Lance the Wanderer
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Lance is a young mutant from an alternate timeline wherein sentients discovered ways to travel through space via large crystals acting like portals. Having been taken in by a school for mutants at an early age like all mutants in his world, he has been trained to fight since he could stand. On a not-so-routine assignment to an unexplored world, his team was injured, and Lance was sent hurtling through a damaged gateway into Paragon City. Now after some time, he has finally begun to ease into things in Paragon City, especially after joining the group known as the New Age Mutants.
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| The all-black garb is cool... | |
| Lance | |
| Player: @Shadow Nail | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Lance (No revealed last name) |
| Known Aliases: | The Wanderer, Space-Cowboy |
| Species: | Human, "Homo Sapiens Superior" |
| Age: | Unknown due to differences in record-keeping |
| Height: | 7 ft |
| Weight: | 275 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color: | Jet Black/White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Confidential |
| Occupation: | Whatever he feels like doing that day |
| Place of Birth: | Earth? |
| Base of Operations: | Unknown |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | All deceased |
| Known Powers | |
| Heightened physical attributes, aura-reading | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Trained all his life for fighting, knows many hand-to-hand styles and weapon masteries; but focuses on sword-fighting. | |
| Equipment | |
| Carries with him his indestructible blade from his home dimension, various knives, and recently a sword he took from a Rikti Chief. | |
| ' | |
Contents |
History
"The best part about this city is they never ask where you're from or who you've been with, its great."
Early Childhood
Lance was born on a desolate world, a harsh desert environment with little water. For as long as anyone could remember, his hometown always was a military fort that protected the beautiful inner city. An oasis, a paradise amongst the desert, the city was made of gleaming white marble and flowed with water, a rare commodity in the desert. The fort was of lesser value, and a stark contrast in class kept the militia and civilians apart. Decades of raiders had taught the people born there to fight, and every male was well-versed in combat. Lance was no different. Except that he was born a mutant. And in ages past, all mutants were taken to one of many places in order to both be taken away from 'normal' society and to gain profit from their abilities. Lance was discovered to have been a mutant at an early age through magic, and was taken from his home at the age of three. With only periodic visits back to his hometown, much of his early life is shoddy at best, as very few people were around to tell that tale. All that is known is that he was raised not by his family, who cared nothing of him, but by the teachers at this 'school' for mutants.
Childhood at the Academy
Academy is really a far-cry from the word that should be used to describe the place. While most the air about the place would make one think of a campus with kids and young adults of almost any age, it belied the true nature of such a place. For in the world that Lance hailed from, all 'mutants' were really the beginning stages for the new sentient beings of the universe. Better than any trained athlete from practically birth, the capacity for growth in such people was astounding after several generations of evolution. But as conscious animals, the general populace was afraid of the new people. For there coming meant a genocide of the last generation via natural selection. Deciding that if all of these new beings, these superiors were to be slowly eliminated, then their genes would not be passed on. So is the rule of natural selection. Taking all mutant children from a young age to this 'academy', they were trained to be put into the deadliest of situations. And as all things happen, this mercenary work paid high and the abilities of these children only added to that. So were these child soldiers trained. And as predicted, they died young. But not all died, no, some lived long enough to teach the next generations. And unexpectedly, did the homo sapiens birth more homo sapiens superior. With more mutants coming, the school grew, and the teaching methods evolved. So did the next generations, and the next, and the next. Until the mutants started having far greater abilities then the previous generations. Lance was one among many of the children growing up in the school. The first years were mild, much like any other schooling, with the children learning social interactions and the like via playing. But the teachers were always watching. Minor tests and scenarios were set up. Locking all the doors and windows in the play room to test resourcefulness. Replacing toys with animals. Putting small clues in places that led to new toys, or a bear-trap. All testing the kid's abilities, in preparation for the trials ahead. Each year, the tests got more difficult, more noticeable. Those with higher awareness and intelligence quickly caught on. Some even figured out how to profit on this. Lance was one of the brighter, stronger children. And despite not especially liking the rule 'might makes right' at such a young age, he was smart enough to know that he must abide by it. At the age of six came the first "Purging" of childhood as conducted by the instructors.
