Confiteor
"It's very easy to be sarcastic about religion - it's much more difficult to take a stand."
It goes without saying that a lot of this information is Out Of Character. Use of said information for metagaming or god-moding purposes will get you cussed at and likely ignored. I don't truck with none of that nonsense. This is also a direct port of my City of Heroes character.
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Contents
OOC Notes
- Background checks into the identity of Julia Fairfield brings back nothing. Julia Davies gets a hit in the U.K. for a school teacher in suburban Ireland who was recently brutally murdered. Giulia Morano is a noted antique dealer with a clean Italian citizenship and ties to the Catholic Church.
- Her natural dimension was the one of the CoH game universe; therefore, the Julia that exists in the CO dimension is a separate person altogether.
- Inspirations include the old school Helena Bertinelli "Huntress" from DC Comics, and a little Lara Croft.
- Her "real life portrayal" would be actress/model/gymnast Alison Carroll.
Brief History
J.D.'s an only child. That doesn't seem to explain why she occasionally seems so nice. She does have half-siblings, but due to the non-existent relationship between herself and her mother, she never sees them. When she was younger she tried to establish some sort of bond with them, but has since given up.
Childhood
Michael and Brenna Davies had married young, subsequently they scrambled to make ends meet when they discovered Brenna was pregnant. A gambling addict, Michael tried to get his green illegally, and made a few enemies. A loan shark, who also happened to have witchiness in her blood, was displeased at Michael's inability to pay her back. She cursed him in the traditional sense, laying all of his sins on his firstborn.
Sins of the father, you might say.
Michael and Brenna fought constantly up until the day Julia was born. Nothing seemed wrong with the baby in the beginning, but as she got older, too many strange things began happening. Michael abruptly left, and Brenna turned to her neighbors James and Mary Margaret for support. They believed her when Brenna finally broke down and told them what happened with her husband and baby, and took both mother and child in.
Julia's oddities proved too much for young Brenna to be able to deal with, and by the time she was four years old she was adopted by the Montgomery-Evanses. Her mother visited often in the early years, but she eventually remarried and started a new family, deliberately forgetting Julia and Michael and everything that had happened before.
News of her father's death had gotten to James and Mary Margaret when Julia was about eight. Julia, having no recollection of her father, wasn't affected. The Montgomery-Evanses, and her mother's side of the family, who were Irish and would sooner abandon a helpless kitten than their kin, became her only family.
Education
J.D.'s training began young, as a necessity in helping her control the tangible darkness attached to her soul. In the end, she proved apt at the skills James was teaching her, so he adjusted the curriculum to nudge her towards the Knighthood he served. Mary Margaret had had ovarian cancer young in her life, therefore leaving the Montgomery-Evanses without natural children; J.D. became heir to everything they stood for.
She attended parochial schools, doing exceptionally well in classes. She had several childhood friends, but due to the nature of her abilities and training, never had the mythical 'best friend'. But she had duties and responsibilities, and she thrived under the loving attention of her adopted parents.
The strain began showing with the onset of puberty - rebellion blossomed, declared by J.D. in one of the few fights between parents and child. She wanted a normal life, and they tried to explain to her it would come in time. Frustrated at the age of seventeen, she ran away from home and encountered her first demon.
J.D. slew the demon and beat the ever-loving shit out of its human summoner, Walter Quentin Paulson, but was also caught by the police and jailed. As she couldn't exactly explain why she'd assaulted the well-loved member of the community, she was tossed into Holloway for three years.
Making parole, J.D. emerged a changed woman, having soul-searched enough to understand the important role she was to play in the fight against evil. She reconciled with her adoptive parents, and took the vows to enter the Knights Hospitaller. She trained harder than ever, but had time to attend Bristol University, where she eventually majored in Theology and Secondary Education.
