TalonKnight
Player: @reggyworld27
[[Image:|300px|]]
Biographical Data
Real Name:	Richard Skevarious "Risk" Maxwell III
Known Aliases:	TalonKnight, The Bird Beast (Urban Legend), Risk
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Ethnicity:	Caucasian
Place of Birth:	Chicago, IL
Base of Operations:	Various
Relatives:	Allan Maxwell/TalonKnight XXV (Father, Deceased), Moira Maxwell (Mother, Deceased), Thomas Maxwell II (Deceased?)
Characteristics
Age:	26
Height:	6'3" 1/2
Weight:	220lbs
Eyes:	Black
Hair:	Black
Complexion:	Confidential
Physical Build:	Peak Athletic
Physical Features:
Status
Fame:	██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ Recluse
Alignment:	LG LN LE NG TN NE CG CN CE
Identity:	Very Very Secret
Years Active:	Centuries
Citizenship:	American
Occupation:	Vigilante, Philanthropist, Board Member (MaxCom Group), CEO (Armory Security Corporation)
Education:	Various
Marital Status:	Never Married
Known Powers and Abilities
None
Equipment and Paraphernalia
Order of the Talon Blades, Bola, Smoke Bombs, Proximity Mines, Grappling Gun, NightVision, HeatVision, Etc. (See Equipment Section)

Physical Attributes
	Strength			Weapon
	Durability			Armor
	Speed			Reflexes
	Resistance			Stamina
	Dexterity			Agility
	Combat			Regen

Non-Physical Attributes
	Energy			Psionics
	Telepathy			Willpower
	Sorcery			Tech.
	Intel.			Knowledge
	Charisma			Bravery
MaekadaBoxSlim created by @Maekada

TalonKnight is a fictional player-character in the MMORPG Champions Online. He is an evolution of former and existing characters that @reggyworld27 had played in City of Heroes. He is also an homage to all the Batman/Vigilante-esque heroes in comics that we all know and love. His influences are (but not limited to): Batman, MoonKnight, The Phantom, Solid Snake, The Nitedevil (my CoX character) and to a lesser extent The Lone Ranger, and Champions Online's NightHawk.

History

ORDER OF THE TALON

During the times of Kings and Nobles, there stood an secret organisation known as The Order of the Talon. The Order was led by the Nobleman Richard Mackeswell, who had a network of agents that helped him with his quest for justice. Motivated by the death and abuse of his wife and children by the hands of a corrupt Baron, Richard started the "Order" as a means to protect the innocent and prevent the same tragedy from happening to anyone else. The Order of the Talon's main role was to gather intelligence on the corrupt and wicked, then swiftly take them out in the shadows. Richard had agents scattered throughout the different kingdoms, and where there was trouble, Richard would strike. Richard used intimidation to strike fear into his enemies. He theorized that if his enemies were too afraid to fight, then half his work was already done. He crafted and wore armor with a bird motif, and always struck at night time or in the dark. His silhouette and giant frame intimidated his enemies, eventually earning him a reputation of being something not from this world. Richard would learn from various teachers the power of timing, theatrics and propaganda. He had his agents of "The Order" spread rumors and help circulate stories from kingdom to kingdom about a "demon" who had come from hell to punish and eat the souls of the wicked. The "Demon"s legend would soon grow, and by the time the renaissance came around the legend of the "TalonKnight" would be well known throughout Europe. The tale of a once noble knight who sold his soul to the devil to save his beloved, and now acts as the devil's personal bodyguard would become folklore, and many interpretations would be shared among different cultures. Parents would tell tales to discipline thier naughty children, while the evil and corrupt members of society became more wary about harming the innocent, as many of thier kind had fallen to the TalonKnight.

17th CENTURY: COMING TO AMERICA

During the mid 1600s, Thomas Mackeswell, the 15th TalonKnight had a long standing feud with the RedBorne Pirates who terrorized the Atlantic and the European trade lines. Eventually they would discover his identity and kill his wife and unborn child. The pirates would also discover the secret of the Order(of the Talon), and systematically destroyed it from within. Thomas would eventually track the pirates down for a final showdown. During his final confrontation with the RedBorne, he was drunk with bloodlust and rage, and eventually found himself overwhelmed. Sensing defeat, Thomas initiated his final contingency plan: blow the ship up with 300lbs of planted gunpowder in the hull, taking the pirates down with him. Thomas miraculously survived the explosion. Finding a large piece of driftwood, he climbed aboard and was stranded for 3 days out in the ocean with no food, and little water from his emergency kit. He discarded his heavy armor, and used his sword as a paddle, trying desperately to get back to land. But after a day of paddling, he started to lose his strength, and his injuries were starting to take their toll. At that point, it seemed all was lost, until a ship of settlers discovered Thomas, floating unconscious on a large piece of wreckage, tightly hugging his sword. The settlers brought him aboard their ship, bound for the Americas, and nursed him back to health.

When he awoke from his coma, Thomas was struck with grief over the realization that he had lost everything. Not having purpose in his life almost drove him mad. However, he was taken in by the family that nursed him back to health, and he decided to ease into the life of a settler in America, helping the family out in whatever way possible as help for their kindness. Thomas would be known around the colony as "Maxwell", a mysterious and quiet hardworking man. Eventually the colony would come under attack from bandits and native americans, and Thomas had no choice but to secretly assist from the shadows. Sensing the need for a hero and defender, Thomas would once again find purpose, and resurrect his TalonKnight identity, this time as "guardian spirit" of the colonies.

