Faith

TABLE OF CONTENTS PERSONALITY • ABILITIES • WEAKNESSES • EQUIPMENT • BACKSTORY • AFFILIATIONS • FRIENDS • FOES • GALLERY • SOUNDTRACK • OOC NOTES • COMMENTS Knight Templar Faith "You shall see the glory of my God not through my words, but through my actions." PLAYER •AFFILIATIONS• Super Group Rank Member Current Affliations Former Affiliations N/A •IDENTITY• Real Name Erin Reyes Known Aliases Lady Reyes, Angel, Half-Pint, Short-Stack Gender Female Species Human Birthdate September 1st Place of Birth Manila, Philippines Current Location Millennium City Relatives Monsignor Michael Mendoza (adopted father) •PHYSICAL TRAITS• Apparent Age 18 Height 5'1" Weight 124 lbs Eyes Light brown Hair Black Complexion Medium complexion Build Toned, lithe, and compact Notable Features Scarred gashes on her right shoulder and forearm; laceration scar running from navel to breastbone •OTHER TRAITS• Identity Confidential Citizenship Filipino Citizenship Marital Status Dating Kid Ballistic Occupation Student, apprentice, and member of the Modern Order of the Knights Templar Education High school Fame Local •POWERS, SKILLS & ABILITIES• Divine healing, celestial blasts, swordfighting, and some hand-to-hand combat training •EQUIPMENT• Two One-handed swords, pressurized holy water gun with cannisters, charm bracelet with various religious paraphernalia •ATTRIBUTES•      Strength    Intellect      Combat    Durability      Speed    Agility      Dexterity    Charisma      Weaponry    Sorcery      Energy    Psionics   ProtectorsBox Template Personality PERSONALITY:     Erin possesses many qualities that one might expect of a knight. She is calm, patient, and loyal to a fault. She tends to see the best in the people around her, and feels that those who do wrong should be given a chance to redeem themselves. That's not to say she's a pushover entirely. While she is friendly to most everyone she meets, she is not so quick to extend full trust to just anybody. Once her trust is earned, however, you'll never find a more loyal person to have in your corner. She's not the type to nag, and despite the fact that she holds Christian beliefs, she's not judgmental and prefers not to proselytize. If anything, she believes she can do more good for her fellow man by demonstrating how to be a good person, and by showing what the power of faith can do for a believer. In other words, rather preach at people, she lets her good deeds do the talking. Some of that warm and fuzzy quality Erin has about her cools a bit in the presence of evil, supernatural entities. She was brought up in an order who's primary function in modern times is to defend mankind from DEMON, after all. In the presence of such evil, she is steadfast, stoic, and unfaltering. Abilities ABILITIES: Faith Erin's choice of hero moniker aptly describes the fuel for her powers. For Erin, faith isn't proselytizing to non-believers, paying lip service only to her God. For Erin, her faith means showing those around her the power of her God through her acts and deeds, without advertising to others who or what she is about (unless asked), and fully trusting that her God will pull through for her in the end. When she is full of faith and conviction, her attacks become more powerful and her healing abilities are more potent. When that faith wavers, so do her powers. Should something occur that truly causes her to question her faith in God, it could very well strip her of her powers. Martial Skills Erin has been training for years now in sword fighting, first under the training of fellow Templar Lady Claymore and now under the tutelage of Sparrowhawk. She is very proficient with the one-handed sword, and has quickly gained skill in dual wielding arming swords. Her current mentor is also working on rounding out some of the deficiencies in her martial training, by instructing her in unarmed combat. While her previous training has helped somewhat in that area, she is at this point a novice at hand-to-hand combat. Divine Healing Erin has been granted the power to heal the sick and injured. She needs to be within 10 feet of her target, though she often prefers to be in much closer proximity when using this power. For minor injuries and afflictions, she does not require much focus. For major injuries, especially those that are critical or potentially fatal, she needs to have complete focus, with no interruptions. She is able to cast out her healing powers in a sphere around her, but the effect is not as powerful as when she focuses on one specific target, therefore making it not an ideal solution when there severe wounds to see to. Celestial Blasts Erin is able to gather up divine celestial power and use it offensively to fire off projectile blasts. She can do this either with hand gestures, or through channeling the power through Gratia, her sword. It can also be used as a source of illumination. The blast is a blinding bright. This power's effectiveness depends on what the target is. Against your average human or metahuman with a normal resistance to attacks, it's pretty effective. If the target is resistant to damage, not so much. However, if the target something evil and supernatural, it's devastating. Holy Purification Think of this power as an