Real Name: Michael Horton
Age: 32
Hometown: Big Bear Lake, California
Family: Thomas Horton (Father), Angela Horton (Mother)
Occupation: Ex-Marine, Survivalist
Michael Horton fought in the Afghanistan conflict as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He returned home in 2007 and shortly after his return to civilian life, took up his lifelong love for adventure. He enjoyed rock climbing, backpacking and skiing. It seemed as though, despite his scarring experiences in the war, he had come home a healthy, stable human being. Things wouldn't stay that way for long.
While he was hiking through the wilderness of South America, Michael lost his footing and tumbled down a rock face. He could feel rocks piercing his flesh and scraping him raw, his bones breaking. In the chaos, he managed to get a glimpse of what he was falling towards, a chasm of unending darkness. He rolled over the edge and knew as the darkness closed in that he was going to die.
Suddenly, against all odds, his eyes opened. He was blinded by a powerful green light, which quickly faded, and he was left in complete darkness. To this day, Michael has no idea what the light was, but he knows that it was the source of what came next. He began climbing up towards the distant light that signified his escape, but the rock wall was too wet and slick for him to get more than a few feet off the ground. Without warning, a pair of spikes burst from his wrists. There was no doubting the pain they inflicted, but it suddenly dulled and subsided. He examined the spikes in what light there was. They appeared to be organic, and extremely tough. Keeping a firm hold, he stabbed them into the stone and used them to climb the rest of the way out. He spent no time testing these startling abilities or questioning where they came from, and simply ran.
With time, he came to understand the power he now possessed, and the horrible cost it came with.
THE OTHER
When Michael returned home from his ordeal in South America, he carried on as if nothing had happened. He knew that he had somehow attained plant-like powers from his accident, and that was all he wanted to know. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it hidden no matter how much he tried. He woke up one morning with blood on his hands. He found a newspaper and there was a story about the suspicious butchering of four dogs, left at the back step of their owner's house. He looked at the date of the paper to find it was two days after he went to sleep.
It turned out that not only did the mysterious light grant him his abilities, it brought the worst traits of him bubbling up to the surface. It instilled him with a hunger for bloodshed, an uncontrollable feral rage. He now had the tendency to lose control and revert to an alternate personality who indulged in every violent desire. Without thinking, Michael ran into the wilderness, abandoning his life and his friends before he could hurt anyone else.
Now, he lives far from civilization, living day by day and trying to control the monster who lies in wait, ready to come out whenever he closes his eyes. Through meditation and other methods, Michael has been able to stave off his alternate personality, and even go entire months without a single outbreak. Unfortunately, this also means that the other can take control for periods of the same length. He has become entwined with his powers to the point where he can now recall, in vivid detail, every sickening deed of his second self, although he cannot do anything to stop it.
Abilities
Thorns: Michael can grow thorns anywhere on his body that retract on command and sprout detachable ones from his wrists to use as weapons or tools.
Vine whips: Michael can also sprout vines from his wrists, and can attach thorns to the end to use for climbing. He has not been able to find the maximum length the vines can grow to.
Healing: Michael's blood is an organic medicine that can easily mend burns or cuts on exposure. Drinking his blood can cure internal wounds and help in repairing broken bones.
Forest eye: By stabbing a thorn into a tree or plant, Michael can commune with every plant in the ecosystem which he inhabits. He can sense every living thing that walks below the trees or rests upon their branches, and even control the plants to an extent.
Strength: Michael has enhanced strength and can lift up to one ton.
Hand-to-Hand: Michael's military experience has left him very well trained in unarmed combat.
Survivalist: Michael has encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife and survival, including the construction of shelter, the concealment of footprints, and gathering edible plants.
RPG History
A Noose of Twisted Vines
Arriving at D.E.A.T.H.
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