The Knights Hospitaller
The Hospitallers, unlike the Templars, survived the end of the Crusades and Renaissance with the blessings of its mother church. Having never been as truly influential and powerful as the Templars, they were allowed to carry on and evolved with the times. While mostly a social club these days, there remain Hospitallers like James Montgomery-Evans who continue the traditional work of the Order. Humanity must be protected from the creatures who long to subjugate them.
J.D. progressed through her novice years speedily, and was finally knighted at the age of twenty-five by the head of her Order. She and her mentor operated throughout the U.K., performing sting operations against singular or smaller knots of supernatural evil.
In time, newer Knights were christened and began taking over the work of J.D. and James; he was getting on in years, and J.D. wanted a change in her life. Making certain her home turf was well-defended, she turned her eyes outward towards the world.
Recently, she made a lateral transition from her leadership position to one that would allow her more freedom to act independently. She chose Caleb as her successor, a move that went over very smoothly with both the local Knights and the “upper brass” over in London. More relieved than anything to no longer be in charge, she's still very close with her fellow Knights, considering them her family.
The Isles
It seemed a natural place to go; a small island chain dominated by a tyrant and likely overflowing with the sort of things J.D. specialized in killing. She made arrangements, paid off the right people to create her a civilian identity that could make it through the rigorous checks of Arachnos, and moved to the Isles.
She began teaching at Aeon University in the Fall '08 semester, taking over for an aged but still robust Theology professor named Roger Cantrell. She soon earned the admiration of her coworkers, and the coveted opinion of being "not bad" by her students. She was a strict educator, but wanted her students to enjoy the subjects as much as she did. They learned not to cross her, and attendance in her classes and her office hours proved she was hitting the right chord.
It was also in the Isles that the masked vigilante Confiteor made an appearance. While not at all notorious at this juncture, certain sorts were getting concerned about this fighter who stung at their faces. J.D. doesn't don her mask and cape much, but never hesitates to do so when she sees a need.
The Templar Order
After some issues with her employment with the university, J.D. began looking for other employment in the Isles. Happenstance had introduced her to Satine Dubois previously, who had offered J.D. a position at the Catholic academy she was affiliated with. She accepted a teaching position at St. Joan of Arc High School, and had constructed a curriculum revolving around the New and Old Testaments of the Bible (King James Version). She has since disassociated herself with the school, and the secret society that had been using it as a legitimate facade.
Michael Fisk
"Happenstance determined our meeting, but it seems that every time we talk, something comes up to make me think there was more than chance to it."
The man who would become her husband was initially an enigma. The proverbial walled fortress, Adam Fairfield came off as an isolated man, dour of mien and less inclined towards letting anyone see the real human being. Julia came to see something of herself in him, a realization that grew steadily more certain as time went on. Conversations in public places gave her hints towards the person he was, rather than the image he continuously presented. Attraction took seed, and it eventually grew to a devoted love that first manifested when, in a dire situation, she called for his help, rather than relying on the God she so worshiped.
They're more alike than many people will ever realize. In him, she sees a true partner, an equal on all levels. Someone who's going to accept her silly quirks, as well as not judge when she has to undertake the difficult choices of her profession. She's walked his darker memories, and instead of being repelled, she understood. The "monster" he calls himself, has a mirror in her own soul. It's not something she'll mention to casual friends, and it's rare for her to talk about it at all.
If it came down to it, she'd choose him over anything else. Faith, church, the Order, it all pales in comparison to the unshakable, almost zealous devotion she has towards him. He trusts her to watch his back when few others are close to that honor, and she sees it for the concession of his emotional armor that it is. He'd lost love before, she's not about to let it happen a second time. When she tells him, "Until the end of the world", she means it; she will stand with him when everything else is falling down into chaos.
Abilities
A lot of J.D.'s talents are natural, learned over the course of her training. While very good, she's still quite human and prone to the same human failures. She does have many tools at her disposal, though, and they tend to see her through the day.
Dark Melee
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)
What had placed J.D. under the care of her "uncle" and "aunt" was the former source of her power - she's not a demon, nor a mutant, simply the victim of a father's greed. Michael crossed a witch in his desperation for financial security, and she cursed his first-born - that the child would reveal the darkness within its father's soul.
