far from the unwashed masses, it is the gleaming castle on the hill, forever out of reach for mere mortals. While it is quite the commute into the city, that suits most of the island’s residents just fine – after all, many of them are either retired, don’t need to work, or perfectly able to take the helicopter in at a moment’s notice. The demographics of the island are, unsurprisingly white, Anglo Saxon and Protestant – in fact, the community itself was formed by a kind of “white flight” in response to the influx of immigrants and economic decline of the city in the late 20th century. While the existence of Seward’s Island is frequently cited as a clear symbol of the many inequalities present in Harlow, no one truly expects anything to ever change.
Harlow International Airport
Harlow International Airport is an international airport located in the northwest of Harlow. It has six runways, four passenger terminals, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It rivals Boston’s Logan International Airport for the status of largest airport in the New England region and is one of the busiest airports in the country overall.
M.C.R.U. HQ
The headquarters of the Metahuman Crime Response Unit is located on an artificial island in the middle of the Harlow Basin. Constructed in the early 2000s, the site of the headquarters was chosen so that it would be isolated from the rest of the city yet simultaneously overlook it. It is a large and extremely fortified building, built with state of the art technology and containing appropriate resources and safeguards for any potential metahuman incident or emergency. Several underwater tunnels which can be traversed with fast-moving carriages lead from the island to clandestine locations on the mainland, allowing for heroes to rapidly travel from the island to the scene of a crime and back again. The HQ also possesses several high-speed boats and aircraft for this same purpose.
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Name: Alec Newman
Alias: Deadeye
Identity: Secret
Age: 32
Appearance: 6 feet tall with light skin, brown eyes and black hair armed with an assortment of guns of varying calibers, full tactical gear and what appears to be a skull mask
Abilities: Eagle eye. Able to exhibit extraordinary marksmanship skills due to the uncanny ability to concentrate to line up his shots be it with a pistol or long-range rifle to the point of slowing down time. However, this in turn can be a fatal weakness due to tunnel vision and the lack of a spotter.
Background: Little is known of the man many fear as Deadeye. A former special forces member of the US Armed Forces his records out of necessity or embarrassment have been omitted, deleted or gone missing. What is known that his gift was discovered at a fairly early age when his parents worried that the young Alec was frequently thought to be daydreaming, or even spacing out. Initially thought to be the onset of ADHD it was in fact the boy's innate ability to focus beyond human imagination. His reaction times were far advanced for his age and his attention to detail was enough to illicit a response from several teachers pushing to move the child into gifted courses. Though he led a fairly normal life things changed when he decided to sign up for the military at the age of 19 due to a lack of academic interests or career path.
He became distant from his parents to the point of completely cutting himself off from them by age 24. The reasoning behind this is unknown, though those vaguely familiar with the subject believe this was due to his three tours of duty before becoming recruited for Spec Ops shortly after his estrangement. By age 30 all records of his service were redacted and a covert manhunt was launched for the illusive former soldier. The truth of the matter was Newman became less and less interested in a sense of duty and patriotism and more in tune with becoming a soldier of fortune. Or more sinister, an assassin. Amassing a great deal of wealth from anonymous contracts Alec had traveled the world over with sightings in major hot zones and areas of general civil unrest such as the Yucatan Peninsula, Venezuela, Argentina, Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, the Punjab and more leaving a trail of death. With the search net growing to include international organizations and his assets falling prey to the authorities Newman had two choices: Live rich in a maximum security jail cell awaiting eventual execution, if he was lucky, or live poor but free. He took the latter successfully falling off the grid for some years before returning with a new name living in a new city with a fresh start. Or so the illusion was.
You can take the soldier out the battlefield but you can't take the battlefield out the soldier.
Alignment: Rogue
Terra approved.
Look forward to some more posts tomorrow (today? It's very early morning) followed by the official opening of the game to IC.
Look forward to some more posts tomorrow (today? It's very early morning) followed by the official opening of the game to IC.
Name: Gwendolen "Gwen" Blanc
Alias: Nurse
Identity: Secret (Known to the MCRU, Secret to the public)
Age: 23, b. 1994
Appearance: 5'2", black hair with pink highlights in a neat, pixie cut, green eyes, pale skin, and an athletic build from years of martial arts training. She has a round face, her lips are thin, she has a button nose with a small, silver stud on her right nostril, and she has a small scar below her left eye from an incident early in her costumed career. Out of costume, she tends to wear a well worn, olive green field jacket her foster father gave her, a beat up pair of black and white sneakers, black slacks, and a professional blouse. In costume, she wears a simple white jumpsuit with red boots, red gloves, and a red eye mask.
Abilities: Empath- Gwen can feel the moods or emotions of others. To sense most emotions, Gwen has to be near the person (within 25 ft. or so). However, it is easier for her to sense powerful emotions and she can sense them from further away (up to 50 ft.) and subtler emotions require her to physically touch the person to sense. She can only sense the emotions themselves and not the reasons behind the emotions. With minimal focus, she can sense who an emotion is coming from and their location. In cases of extreme negative emotion (e.g. after a major accident where many people died or were injured), Gwen can become overloaded with emotions and enter a catatonic state that lasts for several minutes. She also must spend at least an hour a day in seclusion from others to recoup from the constant bombardment of the emotions of others.
Healing- Gwen can heal most wounds and ailments, due to the ability to create a form of healing energy from her hands. Wounds affected by this ability heal at an incredible rate. To heal someone she must have her hands touching them or hovering right over them. Healing someone drains her own energy and life force, meaning that healing a fatal or near fatal wound or healing many minor wounds at one time can leave her exhausted and weak. Due to the fact that her healing powers come from her own life force she also cannot use them to heal herself, leaving her vulnerable to attack.
Background: Gwendolen Blanc was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on May 5th, 1994, the daughter of a supervillain by the name of Dr. Fear and his on again off again girlfriend and faithful henchwoman, Ms. Panic. Dr. Fear was a small time supervillain who could create an aura of fear around him that he used to help him commit a number of robberies and other petty crimes and Ms. Panic was nothing more than a young woman with big dreams and a big gun. They had a rap sheet a mile long, but had avoided killing or seriously hurting anyone during their robberies. For the first ten years of Gwen's life she was raised by them, living in the room Ms. Panic had lovingly made for her in their hideout and staying hidden away from the outside world with her parents as they plotted their next big heist. During this time both of her powers manifested. It is unknown exactly when her empathy manifested, as Gwen always remembers just being able to sense her parent's emotions, all that is known is that it had definitely manifested by August 11th, 2004 when the MCRU first discovered her. Gwen can however trace her healing ability to a specific instance. One of the rare times she went outside she found a wounded blue jay with a broken wing outside their hideout. She desperately wanted to heal it and held her hands out towards it when suddenly she felt a warm fuzzy feeling radiating from her hands and that upon closer inspection the wound was healed. She kept this incident hidden from her parents as she was unsure how they would react.
