Lantern Jack
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Contents
History
"Sammy O'Haine was a big time wizard, and he knew it. After burning his bridges in the old country, Sammy caught the first astral wind to the bright lights of New York, New York, the city so good they named it twice. It was the roaring 20s and there was no better time or place for a big time wizard to get his kicks. And Sammy had been to a lot of times and places. It was a glorious time to be a Super - wine, women and song as far as the eye could see. And Sammy loved every second of it. Life was good!
Fastforward some 20 or so years...America is at war, and every able-bodied Super is called up to fight. Samuel Haines is a bitter ex-pat, old beyond his 50 years on this stinking planet, with 6 bastards under his belt and a 7th on the way. He's too old for the war but he signs up anyway, anything to be rid of this country and the life he'd squandered. He's run away from a life before, back when he was still Sammy O'Haine and proud of his Irish roots, and he can do it again. So what if the kid won't have a father? The other 6 don't. They're better off. All he can give them is each other, and the knowledge of their shared blood.
Samuel Haines seals up 7 envelopes, addressed all over the States, and drops them into a mailbox. He crosses the tarmac to the waiting plane, steps up onto the stairs and never sets foot in the States again."
It's 7:20pm, October 31st, 2007. Sam Haines is in the attic of his parents' house, sweating and swearing. He knows he saw that big-ass creepy book up here somewhere, and he knows it'll be perfect for tonight's party. When he'd mentioned to Pamela about all the freaky crap his dead grandpa had left in the attic her eyes had just lit right up. She was a freaky chick, and this dungeons and dragons stuff impressed the pants off her. Literally, he hopes with a smirk.
Aha! With a grunt he pulls the book out from under a stack of junk, tearing the cover slightly but hey, that just makes it look more badass and creepy. The stack wobbles dangerously as its main support is removed, but stays more or less intact. Punching the air in victory, he tucks the book under his arm and slides down the ladder from the attic. He has time for a quick shower to get rid of the attic stink before he picks up Pammy, so he tosses the book down and heads for the bathroom.
8pm, and Sam is driving his date to the Sigma Delta halloween party. Pamela is sitting beside him, thumbing though the book he'd brought, her eyes wide with excitement. She's wearing this tiny black leather outfit that's part halloween costume and part underwear. Sam can't keep his eyes off of her, but hell, that's nothing new. He's dressed as a scarecrow, a private joke between them, and he's suddenly glad the rags cover his lap.
The radio blares sudden static. He jumps but Pammy barely moves, she's that engrossed in the book. He reaches out and fiddles with the stereo but he can't get the station back, so he sighs and clicks it off. The car is his brother's, and it's a POS. He shoots an apologetic smile at Pamela but she barely glances in his direction. Jeez, should he be this jealous of a mouldy old book? Oh well, he'll get her to leave it in the car when they arrive.
The radio is busted and Pamela is more interested in the book than conversation. Sam hates silence, always has. Probably why he talks so much. The party is miles away, out at an old abandoned mansion, and it's a long way to go without saying anything. As he turns off of the main road, his fingers drumming lightly at the steering wheel, he begins to hear something. Whispering. He glances at Pammy, but she's still reading. The excitement in her eyes has grown, and it's a little creepy.
"You hear something?" he asks, breaking the non-silence, talking a little too loudly above the whispers. Pamela doesn't even look up, just replies with an impassive "No". Her voice is an odd contrast to the wild expression on her face. He waits, seeing if she's gonna at least look at him, but she just keeps reading. He sighs and turns his attention back to the road. What's going on with her? Is she gonna break up with him or something? Sam's never had a lot of luck with chicks, and Pammy is way outta his league. Guess she's finally realised that.
The whispering is getting louder. There's no way it's his imagination, but Pammy doesn't hear it. He checks the windows, but they're sealed tight. The AC is busted, no way it's that. He's reaching up to check the sunroof when suddenly-
Samuel Haines opens his eyes. The girl dressed like a whore is bad news, and he knows it. She's got his spell book and she's not just looking at the pictures. This is bad. The kid has no idea what he's gotten himself into.
