Vicis
Contents
Biography
Birth of an Assassin
In the small town of Aylmer, Ontario, Ross and Sarah bore their first born son, Scott Graham. With their family beginning to blossom, Ross decided to pursue his job more, forcing the family to move West, to a small farm community. The family was even able to build their dream house, and three years later, Sarah was pregnant once more. Things were normal for the family, they grew older and enjoyed life as it came to them, with Scott and Alyssa continuing to dream of the future, and who they would be when they grew up.
Come high school, at the age of sixteen, Scott's life took a drastic turn. The first thing he and his friends began to notice, was Scott's capability in his gym class had greatly improved. As teens that were more driven by trying to impress the girls, and ensuring they were getting good marks, the topic of why was quickly dismissed. Although in truth, Scott could never completely shake that he had begun to feel as if he were something more. Within a few months, the high school was holding a football tournament at their own field; Scott's friends opted to go, while he insisted on staying home to study for his big exam the following day.
Thus, Scott began studying for the night, on the odd occasion imagining what the game at school was like, and the subtle, hidden want to be there instead of cramped in a room studying. Before Scott even realized it, his setting had changed, and he was standing on the field. Unfortunate for Scott, he'd ended up in the way of the opposing team's very large player. Without even really thinking, the opposing player went to tackle Scott to the ground with little mercy; a blow that likely would have crushed quite a few of Scott's bones.
Scott was able to react in record time, breaking the player's leg in the process. Once the referees learned that Scott was on the field and had "attacked" a player, he was given disciplinary action. Considering the circumstances, he got off lucky writing an apology note, and two-weeks of suspension. During those two weeks, Scott began intensely researching what had happened. It was during this research that he learned of the Battle of Detroit, and other similar events plaguing the globe. His small town that he'd known most of his life was primarily sheltered from threats, leaving him very new to the experience of "super-powers".
With determination to control what was given to him, and lead a normal life, Scott began devoting his time under suspension to finding somebody willing to teach him. A few days after asking around, Scott was met with a man willing to teach him for a price. Scott was somewhat naive, and accepted the offer from the unknown man.
Gaining to Lose
Scott met up with the man named Sebastian, and learned of the price he had to pay. Sebastian wanted no money from Scott, only a favour. The favour was that after Scott was trained, he'd work with Sebastian in their job. Scott would get paid for it, and meet interesting people. Scott felt he had little choice in the first place, and promptly agreed. Thus began his training in dual-swords, and using his mutation his it's fullest.
Five months passed, between balancing school work and training, Scott could tell it was tiring, but he pressed on. He had finally completed his training, and was now going to work alongside Sebastian. It was then he realized he was in far deeper than he could have ever anticipated. Opting to skip school, Scott and Sebastian went to their first job, meeting up with the rest of the crew, the plan was laid out. The higher-ups had made a deal with another group, offering a "loan". Scott's group was to retrieve the funds that would be loaned. They were robbing a bank.
Scott's ability was made use of, using him to bypass most of the security measures and begin retrieving the money. Everything went smoothly. Feeling he had no choice, Scott continued to work under Sebastian's direction. Approximately a year later, Alyssa had reached ninth grade, joining the high school with her older brother. She seemed ecstatic about seeing him around the school, and being able to bug him. But she, along with Scott's friends noticed a change in the young-man. He wasn't quite the energetic person he once was; Scott seemed to be aloof and distant.
He continued his work with Sebastian, growing ignorant of Sebastian's own change. Sebastian himself had become somewhat crazed; he believed Scott was intending to turn against him in some way, and took matters into his own hands to ensure it never happened. In the middle of the night, Scott awoke to the smell of burning. His honed senses allowed him to gather his swords, and take a look around the house for his family. It was walking into his sister's room, and subsequently his parent's, that Scott was met with the passed-out figures of his family. They were already burning in the fire that was raging through the house.
Scott's abilities were not at their peak, nor honed enough for him to teleport, or even consider teleporting his family to safety. With little choice, he teleported out. Scott stood under a tree in the cold snow, watching as flames ate the cherished life he lived. The dream house Ross and Sarah built was rural enough that the fire department was only notified in the morning when a farmer passing by found the smoldering remnants.