Surviving the First "Purging"
The first Purging was set up to clear out those children that were already viewed as being unable to survive the rest of the trials of life. In a macabre way, it was like a service to them, a way for the lesser ones to not have to deal with that they could not in the future. At age six, the instructors stopped feeding the children. At first no breakfast. Then no lunch. Then no dinner. Nothing after a day. Nothing after two days. The test was to see who could find out how to get food for themselves before they starved. Lance knew he was hungry, and that the other kids were hungry. After a couple days, he started looking for ways to find food. The instructors had left the building that the young children had stayed in, and the kids were allowed free reign. Lance wandered the building like the other kids, but not aimlessly. He found a clue, a small slip of paper hidden in the dorm rooms, and knew that this was something left by the instructors. It said that a key to end the suffering was in a place that "All sustenance gathers once tossed aside, and all is useless to the body and mind, but now that place is where you will find, the key to end the pain." Remarkably, Lance was able to remember what he learned about food, that it is digested and removed as feces once all nutrition is gone. So he opened the tool closet, got a hammer, and went to the bathrooms. Of all the children he had grown up with, only about ten others had similar clues, and some other dozen or so profited by following the more intelligent children. Smashing open the toilet, Lance found a key, a key to the cafeteria. Opening the door, he found a feast awaiting him. The instructors and older children had prepared food for those lucky enough to open the door. Being ushered in, along with the other more feeble children who followed him, he was finally allowed to eat and drink. The doors shut behind him, and only a few more kids hobbled through the following days. Most of the other children never arrived. It wasn't until later, that Lance found out that they had starved to death in those hallways, and that this was only the beginning of his real life.
Teenage Years
For a young child to deal with this, many of the kids created different ways of dealing with such problems. Lance developed a unique, cynical worldview and tried to become as objective as possible. Part of this was because he felt that since his family cared little of him, and ushered him off to the school as quickly as possible, that his peers and instructors were his 'real' family. So he reasoned that despite everything they did for him, it was out of love or concern, and that nothing was ever truly bad. Lance decided at a young age that everything was only aligned as you perceived it, and nothing deserved the labels 'good' or 'evil'. In the years that followed, he was taught martial skills as well as academics. Learning fighting styles quickly and harshly, and learning that losing meant getting beat down by his peers and mentors, he developed a strong will to win. Growing quickly even among his mutant peers, he stood about a foot taller than most and was far stronger than the other kids. Quickly learning everyone's weaknesses, he grew to love battle and felt that it was the only thing he truly excelled at. Taking up weapon skills, he had a certain fondness for swords, loving the feel of the blade in his hand. Having almost as much success in academics, he could read books insanely fast and remember everything he read. Math problems were solved quickly, and logic and reasoning problems went even faster. But despite his skills and abilities, the other less-fortunates were still lost. Lance watched as the weaker class-mates were beaten to death by the mentors that had had enough with their lack of abilities. Any compassion he had for them, he was unable to prevent there loss, despite even intervening during a match to try to stop the mentors. When left in the woods on another world at age fourteen, many more were caught in traps set up before hand. Even more couldn't handle the stressful lifestyle, and went mad. Lance survived the insanity by becoming cynical, having an almost nihilistic worldview, believing staunchly in 'might makes right', and through his own greatest fear.
Dimensional Crossing
A unique feature of Lance's world were the crystalline structures present on most every planet, which had the magical properties to teleport anyone inside it to another planet. The magical energies of the crystals were immense, and could be tuned to different planets for the sake of travel. In reality, very few people understood the process to do this, and a rarer few knew how the energies truly worked. When Lance was finally tasked with mercenary work, he traveled through the gates countless times, doing jobs all over the known universe. The final job he had was to help escort a team of explorers chart a newly discovered planet. Details are extremely shady as to what happened during the night. All that Lance knew was that he was fighting for his life. The last thing he remembered was rescuing the explorers, ushering them through the portal, before being slammed headlong by something into the crystal. The force of the impact caused the crystal to crack, and the immense energies contained began to leak. The gem shattered, and hurtled Lance through space and time into our dimension. Right into Paragon City.
Time with the New Age Mutants
Joining NAM
Lance spent a great deal of his time after coming to Paragon watching everybody in the city. Being in a completely new place with little recollection of how he came here, he watched people to see what the place was like. Initially dumbfounded by the technology and language, it took him a while before he finally stepped out of the shadows. After raiding and stealing a bunch of articles of clothing from a thrift store, including a hat, mask, and sunglasses to disguise his identity (he thought all people did that after seeing so many heroes); Lance stepped out of the shadows. And right back into the sewers, after discovering that he wasn't nearly as proficient as when he left his home dimension. With some practice, he found his abilities returning quickly, but needed to blend in more. Lance decided he needed to find a group that would at least be able to help him ease into this new place. The first person he contacted was Enterphase, a captain of the New Age Mutants supergroup. After a short but awkward interview in the NAM base, Lance was accepted into the New Age Mutants.
