Your Demon
The only struggle in life is that of man against himself. Man battles his own treacherous, violent nature, both within and in others. Happiness and dignity are only the product of man's self-control, repressing these destructive feelings for the sake of something greater. Society is a product of men banding together to control themselves, so as to live out their lives in some semblance of peace. It's a war on humanity's inner nature, a war most people think they've won. That's society.
But somewhere, society went wrong.
The Fiend - Standard Information
Aliases: The Fiend, Your Demon, the Black Ace, the Living Nightmare, the Walking Shadow, the Control Cynic, the Face of Evil, the Bastard, the Shadow Philosopher
True Name: Unknown
Species: Human
Height / Weight: 6'0, 205 lbs.
Age: Upper thirties to early forties
Eye Color: Unknown
Hair Color: Black
Activity: International, urban environments
The Black Ace - Abilities
Peak Human Physique: The Fiend's physique represents the peak of human ability, his endurance remarkably superior to that of a conventional well-trained man. His acrobatic abilities exceed that of even the best-trained Olympic athlete, an obsessive drive for superiority propelling constant refinement of technique. The Fiend can scale walls and hang from ceilings with inhuman ease, his strength enough to overcome his own body-weight and maneuver upside down as quickly as he might standing on the ground. The Black Ace's muscles are built to their maximum without sacrificing much-needed agility, his striking power and lifting ability comparably inhuman. The Fiend's willpower drives his ability to perform, the psychological blocks stopping men from going beyond their pre-conceived physical limits shattered.
Hyper-Receptive Thought Process / Intrinsic Self-Awareness: A borderline mental disorder characterized by the Fiend's ability to process a large array of stimuli at once. Un-diagnosed, yet clearly unusual, the Black Ace's senses interact differently with his mind; smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch are all processed by an almost external thought process, a self-awareness exceeding that of even the most mindful mystics. The depth of self-knowledge afforded to the Living Nightmare enables him to make a running list of all objectives, conditions, and possible variables in a given environment, a highly-ordered mental state granting him an absolute tactical advantage. The Fiend has a complete awareness of any debilitating condition in his body; poisons, toxins, and injuries are all marked down to be dealt with by his taciturn will. The Fiend can negate pain through sheer willpower, shrugging off all-but-lethal injuries with the same inhuman silence that strikes fear into the heart of wrongdoers everywhere. Reading the Fiend's mind is purported to be impossible, his neurological disorder overpowering to telepaths and frightening to any who attempt to peer into his psyche.
Uninhibited Creativity: The Fiend's capacity for invention and engineering is dwarfed only by his drive to combat humanity's base nature; that being said, his ability to design and produce his own complicated gadgetry is a prominent feature of his cynical battle. The Fiend's knowledge of mechanical science, physics, chemistry, and forensics all contribute to a state-of-the-art arsenal, each gadget conducive to his image of being more than just a man. True to his name, the Black Ace can analyze and reproduce technology given enough resources, expanding his arsenal with chemical weapons, ballistic devices, and even jury-rigged vehicles.
Instinctual Fighting Style / Physiological Balance: The Living Nightmare's physical prowess is accompanied by a complete control of his own posture, enabling him to sneak effortlessly around foes as well as school them soundly in hand-to-hand combat. The Black Ace's fighting style is a conglomerate of pre-existing techniques, each one selected and refined to fit his image and use of gadgets. The unique multi-technique battle form is adaptable to targets on-the-fly, a variety of maneuvers and strategies available to the Fiend. For example, he can easily disarm a foe with a series of wrist-strikes, a claw-tipped hand closing around a gun barrel in order to direct it towards the user or their allies; when fighting an enemy with a bladed weapon, the Ace might employ his own edged gauntlets to intercept and deflect slashes and stabs. The Ace uses stealth to terrify and pick off foes one-by-one, a strategy which contributes to his larger-than-life reputation.
Medical Knowledge: The Fiend boasts an unsettling amount of knowledge of the human body, extending from which bones to break and how and leading all the way to the ways various chemicals impact muscular performance and hormonal release. This also gives the Fiend a deadly knowledge of pressure points in the human body, rendering him capable of paralyzing foes with precise debilitating strikes.
Prestidigitation / Misdirection: The Fiend is a master of prestidigitation, or the art of using one's digits to their fullest extent; also known as sleight-of-hand, he is capable of snatching objects from another's person without their noticing, or drawing from his own costume a variety of handheld-gadgets with only a flick of his wrists. He is so proficient in this art that it may seem as though objects materialize in his hands with only a flourish of his limbs, hidden between his fingers and rolling up through his sleeves.