The investigation hit too many dead ends, and the local police department concluded that it was faulty wiring in the house that burnt it down, and the entire Graham family with it. Scott and his family were determined deceased.
Road to Vengeance
Scott had disappeared, making his way to the next largest city he could. It was there that he set up operations. With no contacts, little experience, and nothing but his powers, Scott worked his best to make a name for himself in the criminal underworld. During his time, he'd learned of the group Sebastian worked for, calling themselves "The Brokers". The group was shadowy at best, and seemed to have their fingers in just about everything. Scott knew that if he were to get his own vengeance, he'd need to be much better.
During his time searching for jobs, Scott was tasked to protect an important company figurehead for a sizeable sum. The catch was that he was to protect her from an assassin that outranked Scott in every regard. This other assassin was far more experienced and skilled. Scott took a gamble, accepting the job and meeting with the figurehead that night in her office. During the night, Scott had encountered the assassin, and in a brief skirmish, had been disarmed and defeated. With the chance to kill Scott, the assassin made a decision not to, sheathing his own sword and leaving.
The job was considered done, and Scott was paid in full. Upon leaving, his attention turned from the Brokers, to the assassin he had encountered and lost to. With some digging, Scott had found the assassin went by the name of "Amir", and not only that, had previous ties with the Brokers. Scott made a decision to challenge Amir again, heading to a bar where Amir frequented, he set up a fake job for the assassin, to kill somebody.
They met two nights later, a full moon hanging overhead and illuminating a garden of white tulips that the duel was to take place in. Amir knew right away what had happened, and the two began to duel once more; this time to the death.
A New Person
With Amir dead, Scott donned Amir's name, and business, staging that the assailant was the one killed, and he had survived. Upon returning to his contact, Matthias Kingston, and explaining the job was done, Scott was confronted by Kingston. Kingston knew Amir well enough to quickly determine that Scott was an imposter, and when Scott was pressed to give up the charade, he explained everything, down to Amir's death.
The two forged a quick and strong friendship, bonded by their working partnership. Using Amir's connections, and Kingston's knowledge of the criminal underworld, Scott was able to become Amir to everybody. But more than that; Scott was able to reconnect with the Broker's, and more importantly, his line to Sebastian.
The two spent three years working together, building a far greater empire than the old Amir ever could have. And with it, Kingston and Scott located their prime target. He was currently holing himself in Millennium City, acting as a liaison between the Brokers, and the gangs populating the city. It was in the year 2012, that Scott, now known as Amir, and Kingston, finally entered Millennium City.
End of the Road
Upon entering Millennium City, Scott began working again. He noted the two very popular hangouts for super-powered folk, Club Caprice and Sherrera's Bar, and began to frequent these places to pick up information. Scott made a few friends along the way, and in popular fashion throughout the City, they disappeared sometime later, without a word.
Scott was not phased by his friends entering and leaving his life; in the end he was far too focused to keep them around. It was then, that Scott was finally given a chance to get his vengeance and redemption upon Sebastian. Kingston had come to Scott, explaining Sebastian was leading a group in a heist, to obtain a prized jewel from a museum. Scott entered the museum under his disguise, none the wiser to who he was, or why he was there.
As the criminals began to make their move, Scott unveiled himself to Sebastian. Sebastian grew outraged at the sight of Scott, ordering his men to leave with the target. But it was not Scott's true goal. The two clashed in a battle of swords, the two were evenly matched in their martial prowess, however Sebastian was cheap, able to take advantage of Scott's lesser experience, and knocking the man to his back. With that, Sebastian made his escape, leaving Scott infuriated.
Scott retreated as well, still doing the odd job. However he felt defeated, since Sebastian would now cover his steps cautiously to avoid Scott surfacing during one of their operations again.
This was not necessarily the case however. Sebastian had become crazed at the sight of Scott, almost as if his nightmares were haunting him in reality now. Because he had become desperate to see the younger swordsman die, he began to set up elaborate traps and skirmishes for Scott, in order to kill him. Each time, they failed due to major oversights on Sebastian's part.
In the end, Scott located Sebastian and the branch of the Brokers he was dealing with.