Rising in Rank
After some time with NAM and being with them and their coalition as well as fighting some of their enemies, Lance decided to become a full-fledged member of NAM. After asking how he could do this, he was told by Enterphase that you must complete all three of the New Age Mutants training simulations. After completing all of the training simulations by himself and asking for promotion, Lance was told that the information he received was wrong. In actuality, only the first level simulation was needed to become a member. In doing all three, Lance qualified for Captain rank. After this slightly embarrassing predicament, it was decided that Lance should be given the rank of Captain of the New Age Mutants. Though, the odd sorts of promotion has made him doubt his leadership inwardly. But since then, Lance has shown himself to be a capable leader when needed, and has grown into this position. Very recently, Lance was given a promotion by Albert (Nigredo Fist) to the rank of mentor. Lance still is trying to figure out what it is that earns him these promotions, and wonders even more whether or not he can ever leave this world for home.
Friends and Enemies
- (Feel free to add your character's name here and I'll try to put down some IC thoughts about them.)
Friends
- Nigredo Fist:
- N'ur Head:
- Jacob Fayte:
- Side-Shift:
- Ghast Blade: "Lance is the kind of man I can work with, either in the streets or in the open wild, hes strong, cunning and im sure that if pushed, ruthless. Hes also considered to be a friend"
- Aquila Hawk:
- Enterphase:
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Superhuman Physiology: Lance's primary mutant abilities are heightened superhuman physical attributes that allow him to far outperform any of the finest human athletes by a great amount.
- Superhuman Strength: Lance possesses a degree of superhuman strength, such that he is able to heft his incredibly heavy blade single-handily at great speeds. Besides that, he is able to at most lift (press) 5 tons when under extreme duress.
- Superhuman Stamina: Lance's body builds up far less fatigue toxins than a normal human. As such, he can perform at his peak for a couple days before he truly begins to become impaired. Lance can go without sleep for long periods of time as well. This is further augmented by his intense physical training and will to keep pushing even under stress.
- Superhuman Speed: Lance is able to run and move at speeds far greater than the finest human athletes. Besides able to avoid his enemies attacks in rapid succession, he can also parry and deflect many of them even with his heavy blade. Sprinting, he can easily pass or catch up to speeding vehicles. Combined with his stamina, he can run tirelessly at full speeds for hours.
- Superhuman Durability: While not invulnerable, Lance's body still is highly resistant to damage. Due to increased tissue and bone density, his skin is harder to puncture and bones more difficult to break than a normal human's. He regularly takes blows from super-powered beings with little damage. Even bullets don't slow him down much, unless they are to a vital area. Lance has also survived impacts from falls that would kill a normal human, yet he can still get back up to continue the fight.
- Superhuman Agility: Though his size may make you think otherwise, Lance is actually incredible agile. His balance and hand-eye coordination are leagues beyond any gymnast or athlete. Running across narrow surfaces and making calculated jumps when free-climbing skyscrapers are done with ease. Even in the thick of the fight he can twist his body to absorb blows or move into more advantageous positions.
- Superhuman Reflexes: Much like his speed and agility, his reflexes are increased to incredible levels. Even in the face of many adversaries, Lance has been known to twist, weave, and dodge around his enemies attacks while keeping up his offensive onslaught. He moves faster than most humans can react, so bullets are often missing completely. His sword also deflects many of the blows while he cuts through swathes of enemies. Even the Rogue Isles villains in places like Siren's Call or super-beings such as Back Alley Brawler and Imperious find themselves striking at air.
- Superhuman Senses: Lance has some degree of enhanced sensory abilities. He has excellent sight and hearing. Other senses are only nominally more increased than a normal human's.
- Superhuman Longevity: Lance ages slower than normal humans do. It is unknown how long he can live, provided he is allowed to die of old age.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Lance posses an advanced healing factor that allows him to recover quickly from any damage sustained. Though not capable of regenerating things like body parts nor regenerating wounds instantaneously, Lance still heals at a fast pace. Broken bones and cuts are healed in a matter of hours. Scars are nonexistent, as they too are healed.
- Immunity to Diseases and Poisons: Perhaps because of his healing factor, Lance's immune system is also incredibly resilient and deadly effective. No known disease can affect him, and its speculated that he may even recover cellular damage caused by cancer. Similarly, poisons also do not affect him. Only the most potent poisons can affect him, though lasting damage is quickly healed. As a side affect, alcohol has no affect on him.
Indomitable Will: Though not technically a superhuman power, Lance does possess an extremely strong will. Through training and hardship, he has developed a willpower that is truly insurmountable. No matter what kind of duress or strain he is put under, Lance always keeps up. This lends him resistance to psionic assaults both through mental training and his sheer force of will. When pushed, Lance will never quit. Ever. Aura Control: Recently, Lance has discovered a latent power that allows him to see the auras of beings. Whether or not he is able to manipulate it is yet to be seen. When using these talents, his eyes glow with a bright white light, possibly hinting at a psionic nature of these powers. For the most part, he experiments with these powers out in the field and when traveling through various dimensions for Portal Corp, preferring to not involve the nature of these powers with the New Age Mutants. Mostly, Lance uses his control over his own aura, or bio-electric energy, to 'charge' his blade and give it a glowing white appearance. This allows his sword to cut through most substances that it wouldn't normally be able to with Lance's strength level.
