Black Knight
| Black Knight | ||||||||||
| Player: @BlackMethos | ||||||||||
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| Where there is darkness, there is always light. Hope never dies. It’s always there. We are that hope. | ||||||||||
| Biographical Data | ||||||||||
| Real Name: | Steven Heck | |||||||||
| Known Aliases: | Black Knight | |||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||
| Species: | Human | |||||||||
| Ethnicity: | Caucasian | |||||||||
| Place of Birth: | Germany | |||||||||
| Base of Operations: | London, UK | |||||||||
| Relatives: | Unknown | |||||||||
| Characteristics | ||||||||||
| Age: | 42 | |||||||||
| Height: | w/ armour: 6'4".
w/o: 6’0” | |||||||||
| Weight: | w/ Mk. X armour: 728 lb. w/ Mk. II Crusader: 765 lb. | |||||||||
| Eyes: | Grey | |||||||||
| Hair: | Blonde | |||||||||
| Complexion: | Fair | |||||||||
| Physical Build: | Athletic | |||||||||
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| Status | ||||||||||
| Fame: |
National | |||||||||
| Alignment: |
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| Identity: | Secret | |||||||||
| Years Active: | About 8 years | |||||||||
| Citizenship: | British/German | |||||||||
| Occupation: | Founder and CEO of Heck Enterprises. | |||||||||
| Education: | Secondary education/Gymnasium & Abitur, followed by an apprenticeship in an IT company | |||||||||
| Marital Status: | ----- | |||||||||
| Known Powers and Abilities | ||||||||||
| Diverse energy and ballistic weapons. Jet boots. Active and passive defensive shielding. Automated self-repair systems. Miscellaneous sub-systems and equipment. | ||||||||||
| Equipment and Paraphernalia | ||||||||||
| Powered Armour with diverse systems and compartments. Outside the armour an utility belt with diverse equipment. | ||||||||||
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| Non-Physical Attributes | |||||||||
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| MaekadaBox created by @Maekada | |||||||||
"Yes, my power armour is rather clunky. It isn't as powerful as Defenders, other PA's or some of the folks around here.
Does that make me superfluous? Or expendable? No. Why? Because there are countless threats out there and only so many who stand against them. And if I can do a job nobody else can or is available for, then I do it - because I make the difference. And that's what counts. Making a difference. Saving lives... "
- Black Knight about his earlier armours and how he sees himself and what he does.
Contents
Background
Pre-Black Knight
Steven Heck was born on December 6th 1974 in a small town in northern Germany. His life was rather normal, considering his father was a British army officer with a German wife and indeed he spend a quite normal childhood, growing up, going to school, making an apprenticeship in a local IT company where he worked his way up to Systems Administrator and Tec support, not only inside his company, but also often for their clients, going so far as to actually accompanying higher ups on business trips or performing them himself, often with the aim to gather a new contract.
During one of these negotiations, he met his later wife, Antonia Merks, who was working for a potential client and even after the negotiations were – successfully – finished, the two stayed in contact, eventually falling in love with each other and marrying.
It was a few years into their marriage, that Steven’s father approached him with something that would eventually change his life forever.
Prototype
Mark 0
It originated as an experiment, initiated by his father, who one day gave him blueprints for a powered armour, asking Steven for his opinion about it and if he thought he could make something from it with spare parts, scrap metal and things that could be legally bought in shops.
While no expert, the challenge posed therein and the fact, that Steven loved to tinker and experiment in his free time, was more than enough for him to agree to have a look at the plans and see what he could make of them.
As his workshop, Steven used an old farming house with barn outside the city, an old property of his grandparents that left it to him and his wife and was often used as a vacation spot or simply a refuge when they wished to remain undisturbed for a couple of days.
Due to it being a side project next to his private life and job, it took several years, until the armour had reached a point that a test could even be considered. Big, clunky and very crude, it was something literally build in a barn with a few boxes of scraps.
First test
Having it finally finished, Steven wished – of course – to show it to his father, who proposed a small exercise to see, how well it could hold up to the original specifications. For that purpose, he prepared an old British training range in the area, setting up a small course Steven and his armour were supposed to go through. Due to said range being on the other side of the city, Steven Heck had to load the armour into a trailer and drive through the local city to get there. Things went smooth up until he was close to city center, when things took another turn.
Much to Steven’s surprise, the area he wished to pass through had been cordoned off by police units. Checking radio and internet, he quickly found out that the local bank had been robbed and things had quickly turned into a hostage situation.