evil, supernatural entity repellent. Erin can cast this in a sphere around herself, at a radius of roughly 10 feet, and keep such creatures at bay. It is painful for evil creatures to come into contact with, deadly to the weaker variety (such as fledgling vampires or zombies), and usually is enough to keep them off of her for a short time. On a side note, this ability also allows her to bless water and turn it into holy water. Protective Barriers Erin is now able to create protective barriers that physically manifest themselves in a sphere of golden light. Unlike her purification circles, she cannot perform other actions while maintaining a barrier. She also needs to keep in contact with her sword, Amoris Gratuiti, to create and maintain them. The barriers can take quite a pounding, but require focus and nothing can get in or out. This means any allies within the barrier cannot launch attacks from within. Multilingual Erin is pretty well traveled, having spent a significant amount of her young life living in foreign countries, and as a result she has learned other languages. She is fluent in Tagalog, Filipino, Pangasinan, English, and Indonesian. She is also proficient in Sinhalese and Tamil. She is currently learning French, but she is far from proficient. Weaknesses WEAKNESSES: Only Human After All Erin is human, and just as susceptible to injury or illness as any other non super powered person. Fairly self explanatory. Unknown Depths After being caught up in the tragic events of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Erin has a very understandable fear of large bodies of water. She does alright if the water is clear enough to see the bottom, or if the water is fairy shallow. Being near large bodies of water can bring on symptoms of anxiety, and if the situation is stressful enough can bring on a full blown panic attack. She manages this fear by quite simply AVOIDING large bodies of water. Equipment EQUIPMENT: Gratia Gratia was presented to Erin when she was promoted from being an acolyte within the Modern Order of Templars, when she turned 18. The edges of the 28 inch blade run parallel for most of the blade length before tapering off to a round point at the tip. The Latin phrase Non Nobis, Domine, Non Nobis, Sed Nomini Tuo Da Glorium is inscribed along the blade's length. The pommel of the sword features a Templar coin, the grip wrapped with red leather and wire over-wrap. The coin set into the pommel features on one side the image of the cross set against a shield, and the other side features an image of two knights riding on one horse. The scabbard is wooden, covered in top grain, heavy-duty white leather. More often than not, the sword is in its scabbard, which hangs from her belt via a loop of heavy leather. She is in her apprentice sword training, and thus the occasions that she uses it for anything other than a focus for her divine powers are rare. Gratia has no special properties to it, though beings that have a weakness to religious symbols might be made vulnerable by the Templar's cross set into the pommel. Amoris Gratuiti The history of Amoris Gratuiti dates back to the sacking of Rome in 1527. The arming sword belonged to Captain Kaspar Röist, who died so that Pope Clement VII could escape. His wife, Elisabeth Klingler Röist, took up his sword when invading forces broke into their home and began hacking at his body. In her moment of desperation, when she was ready to give her life to defend her husband's body, she was granted divine power. Templars that had embedded themselves amongst the Pontifical Swiss Guard bore witness to the event, and managed to persuade her to escape Rome with them. She eventually became the first woman ever to be admitted into what eventually became the Modern Order of Templars. Amoris was handed down from master to student. While the sword had to be reforged and repaired during all this time, it never once was shattered to the point it couldn't be restored. Erin's adopted father, Monsignor Mendoza, had wielded it prior to being permanently injured in Indonesia. Now she wields the weapon. Amoris is a short sword known as a schweizerdegen, with a blade that is 28 inches in length. It has a fluted section of blade, which tapers into the rest of the sword's shaft, before the blade itself tapers into a sharp point. The crossguard is golden, with the Latin phrase Amor animi arbitrio sumitur, non ponitur etched in tiny script. The wooden grip is made of dark walnut, which has been well smoothed from so much use over the years. The butt of the pommel is golden, with the cross side of a Templar coin set into it. Amoris has special properties to it, a secret shared from master to student each time it is handed down, though when the sword began to exhibit these properties is a mystery. Such properties include the ability to create protective barriers, and it deals extra damage to undead/unholy enemies. Clementia Clementia is a weapon that was designed by Kid Ballistic, which she carries in a holster strapped to her right thigh. Modeled after a cross between an airsoft gun and watergun, this pistol sized weapon is meant to be used in close quarters to deliver a pressurized burst of holy water. The grip is fashioned from