However, on August 8th, 2004, her world changed forever. On that day, Dr. Fear and Ms. Panic left her behind at the hideout and went to rob a bank. A rookie superhero who was part of the MCRU interrupted their attempted robbery and, in the process of apprehending them, killed both. The incident was a local scandal as video evidence quickly surfaced that the superhero used unnecessary force in apprehending them and the incident prompted a full investigation by the local branch of the MCRU into what happened. Gwen watched the whole story unfold on TV as her parents always left the news on when they left so she could tell them what the news said about them. Terrified that a superhero would kill her if they found her, Gwen locked herself in the hideout and hid there, only stirring herself from her crying fits long enough to meet her basic needs. While she knew that her parents were bad people, she was still devastated by their deaths as they were the only people she cared about and knew and she was terrified of the outside world. She also felt guilty that she hadn't told her parents about her healing ability and that she could have saved them had she been there. Three days after her parents' deaths, the MCRU located Dr. Fear's hideout and entered it looking for any evidence that would help their investigation into the bank robbery incident. The agents sent to investigate it found Gwen sleeping quietly on the floor after she passed out from exhaustion.
After thorough questioning by the MCRU and the discovery of both of her powers, it was eventually decided that Gwen would be sent to live with a foster family and that the MCRU would keep an eye on her as she grew up. A family in Harlow who lived in The Stretch was willing to take her in and she moved in with them. Living with a normal family and going to school was a huge adjustment for Gwen. Her first problems came when her foster parents took her outside through a busy street. Confined to the hideout, she had only ever been exposed to a couple of emotions at once so the sudden exposure to dozens of emotions caused her to break down as she tried to process all of them. This problem bled into school, where she could hardly stand to sit in the classroom without feeling overloaded. Eventually she became used to sensing many emotions at once and was able to lead a relatively normal, if sheltered, life through middle and high school.
However, as she entered her junior year of high school, she began to consider what she would do with her powers. She had spent the last six years ignoring her powers as best she could, but she realized that she couldn't waste these powers by doing nothing and that she didn't want to be like her parents, using their powers and skills for their own personal gain. She resolved to use her powers to help others, whether they were heroes or villains, to ensure that no one died like her parents. She began to explore her powers under the guise of "The Nurse", aiding both heroes and villains. Currently, she straddles the line between good and evil, providing aid to whoever happens to need it at the time and sitting back in more of a support role unless someone is directly threatening or endangering the lives of others.
Out of the costume, Gwen has become something of a success story for her neighborhood. In high school, she found a love for music and particularly playing music for others, as her ability as an empath made the positive emotions it created an amazing experience for her. She started a band, named Down the Stretch, with a few of her friends, where she plays guitar and sings. The band still exists today and they've attracted a loyal following in The Stretch. She also proved to be a studious pupil, partly due to the fact that she could ignore the emotions around her more easily if she had her nose in a book, and ended up being accepted to Banecroft University on a full scholarship. While there she majored in psychology and is now working on a master's in school and child psychology with a focus on early intervention for child delinquents with metahuman abilities.
Affiliation: Rogue
((EDIT: Fixed some stuff up and added some more current info on where Gwen's personal life is.
2nd EDIT: Character appearance changed as I got more used to writing the character, updating it now.))
Alias: Nurse
Identity: Secret (Known to the MCRU, Secret to the public)
Age: 23, b. 1994
Appearance: 5'2", black hair with pink highlights in a neat, pixie cut, green eyes, pale skin, and an athletic build from years of martial arts training. She has a round face, her lips are thin, she has a button nose with a small, silver stud on her right nostril, and she has a small scar below her left eye from an incident early in her costumed career. Out of costume, she tends to wear a well worn, olive green field jacket her foster father gave her, a beat up pair of black and white sneakers, black slacks, and a professional blouse. In costume, she wears a simple white jumpsuit with red boots, red gloves, and a red eye mask.
Abilities: Empath- Gwen can feel the moods or emotions of others. To sense most emotions, Gwen has to be near the person (within 25 ft. or so). However, it is easier for her to sense powerful emotions and she can sense them from further away (up to 50 ft.) and subtler emotions require her to physically touch the person to sense. She can only sense the emotions themselves and not the reasons behind the emotions. With minimal focus, she can sense who an emotion is coming from and their location. In cases of extreme negative emotion (e.g. after a major accident where many people died or were injured), Gwen can become overloaded with emotions and enter a catatonic state that lasts for several minutes. She also must spend at least an hour a day in seclusion from others to recoup from the constant bombardment of the emotions of others.
Healing- Gwen can heal most wounds and ailments, due to the ability to create a form of healing energy from her hands. Wounds affected by this ability heal at an incredible rate. To heal someone she must have her hands touching them or hovering right over them. Healing someone drains her own energy and life force, meaning that healing a fatal or near fatal wound or healing many minor wounds at one time can leave her exhausted and weak. Due to the fact that her healing powers come from her own life force she also cannot use them to heal herself, leaving her vulnerable to attack.
Background: Gwendolen Blanc was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on May 5th, 1994, the daughter of a supervillain by the name of Dr. Fear and his on again off again girlfriend and faithful henchwoman, Ms. Panic. Dr. Fear was a small time supervillain who could create an aura of fear around him that he used to help him commit a number of robberies and other petty crimes and Ms. Panic was nothing more than a young woman with big dreams and a big gun. They had a rap sheet a mile long, but had avoided killing or seriously hurting anyone during their robberies. For the first ten years of Gwen's life she was raised by them, living in the room Ms. Panic had lovingly made for her in their hideout and staying hidden away from the outside world with her parents as they plotted their next big heist. During this time both of her powers manifested. It is unknown exactly when her empathy manifested, as Gwen always remembers just being able to sense her parent's emotions, all that is known is that it had definitely manifested by August 11th, 2004 when the MCRU first discovered her. Gwen can however trace her healing ability to a specific instance. One of the rare times she went outside she found a wounded blue jay with a broken wing outside their hideout. She desperately wanted to heal it and held her hands out towards it when suddenly she felt a warm fuzzy feeling radiating from her hands and that upon closer inspection the wound was healed. She kept this incident hidden from her parents as she was unsure how they would react.
However, on August 8th, 2004, her world changed forever. On that day, Dr. Fear and Ms. Panic left her behind at the hideout and went to rob a bank. A rookie superhero who was part of the MCRU interrupted their attempted robbery and, in the process of apprehending them, killed both. The incident was a local scandal as video evidence quickly surfaced that the superhero used unnecessary force in apprehending them and the incident prompted a full investigation by the local branch of the MCRU into what happened. Gwen watched the whole story unfold on TV as her parents always left the news on when they left so she could tell them what the news said about them. Terrified that a superhero would kill her if they found her, Gwen locked herself in the hideout and hid there, only stirring herself from her crying fits long enough to meet her basic needs. While she knew that her parents were bad people, she was still devastated by their deaths as they were the only people she cared about and knew and she was terrified of the outside world. She also felt guilty that she hadn't told her parents about her healing ability and that she could have saved them had she been there. Three days after her parents' deaths, the MCRU located Dr. Fear's hideout and entered it looking for any evidence that would help their investigation into the bank robbery incident. The agents sent to investigate it found Gwen sleeping quietly on the floor after she passed out from exhaustion.