Deciding to let the professionals handle the situation, he maneuvered around until he could get into a side alley, leading him around the cordon and back on track. What he hadn’t thought about though, was that his alternate route would still lead him close to the bank, giving him a view of the entire scene, including a German SEK (SWAT equivalent) group preparing for action – and a movement on one of the banks windows, which allowed him a short glimpse inside. What he saw, was one of the hostage takers – and the look of a young girl, maybe six or seven years old, filled with fear, confusion and shock.
At this moment, something changed inside him. Realizing what he had in his trailer and that no one here would count on something like that, knowing the layout of the bank almost perfectly (due to being a long time customer of it and it being a client of his employer) and expecting a lot of bloodshed, should the SEK storm it, he made a decision.
In hindsight, he still curses himself for the rash and not really thought through decision he made, realizing he could’ve done more harm than good, but thing did work out well enough back then.
Parking is car in a side alley, he climbed into the armour, powered it up – as far as one could call it powering up at that time – and left the trailer, stomping over towards the bank and entering through an unguarded and unobserved passage. Going from what he knew about the layout and guessing the positions of hostages and hostage takers from what he’d seen, he smashed through one of the walls, knocking the bad guy behind it out with the debris and another one with a swing from his arm. The remaining two opened fire with their guns, which proved to be surprisingly ineffective against the armour and did little to slow it down until it was close enough to knock them out as well.
The entire action took less than a minute and by the time the police was inside the building, Steven had somehow managed to get back out, load the armour into the trailer and leave unnoticed. Up until today he isn’t quite sure, how he did that, but he certainly counts it as a ‘shitload of luck’ he had that day.
When he finally met up with his father and told him about what happened, the soldier immediately realized the potential the armour had and wished to go through with the test they had already planned.
Considering what the armour was made of, it performed quite well and soon Steven was faced with a serious issue that got more pressing, when his wife learned about what had happened: What to do now, that he was in possession of a powered armour, with plans for an even better one?
A decision
From his own point of view, Steven had to options: Either use the armour, for whatever he wanted to do with it – or forget it, bury it somewhere under tons of other stuff and keep on living his normal life with his wife and hopefully a couple of children down the line.
Thus he stored his creation back at the barn, buried beneath whatever he could find, trying to forget it and the responsibility it meant. Others, especially his father and his wife, didn’t forget and every once in a while they brought it back up, especially with the many threats and crises earth was facing, both from inside threats as well as outside threats. Still, Steven hesitated, wishing for his life to remain as normal as possible, yet unable to make a final decision and either donning the armour or taking it apart again.
Finally, the decision was made for him, but not by him: In late 2008, after more than nine years of marriage, Antonia declared that she had made the decision for him and that him having a powered armour and doing good in the world was more important than she and their future plans were. A few months later, in January 2009 after almost 10 years of marriage, they divorced on amicable terms, leaving Steven somewhat stranded and with an uncertain future ahead.
Creating a fake story for why they divorced and why he went to Millennium City, Steven relocated to the city in Michigan, with his father pulling some strings to get him a secure hideout for work, the prototype armour and the materials needed for a new design.
2009 to 2013
Becoming the Knight
Going from what he had learned in building the prototype, using the materials and equipment his father’s and his own connections had made available to him, Steven began building what would become the Black Knight Mark I Powered Armour. While it still took several months to complete his work, he eventually was able to use and test it on the streets itself. The supposed test-run quickly turned serious, when he found himself in the midst of the Qularr’s attack, barely being comfortable in his suit, with untested systems and abilities whose capabilities were only known in theory. Still, he managed to hold his own and make an impact in the fight on the streets, helping MCPD and PRIMUS forces to evacuate civilians until the alien mother ship was brought down and the crisis resolved.
He spent the following months with evaluating the data and experience gathered and reworking the suit, until he resurfaced again. Having upgraded his suit, it bore the Mark II designation and already was superior to the Mark I in several areas.
Over the course of the next years, he permanently evaluated data, acquired new resources and constantly upgraded his armour up until Mark V, after which he designed and build an entirely new one, Mark VI, that went on to be his trademark and most used design. Mark VI eventually evolved into Mark IX, a sophisticated, powerful and sturdy suit with an array of different weapons, capable of taking damage and dishing out like no other design before and he kept using it for the majority of his career.
After an attempted interference in a weapons deal ended with the Mark IX severely damaged, him almost being killed and being forced to kill with his weapons, Steven went back to the drawing board, starting to work on what eventually would become the Black Knight Mark X Powered Armour.