She used her power to strike at the very soul of her enemies. Those that lacedk souls could still be damaged, although to a lesser degree. Beings of light, or pure goodness, were also spared the worst of her might. J.D. having had this all her life, she had found the myriad uses of it; not only harming her foes, but healing herself, or drawing out her opponent's own darkness to bring out what they fear.
Since passing a test brought on her by the angel Uriel, she is no longer haunted by the darkness of that Romani curse.
Holy Fire
Said test was a literal baptism of fire; nearly two years ago, Julia was nearly immolated to death. Since then, she has had recurring nightmares of a similar happening, save without the divine intervention that spared her life. That, combined with her desire to cure her body's inability to function normally due to the natural of her curse, caused her to seek out the archangel Uriel for help. Suffice to say, she was given a monumental challenge that left her changed, but for the better. Now possessed of the ability to produce, channel and control fire most holy, she uses this in place of the darkness she once commanded. While still new to the flames, she has found just as numerous an amount of uses; harming, healing, and the like. She can control the degree and function of the fire, from pillars of sun-like heat and light, to soft, curative heat.
Being of a celestial nature, said flames are most dangerous to creatures of darkness, those weak to sunlight and fire, and most demons. Some beasts immune to fire itself are instead effected by the holiness of the fire. And what cannot be harmed by either, she finds a way just the same.
Physical Skills
Since coming to her mentors, J.D. has been on a rigorous training regimen that stretches the boundaries of human speed, flexibility and durability. Her instincts are also honed to highest skill, where she can usually anticipate her opponent's course of action. Greater skill is taxing, but she is capable of astonishing feats of speed and evasiveness. Further training with her fellow Knights has broadened this expertise to encompass great mental will and the temporary ability to ignore even the worst amounts of pain.
Faith
Although she's not an ordained member of the Church, and is still basically a novice when it comes to magics or rites, J.D. finds strength in her faith, and the credo of her Order. "Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum", which translates to "for the faith and in the service of humanity" is a mandate she follows to the letter. She has driven off lesser vampires and demons with a blessed cross and a recitation of prayer, and the more dangerous the situation she's in, the more often she seems "lucky". But J.D. knows that she can't rely on her faith alone, it's more back-up than anything.
To bolster her awareness of the supernatural, and of all things that can be labeled unholy, she has several saints tattooed on her body:
- St. David - The patron saint of Wales, he and his related images adorn her right arm. Accompanying him is the Red Dragon of Wales.
- St. Rita of Cascia - The patron saint of the impossible, she and her related symbols cover J.D.'s left arm. She is partnered with a stylized wreath of red and white roses, complete with thorned stems.
- St. George - As one of the most popular saints of soldiers, his image compromises a large back piece, covering from nape to waist.
All three are done in the style of stained glass windows, with delineated outlines and vivid colors. There are scars here and there marring the conformity of the images. The inks used for each tattoo were blessed by a Roman Catholic bishop, and react appropriately in regards to the sort of being she's in the presence of. Reactions vary from a chill crawling up her spine, or arms, to severe itching. Based on the sensations, she can even determine proximity and direction of the creature causing the reaction. Like any other physical sense, too much exposure to things that trigger a response can make her hyper-sensitive to supernatural creatures, effecting her on a physical level. Imagine it as being like the temporary deafness after a very loud concert.
The strength of her faith is tangible to those sensitive to such things.
Personality
Julia can occasionally put on a facade of being genuinely cheerful and helpful, willing to go that extra mile to do something nice for someone. She'll buy everyone a round or two, then drive the drunks home to be sure they get there safely. There's no ulterior purpose - she's simply just that sort of person. She also likes to have a good time, and has a brazen attitude that's gotten her into trouble before. Yeah, she'll pick a fight with that biker gang, but it'll likely end up with laughter and her buying them a few drinks. She can soothe pricked prides and ruffled feathers rather well, all but for the most obstinate.