After thorough questioning by the MCRU and the discovery of both of her powers, it was eventually decided that Gwen would be sent to live with a foster family and that the MCRU would keep an eye on her as she grew up. A family in Harlow who lived in The Stretch was willing to take her in and she moved in with them. Living with a normal family and going to school was a huge adjustment for Gwen. Her first problems came when her foster parents took her outside through a busy street. Confined to the hideout, she had only ever been exposed to a couple of emotions at once so the sudden exposure to dozens of emotions caused her to break down as she tried to process all of them. This problem bled into school, where she could hardly stand to sit in the classroom without feeling overloaded. Eventually she became used to sensing many emotions at once and was able to lead a relatively normal, if sheltered, life through middle and high school.
However, as she entered her junior year of high school, she began to consider what she would do with her powers. She had spent the last six years ignoring her powers as best she could, but she realized that she couldn't waste these powers by doing nothing and that she didn't want to be like her parents, using their powers and skills for their own personal gain. She resolved to use her powers to help others, whether they were heroes or villains, to ensure that no one died like her parents. She began to explore her powers under the guise of "The Nurse", aiding both heroes and villains. Currently, she straddles the line between good and evil, providing aid to whoever happens to need it at the time and sitting back in more of a support role unless someone is directly threatening or endangering the lives of others.
Out of the costume, Gwen has become something of a success story for her neighborhood. In high school, she found a love for music and particularly playing music for others, as her ability as an empath made the positive emotions it created an amazing experience for her. She started a band, named Down the Stretch, with a few of her friends, where she plays guitar and sings. The band still exists today and they've attracted a loyal following in The Stretch. She also proved to be a studious pupil, partly due to the fact that she could ignore the emotions around her more easily if she had her nose in a book, and ended up being accepted to Banecroft University on a full scholarship. While there she majored in psychology and is now working on a master's in school and child psychology with a focus on early intervention for child delinquents with metahuman abilities.
Affiliation: Rogue
((EDIT: Fixed some stuff up and added some more current info on where Gwen's personal life is.
2nd EDIT: Character appearance changed as I got more used to writing the character, updating it now.))
Last edited by a moderator:
Gangs of Harlow
The Dragon Killers
Based out of Harlow’s Chinatown, the Dragon Killers are a major criminal organization with influence extending across much of southern Midtown and the northern Downtown core. While the ethnic enclave had previously been home to small gangs who vied with each other for control, five years ago an especially ruthless and violent Asian American gang called the Dragon Killers managed to assert complete dominance over its former rivals and become the undisputed rulers of Harlow’s Asian criminal elements.
The mastermind behind the Dragon Killers’ rapid and brutal rise to power was Zhen Feng, an extremely intelligent and dangerous Chinese metahuman who is the group’s current leader after having betrayed and murder his former boss. Zhen Feng possesses the ability to manipulate pain, allowing him to inflict it on anyone in his general vicinity, or to take it away from himself or others. He can manipulate the pain of many individuals at once, enabling him to cripple entire groups of assailants with debilitating pain or turn a squad of his own fighters into unfeeling berserkers. When he applies himself, he can apply so much pain that a victim’s nerves become “scoured”, exhibiting effect similar to partial limb paralysation. His bloodthirsty nature coupled with his power has made him feared in the underworld, as well as a prime target for Harlow’s hero community. It is even rumored that he worked for China’s dreaded secret intelligence service before his arrival in the United States
Zheng Feng’s stated mission is to conquer and absorb every gang in Harlow, regardless of whether they have Asian members or not. Once he has the manpower he needs, the non-Asian gangs are cannibalized for assets, their members discarded. He has recently instituted a policy of forcing Asian Americans in the city within a certain age bracket to join or pay tribute, sparking speculation that he is gearing up for an all-out gang war. Already the Dragon Killers are considered one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the city, boasting several metahuman enforcers and a veritable army of foot soldiers.
The gang colors of the Dragon Killers are yellow and green. Their territory is marked by the image of a dragon, tagged on street corners and doorways with spray paint. The punishment for defying the Dragon Killers is almost always death, though Zheng Feng does sometimes like to make examples of his enemies, rendering their entire bodies permanently “scoured.” Some consider that to be an even worse fate.
The Merchants
The Merchants are a major criminal organization located on the Arm, one of Harlow’s most impoverished communities. Their membership is diverse, their recruiters drawing from many ethnicities and backgrounds – this inclusivity has made them popular aspiring metahuman criminals, affording them perhaps the most superpowered muscle in the city. Rather than employ this muscle in protracted conflicts with rival gangs, the Merchants prefer to use this advantage as both a deterrent against attacks.
True to their name, the Merchants have no objective other than making a profit; they hold a monopoly over the best smuggling routes in and out of the city, and often take payment from other gangs in return for allowing their goods to reach the black market. With their core territory encompassing many of the city’s abandoned buildings and warehouses, the Merchants also guarantee safe and secure storage for criminal organizations in Harlow, though this does not altogether stop violent clashes from occurring.
The leader of the Merchants is Francis “Frank” Kowalski, a tall, heavy-set white male in his late fifties. He is of Polish-American ancestry, though much of his past is unknown. He is a metahuman with the ability to perceive and perfectly analyze microexpressions, effectively making him a human lie-detector and limited mind-reader when conversing with someone or even watching their responses to stimuli. The discrete nature of his ability has led him to keep it a secret; as a result, his subordinates are always loyal (otherwise he can replace them), and he always has the advantage in negotiations with other gangs.
The Four Families
The Four Families are Harlow’s regional branch of the Italian American Mafia, and they are perhaps the oldest crime organization still operating in Harlow. They are based out of Little Italy, a predominately Italian American neighborhood in Harlow. Unified in a loose alliance since the late 1930s, the Marchesi, Calabresi, Romani and Pisano crime families at one paint held sway over nearly the entire city. While their power has declined since the heyday of the Mafia in America, they still command a significant degree of influence and respect. What the Mafia lacks in raw metahuman muscle it makes up for with deep pockets and a durable influence over many members of the Harlow Police Department, the Harlow City Council, and the courts. They also own several legitimate businesses throughout the city, such as the Waterfront’s Starlight Casino.
While historically each of the Four Families have enjoyed relatively equal status in relation to each other, a state of affairs largely responsible for their long-standing peace, there have been occasions of infighting and even warfare in the past where the unity of the organization was temporarily broken. The new head of the Marchesi crime family, Valentino Marchesi, is young and hot-headed, eager to make a name for himself and contemptuous of the other Four Family heads. His reluctance to abide by long-standing customs and traditions within the organization in the pursuit of his own interests have sparked tension with the other heads (particularly Don Calabresi), something that may very well fester into open hostility and endanger the unity of the Families once again. The recent losses of territory by the Romani crime family to the Dragon Killers have further created an imbalance within the Families, opening the doorway to a potential 2-on-1 alliance against Don Marchesi’s destabilizing actions.
The Red Hand
The Red Hand is believed to be one of the most infamous crime groups in the northeastern United States. Based out of Red Square, Midtown Harlow’s predominately Eastern European neighborhood, they are involved in drug trafficking, murder, assault, fraud, identity theft, illegal gambling, kidnapping, racketeering, robbery and extortion. They have over a hundred documented members and hundreds of associates. Just as organized crime in the Soviet Union was multi-ethnic and continues to be multi-ethnic in today’s Russia, the Red Hand boasts members of Russian, Armenian, Ukrainian and Polish ancestry. May of them are also Jewish. While they are not the largest criminal group in Harlow, the Red Hand rule their territory with an iron first and greatly feared for their capacity for violence. Whereas Eastside Empire and the Dragon Killers are loud, disruptive street gangs, the Red Hand thrives in the shadows. Whereas the Four Families and the Merchants value safe, certain profits, the Red Hand is willing to take risks and shake up the status quo for a beneficial outcome. Representing a fine balance between overwhelming force and cautious strategy, they are not an organization not be trifled with.