Personalityleft|100px

Richard Skevarious Maxwell III, dubbed "Risk" by the media due to his insane acts of recklessness (such as driving a 1961 Ferrari while base jumping to safety for example) is either loved or hated by the general public. However, there is more to Risk Maxwell's personality than just "Billionaire Playboy" and "Feared Vigilante".

The first is the cliched "Billionaire Playboy" persona that Risk plays so well. Risk theorizes that in a world full of superheroes, a reckless, irresponsible and arrogant billionaire who would consistently make world headlines and gossip columns for his acts of recklessness and scandal would draw the attention of terrorist organizations, super-villain plots, and assassins for hire, as some sort of "VIP victim" or "easy target". This method of "baiting" his enemies puts Risk one step ahead of would-be adversaries, being more prepared for attacks, rather than going on the assault. Another reason why Risk insists on acting like an "irresponsible, arrogant buffoon" is so that others stay away from him, and not learn his secret, in turn protecting those close to him. A TalonKnight is always taught that "the tighter the circle, the less casualties there will be". Privately however, Risk is a good man, starting charities and foundations under numerous pseudonyms and identities. Risk makes it a point to give back to the public, and share his fortunes.

As TalonKnight, Risk is cold, calculating, and when he wants to be; manipulative. For him, the "bigger picture" is more important than anything. He is most comfortable being in control, and seeing others stray from his "battle plans" and "contingencies" irritate him to no end. Risk is a perfectionist, and will strive to get things done as efficiently and effectively as possible. Ever since Risk's parents were killed in cold blood by his brother Tripp, he shut down emotionally, preferring to stay quiet and away from others. Trust is a huge issue with Risk, and only opens up to his trusted butler, and confidant, Walter Stephens. Risk is also unbelievably brave, willing to put his life on the line to save the life of others, not caring if he gets hurt or killed. His commitment to the mission of the TalonKnight is extremely unhealthy, even bordering on obsession ever since his brother killed their father and mother. The guilt he carries from not being able to save his parents, and stop his brother drives him to push his limits as this generation's TalonKnight.

Abilitiesleft|100px

Legacy Crimefighter: Risk Maxwell comes from a long line of crime fighters, with knowledge and experience spanning over centuries of protecting the innocent. With each TalonKnight new knowledge and technology is passed on, eventually compiling various techniques and methods of crime fighting. Groomed from a young age, Risk developed and honed his crime fighting skills through regular lessons with his father, and other tutors, making Risk the perfect weapon in the war against the world's evil.

Excellent/Expert Melee Combatant: The TalonKnights have developed a systematic fighting art only taught to heirs of the cowl. The unnamed combat art used by TalonKnights can be described as a combination of holds, strikes, and complex locks to disable and even kill foes. Developed through centuries of experience, the 13th TalonKnight described the fighting form as "a combination of Boxing, Japanese Judo, and Shaolin-inspired Kung-Fu by that Bruce Lee fellow". Risk employs this fighting style daily, adding some modern martial arts to his fighting style, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Combat Sambo. TalonKnights are also well versed in the use of combat arms, being able to used various ranged weapons (bows, rifles, throwing projectiles, etc.), and melee-based weapons (swords, knives, etc.) with equal effectiveness.

High-Level Strategist: Risk has been trained in numerous forms of combat strategy, studying classical warfare philosophies and historical war scenarios since he was a child. Always taught to see the "big picture" and the "end game", Risk uses the vast contingencies and protocols the TalonKnights before him have put in place to his advantage. Although impossible to be prepared for every eventuality, Risk "cheats" by manipulating situations to his advantage, surprising his enemies and presenting the illusion of having foreseen the eventual actions of his foes.

Keen Detective/Forensics Scientist: Although not the best in the world, Risk has a vast network of detectives and experts from around the globe at his disposal, most contacts and agents of the Order. He uses this network to piece together clues and data to be able to solve even the most complicated of cases. His cowl constantly streams data to "Roundtable", which in turn is passed onto his contacts, who help him piece together clues and scenarios to help solve crimes. Due to constant exposure to detective work with some of the best detectives in the world, over time, Risk's own deductive reasoning and crime solving skills have been honed, even solving a couple of cases on his own.

Skilled Driver/Pilot: Risk pilots numerous vehicles developed by Armory Security Corp., the defense subsidiary of MaxCom Industries. He is skilled enough to maneuver whatever vehicle is at his disposal as if it were an extension of his body. Part of his training as a TalonKnight involved Risk piloting and studying schematics of vehicles, as his mentors felt that it was an essential part of being the TalonKnight. Since he cannot fly, or run with superspeed, vehicles are a key part of the TalonKnight's arsenal, therefore, being a skilled pilot or driver is definitely a must.

Peak Physical Condition: Risk was raised from a young age using a specialized diet and exercise regiment developed by the 9th TalonKnight during his stay in Japan, and has been used by other TalonKnights since its inception. The diet and exercise regiment have helped Risk and previous TalonKnights develop muscles and dexterity that is arguable better than any top Olympic-level athlete. The diet helps develop strong bones and muscles, while also making the immune system stronger, increasing the dexterity, immunity and recovery capabilities of the human body. Meanwhile, the exercise regiment develops high-level flexibility, peak human strength and endurance, allowing the TalonKnight to perform certain movements the average human being can't.

High Level Intelligence: Constant study and thirst for knowledge has assisted Risk in developing a high IQ, as well as coming from a long line of intellects and brilliant minds. Risk is competent in basic sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology. Knowledge in these fields help him troubleshoot his equipment, as well as develop formulas and antidotes for situations that require it. He is also a capable computer engineer, with skills varying from troubleshooting of the "Roundtable" system, to hacking computers during missions and operations.