Although it was a cover, she did enjoy teaching, especially when she could challenge her students into thinking outside the box. Her "teaching mode" can occasionally leak into her every day conversations, and she can accidentally start lecturing if the environment's right for it. Her need to educate extends past the class room - her incursion into the Isles, and the people she's met so far, have made her decide to spread the Word of God as well. She also jokingly considers her beating of criminals and the like as "teaching."
She's distant with non-humans, even aggressive if they prove to be the sorts who think they're superior to humans. In fact, one could go so far as to calling her a bigot – something Julia herself will freely admit to. She has a number of prejudices that color her opinion of people, and generally they're not very positive opinions. Julia knows very well her bigotry is often unfounded, but old habits die very hard. She makes exceptions for close friends and allies, however, usually ignoring the aspects of their personalities that bother her.
Julia's temper has grown since she first came to the Isles, becoming a raw, angry beast locked behind increasingly fragile bars. Whether this is an effect of the transition from darkness to fire is a mystery, or rather, not something she's willing to discuss with people. Prior to her "cure", she had to keep a tight rein on her emotions because of the curse. Now, though, being free from the omnipresent feeling of negative emotions from those around her, she is less likely to hold her tongue or exercise tact.
J.D. is very analytical, and involuntarily observes people and files away certain personality traits. She may not remember that story you told regarding the banana and the Ford truck, but she'll remember how you like your coffee. She likes the quirks and personal details, because in the end, it'll help her take you out. She's not paranoid, but she also doesn't take chances, and has contingency plans. While more than human, she's made a life of killing things that are generally stronger and meaner than her, so survival is key. She likes making friends and is loyal down to the last letter, but she won't hesitate if she's betrayed.
She is determined and forthright, loathe to lie but does cushion the truth. Her adoptive aunt instilled a deep sense of compassion, and J.D.'s the type to stop and go to a fallen child with a scraped knee. She takes her vows so seriously that she defends people from as much as she can; emotional, physical and spiritual pain, if needed. Her hand is always ready to comfort, although she keeps herself aloof for the most part.
Prone to injuries based on her profession and her hobbies, J.D. will 99% of the time shun any means of speeding up the healing process. Whether it's magical or scientific in nature, she will refuse treatment unless it's life-saving. It's one of the few occasions she will become exceptionally stubborn - once she's made up her mind, nothing save external interference will move her.
Errata / Points of Interest
- Over time, she's let the Welsh accent sneak out. During periods of high stress, or great inebriation, she stops trying to sound coherent altogether and her accent gets strong.
- Speaks Welsh and Latin fluently, Irish Gaelic, French and Italian to a lesser degree. She can identify a number of other languages, even if she can't speak them.
- Knights Hospitaller
- Acrobatics is RPed as J.D.'s proficiency in [Parkour] and freerunning. As such, her hands are often bruised, cut up and scraped.
- Adopted a cat named Missy, who recently had five kittens.
- Can't cook to save her life, although she's working on it.
- Had scars running diagonally across her face -- four jagged lines from left temple to right jaw. They have since been healed, but remain barely visible as pale lines where red scar tissue once was.
- Has access to a number of strange and unusual magical artifacts and items, ranging from the odd but handy (a healing salve created from roses taken from sightings of the Virgin Mary), to the rare and priceless (a band of cloth cut from one of Constantine's cloaks), to the extraordinarily dangerous (liquid hellfire). In fact, many of her weapons are not made of terrestrial metal (or if they were they were items of great religious significance), and were crafted by celestial hands. In effect, everything she uses is blessed. Hell, all of her drinks are.
Soundtrack
- Theme Song - Regenerator, "God Is On My Side"
- Nine Inch Nails, "God Given"
- Christina England Hale, "Ave Maria"
- Pride & Fall, "Violence in Me"
- VNV Nation, "Pro Victoria"
The Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and what I have failed to do;
and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God