Blank Slate: Capable of controlling his heart rate in combination with traditional tells which give away lies, such as lack of eye contact, sweating, and change in pitch, the Fiend is capable of casual deceit at the drop of a hat. He has no qualms about lying in order to further his goals, and is practiced enough to fool even lie-detecting devices. The Fiend is also apt at recognizing the very giveaways he himself has learned to control, such as change in tone, posture, and attitude. This so-called "blank slate" enables him to fulfill any role he may wish so as to play to the sympathies of those he interacts with in person.
The Walking Shadow - Arsenal
Shadow Camouflage: The Walking Shadow earns his name from his experimental clothing, a mixture of carbon-nanotube material known as vantablack chemically bound to layered kevlar, a functional mix of garments and battle-armor which enable the Demon to blend into the shadows of any location. Vantablack is not actually a color, but rather, a material which absorbs light; it is the blackest artificial substance known to man, absorbing up to 99.965% of the visible spectrum. The substance has been chemically treated to trap heat, a cooling mechanism preventing the Fiend from over-heating in combat as well as disguising his thermal signature. The light-weight material also permits the Black Ace to move uninhibited through his surroundings, minimizing the weight on his form and silencing collisions with his environment. The suit grounds the Ace against electrical attacks, and is both fire and water retardant. The suit has been treated chemically to reduce the effect of acids on the material. The suit is lined with traces of lead shielding in order to prevent potential radiation poisoning, or from having its inner workings revealed through rumored x-ray vision. He theorizes that this will also protect his mind from telepathic intrusion.
Cowl: The Black Ace's unique mask has been designed to have a marked psychological impact on anyone gazing into the pure-white eyes, the sloping head and pointed "ears" evoking a malicious spirit bent on beating a foe to near-death. The additional presence of the flowing cape, clawed fingers, and fluid movements all contribute to the image of the Walking Nightmare as an apparition or vengeful spirit, rather than a human; he is notoriously called the Face of Evil, for attempting to look at his masked form reveals only terror. The cowl itself is composed of the same Kevlar-esque material, and camouflaged the same way, yet the lower half of the face remains largely open, enabling the Fiend to reveal a slight amount of humanity if he should so choose. This may be done for a variety of reasons, such as calming a potential foe, convincing an enemy to stand down, or working with civilians. The cowl boasts a neck brace which extends down the user's back into the suit, preventing spinal cord injury and mitigating shocks on the head. The cowl is lined with several defense mechanisms, such as a sleeping gas, if it is removed without proper authorization. If the mouthguard is not sufficient to protect the Fiend from airborne threats, a full gasmask can be activated from the edges of the mask. This takes battery power to sustain, however, and as such, the mouthguard is more prominently used.
Multi-lensed Visor: The eyes of the cowl are technologically advanced, a closed computer-system enhancing the Fiend's vision. The visor takes power from the suit's wafer-thin batteries when activated, meaning it is not constantly online; however, when turned on, it grants the Black Ace the ability to peer through walls and measure trajectories. The visor is capable of video-audio recording at the press of a button within the Fiend's glove, or taking pictures with a rapid series of blinks. The visor protects the Fiend's eyes from bright lights, such as his flashbangs, and also boasts a form of night vision enabling him to operate flawlessly in low-light environments. The visor protects his eyes from debris and liquids as well. The visor has a setting which grants the Fiend 360° vision, and while utilizing it would be nauseatingly disorienting for any non-practiced user, the Fiend's experience with the device makes it just as effective as any normal eyesight.
Gloves: The Black Ace's gloves contain a variety of useful tools, ranging from electrical shockers to chemical-deploying substances. The gloves actually extend partially up the Fiend's forearms, numerous tiny compartments containing his compact gadgets. These range from shuriken-like throwing weapons to quick-deploy flashbangs, each accessible with a flick of the wrist. A spare grapple-twine is available in each wrist, which can be shot at the press of a button in the palm. The Fiend's knuckles are reinforced to do extra damage through close-fisted punches, techniques typically eschewed by conventional martial artists as being too damaging to the hand for use. The tips of every finger contain tiny talons, which when deployed enable the Fiend to scale sheer walls by digging into their surface. These tiny claws can also effectively be used as lockpicks. Rigid extendable blades on the sides of each glove enable the Fiend to engage armed enemies in hand-to-hand combat.