Less bulky, using new materials and techniques as well as several new sub-systems he either developed himself or acquired from contacts, the new suit surpassed all its predecessors in every aspect. Stronger, more durable and resilient, more energy efficient, better armed and without ammunition problems, while being lighter, less restrictive and offering less of a target with fewer weak spots or exposed parts, it allows him to take on a small army, if necessary and circumstances are in his favor (as in: element of surprise and air superiority).
Return of the Destroyer
Invasion!
The sudden reappearance of Albert Zerstoiten, Doctor Destroyer, accompanied by an invasion of improved Destroids put Millennium City and its citizens once more in peril. What followed were days upon days of Black Knight and others patrolling the city area, staving off their attacks and trying to save the civilians. Alongside the MCPD, UNTIL and PRIMUS – and even Argent – several safe zones were erected. Black Knight himself was seen patrolling the city several hours per day and cooperated with several other people on trying to get the situation under control. Supporting the mages known as Angus and Blaspherion, Black Knight and two others - Dr. Infinity and Nightbringer – ensured the safety during a ritual that turned most of Westside into a safe haven, freezing the Destroids in place.
Days later, Black knight once more joined forces with Angus and several others – among them Katerra and Volatile – to determine how the permanent reinforcements were brought into the city. While they did not manage to find out, they still gathered some data and brought down another Mega-Destroid and it marked the second time Black Knight openly cooperated with other, more well-known heroes to combat a much greater threat.
While the situation stabilized over the next weeks, Black Knight still performed area patrols, especially since several gangs tried to use the opportunity for bank robberies, especially the Maniacs performed a number of attempts, all of which were stopped though.
Information gathered during this time from intact memory cores taken from disabled Destroids pointed to an upcoming large-scale attack from Destroyer with the Champions HQ in Downtown being a prominent target. Nothing had Black Knight or his allies prepared for what was about to come though…
Mega-Destroid rampage
The forewarning was there, but short and still not enough to prepare anyone for what came: Groups of greatly improved Mega-Destroids, attacking in intervals of an hour and in groups of six, with enough power to keep dozens of heroes occupied, wounding many in the process. Being one of the first to respond and partake in the defense of the city – and especially the Champions HQ, which seemed to be the primary target – Black Knight fought alongside heroes like Thundrax, fending off wave after wave. Despite having made upgrades on his armour and some tweaks just prior to the attack, he soon realized how outperformed he was and that these creations were indeed on a level of power that one alone stood no chance.
After several days of battle, where he only withdrew to rearm and repair his armour, he received a series of heavy blows during some of the last confrontations before Doctor Destroyer withdrew all his forces from one moment to the other. As a result, he was not active for several days, having to recover from injuries sustained. Still, the battle was seemingly won and even though he had his doubts about Destroyer already having been beaten back, the break was a welcome one.
"It may appear we were victorious but I fear Destroyer is merely using the opportunity to further improve his creations. We must remain vigilant.”
2013 to 2017
Following the events around Zerstoitens return, Black Knight has become even more active on the Champions Response & Protect communication channel, becoming a mainstay and one of the most active members, often ready to support others with either advice, fighting alongside them or helping with technical equipment.
This has also lead to him working with a great number of different heroes in different situations, with many he shares a mutual respect or even developed a friendship.
Either way, Black Knight was as active as never before and has proven himself to be a reliable asset to almost any kind of situation.
He recently was forced to reduce his activity again though, despite joining up with the Eternals, due to him starting a company in London, UK in his civillian persona. He still manages to log onto the comms every once in a while and is currently in the process of making his return, even if it will only be a rather small role he's going to play in the future of Millennium City.
Eventually he fully moved away from Millennium City, leaving for London to both build up his company and a new main base of operations. While maintaining somewhat loose ties towards the US and some of the heroes whose acquaintance he’d made, the Knight’s focus turned more and more away from here and towards Europe and the Middle East with its rise of crises.
While somewhat dropping out of focus of most people and the media due to a change of operations procedure and working more under the radar than before, Black Knight never ceased to be active and has built up his own network of intelligence and information around Europe and the rest of the world. Rumours are though that he’s recently been sighted more often again in the vicinity of Millennium City, sporting a new suit of armour that seems to exceed his previous designs in every area.
Power armour
Mark I to V
The original suit made from reinforced steel and later upgraded with a passive defensive shielding.
Mark I only possessed palm-mounted energy-pulse beams and a wrist mounted missile launcher which, while effective and sufficient against the Qularr, had more drawbacks than advantages.
The Mark II therefore disposed of this system, instead the palm-beams were upgraded to provide a more constant and powerful beam, capable of either incapacitating targets non-lethally or killing/destroying targets, though the latter was mostly reserved for non-living targets or heavy armour.