The leader of the Red Hand is a man shrouded in mystery, rumor and myth. Known only as “Tzar”, he is reportedly a metahuman of immense power with a body count that could fill Red Square, though his exact power is unknown. The mere utterance of his name is enough to give pause to even the most hardened of criminals, a reputation matched by few within Harlow’s criminal circle. A daring and skilled tactician, he nevertheless prefers to act through high-powered intermediaries and observe from a distance. To date no member of law enforcement even knows what he looks like, or if he even truly exists.
Eastside Empire
First formed in the late 1990s, Eastside Empire is a white nationalist organization that has only recently risen to prominence in the predominately white, Irish, working-class neighborhood of East Harlow. It is a powerful organization with connections to several racist and white supremacist organizations around North America. While other groups tend to recruit exclusively from Harlow itself, Eastside Empire supplements its local members with those from other states. The Eastside Empire boasts some of city’s most powerful and dangerous metahumans, and its hate-filled, fringe ideology enjoys outsized influence as a result. Despite its youth, Eastside Empire has also been responsible for some of the bloodiest episodes of gang violence in Harlow to date, and they are viewed with contempt by most other gangs in the city.
The long-time leader and original founder of Eastside Empire, Stormbringer, has recently died. At present there is a vacuum within the gang’s leadership, with several of the most prominent lieutenants each desiring the leadership position. As of the present, no clear victor has emerged.
North Shore Cooperative
Once divided into many small gangs, the African-American crime groups in Harlow have in the last decade followed in the footsteps of others and formed a unified organization. More akin to the Four Families than the Dragon Killers, the North Shore Cooperative is a loose alliance of independent gangs who agree not to war with each other, to settle disputes unanimously, and to split profits relating to their diverse criminal activities. Furthermore, should one of the North Shore gangs be attacked by an outside group, such as the Dragon Killers or the Italians, they are all bound to unite and fight as one.
Compared to the other gangs of the city, the Cooperative has somewhat of a lower profile. However, their recent expansion north into Riverside could help to make them a more important player in Harlow’s underworld.
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The game is now OPEN TO IC. Remember the rules, play your characters, and most importantly, have fun!
For future reference, the way I'm going to structure the game is as follows:
1) Event - I will post an Event which will kick off the game's first narrative Arc, setting the stage for what players can expect to see and interact with in the coming days. The first Turn of this Arc will begin at the start of Summer 2017 and end at the beginning of Fall 2017. Arcs may extend over multiple Turns, with each Turn being a season to provide a sense of time progression and chronology.
2) Arc - After the Event is posted, players can IC their characters at any time. Note that you are NOT required to respond to the Event in your ICs. In fact, I definitely do expect many independent, standalone ICs given that this the introductory phase - however, joint ICs and ICs that build off of the Event are always, always encouraged.
3) Orders - Players can send me Orders in a private forum conversation detailing what they plan to do and what they want to accomplish in a Turn. These allow both you and I to get a general sense of what direction your character is headed in, though Orders are NOT mandatory. There is no cap on the number of orders you can send either, but if you are sending a lot I do expect you to be ICing just as much. Orders can also be sent for single, immediate actions, which I will likely resolve with you and any other relevant parties privately to keep the IC flowing smoothly.
4) Updates - Enough IC or Orders sent to me in a given Turn will prompt me to a post an Update to resolve them and move the story forward. These may range from including the entire cast to only a handful of characters. Expect unprompted Updates following up on and expanding on the initial Event as well.
5) Arc Conclusion - When an Arc has run its course, I will post a Conclusion summarizing its events. Then there will be a new Event (manufactured by me, the GM, or born from the actions of a player or group of players) and a new Arc, and we will continue on.
This system is a work-in-progress, so bear with me - as I said in the opening post, this game will be very much a learning experience. It is possible (even likely) that aspects of this system might be flawed or inefficient, and they will probably change as the game progresses. Constructive criticism is welcome provided that it is actually constructive, though it should not be in the thread so as to avoid cluttering and excessive OOC.
But for now, I look forward to your ICs!
For future reference, the way I'm going to structure the game is as follows:
1) Event - I will post an Event which will kick off the game's first narrative Arc, setting the stage for what players can expect to see and interact with in the coming days. The first Turn of this Arc will begin at the start of Summer 2017 and end at the beginning of Fall 2017. Arcs may extend over multiple Turns, with each Turn being a season to provide a sense of time progression and chronology.
2) Arc - After the Event is posted, players can IC their characters at any time. Note that you are NOT required to respond to the Event in your ICs. In fact, I definitely do expect many independent, standalone ICs given that this the introductory phase - however, joint ICs and ICs that build off of the Event are always, always encouraged.
3) Orders - Players can send me Orders in a private forum conversation detailing what they plan to do and what they want to accomplish in a Turn. These allow both you and I to get a general sense of what direction your character is headed in, though Orders are NOT mandatory. There is no cap on the number of orders you can send either, but if you are sending a lot I do expect you to be ICing just as much. Orders can also be sent for single, immediate actions, which I will likely resolve with you and any other relevant parties privately to keep the IC flowing smoothly.
4) Updates - Enough IC or Orders sent to me in a given Turn will prompt me to a post an Update to resolve them and move the story forward. These may range from including the entire cast to only a handful of characters. Expect unprompted Updates following up on and expanding on the initial Event as well.
5) Arc Conclusion - When an Arc has run its course, I will post a Conclusion summarizing its events. Then there will be a new Event (manufactured by me, the GM, or born from the actions of a player or group of players) and a new Arc, and we will continue on.
This system is a work-in-progress, so bear with me - as I said in the opening post, this game will be very much a learning experience. It is possible (even likely) that aspects of this system might be flawed or inefficient, and they will probably change as the game progresses. Constructive criticism is welcome provided that it is actually constructive, though it should not be in the thread so as to avoid cluttering and excessive OOC.
But for now, I look forward to your ICs!
Death and Disruption
Turn 1 (Summer) – Arc 1, Event 1
Turn 1 (Summer) – Arc 1, Event 1
Someone is killing heroes.
Electra was the first victim, found in the kitchen of her penthouse apartment with her throat slit, a bloody knife in one hand. A week later, Sandman was discovered in a rented garage with his car running; the cause of death was ruled as carbon monoxide poisoning. They appeared to be suicides, and the authorities announced them to the public as such; behind the scenes, however, the picture took on more complexity. For one, the close timing of the deaths (only two days apart) was unusual. Furthermore, neither Electra nor Sandman had displayed any of the tell-tale signs of mental trauma or depression that frequently predate suicide, and this despite being subject to round-the-clock psychological monitoring. Nevertheless, there was little reason for the authorities to suspect foul play – after all, these things did happen.