Vindicated
Scott found himself in a warehouse, brimming with crooks and thugs belonging to the Brokers, and at the centre of it all, was Sebastian. The gang members formed a circle around the two, and they began to fight one last time. As the fight pressed on, the henchman grew nervous that Sebastian would be defeated, and quickly joined into the fray. However they were cut down in Scott's battle as he focused on killing the man that trained him.
Finally, Scott defeated his greatest foe, holding the tip of the sword to Sebastian's neck, he ran it through. Shortly after, Scott snapped from the emotional stress, and spent the night on the floor of the bloodied warehouse. The surviving crooks had taken off and escaped.
Given a few months, Scott returned to his normal routine. He and Kingston continued to do their work, gaining more and more contacts as time passed, and allowing for Scott to gain more free time. Once frequenting the bars for information, he did it now to finally indulge in social atmospheres; something he hadn't done in a long, long time. During his "clubbing", he'd met a few friends that had a significant impact. One in particular, was the shapeshifter Slick.
The two spent much time together, talking and getting to know each other. Slick was a positive influence in Scott's life, showing him there was more to everything than just taking lives for money. In the process, Scott encountered the extent of Slick's abilities for the first time.
Given a few months, Slick and Scott decided to become separate entities again, with Scott intending to pursue his own redemption and life, he forged on ahead. After some talking with a government agent, Scott was tentatively accepted to join a group that was newly created, intending to end a super attack before it was necessary to intervene.
A Song of Black Hearts
Scott acted as the head of the group, shadowy in almost every regard, they weren't exactly the type of people the public would be willing to give their trust to. It was in this group that the Alien-AI known as Kados was recruited, sparking an odd friendship between Scott and Kados. The AI was purely based on his logic and reasoning, as such he gave Scott a unique instance where he could simply be himself around the machine. It also allowed the two to create a unique synergy in their fighting.
Some time after, the AI was tasked with joining the Liberators, shortly before the dissolution of the BHD. However their standards would not accept Kados, thus Scott was forced to extend his teleportation as far as he could, to move briefly through time, and correct recent events. Due to this, the only person with memory of the events is Scott, whom retreated into himself.
With the BHD dissolved, his companions all gone, and his only ability disappeared, due to how hard he had pushed himself, Scott became somewhat depressed. He decided to begin wandering around, aiding people as he wandered, and experiencing more of the world that he'd already seen.
During one of his visits back in Millennium City, Scott ran into his old friend Slick, whom once again made the offer to merge, and give Scott a chance to think, and take a break.
Rising Sun
Scott was accepted into Black Sun Rising, following his interview with Seth. Shortly after, he changed his codename one last time, from "Amir", to "Vicis". Although reports of Scott's presence around the city have dramatically increased, he is still as much of a ghost as he used to be. Scott is still very paranoid of people finding out about his past, and carries on hiding his face.
Powers
Teleportation
Scott's ability to teleport was the first to manifest in him. It is entirely will-based, and works off of his mental imaging of a place. If he wills himself to a place that he can see the location of, he can teleport safely. If under any influences, or he doesn't have a good mental representation of the location, it can be hazardous, as he could teleport himself into a wall or the floor. He does this not through magic, but manipulating space and time to move he and anything he wills to a pocket dimension outside of regular time and space, and then back into pre-determined location. To the outside view, it appears very similar to Nightcrawler or Deadpool teleporting, with Scott disappearing in a cloud of smoke-like-substance, and reappearing in the blink of an eye elsewhere. To Scott and anybody he travels with, it is a much, much different experience.
Hyperkinesis
A result of teleporting through not only space, but time itself, Scott's powers were gone for a brief period, before his hyperkinesis manifested first. Moving through time itself altered Scott's brain enough for his perception of time to change drastically when he wills. To the outside view, nothing changes except Scott's exceptional aim, and reflex. To Scott however, time practically slows itself as his brain makes split-second calculations, and adjusts everything he sees and does to perfectly react to any situation. In tandem with his teleportation however, he can be quickly worn out.
Weaknesses
Scott's primary weakness is his human form. As a human, he can indeed get sick, hungry, tired, thirsty, and severely injured. As a result, he compensates by the use of his powers to make himself extremely mobile, stealthy, and hard to hit. However being hit can have major consequences to his prowess afterwards. Scott may seem very powerful, however this frailty is his undoing; the slightest mistake could kill him, or end his career fighting alongside his friends for the rest of his life.