Mark II also incorporated something where Steven still remains silent as to where he got it from or how he managed to keep ammunition at hand: A shoulder mounted, 7.62x51mm mini-gun, capable of firing depleted uranium rounds, something that he later admitted to have been overkill.
Mark III saw the introduction of the passive shielding’s first version, something that each suit has kept ever since and that has been constantly upgraded.
Mark IV brought in the ability to fly with the introduction of jet boots, while Mark V saw an enhancement in the targeting and energy systems, improving accuracy and firepower of his suit, albeit at the cost of an increased energy consumption.
Mark V saw the introduction of active shielding in addition to the passive one, as well as an active power re-routing system to temporarily increase the offensive power of the suit, making it more efficient in every area.
Mark VI to IX
The next evolutionary level in his designs, the reinforced steel was replaced with Titanium, further increasing the armours resistance against damage, while keeping the weight in reasonable levels.
Mark VI started, where Mark V ended, with the new material and an improved power core being the predominant changes, increasing the lasting time in the field in both areas, while allowing a boost in the energy weapons power levels, making them more suited for heavier armoured targets. It
With Mark VII, the armour received a new weapon, suing the power increase achieved with the new core: The chest beam, which complemented the previous weapons significantly with its pure firepower and the ability to weaken a targets defenses due to said power. Like the palm beams, it has two modi: A high-powered non-lethal knock-back mode and a high-energy melting mode. Combined with the palm beams cutting mode, the latter is perfectly suited to cut holes into tanks and other targets for easy access.
Additionally, this suit was the first to incorporate an internal oxygen tank for operations in area with low or no breathable air at all. Coming with that was a boost to the thrusters and improvements in the sealing of the suit, making it capable of actual diving and relative free movement under water, while giving it a radiation shielding, effectively making it NBC proof.
Mark VIII received a major boost in terms of modifications and additions, the most important one being an emergency self-repair system, allowing the suit to take care of minor damages during or after combat, though at the expense of firepower due to the high energy consumption.
Further ones included the shoulder-mounted missile launcher and chest-mounted micro-munitions, both adding to the anti-armour capabilities of the suit, which had been deemed necessary after several clashes with VIPER and Destroids, whose armour and firepower had proven to be more than a match for the previous designs.
Mark IX had two new systems and an overhaul of the already established ones. Aside from those existing receiving a significant boost in efficiency, the suit was now outfitted with a short-range teleportation device, a few additional weapons for emergencies and finally the ability to fire not only three systems at once, but all of them, allowing him to take on more powerful opponents or larger numbers than before.
The fact that even this highly advanced suit wasn’t enough to prevent his near-death in early September 2012 lead to the conclusion, that a new model had to be made, surpassing everything before in every aspect. Mark X was on the way.
Mark X
Mark X was the newest and most current design of the armour as of 2013. Made from a new material, whose name and origin are kept secret, as well as most of its specifications. What is known, is that it is about thrice as effective as Titanium while having about the same weight.
Other improvements include: An upgrade to the power core, allowing a longer lasting time, a new, independent way of creating ammunition for the more conventional weapons as well as the option to switch between a variety of ammunitions depending on the situation and target, several new weapons, like micro-missile launchers hidden in the shoulder-blade area and an anti-missile laser-system located in the neck-area.
The suit also has a new sub-system, though it is technically still in the testing phase and has thus far only been used twice for increased travelling speeds.
Aside from that, its defences have been further increased, the sealing has been perfected and the thrusters further improved, making it – in theory – capable of space-flight.
Compared to previous versions, the suit is heavily streamlined, leading in combination with the new alloy to a greater damage resistance at a reduced weight and providing less of a target, with no parts standing out and being easily damageable (like the shoulder pads in the previous design).
Compared to all previous versions, this one is as close to a Magnum Opus as currently possible.
The Crusader Armour
Very little is as of yet known about this new armour, the circumstances that led to its creation or its capabilities.
Appearance wise it seems to be a call-back to earlier designs with it appearing more bulky with more prominent shoulder armour than the Black Knight Mark X armour.
Appearance and demeanor
Appearance
While the details differed between the three basic models of the armour (see the entry above), there are a few things they all have in common:
The obvious one is their coloring, with black being predominant, accentuated by a few dark grey areas and elements of red, mostly the visor (Mark X: Eyes) and energy weapon systems.
All designs also stand at about 6’4” in size, with the Mark VI to IX also incorporating rather large shoulder pads, giving said model a big, bulky design, especially when compared to the far more streamlined Mark X while the new Crusader Armour has returned to a somewhat bulkier appearance with larger shoulder armour to accommodate the various weapons and subsystems.