It took the deaths of Victoire, Quake, and Firefight – fallen from the top of her thirty-story high-rise, hung in his office, and drowned in his bath tub, respectively – for everyone to sit up and take notice. The series of high-profile deaths, all occurring within literal days of each other, meant that it was next to impossible that these were isolated instances of suicide. They were clearly connected, but that begged the obvious question: how? Was it a twisted pact among five Harlow’s most famous heroes, as some of the tabloids theorized? Or was it the work of a murderer, as investigators and respectable media outlets quickly suspect.
Further complicating the matter was the fact that each of the heroes had been killed while in their civilian identity, found dead in either their homes, their place of work, or a random location in close proximity to the two. The M.C.R.U. is scrambling to find the source of this serious breach of closely-guarded, highly classified information, but no leads are forthcoming. The public is outraged and afraid, and even the heroes are anxious at the prospect of their personal information – and those of their loved ones – falling into the hands of a serial murderer.
To put it simply, this spate of killings has left the city on edge. While Harlow’s heroes have responded with justifiable trepidation, the criminal elements of the city have only been emboldened by the deaths of so many prominent figures. The tentative balance between order and chaos that has persisted for over two decades seems more fragile every day as incidents of crime-related violence surges, threatening a return to the old days when capes and criminals were essentially in a state of constant war. If Harlow is a veritable tinderbox, these last two weeks have been piling on the kindling.
Who knows what spark will ultimately light the blaze?
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June 14, 2017
Last night I shot three of them when I hit that Triad Chinese bullshit laundering spot. Dropped them all immediately. Dead. Center of mass, my aim’s getting better. Real proud of snapping the hammer right off one of their revolvers. The look on his face! Just wish I didn’t have to kick the shit out of the guy in the store. When these things happen, sit down and shut up! But I’m writing this because I think that I’ve realized the gravity of what I done and what I do. I get no pleasure from killing, only a maniac does and I’ve never felt a good thing for neither these 3 or the 14 before them. Never felt bad about it either, though, the act is just work. A duty. But I always enjoyed knowing that they were gone, can’t terrorize anybody anymore. Taking out the trash. But they’re people. They had lives, parents, ancestries stretching back for forever. And I ended that. Feels powerful, should be more responsible in the future. Pick who lives and dies. Maybe I’ll take some meta bastard next, like the guy in the news. No good guys though. Powers or not, just like me or not, some of them have to go. Just like the others. If I can shoot one of those freaks who decides to join the filth, that’d be good. I shouldn’t call metas freaks, cause then I’m a freak too. But then again how many people does somebody know go out and shoot criminals at night for their spare time? I’m a weird one. But so are the garbage men, they never seem always there I think. Living your life surrounded by trash would do that to you. I should know. META FILTH GOTTA GET SMOKED LIKE HUMAN FILTH! If anybody becomes a part of the problem, they got to go. Simple.
Now, got to meditate on something else. I feel that I’ve felt lost my whole life. Not lost. Drifting. I thought the killing would give me an anchor, a purpose. But it didn’t. I don’t know what the hell I got to do. Actually no, fuck that. I can’t devote my life to moping, morbid self-attention, I’d be what I hate. A faker, a shallow faker. A coward, too afraid to solve his problems. All I need is to find something in this sea of shit and spooky magic that can make me a person like other people, the killing’s eased my conscience, now I need something for my soul.
As for the cape-killer, I’m no cape.
M.R.C.U
Meta-Human Capabilities Report
Subject: Gerald Grant
Alias: "The Mask"
D.O.B: 1952
Race: White
Sex: Male
Meta-Human Abilities: Rebirth after Death; Heightened Reflexes
Note #1
Date: 30/1/1994
Subject formally admitted into M.C.R.U Displays willingness to undergo various tests to determine the extent and scope of his powers. Expresses a very cynical worldview and seems to hold a naturally melancholic personality. Gave in-depth details of his abilities, and agreed to undergo various 'trials' to see if any manner of death would result in a change to his 'rebirth'.
Subject signs waiver absolving M.C.R.U of any and all personal afflictions that may occur during said testing, and also signs documents related to maintaining professional confidentially about the organisation and all of its assets, employees, institutions and information.
....
....
....
Note #138
Date: 4/5/2005
Conclusion of testing over the past decade has given confirmation to the notion that despite whatever the causes and means of his death/s "The Mask" will always reappear. His signature item, the mask he wears on his face, seems to have no extraordinary nature in of itself. When taken from the subject's corpse the mask proves to be little more than a plastic construct that is easily broken, despite the fact that the mask is proven to be able to withstand a direct hammer-blow when worn by "The Mask".
Meta-Human Capabilities Report
Subject: Gerald Grant
Alias: "The Mask"
D.O.B: 1952
Race: White
Sex: Male
Meta-Human Abilities: Rebirth after Death; Heightened Reflexes
Note #1
Date: 30/1/1994
Subject formally admitted into M.C.R.U Displays willingness to undergo various tests to determine the extent and scope of his powers. Expresses a very cynical worldview and seems to hold a naturally melancholic personality. Gave in-depth details of his abilities, and agreed to undergo various 'trials' to see if any manner of death would result in a change to his 'rebirth'.
Subject signs waiver absolving M.C.R.U of any and all personal afflictions that may occur during said testing, and also signs documents related to maintaining professional confidentially about the organisation and all of its assets, employees, institutions and information.
....
....
....
Note #138
Date: 4/5/2005
Conclusion of testing over the past decade has given confirmation to the notion that despite whatever the causes and means of his death/s "The Mask" will always reappear. His signature item, the mask he wears on his face, seems to have no extraordinary nature in of itself. When taken from the subject's corpse the mask proves to be little more than a plastic construct that is easily broken, despite the fact that the mask is proven to be able to withstand a direct hammer-blow when worn by "The Mask".
In summary; "The Mask" is fully vulnerable to all manners of death and debilitation that can afflict a regular human, despite having reflexes that perform at Olympic professional levels. His personal item, his mask, seems to perform as a channel for his meta-human capabilities, proven via his death upon the removal of the mask. The mask itself displays no meta-human capabilities or influences upon the death of its wielder, instead holding the aspects of a regular plastic mask.
...
...
...
Note #171-b
Date: 18/1/2016
Continuation of official complaint made by Harlow Police Department. "The Mask" stands accused of committing several accounts of 'assault' and 'assault resulting grievous bodily harm', a single account of 'abduction', a single count of 'torture' and a dozen accounts of 'trespassing'. While the actions of "The Mask" have seen the incarceration of a dozen wanted criminals and the halt of an inter-state gun-running operation, his behaviour has led the police to demand he be accountable for his actions.
Popular support remains with the "The Mask" throughout the allegations, with the Harlow Police Department losing credibility in the eyes of the public who are now demanding the police retract their allegations. Several prominent citizens and businessmen/women have spoken out against the actions of the HPD, declaring that "The Mask" only did what was necessary considering the lack of progress and action by the HPD.
...
...
...
Note #171-d
Date: 12/2/2016
Accusations from the Harlow Police Department over "The Mask's" conduct in regards to the Gun-Running Operation shutdown have officially been withdrawn and a public apology issued. Popular pressure on the police force was already making their job incredibly difficult and when the political powers decided to weigh-in in-favour of "The Mask" the HPD had little choice but to back down. "The Mask" gave no public response, just as he had no given any public statement prior and during the allegations that were levelled against him.
...
...
...