Equipment
Scott's arsenal is fairly wide, in terms of applicable equipment in the field. Listed below are some of his most commonly used weapons.
Kakusareta Ejji
Kakusareta Ejji, also known as the "Hidden Edge", are a pair of dual swords forged for Scott by Seth himself. These swords are uniquely folded with magic essence. Most notable are the physical features of the blades, a pair of straight-edge katanas. The blades appear to have an oily-film on them, however this is not the case. The swords were designed to work in tandem with Scott's spatial folding to accomplish a number of tasks. Primarily, these blades can be manipulated at will by Scott himself, as a pair of dancing blades. With training, one can utilize the full extent of their power, creating more swords from them, and allowing for them to act independently as well. With time, these swords can be a true force to be reckoned with.
Throwing Knives
Each set of Scott's armour has hidden compartments throughout it, designed to hold his throwing knives. In particular, these knives are in the design of a Gravity Knife. These knives hold a secondary blade in the handle, and when gravity or inertia interact with it, the second blade is forced out. In cases of throwing, it allows for a second chance for the blade to hit the opponent, and balances it properly. Certainly a deadly asset to the assassin's arsenal.
Wrist-Mounted Blades
The wrist-mounted blades are all hidden within the bracers of Scott's armour. Designed by Scott himself, they use a unique trigger to extend from the bracer. When flexing the forearm muscles to full potential, following with a quick back and forth motion, the blades will extend from the bracer. While not quite the length of a pair of swords, these blades are certainly sizeable. To go along with it, mounting them on the top of the bracer, instead of the bottom allows for stealth use, as well as extended combat use. After all, sticking knives under your forearm is just silly. You'll stab yourself!
Personality
Scott is always the quietest amongst the group; a man built in the shadows, he generally has little to say unless spoken to directly, or if he decides it is necessary to share his viewpoint. To further this, he comes off as a very cold, often aloof personality, influenced by his past career, and choices throughout his life. On the contrary however, getting to know Scott reveals an entirely new person underneath of his mask. Scott continues to have a hard time coming off as personable, however getting to know him has shown most people that beneath everything, he's simply a man that wants to stop hurting, and has the deepest respect for his close friends and allies.
Friends and Allies
Slick and Scott met by pure coincidence, amongst the chatter of Club Caprice. The two managed to become fast friends, giving each other the chance to learn their secrets, and confide with their facelessness.
Kados
Scott and Kados met when the latter had joined the briefly run, Black Heart Division. Taking as much time as they could to fight together, and create an atmosphere with high synergy, the two were, and still are capable of working as an impeccable team.
Seth is the same man that had hired Scott for Black Sun Rising. Although Seth makes few appearances to Scott, and Scott makes few appearances overall, Scott has found himself generating an immense respect for his leader. That respect only continues to flourish as the two speak, and interact.
Meeting briefly before joining the same group, Corsair and Scott have an interesting friendship. Although the two of them don't speak or see each other as often, Scott often finds comfort in Beth's similarly quiet nature. With Corsair's wisdom, and Scott's cynicism, the two have a tendency to discuss the nature of humanity and the world, often giving Scott a chance to speak about his own viewpoints.
Soundtrack
Coming soon!
RP Hooks
- Scott is generally seen around the city, sporting some sort of mask over his face. Certainly no reason to ask why.
- There isn't a single record pertaining to "Vicis". Should you perhaps pursue why he doesn't exist?
- While he was rumoured to be involved with criminal activity, no claims are entirely true. It may be worth checking out.
- Or, just feel free to walk up to him and chat.
Trivia
- Vicis is Pandacookiez's first character on CO. Whee!
- The first design for Vicis' costume -- retired early on, during his first encounter with Sebastian -- was unintentionally designed off another character being created at the time. As a result, both have a somewhat similar personality and style.
- He did go through a few silent retcons. If you recognize him, and you're unsure what happened to any RP you had done with him, feel free to get a hold of me (@Pandacookiez), and we can discuss the potential solution.
- Vicis was later inspired by Deadpool, and Nightcrawler, with some notable similarities between himself and other characters such as Ash, from the game Warframe, and Vergil from Devil May Cry.
- Vicis has a tendency to begin spinning objects between his fingers, to keep his mind and hands occupied.