Demeanor
Polite, respectful, self-confident and professional he seems to embody the virtues of knighthood, putting lives and safety of others before his own and seemingly never losing his temper or resorting to insult no matter what.
He is also quite willing to talk things out and listen to reason, if he sees a chance to avoid unnecessary violence or to give repentant villains a chance for rehabilitation.
Another thing is his reluctance to use lethal force against his targets. If given the choice – and the situation allowing it – he prefers to use his energy-based weapons to incapacitate his targets, resorting to his lethal conventional weapons only if he sees no other option or his targets are inorganic (e.g. Dr. Destroyer’s mechanical creations).
"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - G.K. Chesterson
Powers and Abilities/Skills
Powers
While officially – and originally – not possessing any powers, being a normal human without any special heritage or a lab accident, things changed with his increased contact to the realm of Nimoth and one of its leaders: Acobi the Gremlin Father and Leader of the Machine Cult of Progression.
Steven became a chosen of him and thus has developed a few special abilities that definitely are otherworldly and give him a faint aura that can reveal his affiliation with these undead beings :
- Deviant Progression: This ability allows him, to temporarily repurpose any item, gadget or tool for something it wasn’t meant to be, albeit with limitations. A wrench can become a lighter or Taser, but not a missile launcher. A lighter can become a blowtorch or plasma wielder. The amount of time is limited by his experience and training, though.
- Aegis Reassembly: A new defensive ability he received from the Cult of Emergence. It allows him to mimic the influences of necrogy to a certain degree, effectively allowing him to touch a piece of machinery and kindle the machine’s spirit to attract nearby spirits, which eventually leads to the attraction of scrap and other metals in the area, increasing the armour of the touched machine (which can easily be his powered armour, since he’s wearing it). When properly done, the spirit can even de-assemble existing machines nearby and integrate them into its frame.
- Reactive Pulsar: An offensive ability he received from the Cult of War. He now has learned to draw energy from every effort made by friend and foe alike during a battle, storing away a little bit of energy for himself. He can release this stored energy once a certain limit is reached, which causes a massive eruption of raw energy to blast anything in close proximity.
Abilities/Skills
Due to his background prior to becoming a ‘hero’, he’s quite apt at programming in different languages, working with different databases as well as network administration and system security.
Furthermore he knows his ways around hardware, especially for computers, but since he’s built the Mark 0, he’s increased his knowledge and skills vastly, allowing him to build and maintain his set or powered armours, improve them and provide other heroes with equipment, as he did for Alisa Harting with her Eyepiece and the Teleport device for her Gravbike.
While he’s usually not mentioning or even using it, he also has some experience and training with firearms due to his conscription into the [Bundeswehr] and has basic knowledge of military tactics and procedures.
Sightings, appearances and activities (potential RP hooks)
- Has very rarely been seen in Club Caprice though it is unknown for what reason.
- Has solved at least two critical situations in CC (one involving an escaped Stronghold inmate, the other a defected VIPER agent and another patron threatening to kill said agent. Both situations solved non-violently through talking and escorting the persons to UNTIL HQ).
- When not doing specific missions (which can lead him anywhere on the planet) or being in London chances are he’s patrolling Millennium City, especially hot-spots like City Centers banks and Westside (has been seen at least once in Carl’s Gym).
- Used to be a frequent user of the Champions Response & Protect channel and still has access to it/listens in onto it.
- Former member of Eternals, Inc. and Department head of its Theoretical Research branch.
Enemies, allies and friends
Over the course of his career Black Knight has fought with and against many people and organizations. Some are local ones like gangs or police; others operate worldwide like VIPER or UNTIL.
This is just a short overview of the most important and frequent enemies and allies he’s made.
An important thing to note about those he considers friends: Those are people, who actually know about his identity as Black Knight/Steven Heck, either because he told them or they found out on their own and he did confirm their suspicions.
Enemies
- VIPER: Having tangled time and again with these terrorists, hampering or shutting down entire operations, preventing them from getting their hands on new technologies (like Qularr biotech), it is an open secret that every VIPER soldier has orders to open fire on Black Knight on sight.
- Teleios: Albeit it was only a short clash with him back in Canada it was sufficient to earn the mad scientists ire.
- DEMON: After having dealt a couple of blows against them, DMEON is surely thinking about ways to make Black Knight pay for his interferences.
- The Qularr: Having fought them during their last invasion attempt and crossing paths with them time and again during his journeys and missions, the alien race regards him – just like many other supers and heroes – as one of the main obstacles on their way to conquer earth.