Note #171-b
Date: 18/1/2016
Continuation of official complaint made by Harlow Police Department. "The Mask" stands accused of committing several accounts of 'assault' and 'assault resulting grievous bodily harm', a single account of 'abduction', a single count of 'torture' and a dozen accounts of 'trespassing'. While the actions of "The Mask" have seen the incarceration of a dozen wanted criminals and the halt of an inter-state gun-running operation, his behaviour has led the police to demand he be accountable for his actions.
Popular support remains with the "The Mask" throughout the allegations, with the Harlow Police Department losing credibility in the eyes of the public who are now demanding the police retract their allegations. Several prominent citizens and businessmen/women have spoken out against the actions of the HPD, declaring that "The Mask" only did what was necessary considering the lack of progress and action by the HPD.
...
...
...
Note #171-d
Date: 12/2/2016
Accusations from the Harlow Police Department over "The Mask's" conduct in regards to the Gun-Running Operation shutdown have officially been withdrawn and a public apology issued. Popular pressure on the police force was already making their job incredibly difficult and when the political powers decided to weigh-in in-favour of "The Mask" the HPD had little choice but to back down. "The Mask" gave no public response, just as he had no given any public statement prior and during the allegations that were levelled against him.
Harlow, New Harbor 6:45 PM
As the sun was already setting over the city, fishermen were still haggling over prices with local interests. Boats were still entering and leaving the harbor, albeit at a significantly slower pace. The folks were trying to get a last bit of work in or one last voyage before the end of the day. It was then that a rickety old boat by the name of Credence docked at Pier 12. A rather short, stout old man seeming no younger than 50 stepped out of the vessel, his wild bushy sideburns of the salt and pepper variety were the first thing one would notice, after his brown eyepatch.
He quietly drew out his old pipe and began to take a long drag before puffing out some strange black smoke. The dock workers paid him no heed as they were wrapping up the day. Then a shadowy figure emerged from the cabin and into the dying sunlight. With clean cut hair, olive khakis and a rather amusing worn out grey t-shirt with the peace symbol plastered across it the newcomer took off his sun glasses and surveyed the area.
“This it?” He asked.
The captain nodded. “Sure is, mind if I stay for the night?”
His passenger shrugged. “Whatever you want.” He reached into his pockets and rummaged through them holding out several bills of cash. “For your services.”
Before the old sea rat could even utter a word Alec disappeared into the dwindling crowd.
He bumped into those going the opposite way either giving them a casual wave or ignoring them all together, searching for something. His eyes darted every which way making mental notes, oblivious that the sounds of the harbor died down and the people seemed docile, slowing to a crawl. And then time stood still for a brief moment before marching forward inch by inch. Oblivious to his surroundings, Alec continued to look all around him. Then in his mind he could hear a distant sound, it was undiscernible at first but then it grew louder. Echoing it was pierced his concentration.
“HEY!”
Newman abruptly turned his head left staring at the source.
“You all right there?” It was tall, fat butcher chopping away fish heads with his giant cleaver. The man was showing signs of a receding hairline. Looking up Deadeye read the sign in bold red and yellow letters: Larry’s Meat and Fish Market The Best In Harlow.
The man seemed jovial so Newman just smirked. “Never better. Do you know where…Devil’s Elbow is located?”
The owner of the store frowned before pointing with his heavy broad blade.
“It’s that way, where you were walking from. The direction you were heading was towards City Hall. But be careful, it’s a pretty dangerous place. You’d have to be crazy to want to go there, worse if you want to live there.”
Alec flashed a rather predatory toothy grin. “I know.” Turning on a heel he walked towards his ultimate destination.
Soon his audition will commence.
Name: David O'Neil
Alias: He is referred to as Speakeasy by his criminal contacts, although they are unaware of his identity. No one knows that Speakeasy is David O'Neil.
Identity: Secret
Age: 57 (b. August 12th, 1960)
Appearance: David has dark red hair which is slowly turning white, he walks with a limp and his hair is short and styled to the left. He wears horn rimmed glasses over hazel eyes, which compliments his outfit of formal suits very well. He has a plain gold band inlaid with a ruby on his ring finger.
Abilities:
Background: David O'Neil was born in 1960 to the most archetypical Irish-American family in Harlow. Devout Catholics, proud and bullheaded, the O'Neils were staples of Lawrencetown and Eastern Harlow, with the family owning and operating a very successful and popular diner. Growing up, David was surrounded by the politics and news of the Cold War. Some of his earliest memories were of watching the Tet Offensive on the nightly news on the family's deluxe color tv. In a world soaked in such topics as war, Blake soon became enraptured by politics. He took to it like peanut butter to the roof of a mouth, and he was obsessed. Graduating from high school, Blake managed to secure a scholarship and to use his family's accumulated wealth from running the most successful diner in East Harlow and Lawrencetown to get into Banecroft University. Studying political science, it was in his senior year of college that he first manifested his ability. David was sitting in his pre-law class in 1982, and he was staring at Jack Smith, a bullheaded rich kid from Boston. He thought of telling Jack to punch himself, and when Jack gave himself a black eye, David was shook. Initially thinking of it as a coincidence, he began to make the connections between his 'suggestions' and people following through on what he would subconsciously suggest. When the first reports of metahumans came out, David, in all his vanity, was convinced he was one. And he was right. He then began to test the limits of his ability without any limits. He would figure out that his 'suggestions' weren't binding, and that people tended to exercise their free will if their mind wasn't weak and easy influenceable. He used his ability to get through law school with soaring colors, upon which point he began work with a large civil law firm in Harlow. Whilst working with this corrupt firm of ill repute, he was introduced to various gangsters. Riding to the top of the firm, both through hard work and manipulation, David decided in 2000 to run for Harlow City Council. Using his now considerable wealth that he built up at his law firm, he rode the reins of city politics to victory, and a seat on the City Council. While working on the City Council, David has used his money and power to get even more money and power (a novel idea). Aiding and abetting gangs, most notably the Merchants, he's the epitome of a corrupt politician. Always nervous about being caught, not by the HPD which is inept, but by the M.C.R.U, he has publicly sponsored and advocated for the scaling back of the metahuman police, calling them "corrupt", "dangerous", and "nothing more than a legal gang". The hypocrisy is palpable, and David knows it. He's currently gunning for the Mayor's desk in the next election.
Alignment: Villian
Alias: He is referred to as Speakeasy by his criminal contacts, although they are unaware of his identity. No one knows that Speakeasy is David O'Neil.
Identity: Secret
Age: 57 (b. August 12th, 1960)
Appearance: David has dark red hair which is slowly turning white, he walks with a limp and his hair is short and styled to the left. He wears horn rimmed glasses over hazel eyes, which compliments his outfit of formal suits very well. He has a plain gold band inlaid with a ruby on his ring finger.
Abilities:
Persuasion - David's ability manifested as a low-level form of telepathy, where he is able to 'suggest' ideas, or implant them into people's brains. He can 'suggest' that Person A go and vote for Person B. Person A will then go and vote for Person B, thinking that they had that idea on their own volition, whilst in actuality it was Blake who suggested it. His ability does have limits however, for sometimes people don't follow his 'suggestions' and they ignore them. However, Blake has gotten skilled enough with his ability that he can pick out the weak-minded in the crowd, and he is able to manipulate the sheeple into following his whim.