Sam gasps! What the hell was that? He looks over at Pamela and what was once one hell of a sexy chick is now...well, still one hell of a sexy chick, but way scarier. She doesn't look up, but her voice drips with scorn and dangerous sensuality. "So, you can see me. Shame, I was looking forward to the party." She chuckles, and gooseflesh ripples across Sam's arms. "Oh well, I have what I need from you." She reaches over and grabs the steering wheel, wrenching it free from the dashboard. "Enjoy Hell, Sam!" she laughs, and vanishes.
Sam stares down at the ruined steering column. He tells the doctors that it's the last thing he remembers when he wakes, three days later, in a crisp white hospital bed. He's battered and bruised. They tell him it's a miracle he survived the crash, but he wonders. They tell him the grey hair is a result of his head injuries, but he wonders. They tell him that he was alone that night, that Pamela was a coma dream. He wonders about that most of all.
He can do stuff now. Weird stuff, like the Supers on TV. And he's not alone. He can still hear the whispers, the voice in his head.
Powers, Abilities, and Weaknesses
Powers
Jack's powers come from the ghost that haunts him. His primary powers are sorcery based, with focuses on storm and fire control.
Abilities
As well as providing him with raw magical power in the form of his superpowers, Jack's ghost is also able to talk to him, providing him with interesting information it has discovered, and share its memories. Jack often wakes up knowing details of people and places (sometimes even books, TV or - disturbingly - pornography) that he's never experienced, presumably as a result of a bored ghost eavesdropping on people during the night. That said, the ghost isn't totally benevolent and the information it does or doesn't let slip can't be trusted implicitly.
While his ghost is bound to him, Jack's awareness is separate from the ghost meaning it can often notice things that Jack doesn't see or hear. Whether the ghost chooses to clue Jack in or not is another matter.
As well as the abilities Jack's ghost provides, Jack also has some minor skill in "traditional" magic, spells and enchantments created by wizards throughout the ages. Jack's primary source for spells is the Dungeons and Dragon's Players Handbook, having been told that Gary Gygax was secretly a mystical superhero in the 60s. Surprisingly, a lot of the spells are actually functional.
Weaknesses
First and foremost, Jack is an average human, with physical limitations to match. His weaknesses include (but aren't limited to): Bullets, Rockets, Grenades, Laser guns, Munitions of any kind, Punches to the face or body, Kicks to the face or body, Kicks to the groin, Punches to the groin, Groin attacks in general, Alcohol, Sexy girls, Psychics, Psychos, Psycho psychics, Sexy psychic psycho girls, Girls crying, Guys crying, Emotional manipulation, Physical manipulation, Mental manipulation, Spiritual manipulation, Headaches and Bees.
Secondly, Jack has little or no mental defence. His mind is an open door and psychics can and do get inside his head with alarming regularity. Psychic illusions fool him almost every time. Sirens, tricksters and psychic manipulators make him their bitch. He is a little stronger against magical clairvoyance, but not significantly.
He also talks way too much for his own good.
Affiliations
Friends
Kountry Komics
A group of minor league heroes working out of the back room of the Kountry Komics comic book store in Westside.
Various Caprice Patrons
Jack is quite the social butterfly. (( Names excluded for privacy, if you're a buddy of Jack's and you want on the list, let me know ))
Enemies
Menton
After foiling a plot by Menton to seize the plans for Stronghold's "Hot-Sleep" technology, the psionic supervillain promised to have his revenge against Jack. When Menton finally managed to orchestrate the Stronghold riots and break out of hot-sleep, one of the first orders of business was to begin projecting a strong feeling of depression and hopelessness into Jack's normally optimistic mind. Jack is currently working to gain access to Stronghold and face Menton in a battle for his sanity.
Various Caprice Patrons
Jack is, alas, quite the social butterfly. (( Names excluded ))
Trivia
Theme Song: Chasing the Night - The Ramones (or maybe Something to Believe In - The Ramones)
Roleplay Info
RP Info: Jack hangs out in Caprice a fair bit, if you see him there don't be shy, come say hi - you'll get a drink and a new nickname. He's pretty crude, but friendly, and generally just tries to find the funny in any situation. Don't take anything he says too seriously. If you're into dark and gritty expect to be teased, but don't be afraid to just deck him if you want to. He's pretty open to godmodding (so long as it's funny) and he gets smacked about a LOT. Oh, and if he's wearing his mask - it's just a mask.