Notable Allies / People who are more than just friends
Veronica Anne Arky – Young enough that she could be his daughter, permanently teasing, flirting or outright mocking him (albeit always on a friendly level), Steven has taken quite a liking to Vivi and her ways and is always willing to return the favor if he sees an opportunity. Aside from that, he does trust her a lot and also cares for her, being more than willing to do what is necessary to help her, if she’d need him.
Detective Rebecca Brooks – Det. Brooks is somewhat of a special person to Black Knight. While at first just one of several MCP Detectives using the CRP, she quickly proved to be more than just another cop. She’s smart, tough and has proven to be a very capable woman with whom he operated quite a few times by now, earning his trust and respect, eventually becoming somewhat friends who look eye to eye and value the others opinion, thoughts and abilities.
Leah Costache – Their first meeting was at Sherrera’s, when Leah celebrated her finished move to MC. Steven/Black Knight rather spontaneously decided to join and met Leah in person there, among some of his known friends and colleagues. For some reason, he seemingly sparked an interest in her for him as well, surely helped by her flirtish, outgoing personality and many, many innuendos from her side. In fact, she showed a great deal of interest in Black Knight around the same time Alisa Harting did, putting him in the uncomfortably position of making a choice between the two women. Even though he ultimately decided to hook up with Alisa, Phase and he remain close friends and colleagues.
Jessica Dawn – What started as a casual chat/pastime on the CRP upon their first interaction there, quickly developed into a close friendship, with Black Knight not only entrusting her with his civilian identity, but also being quite doubtful about her being guilty when framed for several incidents that lead to many dead and eventually being part of proving her innocence. Stellar likes to tease and flirt a lot and Black Knight actually seems to enjoy it, often reacting to it in kind, regarding her as someone likeable, trustworthy and intelligent aside from being attractive.
Alisa Harting – He’s still not quite sure, how exactly he drew Alisa’s attention onto him in the first place (especially considering he was wearing his armour and was in his Black Knight persona), but after a small get-together in Caprice with her, Menagerie, Quintessence and some others, he did start to ease up a bit and often found himself either complimenting, supporting or bantering with Alisa. It certainly did help that they worked a couple of times together during the blood moon in early 2013. This finally culminated in them starting to date each other, soon becoming an official couple. Eventually they broke up again though due to their respective professions and lifestyles simply turning out to be not really compatible with each other.
Victoria King – If asked why he warmed up to her so quickly, revealing his identity rather early compared to others, he’d be unable to fully answer it. It might help that she’s a compatriot of his, that she’s a businesswoman whose company is seated in London as well and that they’re both in the heroic business, where they first met. Either way he likes and respects her and considers her a good and trustworthy friend.
The Nimothians, unliving from the dimension of Nimoth to wish for an alliance with the world of the living. First among them – to Black Knight at least – is Nightinwail, also known as Kimberly Ambersax, their ambassador. The two first met during when he joined The Aegis Association, where she was not only a member, but in a kind of mother-daughter-relationship with Anarchy. Black Knight did earn her trust as she did earn his and they kept a friendly relation, continuing over to The Citadel and beyond. Which led to Black Knight meeting Acobi, the Gremlin Father and leader of one of the four Cults of the Machine in Nimoth, eventually becoming a chosen of the Cult and a frequent visitor to the realm of Nimoth.
Quintessence – The fact that Quintessence is from France and thus coming from a neighbouring country certainly helped Black Knight to quickly warm up to her. That she’s also a stalwart defender of justice and the innocent, ever ready to battle the bad guys and has herself proven to be a valuable ally and likeable, intelligent person elevated her to one of the few, he is perfectly willing to trust.
Natasha Roy – While initially just his new boss, Steven quickly came to like and trust the half-elf with whom he shares quite a few viewpoints and beliefs to the point that he considers her a very dear friend whom he’d help in any way possible if necessary.
Sir Cuthbert, former Earl of Nottingham - A spirit residing in the realm of Nimoth who is part of the Cult of Speed and has taken the form of a transforming musclecar. Cuthbert once was a Knight who fought alongside Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades and who was introduced to Steven by Acobi during a visit in Nimoth. Cuthbert was the one who knighted him and he occasionally serves as Stevens partner and car outside of Nimoth.
Wyvern – Jeanne is a young girl/woman that Steven met while both were with Citadel and even though they went different ways afterwards, they still remain in contact and Black Knight considers her one of his friends, trying to be there for her whenever possible.