Background: David O'Neil was born in 1960 to the most archetypical Irish-American family in Harlow. Devout Catholics, proud and bullheaded, the O'Neils were staples of Lawrencetown and Eastern Harlow, with the family owning and operating a very successful and popular diner. Growing up, David was surrounded by the politics and news of the Cold War. Some of his earliest memories were of watching the Tet Offensive on the nightly news on the family's deluxe color tv. In a world soaked in such topics as war, Blake soon became enraptured by politics. He took to it like peanut butter to the roof of a mouth, and he was obsessed. Graduating from high school, Blake managed to secure a scholarship and to use his family's accumulated wealth from running the most successful diner in East Harlow and Lawrencetown to get into Banecroft University. Studying political science, it was in his senior year of college that he first manifested his ability. David was sitting in his pre-law class in 1982, and he was staring at Jack Smith, a bullheaded rich kid from Boston. He thought of telling Jack to punch himself, and when Jack gave himself a black eye, David was shook. Initially thinking of it as a coincidence, he began to make the connections between his 'suggestions' and people following through on what he would subconsciously suggest. When the first reports of metahumans came out, David, in all his vanity, was convinced he was one. And he was right. He then began to test the limits of his ability without any limits. He would figure out that his 'suggestions' weren't binding, and that people tended to exercise their free will if their mind wasn't weak and easy influenceable. He used his ability to get through law school with soaring colors, upon which point he began work with a large civil law firm in Harlow. Whilst working with this corrupt firm of ill repute, he was introduced to various gangsters. Riding to the top of the firm, both through hard work and manipulation, David decided in 2000 to run for Harlow City Council. Using his now considerable wealth that he built up at his law firm, he rode the reins of city politics to victory, and a seat on the City Council. While working on the City Council, David has used his money and power to get even more money and power (a novel idea). Aiding and abetting gangs, most notably the Merchants, he's the epitome of a corrupt politician. Always nervous about being caught, not by the HPD which is inept, but by the M.C.R.U, he has publicly sponsored and advocated for the scaling back of the metahuman police, calling them "corrupt", "dangerous", and "nothing more than a legal gang". The hypocrisy is palpable, and David knows it. He's currently gunning for the Mayor's desk in the next election.
Alignment: Villian
He rose from his favorite chair in his elaborate library, closed the book he was reading, Ulysses by James Joyce. His previous attempts at reading the book had so far been unsuccesful, but he was determined to read it in its entirity. He did also however, have important work to be done, and thusly he went to his bedchamber were his garp was "waiting" for him. As he had don his black coat, he grabbed his cane decorated as the Rod of Asclepius, his mask, and walked down towards his lab. As he stood by the door, he applied his mask and walked inside the dark room. As he switched on the light, he saw that the specimen was bound to the table as he had requested. He could see the fear and confusion in the eyes of his newest subject. A healthy, strong-looking man in his mid-20s or so.
"You don't need to worry, I won't harm, I just need some blood samples for my project."
The subject didn't answer, and since he was gagged Walter didn't assume he would anyway. He took a syringe, a tourniquet, and as he applied it and cleaned the area with an antiseptic wipe, he said: "You may feel a slight pricking as the needles goes in, but it shouldn't be painful at all." As the blood samples were taken, Walter applied preassure to the skin to stop the bleeding. "What nice blood you have, looks very healthy and natural. This will prove useful, you have been very cooperative." Walter found forth another syringe with a pinkish liquid in it. "And now for the goodbye. I will apply to you a lethal injection, not unlike to the one they use against criminals. But we all know that you are not a criminal, so you need not to worry about your sins while you die. It will be painless, I hope." As he finished, his servant came into the room, and Walter said: "When he is dead, take him away and lay him some place, I don't care where."
He felt a sudden pain in his chest, that forced him to sit down. "His blood," He thought, "will hopefully get me closer to my goal."
"You don't need to worry, I won't harm, I just need some blood samples for my project."
The subject didn't answer, and since he was gagged Walter didn't assume he would anyway. He took a syringe, a tourniquet, and as he applied it and cleaned the area with an antiseptic wipe, he said: "You may feel a slight pricking as the needles goes in, but it shouldn't be painful at all." As the blood samples were taken, Walter applied preassure to the skin to stop the bleeding. "What nice blood you have, looks very healthy and natural. This will prove useful, you have been very cooperative." Walter found forth another syringe with a pinkish liquid in it. "And now for the goodbye. I will apply to you a lethal injection, not unlike to the one they use against criminals. But we all know that you are not a criminal, so you need not to worry about your sins while you die. It will be painless, I hope." As he finished, his servant came into the room, and Walter said: "When he is dead, take him away and lay him some place, I don't care where."
He felt a sudden pain in his chest, that forced him to sit down. "His blood," He thought, "will hopefully get me closer to my goal."
City Hall
The DA's office was buzzing with the usual sounds of activity, while at his desk, Trevor is looking through various documents but is clearly not giving them any serious thought. He's distracted, tapping his pen on the table as a semi- unconscious movement, lost in his own thought processes.
Why, When, How.... That's always what it boils down to.
The phrase repeats over and over again in his mind as he tries to make sense of recent events with nothing but rumors, conjecture, and inferences at his disposal. The task is neigh impossible with the current lack of information and he knows it, but he can't just wait and see how it turns out. The unique nature of the recent murders means he may be close to the case (whether he likes it or not) which gives Trevor a vested interest in ensuring it's solved. It's why the very thought is able to distract him to the point where he fails to register the female co-worker approaching his desk until he hears the familiar thunk of the stack files she just placed on his desk.
"Well, there you go, hope you appreciate the work I had to do to satisfy your presumptive-ness," She says in a relaxed, mocking manner.
Trevor takes the folder at the top of the stack and begins to look through it. He gets about halfway through the first file in awkward silence before he's forced to respond that comment
"Fine Sarah, I'll bite." He said with clear frustration in his voice "How am I being presumptive?"
With this acknowledgment, she leans on the desk "Well, the guy hasn't even been caught yet and you're already preparing your case, which you might not even have by the way."
"I'm not presuming anything. I am just interested this case, like everyone else, which is why I wanted to try to see if anything relevant to said case was in the records."
With that last statement, Trevor went back to looking the files or at least attempted to in the brief moment where it was unclear that the conversation had not yet concluded.
"Besides," He says hoping his next comment will be enough to end the conversation "with all the attention the M.C.R.U. is getting in media these days, I wouldn't be surprised if the DOJ found some excuse to handle it themselves"
"They'll need to get in line then. I swear half the DA's office is jockeying to try this case once the killer is caught."
"That bad Huh?" He responds with some surprise in his tone.
"Oh please. Even you must recognize this is the kind of thing careers are built off of. Why else would you be looking into this with so much 'interest'?"
"You know that's not why I do this job" Once again the slight tone of frustration begins to appear in Trevor's voice
"Can't say it wouldn't help though"
"Not the kind of help I'm looking for"
"Then you must just love paper work then," She gestures toward the stack "considering all these files I had to get here"
"It's my business, OK? Besides, you know I don't take long with this kind of stuff anyway." Trevors says as he puts the first folder, whose contents he had managed to finish reading in the background of the conversation.