well-polished, sturdy wood, with the rest of the weapon made from a gold-colored metal. Small tubes weave out and across the top of the pistol, before connecting again near the muzzle. Where a pistol's hammer would normally be, Clementia has an opening the size of a silver dollar for inserting pressurized canisters of holy water. The words Eia ergo, advocáta nostra are etched into one side of the customized pistol, and the words illos tuos misericórdes óculos on the other. Combat Wear The first set of combat attire Erin donned when she debuted as Faith was fine, when the body armor beneath her white robes could keep up with the smaller challenges hero work provided. But as the dangers she and her team faced began to gradually become more and more dangerous, Sparrowhawk suggested that an update was in order. While it still maintains the similar knight-like motif as the original, the materials used are comprised of components patented by Alex Harper herself. The base suit beneath her robes are made of 'Spidersilk', which is made of flexible polymer thread that is as durable as Kevlar. It is lightweight, allowing for greater freedom of movement. The upper portion of this suit is fashioned to have the appearance of chainmail, without the issue of weight and weakness to penetration. A coating of Trilovex (a liquid armor also of Sparrowhawk's own making) covers the suit to provide protection against bladed weapons, as well as dispersing the force of impact to prevent injury from blunt force attacks. Over this suit, she wears her white, hooded robes and cloth belt. Backstory BACKSTORY: History of the Modern Order     "On this terrible day, in my final hour, I shall let truth triumph and declare, before heaven and all the saints, that I have committed the greatest of all crimes. But my crime is this: that I confessed to malicious charges made against an order that is innocent so that I could escape further torture. I shall not confirm a first lie with a second. I renounce life willingly. I have no use for days of sorrow earned only by lies."     Those were the defiant final words of Jacques de Molay, thought to be the last Master of the Knights Templar. For the past seven years, upwards of 5000 knights of the order had been arrested, all as part of a plan for King Philip the Fair to seize the Templars vast wealth. What the king, and the people of Paris did not know, was that many knights had gone into hiding once the persecution began. A handful of these survivors watched as Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charney, old men who had long served the order, were burned at the stake. With their deaths, a secret only known to those within the order died. The secret? That certain members of the order had somehow been gifted with the ability to call upon the power of the divine. Those with the gift went into seclusion, taking with them what treasures had escaped from King Philip's grasp.     The next 700 years were spent trying to quietly rebuild the order. Much of those early decades were spent simply trying to restructure the order, to better hide the identities of the few members that remained, and to try to bring in fresh blood as quietly as possible. Safe-houses were established, a network of residences across Europe where members could carry out their work in secret. It wasn't until 1783 that the order found a new purpose, a new mission for its members: to protect the innocent from the dark workings of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. This shift in focus caused a split within the order, as some felt that their duty should only be to protect those of the Christian Faith. It is unclear what has happened to those that left, or if they continue to operate. Those that chose to stay became part of what is known to just a few in the supernatural community as the Modern Order of the Knights Templar. From Orphan to Acolyte     Erin's parents died when she was barely a year old, and none of her extended family wanted to take on the burden of an additional mouth to feed. As a result, her early years were spent in a state-run orphanage in Manila. She could have faced a long hard life, probably winding up on the street, were it not for the intervention of Monsignor Mendoza. To everyone else in the neighborhood, he was just a man of the church who was famed to be able to say a prayer for someone and their ailments would disappear. In reality, he was a member of the Modern Order. He was paying a visit to Erin's orphanage, and felt that the child was different. He always trusted his intuition, and it had never led him astray before. The Monsignor made a few calls, and soon the child was taken out of the orphanage and into the care of the Order. Monsignor Mendoza became her legal guardian, caretaker, and mentor.     Erin found herself whisked away to Banda Aceh, Indonesia not long after, when the Monsignor was posted there. The child soaked up everything her mentor taught to her, and not just the lessons in how to use the power of the divine. When she wasn't in regular school, or in a training session, she was working alongside the Monsignor doing acts of charity, helping her fellow man. The two were present in 2004 when Banda Aceh was struck by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Erin was separated from the Monsignor in all of the chaos, and barely managed to survive. It was days before the two were reunited. Aside from being scared out of her wits, Erin managed to only escape with minor injuries. The Monsignor, however, suffered quite a few injuries, and to this day carries a limp as a result.     