Abilities
Weapons Training: Through his time at the academy, Lance has been schooled in the various uses of weapons. This ranges from maces, clubs, knives, staves, shields, and a multitude of other weapons. Besides training, Lance also seems to possess a natural love and talent with swords.
- Swordsmanship: Lance's favorite weapon of choice, he has spent years since an early age training with swords. Being ambidextrous, he is even able to wield multiple blades at a time, but prefers to stick with his claymore. While having an incredible amount of skill with a sword, his mutant abilities allow him to push farther than any normal human could achieve with the sword. Even using his massive claymore from his home dimension, Lance is capable of using it with incredible ease, as if it weighed like a long-sword. With a smaller blade in his hands, his swinging speed can increase tenfold.
Martial Arts Training: Lance always displays great skill in various martial arts. Trained in some of this universe's martial skills as well as some unknown ones from his home dimension, he combines his training with his natural prowess. Many times he uses these hand-to-hand skills in conjunction with his sword-fighting.
Equipment
"I've yet to get around to naming my sword in a semi-creepy fashion."
- Claymore: Sometime during his travels Lance found himself trapped on an ancient world and isolated from his teammates. After spending days being hunted by the lands native monsters, Lance stumbled upon a tunnel entrance that wound deeply into a mountain. Hours after traveling down into what seemed the depths of the planet itself, the cave opened into a grandiose chamber. The mountain housed a temple carved into the very earth itself, though it was desolate and in utter ruin. With the creatures of that remote and forgotten world still in pursuit of him, Lance fled deeper into the ruins in hopes to escape. Hungry, cold, lost, and without any weapon, he stood little chance of survival. Being far to stubborn and afraid to die just yet, Lance spent hours evading the monsters and pushing closer to the heart of the mountain. Until he could run no more. Pushing himself to his limit at a young age, he hobbled into the final chamber of the temple. In the center of the room, sheathed in stone, stood a blade. Rather unremarkable besides being the only thing in prime condition throughout the entire complex, Lance would of thought nothing of it at the time. That is until the beasts were upon him. His sword shattering in an earlier battle and with no weapons, he stumbled up to the only available weapon at the time. Somehow managed to pluck it from the altar, he felt revitalized upon touching it, and thinking he was going to die, cut down the creatures attacking him. Eventually making it to the surface after an unknown amount of time, he reflected on how exactly he managed to live through that. With no answer and a brand new blade, Lance decided to just pick up where he left off after finding his team again.
- Forged from an unknown metal that is found only in Lance's home dimension, the sword possesses a number of unique properties of its own. So far, it has proven completely indestructible and immune to any outside damage. In fact, the wielder of the sword is much more likely to break before the sword itself. Despite countless battles, brawls, scuffles, fights, and wars, the blade remains as sharp as it ever was. So far, Lance is the only wielder of the object. It is impossible for any other person to lift the blade, no matter how strong they are, once it leaves Lance's hand it cannot be moved except by him. Even for Lance however, the sword is very heavy, but over time he has grown accustomed to its weight and size. Strangest of all, is when the sword alters its appearance whenever Lance focuses his burgeoning aura powers. It becomes darker and larger, and strange runic symbols appear on the side of the blade. What these runes say, however, remains a mystery.
Theme Song
Way to Fall by Starsailor.
- [1] Youtube link for song, MGS3 version.
IC Notes
- Considered a "Beta Level Mutant". He has powerful abilities but cannot technically exert control over them.
- Greatest fear is death.
- Also has a fear of open water, due to growing up in a desert.
- Is ambidextrous
- Really hates it when people don't get his way of looking at things.
- Sometimes wonders if Aquila Hawk and Slag wouldn't be enemies if he hadn't pushed Slag's 3-ton body onto Kyle, then forgets about it.
- Really thinks that his trench-coat/hat/sunglasses combo is way better than Nigredo Fist's.
- Dislikes it when people try to establish mind-link.
- Oblivious to many things. REALLY oblivious. As in, you really have to hit on him, and hypnotism really has to be directed.
- Greatly dislikes the Freedom Phalanx
OOC Notes
- Adapted this character from a GURPS (Generic Universal Role-playing System)campaign I sometimes GM'd.
- Character ended up being less serious than originally. But I still like him...
- He's probably my main by now.
- The more he taunts and makes fun of you, the more he likes you.
Attributes
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