"Yeah," She says trying to verbally shrug off the reply "You still have yet to show me your trick with that. So keep this mind the next time I ask."
"Sure" He can't help but grin at that comment.
With that last exchange, Sarah leaves and a relieved Trevor breaths a sigh before opening the next folder, looking through it intently.
The DA's office was buzzing with the usual sounds of activity, while at his desk, Trevor is looking through various documents but is clearly not giving them any serious thought. He's distracted, tapping his pen on the table as a semi- unconscious movement, lost in his own thought processes.
Why, When, How.... That's always what it boils down to.
The phrase repeats over and over again in his mind as he tries to make sense of recent events with nothing but rumors, conjecture, and inferences at his disposal. The task is neigh impossible with the current lack of information and he knows it, but he can't just wait and see how it turns out. The unique nature of the recent murders means he may be close to the case (whether he likes it or not) which gives Trevor a vested interest in ensuring it's solved. It's why the very thought is able to distract him to the point where he fails to register the female co-worker approaching his desk until he hears the familiar thunk of the stack files she just placed on his desk.
"Well, there you go, hope you appreciate the work I had to do to satisfy your presumptive-ness," She says in a relaxed, mocking manner.
Trevor takes the folder at the top of the stack and begins to look through it. He gets about halfway through the first file in awkward silence before he's forced to respond that comment
"Fine Sarah, I'll bite." He said with clear frustration in his voice "How am I being presumptive?"
With this acknowledgment, she leans on the desk "Well, the guy hasn't even been caught yet and you're already preparing your case, which you might not even have by the way."
"I'm not presuming anything. I am just interested this case, like everyone else, which is why I wanted to try to see if anything relevant to said case was in the records."
With that last statement, Trevor went back to looking the files or at least attempted to in the brief moment where it was unclear that the conversation had not yet concluded.
"Besides," He says hoping his next comment will be enough to end the conversation "with all the attention the M.C.R.U. is getting in media these days, I wouldn't be surprised if the DOJ found some excuse to handle it themselves"
"They'll need to get in line then. I swear half the DA's office is jockeying to try this case once the killer is caught."
"That bad Huh?" He responds with some surprise in his tone.
"Oh please. Even you must recognize this is the kind of thing careers are built off of. Why else would you be looking into this with so much 'interest'?"
"You know that's not why I do this job" Once again the slight tone of frustration begins to appear in Trevor's voice
"Can't say it wouldn't help though"
"Not the kind of help I'm looking for"
"Then you must just love paper work then," She gestures toward the stack "considering all these files I had to get here"
"It's my business, OK? Besides, you know I don't take long with this kind of stuff anyway." Trevors says as he puts the first folder, whose contents he had managed to finish reading in the background of the conversation.
"Yeah," She says trying to verbally shrug off the reply "You still have yet to show me your trick with that. So keep this mind the next time I ask."
"Sure" He can't help but grin at that comment.
With that last exchange, Sarah leaves and a relieved Trevor breaths a sigh before opening the next folder, looking through it intently.
((IC character only.))
Name
Claire Mertens
Alias
Bones
Identity
Unknown
DoB
2/9/1999
Age
18
Appearance
A woman of average height, standing at 5 feet 8 inches, Claire Mertens has dark brown hair and green eyes. Lacking any distinguishing marks on her body she would not arise any suspicion when walking around in plain clothes.
Her ‘superhero’ outfit consists of a black jumper, black shirt and jacket, and a black beanie. She also wears a bandanna tied around her face, which she changes as she pleases, to better suit her whims.
Abilities
Skeletal Growth - Able to expand her own skeleton, forcing it out of her body, she can lengthen and shorten her own structure as she sees fit. She often uses her power to extend the bones in her hands, forcing them into an intimidating claw shape.
Weaknesses
Agonising Transformation – The use of her powers causes her no end of grief, as each time she forces her body to change she experiences incredible agony. Her wounds heal as she returns her body to normal but the pain takes far longer to subside.
Background
Claire’s lot in life was an unhappy one. Abandoned by her parents and taken in by an orphanage when she was just 9 months old, Claire Mertens would grow up never knowing her biological parents. Her time in the orphanage was unfortunate as she was ostracised by the other children and neglected by the staff. She would run away shortly after her 15th birthday.
She quickly fell in with a bad crowd and was recruited into a small time gang, whom were delighted when she first displayed her powers. Forcing her to use them to help them terrorise the locals, despite the agony it clearly gave her, the gang would slowly gain wealth and infamy.
As she neared her 17th birthday the gang suddenly came under attack by a superhero known as ‘The Mask’. The hero brutally subdued the group, sending a few into the hospital, but hesitated when Claire tried to intimidate him by growing her arms and skull until they ripped through of her skin. Rather than attack her ‘The Mask’ offered her a choice. Either he could break several of her bones and take her to the M.C.R.U to be judged, or he could take her in and sponsor as a potential hero. Having seen the way ‘The Mask’ operated she quickly agreed to the latter.
Having celebrated her birthday a few months ago, Claire has become an official hero. Assigned to work with ‘The Mask’, Claire is finding it surprisingly pleasant as he does not seem to be repulsed or fixated on her powers.
Claire Mertens
Alias
Bones
Identity
Unknown
DoB
2/9/1999
Age
18
Appearance
A woman of average height, standing at 5 feet 8 inches, Claire Mertens has dark brown hair and green eyes. Lacking any distinguishing marks on her body she would not arise any suspicion when walking around in plain clothes.
Her ‘superhero’ outfit consists of a black jumper, black shirt and jacket, and a black beanie. She also wears a bandanna tied around her face, which she changes as she pleases, to better suit her whims.
Abilities
Skeletal Growth - Able to expand her own skeleton, forcing it out of her body, she can lengthen and shorten her own structure as she sees fit. She often uses her power to extend the bones in her hands, forcing them into an intimidating claw shape.
Weaknesses
Agonising Transformation – The use of her powers causes her no end of grief, as each time she forces her body to change she experiences incredible agony. Her wounds heal as she returns her body to normal but the pain takes far longer to subside.
Background
Claire’s lot in life was an unhappy one. Abandoned by her parents and taken in by an orphanage when she was just 9 months old, Claire Mertens would grow up never knowing her biological parents. Her time in the orphanage was unfortunate as she was ostracised by the other children and neglected by the staff. She would run away shortly after her 15th birthday.
She quickly fell in with a bad crowd and was recruited into a small time gang, whom were delighted when she first displayed her powers. Forcing her to use them to help them terrorise the locals, despite the agony it clearly gave her, the gang would slowly gain wealth and infamy.
As she neared her 17th birthday the gang suddenly came under attack by a superhero known as ‘The Mask’. The hero brutally subdued the group, sending a few into the hospital, but hesitated when Claire tried to intimidate him by growing her arms and skull until they ripped through of her skin. Rather than attack her ‘The Mask’ offered her a choice. Either he could break several of her bones and take her to the M.C.R.U to be judged, or he could take her in and sponsor as a potential hero. Having seen the way ‘The Mask’ operated she quickly agreed to the latter.
Having celebrated her birthday a few months ago, Claire has become an official hero. Assigned to work with ‘The Mask’, Claire is finding it surprisingly pleasant as he does not seem to be repulsed or fixated on her powers.
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