Friends
Alana (Olympian Oracle) – Basically the first person he met and who he quickly became friends with. Alana is a mystic, knowledgeable in the art of healing and thus working at Mercy Hospital. After helping her redecorate, renovate and rearrange her Penthouse, she offered him the option to live there as repayment, an offer he accepted after some thinking. Now he lives in a luxury Penthouse apartment, and has been sleeping on the couch since – being a gentleman – he’d feel uncomfortable parting the bed with a woman he considers a friend. Though since Alana vanished, possibly to return to her home of Elysium, the place is actually his own now, for the time being.
Beatrice (Grand Mirage) – A French freelance spy and saboteur who works for UNTIL on occasion, she and Steven shared some good conversations and are united in the fact they come from neighboring countries.
Carlya – One of the more colorful people he’s met and befriended, Carlya is a man trapped in the body of a woman. That alone is nothing special, but what is special about this is the fact that Carl comes from an alternate world that ceased to exist, somehow ending up in this place in a female body which since then has become a hybrid of different species, among human also demon and mermaid. While not meeting all too often, Steven still considers her a friend who he’d help in any way he can if asked for.
Keyna Vashin – Probably his closest friend at the moment – at least as far as Steven is concerned. Knowing bits of her past in an assassins guild somewhere in Italy, Steven is fully aware of her profession and what comes with it. In fact he once witnessed her in action and while no one died (it was a honorable dual) he now has a good idea of what it means to have her job. Suffice to say, ever since he’s always a bit worried about her and probably be happier if he could do something to help her. But as it stands, he’s forced to occasionally see the aftermath of her work and while he doesn’t like what she does, he’ll be the first to say that she’s got ”A good heart in the right place.”, no doubt attributed to the fact that she left her guild when they wanted her to kill her own sister and her best friends.
Leon Salvatore (Silver Reaper) – The man who is (partially) ‘responsible’ for Steven and Keyna meeting in the first place. A friend of Carly and member of the same group, he’s known to Steven for being a nice, laid back dude who plays a great guitar and works with Keyna.
Theresa Black – Anarchy’s ‘homie’, she and Steven met a few times in Caprice, developing a friendship rather quickly, with Theresa often latching onto Steven and both poking each other. While it took some time – and some rather unpleasant events as well as some people shoving them towards it – their friendship eventually became more and for a while they were in a relationship, with Steven being determined to protect his beloved from whatever danger, no matter the cost for himself.
Other heroes/peoples thoughts on Black Knight
(This section can be used by others and won’t be filled out by me)
"Need a guy with a power armor you can count on when you might be putting your life on the line? Here's that guy, Black Knight." - Natasha Roy (Divael)
"BK, eh? Let's see... S'okay, I guess. Needs to not be a hard butt about everything. Like most other people, he probably hates me, but, hey! We're friends. I guess."- Beast
"Chevalier Noir? This big knight in armor is reliable, this is someone i can count on, always here to save princesses and stuff, even if he don't have a white horse." - Quintessence
"He packed quite a punch, even in his older days. Oh, I do realise he hasn't retired just yet. But it can't be too long now, ye? Seriously though, he's alright." - Black Ice
"He appears competent, and his armor reliable. I've never seen him without it; even I've had to take my armor off once in a while. It means he's hiding something, but it also means he values his work above all else. I respect that." - Captain Adamant
Civilian identity: Steven Heck
Civilian occupation
When outside of his powered armours, Steven tries to live a life as normal as circumstances allow, including a normal daytime job, which has often proven to be difficult.
After having been unemployed for the first months in Millennium City, he finally found a job in Westside where he worked as a construction worker, helping with continuing the different building projects in the area.
While glad at having a job and earning money, it was certainly not the most satisfying thing considering his previous one plus the work hours made it hard to be Black Knight, which led to a rather uneven employment.
Luck was with him, though, as he happened to meet Miss Natasha Roy and her assistant, Veronica Brimstone, at Club Caprice, when he spend some of his downtime there. How he got in in the first place is still a secret, though he tends to claim he ‘bribed the bouncer’ by claiming to know someone who was waiting for him.
The conversation between them soon turned into an interview that – with some delay due to unforeseen happenstances – ended with him being hired as network administrator (or IT guy) by Miss Roy’s newly founded Aegis Association.
After Aegis being dissolved, Heck found himself as some kind of freelancer, mostly working on his own and making his skills available to those who need them, until Anarchy formed her new group, Citadel, and offered Steven a place in it, an offer he gladly accepted after some thought, continuing to work with the two women and the new allies and friends that are part of Citadel and the CPN.
With Anarchy going into hiding in mid-2013, Citadel began to decline in activity, leading to him leaving the organization shortly after Divael in mid-June, going solo again.