The next six years were spent helping with the recovery efforts throughout the devastated regions in Indonesia, then after that, another four years were spent in Sri Lanka, until finally, the Monsignor received a posting in the US, in Vibora Bay. The next two years were spent in intense study and training, preparing for her 18th birthday, when she would be promoted from acolyte to a full-fledged member. She was presented with a sword, which she named Gratia.     Normally, once an acolyte becomes a full-fledged member of the Order, they would be trained in sword fighting, which would be done under the guidance of their mentor. Due to the Monsignor's physical condition, it was decided that Erin would be trained by another member of the Order. She was moved to Millennium City, where she met her new teacher, a brusque, opinionated woman named Jane Claymore. Erin also enrolled in her senior year at Grace Memorial High School. Early on, she decided to use her training and apply it to hero work, registered under the name Faith. Life in Millenium City: Year One     Talk about joining the Progeny here.     Talk about hooking up with Kid Ballistic here.     Talk about Salei and losing her powers here.     Talk about Ross Meyer aka Drosselmeyer here.     Talk about the Ghouls, Kostadin, and regaining her powers here. Affiliations AFFILIATIONS:     The Progeny: Faith joined the Progeny during the summer of 2016. Her first initial contact with members of the group occurred during The Urban Jungle event, which saw her having to help guard elderly super heroes against being captured by a man known as Bloodshot. She was brought into the group proper not long after. Initially the question of her religious beliefs was a bit of an awkward point, but for the most part, everyone (Erin included) have been able to work past all that. There are times that her sheltered upbringing causes some confusion on her part, as she's not as savvy with American pop culture as the rest of her peer group. She's catching on though, and for the first time, she seems to be allowing herself to get close enough to others to form lasting friendships. Friends FRIENDS:     Deviate: Erin is just getting to know Deviate, but she has quickly found herself admiring his cheerful disposition and open minded attitude. When others would question the nature of her powers or be skeptical of ulterior motives, Deviate seems to just accept her at face value.     HexBane: Jill was one of the first people to jump to her defense over the matter of her beliefs and the source of Erin's abilities. She's been close to the pale skinned witch ever since. She's Erin's best friend, the first one she's ever really had. Their dynamic is a good one, with Jill being tempered by Erin's more diplomatic tendencies and Erin being reminded that there comes a time where you have to care for yourself first before others.     Kid Ballistic ♫ ♫: Erin cares a great deal about Sidney Mason, which is a bit ironic considering how antagonistic he was toward her initially. Since those first awkward and frustrating interactions, she's come to learn more about his past and upbringing. In some ways, the two are very alike. They both had sheltered upbringings, both trained since a young age for their future occupations. The difference comes in that her upbringing had the presence of a nurturing father figure, where Sid's father who could never in a million years be described as nurturing. For whatever reason, these two almost polar opposites have found themselves wanting to be more than friends. And neither one of them have a clue as to what to do about it.     Luctus: Erin wasn't sure what to make of Lyman in the beginning. Now that she's had more of an opportunity to get to know him, she finds in him a person with incredible strength to hold up such a heavy burden. Her job now seems to try and get him to smile a bit more often to make that burden somewhat lighter. At first Penthos, the spirit of mourning who has taken up residence in Lyman's mind, did not seem to like her much. He now seems to be more tolerant of Lyman's friendship with Erin.     