Mouthguard: The Fiend's unique mouthguard is essential to his war on humanity's baser instincts, fitting snugly around his teeth yet protecting him from a variety of debilitating attacks. The mouthguard essentially looks like false teeth, but with a variety of interesting changes; first of all, the lateral incisors and canines are pointed, the false teeth giving him the appearance of having horrifying fangs (a functionally identical yet fang-less version of the mouthguard is also accessible, and stored within the belt). The mouthguard doesn't interfere with the Fiend's diction, as a result of practice, but in fact closes off his mouth to foreign substances, such as airborne agents and unclean atmosphere. The mouthguard protects the Fiend's teeth from being broken during physical combat, and has a setting which deepens his voice unnaturally, disguising it and contributing to his intimidating image.
Cape: The Fiend's cape is a core element of his war on base humanity, folds of specially-treated fabric woven around carbo-plasticine surrounding his body and granting him numerous tactical advantages. The first is that it masks his movements, making it difficult to predict precisely how he will strike; this also confers the advantage of making him difficult to shoot, his limbs disguised. The cape also contains conductive wires which can be stimulated by an electrical charge, causing it to grow rigid. This enables the Fiend to glide long distances using his cape, and with the aid of his grapnel-gun, he can traverse urban environments with ease.
Arsenal Belt: A series of compartments lining the Fiend's belt, it contains a variety of tools, gadgets, and ancillary devices. These range from remote-detonatable C4 packets to a compact pressurized grapnel-gun, which can be fired at the flick of a finger. The Night Devil stores an assortment of useful objects in his belt at all times; some other objects include the following:
- A collection of shuriken-like throwing weapons, typically used to disarm foes
- An aerosol-based sleeping agent
- Various explosive gels
- A flashlight
- Alternative custom-built mouthguard sans fangs
- Various anti-poison pills / remedies; basic first aid kit (deconstructed)
- Tracking devices, which can be subtly latched to vehicles or unsuspecting foes
- A Geiger counter
- An EMP device
- Decoy Devil - inflatable mannequin approximating the Fiend's build and stance; can be set to play pre-recorded soundbites
- Ultra-adhesive mold-able gel; available in fast-hardening aerosol form
- Aerosol-based friction-reducing agent
- Directed Sonic Weapon
- Explosive silicate weapon - used for rapidly dousing flames or blinding enemies
- Wireless signal jammer - disrupts radio, cellular, and even wi-fi signals by emitting a counter-signal
- Recording devices - audio, visual, etc.
- A short-range cutting laser
Boots: Combat-grade Kevlar-base boots with a direct latch to the rest of the suit, the Fiend's soles are specially treated to avoid slippage and give him maximum traction. They are reinforced to deliver more force behind kicks, as well as muffle the Shadow Philosopher's footsteps.
Chemical Weapons: Along with antidotes and various means of transmission.
- Seratonin inhibitors create feelings of intense dejection and despair in those exposed by disabling neurotransmitters which essentially create pleasure. An organic compound which can be introduced to a target in a variety of ways.
- An organic fear toxin which hyper-accelerates adrenaline production and stimulates worry in targets to induce panic. Renders specific stimuli in a target's environment utterly terrifying. May be distributed via aerosol or applied directly through patches / needles.
- A truth serum apparently based on sodium thiopentol, but likely modified to have a greater impact on resilient targets.
Hard-Contact Knuckles: Vibrating metallic pads on the end of brass-knuckle like grips enable the Fiend to engage in hand-to-hand combat with ultra-durable foes. Repeated strikes superheat armor and dense skin, melting away at defenses while simultaneously protecting the Fiend's hands from damage. Due to battery requirements and brightness, they are not oft used.
The Controller - Countermeasure Combat
Evasiveness: The Fiend is a master of combat maneuvers centered around battling metahuman foes, isolating their particular strengths and weaknesses and determining the best ways to play to their disadvantages. Such practices include tripping ultra-dense foes and using their weight for throws, weaponizing a speedster's inertia, and disorienting foes with advanced senses. Engaging in close-quarters combat with super-strong foes is typically a foolish endeavor, but by attacking an enemy's balance and using their own strikes against them, the Fiend is more than capable of schooling otherwise-invincible foes in the art of combat.
The Fiend's human durability, while amplified considerably by his uniform, is nonetheless in the forefront of his mind. As such, he devotes much of his time to evasive maneuvers, and is a master at dodging or otherwise reducing the direct impact of enemy attacks. He can casually avoid gunfire by noting the angle and direction of the weapon's barrel, anticipating the direction of fire and accounting for it with his movements. Tagging the Shadow Philosopher with any conventional firearm is an extraordinarily difficult feat; much of his training revolves around avoiding and manipulating firearms.
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