Recently he expanded though, joining both Eternals, Inc. while also founding his own company, Heck Enterprises to help people and other heroes on more than just one level. Unfortunately, the latter forced him to relocate to London and become less active and involved in Millennium City's heroic scene, though he is making plans to somewhat remedy this fact.
While his stay with the Eternals didn’t last, his company did albeit at the cost of him spending less and less time overseas in MC and more in more in England and Europe.
Personality
Friendly, at times talkative or rather silent, Steven is a very laid back man who has seen his share of good and bad things and tries to maintain an optimistic view on life and its troubles. He also has a dislike for any sort of violence, preferring to talk things out or avoid any involvement in a fight (which is at least partially attributed to the fact that he – in his own words – ”Sucks big time in fighting.”).
What other people think of Steven Heck
(This section can be used by others and won’t be filled out by me)
"Steven is one of those guys that made it obvious, while not saying much, that he's hiding something from the public. Although, I can tell it's not a bad thing he's hiding. I've not met him since long, but he's been friendly and widely accepted by the ones I consider my family. If it turns out that The Aegis Assocation isn't what he was looking for in the end, then I hope he'll find people to call family, and a place to call home. That man would deserve that, at the very least." -Natasha Roy (Divael)
"Blonde chest hair. That is all." - Veronica Brimstone (Vivi)
"Besides the fact that Steven is not only a fellow businessman, countryman, and superhero, he is honestly someone I could and would trust with both my life and my identity. His service to the crown and to the world have taught me a lot, but above all? Not all knights in shining armor wear white.." - Victoria King (Lady Legion)
OOC Section
Here’s the part where things are gathered that don’t influence the game but might make some sense, give some ideas or are just plain fun! Enjoy and do not hesitate to add something if you feel it makes sense (especially in the following section).
Tropes
Yes, I’m going there. Feel free to give me opinions, ideas or alternatives if you think you got something that might be (better) fitting.
Badass Bookworm No real combat training, only basic knowledge of firearms (what he picked up during conscription), no superpowers.
Without his armour, he relies on brains and skills and while his armour does even the battlefield, he is still very much reliant on a combination of his armours abilities and his own smarts to outfight and outthink his opponents.
Badass Normal No superpowers or magic in a world full with supernatural beings, he relies on his brains and technology to come out on top of his business.
Determinator He has a duty to fulfill. Nothing will stop him. Surrender? Leave that one to others. As long as the armour has power and ammo, as long as its repair systems work, as long as there is breath inside him, he’ll keep going and nothing’s going to stop him.
Martial Pacifist Given the choice, he prefers to talk instead of fight. If he has to fight, he prefers to use non-lethal means, if possible.
But when push comes to shove and there is no other option, he will use lethal force.
One Man Army Considering the amount of weapons and firepower the armour possesses… Yeah. One man army, walking tank.
Papa Wolf This didn’t appear yet, but Steven can be very protective when it comes to friends and family (or simply people close to him).
Power Armor Should be obvious. Duh.
The Stoic Applies more to the Black Knight persona than Steven Heck. Thanks to the armours voice distortion and the lack of most of the body language, it is always hard, if not impossible, to tell what he is currently thinking or feeling, giving the impression of an emotionless, stoic and cold person or even automaton.
Themes
The themes for the two different personas were chosen with something in mind. Not simply ‘to sound cool’, but also to catch certain aspects of their personalities and backgrounds.
Black Knight
Gears of War 2 Soundtrack – Armored Prayer
Heroic, optimistic, hope-inspiring. Something from the Iron Man movies might have been the first thing to come to mind, but while the character certainly took some inspiration there, he is no clone and I wanted something a little different.
In my mind, the Black Knight is – despite the connotation the name might have for those with some idea of medieval Europe – as close to a hero as any of my characters in CO ever was.
He is someone who got the chance to wear a powered armour, a choice how to use it. And his choice was to protect innocents. His theme is meant to reflect that he is – indeed – a knight who fights for those who are in danger and/or cannot protect themselves from the threat they face.
Daft Punk – The Game Has Changed
His new, second theme, going with the new Mark X (and now the even more enhanced Crusader) armour, which is not only a huge improvement over the previous ones, but also has some yet to be revealed abilities that – indeed – ‘change the game’.
Linkin Park – New Divide
A recent addition that’s come into being due to some (mostly off screen) events that have made a few additional changes to the character not readily apparent. Let’s leave it at that.
Steven Heck
Metallica – Nothing else matters
This one is mostly related to his personal backstory, so if you've read everything beforehand - kudos. And you probably have an idea about this songs background.
