Coppersmith
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Player: @Skyburner | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 24 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Sam Stow Baker |
| Known Aliases: | ' |
| Species: | Human-Corani half-breed |
| Age: | 38 |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Weight: | 202 |
| Eye Color: | amber |
| Hair Color: | brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Archeologist |
| Place of Birth: | Kentucky |
| Base of Operations: | ' |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Parents, 2 Sisters |
| Known Powers | |
| Fire Control / Shield Defense | |
| Known Abilities | |
| ' | |
| Equipment | |
| ' | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Background / Origin
Samuel Stow Baker is a researcher from the San Francisco branch of the Smithsonian. Sam is one of the younger members on staff being in his early thirties. Brown haired with amber eyes, his pleasant and polite mannerisms over a clever intellect made him a welcome addition to the team as a whole.
He was working alone late one storm-soaked night. The subject of his work was a copper Hellenistic statue of Winged Victory. Normally, this is not anything unusual despite being a valuable piece of history. This one however, had been unearthed in Mongolia and by all tests was carved and molded right from a meteorite comprised primarily of an unusual copper alloy!
Sam was in mid-analysis using a piece of the metal statue’s outer casing when he heard glass break. He grabbed his phone, then quietly traced the noise. Two thieves had broken in on the far side of the lab! Already they were looking around for anything they could quickly grab and carry out through the window!
Sam prudently called the police. However, just as he finished dialing the emergency number and dispatch picked up, a massive discharge of cloud to ground lightning struck the building! This instantly traced down the lightning rod and onto the cut security wires the thieves had left carefully across the protective system attached to the lightning rod.
The lightning cracked around the room, lashing out of equipment seeking the nearest path to ground. Part of the bolt arced into the copper statue, then slammed into Sam, where it grounded out. Burned and scarred horribly, he collapsed in a heap on the ground. Terrified, the thieves tried to hide in the lab while electricity arced back and forth across the room.
Unknown to anyone, buried inside the statue, was an ancient alien device. A metal cylinder, surrounded with a copper band covered in alien writings, stirred to life after two-thousand years. Energized by the lightning, its batteries replenished, the Vegeris module scanned the area for the officer of the Corani Starfighter Guard it was supposed to equip and instruct. What it found was a badly wounded sentient on the ground, and two others nearby. It ascertained it was in a primitive lab of some kind, but nothing nearby could tell it what star cluster it currently resided in. Likewise, Corani Star Guard Command did not respond to hailing frequencies.
The two thieves, seeing Sam possibly dead on the floor panicked, then ran for the open window. Along the way, one smashed open a case of gold Peruvian artifacts there for study to swipe them as they left. The Vegeris module, affluent in millions of customs and as many languages, did not recognize the custom or the species, but could only assume the species was most likely a young member of the Corani Republic. Also, by most any member species definition, the two sentients leaving were quite likely thieves. Which, according to its alien and slightly damaged circuits, the being on the floor was the candidate and the thieves had burned him. At least, the module was convinced.
It immediately shot the two thieves, stunning them, then turned its attention to Sam. Quickly, it applied a medi-field to stabilize him, then floated over and injected a stream of nanites to repair the damage. Having no knowledge of human physiology, the nanites used Corani physiology. The result nearly killed Sam on the spot. To compensate and save Sam's life, they altered his DNA, activating some proteins, while making others dormant.
By the time the police and fire department arrived, Sam was healed but changed. Full wings had grown from his back, his metabolism and physical form had been greatly enhanced, and a budding pyrokinesis to allow Sam to generate and shape plasma and fire into various forms was part of Sam now. Next to Sam lay a metal shield which the module had crafted. The shield was the standard equipment of the Starfighter Guard.
Having expended most of its energy, the Vegeris module spoke ...
"Greetings Guardsman. Welcome to the Starfighter Guard."
Then it fell to the ground dormant. Sam woke, unable to understand a word the alien device had said.
Weeks later, once the police and doctors begrudgingly allowed him to leave the hospital, the shield and device were not needed as evidence and so were released into Sam's custody. It was weeks later, amid the painful attention from the public about the 'winged man', before he mastered flight, then his pyrokinesis. It was only two days after that, when he used his shield to instinctively protect a couple from an armed carjacking a block away from the Smithsonian. The very next week? The press reported on a new 'masked vigilante with wings' called ‘Coppersmith’. Sam thought it was a bit dramatic, but could work with it.
Personality
Sam is a very intelligent man with a kind heart who has been thrust into a much larger, sometimes rather violent role. Driven by a strong scientific curiosity to learn and a need to help others, he often sees the accident that has changed him as both a blessing and at times a curse. One one hand, he sees the new abilities as a means to help those that - for reasons outside anyone’s control - are trapped in dire circumstances and need a helping hand. On the other, the obvious nature of the abilities rattles his quiet, calm nature.
Why? Simple, because Sam isn't happy with the extreme attention of being made a symbol against his will. On occasion he even considers looking for a ‘cure’. However, until he can get answers - which he is convinced is in the alien cylinder - he refuses to sit by idle. He has abilities, therefore it’s on him to use them responsibly and help people. He trains constantly, learning to defend himself with his abilities and the mysterious shield the device gave him. He thinks it will help. Maybe it will do some good. Perhaps even make the world a little better than before. Sam believes he has to try. Someone has to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. If it has to be him, then so be it.
Abilities and Resources
Coppersmith has superhuman strength, proportionate eagle-like wings, enhanced sight as well as an ability to generate fire and shape it through his force of will into different simple tools or objects. Commonly, he will fashion a flaming sword to use in combat.
Despite the miraculous powers, Sam frequently relies on his intelligence and scientific skills. While very intelligent, he prefers to refer to himself as “just clever”. These clever insights have helped rescue him from occasional troubles. His intellect is not to be sold as short as he makes it out, however. Sam’s cleverness has led to several practical applications. One such is an armored costume made from a modified ballistics gel type material used by bobsled teams and slalom skiers. Another is a modified version of a S.W.A.T. tactical belt that is treated with a fire resistant chemical so he won’t accidentally catch it on fire.
Sam is not especially wealthy, nor did he have a particularly interesting background that lent itself to him having a rich history of combat skills to draw upon. Before gaining the exceptional abilities, Sam was a regular fixture in a gym and often ran in short marathon runs for charity. Since the “event” with the Vegeris Module and his decision to take the hero-adventurer path, Sam has devoted many hours to filling certain gaps in his knowledge. To that end, he’s been studying boxing and Japanese martial arts systems to improve his combat abilities.
The biggest hurdle he has yet to overcome has been the attention that has risen around his appearance. Unlike those heroes that work as vigilantes under the cover of a mask and night, Sam’s wings prevent him from adopting a classic ‘secret identity’. That being said, offers of interviews or occasional paparazzi do unnerve him to the point of distraction. The attention is unwanted and will occasionally leave him unnerved by it. A condition he just cannot get past. He does wish they would return to bothering actors and let him just quietly lend a helping hand.
Affiliations
( in order from most to least experience )
Buddy ( Used to working with a partner )
Solo ( When not working with a partner, works alone )
Team ( Can work with a team, but not used to it )