Sparrowhawk: Erin was left for a time without an instructor to further her sword training, when her teacher was sent elsewhere on Templar duties. She didn't expect to see that role filled by another. Sparrowhawk, the leader of the Protectors of the World, stepped into that role after the Progeny for a time named Erin as their leader. Under the older woman's tutelage, she has seen her swordsmanship grow, her scope of combat expand, and leadership skills expand. She hold a great deal of respect for the veteran hero, even if she doesn't always agree with some of her viewpoints regarding the finer points of team dynamics. Foes FOES: Herr Drosselmeyer Name: Fill in Abilities: Fill in Occupation: Fill in Status: Fill in     Insert information about this villain in this place here. It should be brief, don't get stupidly wordy with it. Dr. Kaufmann Name: Dr. Pascal Hugo Kaufmann Abilities: Excellent physical condition, skilled marksman, skilled hand-to-hand combatant, master assassin, and medical expert Occupation: Leader of the Men in White, arms dealer, and criminal mastermind Status: At Large     Erin had the misfortune of running into the Doctor when she was dealing with a group of Maniacs on Men in White turf. The encounter nearly killed her. Since that first initial face off, Faith and Kid Ballistic - as well as others in the Progeny - have had run-ins with the Doctor and his organization. Thus far, these confrontations have ended with her and her friends barely managing to escape with their lives. Considering Erin and the Progeny are not giving up their work in Westside, it looks as though the enmity between these two won't be ending anytime soon. Killshot Name: Franklin James Martin Abilities: Enhanced regeneration, expert marksman, peak-level human condition, master tactician and strategist, close quarters combat specialist, augmented reflexes, and military training Occupation: Field commander of the Men in White, assassin for hire Status: At Large     Erin had never heard of Killshot prior to a fateful ambush set by the Men in White on board a cargo ship. Since then, she and the Progeny have had more than one run in with the man. When Erin and Kid Ballistic started actively targetting Men in White operations, it only increased the odds of coming to blows with the man. Eventually, the two teen heroes faced off with the man during a drug deal at a club known as Warehouse #7. The two narrowly won the day, as the intervention of MCPD bought them the time needed for Erin to react and take him down. Killshot was arrested, but escaped custody while being transported to holding. Kostadin the Black Name: Fill in Abilities: Fill in Occupation: Fill in Status: Fill in     This may get removed, pending the okay from player to list as a Foe on this page. This is mostly note to self, please ignore. Gallery GALLERY: Reference sheet for Faith Art by Joe M Davis Art by jmnpart Art by jmnpart Kid Ballistic and Faith by Gazeki Kid Ballistic and Faith by Shamserg Miscellaneous SOUNDTRACK: Take Me To Church (Vitamin String Quartet cover) Transcendence (Orchestral) Knights of Cydonia (Vitamin String Quartet cover) Take Flight (Orchestral) The Game of Love (Vitamin String Quartet cover) What Are Words (Peter and Evynne Hollens cover feat. The Piano Guys You Matter To Me (Peter and Evynne Hollens cover OOC NOTES: • While Faith isn't well known among the hero community, she has garnered a reputation in West Side for being a hero that genuinely wants to help people beyond just crime fighting. Her distinctive costume and her ability to heal makes her easily recognized. If you or your contacts on the street live in West Side, it's possible she may have helped somone you know! • Faith's casting choice is Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. • Monsignor Mendoza's casting choice is Giancarlo Giannini. • Jane Claymore's casting choice is Lucy Lawless. Comments COMMENTS: Have you worked with Faith before? Leave a comment! "Bear in mind, most of what I know of Faith is based on observation and very little one on one interaction. From what I have seen, she tends to put others needs before her own. While this is certainly admirable, I would caution that sometimes, a little self preservation is needed." - Cait Sith "Erin's... calming. If that makes sense. She and I have some things in common, and she doesn't seem bothered by my powers, so it's easy to talk to her. Uh... Let me put it this way: Penthos seems to li-... dislike her less than just about everyone else I know." - Luctus "I'm not keen on magic or religion, but I would put my faith in Faith." - Black Ice “There’s a lot about Erin that’s hard to believe. But she’s real. Her kindness, her patience, her beauty... Even her powers: all real. I didn’t buy any of it at first. Now me and her… I haven’t been this excited to be around someone since... Killshot, probably. Guess that’s a different kind of excitement, but you get it.” - Kid Ballistic "Erin MIGHT be the closest GIRL friend I've had while being Lash. I think we kinda bounce off each other well? She's kinda serious and stuff and I try to get her to let her hair down a bit. She's actually pretty awesome and has GOD POWERS. How neat is THAT? I'm totally going to be her maid of honor when she gets married, I mean I DID set up Sid and her!" - Lash "Erin's my best friend! We share secrets and stuff, but she's overall a private person. I've learned not to ask her for too many details, though, because I can totes be too nosey and stuff. She's an amazing person, and I'm glad to know her." - HexBane "Faith is very determined, very focused and exceptionally talented. She has a very good head on her shoulders... I have a feeling she will go far if she puts her mind to it." - Sparrowhawk Leader: Faith Members: Communick • Concrete Gospel • Dragonfly • Egress • Feuerdrache • Kid Ballistic Lash • Plumb • Starlet • Strong Suit • Terrific Tiger Associates: Ace • Black Ice • Cait Sith • Deviate • Fletcher • Miss Pussycakes • Monster Mash